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The West Bank has witnessed an unprecedented increase in violent attacks carried out by Israeli settlers against Palestinians, amid what observers describe as widespread leniency from Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s government and its security agencies. Several Israeli sources have referred to these incidents as expanding “nationalist crimes”, fuelled by settler impunity and political protection from government ministers.
Official figures show that 2025 has recorded a sharp rise in settler assaults, with dozens of attacks reported in recent weeks alone. Data from Israel’s Ministry of Defence indicate a significant escalation in settler violence over the past three weeks, coinciding with the start of the olive harvest season, during which more than 68 terrorist attacks were documented.
According to official statistics, 2025 has so far been marked by a continued rise in such “nationalist crimes” against Palestinians across the West Bank. Since mid-October, around 50 assaults have been carried out by extremist settlers. Meanwhile, United Nations data, which cover a wider range of incidents, show that the total number of attacks in October alone reached 264 — the highest monthly figure recorded in a year.
READ: Israeli settlers launch coordinated attacks across West Bank under army protection
