Israeli Settlers Shoot Palestinians in West Bank as Israeli Army Faces Calls To Stop Violence

In the West Bank, former senior Israeli officers condemned settlers’ terrorism in an open letter to the military hierarchy made public on Monday, March 16, saying that 'the violence and Jewish terrorism (which) have continued to intensify since then, becoming a daily, permanent, and terrifying phenomenon.'

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L’Humanité reported the signatories warned that the will of political leaders could 'drag the Israeli army into a total war in the West Bank and to achieve a situation similar to Gaza.'

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Human Rights Watch said armed settlers are taking advantage of the war’s confusion to seize land and continue Israel’s policy of dispossession and ethnic cleansing against Palestinians.

Human Rights Watch added that in the last 11 days armed settlers—including three in uniform—are said to have shot five Palestinians in the West Bank, and a sixth is said to have died of a heart attack after inhaling tear gas fired by the Israeli army.

Human Rights Watch said the Israeli army stated the recent incidents are under investigation, while it reported that at the end of 2025 the Israeli NGO Yesh Din said that of the hundreds of cases of violence by settlers it had recorded since October 2023, only 3% had resulted in convictions.

The same Human Rights Watch account said the Israeli government furnishes weapons to settlers generally without holding them accountable, and that it thus facilitates the violence carried out by settlers or even becomes complicit in abuses.

Haaretz

L’Humanité said the open letter described systemic violence aimed at colonization, writing 'This is not here about a few rioters or “weeds.”'

L’Humanité also quoted the letter’s warning that 'These acts of violence rely on an organized system with several institutional hierarchical levels,' and said the system has clear objectives to drive Palestinians out of large areas through threats, grave harm to life and property, as well as riots and pogroms.

Human Rights Watch said that in August last year Israel formalized its development plans for the E1 settlement project, described as illegal and a 'red line' by the international community, and that in December last year the government issued a call for bids to build 3,401 housing units in this area.

“While many Israelis seek shelter from Iranian missile and drone attacks, armed settlers in the West Bank are taking advantage of the war's confusion to seize land, continuing Israel's policy of dispossession and ethnic cleansing against Palestinians”

Human Rights Watch

Human Rights Watch reported that construction contracts were to be awarded starting March 16, and said that if carried out the project would completely separate the southern part of the West Bank from its northern part.

The outlet also cited an International Court of Justice advisory opinion from July 2024 concluding that Israel’s occupation of the Palestinian territories for 59 years is 'illegal' and that Israeli authorities pursue an apartheid policy there, adding that the ICJ concluded that 'the State of Israel is obliged [...] to evacuate all the settlers from the occupied Palestinian territory.'

Human Rights Watch warned that in the context of the current war 'the opposite is happening,' and said other states should act to prevent further atrocities by imposing targeted sanctions, suspending arms transfers, prohibiting trade with illegal settlements, and supporting the International Criminal Court and its ongoing investigations, including arrest warrants.