NGOs Strongly Condemn Settler Attack on Activists in West Bank

Two Israeli human rights organizations have condemned an attack Friday in which settlers used sticks to beat two activists in the occupied West Bank, with one group calling the incident “state violence” and another labeling it “Jewish terrorism.”

The attack occurred in the Palestinian village of Qusra in the northern West Bank. Israeli human rights group B’Tselem released video footage filmed by one of the activists, showing at least four masked men armed with sticks jumping out of a vehicle that arrived at high speed. Someone is heard yelling “No, please, no” in Hebrew, followed by thuds and cries of pain before the attackers departed.

The video shows two people on the ground, one motionless and stretched out face down with a bleeding head. Israeli emergency service Magen David Adom said the two wounded individuals, in their fifties, were airlifted to a hospital in Israel. The Israeli military said it was searching for suspects.

Official Condemnation

Israeli President Isaac Herzog responded on X, strongly condemning the violence that he said “stands in complete opposition to the values of the State of Israel.” He added that “this serious incident adds to a series of recent unacceptable events that harm, above all, the (West Bank colonization) enterprise and the reputation of the State of Israel.”

NGOs’ Accusations

B’Tselem went further, asserting that “the unrestrained attacks carried out by settlers throughout the West Bank constitute state violence.” The organization said such attacks “are carried out with full backing, participation, and assistance from state authorities, as part of a strategy of Israel’s apartheid regime seeking to advance and complete the takeover of Palestinian land.”

Avi Dabush, executive director of Rabbis for Human Rights, said “the blood of our friends is on the hands of those who support and finance Jewish terrorism, either directly, through the government or by turning a blind eye.” He also condemned “the army’s impotence” and called on “Israeli society to pull itself together… in order to put an end to this endemic terrorism.”

The Broader Context

The attack occurred against a backdrop of escalating settler violence. In recent months, attacks attributed to Israeli settlers have multiplied in the West Bank, targeting Palestinians, Israeli and foreign anti-settlement activists, and sometimes Israeli soldiers.

Excluding Israeli-annexed east Jerusalem, more than 500,000 Israelis live in West Bank settlements and outposts, which are illegal under international law. Around three million Palestinians live in the territory, which Israel has occupied since 1967. The current Israeli government, considered one of the most right-wing in the country’s history, has fast-tracked settlement expansion.

What It Means

The attack and the responses it generated reveal deepening divisions within Israeli society and between Israel and the international community. For human rights groups, the incident exemplifies a pattern of violence enabled by state inaction or complicity. For President Herzog, it represents a threat to Israel’s values and international standing. For the victims, it meant beatings, bleeding, and hospitalization.

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