Settler Attacks.. Unprecedented Escalation as Part of the "Creeping Displacement" Policy

Dr. Khalil Tafakji: Villages are subjected to attacks because, for them, they are an obstacle to settlement expansion, and therefore they are systematically targeted to force their residents to leave. Abdullah Abu Rahma: The absence of a real confrontation with these policies may open the door for settlers to move to a stage of controlling cities, in line with the "Decisive Plan." Dr. Hassan Brijieh: Forced displacement represents a declared goal of the occupation government, and if it fails, continuous field measures push Palestinians towards the same outcome. Fayez Abbas: Israeli policy is based on continuing settlement expansion and exerting pressure to impose a reality that makes the establishment of a Palestinian state impossible. Dr. Suhail Diab: The attacks may be part of a trend to expand control over Area C and strengthen the connection of settlement blocs to make any political settlement more complicated. Yasser Manna: Settler violence is no longer limited to retaliatory attacks but has become a means of pressure to impose facts on the ground before any declared political decisions. Ramallah – Exclusive to "Al-Quds" – The field reality in the West Bank is witnessing an unprecedented escalation in settler attacks that have extended to include Palestinian villages, amid a clear shift in the nature of these attacks from scattered assaults to more organized and widespread operations, targeting agricultural lands, homes, water sources, and pastures, in parallel with the establishment of new settlement outposts and the imposition of field realities that strengthen control over areas classified as (C). Officials, specialists, writers, political analysts, and university professors, in interviews with "Al-Quds," believe that this escalation reflects an integrated policy aimed at reshaping the geographical and demographic realities in the West Bank, noting that Palestinian villages located around major settlement blocs have become the main target of attacks, as they constitute an obstacle to settlement expansion and the completion of geographical connectivity between settlements and outposts. They confirm that the repeated attacks, which include burning crops and homes, seizing land, preventing farmers from accessing their lands, and occupying some homes, represent continuous pressure tools to gradually force residents to leave, as part of the "creeping displacement" policy. They warn that the continuation of these policies, in light of political and security support for settlers, threatens to expand the circle of displacement from Bedouin communities to villages, and perhaps to wider areas in the future, thereby entrenching a new reality that makes any political settlement more complicated and undermines the chances of establishing a geographically contiguous Palestinian state. A settlement project to empty areas of their population. The expert in settlement affairs, Dr. Khalil Tafakji, confirms that the escalation of settler attacks on Palestinian villages in the West Bank cannot be separated from a broader settlement project aimed at emptying entire areas of their Palestinian residents, in preparation for connecting settlements and outposts to each other, and achieving geographical connectivity subject to full Israeli control. Tafakji explains that the Palestinian villages currently subjected to repeated attacks constitute, from the perspective of the settlement planner, an obstacle to settlement expansion, and therefore they are systematically targeted to force their residents to leave. Tafakji points out that the villages of Al-Mughayyir, Turmus Ayya, Al-Lubban Al-Sharqiya, and Al-Sawiya are located within a large settlement cluster extending from the Kafr Qasim area towards the Jordan Valley, with the "Ariel" settlement being one of its most prominent centers, which gives this area strategic importance in Israeli plans. Official support. Tafakji confirms that what is happening on the ground is with the support of the Israeli government and aims to empty these areas of Palestinian presence, so that they become completely subject to Israeli control, considering that this is consistent with what is known as the "Fingers" project proposed by former Israeli Prime Minister Ariel Sharon, which is based on establishing settlement extensions connecting the Jordan Valley with the Green Line areas, thereby dismembering the West Bank and isolating Palestinian communities from each other. Tafakji points out that the village of Al-Mughayyir, northeast of Ramallah, represents a clear example of this policy, due to its proximity to what is known as the "Allon" settlement line and to the settlement clusters extending towards the Jordan Valley, which include large settlements such as "Shilo" and "Ma'ale Efraim," stressing that controlling this area means, from the occupation's point of view, emptying it of its Palestinian residents and fully controlling it. Attacks to cripple the economy. Tafakji confirms that the attacks are not limited to attacking residents, but also include burning crops, bulldozing land, destroying olive trees, and targeting agricultural lands in Al-Mughayyir, Turmus Ayya, and Al-Lubban Al-Sharqiya, areas whose residents primarily depend on agricultural activity. Tafakji believes that these practices aim to cripple the local economy and strip Palestinians of their livelihoods, thereby gradually forcing them to leave their lands. He explains that the ultimate goal of these policies is to implement "silent displacement," which does not necessarily rely on direct expulsion at gunpoint, but rather on repeated attacks, burning property, and inflicting continuous losses on citizens, making staying in those areas extremely difficult. Tafakji points out that this method has been previously applied in Bedouin communities in the Jordan Valley and Masafer Yatta, and is now being expanded to include major Palestinian villages that hinder settlement expansion, as part of an Israeli vision aimed at re-engineering Palestinian geography within the West Bank and changing the demographic reality in favor of the settlement project. A new, more dangerous stage. The acting deputy head of the Wall and Settlement Resistance Commission, Abdullah Abu Rahma, believes that settler attacks in the West Bank have entered a new, more dangerous stage, after moving from targeting Bedouin communities and less densely populated areas to carrying out repeated attacks on Palestinian villages, as part of a systematic plan aimed at controlling more land and imposing forced displacement on the Palestinian population. Abu Rahma explains that the previous stage focused on targeting Bedouin communities extending from the northern Jordan Valley through Masafer Yatta, the eastern Bethlehem desert, the eastern Jerusalem desert, and the eastern Ramallah desert, all the way to the areas east of Nablus and Tubas. Abu Rahma points out that this policy has led to the displacement of more than 80 Bedouin communities and the settlers' control over vast areas, which has made accessing those areas or engaging in grazing and work there extremely difficult, and the movement of citizens and their vehicles has become fraught with dangers due to continuous threats and attacks. Direct targeting of villages. Abu Rahma confirms that recent developments reflect the transition of settler groups to a new stage based on directly targeting Palestinian villages, and that the attacks are no longer limited to attacking citizens and their property, but have extended to occupying homes and residential buildings in several towns and villages, preventing their owners from accessing them, in parallel with attacking vehicles, farms, facilities, and agricultural lands. Abu Rahma considers that this confirms that these groups are working according to an organized plan and are not individual movements or related to what is promoted as "agricultural farms" settlements. He stresses that what are called farms or agricultural outposts are a tool used to control land and expand settlements, in addition to providing funding and gaining sympathy and promoting the settlement project, while the main goal remains to impose field control over the largest possible area of Palestinian land. The danger of extending to cities. Abu Rahma warns that the absence of a real confrontation with these policies may open the door for settlers to move to more dangerous stages, starting with tightening control over villages and then extending to cities, considering that this is consistent with what is known as the "Decisive Plan" proposed by Israeli Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich in 2017, which aims to forcibly displace Palestinians from their lands, starting from Bedouin communities to villages, then to cities, eventually pushing them to emigrate outside Palestine. He points out that these trends are now being openly discussed through speeches and social media, and their proponents boast about what they describe as achievements related to the establishment of dozens of settlements and outposts. Clear indicators of the escalation of the settlement offensive. The researcher in settlement affairs, Dr. Hassan Brijieh, explains that the escalation of settler attacks in the West Bank reflects a more dangerous stage of the settlement project, stressing that the attacks are continuously increasing with the protection of the Israeli army and the Israeli police, and under the directives of the Israeli government, as part of a policy aimed at expanding control over land and forcing Palestinians to leave it. Brijieh points out that the patterns of attacks have witnessed a significant development recently, as they are no longer limited to attacking property, but have extended to burning and occupying homes, in addition to shooting unarmed civilians, considering that these practices constitute clear indicators of the escalating pace of the settlement offensive led by the right-wing Israeli government, while settlers are its executive tool on the ground. Brijieh notes that the pace of settlement targeting of Palestinian villages increases whenever Israeli elections approach, indicating that it is linked to the nature of Israeli political discourse. Brijieh confirms that forced displacement represents a declared goal of the Israeli government, both in the Gaza Strip and the West Bank, noting that even if it cannot be achieved directly, continuous field measures push Palestinians towards the same outcome. Brijieh explains that these policies include genocide, imposing military restrictions, establishing gates and checkpoints, controlling the movement of citizens and road junctions, in addition to demolishing homes and bulldozing agricultural lands and preventing farmers from accessing their lands, which directly affects the olive, grape, guava, and other crop seasons. Brijieh points out that all these measures, in addition to proposals for corridors or various projects, converge in one direction, which is to push Palestinians towards forced displacement or what is described as voluntary displacement, stressing that the ultimate goal of these policies is to empty the land of Palestinian presence, whether in the West Bank or the Gaza Strip. Netanyahu's government and the escalation of the settlement project. The writer specializing in Israeli affairs, Fayez Abbas, explains that the formation of Benjamin Netanyahu's current government represented a turning point in the escalation of the settlement project in the West Bank, after key positions were assigned to figures from the religious Zionist current and the settlement movement, which was reflected in the nature of field policies in the occupied Palestinian territories. Abbas points out that the appointment of Bezalel Smotrich as Minister of Finance, in addition to granting him powers within the Ministry of Defense related to managing West Bank affairs, and the appointment of Orit Strock as Minister of Settlement, marked the beginning of a new stage aimed at intensifying the attack on Palestinian lands and villages, especially in areas that Israel considers strategically important, with the aim of strengthening control over the West Bank. Abbas notes that the appointment of Itamar Ben-Gvir as Minister of National Security, and granting him powers related to the police responsible for settlers in the West Bank, contributed to providing broader political and security cover for settlement groups, considering that the three ministers played a pivotal role in supporting what he described as Jewish militias, including groups known within Israel as "hilltop youth." Control of hills and establishment of settlement outposts. Abbas explains that these groups, in coordination with the occupation army, focused on controlling hills and establishing new settlement outposts near Palestinian villages, especially in the Jordan Valley and the Hebron mountains, while carrying out attacks targeting residents and their property, including burning homes and agricultural crops, harassing citizens, and stealing or killing sheep. Abbas confirms that these attacks took place under the protection of the occupation forces, without legal prosecution of those responsible, in addition to receiving financial and logistical support including vehicles and various equipment. Official support and protection. Abbas explains that official support for these groups was not limited to funding or political cover, but also included security and military protection, which contributed to the escalation of attacks against Palestinians in areas that the Israeli political and security leadership considers strategic for settlement expansion. He points out that Israeli Defense Minister Yoav Gallant issued a decision preventing the classification of Jews involved in attacks in the West Bank as "terrorists," and also canceled administrative detention orders against a number of leaders of what is known as Jewish terrorism, considering that these steps strengthen the immunity enjoyed by these groups. Abbas indicates that a number of security and military officials overseeing the West Bank come from or are linked to the settlement movement, including the head of the Shin Bet and the commander of the Central Command in the army and a number of senior officers, considering that this reality is reflected in the nature of decisions and measures taken against Palestinians. Abbas notes that Israeli policy, although not officially declared, is based on continuing settlement expansion, establishing more outposts, and exerting pressure on Palestinians, to the point of imposing a reality that makes the establishment of a Palestinian state in the West Bank impossible. Organized pressure led by higher authorities. Professor of Political Science and specialist in Israeli affairs, Dr. Suhail Diab, confirms that the escalation of settler attacks on Palestinian villages in the West Bank reflects a qualitative shift in the nature of these attacks, noting that they no longer represent scattered attacks or random movements carried out by small groups, but have become part of an organized pressure pattern led by higher authorities within a studied vision related to the future of the West Bank and settlement expansion programs. Diab explains that the first indication is the transition from individual attacks to an organized policy characterized by coordination and continuity, noting that the attacks are no longer limited to attacking citizens or carrying out scattered acts of violence, but have expanded to include burning crops, seizing agricultural lands, establishing new settlement outposts, controlling water sources and pastures, and preventing farmers from accessing their lands, which he sees as part of an integrated plan aimed at imposing new field realities on the ground. Creating a coercive environment. Diab points out that the second indication is the creation of what international organizations describe as a "coercive environment," which is a situation in which the daily lives of Palestinians become extremely difficult as a result of the destruction of livelihoods, the imposition of restrictions on movement and travel, and the absence of effective legal protection. Diab notes that this concept is adopted in UN literature and is considered, under international law, a practice that violates human rights protocols and the rules governing conflicts and occupation. Diab confirms that the political dimension represents the most important indication in these developments, explaining that the attacks are linked to trends within Zionist movement currents, especially the settlement current, which works to expand actual control over large areas of Area C, and strengthen geographical connectivity between settlement blocs and new outposts, thereby entrenching field realities that make any future political settlement more complicated. Diab points out that the Israeli government may sometimes express limited reservations about some attacks, but this is related to diplomatic considerations to avoid embarrassment before the international community, especially regarding the relationship with the United States. Escalating risks of displacement in the West Bank. Diab points to alarming indicators regarding the escalating risks of displacement in the West Bank, explaining that there is talk of a broad policy that practically leads to the relocation of entire villages, which requires precise legal and political distinction. Diab confirms that international institutions base their warnings on a set of indicators, most notably the increasing number of families who have left pastoral and agricultural communities, the significant decline in citizens' ability to access their lands, and the repeated attacks on homes and infrastructure, in addition to the increasing cases of families forced to flee more than once due to repeated attacks. He notes that the transformation of these attacks into an organized pattern was accompanied by the displacement of thousands of Palestinians in 2026, as a result of settler violence and restrictions on access to land and livelihoods, with these numbers significantly exceeding previous years' levels. Diab believes that the continuation of pressing conditions may lead to forced displacement of residents if they are forced to leave their homes involuntarily, stressing that small pastoral communities in the Jordan Valley and southern Hebron are, according to recent reports, among the most vulnerable areas to this scenario. Diab explains that what large parts of the West Bank are witnessing reflects an unprecedented escalation in settler violence, and an increase in economic and security pressures imposed on Palestinian rural communities, in addition to rising international concerns about individual and local displacement turning into a wider phenomenon if current trends continue, with all its humanitarian, political, and legal implications for the future of Palestinian presence in the targeted areas. Reshaping the reality in the West Bank. The writer and researcher specializing in Israeli affairs, Yasser Manna, confirms that the attacks carried out by settlers in the West Bank are no longer understood as individual acts or uncontrolled incidents, but rather represent part of an organized and institutional policy consistent with the vision adopted by the Israeli government to reshape the demographic and geographical reality in the West Bank. Manna explains that settlers have become the "back hand" of the Israeli government in the targeted areas, by carrying out a series of attacks that include attacking villages from their outskirts, targeting farmers and shepherds, burning crops, seizing property, and imposing control over roads, springs, and pastures, thereby expanding settlement influence and restricting Palestinian presence in open areas. A shift in the nature and function of settler violence. Manna confirms that settler violence has witnessed a clear shift in its nature and function, as it is no longer limited to acts of intimidation or retaliatory attacks, but has become a daily means of pressure used to impose new field realities before any declared political decisions, by reducing Palestinian presence in targeted areas and gradually expanding the scope of settlement control. Manna points out that Israeli Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich explicitly announced his vision based on displacing Palestinians from the West Bank, but the most dangerous aspect is that displacement does not necessarily occur through direct official decisions, but rather by creating an environment hostile to Palestinian life, especially in villages and communities adjacent to settlement outposts. Manna confirms that when a Palestinian loses the sense of security, is deprived of access to his land, farm, or pasture, and his property is repeatedly attacked without protection or accountability, staying on his land turns into a difficult daily battle. Manna believes that these circumstances gradually push residents to leave peripheral areas, as part of the "creeping displacement" process, which begins with intimidating citizens, then drying up the elements of their steadfastness and livelihoods, leading to emptying entire areas of their indigenous inhabitants and opening the way for settlement expansion and imposing a new reality on the ground.