Report: Israeli actions contributing to Palestinian displacement in the West Bank

Report Details Conflict-Related Sexual Violence Against Palestinians

A report released on Monday by the West Bank Protection Consortium has documented at least 16 cases of conflict-related sexual violence attributed to Israeli settlers and soldiers. The researchers, who conducted interviews with 83 Palestinians from across 10 communities in the Jordan Valley, South Hebron Hills, and central West Bank, found that incidents of “sexualised harassment, intimidation, and humiliation have intensified.”

According to the report, more than 70 percent of displaced people interviewed cited threats to women and children as the primary reason for leaving their homes. In response, families adopted strategies such as partial transfer of women and children and early marriage to reduce exposure to harm.

Interviewees reported incidents of sexual harassment, including indecent exposure, threats of violence, and surveillance of intimate spaces. Some participants described being forced to strip, beaten, and urinated on by attackers, who shared images of the abuse.

The report also found that Israeli soldiers present during these incidents failed to prevent or stop the attacks and did not properly investigate them. The West Bank Protection Consortium’s findings are based on a comprehensive review of interviews with Palestinians affected by conflict-related sexual violence.

In related news, five Israeli soldiers accused of sexually assaulting a Palestinian inmate in the Sde Teiman detention camp were recently authorised to return to reserve service despite charges being dropped against them. Rights groups have condemned this decision as unjust.

Source: Al Jazeera