Inside the Israeli settler tactics driving a co-ordinated campaign to reshape the West Bank

West Bank roads now resemble battlefields, as tensions among Palestinians reach a peak in decades. The root cause is the escalating violence by extremist Israeli settlers, who aim to alter the landscape and obstruct a two-state solution. Recent weeks have witnessed much of this aggression concentrated in the northern West Bank villages of Jalud and Qusra. The National investigated the area to gather firsthand accounts and assess the situation, which appears to be a well-organized campaign.

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu recently denounced the latest settler violence in Jalud and Qusra, describing the perpetrators as "a handful of rioters." Adah Ahmed, a 51-year-old resident of Jalud, has endured severe pain in her limbs following the seizure of two houses built by her and her husband for her and her seven children. Ahmed likens her plight to a nightmare, as the loss of her homes, farmland, and fruit trees has shattered the sense of security she and her family had built over the years.

The settler movement is reportedly meticulously planning and coordinating their attacks. Small groups of settlers, often numbering around 10, arrive with an armed individual, a power generator, and a small herd of sheep or goats. They engage in night raids on Palestinian villages, torching cars, felling trees, and stealing livestock.

The settlers take turns guarding the hilltops, preventing villagers from accessing their farmland and orchards. Palestinian villagers often complain to a joint Palestinian-Israeli security body, but Israeli army soldiers typically intervene only temporarily before returning to their duties.

For Mahmoud Tobasi, losing his two homes has left him emotionally and physically distressed. He monitors live footage of the seized properties and witnesses the ongoing settler presence. Tobasi's lawyer assures him that his case is being addressed in the High Court, but Ahmed remains skeptical, citing the current right-wing government in Israel.

Recent reports suggest that the government, along with the military, has been implementing changes to facilitate de facto annexation in the northern West Bank. This includes the construction of permanent infrastructure in areas supposedly under Palestinian Authority control, as well as evidence of coordinated settler attacks and forced displacement.