Analysts and rights groups link West Bank settler violence to state policy ahead of Israeli election
Critics argue that the siege in Qusra and broader escalation in the occupied territories reflect a coordinated strategy by the Israeli government to consolidate power and accelerate annexation before the October vote.
Rights organisations and political analysts have condemned the Israeli government’s recent response to settler violence in the West Bank, arguing that official condemnations mask a state-led strategy to displace Palestinians and annex territory. The assessment follows a siege in the village of Qusra, south of Nablus, where settlers have cut off water and electricity to three Palestinian households since Sunday.
The Israeli government issued a rare statement condemning the actions in Qusra, with spokesperson David Mercer describing the violence as “deplorable” and “unacceptable.” Mercer promised an investigation and stated that authorities would arrest those responsible. However, critics point to the military’s failure to intervene during the siege and initial reports of Israeli soldiers mingling and praying with the settlers as evidence of state complicity.
Aida Touma-Sliman, a member of the Israeli parliament for the Hadash party, dismissed the government’s distancing efforts as “ridiculous.” She argued that the state supplies, protects, and arms settlers, noting that many settlers complete their military service by protecting the very illegal settlements they inhabit. “If you look at the West Bank, you can no longer differentiate between the army and the settlers,” she said.
Yair Dvir of the Israeli rights group B’Tselem characterised the violence as state violence with the explicit aim of displacing Palestinians and seizing land. He observed a recurring pattern where the government condemns violence only under international pressure, allowing settlers to withdraw temporarily before returning once attention shifts.
The escalation coincides with the lead-up to Israel’s October election, which analysts suggest is being used as a “rallying cry” for the settler movement. Neve Gordon, a professor of international law, warned that the settler constituency is acting with urgency due to fears of losing political allies in Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s coalition.
Government policy has further entrenched this dynamic through figures such as Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich and National Security Minister Itamar Ben-Gvir. Smotrich, who holds administrative control over the West Bank, has overseen unprecedented settlement expansion and normalised annexation rhetoric, including the E1 project announced last August.
Prime Minister Netanyahu has also reinforced this trajectory, promising to recognise additional illegal settlements following violence in the village of Tal. This response came despite warnings from the United Nations that the West Bank had reached a “breaking point,” highlighting the administration’s alignment with settlement expansion over international legal constraints.
