Israeli settlers accused of killing sheep in the West Bank

Palestinian Bedouins have accused Israeli settlers on July 18th of killing 117 sheep during a raid and stealing hundreds of the animals, in what they say is an attempt to force farmers out of their land in the occupied West Bank, according to Asharq Al-Awsat via Reuters. 

The alleged attack occurred amid what the United Nations described as a surge in violence by Jewish settlers and Israeli security forces against Palestinians in the West Bank, alongside unprecedented levels of displacement, Reuters reported. 

The Israeli military has not responded to requests for comment regarding the mass killing of animals owned by the Arab al-Kaabaneh Bedouin community in the Jordan Valley.

Veterinarians were summoned to care for a few surviving sheep, some of which were visibly traumatised and shaking after the knife and gun assault.

Salem Salman Mujahed, a resident of Arab al-Kaabaneh, claimed that multiple settler groups coordinated the attack and accused the Israeli army of allowing it to happen.

“(Settlers) came near the houses. I asked them what are you doing here then we started fighting with each other,” he said. “The army detained me, and they handcuffed me.”

He added that while he was detained, other settlers began targeting the flock, which is crucial for the community’s livelihood.

Palestinian Minister Moayad Shaaban denounced the attack, claiming it is part of a wider effort to push Palestinians out of the area.

“These sheep and animals were slaughtered and shot at,” he told Reuters. “They are using these tools to terrify these people to leave these areas, which have been inhabited for dozens of years.”

The incident has already led at least one family to start relocating.

Bedouin resident Tareq Kaabaneh said the continuous harassment has left him with no choice but to leave.

“They were armed, they steal donkeys and sheep. In the night they come here and start shooting toward us,” Kaabaneh said.

“I am moving now from here, I want to protect my kids and my sheep, my livelihood … yesterday I was safe, but I don’t know what will happen to me tomorrow,” he added.

The United Nations recently stated that displacement levels in the West Bank are now the highest since Israel first occupied the territory almost 60 years ago.

According to the UN Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights in Geneva, there have been 757 attacks by settlers on Palestinians or their property since January – a 13% rise from the same timeframe in 2024.

Meanwhile, US Ambassador to Israel Mike Huckabee called for a thorough investigation into the July 11th killing of a Palestinian American man who was allegedly beaten to death by settlers, calling it a “criminal and terrorist act.”

In 2024, the United Nations’ highest court ruled that Israel’s occupation of Palestinian territories – such as the West Bank – was illegal and should be brought to an end promptly.

Israel rejects this conclusion, arguing that its presence in the area is necessary for security and is justified by historical and biblical claims to the land, which it captured during the 1967 Middle East war. The West Bank remains central to Palestinian aspirations for a future independent state.

Israel’s ruling Likud Party is advocating for the formal annexation of the West Bank, framing it as necessary to eliminate what it calls an internal existential threat. 

Asharq Al-Awsat via Reuters, Maghrebi.org