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Conflict Impact Statistics
Gaza death toll comparison and restricted zone coverage
Primary Sources
Who are Israeli settlers and why violence is rising in West Bank
Settler violence in the Occupied Palestinian Territories is on the rise. Since the beginning of 2026, settlers have killed at least 10 Palestinians and injured 385 others across the West Bank. Various human rights organisations across the world have raised concerns against the violence by the settler groups, accusing the Israeli security forces of abetting them.Settlers are Israel’s Jewish citizens who live in territories captured by Israel in 1967, primarily the West Bank (referred to by its biblical name, Judea and Samaria) and East Jerusalem.The Fourth Geneva Convention mandates that a country cannot transfer its civilian population into occupied territory. This position is also reaffirmed by the International Court of Justice (ICJ). Thus, in this respect, the settlers differ from Israeli citizens residing in areas like Tel Aviv or Haifa. In the postcolonial discourse, the term “settler” often implies illegitimacy, occupation, and, at times, even violence. Israel, however, claims that the Geneva Convention is about forcible deportation of the local population (like Nazi practices in WWII), and does not cover voluntary civilian movement. Under Israeli rule, settlers in the West Bank enjoy full citizenship rights. They can freely move anywhere, vote in the national elections, and have full access to the welfare schemes of the government. The State also takes care of their security by posting adequate forces around the settlements.Story continues below this ad On the other hand, the Arabs living in the same area are subject to a complex system of military decrees and martial law, besides lacking civil liberties and fair political representation. Winning the numbers game There has been an exponential growth in the population of the settlers over the last few decades. The Israeli government encourages the settlers to have large families in order to maintain the demographic balance vis-a-vis the Palestinian Arabs living in the area. According to the 2025 European Union report on Israeli settlements, in 2024, there were approximately 5,03,732 settlers living in the West Bank and another 2,33,600 residing in East Jerusalem. They mainly reside across 147 officially recognised settlements and over 220 unofficial “outposts” throughout the occupied West Bank.Story continues below this ad The settlements are built in strategic areas. According to Israeli liberal advocacy organisation Peace Now, neighbourhoods in East Jerusalem have been constructed to cement Israe...
Palestine weekly wrap: Israeli settlers rampage through West Bank ...
“We are building the Land of Israel and destroying the idea of a Palestinian state,” said Israeli Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich on Friday. The action that brought on his comments: Israel’s uprooting of 3,000 Palestinian-planted trees in the occupied West Bank.The destruction of the trees – so that illegal Israeli settlements can expand – was one of a number of Israeli actions this week that emphasised Israel’s continued push to expand its dominance over the West Bank. And it comes as Israel maintains its violent posture in Gaza – killing at least 13 Palestinians there, with a particular focus on police officers.Recommended Stories list of 3 itemslist 1 of 3Iran says US making ‘unreasonable’ demands in negotiations to end warlist 2 of 3The Global Sumud Flotilla has not given uplist 3 of 3Israeli settlers force Palestinian family to exhume and rebury their fatherend of listThe Oslo billOn Sunday, the Israeli Knesset Ministerial Committee backed a bill that would formally repeal the 1993 Oslo Accords – the cornerstone agreement that created the Palestinian Authority and divided the West Bank into Areas A, B and C. Limor Son Har-Melech, the far-right parliamentarian who submitted the legislation, was explicit about the intent: “We promised to prevent the establishment of a Palestinian state, and now it is time to encourage settlement in Areas A and B [with full and partial Palestinian administrative control respectively] and cancel the disastrous Oslo Accords.”According to Israeli media reports, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu requested that parliament postpone discussions of the bill. Justice Minister Yariv Levin, while falling in line with his party leader’s decision, expressed support for the bill in the future, saying “just as we returned to Sa-Nur, we will return to other places”.Gaza and West Bank killingsIn Gaza, a document obtained by the Times of Israel revealed that the so-called Board of Peace does not intend to hold Israel to ceasefire commitments if Hamas refuses to accept its disarmament framework – meaning Israel would not be pressured to stop its military strikes, aid restrictions, and continued expansion of the territory in Gaza under its control. At the same time, the European Union condemned Israel’s expansion of the “orange line” restricted zone, which now covers more than 60 percent of the Gaza Strip, saying it contradicts withdrawal commitments under the October “ceasefire”.Meanwhile, Israeli strikes continued in Gaza throughout the...
Settlements in the West Bank: Paths of expansion and control
Israeli settlements extend and spread over vast areas of the West Bank to form an integrated colonial structure based on reshaping geography, demography, and the legal system to serve the occupation's long-term control project.
Israeli settlers set fire to homes and cars in violent West Bank raids
Israeli settlers have launched another wave of raids in the occupied West Bank, with houses and cars set on fire and a Palestinian child attacked.
