Acting as combatant

International law provides no explicit rules on the mere act of individual colonists carrying weapons, but strongly condemns the presence of colonists themselves and regulates the use of force within an occupied territory. The core issues are the illegality of the settlements under the Fourth Geneva Convention and the regulations governing all individuals' use of force in such territories.

Under international law, the transfer of the Israeli colonizing belligerent of its own and foreign colonists into colonized territory is a war crime. When Israeli and foreign colonists participate in military (colonization) operations, they lose their civilian protections and become legitimate military targets for the duration of their direct participation in hostilities.

In other words, armed Israeli and foreign colonists are de facto combatants.

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