Escalating Settler Attacks in the West Bank: A Systematic Assault Undermining Palestinian Lives

Sharek Youth Forum strongly condemns the ongoing escalation of settler attacks across the West Bank, including East Jerusalem. These incidents can no longer be viewed as isolated acts; rather, they constitute a systematic pattern of violence, forced displacement, movement restrictions, and destruction of property that undermines the daily lives of Palestinians and threatens their continued presence on their land.

According to data from the United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA), more than 211 settler attacks were documented between 28 February and the end of March 2026, affecting over 100 Palestinian communities, at an average rate of approximately six attacks per day. Settler violence and access restrictions also resulted in the displacement of more than 1,700 Palestinians between the beginning of 2026 and 30 March, with more than two-thirds of those displaced coming from the Jordan Valley.

United Nations reports further indicate a dangerous escalation in violence across the West Bank. In 2026, the monthly average of injuries resulting from settler violence exceeded 100 injuries, while the monthly average number of displaced persons reached approximately 600 people, compared to 69 injuries and 138 displaced persons per month during 2025.

Furthermore, the United Nations Human Rights Office documented approximately 1,732 incidents of settler violence during the twelve-month period ending on 31 October 2025, resulting in injuries or damage to Palestinian property, compared to 1,400 incidents during the previous reporting period. These developments occurred within a broader context that contributed to the forced displacement of more than 36,000 Palestinians.

These attacks target not only property but also the Palestinian people themselves—their security, homes, lands, olive harvests, livelihoods, and fundamental rights to movement, education, work, and a life of dignity. They take place amid accelerated settlement expansion and a climate of impunity, transforming violence into a daily tool of pressure aimed at forcing Palestinians to leave their communities and ancestral lands.

Sharek Youth Forum emphasizes that the continuation of these violations constitutes a grave breach of international humanitarian law and international human rights law. The Forum calls for urgent and effective international action to halt settler violence, hold perpetrators accountable, provide international protection for the Palestinian people, and ensure their right to remain on their land free from fear, threats, and displacement.