93% of settler-violence investigations ended without charges over 20 years
The figure comes as police detained at least 10 settlers amid recent attacks in the West Bank.
The Headlines · The Fight to Tax Billionaires, and Why NDAs Are Everywhere NowFor the past 20 years, 93% of investigations into violence by Israeli settlers ended with no indictment.
An Israeli rights group tracked the inquiries over two decades. A few widely publicized cases did lead to criminal charges, but the group found the vast majority never led to charges, let alone convictions.
The figure comes as Israeli police detained at least 10 settlers while authorities face growing international pressure to curb a rise in attacks in the West Bank. Recent attacks included an assault on Palestinians gathered for the annual olive harvest, in which dozens of masked settlers burned olive trees and hurled heavy stones with slingshots. An American photographer working for the Washington Post had a broken rib and shattered vertebrae, her family said.
In another town, armed men later targeted Palestinians as well as a group of European diplomats traveling together. France's foreign ministry urged Israel to end violence it called "acts of terror."
Questions people ask
What is the West Bank, and who are Israeli settlers?
The West Bank is Palestinian territory that Israel has occupied since 1967. Israeli settlers are Israeli citizens who live in communities built there, which most of the world considers illegal, and violence typically involves settlers attacking Palestinians, their homes, livestock, or olive groves.
Why is the olive harvest a target?
Olives are a major crop and source of income for many Palestinian families, and the harvest each fall brings large groups into the fields. Those gatherings have become frequent flashpoints, because they place Palestinians in open areas near settlements and outposts.
What does ending with no indictment mean?
No indictment means prosecutors never filed formal criminal charges, so the case never went to trial. It does not mean a judge found the accused innocent, only that the investigation closed without anyone being prosecuted.