The Euro-Mediterranean Human Rights Monitor warned on Thursday of the sharp increase in Israeli settler violence in the Palestinian territories, considering that it is “taking place under political cover from the government.”

This came in a speech by the Observatory (based in Geneva) before the United Nations Human Rights Council at its 54th session (which began last September 11 and continues until October 13 of this year), according to a statement published on its website.

The Observatory said: “Settler attacks in the first half of this year alone numbered 1,148, almost equal to the attacks that occurred throughout last year, which numbered 1,197, which indicates an unprecedented level of violence, with an almost complete absence of accountability and punishment measures.” .

It explained, "In recent months, violent settler attacks have caused the complete displacement of seven Palestinian residential communities (without clarifying their locations)."

The Observatory attributed the increase in settler violence to “the inciting rhetoric of extreme right-wing ministers in the Israeli government.”

It continued, saying: "The government provides support to settlers in various forms, especially protecting them from security or judicial prosecution."

It pointed out that "the army's accompaniment of settlers to protect them while they carry out attacks on Palestinian villages and towns reflects the apartheid system practiced by Israel in the Palestinian territories."

It pointed out that Israel "is obligated, as an occupying power, to shoulder its responsibilities with regard to ensuring the safety and well-being of the Palestinian population under occupation and holding perpetrators accountable."

The Observatory called on "the international community to be present on the ground to protect Palestinian villages and towns at risk of displacement, and to take concrete measures to pressure Israel to end its military occupation as the root cause of tension and destabilization."

Last September, the United Nations monitored an escalation in the displacement of Palestinians from their population centers amid “unprecedented levels of Israeli settler violence” in the West Bank.

The United Nations indicated in its report published at the time that “since 2022, more than 1,100 Palestinians have been displaced from 28 population centers due to escalating violence and being prevented from accessing grazing lands by Israeli settlers.”

UN added: "During the same period, 1,614 incidents related to settlers resulted in Palestinian casualties or damage to their property, with an average of 80 incidents per month, which is the highest number ever recorded by the United Nations since it began monitoring these incidents in 2006."

There was no immediate comment from the Israeli authorities regarding the Observatory’s speech before the United Nations Human Rights Council.

Many Western countries, including the United States of America and the European Union, have called in recent years for an end to settler violence against Palestinians in the West Bank.