Palestinians in Occupied West Bank Defy Displacement Campaign on Indigenous Peoples’ Day.

Palestinians in the occupied West Bank say they remain determined to preserve their land, culture and way of life despite what residents and humanitarian organisations describe as increasing pressure from Israeli settlers and authorities to drive them from their communities.

In the Bedouin village of Umm al-Khair, in the Masafer Yatta area, residents recently held weddings for two young men. However, celebrations were subdued following the first anniversary of the killing of Palestinian activist and community leader Awdah Hathaleen.

Hathaleen, a father of three and an activist associated with the Oscar-winning documentary No Other Land, was killed in July 2025 after an alleged confrontation with Israeli settler Yinon Levi.

Residents say the community continues to face settler attacks, arrests, military incursions and the threat of home demolitions.

During the wedding celebrations, families reportedly avoided gathering in one location because of concerns that Israeli soldiers could intervene.

“There is a wedding, but they are not letting us celebrate quietly,” said Tariq Hathaleen, an English teacher and community leader.

Residents also accused Israeli settler Shimon Atiya, who established an outpost near Umm al-Khair, of entering the area with livestock and allowing them to graze on Palestinian farmland while Israeli soldiers stood nearby.

When residents challenged the soldiers, they were reportedly told that land maps had changed. According to the villagers, they were not shown the new maps.

The incident came shortly after Israeli authorities indicted Yinon Levi over Hathaleen’s killing, a development residents described as unusual given the number of Palestinian deaths in the occupied West Bank since October 2023.

Rising displacement and settler violence

Palestinian residents and rights organisations say the pressure on communities across the West Bank includes arrests, killings, demolitions, restrictions on movement and forced displacement.

According to figures cited from the Israeli human rights organisation B’Tselem, more than 1,100 Palestinians, including 242 minors, have been killed in the occupied West Bank since October 2023.

The United Nations’ Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs has also reported a sharp increase in displacement linked to demolitions and settler violence.

Residents of Umm al-Khair say the community has already lost homes through demolitions and that additional structures have received demolition notices.

Tariq Hathaleen accused Israeli settlers of not only attempting to take Palestinian land but also of adopting aspects of Bedouin culture and lifestyle.

He said some settlers living in hilltop outposts have begun herding animals, wearing Palestinian scarves and attempting to imitate the local Bedouin dialect.

“They know the Indigenous people of this land are the Bedouins and other Palestinians,” he said, arguing that such actions were an attempt to claim an identity connected to the land.

Palestinians vow to remain

Rights groups say the situation is part of a broader pattern affecting Palestinians across the occupied territories.

Yair Dvir of B’Tselem described Israel’s policies as involving military repression, demolitions and support for settler groups.

The Norwegian Refugee Council has similarly warned that Palestinian communities face increasing pressure to leave their traditional lands, particularly those dependent on farming and livestock herding.

The International Court of Justice ruled in 2024 that Israel’s continued presence in the occupied Palestinian territory is unlawful, a finding Israel disputes.

As the world marks the United Nations’ International Day of the World’s Indigenous Peoples, Palestinians in Umm al-Khair say their determination to remain on their land has not weakened.

“They will try a million ways to erase the Palestinian Indigenous people, but they will fail,” Tariq Hathaleen said.

“This is our land, and we have always been living here in harmony with nature, the desert, the mountains and the valleys of Palestine. We are the Indigenous people of this land, and we always will be.”

He added that Palestinians would continue to resist displacement and expressed hope that they would eventually achieve freedom.