In recent years — and especially since 7 October 2023 — there has been a sharp increase in both the number and severity of settler attacks against Palestinians. The incidents reported on this blog do not reflect all incidents of settler violence in the West Bank, but only those that B’Tselem was able to document and investigate.
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Settler Violence = State Violence
17 August 2026
Settler Violence = State Violence
11 June 2026
Settler Violence = State Violence
18 May 2026
East Jerusalem
5 May 2026
Settler Violence = State Violence
1 April 2026
Settler Violence = State Violence
25 January 2026
Settler Violence = State Violence
6 January 2026
Settler Violence = State Violence
9 November 2025
2 June 2025
On Monday, 2 June 2025, at about 5:00 P.M., while Salah Ka’abneh, 16, from the community of ‘Arab al-Ka’abneh in Wadi al-Qalt, was grazing his family’s flock about 300 meters from his home, a settler arrived carrying a stick and a handgun, accompanied by two dogs. He hit Salah on the shoulder with the stick, told him in Arabic that he was not allowed to be there and ordered him to go home. When Salah did not respond, the settler threatened him at gunpoint and slapped him several times. One of the dogs attacked one of the sheep, which flipped over onto its back.
Salah shouted for help, and his cousin, Jihad Ka’abneh, 30, who was in the area, heard him and came to his aid. The settler told Jihad that residents of the community are not allowed to graze there.
Salah Ka’abneh, 16, spoke about the attack in a testimony he gave B’Tselem field researcher ‘Amer ‘Aruri on 4 June 2025:
I dropped out of school in the fifth grade, and I work as a shepherd for my family, which includes my father, my mother and six brothers and sisters.
On Monday, 2 June 2025, at about 5:00 P.M., while I was grazing our flock about 300 meters from our community, a settler armed with a stick and a handgun showed up and hit me on the right shoulder with the stick. He said to me in Arabic: “You’re not allowed to be here, go home!” I looked at him and didn’t know what to say. He pointed his gun at me and said: “Go away!”
I stayed put, not moving, and the settler slapped me hard on the face several times. It hurt really badly. He had two dogs with him, and they started circling around my flock, which had about ten sheep. One of the dogs attacked a sheep and knocked it down. At that point, I started shouting and calling my family to come and help me.
My cousin, Jihad, 30, who was in the area and heard the shouting, came towards me. When Jihad got closer, I ran to him and told him that the settler had hit me and tried to kick me out, and that his dogs had attacked our sheep. Jihad took out his mobile phone to film and started talking to the settler. Afterwards, he told me that the settler said I wasn’t allowed to graze in that area and that he’d already told me that in the past.
Ever since that day, my father has forbidden me to leave the house with the flock. He said that if the settlers keep chasing the community’s flocks, he’d consider selling the sheep.
In a testimony he gave B’Tselem field researcher ‘Amer ‘Aruri on 4 June 2025, Muhammad Ka’abneh, 52, a father of seven, related:
I live in the community of ‘Arab al-Ka’abneh in Wadi al-Qalt. A few months ago, a new outpost was established about one kilometer away from the community. The settlers placed a caravan there, and the settler who lives in it began chasing the community’s shepherds and flocks in his vehicle and driving them out of the pastureland. I had 30 head of sheep, and I sold them about three months ago, because I had no choice. Since the outpost was established, there’s almost nowhere left where we can graze, and keeping sheep has become too expensive for me. I am a simple laborer, with a low income, and I can’t afford to buy animal feed to feed the sheep. Also, my three youngest children, all under 18, were the ones who went out with the flock to graze while I was at work, and I was afraid the settler would hurt them.
My brothers Nader and Ousamah still have flocks, but they never take them out of the pens, because they’re scared the settler will attack the shepherds or run over the flock with his vehicle, and they’re also afraid the flock will be confiscated.
The latest attack here was on Monday, 2 June 2025, on my nephew Salah, who is 16. He was out grazing the sheep, and a settler attacked him. My son, Jihad, arrived at the place where Salah and the settler were, and said that the settler told him we weren’t allowed to graze in that area. After the attack on Salah, I called the police. The police officer said he did not know which settler I was talking about, so I said to him: “Come to the village and I’ll show you which settler attacked the boy.” He did not come.
There’s another new outpost in the area of al-Hathrourah, south of our community, on the other side of the road. This outpost also blocks movement with the flocks, because the settlers there drive away any shepherd who approaches the area, and the members of the community who live in al-Hathrourah were forced to either sell their flocks or move them to the Ramallah area, so they could go out to graze.
