West Bank: 84 percent of displaced families living conditions worsen

A new report by the West Bank Protection Consortium (WBPC) has revealed that Palestinians forced out of their homes and communities by Israeli settler violence in the occupied West Bank face poverty, insecurity, uncertainty, and little prospect of returning home, 

Israeli settler violence is making life impossible for families and helping drive their forcible transfer. Eighty-six per cent of displaced families said their living conditions are worse than before displacement. The findings show that displacement is not a one-off event, but one phase of a protracted crisis.

Families continue to face threats of eviction, loss of livelihoods, inadequate housing, and restricted access to essential services, after displacement. Half of households reported they believed that they were at risk of being re-displaced within the next six months. Most attributed this risk to informal threats from Israeli authorities or settlers, or to formal eviction or demolition orders.

“With the loss of land, families are not only losing their homes and communities. They are losing the livelihoods that kept them alive,” said WBPC Chief of Party Allegra Pacheco. “Displacement means families can no longer farm their land, graze their livestock or earn the income they need to survive.”

Three quarters of families said they could no longer earn enough to meet basic needs, mainly because Israeli authorities, settlers, or both had blocked access to their land or livestock.

The findings come amid escalating settler attacks, tighter movement restrictions, increasing demolitions and other coercive measures that are intensifying pressure on Palestinian communities. The report assesses 233 Palestinian households forcibly displaced in Area C, which makes up 62 per cent of the West Bank and remains under full Israeli control. Since January 2023, Israeli settler violence and access restrictions have displaced 6,200 Palestinians across the West Bank, more than a third of them in the first half of this year.

The report also finds that settler violence remains the main reason families cannot return home. Only six per cent of households said they expect to return to their land within the next year, with most citing continued settler violence and harassment, alongside blocked access to land or property, as the reasons they cannot go back.

“Under international law – and even according to several Israeli Supreme Court decisions – Palestinians displaced from Area C should be able return to their communities, but they cannot as long as the settler violence continues. To ensure effective protection for Palestinian communities, Israeli authorities must prevent and stop settler violence, including barring settlers from entering Palestinian residential and agricultural areas,” said Pacheco. “Forcible transfer is a grave breach – one of the most serious violations of international humanitarian law. The Israeli government must also cease all policies and practices that contribute to forcible transfer and immediately facilitate the return of displaced Palestinians.” 

The report also warns that support for displaced families is falling far short. Many received assistance immediately after being forced from their homes, but most said it covered only part of what they needed. As displacement drags on, families urgently need livelihood support, safe shelter, water, electricity and protection services. Without sustained funding, families already forced from their homes are being pushed deeper into poverty and insecurity.

“Forced displacement is protracted and increasing in the West Bank. It must not become a permanent reality for Palestinians,” said Pacheco. “The international community must take concrete steps to hold Israel accountable and stop the drivers of displacement. Without meaningful action, more communities will be uprooted, and those already displaced will see any real prospect of return slip further away.”