OHCHR: Settler violence drives forced displacement in the West Bank

Such settler-driven displacement, particularly in Bedouin and herding communities, usually follows the same pattern: an illegal outpost is erected near or inside a herding community, settlers restrict Palestinians’ access to water and grazing space, settlers repeatedly attack communities, destroy property, infrastructure and livestock, and injure or kill residents.

Such attacks have become almost a daily occurrence. Last night, around 300 Israeli settlers attacked Halawa and Al Fakheit villages in Msafer Yatta, Hebron, and injured several Palestinians, torched homes and property, stole livestock, and blocked ambulances that arrived to evacuate the injured.

Between 23 and 25 January, at least 10 serious Israeli settler attacks were recorded in Jerusalem, the central and northern West Bank, the Jordan Valley, and the South Hebron Hills. The attacks resulted in extensive property damage, arson attacks, injuries, and forcible displacement of Palestinian families, primarily affecting Bedouin and herding households.

One attack displaced four Bedouin families in Al Hadidiya area in the northern Jordan Valley on 23 January. A displaced resident told UN Human Rights in the Occupied Palestinian Territory (OHCHR OPT) that the attack was the last straw since the creation of an Israeli outpost in the area in November 2025. Since then, settlers intensified attacks and restricted grazing areas, while Israeli security forces repeatedly raided homes and detained shepherds. Once home to 17 Bedouin families, only 12 families remain in Al Hadidiya following the establishment of the outpost.

Since 7 October 2023, six entire communities comprising 112 families have been forcibly displaced in the northern Jordan Valley under similar conditions, as recorded by OHCHR OPT. In the same period, 4,037 Palestinians have been displaced due to settler violence across the West Bank. This includes the recent displacement of the largest and last standing Bedouin community in the central Jordan Valley, Ras `Ein Al `Auja, after two years of settler violence and harassment. While most displacements are concentrated in Area C and the Jordan Valley, the pace of forcible displacement and settlement expansion in Area B is worryingly increasing, with four outposts built in Area B in 2025.

In the meantime, avenues of protection and accountability are increasingly inaccessible to Palestinians, as Israeli security forces fail to protect them, frequently act alongside settlers, and detain or expel international activists providing protective presence.

On 24 January, settlers attacked a 62-year-old woman and her 35-year-old son who confronted settlers for trespassing on their land and vandalizing trees on the outskirts of Birzeit village in Ramallah. When Israeli security forces arrived, they detained the son and two more men from the family and ill-treated all three. As of 28 January, the 35-year-old man remains detained. The two other family members were reportedly released, both with multiple fractures suffered while they were detained.

Also on 24 January, Israeli security forces raided the Khallet As Sidra Bedouin community near Mikhmas, Jerusalem — a community that came under repeated settler attacks in recent months. Israeli security forces then delivered orders declaring the area a closed military zone for a year applicable to anyone who is not a resident, and forcibly expelled Israeli and international protective presence activists.  

On 25 January, Israeli settlers assaulted and injured Palestinian herders in Rajoum A’li area in the South Hebron Hills and ran over a 13-year-old Palestinian boy with a tractor, fracturing his leg. Israeli security forces were present during the attack but fired tear gas and stun grenades towards the Palestinian residents.

“The law is clear here: Israel must end its unlawful presence in the Occupied Palestinian Territory, halt settlement expansion, and evacuate all settlers. Forcible transfer of Palestinians within the occupied West Bank is a war crime and may amount to a crime against humanity. Israeli security forces’ unnecessary use of force against Palestinians violates their right to life, safety, and dignity,” said Ajith Sunghay, Head of OHCHR OPT. “And accountability must be ensured for past and ongoing violations of Palestinians’ rights under international law.”