Key facts
- Aseel Baidoun of Medical Aid for Palestinians alleges a systematic Israeli policy of ethnic cleansing in the West Bank.
- Amnesty International reports that settler violence is a core component of a state-sanctioned campaign of ethnic cleansing.
- The report details the forced displacement of Palestinian communities, including the destruction of Khirbet Zanuta.
- Israeli ministers have provided state-funded equipment to settlers to support their activities.
- UN data shows over 100 West Bank villages have been emptied and thousands of Palestinians displaced since January 2023.
Aseel Baidoun, deputy director of advocacy and campaigns for Medical Aid for Palestinians, has stated that the Israeli government is pursuing a "systematic policy and a campaign of ethnic cleansing of Palestinians” in the occupied West Bank.
Amnesty International has echoed these accusations in a new report, detailing allegations of a campaign of "ethnic cleansing" against Palestinians in the occupied West Bank, with the stated aim of annexing the territory. The organization asserts that the forced displacement of West Bank Palestinians is a result of deliberate state policy, rather than solely the actions of individual settlers.
The report highlights the case of Khirbet Zanuta, a Palestinian village in Area C, which was designated under full Israeli military and administrative control. Residents faced sustained violent attacks and threats from settlers from an illegal outpost named Meitarim Farm, including arson, property destruction, and physical assaults. Despite Israeli Supreme Court orders in July 2024 and February 2025 for the community's return and protection, these rulings were ignored by Israeli police and military. By March 2025, Zanuta no longer existed as a community, having been forcibly depopulated and extensively destroyed.
Israeli ministers, including Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich and Minister Orit Strock, have been noted for distributing state-funded equipment, such as all-terrain vehicles and night-vision gear, to settlers in the Hebron area in April 2025. Smotrich stated that these settlers "are doing Zionism" and need security, praising their land seizures.
Amnesty International's head, Agnès Callamard, emphasized that "settler violence is a core component of a state-sanctioned campaign of ethnic cleansing" and that "What we’re witnessing is deliberate, state-led annexation, in complete violation of international law." The report argues that such processes cannot occur without government backing, contrary to suggestions that they are the product of "rogue" settlers or "extremist" ministers.
UN data indicates that between January 2023 and April 2026, more than 100 West Bank villages were fully or partially emptied, and over 7,280 instances of individual Palestinian displacement occurred due to home demolitions by Israeli forces. The report notes that Israeli leaders, including Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, often characterize severe settler violence as isolated incidents, despite the government including prominent settler leaders and supporters who advocate for annexation.