Amnesty says Israeli settler attacks in the occupied West Bank aim to “ethnically cleanse” Palestinians, urges sanctions and a halt to arms supplies

Amnesty International warned that a major escalation in state-backed illegal Israeli settler violence in the occupied West Bank is aimed at “ethnically cleansing” Palestinians. The London-based rights group said the attacks are not isolated incidents but a central policy of the Israeli state, and that the international community’s persistent failure to take meaningful action has fueled the violence and enabled ongoing oppression.

Heba Morayef, Amnesty’s regional director for the Middle East and North Africa, said the attacks are intended to terrorize Palestinians and drive them out. She called senior Israeli officials’ portrayal of the violence as the work of a few individuals “a gross distortion of truth” in light of what she described as state-sponsored brutality.

Amnesty’s statement followed recent attacks by illegal settlers against Palestinian farmers, European diplomats and an American photojournalist working for The Washington Post.

The organization called on countries to sanction Israeli officials involved in serious violations of international law, ban trade with illegal settlements, and halt supplies of weapons and security equipment to Israel. It also urged an end to all forms of trade and cooperation that contribute to the unlawful occupation and apartheid, noting that Israel has occupied the West Bank, including East Jerusalem, since 1967.