Israeli soldiers are also settlers in West Bank: Al Jazeera investigation

An Al Jazeera investigation reveals how blurred lines between Israeli soldiers and West Bank settlers enable systematic violence, land seizures, and mass displacement. The incidents captured in the investigation bolster the evidence presented by many Palestinian communities, international and Israeli human rights groups, activists and journalists pointing to institutional Israeli backing for settlers who have attacked, burned and taken over entire villages.

Through facial matching and local testimonies, the investigation identified Yitzhak Levi Filant, a settler from Yitzhar known locally as “Yaqoub”. Filant was documented assaulting farmers in civilian clothing, only to return to the same village wearing a military uniform, carrying a military-issued weapon and issuing orders to residents.

Filant was placed on the United States sanctions list in August 2024 under President Joe Biden before President Donald Trump’s administration removed him from the list in early 2025. Abbas Melhem, director of the Palestinian Farmers Union, told Al Jazeera that this duality is a daily reality.