Wednesday 21 Oct 2026
Israeli soldiers and illegal settlers gather near an olive grove after a settler attack on a Palestinian home, occupied West Bank, on Oct 19, 2026.
Amnesty International warned on Monday that the massive escalation of state-backed illegal Israeli settler violence is aimed at “ethnically cleansing” Palestinians from the occupied West Bank, saying the attacks are not isolated incidents but a “central policy of the Israeli state.”
The London-based rights group called on countries to impose sanctions on Israeli officials involved in serious violations of international law, ban trade with illegal settlements and halt the supply of weapons and security equipment to Israel.
The statement came in response to attacks carried out by illegal settlers in recent days against Palestinian farmers in the occupied 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.
“This rise of violence has been fuelled by the international community’s persistent failure to take meaningful action against the very system enabling the continued oppression of Palestinians,” she added.
“Attacks are not isolated acts, but a central policy of the Israeli state,” Morayef said.
‘State-sponsored brutality’
She urged states to take concrete measures to meet their obligations under international law and avoid complicity in violations and crimes against Palestinians.
Amnesty called for an end to all forms of trade, investment and cooperation “that contribute to maintaining the unlawful occupation, apartheid and the ongoing campaign of ethnic cleansing.”
Morayef also criticised attempts by senior Israeli officials and election candidates across the political spectrum to portray attacks by illegal settlers “as the work of a few individuals.”
She called such portrayals a gross distortion of the truth in light of “state-sponsored brutality.”
“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 illegal under international law.
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Source: TRT
