Palestinians in the occupied West Bank are being subjected to “unprecedented bloodshed”. That’s what Volker Türk, the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights says in a new report.
Since the terrorist attacks by Hamas and the start of the Gaza war in October, extremist settler attacks against Palestinians in the West Bank have escalated dramatically. The US and the EU have directed sanctions against extreme settlers because what is happening is seen as a threat to a future two-state solution.
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Extremist settlers involved in attacks against Palestinians have in many cases been protected by the military, and have been able to act without the intervention of the authorities.
Trees and cars set on fire
When SVT visits the village of Yatma on the West Bank, Abdul Hamid Najjar, who owns an olive grove, tells how his land and the village’s parking lot were recently set on fire by residents from a new settlement nearby.
– They burned the olive trees and our cars. But the Israeli army was there to protect them and the settlers prevented the fire truck from arriving, says Najjar.
His story is corroborated by images from the surveillance camera set up by the villagers and by Israeli security services.
The security police criticize the development
The activists are close allies of the coalition’s ultra-nationalist leaders, Police Minister Itamar Ben-Gvir and Finance Minister Smotrich, who hold the fate of Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu in their hands.
Ami Ayalon was formerly head of the Shin Bet (corresponding to the Swedish Security Police) and is one of the officials within the Israeli security service who criticized the development in the West Bank.
– They are a small minority in the country, but they control the government. They have an incredibly large influence, says Ami Ayalon to SVT.