Italian and Canadian Activists Attacked by Masked Israeli Settlers in the West Bank

Four international solidarity activists were attacked in their sleep on 30 November by masked Israeli settlers in the Palestinian village of Ein ad-Duyuk, near Jericho in the occupied West Bank.

According to the victims – three Italian nationals and one Canadian – the settlers punched the women in the head repeatedly and beat the male Italian activist in the genitals, which caused testicular haemorrhaging requiring urgent medical attention.

The group was participating in a “protective presence” initiative run by Faz3a, which organises international volunteers to stay overnight in Palestinian communities to deter violence from settlers, and accompany residents during periods of heightened risk. Such a presence has historically reduced the likelihood of attacks, but settlers are increasingly undeterred by foreign nationals with consular protections.

The activists were awoken around 4:30am by shouts at the door: “Italians, wake up!”

“We thought it was Palestinians in the village warning us of settlers coming, so we opened the door, and ten large masked men armed with rifles barged in and immediately began assaulting us,” said Em, a Canadian volunteer, who declined to use her legal name.

The attack lasted around 20 minutes, in which the group was beaten without pause. The attackers also stole the activists’ passports and phones. 

At one point, the activists recounted, settlers entered the kitchen and grabbed the leftover pot of coffee, then poured it on the Italian male activist while asking tauntingly, “Do you like Arabic coffee?”

“They kept warning us to not come back. The attack was about scaring us and punishing us for being there in solidarity with the Palestinians,” said Eddie, an Italian volunteer who was beaten in the head and ribs. She is using an alias for fear of retribution from Israeli authorities.

For over two decades, international activists have travelled to Gaza and the occupied West Bank to provide “protective presence”, with the initiative first launched by the International Solidarity Movement (ISM) in 2001. 

In 2003, Rachel Corrie, an American ISM volunteer, was killed while protesting a home demolition in Gaza. The Israeli army ran over her with a bulldozer, later claiming to have not seen her, despite her shouting into a megaphone. In 2024, an Israeli army sniper killed American-Turkish activist Aysenur Ezgi Eygi, who was volunteering with ISM in the West Bank. 

Israel has occupied the West Bank since 1967, an occupation considered illegal by the UN and the majority of states. Successive Israel governments have encouraged Israelis to move to the West Bank and settle on what is internationally recognised as Palestinian land. 

Israeli settlers in the occupied territory live under civilian law, while Palestinians are subject to military law, creating a two-tiered legal system. 

The UN and human rights groups have accused the Israeli government of creating a culture of impunity for settlers, who are rarely held accountable for attacking Palestinians. The Israeli army, the de facto police force in much of the West Bank, has been documented standing idly by when settlers besiege Palestinian communities. 

“Enough aggression,” demanded Italian foreign minister Antonio Tajani in response to the attack on Sunday, calling it “very serious” and appealing to the Israeli government to “stop the settlers and prevent the continuation of this violence, which serves no purpose in achieving the peace plan for which we are all working”.

Settler violence has surged in the West Bank in recent months, with October marking the most violent month on record since the UN began keeping records in 2006. Incidents have involved settlers attacking Palestinians and their property, burning olive trees, stealing livestock, setting cars on fire, and beating olive farmers with clubs and sticks. 

Armed settlers often break into Palestinian homes at night, forcing villagers to eventually leave their residences in search of safety elsewhere – creating space for new Israeli settlements in displaced Palestinian communities.

“The people in the village are terrified and not sleeping. They are terrorised by illegal settlers who should not be there, and we were very happy to be standing in solidarity with them. We will be back,” said Eddie.