The official spokesman for the US State Department, Matthew Miller, on Monday condemned settler violence in the occupied West Bank, calling for them to be held accountable.

Miller, who was responding to a Jerusalem correspondent's question about the escalation of settler violence and those who own firearms and do not hesitate to use them, said, "We are following this matter, and what President (Joe Biden) said last week."

In response to the Jerusalem correspondent’s follow-up regarding any steps the United States could take, Miller said: “Let me just say that we consistently and unequivocally condemn all acts of terrorism, violence, and targeting of civilians, including recent attacks by extremist Israeli settlers in the West Bank.” .

“Israel must take the necessary measures to protect Palestinians from such attacks, and hold accountable any settlers who carry out attacks, as well as any members of the Israel Defense Forces who stand by or fail to intervene when these attacks occur,” Miller added. “I would just like to say that we have made it clear - confidentially to the government.” "Israel has stated publicly that these attacks are unacceptable, must stop, and those responsible must be held accountable."

It is noteworthy that, coinciding with the escalation of Israeli attacks on the besieged Gaza Strip following the attack by Hamas fighters on October 7, the violence of Israeli settlers towards Palestinians in the occupied West Bank escalated, according to multiple reports.

The actions of extremist settlers in the occupied Palestinian territories spark protests inside and outside Israel.

The Washington Post newspaper said in a report on Monday that human rights organizations had warned that settler violence against Palestinians in the West Bank had reached “record levels” since the Hamas attack on Israel on October 7.

The groups indicated, according to the newspaper, that the extremist settlement movement is now seeking to further consolidate its presence throughout the occupied Palestinian territories.

The newspaper quoted the Israeli human rights organization B'Tselem, saying that at least seven Palestinians have been killed by Israeli settlers since the start of the war in Gaza, while Israeli forces killed more than 100 Palestinians in the West Bank during the same time period, according to the United Nations, and about 500 were expelled. Palestinians from their homes.

The Palestinian Ministry of Health said that more than 110 Palestinians have been killed in the West Bank since October 7, most of them during raids launched by Israeli forces or attacks carried out by settlers.

The newspaper stated, "The victims of settler violence are mostly civilians, as Palestinian families, haunted by memories of displacement, fear to relive the tragedy of displacement and forced dispossession of their property."

The far-right Minister of National Security, Itamar Ben Gvir, promised to deliver 10,000 free weapons to settlers in the West Bank, while he eased the conditions for weapons licenses so that 400,000 people could obtain them.

Ben Gvir posted a video clip on the Internet in which he appears handing over M-16 or M-4 automatic rifles. But Israeli Defense Minister Yoav Galant said on Monday, “Only government security forces should use force in the occupied West Bank,” according to Reuters.

The Israeli human rights organization B'Tselem said that settlers use methods of intimidation and violence that have proven effective over time to force Palestinians to leave their homes. In recent weeks, the attacks have become more intense and frequent, according to the newspaper.

The newspaper quoted B'Tselem spokesman Dror Sadot as saying, "The scale and severity of the attacks has expanded at the present time because with the international community looking at Gaza, many settlers feel as if they can act with impunity."

According to the newspaper, armed settlers began roaming the small Bedouin community of Wadi al-Siq almost every day after October 7, threatening Palestinians with a massacre if they refused to leave, according to a resident of the area.

On October 12, two hundred Bedouins in Khirbet Wadi al-Siq, east of the city of Ramallah, left their lands and took refuge in the nearby village of Taybeh, after the Israeli army gave them one hour to leave, according to Agence France-Presse.

The Bedouin shepherds left their homes and left on foot with the livestock after dozens of settlers, accompanied by Israeli police and soldiers, arrived in the village.

Representatives of Khirbet say that the army did not respond to several requests to postpone the evacuation.

About 500,000 Israelis reside in the occupied West Bank in illegal settlements under international law.

About eight incidents of violence against Palestinians are recorded daily, including intimidation, theft and assault, according to the British newspaper “Daily Mail” and the United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA).

According to the United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs in the West Bank, 7,607 people have been displaced since the start of the war in Gaza on October 7, more than half of whom are children.

About 1,100 people were forced to leave their lands during the past year and a half.

The settlers enjoy strong support from the extreme right-wing government coalition led by Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, and the Israeli occupation army, which is deployed in large numbers in the occupied West Bank, “does not intervene to prevent settler violence,” according to human rights organizations.