US, UN raise concern over settler violence in West Bank; Israel’s lawmaker may make situation worse

The United Nations and the United States have raised concerns over Israeli settler violence in the occupied West Bank amid the ongoing war between Israel and Palestinian militant group Hamas in Gaza, on Wednesday (Nov 1).

Meanwhile, Israel, on the same day appointed an ultranationalist lawmaker and radical settlement activist Tzvi Succot as the head of the Israeli parliament (Knesset) West Bank subcommittee, reported Times of Israel.

More than 820 Palestinians displaced in West Bank: UN

More than 820 Palestinians in the occupied West Bank have been displaced amid settler violence and increased movement restrictions since the beginning of the war on October 7, said the UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OHCA) in a statement on Wednesday.

The UN agency also noted a significant rise in Israeli settler violence with an average of three incidents per day in 2023 to seven a day now.

During this period, OCHA recorded 171 settler attacks against Palestinians, including 26 different casualty incidents, damage to more than 100 Palestinian properties, and around 30 cases where both property damage and casualties were reported.

The UN agency also noted the use of firearms by Israeli settlers to intimidate and threaten Palestinians, including by opening fire.

Israeli authorities have also ramped up access restrictions in the West Bank and so have settlers, said OCHA. This includes limiting access to essential services and livelihoods.

Israeli security forces “accompanied or actively supported” the attackers, the UN agency said. This comes as the Israeli army has increased the number of raids in the West Bank after Hamas’ attack on Israel saying that they are looking for members of the Palestinian militant group.

There have also been multiple reports of clashes and violence in the West Bank, particularly since the beginning of the Israel-Hamas war.

‘Incredibly destabilizing’

The US, which has been a staunch supporter of Israel, urged the Israeli government to rein in the West Bank settlers calling violence in the region in tandem with the war “incredibly destabilizing”.

State Department spokesman Matthew Miller said settler violence in the West Bank is “incredibly destabilizing and counterproductive to Israel’s long-term security in addition to, of course, being extremely harmful to the Palestinians living in the West Bank.”

“We have sent a very clear message to them that it’s unacceptable, it needs to stop and those responsible for it need to be held accountable,” said Miller referring to US contact with Israel’s government.

Israel govt’s new appointment

Succot’s appointment as the chairman of the Knesset Subcommittee for Judea and Samaria (West Bank) has been condemned by several opposition Members of the Knesset (MKs).

The subcommittee in question typically deals with security issues in the West Bank, including Israeli army functions to deal with Palestinian security threats and their treatment of settlers.

“I am taking upon myself…to take care of the personal safety of the residents of Judea and Samaria, and to develop the settlements as much as possible,” said Succot following the appointment, as quoted by Times of Israel.

He was also once declared “unsuitable” for military service by the Israel Defense Forces (IDF) given his lack of trust in the military after it participated in the 2005 disengagement plan and evacuated settlers from the Gaza and northern West Bank settlements.

Labor leader MK Merav Michaeli called him “one of the most dangerous people in Israel, a racist, pyromaniac, terror supporter, Shin Bet target.”

(With inputs from agencies)