The “Coalition to Protect the West Bank” documented the use of sexual violence by settlers as a tool to displace Palestinian families, in light of the complicity of the Israeli occupation army and violations committed by its soldiers.
Allegra Pacheco, director of the West Bank Protection Coalition, told Al-Quds Al-Arabi that the settlers’ practices and their consequences “may amount to forced transfer or forced displacement,” calling on the international community to take action and hold them accountable.
The report, entitled “Sexual Violence and Forced Displacement in the West Bank,” addresses the exploitation of gender dynamics for the purpose of displacement, as a pattern of sexualized violence “used within a broader coercive environment that forces Palestinians to leave their lands and homes,” stressing that this violence “does not occur in isolation,” but rather “operates within a coercive environment that contributes to the forced displacement of Palestinian communities.”
The report is based on in-depth interviews with 83 people, including 44 women and 39 men, and 12 group discussions in 10 Palestinian communities in the Jordan Valley, South Hebron and the central West Bank, and documents “at least 16 cases of conflict-related sexual violence” attributed to Israeli settlers and soldiers, while emphasizing that these cases are only part of a broader pattern of “sexual harassment, intimidation and humiliation” much of which “remains unreported.”
The report indicates that sexual violence is not merely viewed as a separate violation, but as a direct source of pressure influencing the decision to stay or leave. It notes that “more than 70 percent of displaced families identified threats against women and children, particularly sexual violence, as the decisive reason for leaving,” while data showed that “84 percent of cases were affected by settler violence,” alongside feelings of insecurity, restrictions on movement, and lack of access to water and electricity.
The report documented multiple forms of sexual violence, including “threats of rape, forced nudity, harassment, sexual gestures, and surveillance within intimate spaces.”
One of the most striking findings of the report is the shift of abuse from the public to the private sphere, noting that violence and intimidation “permeate the domestic space,” including “homes, bedrooms, and courtyards.” This shift, according to the report, constitutes “a profound violation of dignity, safety, and family life.” It documents various forms of this violence, including “threats of rape, forced nudity, harassment, sexual gestures, and surveillance within intimate spaces.”
Women and children
The report also indicates that women and children are now the primary targets, while men and boys are also subjected to “sexual humiliation, degrading treatment, and threats.” It asserts that these practices “destabilize the family and undermine its internal capacity for coping and decision-making.” The report places these violations within a context of “ongoing impunity,” noting that many incidents occur “in the presence of Israeli forces without effective intervention or investigation.” It argues that this pattern aligns with the “early warning indicators for atrocity crimes” as defined by the United Nations framework.
The report also notes families resorting to coercive protection strategies, such as “partial relocation of women and children” or “early marriage” of girls. It documents “at least six cases” in which girls aged 15 to 17 were married off to remove them from a dangerous environment.
The report noted that families resorted to coercive protection strategies, such as “partial relocation of women and children” or “early marriage” for girls.
After displacement, the report records severe psychological, social and economic effects, as “90 percent of women” reported increased psychological stress and trauma, while “63 percent of participants” noted increased fear and anxiety among children, and “87 percent of women” lost all sources of income.
The report concludes that these conditions may amount to “forced transfer” under international law, explaining that this concept “does not require direct physical force,” but is realized when “coercive conditions leave civilians with no real option but to flee.”
In an interview with Al-Quds Al-Arabi, Pacheco, director of the West Bank Protection Coalition, said the report documents “sexual violence perpetrated by Israeli settlers against Palestinians in the West Bank.” She explained that “this violence is not isolated, but rather part of a broader phenomenon of settler violence, and constitutes a component of the wider coercive environment in which Palestinians live under Israeli occupation.”
She added that “the coercive environment refers to all the factors that drive Palestinians to leave their communities, whether related to freedom of movement and access, house demolitions, water and electricity shortages, or military operations.”
She stated that “84 percent of those interviewed confirmed that settler violence was the primary factor forcing them to leave their land.” She added that “the lack of security and stability, coupled with humiliation and all forms of sexual violence, constitutes the decisive factor and the turning point that drives people to leave.”
She emphasized that “this is not about isolated incidents of stripping, humiliation, or threats of rape, but rather attacks carried out daily by settlers in the West Bank,” noting that “the pace of these attacks has reached nearly ten per day at times in recent weeks.” She added that “this violence is not limited to sexual assaults, but also includes arson, property damage, physical assault, shootings, and murder—all extremely serious violations.”
silence
Pacheco emphasized that “sexual or gender-based violence has not received sufficient attention,” adding that “the reasons for the underreporting are easy to understand, given the extreme difficulty both men and women face in speaking about these violations.” She stated that “the Israeli investigation mechanism is virtually non-functional and ineffective, and the fear of reprisal further hinders reporting.”Sexual or gender-based violence has not received sufficient attention due to underreporting, given the extreme difficulty both men and women face in speaking about such abuse.
Speaking about the overlap between the roles of the settlers and the army, she explained that “the army sometimes comes to the scene when the settlers carry out their attacks, but it mostly does not intervene directly to stop the violence.”
She added that “some settlers sometimes appear in military uniform, so it is not clear whether they are soldiers or just settlers wearing reserve uniforms.”
She said that “this creates some confusion as to whether those committing the violence are soldiers or settlers disguised in military uniforms,” but she also pointed out that there were cases “where soldiers were present in their military capacity and did not intervene, even though their role, under international law as an occupying power, is to protect the population.”
The missing option of self-defense
She added, “This is the primary task of any military occupying force, because there is no other entity protecting the Palestinians in those areas. The Palestinian Authority cannot reach them, the international community is not there, and self-defense is not an option available to the Palestinians.”
She continued, “If a settler enters a Palestinian home, which is a recurring pattern of invading the home space with the aim of spreading terror in communities, and then the head of the Palestinian family removes him, the Palestinian may be arrested on charges of assaulting the settler, and may be shot or killed,” stressing that “all of this has already happened.”
She said, “Self-defense is not a realistic option, and that is why our demand, however strange it may seem, is that the Israeli army protect these communities.”
She added, “The Israeli police are also present, but their role remains problematic because these are occupied territories, which, in principle, makes the army the entity that should be responsible.” However, “the presence of settlers holding Israeli citizenship in the occupied territories, a presence that violates international law, compels the Israeli police to intervene by virtue of their dealings with Israeli civilians, but they rarely intervene to stop or arrest these settlers.”
Soldiers' abuses
She added that “93 percent of investigations, according to an Israeli human rights group, lead nowhere.” She asserted that “what these figures reveal is that the Israeli authorities are not taking any real steps to ensure accountability and are allowing impunity to prevail in the West Bank,” which “encourages settlers to continue their violence.”
Regarding examples of violations, Pacheco said, “There was a case in which a woman was forced to undress completely by an Israeli soldier and was treated in a very humiliating way.”
She added that “the pattern the report talks about is mainly the invasion of the home space,” noting that “this type of attack has increased significantly since the Gaza war, as attacks in the past often took place on the outskirts and came in the context of acts of revenge, while today they take place inside population centers and inside the homes themselves.”
Testimonies were reported in which women spoke of “settlers attempting to remove the bars from the windows of bedrooms, while the women were huddled inside with their children in a state of extreme fear.”Women spoke of “settlers attempting to rip the bars off bedroom windows, while the women were huddled inside with their children in a state of extreme fear.”
She added, “We’re not talking about large, modern, fortified houses, but mostly about modest dwellings in nomadic and pastoral communities.” She noted that “other forms of sexual violence include unwanted touching, indecent exposure, threats of rape and violence, and intrusions into courtyards, which are also part of the domestic sphere, as well as sexual humiliation directed against men.”
She added, “These practices affect both men and women, and the phenomenon is constantly escalating. In the absence of any protection for Palestinians, they often have no option but to leave.” She argued that “this could amount to forced transfer or deportation, which, under the law of the occupying power, is a grave violation that must be investigated, and those responsible held accountable.”
The absent international community
Regarding what the international community should do, Pacheco said, “The report calls for moving beyond statements and declarations, because what is needed is concrete action.” She added, “This is not merely a political demand on our part, but an international legal obligation incumbent upon states, both in light of their foreign policies and treaty obligations, and under international law.” She pointed out that “the International Court of Justice has repeatedly clarified the nature of these obligations in occupied territories.”
She also addressed the issue of sanctions imposed on some settlers, explaining that “the problem is not only that the violence continued despite them, but that Israel did not remove any of those sanctioned from their positions.” She added, “What is actually happening is that the violent settlers, or those suspected of committing crimes, are still at the scene of the crime.”
One of the key issues on which the international community must exert its influence is demanding that Israel remove these people from those areas and close the settlement outposts.
She likened it to saying that “a bank robber stays inside the bank and continues to rob,” stressing that “no action was taken to remove the suspects, whereas any normal legal system would have required the removal of the accused from the crime scene, whether they were arrested or released on bail.”
She said that “one of the key issues on which the international community should exert its influence is to demand that Israel remove these people from those areas and close the settlement outposts that are used to plan attacks and launch them towards Palestinian communities,” noting that “these outposts have now become adjacent to the communities themselves.”
She believed that “imposing this step would be an important first step, although it is not sufficient on its own, but it remains a crucial and necessary step.”
