Settler Violence = State Violence

In recent years — and especially since 7 October 2023 — there has been a sharp increase in both the number and severity of settler attacks against Palestinians. The incidents reported on this blog do not reflect all incidents of settler violence in the West Bank, but only those that B’Tselem was able to document and investigate.

Download the monthly totals (CSV)

Displaying 541-560 of 2015 updates. An update can cover more than one incident.

Incident type

Area

District

Locality

Dates

From date

To date

Israeli forces present

During the olive harvest

Communities forcibly transferred or facing forced transfer

April 2024

13 April 2024 Maghayir al-'Abid Incidents: 1

Maghayir al-’Abid, South Hebron Hills: Israeli settlers graze flock on privately owned Palestinian land, attack landowner and Israeli activist
13 April 2024 Qawawis Incidents: 1

Qawawis, South Hebron Hills: Soldiers known to residents as settlers drive Palestinian shepherds off their privately owned lands and detain an elderly shepherd
13 April 2024 a-Zuweidin Incidents: 1

Zuweidin, South Hebron Hills: Israeli settler attacks Palestinian shepherds with pepper spray, soldiers detain two of the shepherds
12 April 2024 Kh. Abu Falah Incidents: 1

Khirbet Abu Falah, Ramallah District: Hundreds of settlers attacked the village, damaging property. Soldiers who arrived fired at the defending residents
12 April 2024 Tarqumya Incidents: 1

Tarqumya, Hebron District: Settlers and a soldier vandalized property on farmland
12 April 2024 al-Mughayir (Ramallah) Incidents: 1

Al-Mughayir, Ramallah District: Hundreds of settlers attacked the village for two days. A young Palestinian defending a house was shot and killed by settlers or Israeli forces
12 April 2024 Nab’ al-Ghazal (al-Farisiyah) Incidents: 1

Nab’ al-Ghazal (al-Fraisiyah), Jordan Valley: Israeli settlers graze flock on privately-owned Palestinian land
7 April 2024 Burqah Incidents: 1

Burqah, Ramallah District: Israeli settlers attack Palestinian shepherd and local residents who came to help him and kill two goats
6 April 2024 a-Shuyukh Incidents: 1

A-Shuyukh, Hebron District: Soldiers, some of whom are known as settlers, detained farmers on their land and confiscated a camera
6 April 2024 Kh. Susiya Incidents: 1

Khirbet Susiya, South Hebron Hills: Settlers blocked access road to resident’s home with stones
5 April 2024 Kh. Susiya Incidents: 1

Khirbet Susiya, South Hebron Hills: Two settlers attacked Palestinian farmers on their land, soldiers detained the farmers
5 April 2024 Ras 'Ein al-'Auja Incidents: 1

Ras 'Ein al-'Auja, southern Jordan Valley: Israel settlers burned two uninhabited residential sheds
1 April 2024 Ras 'Ein al-'Auja Incidents: 3

Ras 'Ein al-'Auja, southern Jordan Valley: Israeli settler grazes his flock in Palestinian’s wheat field three times

March 2024

30 March 2024 Mikhmas Incidents: 1

Mikhmas, Ramallah District: Settlers who invaded Palestinian farmland and worked it attacked the farmers who tried to drive them out, shooting and injuring one and beating others with pipes
30 March 2024 Kh. Susiya Incidents: 1

Khirbet Susiya, South Hebron Hills: Israeli settlers damage Palestinians’ domestic water supply system
28 March 2024 'Ein al-Beida Incidents: 1

'Ein al-Beida, Jordan Valley: Israeli settlers torch Palestinian-owned vegetable stand
27 March 2024 Sikkah Incidents: 1

Sikkah, Hebron District: Israeli settler tried to run over shepherds and attacked one of them in front of a soldier
25 March 2024 Kh. Susiya Incidents: 1

Khirbet Susiya, South Hebron Hills: Settlers attacked a Palestinian house and car with stones, and destroyed crops on private land
24 March 2024 Rabud Incidents: 1

Khirbet Rabud, Hebron District: Settlers entered private Palestinian land with military escort, damaged property and tried to take shipping container
24 March 2024 Um al-Kheir Incidents: 1

At around 11:00 A.M., while Khalil Hadhalin (42), a local resident was grazing his flock near some houses in the community, three settlers arrived in a car, got out of it, approached the flock, threw stones at it and kicked the goats. The settlers broke the leg of one of the goats and then drove the flock towards community homes, verbally abused Hadhalin and left. The goat that was hurt died the next day. Hadhalin filed a complaint at the Israel Police station in Kiryat Arba.

Settler violence log

Huwarah Junction, Nablus District: Settlers stop Palestinian car and violently assault passengers, then move on to nearest intersection and stone other cars

23 November 2020

Mustafa Ramadan’s car after settlers attacked it at the Huwarah Junction, 23 Nov. 2020. Photo by Mustafa Ramadan

On Monday afternoon, 23 November 2020, Yusef Mar’i (25) from Tell was driving towards the Huwarah intersection on his way to Ramallah. With him were his friend Mustafa Ramadan (44) in the passenger seat and another friend in the backseat. When the car was about 500 meters from the intersection, settlers got out of three vehicles parked by the roadside, started stoning the car and tried to assault the passengers. They smashed the windshield, a headlight and the window on the driver’s side. One of the stones hit Mar’i in the shoulder.

Mar’i managed to drive on for about 50 meters and then stopped, and Ramadan replaced him at the wheel. They continued towards the Huwarah intersection, where they saw police officers dealing with a car accident. Mar’i told the officers what had happened, and they asked paramedics there to treat Mar’I’s shoulder. Then a Red Crescent ambulance took him to Rafidia Hospital in Nablus. The friend who was sitting in the backseat went with him. The police officers suggested that Mustafa Ramadan, who stayed in the car, file a complaint at the Ariel police station, but he saw no point in doing so.

Meanwhile, the assailants also arrived at the scene of the accident and started throwing stones at Palestinian cars waiting in the traffic jam. Soldiers arrived and held them back.

Ramadan went to Rafidia Hospital and joined his friends. After they were checked and given first aid, the three went home. Repairing the damaged car cost 1,200 shekels (~375 USD).

In a testimony he gave B’Tselem field researcher Salma a-Deb’i, Yusef Mar’i described the attack:

I was driving to Ramallah with two friends. When we neared the Huwarah intersection, I saw three or four cars with Israeli license plates parked on the left side of the road. When we were about 15 or 20 meters from them, a kid who looked 15 at most suddenly emerged between them with a stone in each hand. He threw the stones at our car and came round in front of it.

I was driving slowly, no more than 50 kilometers an hour, but had to stop so I wouldn’t run him over. Then, more than 15 settlers got out of the other cars and started throwing stones at us. One stone hit the windshield and cracked it, and another shattered my window and hit me in the shoulder.

I tried to reverse the car, but another settler’s car stopped behind me and four or five settlers got out. I tried to get out to defend myself, but one of the settlers slammed the door shut, grabbed me by the neck through the window and started shoving me. Other settlers tried to open the back door.

I felt dizzy. I could barely take it. They were acting like wild animals. I felt we’d fallen into a trap. They were screaming and swearing and ordered us, in Hebrew and Arabic, to get out of the car.

I barely managed to restart the car. I drove quickly and the settlers drew back a little. After driving for several hundred meters, I stopped again because I couldn’t drive anymore. I asked Mustafa to take the wheel. Meanwhile, the settlers started running towards us.

Mustafa Ramadan, a father of two from Tell, described what happened after he started driving:

I drove on for about 200 meters and when we neared the Yitzhar/Huwarah square, we saw two Israeli cars that had been in an accident. There were a police car and an ambulance there.

I drove up to them and told an officer that settlers had attacked us and that one of us was injured. He motioned us to stop and called one of the paramedics over. The paramedic tried to calm Yusef down. He was exhausted and had cramps in the left side of his body, his arm and his leg. I was worried about him. Then a Red Crescent ambulance came and took him to hospital.

Meanwhile, the settlers arrived and started throwing stones at Palestinian cars that had stopped because of the accident. They did it in front of police officers and soldiers, and hit several cars.

I stayed in the car until the settlers moved away. The officers asked my friend and me for our details and took down our account of what happened. They asked the three of us to go to the Ariel police station to file a complaint, but we didn’t because we saw no point.

I went to hospital to check on my friends, and later we all went home. A few days later, I took the car to be repaired. It cost us 1,200 shekels: the windshield, the window on the driver’s side, a headlight and paint and shield repairs where the stones left marks.

Damage to property (nonagricultural)
Physical assault
Verbal confrontations and threats

Settler Violence = State Violence

April 2024

March 2024

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