User:Mr. Ibrahem/m

Mass detentions
The International Committee of the Red Cross expressed "high concern" regarding "the sharp increase in [the] number of arrests" in the occupied West Bank since October 7. Amnesty International has also criticized the "spike in arbitrary arrests" of Palestinians since October 7. Similarly, the The Wall Street Journal reported that the rate of arrests in the occupied West Bank has "more than doubled" since that date.

On October 17, Al Jazeera reported that nearly 700 people had been arrested in the West Bank and occupied East Jerusalem since the outbreak of the war. By October 28, this number had climbed to 1,550, according to estimates by the Palestinian Prisoners Society. The Globe and Mail reported that Israel had advised the Palestinian Authority of the existence of 1,700 prisoners, but not their whereabouts, as of October 31. On November 6, Al Jazeera reported that 1,740 individuals had been arrested in overnight raids since the outbreak of the war; BBC reported the total number of arrestees at 2,150, according to the Palestinian Prisoners Society. The Associated Press placed the number at 2,280 on November 8, citing the Palestinian Prisoners Society; on November 10, The Nation reported that the number was "at least 2,200".

By November 8, the number of Palestinians held without charge or trial had increased from 1,319 to 2,070 since October 7, according to HaMoked. On November 15, Mondoweiss reported that arrests in the West Bank continued, with 54 Palestinians arrested the previous night in overnight raids. On November 28, the IDF told The Times of Israel that approximately 2,000 West Bank Palestinians had been arrested, while Palestinian monitoring groups reported 3,290 arrests. On December 3, the Palestinian Prisoners Society reported 3,480 arrests, while the IDF reported 2,150 as of December 4 and 3,450 as of December 6.

Al Jazeera reported that, as of January 10, 2024, nearly 6,000 Palestinians had been arrested in the West Bank since October 7, 2023. An estimated 3,000 were being held under administrative detention.

Detainees arrested in Deir Abu Mash'al, described the experience of being arrested by Israeli forces, stating that soldiers went door to door arresting people, blindfolding them, tying their hands, and taking them to an open building for interrogation. Family members of detainees stated the Israeli army was unjustly arresting and interrogating people.

Two directors and an employee from The Freedom Theatre were arrested by the IDF, with one stating, "They treated us like animals. They are trying to hurt us in anyway they can." One director, Mostafa Sheta, remained in custody and was believed to be held in the Megiddo Prison in northern Israel. The Royal Court Theatre responded to the reports by demanding for the release of the men. On 22 February 2024, a spokesperson for Birzeit University stated that Israeli forces had detained the undergraduate student council president, with more than sixty students arrested since 7 October. In March 2024, verified footage showed Israeli soldiers arresting a group of Palestinians, tying them up with rope, and dragging them.

Settler violence
Instances of Jewish settler violence against Palestinians grew following the 7 October attack. On 11 October, settlers killed a teenage boy in the back as he ran from their gunfire. The United Nations stated on 13 December eight Palestinians had been killed by settlers since 7 October. Settler colonialists, even before the war, had been allowed to act with impunity with most crimes going unpunished. They have been reportedly enabled and even protected by Israeli soldiers during their attacks. B'tselem called settler violence an "informal tool" of the IDF, since settlers and soldiers conduct joint operations against Palestinians. David Ignatius, an American journalist, described the situation in the West Bank as "a pattern of Israeli domination" and abuse. On 25 December, at least eight Palestinians were wounded in settler attacks. On 27 December, UNOCHA reported 367 Israeli settler attacks against Palestinians since 7 October. On 27 December, Shin Bet reported Israeli settlers were considering invoking din roder against Major General Yehuda Fox for confiscating illegal guns and arresting violent settlers.

In many cases, settler colonialists impersonate Israeli soldiers in uniform, further confusing and intimidating Palestinians. Over 2,000 Palestinians have been displaced as a result of threats and violence. On 28 December, the Armenian Patriarchate of Jerusalem reported 30 armed Israeli settlers assaulted clergy in the Armenian Quarter of East Jerusalem. On 5 January, Peace Now, an Israeli organization that tracks settler activities in the West Bank, reported a large surge in settler construction of roadblocks, fences, and outposts. On 15 January 2024, settlers committed arson, threw rocks, and vandalized property in Deir Sharaf, Qalqilia, and Turmus Ayya. On 16 January, analyst Aref Daraghmeh stated settlers were using violence to take over the Jordan Valley. Israeli settlers in Nablus reportedly set fire a car showroom on 23 January. A total of 120 settler attacks were reported in January 2024. On 2 February, settlers reportedly wrote death threats and attempted to set a car on fire. On 12 February, Yesh Din reported a settler attack on Asira al-Qibliya.

Netta Amar Shiff, a Jewish human rights lawyer representing Palestinians in the West Bank, stated that the legal infrastructure in the occupied territories allows "settlers to do whatever they want." On 13 February, settlers from Yitzhar shot two Palestinians and threw molotov cocktails in Asira al-Qibliya. On 17 February, two children were beaten in a settler attack in Hebron. Peace Now stated, "Settler violence is not an isolated incident but rather a part of an organised strategy to dispossess Palestinians of their lands". The co-founder of Youth Against Settlements stated, "The big problem for Hebron now is that the extremist settlers have been recruited to the Israeli army units operating in the city. They now control the lives of Palestinian residents." The governor of Nablus reported a 200 percent increase in settler violence.

On 21 February, a settler attack was reported in Asira al-Qibliya, with the town council stating settlers threw rocks, broke a car windshield, and attempted to light a car on fire. Settlers assaulted two young men and stole their car. On 25 February, settlers in Jericho stormed a Bedouin community and stole their sheep. On 29 February, the mayor of Al-Lubban ash-Sharqiya stated, "The settlers are in the streets trying to attack [Palestinian] homes". On 4 March, a Palestinian Authority official stated that settler attacks had increased following Western sanctions on violent Israeli settlers. Ghassan Daghlas, the governor of Nablus stated that Israeli settler attacks were occurring "under the watchful eye of Israeli soldiers". The United Nations reported that it had recorded a "shocking" 603 Israeli settler attacks against Palestinians since 7 October. By April 2024, the UN-recorded number of settler attacks had risen to more than 700.

In April 2024, Israeli settler "rampages" against Palestinians reportedly resulted in multiple casualties, sparked by the killing of an Israeli teenager in the West Bank in, according to Israel, a suspected militant attack. In Al-Mughayyir, the violence was described as "the worst anyone here could remember." Human Rights Watch stated, "Settlers and soldiers have displaced entire Palestinian communities, destroying every home, with the apparent backing of higher Israeli authorities".

Displacement
The UN Office for Humanitarian Affairs reported Israeli forces demolished residential structures in Furush Beit Dajan and Deir Ballut on 25 December. The UN reported 1,094 structures had been demolished and 2,127 Palestinians have been displaced in 2023. On 27 December, UNOCHA stated that since 7 October, 1,208 people had been displaced due settler violence, 393 due to lacking Israeli building permits, 95 on punitive grounds, and 483 due to army demolitions. On 15 January 2024, Israeli forces demolished two homes in Qalqilya, rendering 14 people homeless. By 15 January, the number displaced due to army demolitions had grown to more than 600.

In February 2024, a Palestinian activist whose family home in East Jerusalem was destroyed by Israel stated, "Israeli authorities want to rid [Jerusalem] of Palestinians and to change the makeup of the population." A U.S. State Department spokesman said that the demolitions "damage Israel’s standing in the world". One man whose home was destroyed in East Jerusalem stated he had not even been able to pack his belongings. On 29 February, Peace Now reported that the Israeli government had seized a large swath of land, threatening three Palestinian communities. UNOCHA reported that Israel had demolished the homes of 155 Palestinians in just January and February 2024. In late-March 2024, UNOCHA reported that 1,640 people had been displaced in the West Bank and East Jerusalem since 7 October. The Colonization and Wall Resistance Commission stated 25 Bedouin communities had been displaced by Israel since 7 October.

In May 2024, around 50 Bedouin family homes were destroyed in the Negev desert.

Freedom of movement
A report by B'Tselem found that the Israeli military had severely cracked down on Palestinians' freedom of movement, stating it was using "its network of checkpoints to tighten supervision, setting up dozens of new checkpoints, blocking access from dozens of villages to main roads, and revoking all permits for Palestinians to enter Israel for work or other reasons".

Expanded settlements
The Israeli government approved new expansions in occupied East Jerusalem during the war. On 14 December, Amichai Chikli, the Social Equality Minister, stated Israeli settlements in the Gaza Strip were a possibility "in certain parts where it makes sense". On 30 December, Israeli finance minister Bezalel Smotrich stated the "future" of Gaza settlements would be determined after the war. In a later statement, Smotrich said Israelis in Gaza would "make the desert bloom". On 4 January, Israeli Defense Minister Yoav Gallant stated Israel would not have a "civil presence" in Gaza after the war but would retain unrestricted military movement in it. On 7 January, Itamar Ben-Gvir stated Israeli settlements in Gaza were the "order of the hour". On 8 January, Middle East Eye reported a group of MKs met with Nachala to discuss plans to build future Jewish settlements in Gaza. Israel approved 700 new settler units in East Jerusalem on 9 January.

Israeli tourism minister Haim Katz, as well as other Likud party members, announced a conference for Israeli settlements in Gaza in response to the 7 October attacks. The conference was planned to be hosted at Binyanei Hauma. It was held on 28 January and drew both Israeli cabinet ministers and members of parliament. Ben-Gvir was quoted stating, "In the first stage, we will encourage emigration – hundreds of thousands through a pilot, and we’ll just transfer them". Ir Amim reported on 11 February that 17 settlements with around 8,400 units had been approved in East Jerusalem since the start of the conflict. On 22 February, Bezalel Smotrich approved 3,344 new settler homes in the West Bank. The move was criticized by Josep Borrell who stated it was "inflammatory and dangerous". The French Ministry of Foreign Affairs also condemned the announcement, stating, "Colonisation is incompatible with the creation of a Palestinian State. As well as being an obstacle to a lasting peace, this policy is also fuelling violence and tensions on the ground". The UAE, Germany, Qatar, and Bahrain also condemned the expansion. Denmark also condemned the expansion.

In March 2024, it was reported that sales of property in the West Bank were being promoted interntionally with events being hosted in synagogues in the United States and Canada. After the Israeli government announced in March 2024 it was confiscating 800 hectares of land in the West Bank, the Israeli watchdog organization Peace Now stated it was the single largest land seizure since the passage of the 1993 Oslo Accords. The Palestinian Foreign Ministry condemned the expropriation as part of Israel's "theft" of the Palestinian homeland. The Arab Parliament condemned the land seizure. The European Union released a statement, saying, "In line with its longstanding common position and UN Security Council Resolutions, the EU will not recognise changes to the 1967 borders unless agreed by the parties".

On 31 March 2024, Smotrich announced an expanded Israeli settlement in Wadi Auja, calling it an "appropriate Zionist response" to an attack against Israelis in the Jordan Valley. Yitzhak Wasserlauf, an Israeli cabinet official, stated, "A total victory means a return to settle" the Gaza Strip.

In March 2024 it was reported that there were promotions for West Bank property sales international with sales being hosted in the United States and Canada at local synagogues. On 10 March, Israeli settlers in the Jordan Valley were reportedly building illegal settlements in the Ein al-Sakout village. "Pastoral settlements," or the seizing of grazing lands by Israel settlers, increased following 7 October. Between October 2023 and January 2024, West Bank settlers were documented having built at least 15 new outposts and 18 roads. The Palestinian Foreign Ministry condemned Israeli settler attempts "to plunder and steal Palestinian land".

Education and economics
On 31 January 2024, a Fatah spokesman in Qalqilya stated that Israel's incursions were having economic impacts on the West Bank, stating, "Residents are suffering economically from the continuous closures, as occupation forces continue to close stores and impose a siege on the city."

The Palestinian Ministry of Education reported that due to the rise in Israeli raids and settler attacks, many schools across the West Bank had been forced to cease operations.

Sanctions
On 30 January United States President Joe Biden signed an executive order which allowed the US to impose sanctions on Israeli settlers, with potential inclusion of Israeli politicians and government officials that were found to be involved with violent attack against Palestinians. Biden had earlier ordered the secretaries of state and treasury to prepare for the potential sanctions against Israeli individuals or entities that were involved in the violence against Palestinians in the West Bank. Israeli Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich responded to Biden's order, saying it was based on "an antisemitic lie". Smotrich later stated, "We will not stand aside in the face of this injustice" and called for settlements to be "entrenched." Israel's National Security Minister Itamar Ben-Gvir praised the sanctioned settlers, calling them "heroic". Netanyahu criticized the sanctions and called them unnecessary. Following the U.S. sanctions, online fundraisers collected hundreds of thousands for the settlers. In March 2024, the U.S. sanctioned three additional settlers and two settler outposts.

On 4 February 2024, Canadian foreign minister Melanie Joly stated that her government was preparing to issue sanctions against extremist settlers. The UK also issued sanctions on the four settlers and a second round of sanctions in May 2024. On 13 February, France stated that it was imposing sanctions on 28 settlers who have used violence against Palestinians in the West Bank. Spanish Foreign Minister José Manuel Albares said that Spain would implement settler sanctions if the European Union does not come to an agreement. Spain later announced sanctions on twelve violent Israeli settlers. On 18 March, the EU unanimously agreed to sanction violent Israeli settlers.

Investigations
Following the killing of a Palestinian child in East Jerusalem by an Israeli police, the killer was interrogated, leading National Security Minister Itamar Ben-Gvir to call the questioning "outrageous" and "disgraceful". In response, Israel's attorney general Gali Baharav-Miara stated, "Criminal investigations, including those of police officers, are conducted with complete independence. Any intervention by you, directly or indirectly, violates the law… this should be stopped immediately".

War crimes
During the war, the Israeli military was increasingly active in the West Bank. According to Amnesty International, Israel violated international humanitarian law by using disproportionate force during arrest raids, blocking medical assistance to people with life-threatening injuries, attacking paramedics, and conducting unlawful killings. Erika Guevara Rosas, Amnesty's director of global research, stated, "These unlawful killings are in blatant violation of international human rights law and are committed with impunity". Ben Saul, UN special rapporteur on human rights, stated that a November 2023 IDF killing of two boys appeared to be a war crime. On 5 March 2024, the Palestinian Red Crescent stated that it had recorded 427 violations against its medical mission by Israel in the West Bank, terming these a violation of international humanitarian law.

Following the demolition of a Palestinian activist's family home in East Jerusalem — part of a broader wave of forced displacement in the West Bank — the European Union External Action Service stated, "Such acts are in violation of International Humanitarian Law". George Noll, head of the U.S. Office of Palestinian Affairs, condemned the demolition. Following the Israeli approval of around 3,500 new illegal settlements in the West Bank, UN human rights chief Volker Türk stated the transfer of Israel's population into the occupied territories was a "war crime under international law". Following the announcement that Israel was seizing 800 hectares of Palestinian land in the West Bank, the Federal Foreign Office stated, "The settlements violate international law and fuel further tensions in this extremely fragile situation." French president Emmanuel Macron condemned the expanded settlements, stating they "are contrary to international law".

BBC News reported in May 2024 that 11 soldiers of the Kfir Brigade (which is primarily active in the West Bank) posted on social media 45 photos and videos showing detained Palestinians; the Israeli Defence Forces did not respond when asked about the individual incidents or individual soldiers involved and identified, instead broadly stating: "In the event of unacceptable behavior, soldiers were disciplined and even suspended from reserve duty." BBC News further reported that the soldiers did not obscure their identities, with some of them posting under names of Yohai Vazana, Ofer Bobrov, Sammy Ben, and Ori Dahbash. According to BBC News, the "detained Palestinians are frequently shown blindfolded and restrained, having been forced to either lie on the floor, or squat, with their hands bound behind their backs", with some detainees being covered in Israeli flags.

On 13 March, the Palestinian Ministry of Foreign Affairs condemned the killing of six civilians, including children, in one day, stating, "These are war crimes and crimes against humanity according to international law". Belgian Foreign Minister Hadja Lahbib, stated, "Colonization and the increasing violence perpetrated by settlers in the West Bank are illegal. They must stop". In May 2024, Human Rights Watch stated, "Israeli security forces... have been killing Palestinians without a legal basis in the West Bank, including deliberately executing Palestinians who posed no apparent threat".

Palestinian
On 28 December, Mustafa Barghouti, the general-secretary of the Palestinian National Initiative, stated Israel's raids across the West Bank were part of a plan to reoccupy the territory completely. Residents of the West Bank were reportedly frustrated by the lack of international coverage of the incursions in the territory, stating it allowed the IDF "to operate with almost impunity". Mohammad Shtayyeh, the Palestinian prime minister, stated Israel's financial pressure on the West Bank was an attempt to drive it from Gaza, and that "things might explode in the West Bank" if the worsening conditions were not addressed. On 9 January, the Palestinian Foreign Ministry warned Israel military actions and settler violence were threatening to "push the West Bank into an uncontrollable cycle of violence". Journalist Mohammed Jamjoom stated violent raids were "part of the fabric of daily life", with an average of 40 raids per day.

On 16 January, Israel released the body of a toddler killed by Israeli soldiers nine days prior, leading the Palestinian Ministry of Foreign Affairs to state, "What did they do with the body? Why did they keep it? Do they have the right to do so? And will they apologise to the child's family?" Palestinians in the West Bank stated the Israeli army regularly used bulldozers to destroy roads and infrastructure, describing the process as a form of collective punishment. Residents stated they believed Israel was attempting to turn them against the local resistance fighters.

Following the International Court of Justice's issuance of provisional measures in the South Africa v. Israel case, residents of the West Bank expressed disappointment it did not call for an immediate ceasefire, and expressed fear "the ruling in The Hague means Israeli army and settler violence in the occupied West Bank could get even worse". On 4 February, an advocate at Al-Haq stated, "The international community has given Israel [the green light] to do as it wishes without any form of accountability." Palestinian prime minister Mohammad Shtayyeh stated, "We are not very far from an explosion".

West Bank residents reported feeling they were being "forced into islands". Nidal Naghnaghiyeh, a local official in the Jenin camp, stated that Israeli forces had a "systemic policy of killing young men" in Jenin. The Palestinian Foreign Ministry stated Israeli checkpoints had turned the West Bank into a prison where Israeli forces and settlers could do whatever they want. In a joint statement in April 2024, Al-Haq, the Al Mezan Center for Human Rights, and the Palestinian Centre for Human Rights stated, "Violent Israeli military and settler attacks have been escalating in intensity and scale".

Israeli
A report by Yesh Din noted a rise in settler violence in the West Bank since 7 October but that Israeli law enforcement had not filed a single indictment. The Israeli military described the situation in the West Bank as "spiraling out of control". B’Tselem stated that Israel was operating in the West Bank with an "open-fire" policy. Israeli activists sought to prevent what they termed an unfolding ethnic cleansing in the West Bank. Mistaclim, a group of Israeli activists, described settler violence as "Jewish terrorism".

International organizations
Volker Türk, the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights, stated he was troubled by the use of military tactics, disproportionate force, and restrictions of movement in the West Bank and East Jerusalem. A United Nations official stated a lack of accountability and "egging on from Israeli officials" was leading to a rise in settler violence. Micheál Martin, the Irish deputy prime minister, stated what was happening in the West Bank was "shocking" and a violation of international humanitarian law. On 18 January, OHCHR called for an independent probe into the growing number of "unlawful" killings in the West Bank. On 19 January, UNRWA chief Philippe Lazzarini warned the West Bank was witnessing its highest levels of violence in "a tragic cycle of pain and suffering". Mustafa Barghouti stated on 20 January that Israeli settlers' aim was ethnic cleansing. Al-Baidar Organisation for Defending Bedouin Rights, a Bedouin civil rights group, stated their communities were being subjected to ethnic cleansing and forced displacement by Israeli soldiers and settlers. UNICEF reported on 28 January that children were living in "constant fear and grief".

International
German foreign minister Annalena Baerbock stated Israel had a responsibility to protect Palestinians in the West Bank. Melani Cammett, an American political scientist, stated on 18 January that the intensification of fighting in the West Bank indicated the war "is nowhere near over". On 18 January, Australian foreign minister Penny Wong visited the occupied West Bank, stating, "Australia is deeply concerned by ongoing settler violence against Palestinians in the West Bank". On 1 March, USAID director Samantha Power stated, "Repeated attacks by extremist Israeli settlers... sent shock waves of fear. This violence is intolerable and must stop." On 12 March, the Government of Jordan condemned the killing of two of their citizens in the West Bank, stating a young man had been "injured in the leg and the occupation forces left him bleeding inside the ambulance for more than an hour and a half before he died".