Amnesty Says Israel Pursues Cleansing in West Bank
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- Amnesty International released a report stating that the displacement of Palestinians in the West Bank is part of a deliberate Israeli government strategy of ethnic cleansing, not the actions of “rogue” settlers or extremist ministers.
- UN OCHA reports that at least 117 West Bank villages have faced complete or partial displacement, affecting about 5,910 people between January 2023 and December 2025.
- Israeli Supreme Court ordered police and military in July 2024 and February 2025 to facilitate residents’ return and protect them, but the police and military ignored the rulings, and settler violence continued.
- Bezalel Smotrich and Orit Strock distributed weapons, including all‑terrain vehicles, to settlers in the Hebron area at an event at Meitarim Farm in April 2023, praising the settlers as “pioneering” and “Zionist”.
- Israeli Security Cabinet approved 34 illegal settlements in the West Bank in April, the largest number approved in a single session, bringing the total approved by Netanyahu’s government since late 2022 to 103.
- Area C—which makes up over 60% of the West Bank and is under full Israeli military and administrative control—has been the focus of the displacement campaign, with villages like Zanuta experiencing settler attacks such as water‑tank sabotage and sewage dumping.
- Israeli forces detained at least 23,000 Palestinians in the West Bank since the Gaza war began in October 2023, most of whom were later released.
Why it matters: The displacement harms Palestinian villagers, especially Bedouin communities, while enabling Israeli settlement growth and annexation goals; the policy also undermines UN humanitarian reporting and flouts Supreme Court rulings, eroding rule‑of‑law protections for Palestinians and raising the risk of broader regional instability.
