Palestinians fear for their lives as settler attacks increase

The aftermath of a settler attack that killed a Palestinian in 2025 (Photo: WikipediaCommons)

Israeli settlers escalated their attacks on the Palestinian village of Qusra, in the occupied West Bank, over the weekend.

Settlers barricaded themselves inside a home in the village near Nablus while residents were still inside. They set fire to nearby land and threw stones at locals.

Three homes in the village have been under siege since 9 August and settlers have cut access to electricity and water for those inside.

Loui Ridi, who is trapped in one of the houses, told journalists, “We’re not safe here. We fear for our own safety. Settlers are still moving freely around the house and attack the residents of the nearby houses too.”

In Umm al-Khair, a 22 year old British activist named Finn Joughin was arrested on Saturday. Videos show him being forcibly led away by armed settlers who then handed him over to the police.

Joughin was in the village to help protect Palestinians from settler attacks.

Children from a nearby Israeli settlement tried to enter the yard of a Palestinian home after being incited by adults. Then, they claimed that someone had hit one of them and Joughin was arrested.

In a recent statement, villagers said, “The situation in Khirbet Umm al-Khair is extremely dangerous right now and everything indicates that the coming days could be even worse.

“For years, settlers, backed and funded by their government and protected by the Israeli military and police, have used every possible means to drive the residents of Umm al-Khair from their homes and land.

“Yet, despite all of these efforts, they have failed to break the will of the community or force its people to leave.”

The statement said that land previously classified as being privately owned by the Palestinians now appears on maps as “disputed land”.

“This is not simply a change on a map. It is a change to reality on the ground,” they said.

“Under the laws imposed by the occupying authorities, this new classification opens the door for settlers to enter and remain on these lands. The consequences of this change are already being felt by the residents of Umm al-Khair every single day.”

Some 76 Palestinians have been killed in the West Bank by the Israeli Defence Forces (IDF) or by settlers so far this year. And 3,800 Palestinians have been displaced from their homes.

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Israeli forces have ramped up their campaign of arrests and detentions. This includes the arrest of more than 60 people in a single raid at Qalandia refugee camp in early August.

Now, Israeli prime minister Benjamin Netanyahu has commented on the siege in Qusra for the first time.

He condemned the attacks, saying they cause “a huge injustice to the law-abiding settler public, hindering the IDF in fulfilling its missions, and harming Israel’s standing in the world.”

He also claimed that violent settlers are just a “handful of rioters”.

But Netanyahu’s attempts to cast settlers as just a minority of delinquents ring hollow.

Settler violence is not an aberration. It’s part of a systematic attempt to remove Palestinians from their homes and expand the Israeli state.

The Israeli forces work hand in hand with the settlers, often refusing to arrest or detain them.

Netanyahu knows the settlements are creating a crisis of legitimacy for Israel. But he also relies on the support of far-right politicians to form a coalition government.

He has been reaching out to Bezalel Smotrich and Itamar Ben-Gvir to try to form a joint list ahead of this October’s parliamentary election.

Both ministers live in settlements in the West Bank that are considered illegal under international law. Both talk openly about driving out more Palestinians.

Palestinians in the West Bank have few people they can turn to when settlers attack and harass them. They need the support of the international solidarity movement.