Palestinian man killed as death toll from West Bank settler violence climbs

4 days agoYolande KnellMiddle East correspondent, JerusalemEPASeveral settler outposts have been erected in the West Bank in recent daysA Palestinian man has been killed and others seriously injured in separate settler attacks in the occupied West Bank. Locals say that in the past day, several new outposts – clusters of settler homes unauthorised by the government – have been set up in areas where the Palestinian Authority is meant to have full control.Settler violence has continued to surge in the West Bank since the start of the US-Israeli war on Iran at the end of February. Mohammad al-Malhi was the seventh Palestinian killed during this period.His family said he was shot in the head by settlers who had erected an outpost on their land near Bethlehem.Malhi's family said Israeli soldiers had come to dismantle the outpost – but that after the army left, settlers returned to rebuild it, which is when the shooting took place. The Israel Defense Forces (IDF) said there had been a clash between settlers and Palestinians, during which an Israeli civilian opened fire.They said one person was killed and three others were injured.Video circulating on social media shows how another attack on Thursday left a 75-year-old man bruised and covered in blood. Residents say he was attacked in his home in Tayasir, near Tubas in the north, after settlers raided the village and shot at young men who confronted them.The surge in settler violence follows a trend seen during the Gaza War, triggered by the Hamas-led attacks on Israel in October 2023; it has been accompanied by settlement growth fast-tracked by the Israeli government. Last year set a record for the most extensive expansion of settlements and planning approvals since the UN began its monitoring.All settlements are seen as illegal under international law. Outposts are set up without Israeli government approval.In recent days there have been multiple new outposts set up – including in Palestinian Authority areas which Israeli law prohibits Israeli citizens from entering. Some have been removed by Israeli forces. Settlements, backed by the Israeli government, are seen as illegal under international law, but outposts are set up without government authorisation. According to Israeli media reports, this week, the security cabinet retroactively legalised 30 outposts throughout the West Bank.Israel has built about 160 settlements housing 700,000 Jews since it occupied the West Bank and East Jerusalem during the 1967 Middle East war – land Palestinians want, along with Gaza, for a hoped-for future state. An estimated 3.3 million Palestinians live alongside them.