Palestinians inspect a burned vehicle following an attack by Israeli extremist settlers in the Wadi Rahim area of Hebron in the West Bank, May 1, 2026. (Wisam Hashlamoun/Flash90)

EU, PA announce program to support Palestinians facing settler violence in West Bank

6 million euros invested in documenting attacks and providing ‘protective presence and protective equipment’ to threatened villages

by · The Times of Israel

The European Union will soon launch a program to support Palestinians facing Israeli extremist settler violence in the West Bank, the Palestinian Authority and the EU office in Jerusalem said Monday.

“In coordination with the government, the European Union will launch a program to support victims of settler terrorism,” Palestinian Authority Prime Minister Mohammad Mustafa said in a statement.

“It’s a project that the EU is developing with local and international NGOs, with the aim of documenting attacks on Palestinians by violent Israeli settlers, and to support the communities that are victims of such attacks,” the office of the EU representative in the Palestinian Territories told AFP.

A source at the office added that the project, led by civil society organizations and supported by the EU, “will provide protective presence and protective equipment, such as fences to Palestinian communities facing attacks from settlers.”

The program is expected to be finalized within a few months, and its budget should be “around six million euros,” the source added.

Settler attacks take place on a near-daily basis in the West Bank, and have accelerated during the war with Iran that began on February 28 and entered a truce on April 8. During that time, the left-wing Yesh Din human rights organization recorded 378 incidents of settler violence against Palestinians and their property in the West Bank.

Graffiti is seen through the window of a burnt-out car following a settler attack on the village of Deir al-Hatab, east of Nablus in the West Bank, March 23, 2026. (Nasser Ishtayeh/Flash90)

Eight Palestinians were shot and killed, and 200 were injured during that time, the organization said.

Extremist settlers, sometimes in mobs, have been filmed assaulting Palestinians, as well as torching cars and damaging property. Arrests in such cases are rare, and convictions are even less common, though the attacks take place on a daily basis.

The Israel Defense Forces has also faced criticism for often standing by while attacks unfold — with troops sometimes actively participating — or failing to prosecute those responsible.

IDF Central Command chief Maj. Gen. Avi Bluth recently warned about the near-daily phenomenon, which he termed “Jewish terrorism.”

Critics accuse the government of turning a blind eye to violent attacks by settlers, which have become increasingly deadly in recent years.