How the West Bank settlements have changed Israel
The settler movement has spent decades pushing its views to the mainstream and building its political power.
Palestinians speak to an international delegation touring the West Bank town of Turmus Ayya, days after an attack by Israeli settlers in 2023. (AP Photo / Majdi Mohammed)
The increase in settler violence against Palestinians in the West Bank over the past 15 months has been unprecedented. Since Hamas’s October 7, 2023, attack and the start of the war in Gaza, there have been more than 1,000 attacks in the West Bank, according to a report from the International Crisis Group.
The spike, which has raised international alarm, is often blamed on the permissive policies of Israel’s right-wing government, led by Benjamin Netanyahu. According to a UN investigation, nearly half of all settler attacks documented in October 2023 were conducted in collaboration with, or in the presence of, Israeli military forces.
I have studied Jewish violent extremism for more than 20 years. I would argue that these developments result from long processes tied to the erosion of Israel’s democratic foundations—that the seeds were planted long before Netanyahu came to power.
