Words of condemnation are not enough – act now
JVL Introduction
Words of condemnation are cheap and growing more plentiful; even the President of the British Board of Deputies said settler violence was indefensible. Meanwhile that violence continues and the notion that it is the work of a few “extremists” is ludicrous, not least because if and when the Army arrives they arrest the Palestinians not the Jewish settlers. Furthermore, the “quieter” violence of the Israeli State towards the Palestinians continues apace. While Israel was bombing Iran, it ‘secretly approves record number’ of new West Bank settlements. including a number of “outposts” that are illegal even under Israeli law whereas all are illegal under International Law.
More people are needed to at least bear witness, although the IDF blames those standing with the Palestinians for “provoking” the violence. We have noted before that many governments are “tut-tutting” but not imposing sanctions; individuals bemoaning the actions also need, where we can, to step up and participate in providing protective presence. To join with those few, Israelis and others, who spend time with communities in the West Bank. This is welcomed by those communities under threat and attack and can be part of pushing back against barbarism for the whole region.
Or: “(e)verything would be quiet and peaceful if we did not create the “provocation” of protecting human beings that the security forces do not protect… There would be deathly silence if we were not present, because there would be many more communities abandoned, in addition to the many dozens that have already disappeared. There would be many more places where we would no longer hear the sound of sheep, or the laughter of children playing, or see any sign of life.”
LL
This article was originally published by Ha'aretz on Thu 16 Apr 2026. Read the original here.
Public Condemnation of Settler Violence Hasn't Changed Anything on the Ground
If one percent of those who say they oppose settler violence would volunteer in the field for at least one protective presence shift a month, it would be a game changer – for the Palestinian West Bank communities under threat of displacement, and for the collective soul of the Jewish people
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The plea by Rabbi Ascherman should be followed by support from the Israeli people with any humanity left in them. Maybe the soldiers who reportedly have huge feelings of guilt at the atrocities they committed on unarmed Palestinians should volunteer to protect them from the rampaging settlers. These soldiers would know how to talk to these rabid youth in their own language, to desist from these pogroms and blatant land theft.
The mainstream press should do more reporting of these brave Jewish Israelis who stand up to settler violence against Palestinians.
Signing any socalled peace treaties with Israel has been a dead end for Palestinians. Palestinians, and those defending them in the West Bank, have to be armed, and Israel needs to be demilitarized.
The colonialist settlers won’t learn until they are dealt a firm hand.