Beyond the Smoke: How Settler Violence Entrenches a Cycle of Fear and Dispossession in the West Bank 

In a powerful and rare condemnation, Israeli President Isaac Herzog labeled a recent, coordinated attack by dozens of masked Israeli settlers in the West Bank villages of Beit Lid and Deir Sharaf as “shocking and serious,” calling for state authorities to eradicate the escalating settler violence.

The attack, which witnesses described as an organized assault involving crowbars and gasoline to burn vehicles and a dairy factory, is part of a surging trend that saw a record number of such incidents in October, strategically timed to target Palestinians during the vital olive harvest.

While the Israeli military leadership echoed Herzog’s concerns, stating the violence diverts crucial resources and is contrary to Israeli values, the government faces accusations of enabling the perpetrators, as it is dominated by far-right ministers who are ideological proponents of the settler movement, leading to a perception of impunity that deepens Palestinian fears of a systematic campaign to drive them from their land.

Beyond the Smoke: How Settler Violence Entrenches a Cycle of Fear and Dispossession in the West Bank 

The acrid smell of smoke hanging over the Palestinian village of Beit Lid last Tuesday was more than just the residue of burnt trucks and farmland. It was the scent of a deepening crisis, a tangible manifestation of a conflict that is increasingly fought not just between armies, but by masked men in the night, with gasoline and crowbars. The recent “shocking and serious” attack, as labelled by Israeli President Isaac Herzog, is not an isolated incident. It is a data point in a grim trend, one that reveals a strategic campaign of displacement, a failure of governance, and the daily erosion of hope for millions. 

The Anatomy of an Organized Assault 

While the headlines speak of chaotic violence, the testimony from the ground paints a picture of chilling precision. Amjad Amer Al-Juneidi, who works at the dairy factory targeted in Beit Lid, described a scene of methodical execution to the CBC: one individual carried cans of gasoline, another pried open the door with a crowbar, a third set the fire. This was not a spontaneous riot; it was a raid. The assailants were masked, their identities shielded, operating with a coordination that suggests planning and intent. 

This shift from mob violence to paramilitary tactics is significant. It indicates a growing confidence and organization among a radical fringe of settlers. When perpetrators can operate with such impunity, damaging even military vehicles sent to intervene, it signals a profound challenge to the rule of law. The subsequent release of three of the four arrested Israelis, as reported, only deepens the perception among Palestinians that there are two systems of justice in the West Bank. 

A “Moral Compass” in a Political Storm 

President Herzog’s condemnation, echoed by the Israeli military’s top brass, is noteworthy precisely because it is so rare. As a ceremonial figure meant to be a national unifier, his voice carries a weight distinct from the partisan fray. By calling the violence a red line and demanding state authorities “eradicate the phenomenon,” he is highlighting a deep internal Israeli conflict. 

The military’s statements are equally telling. Chief of Staff Eyal Zamir and Central Command chief Maj.-Gen. Avi Bluth framed the settler violence not just as a moral failing, but as a tactical liability. It “diverts the attention of our forces,” Bluth said, and requires resources that could be used for “counterterrorism operations.” In the cold calculus of security, these attacks are a nuisance that undermines the state’s primary mission. Yet, this criticism exists in a vacuum of political will. The government is dominated by figures like Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich and National Security Minister Itamar Ben-Gvir, who have long been ideological champions of the settler movement. Canada’s sanctions against these two men underscore the international view of their role as “facilitators of extremist settler violence.” 

This creates a schizophrenic reality: the state’s army and president decry the violence, while the state’s political leaders either tacitly endorse or explicitly enable the ideology that fuels it. 

The Olive Groves and the Strategy of Dispossession 

The timing of the surge in attacks is no coincidence. It coincides with the annual olive harvest, a deeply cultural and economic pillar of Palestinian life. For generations, the harvest has been a time of community and sustenance. Now, it has become a season of fear. 

As documented by the UN, October saw more than 260 settler attacks—the highest number since records began in 2006. This is not random aggression; it is a strategic tool. By burning olive groves, destroying farming equipment, and terrorizing communities, extremist settlers achieve a clear objective: they make life for Palestinians economically unviable and psychologically untenable. 

Muayyad Shaaban, who tracks the violence for the Palestinian Authority, articulates this plainly: the attacks are a “campaign to drive Palestinians from their land.” It is a slow-motion annexation, achieved not through official decree but through fire and fear. When a farmer’s livelihood is torched, when a parent fears for their child’s safety walking home from school, the pressure to leave becomes immense. This violence is the cutting edge of a project aimed at foreclosing the possibility of a contiguous Palestinian state. 

The Human Cost: A Life Ruled by Fear 

Behind the statistics and the political analysis lies the profound human cost. Mahmoud Edeis of Beit Lid expressed a universal desire that is now a luxury: the right to safety for his children. “To feel that my children are safe, that when I go to sleep I can say, ‘OK, there’s nothing [to worry about],'” he said. “But at any moment something could happen…. This can’t go on. It can’t be that we keep living our whole lives in a state of fear and danger.” 

This sentiment is the true victory of the violent fringe. It is the internalization of occupation. The conflict is no longer just about checkpoints and borders; it is about the constant, low-grade anxiety that defines daily existence. It’s the knowledge that a convoy of masked men can descend at any moment, and the mechanisms meant to protect you—the police, the army, the law—may arrive too late, or not at all. 

An Intractable Cycle? 

The international community, including Canada, consistently condemns the settlements as illegal and the violence as unacceptable. Yet, for Palestinians on the ground, condemnations ring hollow without tangible consequences. The call for sanctions against groups that “sponsor and support the colonial settlement terrorism project” is a plea for the outside world to move beyond rhetoric and disrupt the financial and ideological pipelines that sustain this system. 

The crisis of settler violence is a microcosm of the wider Israeli-Palestinian conflict. It is a cycle of action and inaction, of radicalism fueled by impunity, and of a profound power imbalance. The flames in Beit Lid will be extinguished, but the deeper smoldering—of dispossession, fear, and a fractured political reality—will persist long after the smoke clears. Until the state demonstrates a consistent and unwavering commitment to applying its laws equally, the voices of reason from its president and military will remain a whisper in a gathering storm.