Israeli Settler Attacks in West Bank Nearly Double Since 2025

Violent Israeli settler attacks in the West Bank's Areas A and B, regions under Palestinian Authority governance, have nearly doubled since 2025. A report by the human rights organization Yesh Din identifies a strategic shift in violence from Area C into these regions, where settlers are establishing farming outposts to secure strategic footholds. The organization describes this as a great settlement revolution intended to annex territory and carry out ethnic cleansing.

United Nations data indicates that 18 Palestinians died in settler-related attacks as of July 20, with the region projected to see over 2,000 attacks by the end of 2026. The Hilltop Foundation provides the equipment and funding necessary to establish these outposts, including 16 new sites identified between Ramallah and Nablus.

In response to the escalation, the United States and European nations have imposed sanctions on pro-settler figures. Among those sanctioned is National Security Minister Itamar Ben-Gvir, who has called for the abolition of the Oslo accords. French Foreign Minister Jean-Noël Barrot condemned the situation in the West Bank, stating it was utterly disgraceful and should fill everyone with revulsion. Senior Minister Bezalel Smotrich has similarly expressed ambitions to gain control of Area B and dismantle the Oslo accords division.