Steffen Seibert, the former German Ambassador to Israel, has criticized the Israeli settlement policy in the West Bank, describing it as 'displacement by means of psychological and real violence' (Vertreibung mit Mitteln der psychologischen und der realen Gewalt).
Seibert stated that the German principle of 'Staatsräson' (reason of state) regarding Israel's security applies only to Israel within the internationally recognized borders of 1967, and does not apply to settlers in the Jordan Valley. He also described Gaza and the West Bank as occupied territories and East Jerusalem as part of a city whose final status is not yet defined. He noted that the Israeli occupation is entering its 60th year.
New Israeli settlements created in the West Bank since late 2022.
Since the beginning of Benjamin Netanyahu's current term in late 2022, more than 100 new Israeli settlements have been created in the West Bank. The number is almost as many as in the previous 50 years combined.
Israel condemns all violence and does not tolerate extremism.
Israeli UN Ambassador Danny Danon rejected criticisms, stating that Israel condemns all violence and does not tolerate extremism. He also claimed that extremist attacks by Israelis are declining.
Yuli Novak, the managing director of the organization B'Tselem, stated that settler militias, supported by the Israeli military, are expanding their attacks on Palestinian villages and towns. According to B'Tselem, since October 2023, Israel has forcibly displaced 64 Palestinian communities in their entirety and 15 other communities partially, affecting approximately 4,800 Palestinians, including 2,300 minors.
Increase in settler attacks between January and June 2026 compared to the same period the previous year.
Israeli security authorities recorded that the number of settler attacks increased by 63 percent between January and June 2026 compared to the same period the previous year. In the first half of 2026, Israeli security authorities recorded 660 attacks classified as 'nationalist crimes' by settlers, compared to 405 in the first half of 2025. There were six deaths and 140 injuries among Palestinian victims in the first half of 2026, whereas in the first half of 2025 there were 82 injuries and no deaths.
The current demolition measures are 'only the beginning' (erst der Anfang).
Israeli Finance Minister and Minister in the Ministry of Defense Bezalel Smotrich told the broadcaster Arutz Scheva that the current demolition measures are 'only the beginning'. Israel claims sole planning and administrative authority over Area C, which constitutes approximately 60 percent of the West Bank. The UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) states that it is 'practically impossible' (praktisch unmöglich) for Palestinians to obtain building permits in Area C.
