Unrestrained aggression by settlers endangers Israel's commitment to legal principles, harms its global image and reduces backing for actions against Palestinian Authority stipends to convicted militants, Professor Yuval Shany stated to The Jerusalem Post.

Shany, who holds the Hersch Lauterpacht position in International Law at Hebrew University and serves as a senior fellow at the Israel Democracy Institute, cautioned that such aggression may heighten chances of penalties and movement limits targeting settlers.

Shany spoke on Sunday soon after radical settlers targeted a European mission and an American photographer during separate clashes. Although authorities held 10 individuals in connection with the incidents, rising aggression from radical settlers has drawn broad international attention as a serious issue.

Aggression by settlers across the West Bank has grown both in occurrence and intensity over recent years. Assaults by radical settlers on Palestinians and Israeli security personnel climbed 27 percent in 2025 versus the prior year, while major nationalist offenses surged over 50 percent, based on IDF and Shin Bet figures issued in January 2026.

The surge occurs against a backdrop of weak prosecution outcomes. From 2005 through 2024, 93.8 percent of 1,701 police files tracked by the Israeli rights group Yesh Din ended without charges, and only 3 percent yielded any conviction, per the organization's records.

Violence May Block Enforcement of Judicial Rulings

Shany noted that Palestinians could petition the Supreme Court for stronger state safeguards and compensation for security shortfalls. In principle they might also file civil claims against specific settlers responsible for property harm.

Many Palestinian households lack resources to secure legal counsel. Questions remain about access to such support and whether they place confidence in Israel's courts to safeguard their rights.

Even in cases where courts rule for Palestinians, carrying out those decisions proves challenging. Legal paths exist and see occasional use, yet their practical impact remains limited, Shany observed.

Shany stressed that court victories for Palestinians can be thwarted by on-site aggression. He cited the Tubasi family case, where the High Court directed the IDF to protect their home after settlers forced them out in July.

Efforts by troops to enable the family's return met resistance from over 100 radical settlers who attacked forces and halted the return. The military reported that violence stopped the mission.

Refusal by radical settlers to follow laws prompted journalist Ben-Dror Yemini to liken them to a domestic version of Hezbollah in a Ynet column, referencing Lebanon's difficulties controlling the Iran-linked group.

Though Shany dismissed the analogy, he said Israel's lapses in upholding law do not excuse other nations from their duties. Still, he added that public perception suffers when disorder prevails in areas under Israeli control while Israel critiques similar issues elsewhere.

Shany emphasized Israel's duty under international rules to halt the aggression, irrespective of its stance on territorial status.

Continued shortfalls could draw sanctions from third countries concerned about humanitarian effects and risks to regional stability, he warned.

More European sanctions attempts on Israel are likely, following the stance taken last month by 12 nations.

In September the United Kingdom barred goods from Israeli settlements, and 11 other states signaled plans for national curbs or support for wider European steps against settlement goods.

Such steps could limit Israeli market access and affect settlement businesses.

Penalties on Israel Appear Probable

The Israel Policy Forum reported that Israel shipped at least 15 billion dollars in goods and services to those 12 countries in 2024. West Bank, east Jerusalem and Golan Heights products made up nearly 45 million dollars of exports to the UK in 2025.

Shany predicted further actions including UN efforts to sanction Israel and restrict territorial goods, plus possible international court cases.

Diplomatic fallout may also shape views of Israel's moves to limit Palestinian Authority stipends to prisoners and attack victims' families, he said.

Israel has withheld clearance revenues from the PA, including sums tied to prisoner payments and prior Gaza transfers. Legislation now allows terrorism victim compensation via PA revenue deductions, and new housing plans advance in the E1 zone near Jerusalem.

European states may increasingly see these steps as aimed at collapsing the Palestinian Authority rather than prompting accountability on terror stipends, Shany said, pushing them farther from a two-state path.

E1 building plans combined with violence appear as coordinated pressure, likely drawing stronger European pushback and alternative support for Palestinian self-rule.

Shany foresaw more grassroots legal efforts targeting settlers abroad, similar to complaints filed by the Hind Rajab Foundation against IDF personnel over Gaza incidents.

The current government's muted response to the aggression will likely encourage such campaigns, including asset freezes and travel curbs on settlers, he concluded.