World's attention turned away

After Hamas's October seven, twenty twenty-three attack on Israel and Israel's devastating campaign in Gaza, the world stopped watching the West Bank.

Settler violence has worsened

Over the past three years, Israeli settlers have carried out more violent attacks on Palestinians in the occupied territory, ranging from daily harassment to major mob assaults.

Netanyahu dismisses the problem

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu blamed the Jalud attack on a handful of rioters and called settlers juvenile delinquents in a UN speech last month.

Human rights groups document crisis

Human rights organizations have documented record levels of Israeli settler violence in the West Bank. The International Committee of the Red Cross says attacks have made everyday life untenable for more than three million Palestinians.

Hilltop Youth lead the violence

Young militant Jewish settlers part of a loose network called the Hilltop Youth have accelerated a campaign of ethnic cleansing with explicit backing from some Israeli cabinet ministers.

The spectrum of settler violence

Settler violence ranges from daily harassment like trespassing and vandalism to extreme acts including physical assaults, rock throwing, and mob raids on Palestinian villages that set mosques on fire.

Jalud siege and encampment

Over the summer, young settlers associated with the Hilltop Youth set up an encampment around three houses on the outskirts of the Palestinian village of Jalud and besieged them.

Family forced to flee their home

Settlers blocked access to essential goods and harassed residents until late July, when the Tubasi family felt so unsafe they fled their homes in Jalud.

Court orders safe return

In early September, Israel's high court ordered the state to ensure the Tubasi family's safe return to their homes. In late September, they attempted to go back.

House ransacked before arrival

When the family arrived in the middle of the night with Israeli security forces, they found their house totally ransacked with smashed windows, broken doors, cut electrical wires, and debris everywhere.

Mob surrounds the family

After only a few minutes inside, the family was surrounded by a mob of settlers. Israeli authorities said more than a hundred people took part in what they called a riot.

Family flees to the roof

As settlers threw rocks and climbed through windows, authorities told the family to hide in a corner of the rooftop while soldiers battled the mob below amid tear gas and stun grenades.

“There are more settlers there now. They're behaving more brazenly, and there's what a lot of people would describe as a permissive environment of almost total impunity.”

Settlers block the escape

When soldiers moved the family to a military vehicle, settlers surrounded it, slashed the tires, and rocked the car. Soldiers had to move them to an armored vehicle to escape.

House and car set on fire

After the family escaped, neighbors sent video messages showing that their car and house had been set on fire by settlers who remained at the property.

Attackers were mostly teenagers

Three people were detained in the Jalud incident. All were teenagers, with the youngest believed to be fifteen years old.

Who are the Hilltop Youth

The Hilltop Youth are a loose network of young, extreme ideological settlers living in outposts. They believe they are on a divine mission to reclaim the Holy Land and cite Torah to justify using violence.

Troubled kids drawn to outposts

Many Hilltop Youth are troubled kids, dropouts from strict religious schools, or have behavioral issues. Some learn about outposts by word of mouth and gradually move there permanently.

NGOs recruit young settlers

Some NGOs recruit young kids to work as farm hands on agricultural outposts in the West Bank, presenting themselves as helping troubled youth find discipline and purpose in more extreme environments.

Soldiers sometimes side with settlers

Video footage has circulated showing Israeli soldiers standing idly by or even praying alongside settlers who besieged Palestinian homes. The military said it was investigating whether disciplinary action was needed.

Security officials say more could be done

Former Israeli security officials say much more could be done to stop settler violence through clearer law enforcement procedures, more disciplinary actions, and frank acknowledgement of what is happening.