The United Nations highlighted Monday a surge in violations against Palestinians in the West Bank yesterday, reporting that sexual assault and harassment by Israeli settlers and the military have reached into private homes, forcing families to flee.
The UN statement cited a recent study by a group of NGOs led by the Norwegian Refugee Council, which documented systematic patterns of sexual harassment, physical assault, and intimidation by Israeli settlers. According to the study, Palestinian men and boys reported being forced to strip and subjected to degrading treatment and humiliation during raids.
The psychological impact of these tactics has been a primary catalyst for migration. The study found that 70% of displaced households identified sexual threats and assaults against women and children as the “decisive factor” in their decision to abandon their homes.
In a daily press briefing Monday, UN Spokesperson Stéphane Dujarric stated that more than 70% of these displacements are directly attributable to settler attacks and the tightening of restrictions on movement and access. Since the beginning of 2026, more than 2,500 Palestinians—including 1,100 children—have been displaced across the West Bank.
The displacement occurs amid a broader escalation of military and settler activity. Israeli forces have conducted intensive arrest campaigns while settlers concurrently raid Palestinian homes, destroying property as part of a coordinated push for settlement expansion.
The Palestinian Information Center reported approximately 1,965 assaults by Israeli forces and settlers in February alone. These incidents included physical and sexual violence, property seizure, and the demolition of residential and commercial structures.
The Moata Palestine Information Center documented 18,595 violations since the start of 2026, resulting in the deaths of 34 Palestinians and hundreds of injuries.
These developments coincide with new Israeli administrative measures designed to cement control over the illegally occupied West Bank. The Israeli security cabinet recently approved decisions that fundamentally alter land registration and management in the West Bank. These changes allow for the demolition of Palestinian-owned buildings in Area A—territory that, under the 1995 Oslo II Accord, is supposed to be under the full civil and security control of the Palestinian National Authority.
On December 11, the cabinet also approved plans for 19 new settlements. Human rights organizations have characterized the move as an unprecedented expansion and an attempt to impose a permanent de facto reality on the ground.
Israel’s settlement activity and arrest campaigns in the West Bank have continued despite assurances by Jennifer Locetta, the US deputy representative to the UN, that President Donald Trump “will not allow Israel to annex any part of the West Bank,” and despite a promise Trump made to leaders of Arab and Muslim nations in late September.
