West Bank witnessing ‘alarming’ surge in Israeli settler violence, EU’s top diplomat warns

The EU’s High Representative for Foreign Affairs, Kaja Kallas, has condemned the rising violence by Israeli settlers against Palestinians in the occupied West Bank, saying the issue remains central to the EU’s agenda.

“The situation in the West Bank is alarming as Illegal Israeli settlements continue to expand at an unprecedented pace, and settler violence is increasing without sufficient accountability,” Kallas said during a press conference on Friday.

The matter is expected to be revisited at a meeting of EU foreign ministers scheduled for Monday, she added.

Referring to Gaza, she maintained that despite the ceasefire between Israel and the Palestinian resistance movement Hamas and the adoption of UN Security Council Resolution 2803, the situation remains fragile.

United Nations Security Council Resolution 2803, adopted on November 17, 2025, endorses the US-supported Comprehensive Plan to end Israel’s genocidal war in Gaza, which has killed at least 72,000 Palestinians and wounded 172,000 others.

On May 28, 2026, the EU adopted restrictive measures targeting entities and individuals linked to extremist settler activity in the West Bank.

The measures were introduced under the EU Global Human Rights Sanctions Regime in response to serious and systematic human rights abuses by Israel against Palestinians.

“Extremist settlers and the organizations supporting them contribute directly to violence, forced displacement and dispossession across the West Bank,” said the EU in a statement.

“The sanctions target entities and individuals that facilitate, finance or support activities contributing to settler violence and serious human rights abuses against Palestinians,” the statement added.

Ireland pushes for EU trade ban on Israeli settlements amid widespread violations

The Irish foreign minister has called for an EU-wide ban on trade with illegal Israeli settlements.

Several EU member states, including Ireland, Spain, Sweden, and Belgium, have also banned or restricted imports from illegal Israeli settlements, saying the settlements violate international law.

These measures aim to limit trade that supports continued settlement expansion in the occupied Palestinian territories.

The UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) reported on May 25, 2026, that Israeli military operations, demolitions, and settler violence in the occupied West Bank continue to drive displacement and destruction of civilian property.

In its June 2026 update, OCHA documented more than 950 settler-related incidents across over 230 Palestinian communities, resulting in injuries, loss of homes, and damage to farmland and water infrastructure.

The agency also highlighted repeated Israeli military raids and movement restrictions that further fragment Palestinian communities and severely limit access to basic services.

Since October 7, 2023, when Israel launched its genocidal campaign in Gaza, its forces and settlers have killed at least 1,155 Palestinians in the Occupied West Bank, wounded around 11,750 others, and abducted approximately 22,000 people, according to Palestinian official figures.

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