Palestinian leader warns settler attacks could spark wider West Bank conflict
Jibril Rajoub said the surge in Israeli settler violence and army actions threatens to trigger a broader confrontation in the occupied West Bank, urging Palestinians to adopt non-violent resistance.
In Cairo, Jibril Rajoub, the secretary-general of Fatah’s central committee, warned that the intensifying campaign of Israeli settler terrorism and army actions in the occupied West Bank could spark a larger uprising, urging Palestinians to pursue non-violent resistance instead of bloodshed. His comments were made during meetings that also involved Hamas and aimed at unifying Palestinian political leadership after President Mahmoud Abbas delayed elections until September 2027.
Over the weekend, masked settlers assaulted a European delegation and an American journalist near Taybeh, prompting Germany and Britain to condemn the attacks and call for investigations. United Nations experts reported a surge in settler assaults on olive groves during the 2025 harvest, with thousands of trees destroyed and new Israeli military orders threatening tens of thousands of square meters of farmland. The warnings come as Israel prepares for elections on Oct. 27, where Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu seeks another term with far-right allies supportive of settlement expansion. The escalating violence underscores growing international criticism of settlement activity and its impact on Palestinian livelihoods.
Why it matters
The warning signals a risk of broader unrest in the West Bank amid rising settler violence and could affect regional stability.
How this story developed
- Sep 1 EU debates ban on settlement products as Israeli forces raze West Bank homes
- Oct 5 Labour MP Emily Thornberry called on Britain to defy Israel’s directive to close its consulate in East Jerusalem, calling the move illegal retaliation.
- Oct 6 Powell’s talks concluded without an agreement before the 30‑day deadline.
- Oct 8 Consular staff removed the plaque and signage after the closure deadline passed.
- Oct 9 Field reports recorded at least 19 Israeli settler assaults on Palestinians by midday Friday, targeting farmers, trees and livestock during the olive harvest.
- Oct 10 Israeli forces issued new evacuation orders for multiple Gaza neighborhoods.
- Oct 10 The consulate was officially renamed the UK Mission, Jerusalem and its staff was reduced to seven.
- Oct 12 A Gaza resident died of liver cancer after prolonged delays in medical evacuation.
- Oct 16 A settler was observed firing a gun during the latest assault.
- Oct 16 Israeli airstrikes on the cease‑fire anniversary caused new civilian fatalities.
- Oct 17 Heidi Levine was kicked, stripped of her equipment and hospitalized after being assaulted by roughly fifty young settlers.
- Oct 17 Settlers attacked a diplomatic convoy in Taybeh, injuring French mayor Bernard Baudoux.
- Oct 19 Israeli police have taken eight individuals into custody following a series of assaults by settlers in the West Bank, which targeted a U.S. photojournalist and several European diplomats.
- Oct 19 Police have arrested ten suspects and filed charges of violent conduct and breach of military orders.
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