Egypt Urges Urgent Global Action After Israeli Settler Attacks in West Bank

Egypt has strongly condemned the escalating violence by Israeli settlers targeting Palestinian civilians across towns and villages in the occupied West Bank. In a statement issued by the Foreign Ministry, Cairo described the attacks as “flagrant violations” of international law and the Geneva Conventions, warning that they seriously undermine peace and stability in the region.

The ministry called for immediate international intervention, urging the global community to fulfil its legal and moral responsibilities by halting these “blatant transgressions” and ensuring protection for the Palestinian people.

The statement highlighted a recent attack in the village of Kafr Malik, which resulted in multiple casualties. It stressed the need to activate international accountability mechanisms in response to the systematic escalation.

Egypt reaffirmed its stance that “all Israeli settlements in the occupied territories are illegal”, describing them as a primary obstacle to any just political resolution of the Palestinian issue. Cairo also reiterated its full support for the Palestinians’ right to establish an independent state along the pre-1967 borders, with East Jerusalem as its capital.

The condemnation comes amid a significant surge in settler violence since 2022, with a marked increase following the Hamas attack on October 7, 2023. According to United Nations data, 1,860 settler violence incidents were recorded between October 2023 and December 2024—averaging four attacks per day—mostly in the areas of Nablus, Ramallah, and Hebron.

These attacks have included shootings, arson of homes, vehicle sabotage, livestock theft, and the uprooting of trees—leading to the mass displacement of hundreds of Palestinians, including around 20 communities forcibly evacuated since October 2023, according to the UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA).

Meanwhile, a report by the Palestinian National Office for Land Defense documented more than 5,350 settler violations over the past decade, with a sharp rise in gun violence post-October 2023.

The Israeli human rights group B’Tselem has also warned that settler violence is indirectly supported by Israeli authorities. It noted that some settlers have been incorporated into official security units, further blurring the lines between state-sanctioned and unofficial violence, and intensifying suffering among West Bank Palestinians.