Mapping attacks on 1,800 Israeli settlers in the West Bank through October 2023 Israel-Palestine conflict news
There have been an average of four incidents of settler violence every day in the occupied West Bank since October 7.
Earlier this week, in a recurring pattern of violence, dozens of Israeli settlers under the protection of Israeli soldiers set fire to several vehicles and properties, injuring at least 21 Palestinians.
As global attention focused on the brutal Israeli military offensive in Gaza, attacks on residents as well as deadly raids by Israeli forces intensified in the occupied West Bank over the past 15 months.
From October 7, 2023, to December 31, 2024, at least 1,860 incidents of settler violence were recorded in the occupied West Bank – an average of one per day, according to data from the United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA). Four.
The highest number of attacks on settlers occurred in Nablus Governorate, with 411 incidents, followed by Ramallah with 410 incidents and Hebron with 362 incidents.
Who are Israeli residents?
Settlers are Israeli citizens who live in Jewish-only communities, known as Israeli settlements, built on Palestinian-owned land that Israel captured in 1967.
Benjamin Netanyahu – Israel’s longest-serving prime minister – has promoted settlement expansion since first coming to power in 1996, undermining the 1993 Oslo Accords that prohibited settlements and reciprocity. A negotiated two-state solution was called for.
Today, about 10 percent of Israel’s Jewish population, totaling 600,000 to 750,000 people, live in about 250 settlements and outposts spread across the occupied West Bank and East Jerusalem.
Many of these settlements are located near Palestinian population centers, often leading to heightened tensions and restrictions on the movement of Palestinians.
Israeli settlements are illegal under international law because they violate the Fourth Geneva Convention, which prohibits an occupying power from transferring its population into territory it occupies. This is for several reasons, including protecting civilians from theft of resources by the occupying power and preventing changes in the demographic structure of the occupied territory.
Trump lifts restrictions on violent settlers
One of Donald Trump’s first actions as president was to lift sanctions targeting several far-right settler organizations and individuals involved in violent actions against Palestinians, including arson, property damage, and attacks on civilians.
These restrictions were imposed by his predecessor, former President Joe Biden, through an executive order in February 2024.
During his first term, Trump supported many of Israel’s key policies, including recognizing Jerusalem as its capital, supporting settlement expansion, cutting aid to the Palestinians, and supporting Israel and several Arab countries without Palestinian involvement. This included promoting the Abraham Accords to normalize relations between the United States and the United States.
The Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights in Palestine (OHCHR) expressed concern over a “wave of renewed violence” by Israeli settlers and armed forces in the occupied West Bank.
At least 870 Palestinians killed
At least 870 Palestinians, including 177 children, have been killed and more than 6,700 injured in attacks by Israeli forces and settlers in the West Bank since Israel’s war on Gaza began in October 2023, according to the Palestinian Health Ministry.
At least 13,500 Palestinians, including children, have been arrested and more than 2,100 structures have been demolished in the occupied West Bank, displacing more than 6,700 people.
