Olmert blames Israel for rising West Bank settler violence

Former Israeli Prime Minister Ehud Olmert has accused Israel’s government and Jewish settlers in the occupied West Bank of being responsible for escalating violence and the displacement of Palestinians, warning that current policies risk amounting to ethnic cleansing.

Speaking to Euronews from Tel Aviv, Olmert said that attacks by Israeli settlers against Palestinian civilians are being enabled by government support and inaction. He argued that responsibility lies with both settlers and Israeli authorities who, he said, are facilitating what he described as inhumane treatment of non-combatant Palestinians.

Olmert said the situation “comes close to an attempt to make ethnic cleansing,” adding that he feels compelled to speak out publicly because the actions violate basic principles of humanity and compassion.

Settler violence has surged since Hamas’s October 7, 2023 attack on Israel, which triggered a wider escalation across Gaza, the West Bank, and the broader region. According to the United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA), 240 Palestinians were killed in the West Bank in 2025, including 55 children. Of those deaths, 225 were attributed to Israeli forces, nine to Israeli settlers, while six cases remain under investigation.

OCHA also reported that more than 830 Palestinians were injured in settler-related attacks in 2025, averaging about two injuries per day. The UN agency further documented ongoing forced evictions, including the removal of two Palestinian families from their homes in the Batn al-Hawa area of Silwan in East Jerusalem to make way for an Israeli settler organization.

At the same time, Israel’s security cabinet has approved new land registration and ownership measures in the West Bank. Israeli officials say the changes are designed to streamline development, but critics argue they will significantly expand settlement activity and further undermine prospects for a future Palestinian state.

Far-right Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich said the measures would help “bury the idea of a Palestinian state,” reinforcing concerns among international observers about the long-term implications for peace and human rights.

Key Takeaways

• Olmert accuses Israeli settlers and the government of fueling West Bank violence.

• UN data shows rising Palestinian deaths, injuries, and forced evictions.

• New Israeli land policies could accelerate settlement expansion.

Israeli policy in West Bank 'close to ethnic cleansing', says Ehud Olmert