Israeli settlers have launched a series of violent attacks across the occupied West Bank, targeting Palestinian villages, mosques, and olive groves. These escalations, often carried out under the protection of the Israeli army, have intensified during the olive harvest season and following specific security incidents in Tel Aviv and Nablus.
The violence manifests as a systemic pattern of intimidation and property destruction. In the village of Qusra, southeast of Nablus, settlers torched a newly completed mosque that was ready for worshippers, leaving behind Hebrew graffiti that included the phrase Jewish revenge
.
Olive Harvest Sabotage and Economic Displacement
For many Palestinians, the olive harvest is a critical economic lifeline, with 80,000 to 100,000 families relying on the crop for income. However, this period has become a primary window for settler violence. Ghassan Daghlas, who monitors settler violence in the northern West Bank, reported that 58 attacks were recorded since the start of the season, including nine in the village of Burin alone.
Daghlas noted that the attacks this year began earlier than in previous years, forcing farmers to tend to their trees faster than expected. The destruction is widespread: in Sebastia, settlers uprooted 900 olive and apricot saplings, while other attacks involved spraying trees with chemicals and drowning lands with sewage water.
I raised these trees as I raise children…
Raja Owais, villager
Owais, whose land in al-Lubban al-Sharqiya was targeted, described a midnight raid where a settler bus, protected by Israeli army and police vehicles, stopped near his property. By morning, 170 olive trees—planted 12 years prior—had been cut down. This intersection of military protection and settler action suggests a coordinated effort to push Palestinians off their land.
Retaliatory Violence and the ‘Revenge’ Cycle
Settler assaults frequently spike following Palestinian attacks on Israelis. Following a shooting in Tel Aviv by 27-year-old Diya Hamarshah, settlers targeted vehicles and homes in Marda and al-Lubban al-Sharqiya. Similarly, attacks near the village of Tal, southwest of Nablus—where four Palestinians and two Israeli soldiers were killed—led to the torching of mosques and buildings.
This cycle is often framed by settlers as a necessity. Shimon laid out three options: live quietly under Israeli rule, voluntarily emigrate to other Arab or Muslim nations, or face death if they refuse peace or emigration.
This radical perspective mirrors a 2017 blueprint by Bezalel Smotrich, who proposed that Palestinians give up struggle for a state and live under Israeli rule, with those who continued armed struggle being killed by Israeli forces. Smotrich has more recently pushed for the voluntary migration of Palestinians from Gaza and the re-settlement of Israelis there.
Military Complicity and Institutional Impunity
A recurring theme across all reported attacks is the presence of the Israeli military. Residents of Marda and al-Lubban al-Sharqiya report that settlers carry out attacks while guarded by the Israeli army. The UN has characterized this environment as one of institutional and systematic impunity
, stating that attacks are ideologically motivated to intimidate Palestinians and seize land.
The physical geography of the West Bank further exacerbates this risk. Settlements are strategically built on hilltops, allowing settlers to easily descend onto Palestinian villages below. In Marda, the village is surrounded by a separation wall, and military gates are often shut completely during security incidents, leaving residents isolated for up to five days.
The human cost is stark. Between August and late September 2021, settlers injured at least 22 Palestinians and destroyed 1,800 trees. A September 28 attack in al-Mufagara injured 29 Palestinians, including a three-year-old boy who suffered skull fractures. Other recent casualties include Zaki Abdel Rahim Eleiwi, who sustained a broken hand during an attack near the Shavei Shomron settlement.
As Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu faces an October election, he has ordered security operations against attacks on Israeli civilians, reinforcing units in the West Bank. However, for those living in the shadow of outposts like Havat Gilad, the primary concern remains the lack of protection from the occupying army and a feeling of abandonment by the international community.
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