Escalating Israeli settler violence in the occupied West Bank has led to civilian casualties, including the killing of a 7-month-old baby by an Israeli soldier and arson attacks on mosques. A coalition of former top Israeli officials, including Ehud Barak and Ehud Olmert, issued a "final warning" to the Netanyahu government, accusing it of inaction and complicity in what they term "Jewish terrorism" aimed at displacing Palestinians.
Mosque arson attacks
- ▪The Colonisation and Wall Resistance Commission documented 22 attacks on Muslim religious sites in the West Bank during May 2026
- ▪Israeli settlers attempted to set fire to the al-Marah mosque in Deir Dibwan on June 14, 2026
- ▪During the attack on al-Marah mosque, a settler sprayed an incendiary substance at 92-year-old Yasser Saqer Rashid, who was inside
Settler violence impunity
- ▪A coalition of former Israeli officials accused Benjamin Netanyahu's government of having "done nothing to eliminate Jewish terrorism."
- ▪The coalition of officials includes former Prime Ministers Ehud Barak and Ehud Olmert, and former Mossad director Tamir Pardo
- ▪Israeli authorities rarely punish settlers for crimes against Palestinians, and a police case was closed against "unknown assailants" despite video evidence
Palestinian displacement patterns
- ▪The settler population in the occupied West Bank and East Jerusalem has increased from 250,000 in the 1990s to over 750,000
- ▪The UN OCHA reports that over 117 Palestinian communities in the West Bank have faced complete or partial displacement from settler attacks
- ▪Amnesty International and the UN report on systematic ethnic cleansing campaigns against Palestinians in the occupied West Bank
- ▪The stated goal of settler violence is to expel Palestinians from their villages to enable the "forced Judaisation" of the West Bank
State-backed settlement expansion
- ▪Since October 2023, settlers have established at least 165 new outposts, according to the Colonization and Wall Resistance Commission
- ▪In May 2026, Israeli authorities demolished 155 Palestinian structures across the occupied West Bank and East Jerusalem
Economic destruction targeting
- ▪In a June 14, 2026 attack in Deir Dibwan, settlers burned vehicles and set fire to farmland
- ▪The Colonization and Wall Resistance Commission recorded 124 attacks on agricultural lands in May 2026, damaging 7,222 trees
- ▪The Abu Haikal family reported previous settler attacks on their property, including destruction of crops and theft
- ▪On April 21, 2026, settlers attacked the Faqih family home in Beit Imrin, destroying glass doors
Palestinian civilian casualties
- ▪Since October 2023, the Israeli army and settlers have killed at least 1,169 Palestinians in the West Bank, according to official Palestinian figures
- ▪An Israeli soldier shot and killed 7-month-old Sam Abu Haikal near Hebron in early June 2026
- ▪Since October 7, 2023, Israeli security forces have killed 241 children in the West Bank, according to the UN human rights office
- ▪The baby's parents, Fahd Abu Haikal and Dania Salameh, were also injured in the shooting incident
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