Sexual violence and deliberate harassment have become increasingly common in the occupied West Bank, perpetrated by Israeli soldiers and settlers. According to observers, these acts are no longer isolated incidents but rather systematic tools used by Israel to pressure Palestinians and force them to leave their homes...the West Bank Protection Consortium – led by the Norwegian Refugee Council and funded by the European Union and several European states – published a report titled,
Sexual Violence and Forcible Transfer in the West Bank, documenting cases of conflict-related sexual violence over a period of nearly three years in the Palestinian territory.
The report documented forced nudity, invasive body searches, threats of rape, and sexual harassment. The report concluded that more than 70 percent of the displaced families interviewed said threats against women and children, particularly sexual violence, were a decisive factor in leaving their homes.
Allahu Akhbar@Al Jazeera