UN report says Israeli forces shield settlers in West Bank

A United Nations-mandated commission of inquiry released a report on Tuesday, June 9, 2026, accusing Israeli authorities of enabling systematic settler violence in the occupied West Bank while also documenting war crimes committed by Hamas in the Gaza Strip. The report states that Palestinian civilians are trapped between these forces, facing severe and deliberate rights violations.

The UN's Independent International Commission of Inquiry found that Israeli authorities have enabled settler attacks through financial and military support, fostering a climate of impunity. The report asserts that Israeli security forces have routinely accompanied settlers and acted as a shield for the violence, amounting to a de facto collapse of the distinction between settlers and soldiers. It concluded that this violence functions as a means of implementing Israeli state policy aimed at entrenching settlements, annexing Palestinian territory, and displacing Palestinians.

The commission documented a surge in attacks on Palestinian villages and agricultural land since 2023, with incidents rising by 130. It cited specific cases of assaults, abductions, and abuse of Palestinian children by settlers....