In their videotaped rampages, the violent young Jewish settlers attacking Palestinians in the West Bank are typically seen clad in religious ritual garments worn over their shirts, their faces hidden by balaclavas or scarves.
Recently, as they have become more emboldened, they are also seen wearing army fatigues, their faces uncovered, and armed not only with their usual weaponry of stones and large sticks, but with guns.
Violence – in the form of physical beatings; setting fire to homes, mosques, vehicles and property; and uprooting trees – is a tool they employ in their campaign to terrify and exhaust the Palestinians.Their goal is to force them to abandon their homes, farms, groves and factories, especially those in the West Bank’s so-called Area C, which contains both Jewish and Palestinian communities.
Why We Wrote This
In Israeli descriptions of settler violence against Palestinians in the West Bank, use of the term “Jewish terrorism” has been rising. A plurality of Israelis say the attackers have been handled too leniently. But the settlers have strong allies in the government.
Arab countries, including Saudi Arabia, have strongly condemned the settler attacks, and U.S.Secretary of State Marco Rubio warned they could potentially impact the delicate ceasefire in Gaza between Israel and Hamas. Despite these warnings and the high stakes involved, the right-wing government of Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has appeared at least hesitant, and possibly politically incapable, of reining in the attacks.
Settler assaults against Palestinians have been carried out for years, but since the Gaza War broke out with Hamas’ brutal Oct. 7,2023,attack on Israel,and the world focused on Gaza,they have escalated to unprecedented levels.and since the Gaza ceasefire was reached in mid-October,coinciding with the Palestinians’ customary olive harvest period,they have spiked even higher.
The term “Jewish terrorism” has been rising in internal Israeli discourse to describe the wave of settler violence, and condemnation has also come from the United Nations, especially of the fall surge. According to the U.N.,there were more than 260 incidents that caused injury or property damage in october alone,on top of more than 2,600 documented settler attacks previously this year. The world body’s Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs said the October figures marked the highest number of such violent attacks since they began keeping records in 2006.
According to U.N. data, settler violence has pushed more than 3,200 Palestinians from their homes since the war in Gaza began.
Public opinion and political will
Meanwhile, the truce that halted the bulk of fighting in Gaza is increasingly fragile as the sides begin to move toward a second phase, as is the one between Israel and Hezbollah in lebanon. And a majority of Israelis fear another war will erupt in the coming year, according to a survey published on Tuesday by the Israel Democracy Institute in Jerusalem. Of those polled, 59% believe a new Palestinian uprising could erupt in the West Bank in the near future.
In the same poll, 45% of Israelis said the settlers are treated too leniently, compared with 22% who say too harshly, and 21% who say they are handled appropriately.
Yet, despite warnings from some of Israel’s security establishment of the potential dangers from this level of lawlessness, bloodshed, and extremism – some of it even directed toward Israel’s own soldiers – analysts say the Netanyahu government is unlikely to rein in the attacks.
For one, say the analysts, there’s a lack of political will from within the nationalist and religious coalition, for whom a primary goal is Jewish settlement across the West Bank. Making up the ultranationalist flank of the government are two key ministers who are themselves settlers: Itamar Ben-Gvir, a longtime provocateur turned minister of national security, in charge of Israel’s police force; and Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich, who is also tasked with overseeing settlements and the West Bank.
“Most Israelis want to see [the attacks] end, but the government is [not making that happen] because they don’t want to lose the coalition, fearing [that] if the extremists within do not get what they want, they will leave the government,” says Yohanan Tzore
Why Israel Isn’t Stopping Extremist Settler Violence in the West Bank
The escalating violence in the West Bank, perpetrated by extremist Israeli settlers against Palestinians, has drawn international condemnation. Yet,despite repeated calls for action,the Israeli government appears largely unwilling – or unable – to rein in the perpetrators. experts point to a complex interplay of political calculations, ideological alignment, and a perceived lack of accountability as key factors driving this inaction.
“There’s a sense that the government is turning a blind eye,” says Tal Mimran, a researcher at the International Crisis Group. “They are prioritizing the interests of the settlers, even if it means allowing violence to continue.”
The situation has worsened significantly in recent months, with a surge in attacks targeting Palestinian villages, homes, and agricultural lands. Settlers have been accused of arson, vandalism, and even physical assaults, frequently enough carried out with impunity.
One key reason for the government’s reluctance to crack down is the ideological affinity between Prime minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s coalition and the settler movement. National Security Minister Itamar Ben-Gvir,a far-right figure and staunch supporter of West Bank settlers,has repeatedly voiced sympathy for the perpetrators and actively worked to weaken mechanisms for holding them accountable.
“They [the government] think that it is indeed very vital to have control of this land, and these young people are doing something which, from their point of view, also serves their interests and … so they are not ready to work against them,” argues Eyal Tzoreff, senior researcher at the Institute for National Security Studies in Tel Aviv.
In turn, the extremist settlers “feel there’s no real power preventing them from doing what they are doing, especially since they are not facing any real punishment,” adds Mr. Tzoreff, former head of the Palestinian-Arab Division in the Ministry of Intelligence and Strategy.
Israelis are entering an election year, further emboldening the extremists, some analysts say.
According to the Israeli rights group…
[Image of Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and National Security Minister Itamar Ben-Gvir visiting the site of a shooting attack in Jerusalem, Sept. 8, 2025. Mr. Ben-Gvir is a hard-right supporter of West Bank settlers.]