On Friday, the United Nations drew attention to the significant increase in attacks carried out by settlers in the occupied West Bank against Palestinians and their property, with about 600 such incidents recorded since the beginning of 2023.
The United Nations agency for the coordination of humanitarian affairs (OCHA) said it recorded 591 settler-related incidents in the occupied territories in the first six months of 2023 that resulted in Palestinian injuries, property damage, or both.
"This represents an average of 99 incidents each month, an increase of 39% compared to the monthly average for the whole of 2022, which is 71," spokesman Jens Laerke told reporters in Geneva.
He said that this comes after "2022 recorded the highest number of such incidents since we started recording them in 2006."
Israel occupied the West Bank in 1967. Outside East Jerusalem, which it occupied and annexed in the same year, approximately three million Palestinians and about 490,000 Israelis live in the West Bank in settlements established in violation of the provisions of international law.
Since early 2022, the occupied West Bank has witnessed attacks carried out by Palestinians on Israeli targets, as well as attacks carried out by Israeli settlers against Palestinian villages and towns.
Laerke said settlers specifically target Palestinian Bedouins and Palestinian pastoralist communities.
Since the beginning of 2022, the spokesperson said, OCHA has documented the displacement of at least 399 people from seven Palestinian herding communities as a result of settler violence.
He said that three of these communities have been completely evacuated, while only a few families are left in the others.
"The reason for the departure is often cited as the actions of the settlers, including violence and settlement expansion which results in pastoralists losing access to grazing lands," Laerke said.
He also pointed out that among the reasons was the Israeli authorities' threat to demolish homes and properties.
While some deported communities managed to stay together, many scattered.
Laerke said that OCHA conducted an urgent humanitarian needs assessment of 60 Palestinian herding communities directly affected by the deteriorating situation.
He stressed that "Israeli settlements are illegal under international law. They deepen humanitarian needs due to their impact on livelihoods, food security and access to basic services."
