Failure to Evacuate Settlers Raises Questions in the West Bank
For more than a week, the Israeli army has failed to evacuate a small group of settlers who barricaded themselves on rocks in the town of Qusra near Nablus, in an incident that has once again raised questions about how serious the Israeli authorities are in confronting the escalation of settler violence against Palestinians in the occupied West Bank.
Experts and observers believe that the Israeli army has long been reluctant to deal firmly with settler attacks, particularly in light of the support provided by the government of Prime Minister “Benjamin Netanyahu” to the settlement movement, alongside the growing influence of settlement ideology within parts of the military establishment.
A limited number of settlers began, more than a week ago, besieging Palestinians inside their homes in Qusra, obstructing the delivery of supplies to the area and prompting international condemnation, as well as condemnation from within Israel.
Despite the Israeli army sending forces to the site on more than one occasion, and the United States calling on the Israeli government to intervene after it emerged that one of the besieged Palestinians held American citizenship, the announced measures failed to bring the situation to an end.
According to available information, the measures were limited to issuing statements of condemnation, detaining one Israeli, and dismantling a number of settlers’ tents, without these steps forcing the group to leave the site.
No Rules of Engagement.. and Overlap Between the Army and Settlers
In an attempt to explain this failure, “Nadav Weiman”, a former Israeli sniper and head of «Breaking the Silence», an organization advocating for the rights of Israeli veterans, said that the nature of the occupation system makes enforcing the law against violent settlers extremely difficult for soldiers, while dealing with Palestinians is easier and more straightforward.
“Weiman” explained to “Agence France-Presse” that the rules of engagement governing soldiers’ treatment of settlers are almost nonexistent because they are Israeli citizens, noting that during more than two decades of collecting testimonies from soldiers serving in the West Bank, he observed that most units do not receive clear instructions regarding the measures that can be taken against settlers.
“Weiman” also links this hesitation to the growing overlap between settlers and the military establishment, with increasing numbers of settlers becoming officers after attending military preparatory academies with hardline ideological orientations.
Analysts warned that the continuation of this situation could lead to a broader escalation, considering that the persistence of settler violence makes the outbreak of a large-scale bloody confrontation a difficult possibility to rule out.
Thousands of Settlers Armed After the October 7 Attack
The overlap between settlers and the Israeli army intensified following the October 7, 2023 attack, when a large portion of Israeli forces was redeployed to the Gaza and Lebanon fronts, while thousands of settler reservists were recruited into regional defense units tasked with protecting their settlements in the West Bank.
According to the human rights organization “Yesh Din”, around 7,000 settlers were armed and incorporated into these units during the first months of the war, amid concerns that some of them might hesitate to intervene to prevent attacks committed by other settlers.
The organization points out that some of these individuals are no longer actively serving as reservists, yet the army allowed them to retain their weapons and military clothing, which, in its assessment, contributed to an increase in incidents of violence carried out by settlers who sometimes appeared to be soldiers.
The West Bank settlements, which have been occupied by Israel since 1967 and are home to around three million Palestinians, are at the heart of an international and legal dispute, as most countries and the international community consider them illegal under international law.
The number of settlers in the West Bank is currently estimated at around half a million, excluding settlers in occupied East Jerusalem, whose number exceeds approximately 200,000.
This coincides with calls from ministers in the Israeli government to annex the West Bank — either fully or partially — to Israel, at a time when the government of “Netanyahu”, described as the most right-wing in Israel’s history, has witnessed a notable expansion in settlement activity, increasing tensions and the prospects for escalation in the region.
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Author’s Name: Consultant Faisal Al-Mutairi.
Publication Date: August 19, 2026.
Updated: August 2026.
