Mounting Home Demolitions and Settler Attacks Plunge Palestinian Village into Crisis

Israeli military bulldozers initially demolished a quarter of the homes in the West Bank Bedouin village of Umm al-Khair. This was followed by attacks from settlers. As a result, dozens of villagers were left homeless without consistent access to water and electricity, and several were injured by pepper spray and sticks. The village’s water pipe was also cut, with Israeli soldiers reportedly witnessing the events.

“Where shall I go?” asked Yasser Hathaleen, sitting near the rubble of his family’s homes under the blazing summer sun. “To whom do I complain? I want a law to protect me. Where are the people of law?”

Bedouin communities in the West Bank face persistent violence from Israeli settlers and frequent state-backed demolitions. These actions are pushing more Bedouin from their lands, making the possibility of an independent Palestinian state increasingly distant, according to rights groups.

These threats have escalated since the Gaza war began, with an increase in settler violence across the West Bank. Despite international pressure on Israel to control the violence, settler advocates in key Israeli Cabinet positions have gained more control over the West Bank.

Residents of Umm Al-Khair have long faced such attacks. Founded in the 1950s by Bedouin people displaced from the Negev desert during the 1948 war, Umm Al-Khair fell under Israeli control when Israel captured the West Bank in 1967. Although Palestinians aim to establish an independent state in the area, Israel has built numerous settlements there, which the international community views as illegal and an obstacle to peace.

Settler attacks increased significantly after Israel established the settlement of Carmel next to Umm Al-Khair. Recently, an unauthorized outpost named “Roots Farm” has become a major source of harassment for the villagers.

On July 1, settlers injured about 10 people in Umm Al-Khair with sticks and pepper spray. Videos taken by residents and shared with The Associated Press show settlers, including the leader of the outpost, armed and entering the village as Israeli soldiers looked on. The military stated that its forces were present to maintain security for all residents and to prevent terrorism.

In another incident on July 3, young settlers were seen tampering with the village’s water pipes while soldiers watched. The military claimed the pipes were later repaired by soldiers but residents reported the pipes were damaged again days later.

Tariq Hathaleen, an English teacher in the village, believes that the settlers and the state are working together to expel his community from their lands. The villagers presented handwritten contracts to AP, indicating land sales from neighboring Palestinian towns to the village founder during the period when Jordan controlled the West Bank.

As settlers expand unauthorized farming outposts, which rights groups say are the main drivers of violence and displacement, Israel’s far-right government continues to accelerate settlement activities. Recently, the government legalized five unauthorized settlements and declared a large swath of the West Bank as state land, the largest such move in three decades.

Since the Israel-Hamas war began, the UN reports that settler violence in the West Bank has displaced 1,260 Palestinians, including 600 children. Over the past nine months, there have been 1,000 settler attacks in the West Bank, averaging four attacks per day, according to AIDA, a coalition of nonprofits working in the territory. This violence has resulted in 10 deaths, including two children, and 234 injuries.

The rapid establishment of farming outposts allows settlers to expand their control over the territory through violence, making the prospect of a contiguous Palestinian state increasingly unlikely, according to rights groups.

Major General Yehuda Fox, the outgoing Israeli general overseeing the West Bank, condemned the settler violence in his farewell speech on July 8, accusing settler leaders of not doing enough to stop the attacks.

Naomi Kahn, from the settler organization Regavim, describes Umm Al-Khair as an “illegal squatters camp” on Israeli land. Following recent demolitions, the Israeli military stated that the structures were illegal and constructed in violation of the law. Palestinians argue that obtaining Israeli permission to build in the West Bank is nearly impossible.

“They knock down our homes, and then we rebuild,” said shepherd Bilal Hathaleen. “They come to knock them down again, so we will rebuild. We are not going anywhere.”