Download PDF April 2024 – UAWC Briefing on Settler Attacks
Briefing on Large-Scale Israeli Settler Pogroms
15 April 2024
On April 12-15, hordes of Israeli settlers conducted large-scale violent pogroms in the West Bank of Palestine. Over 1,500 Israeli settlers – armed and under the protection of the Israeli occupation forces – perpetrated heinous attacks, targeting at least 25 villages and communities across seven West Bank governorates (Ramallah, Nablus, Salfit, Bethlehem, Al Khalil [Hebron], Tubas, and Jenin). The settlers deliberately destroyed Palestinian land, homes, vehicles, and property; injured over 100 Palestinians; and killed two Palestinians. As the attacks are ongoing, the full extent of damages is not yet documented, but initial estimates indicate direct damages of at least 10 million ILS.
Settlers burned at least 85 houses, with varying degrees of total to partial burning; damaged more than 11 plastic water tanks; and burned more than 185 cars, trucks, and agricultural tractors. In the agricultural sector, damage includes at least 20 sheep pens burned; at least 200 sheep stolen; and more than 50 sheep killed and slaughtered. Two poultry farms were partially burned, an olive press was partially damaged, and trees were burned and damaged.
The targeted communities include:
- Ramallah: Al-Mughayyir, Turmus’ayya, Khirbet Abu Falah, Kafr Malik, Ein Samia, Al-Jalazoun Camp, Al-Mazra’a Al-Gharbiya, Silwad, Sinjil, and Deir Dibwan
- Nablus: Duma, Qusra, Burin, and Al-Sawiya
- Salfit: Deir Ballout and Kafr al-Dik
- Bethlehem: Dar Salah, Jab’a, Khirbet Ballut, and Beit Ascaria
- Al Khalil (Hebron): Maghayer al-Abed in Masafer Yatta, Tarqumia
- Tubas and Jenin: al-Maleh, Naba’ Ghazal, Ain al-Bayda junction
Since the Israeli genocide on the Gaza Strip of Palestine began on October 7, 2023, Israeli settlers have intensified their terrorization of Palestinian communities in the West Bank. Emboldened by impunity and increasingly armed by their government, these settlers have systematically attacked Palestinian communities, with the attacks of the past few days representing a peak of violence in the long-standing pattern of settler aggression. This onslaught of Israeli settler terrorism cannot be viewed in isolation; it is part and parcel of the broader and ongoing phenomenon of Israeli settler colonialism. This system of oppression seeks to dispossess Palestinians of their land and livelihoods, with the ultimate goal of displacing or eliminating them from historic Palestine in order to steal that land.
Between 7 October 2023 and 8 April 2024, OCHA recorded 727 Israeli settler attacks against Palestinians that resulted in Palestinian casualties (72 incidents), damage to Palestinian-owned property (578 incidents), or both casualties and damage to property (77 incidents). During that same period, settler violence and access restrictions led to the forcible displacement of at least 206 Palestinian households comprising 1,244 people, most of whom are herding families, including 603 children. Between 7 October 2023 and 13 April 2024, there were 463 martyrs and at least 4,750 injured in the West Bank.
Along with the constant violence of the Israeli occupation forces, ongoing Israeli military lockdown of the West Bank, and imposition of at least 759 movement obstacles, these settler attacks systematically disenfranchise Palestinians and violently prevent rural communities from harvesting or even reaching their land. By devastating land, homes, and vital infrastructure, these attacks not only endanger lives but threaten Palestinian livelihoods. Israeli settler attacks strategically target ‘Area C’, which is the largest and most fertile part of the West Bank, and the prime target of Israeli settler expansion. As the historic food basket of the West Bank, the land labeled as ‘Area C’ is critical to Palestinian livelihoods, agriculture, herding, and food systems.
In the face of these horrific settler attacks and all attempts to destroy Palestinian livelihoods, UAWC affirms that Palestinians will continue to emerge strong and resolute. UAWC is working with local farmers, agricultural committees, village councils, and the broader community to assess the extent of the damage and coordinate steps towards rebuilding.