The Balasan Initiative for Human Rights (BIHR) is an independent, non-partisan Palestinian human rights initiative, founded with the objective of promoting human rights across the occupied Palestinian territory, indiscriminately and as set forth under international law. Through legal advocacy, research and policy planning, Balasan seeks to challenge the policies that allow the injustice to persist in the occupied Palestinian territory, while also shedding light on the effects of the current situation on the Palestinian Christian components. Founded by young Palestinian Christians, the Balasan Initiative aims at creating and raising awareness on the narratives, hopes and experiences of Palestinian Christians, and the primordial objective of solidifying their presence in their homeland, Palestine, by directly addressing root causes of immigration and fragmentation.
Long before the events of October 7th, 2023, Palestinians faced continuous waves of violence orchestrated by Israeli settlers and accompanied, or even protected, by Israeli soldiers. In 2023, this violence reached unprecedented levels, marking a record year. Following October 7th, 2023, and under the directives of Israeli government officials, settler aggression escalated, making it even more blatant and severe.
This systematic aggression is designed to occupy and rob Palestinians of their properties, terrorize and deprive them of their basic human rights, such as the right to life, adequate housing, development, ownership and movement. It ultimately seeks to displace them from their lands, taking advantage of two factors; the global attention fixated on Israel’s war on the Gaza Strip, and an ultra-nationalist right wing Israeli government that has encouraged and emboldened Israeli settlers to increase the level of their violence and violations of Palestinians human rights and impose facts on the ground that are in contrast to the Two State Solution and the signed agreements.
Escalating Settler Violence and Agression in the Occupied West Bank - Balasan Initiative
Watch on YouTube
In 2024, BIHR documented settler violence in several areas in the Bethlehem Governorate and collected testimonies of local residents who were victims of settler activities and violence. The report, titled “Settler Violence in the West Bank: A Tool of Forced Displacement”, gives a broader context to settler violence in the West Bank, then proceeds to highlight the escalation in settler violence post 7 October 2023, and its increased connection to forced displacement. The report also features the testimonies of Palestinian victims of settler violence in the Bethlehem Governorate. Additionally, BIHR produced a testimony-based short documentary that addresses the escalation of settler violence from various communities in the Bethlehem Governorate, in particular, from Tqoa, Khalayel Al Loz and Al Makhrour. The short documentary extends over 8 minutes and features testimonies from the 3 communities. It can be considered as the multimedia reflection of the report on settler violence.
Click here to read the full report or download it below.