Indonesia Condemns Increased Violence in the Palestinian West Bank

Spokesperson for the Indonesian Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Yvonne Mewengkang. (Okta/Infomed/Kemlu RI)

JAKARTA - Indonesia condemns the violence carried out in the occupied West Bank region, Palestine, by Israeli settlers which has recently increased and has been highlighted by the United Nations (UN).

The UN is concerned about the increase in violence carried out by Israeli settlers, as well as the annexation of territory that has occurred in the West Bank, with the UN Security Council having been warned of the rapidly deteriorating situation in the region.

Spokesperson for the Indonesian Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Yvonne Mewengkang, said Indonesia regretted and condemned the acts of violence that occurred in the West Bank.

"Indonesia of course condemns all forms of violence. Our position is consistent, we condemn the violence that occurs in the West Bank area," said Yvonne in Jakarta, Thursday (30/7).

"Of course, we always emphasize the importance of de-escalation, ask the parties concerned to refrain and respect the ceasefire agreement that has been agreed upon and continue to respect international law," he said.

Earlier, the UN Deputy Coordinator for the Middle East Peace Process Ramiz Alakbarov on Tuesday expressed concern over the "rapidly deteriorating" situation in the occupied West Bank, condemning the increase in violence, especially by Israeli settlers against Palestinians.

"In the past week, the increase in violence in the West Bank has resulted in civilian casualties, displacement, property damage, and increased insecurity throughout the affected communities," he said, citing Al Arabiya from AFP.

"Israeli settler attacks against Palestinian communities, homes, places of worship, and civilian infrastructure continue at an alarming rate," he said.

As previously reported, the United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) announced that it had documented more than 1,330 incidents involving Israeli settlers in the West Bank, occupied Palestine since the beginning of 2026, resulting in casualties and property damage on the Palestinian side, quoted from WAFA.

Violence has been erupting in the West Bank since Hamas's attack on Israel on October 7, 2023, with near-daily attacks by Israeli settlers and routine raids on Palestinian villages.

Houses, mosques, trees, and agricultural facilities have been burned or vandalized, some completely destroyed, while at least ten Palestinian families have been forced to flee their homes due to the latest wave of violence.

Palestinian, Israeli and international human rights organizations have said the Israeli army turns a blind eye to settler attacks and even takes part in them.

The UN office noted that Israeli forces had tightened restrictions on the movement of Palestinians and their access to various areas in the West Bank, preventing thousands of people from accessing essential services, including emergency medical care and livelihoods.

The International Court of Justice in its Advisory Opinion of July 19, 2024 confirmed that Israel's continued presence in the occupied Palestinian territory is illegal and that all States have an obligation not to recognize or assist in maintaining this illegal situation.

The UN Human Rights Office said that two years after the International Court of Justice declared Israel's occupation of the West Bank, Palestine illegal, settler violence and annexation of territory "is getting worse."

Since the latest conflict in Gaza broke out on October 7, 2023, at least 1,097 Palestinians, including militants, have been killed by Israeli forces or settlers in the West Bank, according to Palestinian data.

Most recently, Israeli soldiers seized land under Palestinian Authority control in the occupied West Bank to connect two new illegal settlements, according to a Haaretz report on Wednesday.

The head of the Israeli army's Central Command, Avi Blot, signed 15 land confiscation orders in Area A to build a road connecting the illegal settlements of Noa and Emek Dotan, the newspaper said.

Noa and Emek Dotan are among the new illegal settlements secretly approved by the Israeli Security Cabinet in April 2026 as part of a package that includes 34 settlements in the occupied West Bank, Haaretz said.

According to the Israeli anti-settlement group, Kerem Navot, this is the first time that the Israeli army has used a confiscation order in Area A to connect illegal settlements.

Under the Oslo Accords, Area A is under Palestinian security and administrative control. Israeli law prohibits Israeli occupation from entering the area, while the Palestinian Authority holds civil and security responsibilities there.

The seizure of the land came after the Israeli Security Cabinet approved the establishment of 18 new illegal settlements in the northern West Bank, in addition to dozens of settlements legalized by the current government, Haaretz said.

The first group of settlers is expected to move into the two settlements next month, as infrastructure work is accelerated to implement the new facts on the ground ahead of Israel's general election in October, the newspaper said.

On Monday, the Permanent Observer of Palestine to the United Nations Office at Geneva (UNOG) Ambassador Ibrahim Khraishi sent a letter of urgency to UN agencies, international organizations and countries calling for concrete action to end Israel's settlement project and increasing colonial terrorism in the West Bank.