Amnesty Warns of Ethnic Cleansing Risk Amid West Bank Settler Violence

sajadi Editor : Widi - 12 hours yang lalu

12 hours yang lalu

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West Bank, MINA – Amnesty International warned on Monday that a sharp escalation in Israeli settler violence, which it says is backed by the state, is aimed at “ethnically cleansing” Palestinians from the occupied West Bank.

The London-based human rights organization said the attacks were not isolated incidents but part of what it described as a central policy of the Israeli state. It urged countries to impose sanctions on Israeli officials implicated in serious violations of international law, prohibit trade with illegal Israeli settlements, and suspend the supply of weapons and security equipment to Israel.

The statement followed a series of recent attacks by Israeli settlers against Palestinian farmers in the West Bank, as well as European diplomats and an American photojournalist working for The Washington Post.

“Amnesty International has long been sounding the alarm over the exponential rise in state-driven settler violence against Palestinians, which has sought, through terror-inspiring means, to ethnically cleanse Palestinians from the occupied West Bank,” said Heba Morayef, Amnesty International’s Regional Director for the Middle East and North Africa.

She said the escalation had been fueled by the international community’s continued failure to take meaningful action against the system enabling the oppression of Palestinians.

“Attacks are not isolated acts, but a central policy of the Israeli state,” Morayef said.

She called on governments to take concrete steps to fulfill their obligations under international law and avoid complicity in violations and crimes against Palestinians. Amnesty also urged states to end trade, investment and cooperation that contribute to what it described as the unlawful occupation, apartheid and ongoing campaign of ethnic cleansing.

Morayef criticized efforts by senior Israeli officials and election candidates across the political spectrum to portray settler attacks as the actions of a small number of individuals. She argued that such characterizations distorted the reality of what Amnesty described as state-sponsored violence.

“These attacks must generate a strong response by states that claim to oppose Israel’s annexation of Palestinian territory,” she added.

Israel has occupied the West Bank, including East Jerusalem, since 1967. Israeli settlements in the occupied territory are considered illegal under international law, including the Fourth Geneva Convention, which prohibits an occupying power from transferring parts of its civilian population into occupied territory.

Settler violence has increased across the West Bank since October 2023, with Palestinian communities reporting attacks on villages, the burning of vehicles and olive groves, forced displacement and encroachment on agricultural land.

According to the Colonization and Wall Resistance Commission, Israeli settlers carried out 647 attacks across the West Bank in September alone, killing three Palestinians.

Recent attacks targeting European diplomats and an American journalist have also drawn international condemnation and renewed concerns over accountability for settler violence. Amnesty’s call for sanctions, settlement trade restrictions and an arms embargo adds to international demands for measures to address violations of Palestinian rights and ensure compliance with international law.[]

Mi’raj News Agency (MINA)