Dr. Dalal Erekat: The continuation of settler attacks in parallel with the war of extermination shows that Israel is implementing a colonial settlement project
 Dr. Omar Rahhal: Clear support from various parties in the Israeli government for the repeated settler attacks
 Dr. Abdul Majeed Suwailem: Settler attacks in the West Bank to achieve “victory” in the face of defeats in Gaza and support fronts
 Dr. Saad Nimr: Settlers exploit media coverage of the war on Gaza to carry out attacks and plots in the West Bank

The West Bank is witnessing an unprecedented escalation in attacks by Israeli settlers on citizens, armed with direct government support and judicial complicity. The attacks come to implement a colonial settlement project aimed at displacing Palestinians and emptying the land of its original inhabitants.
In separate interviews with “I”, writers, political analysts and political science professors believe that the ideological incitement and public armament by the Israeli government contribute to strengthening this trend, which may lead to new massacres similar to the events of the Nakba in 1948. They point out that this escalation is accompanied by organized and systematic operations, as the settlements have become centers for armed groups that carry out attacks against Palestinian villages and areas, in coordination with the Israeli army and under its protection.
Under these circumstances, according to writers and analysts, Palestinians fear that the situation will escalate towards more violence, which prompts some to consider armed responses as the only option to defend their lands and properties, and some may be forced to voluntarily and silently emigrate, in light of the frustrating and disappointing position of the international community supporting Israel, ignoring the crimes of the settlers.


Integration between the occupation army and the settlers

Dr. Dalal Erakat, professor of diplomacy and conflict resolution at the Arab American University, explains that the escalation of settler attacks against Palestinians is due to ideological incitement and public support by Benjamin Netanyahu’s government, which considers settlements a historic project despite their illegality according to international law and Security Council resolutions, such as Resolution 2334.
Erekat points out that the ongoing and accelerating settlement, in parallel with the crimes of genocide in the Gaza Strip and the attempts at forced and voluntary displacement, shows that Israel is implementing a colonial settlement project at the expense of the Palestinian people’s right to self-determination.
Erekat explained that the integration between the settlers and the Israeli army is evident in the protection and coordination of operations, as the army intervenes to protect the settlers during attacks, which reinforces the settlers’ sense of impunity.
Erekat points out that there has been a noticeable escalation in the type and form of attacks carried out by settlers, as physical violence and the use of weapons against Palestinians have increased, in addition to the destruction of agricultural property and homes.
She stresses that the organization, armament and protection that the settlers receive from the Israeli government increase the impact of these attacks, noting that the use of the term “settler violence” does not accurately express the reality of terrorism and organized crime supported by the far-right government.
Erekat warns of the possibility of continued organized attacks on Palestinian villages and areas, with the escalation of violence and terrorism with the support of the Netanyahu government, which could lead to more victims and a worsening of the humanitarian situation.
Erekat expressed her fears that continued government support for settlers would lead to the development of the situation towards major massacres similar to the events of the Nakba in 1948, with the aim of displacing Palestinians from their lands.
She stresses that these concerns are increasing with the continuation of Israeli policies that seek to expand settlements and impose complete control over the West Bank.
Erekat points out that if settler violence and terrorism escalate, international pressure on Israel to stop these attacks may increase, especially if the violations are clearly documented before the international community.

The importance of exploiting international resolutions

It stresses the importance of exploiting international resolutions, such as Security Council Resolution 2334, to pressure Israel, and called for intensifying diplomatic efforts to expose settler practices before the international community and to work to mobilize support for punitive measures against the settlements.
In the legal context, Erekat calls for pursuing complaints in international courts, such as the International Criminal Court, to hold those responsible for these attacks accountable.
Erekat stresses the need to file legal complaints against companies and countries that support settlements, in addition to filing cases in international and local courts to impose sanctions on settlers and the Israeli army that colludes with them.

Multi-level strategies

Regarding confronting settler attacks, Erekat proposes multi-level strategies: On the local level, there is a need to strengthen the presence of the Palestinian Authority in the targeted areas and provide protection for the residents, in addition to supporting local initiatives that aim to document the attacks and expose them in the media.
On the international level, Erekat calls for exploiting international resolutions and diplomatic efforts to impose sanctions on Israel and the practices of the settlers, while on the legal level, Erekat stresses the importance of legal prosecution of those responsible for the ongoing crimes and violations.


Armed militia and executive arm of the government and its army

Dr. Omar Rahhal, Professor of Political Science and Director of the Shams Center for Human Rights, confirms that settlers in the occupied Palestinian territories have become a prominent phenomenon in the conflict, and that the daily attacks of settlers pose a real danger. The settlers are no longer just land plunderers, but an armed, aggressive militia that practices murder, abuse, cutting down trees, vandalizing property, and destroying and burning agricultural crops. Beyond that, they have become an armed militia and an executive arm of the Israeli army and extremist religious parties.
Rahhal explains that there is a clear competition between the various parties in the Israeli government to support the settlers in their attacks against the Palestinians, which makes them the spearhead of the Zionist project in the West Bank and the Gaza Strip, especially the West Bank, which is known as “Judea and Samaria” in Zionist literature.
Rahhal points out that the settlers have become executive tools for the Israeli government, and the judiciary colludes with them if they commit attacks against Palestinians. This judicial collusion, along with the government’s field support through visits by officials and the provision of money and weapons, has encouraged the settlers to commit more crimes in the absence of accountability, which enhances their impunity.

Worrying scenarios

He explains that settler attacks are not new, as they have been going on for many years, but what is happening now is an intensification of these attacks due to the increasing media coverage, which exposes the extent of the crimes committed against the Palestinians.
Rahhal explains that what is happening in the Palestinian territories is linked to religious dimensions, pointing out that there are worrying scenarios that may witness an escalation in attacks, especially on small villages and homes on the outskirts of villages and those close to settlements and settlement bypass roads, and there is fear of targeting Palestinian citizens on external roads.
In light of the unprecedented support from the Israeli government, Rahhal warns of the possibility of new massacres on religious grounds, especially in light of what is happening in the Gaza Strip and the previous massacres in the Ibrahimi Mosque and Al-Aqsa Mosque. These massacres may reach the level of the horrific massacres committed in 1948.
Rahhal points out that the occupation government uses settlers as tools to commit such massacres with the aim of completing the settlement project and displacing Palestinians, while at the same time trying to evade international accountability for the army and government.
Rahal Karim Khan, the Prosecutor of the International Criminal Court, called for the initiation of the lawsuit in the court against Israeli settlements, and called on the UN Security Council and the United Nations to take urgent action to curb settler attacks that contravene international law, and to work to remove settlers from the West Bank.
Rahhal points out that there are many settlers who hold dual nationalities, and the countries in which they hold citizenship must immediately summon them.
He also called for taking legal action against these settlers in the courts of their countries, and demanded the activation of international media campaigns to expose the crimes of the settlers and reveal their true nature to world public opinion, as well as the necessity of communicating with countries whose companies invest in the settlements, with the aim of withdrawing those investments. There is also the importance of not allowing the acceptance of university students from the settlers in international universities, and stopping any academic exchange with them, in addition to preventing sports teams from participating in matches in the settlements or the participation of Israelis living in the settlements participating in international leagues.

Call for a national plan

Within the framework of local strategies to confront settler attacks, Rahhal calls for developing a national plan with the participation of the government, local councils, civil society institutions, and national action factions to support the Palestinian countryside, including the formation of protection committees and providing full support to citizens living in the targeted areas.

Escalation as a result of two consecutive failures

The writer and political analyst, Dr. Abdul Majeed Suwailem, believes that the integration between the Israeli occupation army and the settlers is a confirmed and institutionalized matter, as it is even acknowledged by many Israeli circles.
Suwailem asserts that the Israeli army is increasingly seeking to intervene to reduce the severity of settler attacks in order to mitigate the international legal prosecution that may be directed at its officers.
Suwailem believes that the failure of the Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu to achieve a decisive victory in Gaza, in addition to the ongoing state of deterrence witnessed on the support fronts, especially after the deterrence imposed by Hezbollah, has put Israel in a deterred position, which makes it avoid war in the region, stressing that Israel, despite its hostile rhetoric, does not seek a large-scale war because it is unable to wage it, but rather tries to avoid it by all means.
Suwailem explains that the Israeli escalation in the West Bank comes as a result of two successive failures: the first in the Gaza Strip, and the second in confronting the state of deterrence that Israel suffers from due to the continuous support of the resistance fronts, and heading to the West Bank is one of the escape routes for Israel.
Suwailem believes that the escalation in the West Bank is an attempt by Netanyahu to maintain his rule and satisfy the settlers by offering "easy victories" to his supporters in the West Bank, especially in light of the deteriorating and unprecedented security situation.
Suwailem points out that the Zionist project, in its national and religious versions, is based primarily on controlling the West Bank, not Gaza.
Suwailem asserts that the Israeli attacks on the West Bank have security, political and tactical motives, aiming to please extremist settlers and strengthen Netanyahu's power in government.

Settlers may commit more brutal crimes in the coming period

Suwailem warns that the settlers may commit more heinous and more brutal acts in the coming period, especially in light of the statements of the Israeli Minister Itamar Ben Gvir about building a synagogue in Al-Aqsa Mosque, which may be just a "test of the waters" to prepare for more provocations that could lead to a dangerous escalation.
Suwailem believes that through these policies, Netanyahu seeks to keep the situation tense and explosive, which will enable him to justify his remaining in power despite the defeats that Israel has suffered in Gaza and Lebanon, and perhaps also in the face of the strikes coming from Yemen and Iran.
Suwailem points out that Netanyahu, faced with these defeats, has no choice but to claim control over the West Bank to eliminate the resistance there, in a way that serves the Zionist project and strengthens his political position.
Suwailem believes that the Israeli occupation army, after completing the numbers of settlers to become one million in the West Bank in the coming years, will eventually consider the settlers’ attacks on Palestinians to be merely a problem between the population, and the army will intervene to separate them. This tactic is well-known, in an unequal battle, where the settlers have unprecedented protection and support.
Suwailem points out that the Israeli attacks, despite their intensity in the next stage, will ultimately fail, because the Palestinian people are capable of thwarting them.
Suwailem believes that these attacks will join the series of failures that Israel has suffered, while Suwailem points out that confronting the settlers requires a cohesive Arab and Palestinian state, which is still out of reach so far.

Exploiting the preoccupation with the war on Gaza

Dr. Saad Nimr, a professor of political science at Birzeit University, points to an unprecedented escalation in settler attacks on Palestinians in the West Bank since October 7, in a clear attempt to exploit the ongoing media coverage of the war of extermination in the Gaza Strip.
Nimer asserts that the Israeli government, led by Itamar Ben-Gvir and Bezalel Smotrich, provides full support to the settlers by all means with the aim of displacing the Palestinians and controlling their lands.
Ben-Gvir, according to Nimer, has armed thousands of settlers with weapons at the state’s expense, giving them the audacity and ability to carry out their attacks, while Smotrich controls the Israeli army’s Civil Administration, which strengthens the settlers’ power and pushes them to implement their plans.
Nimr asserts that the Israeli occupation army cooperates directly with the settlers, as it considers protecting the settlers part of its duty, and therefore it is present in all settler attacks, and only intervenes when the Palestinians try to defend themselves. This cooperation between the army and the settlers makes it difficult for the Palestinians to protect themselves and their property.
Nimr points out that settler attacks were not absent before October 7, but they accelerated and intensified in an unprecedented manner after this date. The attacks became more organized and planned, as the settlements became centers for armed groups that launch systematic attacks against the Palestinians.
This escalation by the settlers, according to Nimr, will inevitably lead to Palestinian reactions, which may manifest in an escalation of armed resistance, especially in the northern West Bank, where armed resistance groups are present in many cities, towns and camps.
"The Palestinians, in light of these ongoing attacks and the loss of their lands and homes, may find themselves forced to respond armed, in the absence of any party to protect them, whether from the occupation army, which is supposed to protect all residents, or from the Palestinian Authority or any other party," Nimr says.
Nimr points out that popular activities are no longer sufficient to repel settler attacks, which may make the Palestinians resorting to armed resistance the only option to deter them.
However, Nimr does not expect the situation to reach the level of the massacres that occurred in 1948. Rather, he believes that there are other methods of oppressing the Palestinians, such as economic pressure and starvation, with the aim of silently displacing them and forcing them to leave indirectly, in what is considered a type of ethnic cleansing and silent displacement.
Nimr expresses his regret for the position of the international community that supports Israel in everything it does, pointing out that the world has not moved in the face of the war of extermination in Gaza, let alone the settlements? International law condemns these measures, but it lacks the will to implement them, especially in light of the United States’ control over the Security Council, which prevents taking any action against Israel.
Nimr believes that what is required now by the Palestinians is to organize the ranks by all available means, and to demand that the security services take a serious position to protect citizens in light of the ongoing attacks by settlers.