I am Amed Azize Zougmore
June 10, 2026•Mise à jour: June 10, 2026
AA / Istanbul / Ben Amed Azize Zougmore
Amnesty International on Wednesday accused Israel of carrying out a policy of “ethnic cleansing” against Bedouin and pastoral communities in the occupied West Bank, denouncing a “crime against humanity of forcible transfer” and calling on the international community to act against what she describes as a progressive “annexation” of Palestinian territory.
In a report released Wednesday, the human rights organization says 27 Bedouin and pastoralist communities have been forcibly displaced between 2023 and 2025, or are currently at risk of displacement in Area C of the West Bank, which represents around 60 % of the territory and remains under Israeli control in accordance with the Oslo Accords.
According to Amnesty, the Israeli authorities have intensified the expansion of settlements and adopted measures aimed at reducing the Palestinian presence in this area. The NGO accuses the government of Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu of implementing the program of the settler movement through the acceleration of land seizures, the strengthening of financial and logistical support for the settlements and the arming of Israeli settlers.
“The campaign of ethnic cleansing is led and supported by the Israeli state, and not by isolated settlers or extremist ministers,” Amnesty International Secretary General Agnès Callamard said in a statement.
The organization believes that these policies have contributed to an increase in violence committed by settlers against Palestinians, including attacks, destruction of property and forced displacement. Amnesty emphasizes that Bedouin communities, often isolated and lacking protection, are among the most vulnerable populations.
According to the Israeli anti-settlement organization Peace Now, the Netanyahu government has approved the creation of 102 settlements in the West Bank since taking office at the end of 2022.
More than 500,000 Israelis currently live in settlements in the occupied West Bank, excluding East Jerusalem, while around three million Palestinians reside in this territory. The United Nations considers these colonies illegal under international law.
Amnesty also notes a sharp increase in settler violence since the outbreak of war in the Gaza Strip following the Hamas attack on Israel on October 7, 2023. Citing the United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA), the NGO indicates that settler attacks have reached an average of six incidents per day since January.
The organization calls on influential states to suspend any form of trade, investment or cooperation likely to contribute to the Israeli occupation of Palestinian territories.
“States that claim to oppose annexation but do not act to prevent it must understand that their inaction directly fuels crimes against humanity,” declared Agnès Callamard.
Last May, the Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights had already reported signs of “ethnic cleansing” in the occupied West Bank.
