An Israeli settler has assaulted a farmer amid rising violence in the occupied territory, its government has said Published 17 May, 2026 13:32 FILE PHOTO. © Getty Images / Amir Levy/Getty Images Footage has been published online purporting to show an assault by an Israeli settler against a Palestinian farmer in the occupied West Bank, in one of the latest alleged attacks targeting Palestinian civilians. The video, posted by the media office of the Palestinian government on Saturday, shows a blindfolded man on his knees in a field, and later lying on the ground surrounded by armed men. An accompanying caption alleges the farmer was by the settler. The footage emerged amid a surge in violence across the West Bank, where settlers have carried out repeated raids on Palestinian communities, torching homes and vehicles, vandalizing property, and assaulting residents, according to witnesses. In a separate post on Sunday, the Palestinian government shared images of what it described as the aftermath of an attack by in the town of Surif, where several vehicles were torched. © Government Communication Center Human-rights groups, the UN, and many analysts say some settlers use violence, intimidation, and property destruction to push Palestinians off contested land or retaliate for Palestinian attacks. Images capture the destruction left behind following an attack by extremist Israeli settlers in Surif, a town north of Al-Khalil in the occupied West Bank, where several Palestinian vehicles were set ablaze. pic.twitter.com/Q6KDwzwwBV The UN says around 40,000 Palestinians have been displaced in the West Bank since the beginning of 2025, driven by intensified Israeli military operations, home demolitions, and rising attacks by settlers. READ MORE: Israeli violence against Palestinians echoes Holocaust – ex-Mossad chief At least 47 Palestinians were killed by Israeli forces or settlers in the occupied West Bank this year, according to the UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs. Human-rights groups say accountability remains rare, with most investigations ending without indictments or convictions. Israeli officials, including Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, have condemned settler attacks as the actions of a of Critics, however, argue that weak law enforcement, settlement expansion, and the influence of far-right pro-settler parties have contributed to a climate of growing impunity.
