Israeli settlers and soldiers intensify coordinated violence in West Bank

Increasing violence has turned into normalized killings of Palestinians, with Israel acting with impunity, with aid of ‘silence’ from western observers

JENIN, Palestine (MNTV) – Violence against Palestinians in the West Bank has surged dramatically since the start of the Gaza war, with Israeli settlers and soldiers increasingly acting in coordination, blurring the lines between official military operations and settler violence. 

The resulting attacks, home demolitions, and land seizures have left hundreds dead, thousands displaced, and entire communities living in fear, Arab News was quoted as reporting.

At least 917 Palestinians have been killed in the West Bank since October 2023, according to figures from the United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA). 

In the first three months of 2025 alone, 99 were killed during Israeli operations, while more than 400 Palestinian homes were demolished due to lacking Israeli-issued building permits — which are rarely granted.

On-the-ground reports and footage have revealed Israeli settlers, often alongside Israel Defense Forces (IDF) troops, storming Palestinian villages such as Duma and Jinba. 

In one incident, masked settlers set fire to homes in Duma, while in Jinba, settlers and soldiers vandalized homes, dumped food, and terrorized residents. These attacks have rarely resulted in arrests.

Observers say the attacks are part of a broader plan.

“This is not about discipline. This is something else — the execution of a plan,” said Ahron Bregman, a senior teaching fellow at King’s College London and former IDF officer.

“The main front now is the West Bank, where I think the Israelis are trying to empty it of its people and annex it.”

The IDF, particularly its infantry units, is increasingly staffed and led by right-wing settlers, Bregman added. 

Many of these reservists live in settlements and are deployed in or near their communities, often operating without clear distinction between civilian and military roles.

Palestinian residents and human rights groups report that Israeli planning laws are being weaponized to force Palestinians off their land by restricting where they can legally build. 

“Now, the army is the settler,” said Alon Cohen-Lifshitz of Bimkom, an Israeli NGO.

“The police, army, and settlers have become a single unit targeting the most vulnerable communities.”

UNRWA has described the IDF’s two-month-long “Iron Ball” operation in the northern West Bank as the most destructive since the Second Intifada. 

The campaign has displaced tens of thousands from refugee camps in Jenin, Tulkarm, Nur Shams, and Far’a, with UN agencies warning that the destruction of civilian infrastructure appears aimed at permanently altering the character of Palestinian cities.

The increased violence comes amid growing support for settlers from far-right Israeli ministers.

National Security Minister Itamar Ben-Gvir distributed more than 120,000 firearms to settlers, and Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich — who also controls West Bank administration — recently gifted 21 all-terrain vehicles to illegal settler outposts.

Experts warn the environment has become permissive for attacks.

“It isn’t necessarily that senior commanders are ordering more violence, but that junior commanders on the ground are allowing it,” said Ameneh Mehvar, senior Middle East analyst at ACLED.

“There is a spirit of revenge, and soldiers feel emboldened by far-right rhetoric.”

While much global media attention has focused on the war in Gaza and tensions with Lebanon, analysts say the West Bank is facing a silent but systematic escalation.

“Before Oct. 7, settler attacks were already on the rise,” Mehvar said.

“But now the West Bank is a powder keg that could explode at any time.”

Coverage of the West Bank crisis has often been overshadowed by events in Gaza, with much of the Western media failing to highlight the scale of settler-led violence and the systems enabling it. 

Meanwhile, Israel’s use of lethal force and legal mechanisms against unarmed Palestinian civilians continues largely unchecked, underreported, and frequently framed within the rhetoric of “security” — a narrative that routinely excludes the Palestinian experience.