New York, Aug. 20 (SANA) Human Rights Watch (HRW) said Thursday that Israeli authorities’ arming, funding and protection of settlers responsible for attacks against Palestinians are increasingly driving forced displacement in the occupied West Bank and threatening dozens of communities.
HRW said settler violence has fully or partially displaced 107 Palestinian communities, affecting about 5,900 people since January 2023. At least 15 Palestinians, including two children, were killed by settlers between the beginning of 2026 and July 24.
The organization said violence intensified in March and April, including killings, physical assaults, psychological abuse, arbitrary detention, arson, property destruction and theft.
HRW investigated attacks in seven Palestinian communities in Ramallah and al-Bireh, Nablus and the Jordan Valley during April and May. It documented cases in which settlers attacked Palestinians and their property while Israeli forces were present or soldiers stood by without intervening, contributing to a pattern of forced displacement.
The organization said attacks increasingly target Palestinian livelihoods and food security by restricting access to grazing land and water, stealing or killing livestock and destroying or burning agricultural land and crops. Some Palestinians have been forced to sell livestock at a loss or bear additional feed costs.
Citing the UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA), HRW said more Palestinians were forcibly displaced by settler attacks, demolitions and expulsions during the first four months of 2026 than during all of 2025. OCHA recorded an average of 6.6 settler attacks per day this year resulting in casualties or property damage, its highest annual rate recorded.
HRW also cited Israeli organization Peace Now as saying 248 new settlement outposts have been established in the West Bank during the current government of Benjamin Netanyahu, including 65 between the beginning of 2026 and August 1. Israeli organizations estimate such outposts effectively control more than one million dunams, about 18% of the West Bank.
HRW said Article 49 of the Fourth Geneva Convention prohibits the occupying power from forcibly transferring or deporting protected civilians from occupied territory, except for temporary evacuations required for their security or imperative military reasons.
The organization said Israeli authorities had failed to protect Palestinians, prevent settler attacks and investigate and prosecute those responsible, while continuing to provide material support to groups responsible for abuses.
HRW called on other countries to take measures to prevent further violations, including imposing sanctions on those involved, suspending arms transfers to Israel, banning trade with illegal settlements and supporting International Criminal Court investigations and enforcement of its arrest warrants.
It stressed that accountability should extend beyond settlers carrying out attacks to those who enable them and provide support and protection.
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