As settler violence surges, some ask whether Israel can’t crack down, or simply won’t

As attacks by Israeli settlers in the West Bank have increased, the report examines why the state has not stopped them — asking whether Israel cannot effectively crack down on settler violence, or simply will not. Locals and activists cited in the report describe vague orders, political pressure and systemic issues that, they say, lead troops on the ground to punish Palestinian victims rather than Israeli assailants.

The question goes to the heart of the rule of law and security policy in the occupied West Bank. The report describes a pattern in which Palestinian communities bear the brunt of the violence, while the lack of enforcement deepens Israeli-Palestinian tensions and raises difficult questions about accountability.

What to watch now is how Israeli officials and the military respond, whether enforcement changes on the ground, and how the persistence of the violence shapes diplomatic pressure on Israel in the weeks ahead.