‘We’re on the edge’: Palestinians terrified by Israeli settler violence
Al Jazeera
Mobs of Israeli settlers attacked West Bank Palestinian villages recently, raising people’s fears for their safety.
Palestinians in the occupied West Bank are living in fear as armed Israeli settlers attack them, their families and homes in vengeful acts of violence which could uproot hundreds of Palestinians from their lands, residents said.
The latest round of settler violence began shortly after a 14-year-old Israeli boy was found dead in the illegal settlement outpost of Malachei HaShalom, an area Palestinians are prohibited from entering.
The Israeli army said the boy was killed in a “terrorist attack” but has not provided evidence. Since then, the army has supported Israeli settlers as they attack Palestinian villages, injuring and expelling many.
“We’re terrified… Most people are trying to leave the town or to [go to] other countries if they have other citizenships,” said Hind*, a 25-year-old living in Deir Dabwan, east of Ramallah.
The recent settler attacks are part of a broader wave of violence which has heightened since Israel’s devastating war on Gaza. The war, which began in response to Hamas’s surprise attack on Israeli military outposts and communities on October 7, has killed nearly 35,000 Palestinians.
