Report: Israeli Soldiers Use Sexual Assault to Force Palestinians Out of West Bank
Human rights and legal experts indicate that Israeli soldiers and settlers are employing gendered violence, including sexual assault and harassment, as a strategy to displace Palestinians from their homes in the occupied West Bank. Accounts detail attacks such as forced nudity, invasive searches, exposure of genitals, and threats of sexual violence targeting Palestinian women, men, and children. This sexualized violence, which researchers note is likely underreported due to shame and stigma, is reportedly pressuring communities, influencing decisions to leave, and fundamentally altering daily life. The reported incidents, escalating since 2023, include physical assaults, humiliating photograph distribution, stalking, and threats, with sexualized attacks significantly hastening Palestinian displacement, as over two-thirds of surveyed households cited rising violence against women and children as a catalyst for leaving.
John Q. Hosedrinker