The West Bank under pressure: Rising settler violence and expanding annexation plans

Israel’s policy in the occupied West Bank—much like in the Gaza Strip—is forcing thousands of Palestinians to leave their homes, a clear violation of international law.

A recently published human rights report revealed that 32,000 Palestinians have been expelled from their homes in just three refugee camps this year.

The organization stated that Israeli operations in the Jenin, Nur Shams, and Tulkarm refugee camps—which began in January—have triggered the largest mass displacement of Palestinians in the West Bank in recent years.

This displacement comes amid escalating Israeli violence in the West Bank, where since October 7, 2023, the start of Israel’s genocidal war on Gaza, over 1,000 Palestinians have been killed, while settlers living in illegal settlements have carried out increasingly violent attacks.

In Area C—the part of the West Bank where Palestinians lack even symbolic administrative authority—the UN reported in early November that more than 1,000 Palestinians were displaced when Israel demolished their homes, and another 500 were left homeless in occupied East Jerusalem.

Israel claims these demolitions are due to a lack of permits, yet obtaining building permits in these areas is almost impossible for Palestinians.

Israel has faced almost no consequences for its actions in the occupied West Bank, despite repeated human rights reports calling for investigations into senior Israeli military and political officials responsible for operations in the camps and the ongoing displacement of Palestinians.

A human rights group stated: “We are witnessing the complete abandonment of Palestinian lives. Israel has already shown it is capable of far greater violence, as we see in Gaza. Conditions in the West Bank are deteriorating daily, and will continue to worsen because there is no internal or external mechanism to restrain Israel or stop its ongoing policy of ethnic cleansing. The international community must end Israel’s impunity and hold those responsible for crimes against the Palestinian people accountable.”

What are Israel’s goals in the occupied West Bank?

According to numerous senior Israeli officials, the goal is annexation of the West Bank.

In October, the Israeli Knesset gave preliminary approval to a bill extending Israeli sovereignty over the occupied West Bank—an action widely considered a blatant violation of international law.

Smotrich, Israel’s finance minister, has been explicit about his intentions for the West Bank.

Last year, he told colleagues he was working to make the West Bank an “inseparable part of Israel.”

According to Haaretz, Smotrich said: “We will establish sovereignty first in practice and then through law. I intend to legalize new settlements. The mission of my life is to prevent the establishment of a Palestinian state.”

More than 700,000 Israeli settlers live in settlements built on Palestinian land in the occupied West Bank and occupied East Jerusalem.

In August, Smotrich announced the creation of a new settlement known as “E1,” consisting of 3,000 housing units that would separate occupied East Jerusalem from the West Bank—a move he said would eliminate the possibility of a Palestinian state.

In areas of the West Bank under full Israeli control, Israeli authorities routinely invoke their own laws or claim Palestinian homes were built inside closed military zones. According to the UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA), obtaining a construction permit from Israeli authorities is virtually impossible for Palestinians.

Regarding the Jenin, Nur Shams, and Tulkarm refugee camps, Israel claims it displaced residents as part of operations aimed at suppressing resistance from within the camps.

However, months after Israeli forces entered the camps in late January, residents are still barred from returning, and bulldozers have destroyed many of their homes.

An Israeli military spokesperson said the demolitions were carried out due to “operational necessity,” adding that residents were allowed to submit petitions to the Israeli Supreme Court.

All such petitions—including those stating Israeli actions violate international humanitarian law—have been rejected.

Escalating settler violence against Palestinians

Violence by settler groups is rapidly increasing. In October alone, OCHA recorded more than 260 attacks resulting in casualties, property destruction, or both—an average of 8 attacks per day, the highest since the UN agency began documenting settler violence in 2006.

During the olive harvest season, Israeli settlers unleashed a new wave of violence against Palestinians, even as Israeli soldiers stood by and watched.

Palestinians say these attacks are part of a deliberate effort to make life unbearable for indigenous residents and ultimately drive them out.