Dr. Ahmed Rafiq Awad: An intense settlement war aims to annex the West Bank and displace Palestinians without an official declaration.

Abdullah Abu Rahma: Forming popular protection committees to confront the settlers is important because collective resistance is less harmful than silence and submission.

Hani Abu Al-Sabaa: Netanyahu's government is supporting a "crazy" settlement campaign to displace Palestinians from the West Bank, exploiting international silence.

Dr. Tamara Haddad: International silence encourages settlers to commit more organized and extreme violations, creating a situation in which villages are isolated and promoting the idea of forced displacement.

Suleiman Basharat: The extremist ideological thinking of the settlers, supported politically, makes confrontation with them a matter of time.

Nizar Nazzal: There is a need to adopt a unified national strategy that capitalizes on the divisions within Israeli society and focuses on the Arab heartland.

Amid an unprecedented escalation in Israeli settlement activity in the West Bank, the outlines of a systematic policy aimed at displacing Palestinians and imposing creeping annexation without any official announcement are emerging.

In separate interviews with Al-Quds, writers, political analysts, experts, and officials believe that the repeated attacks carried out by settlers, which have recently escalated with direct support from the Israeli government, have gone beyond individual assaults to become tools for implementing a comprehensive political plan aimed at reshaping Palestinian geography and demographics.

They explain that there has been an increase in the widespread confiscation of land and the legalization of new settlement outposts, along with the rise of the phenomenon of "pastoral settlement," which is occupying vast areas of Palestinian land for the benefit of a limited number of settlers, as part of a new pattern aimed at displacing surrounding villages and creating a repellent environment for their residents.

They point out that these policies are accompanied by the complicity of the Israeli military establishment, which now provides protection to settler militias and facilitates demolition and bulldozing operations.

In contrast, writers, analysts, specialists, and officials assert that the international stance has witnessed a marked decline, with Western responses appearing superficial and lacking real deterrents, reinforcing settlers' sense of impunity.

They assert that this international silence, coupled with Arab apathy, is accelerating the implementation of displacement plans. At a time when the importance of Palestinians activating their role through organized steadfastness and popular resistance is growing, along with urgent legal and diplomatic action to expose these policies and put an end to the "open settlement war."

Unprecedented escalation in the pace of settlement

Writer and political analyst Dr. Ahmed Rafiq Awad warns of an unprecedented escalation in Israeli settlement activity in the West Bank since 2023, describing it as a "settlement war" aimed at displacing Palestinians and effectively annexing the territory, even without an official declaration.

Awad points out that the current Israeli settlement government has confiscated land equivalent to what was confiscated over the past 20 years in just 19 months, along with legalizing 28 settlement outposts and deepening a new pattern known as "pastoral settlement," which relies on allocating vast areas of Palestinian land to just one or two settlers.

Awad asserts that settler leaders are exploiting their presence in the Israeli government to create settler militias supported by weapons, vehicles, and legal protection, while modifying the legal structure to expedite confiscation, construction, and demolition operations.

Awad explains that settler violence has become the primary cause of Palestinian displacement, outweighing the official actions of the Israeli military or Civil Administration.

Awad points out that these policies are supported by Israeli government budgets and a legal and bureaucratic structure aimed at facilitating the control of land and the expulsion of residents.

The international community is silent regarding Israeli violations.

Awad criticizes the international community's silence regarding these violations, noting that European and American condemnations remain superficial and unsupported by effective punitive mechanisms. For example, US sanctions imposed on some settlers have been lifted, and the boycott of settlement products has not translated into concrete action.

Awad asserts that receiving settler leaders in a number of world capitals reinforces their sense of impunity, giving them freedom to act without restraint.

Awad noted that the continuation of the current situation will lead to a "worst-case scenario," whereby the West Bank will be effectively annexed through massive confiscations, the displacement of Palestinians, and the expansion of settlements in all their forms.

Awad calls on Palestinians to be steadfast and confront the situation wisely, choosing their tools of confrontation carefully to avoid unforeseen risks.

Exposing and delegitimizing settlements

Awad calls on the Palestinian Authority to redefine its relationship with Israel and engage international institutions to expose and delegitimize settlement activity.

Awad calls on Arab states to take a firm stance against settlements and to impose restrictions on receiving or dealing with settler leaders, emphasizing that the frustrating behavior of some Arab parties does not serve the cause of settlement or justice.

Awad asserts that the absence of serious international sanctions against the Israeli government and settlers strengthens their ability to implement their plans without deterrence, necessitating urgent Palestinian, Arab, and international action to halt this settlement war.

Attacks aimed at implementing the "decisive" plan

For his part, Abdullah Abu Rahma, Director General of the Popular Action Department of the Wall and Settlement Resistance Commission, warns of a dangerous escalation in the Israeli settlers' war on Palestinian villages in the West Bank. He asserts that these attacks are aimed at implementing the "decisive plan" proposed by Israeli Minister Bezalel Smotrich, with the support of the far-right government.

Abu Rahma points out that these attacks, which include stealing sheep, burning property, destroying crops, cutting down trees, and bulldozing land, are carried out daily and openly, often in the presence of the Israeli army and police, revealing the complicity of official institutions.

Abu Rahma explains that violations have been on the rise recently in areas such as Sinjil, Umm Safa, Masafer Yatta, the Nablus area, and the southern West Bank, where thefts are carried out in broad daylight in front of property owners, sometimes accompanied by occupation forces.

Abu Rahma asserts that these attacks are not spontaneous, but rather part of a strategy aimed at destabilizing Palestinians and creating a hostile environment that will force them to leave.

Smotrich's options: emigrate, submit, or die

Abu Rahma points out that Smotrich has set three options for Palestinians: emigrate, submit as servants to the Israelis, or die, revealing the primary goal of internal or external displacement.

Abu Rahma explains that Israeli policies include road closures and the deployment of more than 900 checkpoints, exacerbating the daily suffering of Palestinians.

According to Abu Rahma, these checkpoints force citizens to spend more money, waste their time searching for alternative routes, and put their lives in danger, forcing many to flee villages and Bedouin communities to urban centers in search of safety.

Abu Rahma points out that strategic villages like Umm Safa and Sinjil, located between settlement blocs and settler roads, are under increasing pressure to force their residents to emigrate.

Abu Rahma warns of the muted international response to these violations, noting that the world's focus on the massacres in Gaza has diminished interest in the West Bank, despite the gravity of what is happening, including the displacement operations in the Jenin, Nur Shams, and Tulkarm camps.

Abu Rahma attributes this decline in part to the policies of US President Donald Trump, which have pushed countries to engage in their own economic and political struggles, weakening international solidarity with the Palestinian cause.

Abu Rahma asserts that diplomatic reports previously submitted are no longer met with response, reflecting a state of despair and apathy.

The need for urgent international action and punishment of Israel

Abu Rahma calls for urgent international action that includes imposing sanctions, boycotting Israel, and divesting from it, along with activating the role of human rights organizations and international courts to issue executive decisions, not merely formal condemnations.

On the Arab level, Abu Rahma called for financial and material support to strengthen the Palestinians' steadfastness, emphasizing that remaining on the ground is the "pinnacle of resistance" in the absence of the ability to engage militarily. He pointed out that Palestinian presence is the most powerful weapon to thwart displacement plans.

On the local level, Abu Rahma stresses the need to unify Palestinian efforts and activate popular resistance to support Bedouin villages and communities.

Abu Rahma calls for the formation of popular protection committees to confront settler militias, emphasizing that collective resistance to settler attacks, despite its high cost, is less harmful than silence and submission.

Abu Rahma explains that Palestinian surrender will achieve the Israeli government's extremist goals of displacement, while organized resistance can thwart these plans and galvanize international action.

Abu Rahma calls for organizing popular events and marches in rural areas, not just cities, and for Arab support, both financially and politically. He asserts that unifying Palestinian efforts and rejecting the occupation's policies will enhance the chances of reviving international solidarity and thwarting Israeli displacement plans. He emphasizes that division makes Palestinians an easy target for settlers.

Attacks targeting a wide segment of Palestinians

In turn, writer and political analyst specializing in Israeli affairs, Hani Abu al-Saba'a, says that the unprecedented escalation in Israeli settler attacks against Palestinians in the West Bank is due to the direct support of Benjamin Netanyahu's government.

Abu Al-Saba'a points out that these attacks, which target a broad segment of Palestinians, are part of a "crazy" settlement policy aimed at displacing the population and annexing land, exploiting the decline in international support for the Palestinian cause and the silence and abandonment of the Palestinian cause.

Abu al-Saba' explains that Israeli Finance Minister Bezalel Motrich is providing unprecedented support to settlers, by issuing tenders for the expansion of three settlement blocs and supplying extremist settlers with terrain-optimized vehicles used daily to attack Palestinian farmers.

Abu al-Saba' asserts that these policies escalated significantly after the Israeli army took control of the fighting fronts, unleashing vast land confiscations, establishing new settlement outposts, and intensifying the demolition of Palestinian homes at an unprecedented rate, in a clear attempt to forcibly displace residents.

Abu Al-Saba' refers to President Mahmoud Abbas's statements and warnings that the Palestinian people are facing a "new catastrophe" being perpetrated in front of the world. This is in light of declining international support due to the US president's new policies, which have raised economic and political concerns, prompting countries around the world to become involved in their own internal affairs.

Abu Al-Saba'a points to a wave of persecution in some Arab countries targeting supporters of the Palestinian cause, exacerbating Palestinians' sense of isolation.

Abu Al-Saba' asserts that settler violence may intensify in the coming period, with the aim of emptying vast areas of their inhabitants and expanding pastoral settlements at the expense of Palestinian lands.

Fearing a repeat of the Dawabsheh family burning incident

Abu Al-Sabaa recalls the Dawabsheh family's burning incident, which shocked the world, highlighting the complicity of Israeli courts in acquitting settlers who attack Palestinian property, thus allowing them to escape punishment.

Abu Al-Sabaa calls on the Palestinian people to unite and stand together to confront these attacks, the most recent of which was Wednesday evening's attack in the town of Sinjil.

On the official level, Abu Al-Sabaa calls on the Palestinian Authority to activate the role of its ambassadors around the world to expose the occupation's crimes and to approach international bodies to demand accountability.

Abu Al-Saba'a points out that the occupation is seeking to erase symbolic issues, such as the closure of UNRWA schools in Jerusalem and the demolition of Palestinian tents, in an attempt to erase the living evidence of the occupation.

Abu Al-Sabaa affirms the Palestinians' commitment to their land, saying, "We will not leave. Whoever arrives last should leave first." He emphasized that the steadfastness of the Palestinian people is the strongest response to attempts at displacement and settlement.

Abu Al-Sabaa stresses that the escalation of settlement activity requires urgent international and Arab action to halt these crimes and support the Palestinian right to land and existence.

Settler attacks are not individual acts.

For her part, writer and political researcher Dr. Tamara Haddad says that the dangerous escalation in Israeli settler attacks on Palestinian villages in the West Bank comes in the context of the direct political support the settlers receive from Benjamin Netanyahu's government, particularly from ministers Itamar Ben-Gvir and Bezalel Smotrich.

Haddad asserts that these attacks are not merely individual acts, but rather represent an extended arm of the policies of the ruling extreme right, which believes in the necessity of annexing the West Bank, which they call "Judea and Samaria," to Israel.

Haddad explains that Netanyahu, Ben-Gvir, and Smotrich are giving settlers the embolden and instructions they need to continue their violations, which include land confiscation, the burning of crops and livestock, home demolitions, and the destruction of Palestinian livelihoods, particularly in pastoral areas that rely on agriculture and livestock.

Haddad points out that these practices have led to an escalation in the forced displacement of villagers in many areas of the West Bank, with the aim of expanding the influence of settlements at the expense of Palestinian lands.

Haddad believes that Smotrich declared 2025 to be "the year of settlement and decisiveness," reflecting a strategy aimed at strengthening the Jewish majority at the expense of the Palestinian demographic presence.

Haddad points out that more than 14% of West Bank land has been confiscated under the label of "agricultural land," used for energy projects and settlement expansion, with direct support from settlers as an arm of the occupation army.

Haddad asserts that the absence of international accountability and the international community's silence deepen Palestinians' sense of abandonment, pushing them toward self-reliance and leading to escalating confrontations with settlers and the occupation army.

The authority's responsibility to support citizens' steadfastness

Haddad believes that international silence encourages settlers to commit more organized and extreme violations, creating chaos in the villages, isolating them from each other, and reinforcing the idea of forced displacement.

Haddad explains that these policies increase poverty and unemployment rates and place pressure on the social structure of rural and pastoral communities, making life impossible in the absence of protection from Palestinian factions or the PA.

Haddad calls on the Palestinian Authority to play an active role in supporting citizens' resilience by providing economic support, rehabilitating infrastructure, and reclaiming damaged lands.

Haddad calls for a systematic Palestinian media plan to break the international silence and take diplomatic and legal action to hold the settlers accountable.

Haddad stresses the need to establish popular committees to protect citizens on their own and document violations for submission to international bodies.

Haddad emphasizes that continued international silence and the lack of accountability will lead to an expansion of the conflict and possibly an escalation of popular resistance across broader areas, foreshadowing further escalation in the West Bank if urgent action is not taken.

The settlers are the executive arm of the occupation government.

Writer and political analyst Suleiman Bisharat says that settler groups in the West Bank have become the executive arm of Israeli policies, directly implementing the agendas of the official government led by extremist ministers such as Itamar Ben-Gvir and Bezalel Smotrich.

Basharat explains that the Israeli government provides settlers with all the financial and logistical resources to intensify their attacks, while the Israeli military establishment has shifted from a supervisory role to a full-fledged protector of settlers, which intensifies the frequency of violations against Palestinians.

Basharat points out that the Israeli army, which previously tried to curb settler attacks, now accompanies and protects these groups as they carry out bulldozing operations, uproot trees, direct attacks, and intimidation of Palestinians.

Basharat asserts that this clearly reveals that settlers will become more swift and influential in implementing Israeli policies in the coming period, which will increase the suffering of Palestinians.

Basharat explains that the settlers' attacks are driven by an extremist ideological discourse that aligns with the Israeli government's rhetoric, which aims to eliminate the Palestinian presence.

Basharat asserts that this similarity reinforces a fascist tendency aimed at either forcing Palestinians to surrender to the reality of settlement and occupation, or displacing them.

Basharat identifies two stages of displacement: the first is internal, where Palestinians are forced to move from villages surrounding settlements to urban centers in search of protection; the second is external, where life in cities is restricted and population centers are fragmented, forcing Palestinians to emigrate outside Palestine in search of safety and livelihood.

Re-evaluating Palestinian tools and discourses

Basharat warns that the continuation of these policies, amid regional and international silence, will lead to an inevitable confrontation with the settlers. While this confrontation may not occur today, it is becoming more likely due to the escalation of violations and the closing of the horizon for solutions.

Basharat asserts that the extremist ideological thinking of the settlers, backed by political support, makes this confrontation with them a matter of time.

Basharat calls for a re-evaluation of Palestinian tools and rhetoric to confront this threat, emphasizing that the settlers are not isolated but rather part of a comprehensive Israeli policy.

Basharat calls on Palestinian leaders and parties to develop political programs that treat settlers as tools for the occupation's agenda.

On the Arab and Islamic front, Basharat calls for a supportive stance economically, politically, and media-wise, warning that targeting Palestinians will impact the entire Arab and Islamic world, emphasizing that Arab silence will not serve any regional party.

Basharat stresses the need to change the Palestinian discourse internationally, to be unified and focused on strengthening global pressure to halt the policies of the occupation and settlers.

Basharat asserts that internal divisions weaken national unity, calling for a political discourse that promotes solidarity and effectively addresses the world to expose violations and defend Palestinian rights.

Fearing scenarios similar to the 1948 Nakba

Nizar Nazzal, a researcher specializing in Israeli affairs and conflict issues, warns of a new policy adopted by the Israeli government, the "settler government," to support settler militias in the West Bank. He asserts that their attacks are not individual actions, but rather the implementation of official policies led by extremist ministers such as Bezalel Smotrich and Itamar Ben-Gvir.

Nazzal points out that settler attacks are now targeting major cities like Al-Bireh, not just small rural communities, revealing Israel's intention to impose a new settlement reality.

Nazzal explains that these attacks aim to displace Palestinians by destroying their property, burning their crops, and making their lives miserable, based on a plan to bring 1.2 million Jewish settlers to the West Bank.

Nazzal asserts that this policy undermines UN Security Council resolutions, particularly those criminalizing demographic change, and reflects Israel's belief that the settlement presence prevents "Palestinian terrorism."

Nazzal expects an escalation in attacks on population centers, warning of scenarios similar to the 1948 Nakba, including mass killings and forced displacement.

Nazzal asserts that the suspicious international silence, particularly from the United States and Europe, reflects unlimited support for Israel and a denial of Palestinian rights. He points out that this silence only serves to further the spread of settlements, creating a reality that forces Palestinians to accept the occupation or emigrate.

Intensifying popular resistance

Nazzal rejects the idea that Palestinians will become vanishing "Red Indians," emphasizing that they will not accept a repeat of the Nakba scenario or the abandonment of their land.

Nazzal calls on Palestinians to adopt a unified national strategy that capitalizes on the divisions within Israeli society and the political and military elites.

Nazzal points out that intensifying popular resistance through tools such as civil disobedience, sit-ins, and uprisings, inspired by theories of national liberation, is important for confronting settlement plans.

To strengthen the resistance against settler aggression and their schemes, Nazal calls for a shift toward the Arab world, particularly Saudi Arabia, Jordan, and Egypt, capitalizing on tensions between Europe and America, and forging alliances with global powers like Russia and China to confront American hegemony.

Nazzal asserts that the events of October 7, 2023, marked a turning point that strengthened the Israeli government's support for the settlers, with American support. He warns that the current phase is the most dangerous due to Israel's ambition to re-establish settlements in Gaza.

Nazzal calls on Palestinians to use innovative resistance tools commensurate with the scale of the challenges, emphasizing that national unity is the way to thwart settlement plans.