The early months of 2025 have seen a significant rise in extremist right-wing violence against Palestinians in the West Bank—an estimated 30 percent increase over the same period last year according to analysis of recent incidents. This surge is occurring at a time when Palestinian terrorism has significantly decreased, to an average of six major attacks per month between January and March, versus twenty-four per month during the same period in 2024. The decline in Palestinian attacks is a result of Israel Defense Forces (IDF) operations since October 7, 2023, aimed at dismantling terrorist networks in the West Bank, primarily in the northern part of the territory but also in the south. The increase in settler violence at a time when Palestinian terrorism is decreasing lends credence to the assessment that settler attacks are not simply a response to terrorism, as some have claimed.
Settler Violence Is Turning the West Bank Into a Tinderbox | The Washington Institute
