Israeli authorities have dropped over 93 percent of investigations into attacks carried out by illegal settlers against Palestinians in the occupied West Bank without filing any indictments, according to a recent report from the Palestine Liberation Organization (PLO). The findings were released by the PLO's National Bureau for Defending Land and Resisting Settlements, which tracks violations by both illegal settlers and the Israeli military.
The report characterizes these incidents as part of a coordinated policy between illegal settlers and the Israeli occupation army, operating under explicit government cover. Since the beginning of 2026, the document states that settler violence has escalated into organized practices that align with the broader policies of the occupation forces. The PLO explicitly accused Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and senior government officials—including Defence Minister Israel Katz, Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich, and National Security Minister Itamar Ben-Gvir—of providing the political backing necessary for these attacks to occur with widespread impunity.
Data from the UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs cited in the report indicates that more than 1,330 attacks by illegal settlers have been documented in the occupied West Bank since the start of 2026. These incidents frequently include arson attacks on homes and mosques, destruction of water networks, and damage to agricultural facilities. Such violence has forced numerous Palestinian families, as well as Bedouin and pastoral communities, to abandon their homes.
The Palestinian Colonization and Wall Resistance Commission further highlighted that illegal settlers have launched approximately 12,500 attacks during the first 1,000 days of Israel's war in Gaza. These actions have resulted in the deaths of 82 Palestinians, the setting of 890 fires, and the establishment of 200 illegal settlement outposts. Official Palestinian figures estimate that since October 2023, combined attacks by the military and illegal settlers have killed more than 1,182 Palestinians, left roughly 13,000 people injured, and led to the arrest of 24,600 individuals.
