Israeli settlers in occupied West Bank emboldened by upcoming elections

They are advertised on social media platforms, and we followed attacks in the Ramallah and Nablus areas, as well as in Masafer Yatta near Hebron. There were injuries among Palestinians, there was livestock killed or stolen, as we saw in Kafr Malik and Masafer Yatta.

And a group of diplomats — French, Belgian and Polish — were also attacked by Israeli settlers near Taybeh; that’s on the outskirts of Ramallah.

Their cars were surrounded, they were pelted, some windows were smashed. One French mayor was also attacked. The Israeli settlers demanded to see the IDs of those diplomats. And the Israeli army, according to the reports and the video available, did not intervene.

The Israeli settlers are emboldened because they are crucial in the upcoming elections for the right-wing parties. In fact, they have received even a religious edict telling them that stealing the olive harvest was not just permissible, it was the right thing to do.

While the Israeli prime minister downplays that violence, Israeli opposition figures are attacking Benjamin Netanyahu, saying all of this violence undermines the standing of Israel. They vow to protect the illegal settlements while trying to curb settler violence, reports AL Jazeera.