Latest news with #settlerViolence
Al Jazeera
3 days ago
- General
- Al Jazeera
Is a Palestinian state being derailed by Israel's illegal settlements?
Israel says it plans to build 22 new illegal settlements in the occupied West Bank – the largest number approved to be built at one time. Far-right Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich says the settlements are intended to block the creation of a Palestinian state. Meanwhile, the Israeli army continues its expanded offensive, destroying homes, roads and facilities, such as waterways and hospitals, essentially making areas of the occupied West Bank uninhabitable. And settler violence against civilians, including destroying crops and uprooting trees, is at an all-time high, according to the UN. Europe has hit back against the move to build more illegal settlements by threatening sanctions. But can they have a real impact? What does this mean for millions of Palestinians? And is a Palestinian state now becoming nearly impossible? Presenter: James Bays Guests: Xavier Abu Eid – Political analyst and a former adviser to the PLO's negotiation team Ori Goldberg- an Israeli author, academic, and political commentator Salman Shaikh – CEO of The Shaikh Group, an organisation working on diplomacy and mediation in the Middle East
Sky News
5 days ago
- General
- Sky News
Inside the West Bank village where Palestinians say they are being terrorised and pushed out of their homes
What's unfolding in the Palestinian village of Ras al-Ayn is more than a land dispute - according to human rights groups, it is the systematic displacement of an entire community. Activists on the ground report a surge in violence and intimidation by Israeli settlers aimed at driving Palestinian families from their homes. Footage captured by Rachel Abramovitz, a member of the group Looking The Occupation In The Eye, shows activists trying to block settlers from seizing control of the village centre. "They gradually invade the community and expand. The goal is to terrorise people, to make them flee," Ms Abramovitz said. The settler movement traces back to 1967, when Israel captured the West Bank, East Jerusalem, Gaza, and the Golan Heights during the Six-Day War. Settlements began as small, often unofficial outposts. Over the decades, they've grown into towns and cities with state-provided infrastructure, roads, and security. Today, 700,000 Israeli settlers live in the West Bank and East Jerusalem, in communities considered illegal under international law - a designation Israel disputes. Since the Hamas-led attacks on 7 October 2023 and Israel's subsequent 19-month military bombardment of Gaza, violence by Israeli settlers against Palestinians in the West Bank has escalated sharply. According to the UN and human rights groups such as B'Tselem, the overwhelming number of these attacks are carried out with impunity, further pressuring Palestinians to flee. 3:26 Salaam Ka'abneh, a lifelong resident of the Bedouin village of Ras al-Ayn in the Jordan Valley, says his family has lived on the land for more than 50 years. He fears they could be forced to leave. Mr Ka'abneh said: "About a year and four months ago, settlers cut off our access to water and grazing land. They also stole more than 2,000 sheep from us in the Tel Al-Auja compound. We face daily assaults, day and night. "They terrorise our children and women, throwing stones, firing bullets, and creating chaos with their vehicles. We are under siege. We no longer have access to pasture or water, and our sheep remain caged." Footage from the area shows settlers driving freely through Palestinian communities, some armed. While the Israeli army officially governs Area C of the West Bank, where Ras al-Ayn is located, human rights groups say settler violence almost always goes unchecked. Under international law, an occupying power is obligated to protect civilians under its control. But Sarit Michaeli of B'Tselem, an Israeli human rights group, says Israel is failing to uphold its responsibility. "Israel doesn't hold settlers accountable. On the contrary - settlers know that if they act violently, they'll receive support from all branches of the government. There's full impunity. In fact, it's more accurate to say settlers function as a branch of the government. "It's daylight robbery of land - sanctioned by Israeli authorities," Michaeli continues. "And it amounts to ethnic cleansing - displacing large parts of the Palestinian population to make the area available for Israeli use." To understand more, we travelled to a hilltop outpost occupied by settlers overlooking Salaam's village. But we did not get far. Our car was quickly surrounded, and the atmosphere turned hostile. It was clear: we were not welcome. We left with no answers but with a deeper understanding of the fear these Palestinian communities live with daily. International pressure is growing. The British government recently imposed sanctions on several settlers, including Daniella Weiss. Known as the 'godmother' of the settler movement, Weiss has been a key figure in expanding settlements across the West Bank. "There will never be a Palestinian state between the Jordan River and the Mediterranean. Never," Weiss declares. "We annex with facts on the ground. The goal is to block any possibility of a Palestinian state in the heartland of Israel. "If Netanyahu wanted to stop me, he could." The Israeli government calls allegations of ethnic cleansing "baseless and without foundation". But human rights groups argue that what's happening in the West Bank has gone far beyond creeping annexation. Palestinian land is rapidly being consumed by settlements, military zones, and settler outposts - shrinking the space in which a future Palestinian state might one day exist.
The Independent
20-05-2025
- Politics
- The Independent
UK imposes more sanctions on Israel amid ‘indefensible' aid blockade
The UK has imposed further sanctions on Israel and suspended trade talks due to the ongoing violence against Palestinians. The sanctions target individuals and organisations linked to settler violence in the West Bank, including prominent settler leader Daniella Weiss. The UK government condemned Israel's blockade of aid to Gaza as "cruel and indefensible". Foreign Secretary David Lammy said that the Israeli government's failure to address settler violence jeopardises Palestinian communities and the two-state solution. The UK has suspended negotiations on a new free trade agreement with Israel and will review existing cooperation.
The Independent
20-05-2025
- Politics
- The Independent
UK hits Israel with further sanctions and suspends trade talks over Gaza violence
The UK has slapped Israel with further sanctions and suspended trade talks with the country in response to violence against Palestinians in the West Bank. The measures, including financial restrictions and travel bans, cover prominent settler leader Daniella Weiss and two other individuals, as well as two illegal outposts and two organisations that the Foreign Office said supported, incited and promoted violence against Palestinian communities in the West Bank. Giving a statement in the Commons, foreign secretary David Lammy said: 'I have seen for myself the consequences of settler violence. The fear of its victims. The impunity of its perpetrators. 'The sanctioning of Daniella Weiss and others today demonstrates our determination to hold extremist settlers to account as Palestinian communities suffer violence and intimidation at the hands of extremist settlers. 'The Israeli government has a responsibility to intervene and halt these aggressive actions. Their consistent failure to act is putting Palestinian communities and the two-state solution in peril.'
The National
12-05-2025
- Politics
- The National
Trump heads to the Gulf and flights resume in South Asia
US President Donald Trump arrives in the Gulf today. Flights between the UAE and Pakistan resumed at the weekend. There has been a sharp increase in settler violence across the occupied West Bank since the October 7, 2023 attacks on Israel by Hamas. On today's episode of Trending Middle East: White House says Trump's Gulf trip to usher in 'golden age' in US-Middle East relations Trump returns to a changed Gulf: How the region has evolved since 2017 India and Pakistan trade accusations of breaking ceasefire India-Pakistan ceasefire: Passengers hopeful flights will operate as Islamabad reopens air space Palestinians and Israeli activists hit by increasing settler attacks in Jordan Valley This episode features Jihan Abdalla, Senior Correspondent and Thomas Helm, Jerusalem Correspondent.
