The Palestinian community of Zanuta in the South Hebron Hills of the occupied West Bank, which consists of 250 people, including 100 children, has been forcibly displaced since October 2023, as a result of state-backed settler violence. The Israeli police and military have repeatedly and deliberately failed to facilitate the residents’ safe return or protect them from settler violence, violating their obligations under international law as well as two Israeli Supreme Court rulings. Israeli authorities must, without further delay, ensure the rapid and safe return of Palestinians from Zanuta to their community, protect them from further settler violence, allow them to rebuild their homes and community infrastructures. The Israeli authorities must rapidly remove the illegal settler outposts established on the lands of Zanuta.
WHAT’S THE PROBLEM?
Zanuta is one of 121 predominantly Bedouin and herding Palestinian communities in the occupied West Bank that have faced full or partial displacement due to settler violence and access restrictions between January 2023 and July 2026, and one of 46 communities completely displaced in that period, according to UN OCHA. Since 2021, the community had endured escalating attacks from settlers based at the nearby Meitarim Farm outpost, which intensified sharply after 7 October 2023, with residents reporting almost daily incidents of arson, home invasions, and violence against children, while police calls for help went unanswered. Between 27 October and 1 November 2023, the entire community — 250 people, including around 100 children, whose families had lived on and farmed this land since the 19th century — was forced to flee. Despite two Israeli Supreme Court rulings in their favour, in 2024 and 2025, ordering authorities to facilitate their return and protect them from further violence, Israeli police and military have deliberately failed to enforce these orders, and repeated attempts by residents to return have been met with settler violence, backed by the army. Amnesty International has identified Zanuta’s displacement as part of a broader pattern of ethnic cleansing carried out against herding and Bedouin communities in Area C of the occupied West Bank.
What can you do to help?
Israeli authorities must immediately ensure the safe return of Palestinians from Zanuta to their village & must dismantle the Meitarim outpost. As an occupying power, Israel has the obligations to protect the lives & livelihoods of the occupied population.
