Israeli settler charged with terrorism after injuring Palestinian

An Israeli settler accused of beating a Palestinian woman in the occupied West Bank with a stick and seriously injuring her was charged on Thursday with terrorism, Israel’s justice ministry said.

Such charges are rarely pressed against settlers though Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu delivered unusual criticism in recent weeks of the surging violence by Israelis against Palestinians in the territory.

The charge also came shortly before Britain, France, Germany and Italy issued a joint call for Israel to bring a halt to settler violence.

The assault, which took place in October in Turmus Ayya, near Ramallah, was filmed by a foreign volunteer, with the footage widely circulated on social media within hours.

Foreigners often accompany Palestinians during the traditional olive harvest in an attempt to deter attacks by Israeli settlers.

According to a justice ministry statement quoting the indictment, Ariel Dahari, 24, from the Oz Yair outpost, “assaulted a Palestinian woman and other olive pickers in an olive grove.”

“He struck the woman, a resident of the village who had come for the harvest, in the head and body with a wooden stick, and continued to hit her even when she fell to the ground, causing her significant injuries requiring medical attention,” the indictment added.

The man was charged with “terrorist acts deliberately causing aggravated injuries,” “terrorist acts as part of an organized group causing aggravated injuries,” and “deliberate damage to a vehicle as part of an organized group, motivated by a racist motive.”

The prosecution has requested an extension of the defendant’s custody.

Rise in attacks

More than 500,000 Israelis currently live in settlements in the West Bank, occupied since 1967, as do around three million Palestinians.

Settlements are illegal under international law, while outposts are also illegal under Israeli law.

Violence in the West Bank has soared since the Hamas attack on Israel triggered the Gaza war in October 2023.

The United Nations said that last month had been the worst month for settler violence since it began recording incidents in 2006, with 264 attacks that caused casualties or property damage.

The rise in attacks this year has coincided with the expansion of Israeli settlements in the West Bank, a policy promoted by the government.

Several members of Netanyahu’s coalition advocate for the annexation of the territory, which they regard as part of Israel’s God-given land.

On November 18, Netanyahu condemned the actions of a “handful of extremists” among settlers in the occupied West Bank and vowed to deal with the issue personally.

Yair Golan, leader of the Democrats, an opposition party on the political left, lamented in response that “Jewish terrorism… is out of control.”

The European quartet, meanwhile, said in a joint statement that they “strongly condemn the massive increase of settler violence against Palestinian civilians and call for stability in the West Bank.”

They said criticism of the violence from Netanyahu and other Israeli leaders “must be translated into action” and said “these attacks must stop.”

They also called for Israel to reverse its plans to further expand settlements.