Independent Commission for Human Rights lawyer witnesses settler violence in West Bank
Palestinians generally feel a deep sense of disappointment with the international community, which appears unable or unwilling to take effective steps to stop the horrors in the West Bank. In this bitter reality, Palestinians feel like they live in a jungle, where settlers exploit land and people without deterrence.
- 2 months ago
October 20, 2024
Settlers in the West Bank. | Photo courtesy of Farid Elatrash
As a lawyer with the Independent Commission for Human Rights located in southern West Bank, and a resident of Doha City, I see first-hand the significant escalation of attacks by settlers in the West Bank since October 7, 2023. These attacks exacerbate the suffering of Palestinians, while Israeli settlers act without accountability.
Palestinians become subjected to multiple forms of violence, including killings and land seizures. Meanwhile, Israeli occupation forces provide support and protection to the settlers. If Palestinians try to defend themselves, they face gunfire from both the army and settlers. The situation quickly escalates, becoming tense and dangerous.
Freedom for settlers, restrictions on Palestinians: the fantasy of a two-state solution
Military checkpoints and closures imposed by the Israeli army make it nearly impossible for Palestinians to move between areas of the West Bank, often isolating villages and cities. Meanwhile, settlers move freely, attacking Palestinian land and seizing it. This reality creates a significant disparity in daily life between Palestinians and settlers. One group is unable to move freely; the other enjoys total freedom to move, seize land, and build.
Between Israeli settlement expansion and the separation wall dividing land into isolated zones where construction is forbidden, Palestinians face significant restrictions on agriculture and development. Meanwhile, the Israeli settlers enjoy access to all essential services including water, electricity, and sewage.
It appears that the clear objective of these policies is to pressure Palestinians to leave their lands and indirectly force them into displacement. Such policies threaten the future of upcoming Palestinian generations. Despite these challenges, the Palestinian Authority lacks a comprehensive national plan to confront settlement expansion, which strengthens the settlers and makes the prospect of a two-state solution—once hoped for by many after the Oslo Accords—increasingly impossible.
Since the signing of those agreements in 1993, settlement activity escalated dramatically, weakening the chances of establishing an independent Palestinian state. Settlements do not stop at any particular boundary; they simply continue to expand, making the talk of a two-state solution mere fantasy or illusion. The Palestinian Authority, tasked with protecting Palestinians, seems unable to confront this expansion. Its weak and ineffective role in addressing settler violence deepens a sense of frustration among Palestinians.
Armed settlers and government support
In a recent incident in the village of Wadi Rahal near Bethlehem, settlers killed a Palestinian and seized land. Despite this horrific incident, the Israeli army did nothing to protect the Palestinians, and the Palestinian Authority failed to provide protection or intervene to stop the land seizure. This incident is not exceptional but rather part of a long series of attacks on Palestinians across the West Bank.
Settlers become armed and equipped by figures like Minister Itamar Ben-Gvir who lives in a settlement in Hebron. Under the current far-right Israeli government, attacks on Palestinians escalate, with no real deterrent for these armed militias that commit crimes with the knowledge and benefit of military and political protection. The struggle against settlements and the Israeli occupation appears not to be ending anytime soon.
As long as the Palestinian people do not obtain their legitimate right to freedom, dignity, and self-determination, this conflict will remain open and continue indefinitely. Ending settlement activity is a fundamental condition for achieving any lasting and just solution to the Palestinian cause. Without it, Palestinians will never be an independent entity nor live with dignity.
The ongoing violations and attacks in the West Bank threaten to increase the cycle of violence in the region. Despite the enormous challenges, the Palestinian people remain steadfast on their land, holding onto their rights and resisting all threats and attempts at displacement.
The international community and the Palestinian cause
Some hope remains in the international community to seriously intervene and put an end to these violations. However, international positions so far fail to rise to the level of the challenges facing the Palestinian people. Activists and citizens call upon the international community to take a clear and firm stand against Israeli settlement policies and stop the daily violations Palestinians endure.
Unfortunately, many countries and international organizations adopt timid or ineffective positions. It begins to feel like Palestinian suffering does draw necessary international attention. International courts must intervene to hold those responsible for these violations accountable and send a strong message that human rights violations will not go unpunished.
Palestinians generally feel a deep sense of disappointment with the international community, which appears unable or unwilling to take effective steps to stop the horrors in the West Bank. In this bitter reality, Palestinians feel like they live in a jungle, where settlers exploit land and people without deterrence. The need for urgent and effective international intervention becomes more urgent than ever.
