What does it say about global diplomacy that in the same month that the West backed a ceasefire in Gaza, Palestinians in the occupied West Bank withstood a record number of settler attacks?
Given the trends of the past two years, the international community condemns the violence in principle, but in practice affords Israel complete impunity. It’s a cowardly, empty, and all too predictable reaction.
In October 2025, the United Nations recorded attacks on more than 260 settlers in the West Bank, resulting in casualties and property damage to Palestinians. Vehicles were set on fire, Palestinian agricultural workers were assaulted, and olive trees were burned during the height of the harvest season. The violence is relentless, and the world’s cowardly response rings hollow.
However, this is not unprecedented. Since October 2023, Israeli forces and settlers have killed more than 1,040 Palestinians, including 229 children, in the West Bank, according to the United Nations. Alongside mass displacement, violence is also spreading. In early 2025, the Israeli military’s Operation Iron Wall in the northern West Bank forcibly displaced an estimated 40,000 people, the largest single displacement in the West Bank since 1967.
At that time, I managed to enter the occupied West Bank with British MP Andrew George and our hosts, staff from the International Justice Center for Palestinians. One trip took us from Jerusalem to the northern town of Tulkarem. The drive was supposed to take about 50 minutes, but it took over 3 hours. There were Israeli checkpoints along the way and we could not guarantee passage, so we were forced to take an unconventional route.
When we arrived in Tulkarem, we met with youth leaders and explained how Israeli bulldozers had destroyed roads and infrastructure. Everywhere we drove, we saw roads that were clearly damaged, roads that had been partially repaired, and roads that still had piles of debris. Since January 2025, the Israeli military has forcibly expelled residents of two refugee camps in the region, Tulkarem and Nur Shams, as part of the “Iron Wall”.
We visited a six-bedroom property that was home to approximately 50 refugees who had been evacuated from the refugee camp. The house had been repeatedly raided by Israeli authorities, and walls riddled with bullet holes bore witness to Israeli visits. A 17-year-old refugee living in the house showed injuries caused by a military dog and told how the Israeli army threw him into a ditch and pinned the dog on top of him. He pointed to the broken TV and complained that he couldn’t even watch TV anymore. A summary of scary things and everyday things in one sentence.
Given the UN record of attacks on settlers in October, it is clear that the situation has become more serious since the visit to the West Bank in April. The violence continues unchecked, and our government is not taking strong steps to stop it.
Critics will argue that I am confusing Israeli military violence with settler violence. The truth is that the two are inseparable. I saw this everywhere I went. From the rolling hills of Masafer Yatta to the busy streets of Jerusalem, settlers strutted with rifles under the watchful eye of Israeli soldiers, taunting and intimidating Palestinians.
In one particularly tense moment, Israeli soldiers were literally standing shoulder to shoulder with the settlers. Both men are armed and wear camouflage armor vests emblazoned with the Israeli flag. A visual representation of how blurry these lines are.
When I read about the extent of Israeli impunity revealed in Jenin last month with the extrajudicial executions of two Palestinians, Al-Muntashir Abdullah, 26, and Youssef Asassa, 37, my mind went back to countless such anecdotes. Despite the depravity of this act, not to mention its clear violation of international law, the British government once again offered nothing but empty words. “Concern” sends an implicit message that Israel can continue to kill Palestinians without repercussions.
Of course, these individual acts of violence do not occur in isolation. They are part of a bigger plan. In August 2025, Israel approved the expansion of the illegal E1 settlements, allowing the construction of more than 3,000 new settlements. For decades, the international community has recognized E1 as a red line. Its construction would divide the West Bank and prevent connections between Ramallah, occupied East Jerusalem and Bethlehem. However, the British government responded with empty words.
There is a contradiction here. Britain is said to be gaining a supposed “influence” but with the condition that it promises never to use it. The result is a dystopian pantomime, a circus of excuses. If we do not use our influence to stop the most despicable acts of violence against the Palestinian people, what is the point?
And let me be absolutely clear: when it comes to Palestinians, the most basic human right, the right to life, is brazenly ignored. We are seeing livelihoods destroyed. Forced movement. Expansion of illegal settlements. Extrajudicial murder. International law is clear. Collective punishment, the construction of settlements in occupied territories, and extrajudicial killings are serious violations of the Geneva Conventions. The entire occupation is illegal, as determined by the International Court of Justice. So where exactly is the line that our government shouldn’t cross?
There is no doubt that the UK government wants the world to move forward. It is true that the country, which suffers from complicity in the Gaza massacre, sees a “ceasefire” as an opportunity to deflect calls for action. Instead of a weak expression of ‘concern’, the UK government should pursue a complete halt to arms sales to Israel, impose sanctions on Israeli ministers for their role in supporting the illegal occupation, support domestic and international accountability mechanisms such as the International Criminal Court, and promote the prosecution of British nationals serving in the Israeli military.
Whether living in Gaza, the West Bank, or Israel, Palestinian lives are not disposable. I have seen suffering, injury, and displacement in Tulkarem, Ramallah, Jerusalem, Bethlehem, Hebron, and Masafel Yatta. I saw an apartheid system that punished and terrorized Palestinians every day. Justice requires more than words. Action is required. And now it’s needed!
The views expressed in this article are the author’s own and do not necessarily reflect the editorial stance of Al Jazeera.
