Western countries: Israeli settler violence risks ‘forced transfer’ of tens of thousands of WB Palestinians

June 12, 2025

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Tags: belgium, Canada, denmark, finland, forced transfer, France, Germany, Ireland, Italy, Mughayyir al-Deir, Netherlands, outpost, Palestinian communities displaced, settler-violence, Spain, Sweden, UK, West Bank policy criticised

After Israeli settlers harassed a West Bank Palestinian village, driving its residents out, 12 countries, including Canada and major EU countries, urged Israel to dismantle illegal outposts and 'respect its obligations under international law'

Residents leaving Mughayyir al-Deir, May 2025

Hagar Shezaf reports in Haaretz on 4 June 2025:

Germany, France, the U.K., and nine other Western countries criticized Israel’s policy in the West Bank on Wednesday, warning that tens of thousands of Palestinians are at high risk of “forcible transfer” due to rising settler violence.

The countries, which include Canada and EU member states, expressed in a joint statement their “strong solidarity” with the Palestinian community of Mughayyir al-Deir, a West Bank village whose residents fled due to settler harassment last month.

The countries urged Israeli authorities to dismantle a settler outpost that had been established near Mughayyir al-Deir and “to take urgent and effective measures to enable the safe return of the displaced residents.”

Noting that seven neighboring Palestinian communities have already been displaced, the countries added that the village’s situation is not an isolated case but part of a “broader pattern of displacement” marked by “repeated settler violence, movement restrictions, land confiscation, demolitions, and inadequate access to essential services.”

In late May, Jewish settlers established the outpost near Mughayyir al-Deir, located near Ramallah. The army and the Civil Administration did nothing to evacuate the outpost, while the settlers made sure to consistently pass through the village and threaten its residents. “They go up to the houses and curse,” Ibrahim Malihat, 60, told Haaretz.

“We were afraid for our children and our daughters, and feared they would steal sheep. We are displaced. We gave up against our will.”

The residents of Mughayyir al-Deir stated that they have lived in the village for approximately 40 years, and aerial photographs suggest that a settlement has existed in the area since the 1980s. The new outpost erected on the village outskirts changed things significantly for the worse and led to the residents’ departure.

Representatives of Italy, Spain, the Netherlands, Belgium, Denmark, Finland, Sweden, and Ireland also signed the joint statement. They emphasized their “clear and consistent opposition to settlements, which are illegal under international law.”

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