Settlers Escalate Attacks Across West Bank and Jerusalem in August

Settlers intensified attacks against Palestinians and their property across the occupied West Bank and Jerusalem on Monday, according to reports. These assaults included physical violence against Palestinians, destruction of agricultural crops, and damage to water and electricity networks. In the northern Jordan Valley, settlers began fencing off large areas of private Palestinian land in the Masafir Wadi al-Husayn and Al-Hadidiyah areas, aiming to restrict Palestinian access and potentially seize more land. This action is part of a broader escalation in the Jordan Valley, which has seen years of land leveling, fencing, and confiscation.

In the town of Beita, south of Nablus, settlers attacked a barn belonging to Samer Yousef Abu Mazen, assaulting two Palestinians and causing bruises. Settlers also cut down electricity poles between Beita and Osarin, leading to power outages. In occupied Jerusalem, settler attacks continued in various neighborhoods and on main roads, involving stone-throwing at vehicles and vandalism of property and businesses, reportedly under the protection of Israeli forces.

Attacks also extended to the Hebron, Ramallah, Bethlehem, and Salfit governorates, where settlers targeted villages adjacent to settlements, burning agricultural lands, throwing stones at vehicles, and assaulting farmers to prevent them from reaching their land. These incidents are part of a continuous settler escalation.

According to the Wall and Settlement Resistance Commission, Israeli forces and settlers carried out 2,030 attacks against Palestinians, their land, and property in the West Bank and Jerusalem during August. Settler attacks alone in August numbered 628, resulting in the death of one boy and injuries or direct damage to 164 Palestinians. Additionally, 21,508 trees were vandalized or uprooted, including 19,375 olive trees. Settlers also attempted to establish 32 new settlement outposts in August, seeking to expand control over rural and pastoral lands and isolate Palestinian communities.