The West Bank’s boiling point
Today, Explained

The West Bank’s boiling point

B2Upper-intermediateOctober 7, 202625 min
  • Politics

Violent attacks on Palestinians in the West Bank — largely perpetrated by young militant Jewish settlers — have drawn international condemnation, but to little effect. This episode was produced by Avishay Artsy and Kelli Wessinger, edited by Amina Al-Sadi, fact-checked by Gabriel Dunatov, engineered by Bridger Dunnagan and David Tatasciore, and hosted by Noel King. A Palestinian inspects burnt cars at a scrapyard following an attack allegedly carried out by Israeli settlers in the village of Ayn Yabrud, northeast of Ramallah, in the Israeli-occupied West Bank, on October 4, 2026. Photo by Zain JAAFAR / AFP via Getty Images. Li...

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much of the world's attention has been focused there.

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B2 · Upper-intermediate

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0:00

In the three years since Hamas attacked Israel and Israel responded with a military campaign in Gaza, much of the world's attention has been focused there. But in the West Bank over the past three years, a long-standing pattern has become more concerning. There are growing numbers of attacks on Palestinians by Israeli settlers.

0:17

There are some acts of daily harassment like trespassing on Palestinian property, vandalism, stalking people, blocking roads, and preventing access to resources like water wells. There are also acts of extreme violence. There have been some very serious physical assaults,

0:36

settlers throwing rocks with slingshots. Last year, there was a viral video of an elderly woman who was beaten with a stick. She was hospitalized for days.

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