Palestine weekly wrap: Israeli settlers rampage through West Bank villages
Key takeaways
- Settlers uproot olive trees, seize land, and displace families, reflecting unchecked violence across the West Bank.
- The destruction of the trees – so that illegal Israeli settlements can expand – was one of a number of Israeli actions this week that emphasised Israel’s continued push to expand its dominance over the West Bank.
- According to Israeli media reports, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu requested that parliament postpone discussions of the bill.
Why this matters: an international story with cross-border implications worth tracking.
Settlers uproot olive trees, seize land, and displace families, reflecting unchecked violence across the West Bank.
xwhatsapp-strokecopylinkgoogle Add Al Jazeera on Googleinfo Israeli soldiers direct Palestinian children to disperse during a weekly settlers' tour in Hebron, in the Israeli-occupied West Bank, May 9, 2026 [Mussa Qawasma/Reuters]By Al Jazeera Staff Published On 12 May 202612 May 2026“We are building the Land of Israel and destroying the idea of a Palestinian state,” said Israeli Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich on Friday. The action that brought on his comments: Israel’s uprooting of 3,000 Palestinian-planted trees in the occupied West Bank.
The destruction of the trees – so that illegal Israeli settlements can expand – was one of a number of Israeli actions this week that emphasised Israel’s continued push to expand its dominance over the West Bank. And it comes as Israel maintains its violent posture in Gaza – killing at least 13 Palestinians there, with a particular focus on police officers.