Israel Cannot Escape Responsibility for Settler Violence in West Bank

Israeli settlers have for months attacked Palestinian towns and villages in the occupied West Bank with impunity. An incident in the village of Qusra, south of Nablus, where settlers have besieged three Palestinian families since Sunday, prompted a rare Israeli government condemnation of settler behavior. Spokesman David Mercer called the act “reprehensible” and “unacceptable,” vowing to investigate and arrest those responsible.

However, analysts, activists, and Israeli lawmakers who spoke to Al Jazeera expressed skepticism over the statement, pointing out that the Israeli army failed to stop the siege, during which settlers cut off Qusra's water and electricity. Israeli soldiers were even initially seen mingling and praying with settlers at the scene.

Aida Touma-Sliman, an Israeli lawmaker from the left-wing Hadash party, told Al Jazeera: “The government's attempt to distance itself from the violence is ridiculous. They can say whatever they want, but they are complicit.” She stressed: “If you look at the West Bank, you cannot distinguish between the army and the settlers,” adding that many settlers are allowed to perform military service protecting the very illegal settlements they live in. She added: “The government provides for them, protects them, and arms them. They are not against them. Supporting them is policy.”

Yair Dvir from the human rights group B'Tselem argued: “There is nothing new in what is happening in Qusra. We have seen this for decades. When there is international criticism of violence, the government condemns, the settlers retreat, then return as soon as attention shifts.” He asserted: “Let's be clear, settler violence is state violence. Both have the same goal: to displace Palestinians and seize their land.”

The pace and brutality of the Israeli government's encroachment on Palestinian land, despite international law and the International Court of Justice (ICJ) ruling demanding an end to illegal settlements, has increased in recent months. Data from the UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs shows settler violence escalating week by week as Israel's October election – and the possible end of Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's far-right government – approaches.

Neve Gordon, professor of international law at Queen Mary University of London and author of “Israel's Occupation,” observed: “We are certainly seeing an escalation of violence across the West Bank, East Jerusalem, and other areas like Gaza in the election context.” He explained: “The vote is like a rallying cry to that entire constituency that they must do as much as they can while they can,” referring to the fear among settlers and the extreme right that they may lose their supporters within Netanyahu's coalition.

The Israeli government has done little to separate itself from the settlers. Instead, prominent members of the Likud party have attended key settlement conferences, including those focused on the ethnic cleansing of Gaza. Netanyahu, in response to recent violence at the Palestinian village of Tal – which prompted the UN to warn the whole West Bank was at a “flashpoint” – has promised to recognize more illegal settlements.

At the center of settlement policy are two controversial figures: National Security Minister Itamar Ben-Gvir and Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich. Smotrich is considered one of the most impactful Israeli politicians in advancing illegal settlements. He made administrative control over parts of the West Bank a condition for joining Netanyahu's coalition, and has since overseen settlement expansion at an unprecedented pace. In August last year, he announced the E1 project connecting East Jerusalem to the Maale Adumim settlement, making the two-state solution practically impossible.

However, Gordon argued that focusing solely on the two controversial figures misses the point. He said: “It is too easy to say that all the blame is on these few people and if they disappear everything will be fine. The problem is much deeper.” The researcher stressed: “The ethnic cleansing happening in the West Bank, as well as what the army does in refugee camps like Jenin, requires the complicity of the police, the attorney general, the military, and ultimately the public. Without this umbrella, nothing could happen.”