Palestine calls for ‘deterrent measures’ to stop Israeli settler violence in occupied West Bank

By Aysar Alais and Betul Yilmaz

RAMALLAH, Palestine / ISTANBUL (AA) – Palestine called on Sunday for “deterrent international measures” to end Israeli settler violence in the occupied West Bank.

In a statement, the Palestinian Foreign Ministry appealed to the international community “to bear its responsibility to stop settler crimes against Palestinian civilians and implement the relevant UN resolutions.”

It called for taking "the necessary deterrent measures to end attacks of the settler gangs and their terrorist elements against our people, their land, property, and sanctities.”

Illegal Israeli settlers have stepped up their attacks against Palestinian communities in the occupied West Bank in recent weeks.

According to Israeli government data, illegal settlers staged 414 attacks against Palestinians in the first half of this year, a 30% increase from 2024.

Since the start of Israel’s assault on Gaza in October 2023, at least 986 Palestinians have been killed and more than 7,000 injured in the West Bank by Israeli forces and illegal settlers, according to the Palestinian Health Ministry.

The International Court of Justice last July declared Israel’s occupation of Palestinian territory illegal and called for the evacuation of all settlements in the West Bank and East Jerusalem.