Since the October 10 ceasefire, anti‑Palestinian violence across Israel and the occupied West Bank has increased amid a pronounced sense of impunity. The Knesset has seen moves to normalise praise for ultranationalists and to reinstate the death penalty in ways critics say would target Palestinians. Media‑restriction bills and displays of public support for accused perpetrators indicate a broader erosion of accountability. United Nations data recorded 264 attacks on Palestinians in the month the ceasefire was announced — the highest monthly total since 2006.
Normalising Hate: Israel’s Drift Toward Anti‑Palestinian Violence and Impunity
Since the October 10 ceasefire, anti‑Palestinian violence across Israel and the occupied West Bank has increased amid a pronounced sense of impunity. The Knesset has seen moves to normalise praise for ultranationalists and to reinstate the death penalty in ways critics say would target Palestinians. Media‑restriction bills and displays of public support for accused perpetrators indicate a broader erosion of accountability. United Nations data recorded 264 attacks on Palestinians in the month the ceasefire was announced — the highest monthly total since 2006.
10:41 PM, 11/14/2025Conflict
Normalising Hate: Israel’s Drift Toward Anti‑Palestinian Violence and Impunity
The US‑brokered ceasefire announced on October 10 has not halted repeated Israeli operations in the Gaza Strip, nor has it produced legal or political accountability for a parliament and broader public that largely supported the campaign — a campaign that multiple international bodies have characterised as genocidal.
A pervasive sense of impunity
Analysts within Israel say a pervasive sense of impunity is driving a rise in anti‑Palestinian violence across Israel and the occupied West Bank. While many outside actors treat the ceasefire as an endpoint, daily incidents on the ground tell a different story.
Parliamentary moves that worry critics
In the Knesset, senior members of the governing coalition have moved to normalise extreme positions. A high‑profile lawmaker publicly defended ultranationalist Meir Kahane, whose Kach movement remains proscribed as a "terrorist organisation." At the same time, parliament is debating a proposal to reinstate the death penalty and broaden the offences for which it could apply — measures critics warn would disproportionately target Palestinians.
The death‑penalty bill, sponsored by National Security Minister Itamar Ben‑Gvir — who has a history of convictions linked to his support for Kahane — would allow execution for anyone convicted of killing Israelis for "racist" motives and "with the aim of harming the State of Israel and the revival of the Jewish people in its land." That bill passed its first reading this week.
"The absence of any attempt to assert accountability from the outside, from Israel's allies, echoes into Israel's own Knesset," said Daniel Levy, analyst and former Israeli peace negotiator. "There's no sense that Israel has done anything wrong or that anyone should be held to account."
Press restrictions and shrinking space for dissent
Mainstream Israeli media — long supportive of the military campaign in Gaza — have also reflected a hardening public mood. Lawmakers are advancing measures to close Army Radio for what Defence Minister Israel Katz described as political content that could undermine the military, and to expand an "Al Jazeera law" that could allow authorities to shutter foreign outlets perceived as threats to national security.
Escalating violence on the ground
Reports indicate a sharp rise in attacks on Palestinians. The United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) recorded 264 attacks on Palestinians in the month the ceasefire was announced — an average of about eight attacks per day and the highest monthly total since OCHA began tracking such incidents in 2006.
Instances inside Israel and the West Bank illustrate the climate of intimidation: a meeting hosted by Palestinian Knesset member Ayman Odeh in Pardes Hanna was besieged by a mob of right‑wing protesters who chanted threats while police reportedly observed. In another case, two soldiers accused of gang‑raping a Palestinian prisoner at Sde Teiman prison were met at the Israeli Supreme Court with applause and chants of support rather than condemnation.
"They're not cheering rapists, they're cheering this idea that nothing matters any more," said Ori Goldberg, a political scientist near Tel Aviv. "Genocide devalues everything. Once you've carried out a genocide, nothing matters any more."
What this means
Observers warn that the combination of political legitimisation of extremist rhetoric, legislative proposals that target Palestinians, censorship measures, and a surge in attacks has created a deeper erosion of accountability and normalised hate in parts of Israeli society. Critics argue that without external pressure or internal checks, these trends are likely to continue.
Key facts retained: the October 10 ceasefire did not end hostilities or halt operations in Gaza; OCHA documented 264 attacks on Palestinians in the month the ceasefire was announced; the Knesset debated a death‑penalty bill introduced by Itamar Ben‑Gvir; lawmakers have defended or praised Meir Kahane; media‑restriction legislation is under consideration.