Israeli soldiers are also settlers in West Bank: Al Jazeera investigation

What the report says

Al Jazeera says its investigation has found that some Israeli settlers and soldiers in the occupied West Bank operate interchangeably, with individuals moving between civilian attire and military uniforms while taking part in assaults on Palestinians. The report focuses on incidents in areas including Tal, near Nablus, and Hebron, and says the overlap has helped fuel violence, land seizures and displacement of Palestinian communities.

The article identifies a settler from Yitzhar, Yitzhak Levi Filant, as one example, saying he was recorded attacking farmers and later returning in military uniform with a weapon and issuing orders. It also describes a deadly March 7 attack near the Susya settlement in Hebron, where a settler and others confronted Palestinians; one man, Amir Shanaran, was killed and another severely wounded. The piece cites testimony from the victim’s family and from Palestinian farmers who say settler aggression often happens in the presence of soldiers who do not intervene.

Al Jazeera reports that the pattern is supported by the Israeli military’s Regional Defence battalions, known as Hagmar, which it says have expanded since 2023 and are largely composed of settlers in reserve service. The investigation also points to broader arming and training of settlers, including civilian gun permits and firing ranges in settlements. Human rights groups and Palestinian representatives quoted in the article argue that accountability is rare and that official forces often fail to stop attacks.

The report appears against the backdrop of sharply rising West Bank violence since Oct. 7, 2023. More broadly, rights groups have long documented tensions between settlers, the Israeli military and Palestinian residents, but the article argues the current system has intensified the blurring of roles.