Tougher sanctions needed against Israel over West Bank settler attacks, think tank warns

US, EU, and UK must sanction Bezalel Smotrich and Itamar Ben-Gvir over rising settler attacks on Palestinians, says International Crisis Group

A man stands in front of burnt cars a day after an attack by Israeli settlers on the village of Jit near Nablus, in the occupied West Bank. AFP

Live updates: Follow the latest on Israel-Gaza

A leading think tank has urged the US, UK and Europe to take stronger measures against Israeli settlements in the occupied West Bank, including sanctions against Israeli government ministers, as settler attacks in the occupied West Bank rise to record levels.

Both settlement expansion and settler attacks on Palestinian communities have reached all-time highs, and have only increased since the outbreak of war in Gaza began 11 months ago.

More than 1,300 Palestinians have been displaced in upwards of 1,000 settler attacks in the occupied West Bank since the war began, according to a report published by the International Crisis Group on Friday. Palestinian authorities put the number higher, at 1,760 attacks – with nine Palestinians killed by settlers since October. Even before the war began, settlers had killed at least 10 Palestinians in 2023 as violence spiked after the formation of Benjamin Netanyahu's coalition government the year before.

Many of the attacks have been openly praised and encouraged by right-wing Israeli government ministers who live in settlements themselves, most notably National Security Minister Itamar Ben-Gvir and Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich, who has called for the Palestinian town of Huwara to be "wiped off the map."

"The people who are now running the police, and to an extent the army, through Smotrich, they represent the most radical, messianic type of settler that you could think of. They really are the most radical elements of Israeli society," Crisis Group's Senior Israel Analyst Mairav Zonszein told The National.

The violence has prompted several countries to issue unprecedented sanctions against individual settlers and religious groups establishing illegal outposts – but the think tank has said more is needed to deter further expansion and attacks.

"For too long, countries avowedly dedicated to a just and lasting solution to the Israeli-Palestinian conflict have allowed this situation to fester," the report said.

"Their policies will not change overnight. But even a strong signal to Israel that its approach is not only pernicious for the Palestinians but also an act of self-harm could generate adjustments that, cumulatively, might point the way to a better future."

It called specifically on the European Union, a close trading partner of Israel's, to completely ban products from Israeli settlements in the occupied West Bank, and re-evaluate trade and arms agreements – while also calling on the UK and US to sanction Mr Ben-Gvir and Mr Smotrich – who it described as "de facto West Bank governor".

"These two political leaders, on whom Netanyahu relies to remain in power, endorse the de jure annexation of the West Bank and provide fellow settlers engaged in violence against Palestinians with the state’s political, economic and legal backing," it said.

Europe is falling behind on its own international law requirements and obligations in failing to take action against Israel, the think tank said, and must "continuously review agreements and co-operation programmes with Israel to ensure they do not apply to occupied territory".

Washington should also "make use of tools it already has", implementing the Leahy Law – which prohibits US assistance to a foreign military units in breach of international humanitarian law – and halting arms transfers if weapons will be used to breach the Geneva Conventions.

"Such steps by themselves would not end settler violence, much less the settlement enterprise, but they might at least prompt reflection among Israeli officials about the potential cost of proceeding on a course diametrically opposed to Israel’s allies’ stated objectives," it said.

Last month, one person was killed in a major attack on the Palestinian village of Jit, where some 100 settlers set homes, cars and businesses ablaze, drawing condemnation from within Israel itself in the latest large-scale settler attack.

Settlers have also attacked aid lorries heading to Gaza, and civilians trying to protect them.

The head of the army's central command later called the Jit attack a "terror incident" and said the army should have responded faster to "protect" civilians.

However, while some Israeli security officials have spoken out against settler violence, Ms Zonszein says opposition is "there in rhetoric but not in action," and is often described as "hooligan" violence rather than state policy supported by Israel's government.

"There is a real battle between the political ideological far-right that leads the country and the security establishment that have to deal with the day to day," she told The National.

"The courts, the IDF, the police, none of them have taken serious or increased action to bring people to account for settler violence, except in the most extreme cases, most of which don't lead to a conviction."

While sanctioning government ministers would be important, Ms Zonszein said it may also cause them to "double down" on their policies, and said an "overhaul" of law enforcement in the West Bank is needed to strike at the heart of the problem – but is unlikely under the current government.

"The only way to get this phenomenon to stop is for there to be a comprehensive overhaul to how Israeli law is enforced in the West Bank," she said. "An approach where settlers are arrested, where settlers are brought to trial, where the IDF pushes settlers away and lets Palestinians stay on their land ... all things that aren't done."