Harassment of Issa Amro by Israeli soldiers and settlers has reignited global attention on settler violence and impunity in the occupied West Bank. Amro, a prominent Palestinian activist and human rights defender, was recently targeted after being featured in The Settlers, a BBC documentary by British-American journalist Louis Theroux. The documentary sheds light on the growing threat settlers pose to Palestinians living under occupation.
Amro shared footage of armed Israeli soldiers and settlers entering his home in Hebron, an area long plagued by settler violence. According to Amro, the settlers declared they were supported by former U.S. President Donald Trump, whose administration offered unwavering backing to Israeli settler policies. “They feel emboldened because of Trump’s blind support,” Amro said.
This incident is part of a wider surge in violence against Palestinians in the West Bank and East Jerusalem. As global attention remains fixed on Gaza, attacks by settlers—often armed and supported by Israeli forces—have increased, forcing many Palestinians to flee their homes. Israeli police have largely failed to intervene, allowing settler aggression to continue unchecked.
Theroux’s documentary is a follow-up to his 2012 film The Ultra Zionists and delves into how the settler movement has intensified. It documents the religious and ideological motivations behind settlement expansions, their legal challenges under international law, and the broader implications for Palestinian displacement.
Theroux himself faced harassment while filming in Hebron. Similarly, Hamdan Ballal, the co-director of the Oscar-winning documentary No Other Land, was recently attacked in Susya by masked settlers. Israeli soldiers arrested him while he was receiving treatment, only to release him later without charge.
The United Nations and International Court of Justice have both condemned the Israeli occupation of Palestinian territory, with the ICJ declaring it “unlawful.” Yet settlers, now numbering over 700,000, continue expanding with state and political support.
The harassment of Issa Amro exemplifies the risks faced by Palestinians who speak out and the urgent need for international accountability to protect human rights in the occupied territories.
