November 7, 2023
“The Government Encourages the Settlers to Attack and Gives Them Permission to Kill Us”
By Peter Lucas
There’s been an epidemic of violence across the West Bank since October 7, as Palestinians have been increasingly targeted by Israeli settlers.
(Nasser Ishtayeh / Getty)
As Israel continues its invasion of the Gaza Strip, the international community’s attention has turned from what—before Hamas’s attack on Israel—was the world’s primary cause for concern in the Israel-Palestine conflict: the West Bank. Settlers, who feel emboldened by the Israeli government’s siege on Gaza, have increased their attacks. Between October 7 and 27, settlers killed 110 Palestinians in the West Bank, according to the Palestinian Health Ministry.
The construction of settlements in the West Bank—which is in violation of international law—has intensified under the leadership of Benjamin Netanyahu, leading to regular confrontations between settlers and Palestinians living in Area C, particularly in the South Hebron Hills. While the death toll continues to mount in Gaza, Palestinians living in the West Bank are facing a level of violence not seen since the Nakba of 1948.
Eid Suleman is a peace activist from Um al Khair in Masafer Yatta, where he lives with his wife, Nima, and their daughters. Suleman works as a self-taught artist and field researcher for the Jerusalem-based nonprofit B’Tselem and teaches youth how to film encounters with Israeli soldiers and settlers. As a community leader in Um al Khair, Suleman observed that attacks by settlers “have increased, happening day and night, sometimes multiple attacks. It’s out of control in Area C.”
