UNITED NATIONS (Reuters) - U.N. experts on Monday issued a stark warning about the escalating terror of Israeli settlers in occupied Palestinian territory, including East Jerusalem, and the existential risk it poses to the existence of Palestinian communities in the land.
"The relentless attacks by the colonialist settler movement, carried out with the support and approval of the State of Israel, have become daily terror in the lives of Palestinians, sowing fear, uncertainty, and a deep sense of insecurity that inevitably forces the forced expulsion of the indigenous population," the experts said, launching WAFA (2/6).
"The escalating violence, which is carried out with full impunity, serves as an instrument of coercion in the hands of the occupying forces, facilitating ethnic cleansing," he continued.
Furthermore, experts noted a sharp increase in the number of Palestinians killed or injured in settler attacks in 2026.
"The brutality of the settlers has reached an unprecedented level this year, with at least thirteen Palestinians killed and nearly five hundred injured in five months. Both the number of deaths and injuries exceed the figures of previous years," they said.
Although no part of the West Bank is spared, the continued displacement of Palestinians will leave some 663 km² of land vulnerable to further settlement expansion.
Palestinian communities in Area C - which remain under full Israeli military and civilian control - are disproportionately affected. This is particularly felt in the Jordan Valley and Southern Hebron Hills, where communities bear the brunt of violence and displacement. In areas such as Masafer Yatta, near-daily raids by Israeli settlers and occupation forces have become a hallmark of daily life.
"Violence is used as a planned and targeted tool to deny Palestinians access to essential services, agricultural land and pastures, with the main objective of severing the people's connection to the land," the experts said.
A real example of this is the village of Umm al-Kheir in the South Hebron Hills. The village is currently surrounded by the Carmel settlement and a new outpost, the construction of which began in July 2025.
The community has repeatedly experienced water and electricity outages, demolitions, and violent attacks by settlers.
In July last year, a human rights defender from the community was shot and killed, allegedly by an armed settler with a permit, during a protest against the construction.
The killings were followed by arbitrary detentions of residents, torture, destruction of infrastructure, farmland, water sources, and pastures, as well as systematic attacks on children.
The demolition order now threatens the village with removal.
Umm al-Kheir is not the only one: since 2023, new outpost installations throughout Area B and C have consistently preceded and encouraged the forced displacement of Palestinian communities.
Khan al-Ahmar, Abu Falah, Al Hathroura, Bariyyat Z'tara, Abo El-Henna, and Khallet a-Thabe' all face the risk of forced transfer, destruction, and eviction driven by settlement expansion.
Recent regional escalations have diverted international attention from the reality unfolding in the occupied Palestinian territories, experts say.
"As diplomatic efforts are concentrated elsewhere in the region, accountability for the increased settler violence and the resulting displacement of residents is increasingly neglected," the experts said.
"Without resistance and condemnation, Israel continues to erode the Palestinian right to self-determination enshrined in international law," he said.
Experts urged Israel to immediately stop facilitating settler violence and forced evictions, including through financial, military, legislative, and political support to settlements and outposts, and to ensure accountability for settler attacks and effective protection of Palestinian communities.
They also called for the safe and dignified return of displaced people and guarantees of access to housing, agricultural and pastoral land.
"Although the occupation of the West Bank is clearly illegal, Israel remains bound by its obligations as an occupying power under the Geneva Conventions - including the obligation to treat the Palestinian population as 'protected persons' under international humanitarian law," the experts said.
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