Illegal Israeli settlers have carried out more than 5,350 acts of violence against Palestinians and their property in the occupied West Bank over the past 10 years, according to an official report.
Saturday’s report, released by the Palestine Liberation Organization's National Bureau for Land Defence and Settlement Resistance, details a wide range of illegal settler violations, including stone-throwing at Palestinians, their homes, and vehicles, as well as arson attacks targeting houses, businesses, farms, and other private properties.
Other violations include the destruction of Palestinian olive trees, sabotage of water infrastructure, theft and killing of livestock, and forced displacement using various methods.
The report also notes a rise in gun violence incidents by illegal settlers, particularly following October 7, 2023.
"The Israeli war on Gaza has provided an opportunity for illegal settlers to advance their agenda of forcibly displacing Palestinians from their villages," the bureau stated.
The report also cites multiple testimonies from Israeli soldiers, illustrating how illegal settlers actively participate in enforcing military rule over Palestinians, issuing orders to soldiers, and influencing decision-making within the Israeli army.
The United States has condemned Israel's approval of a settlement on the heritage site, pointing to its harm to prospects for a Palestinian state.
In February alone, Israeli forces carried out 1,475 attacks against Palestinians, while illegal settlers committed 230 additional assaults, according to a separate report by the Palestinian Colonization and Wall Resistance Commission.
The majority of these attacks were concentrated in the northern occupied West Bank's Nablus governorate, with 300 incidents, followed by Hebron in the south with 267 incidents, and Ramallah in the central occupied West Bank with 263 incidents.
The Israeli army has continued a deadly military offensive in the northern occupied West Bank since January 21, killing over 70 Palestinians and displacing thousands.
The assault came as the army renewed deadly air strikes on Gaza on Tuesday, killing over 700 people, injuring hundreds, and shattering a ceasefire deal with the Palestinian group Hamas that took hold in January.
Tension has been running high across the occupied West Bank, where at least 937 Palestinians have been killed and over 7,000 injured in attacks by the Israeli army and illegal settlers since the start of the Gaza onslaught on October 7, 2023, according to the Palestinian Health Ministry.
In July, the International Court of Justice declared Israel’s longstanding occupation of Palestinian territories illegal, calling for the evacuation of all settlements in the occupied West Bank and East Jerusalem.
