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Settler Attacks Reportedly Surge on Palestinians in the West Bank
Above: Israeli forces in the West Bank town of Hebron on Nov. 10, 2025. Image copyright: Mamoun Wazwaz/Anadolu/Getty Images
The Spin
Pro-establishment narrative
Though Israel's settler movement is a fringe segment of Israeli society, more must be done to prevent attacks on Palestinians and the seizure of land in the West Bank. Indeed, Israel is a democracy in which everyone is entitled to their views, and prominent Israeli lawmakers often condemn settlement expansion.
Pro-Israel narrative
Though settler attacks are, of course, a problem in Israel, the media exaggerates how common these attacks are and how often they are in response to Palestinian provocations. Indeed, the media purposefully propagates the myth that settler violence, which is quite rare, has escalated since Hamas' brutal terror attack on Oct. 7. This myth only serves to perpetuate a disturbing equivalence between Palestinian terrorists and a fringe element of Israeli society.
Pro-Palestine narrative
Though the Israeli and Western media try to portray settlers as a fringe element of Israeli society, the state was founded on the basis of ethnic cleansing and land theft. Israeli leaders on the left and right have continued to approve settlement expansion, and Palestinian land has continued to recede since 1948. Indeed, Israel annexed the West Bank in all but name a long time ago, and Israeli politicians are increasingly open about Israel's intentions — the incremental destruction of Palestine.