Settler terror is escalating in a frightening way ... Nobody is stopping it
Settler terror is escalating in a frightening way ... Nobody is stopping it
Right now, Palestinians living in the West Bank - including the Christian village of Taybeh - are facing rising violence at the hands of Israeli settlers who are attempting to displace people from their homes and claim the land as their own.
People’s homes have been destroyed, entire villages have been closed off, and families have been separated through road closures and restrictions on their movement. In the village of Qusra, settlers trapped families in their homes for days, blocking off water pipes and damaging electricity supplies.
We urgently need to end the continued expansion of these illegal settlements that are causing widespread suffering.
"Settler terror is escalating in a frightening way," says one CAFOD partner. "I feel them coming nearer and nearer. One day I worry I will open the door and see their faces. Nobody is stopping it."
For many Palestinians, it is no longer a question of if they will experience violence, but when. Every night, parents go to sleep wondering if someone is going to turn up to their house and attack their family.
But while people continue to live in fear or violence, the Israeli government continues to pursue policies to build new settlements that deepen poverty and further displace Palestinians from their land.
Settlements are illegal under international law, but continue to be sustained by foreign trade with countries including the UK. In 2024, the International Court of Justice stated very clearly that the occupation is illegal and that states have an obligation not to aid and sustain the occupation. This means the UK must not trade with settlements on occupied Palestinian territory.
The UK government has long opposed settlements and recognised that they are a barrier to peace. CAFOD is calling for the UK to ensure its trade policy reflects this by banning settlement trade now.
And we’re not alone in calling for this. Other countries, including Spain and Belgium, are already taking steps in this direction.
Palestinian Christians have called on the global Church to respond not with silence or despair, but with courage, compassion and action.
CAFOD has joined up with other Christian organisations to launch the Time to Act campaign, calling for Christians to ‘listen, learn, live and act’ with urgency in support of justice, dignity and peace.
We know that an important part of our work is listening to people living through this conflict across the Holy Land. But we also know that words must be put into action. We must use our voice and act, to build a better world and to speak out when human beings are being harmed.