Palestinian foreign minister: Israeli settler violence 'complementary pillar' of settlement expansion

Palestinian Foreign Minister Varsen Aghabekian Shahin declared on Monday that Israeli settler violence and the expansion of settlements in the West Bank are not separate issues, but rather two sides of the same coin in Israel's colonial project. He stated that the escalation in settler terrorism is a deliberate tactic for altering the demographic makeup of the occupied territories.

Shahin added that the government's lack of accountability for these acts of violence is now an official policy, backed by nations that supply Israel with military aid and diplomatic support. She firmly rejected the notion that these attacks are isolated acts by a handful of fringe elements, as this perspective is often put forward.

Instead, she emphasized that the scale, organization, and political backing of the project's recent surge in 2023 indicate a broader, more systematic plan.