I met with Israeli settlers whom Biden sanctioned.They are bad, but part of a rotten system | Zach Witus
TThat same month, the US, UK and French governments imposed sanctions on more than 30 Israeli settlers for acts of violence and incitement against Palestinians in the occupied West Bank. It was a historic move. Israeli and international human rights organizations have long protested the lack of accountability for settler violence. Currently, these settlers with a documented history of arson, theft, physical assault, and property destruction will have their assets frozen, their international travel restricted, and their ability to do business restricted.
These sanctions effectively disrupt the mechanics of settler violence and send perhaps the strongest signal yet to the Israeli government that it must curb attacks on Palestinian communities because there will be consequences. However, sanctions against just a few settlers will not solve the fundamental problem. These aren’t just a few bad apples. Continued settler attacks on Palestinian lives and livelihoods are part of a systematic and long-standing Israeli government policy to drive Palestinians from their land in order to expand their settlements. Bad policies produce bad apples.
I have personally met some of these people. In 2022, I spent three months volunteering as a human rights monitor in Masafel Yatta, a rural area in the West Bank where Palestinians make a living primarily by shepherding and farming. I confronted two of the settlers in question, Enon Levy and Eli Federman, almost every week and watched them attack Palestinians for no reason.
Around the village of Zanuta, Levy, Federman, and their accomplices were seen repeatedly attacking Palestinian shepherds and their flocks with dogs and drones. They attempted to intimidate Palestinians into leaving their land and grazing Palestinian crops with their own sheep and goats. In the village of Susiya, I filmed Levy and others illegally building a road to a settlement outpost on private Palestinian land.Another video shows Levi operating a bulldozer to scoop up a huge pile of dirt We went out onto the road to block the only entrance to the village.
Fellow activists also photographed Federman pointed his German shepherd at a Palestinian resident in the area, biting him on the arm and abdomen, while other settlers pointed their guns at Palestinian onlookers. (Federman’s dog has been recorded many times. attack other Palestinian residents)
During my time in the West Bank, I repeatedly witnessed the inability of the Israeli military and police to stop settler crimes. Indeed, on several occasions, authorities stopped or provided security to looters as Palestinian shepherds and activists called for help. colonists safety. And the culture of impunity for settlers goes back a long way. The Israeli watchdog group Yesh Din has been tracking settler violence since 2005 and consistently shows that less than 3% of settler violence cases result in a conviction. More than 90% of cases are closed without being prosecuted.
It’s not just about violence. For example, Levi is not particularly physically violent. There are other settlers with far more tragic histories. He was punished because he was the organizer.From what I have seen, and what other human rights observers have told me, Mr. Biden presidential order Is the correct answer. Levi “led a group of settlers who engaged in actions that created an atmosphere of fear in the West Bank. He regularly led a group of settlers from the Meitalim farm outpost, and he They attacked civilians, threatened them with further violence if they did not leave their homes, burned fields, and destroyed property.”
What the order did not mention was that Israeli state agencies contracted with Levy and his excavation and infrastructure company to carry out official destruction orders for Palestinian structures. In other words, the government and military are paying for him to destroy Palestinian homes.
One of Zanuta’s shepherds, Aseel, said that before the Meitarim farm outpost established by Levy was established, he and his community had no problems shepherding in the area. By the time I got there, Ashier said that a full year had passed since Levi and his gang had been regularly invading the land and forcing their herds to graze the villagers’ crops.time of war Gaza When riots broke out, these same settlers became even more emboldened, coming at night and destroying water tanks, plumbing, and electrical systems, and even breaking into people’s homes and beating Palestinian shepherds.
A few weeks later, on October 27, the colonists Said The residents told them they would be killed if they did not leave within 24 hours. The next day, all 250 residents of Zanuta packed up and left.During the last month, settlers from the outpost built a fence Around where the village used to be – so Asil and his family can no longer return.
Figures like Mr. Levy and Mr. Federman were long considered extremists by Israel’s political establishment, but Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has changed that view. When Prime Minister Netanyahu established the current extremist government, he did so with the support of his far-right partners Bezalel Smotrich and Itamar Ben Gvir. personal history of support nationalist violence.
In 2023 worst year ever Against settler violence. Settlers attacked Palestinians and their property in more than 1,200 separate incidents. They killed at least 10 Palestinians. They set fire to dozens of houses. And this was all before the Hamas attack on October 7th. Ben Gvir said in the aftermath of deadly violence that left 1,200 Israelis dead and hundreds taken hostage. explicitly ordered israeli law enforcement officer do not have Enforcing the law in cases of Jewish nationalist violence.israeli army conscripted and armed It gave thousands of settlers guns, uniforms, and state protection.
These policies allow settlers and the Israeli military to Force deletion Over a two-month period in November and December, at least 198 Palestinian households (1,208 people, including 586 children) from more than a dozen villages participated. As Yesh Din succinctly put it, “Settler violence is the policy of the Israeli government.”
The problem is not just with the current government. During my several months in the West Bank in 2022, a “transformational government” led by Naftali Bennett and Yair Lapid was in power and governing. at that time, a record year for settler violence. Since 1967, when Israel first occupied the West Bank, every Israeli government has chosen to maintain an Israeli military presence in the West Bank to enable settlement projects.
Settler violence is not a flaw in the system. It’s a feature. While the state pursues a slow and steady strategy of dispossession through the issuance of demolition orders, night raids on villages, and onerous checkpoints, settlers like Levi and Federman resort to vigilante violence and illegal construction. to achieve the same goal more quickly and directly.
The imposition of sanctions on these individuals by the United States, United Kingdom, and France sends a strong message to the Israeli government and West Bank settlers that the international community will no longer tolerate this level of violence. . But the truth is, that’s not enough. Zanuta leader Faiz Altar said in an interview after the sanctions were made public that he hoped Biden’s executive order would be respected. will extend to officials such as Mr. Smotrich and Mr. Ben Gvir.human rights leaders around the world agree The administration believes this will serve as a useful next step. reportedly considering.
But targeting individuals, even those in power, fails at a fundamental level. It would leave intact the structures that allow Jewish Israelis to exercise military, economic, and legal control over Palestinians in the West Bank. For both our countries, who live on land between rivers and seas, we must eradicate the system of Jewish supremacy in order to sow the seeds of a common future for all Palestinians and Israelis. .
Summarize this content to 100 words TThat same month, the US, UK and French governments imposed sanctions on more than 30 Israeli settlers for acts of violence and incitement against Palestinians in the occupied West Bank. It was a historic move. Israeli and international human rights organizations have long protested the lack of accountability for settler violence. Currently, these settlers with a documented history of arson, theft, physical assault, and property destruction will have their assets frozen, their international travel restricted, and their ability to do business restricted.These sanctions effectively disrupt the mechanics of settler violence and send perhaps the strongest signal yet to the Israeli government that it must curb attacks on Palestinian communities because there will be consequences. However, sanctions against just a few settlers will not solve the fundamental problem. These aren’t just a few bad apples. Continued settler attacks on Palestinian lives and livelihoods are part of a systematic and long-standing Israeli government policy to drive Palestinians from their land in order to expand their settlements. Bad policies produce bad apples.I have personally met some of these people. In 2022, I spent three months volunteering as a human rights monitor in Masafel Yatta, a rural area in the West Bank where Palestinians make a living primarily by shepherding and farming. I confronted two of the settlers in question, Enon Levy and Eli Federman, almost every week and watched them attack Palestinians for no reason.Around the village of Zanuta, Levy, Federman, and their accomplices were seen repeatedly attacking Palestinian shepherds and their flocks with dogs and drones. They attempted to intimidate Palestinians into leaving their land and grazing Palestinian crops with their own sheep and goats. In the village of Susiya, I filmed Levy and others illegally building a road to a settlement outpost on private Palestinian land.Another video shows Levi operating a bulldozer to scoop up a huge pile of dirt We went out onto the road to block the only entrance to the village.Fellow activists also photographed Federman pointed his German shepherd at a Palestinian resident in the area, biting him on the arm and abdomen, while other settlers pointed their guns at Palestinian onlookers. (Federman’s dog has been recorded many times. attack other Palestinian residents)During my time in the West Bank, I repeatedly witnessed the inability of the Israeli military and police to stop settler crimes. Indeed, on several occasions, authorities stopped or provided security to looters as Palestinian shepherds and activists called for help. colonists safety. And the culture of impunity for settlers goes back a long way. The Israeli watchdog group Yesh Din has been tracking settler violence since 2005 and consistently shows that less than 3% of settler violence cases result in a conviction. More than 90% of cases are closed without being prosecuted.It’s not just about violence. For example, Levi is not particularly physically violent. There are other settlers with far more tragic histories. He was punished because he was the organizer.From what I have seen, and what other human rights observers have told me, Mr. Biden presidential order Is the correct answer. Levi “led a group of settlers who engaged in actions that created an atmosphere of fear in the West Bank. He regularly led a group of settlers from the Meitalim farm outpost, and he They attacked civilians, threatened them with further violence if they did not leave their homes, burned fields, and destroyed property.”What the order did not mention was that Israeli state agencies contracted with Levy and his excavation and infrastructure company to carry out official destruction orders for Palestinian structures. In other words, the government and military are paying for him to destroy Palestinian homes.One of Zanuta’s shepherds, Aseel, said that before the Meitarim farm outpost established by Levy was established, he and his community had no problems shepherding in the area. By the time I got there, Ashier said that a full year had passed since Levi and his gang had been regularly invading the land and forcing their herds to graze the villagers’ crops.time of war Gaza When riots broke out, these same settlers became even more emboldened, coming at night and destroying water tanks, plumbing, and electrical systems, and even breaking into people’s homes and beating Palestinian shepherds.Settler violence is not a flaw in the system.It is a featureA few weeks later, on October 27, the colonists Said The residents told them they would be killed if they did not leave within 24 hours. The next day, all 250 residents of Zanuta packed up and left.During the last month, settlers from the outpost built a fence Around where the village used to be – so Asil and his family can no longer return.Figures like Mr. Levy and Mr. Federman were long considered extremists by Israel’s political establishment, but Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has changed that view. When Prime Minister Netanyahu established the current extremist government, he did so with the support of his far-right partners Bezalel Smotrich and Itamar Ben Gvir. personal history of support nationalist violence.In 2023 worst year ever Against settler violence. Settlers attacked Palestinians and their property in more than 1,200 separate incidents. They killed at least 10 Palestinians. They set fire to dozens of houses. And this was all before the Hamas attack on October 7th. Ben Gvir said in the aftermath of deadly violence that left 1,200 Israelis dead and hundreds taken hostage. explicitly ordered israeli law enforcement officer do not have Enforcing the law in cases of Jewish nationalist violence.israeli army conscripted and armed It gave thousands of settlers guns, uniforms, and state protection.These policies allow settlers and the Israeli military to Force deletion Over a two-month period in November and December, at least 198 Palestinian households (1,208 people, including 586 children) from more than a dozen villages participated. As Yesh Din succinctly put it, “Settler violence is the policy of the Israeli government.”The problem is not just with the current government. During my several months in the West Bank in 2022, a “transformational government” led by Naftali Bennett and Yair Lapid was in power and governing. at that time, a record year for settler violence. Since 1967, when Israel first occupied the West Bank, every Israeli government has chosen to maintain an Israeli military presence in the West Bank to enable settlement projects.Settler violence is not a flaw in the system. It’s a feature. While the state pursues a slow and steady strategy of dispossession through the issuance of demolition orders, night raids on villages, and onerous checkpoints, settlers like Levi and Federman resort to vigilante violence and illegal construction. to achieve the same goal more quickly and directly.The imposition of sanctions on these individuals by the United States, United Kingdom, and France sends a strong message to the Israeli government and West Bank settlers that the international community will no longer tolerate this level of violence. . But the truth is, that’s not enough. Zanuta leader Faiz Altar said in an interview after the sanctions were made public that he hoped Biden’s executive order would be respected. will extend to officials such as Mr. Smotrich and Mr. Ben Gvir.human rights leaders around the world agree The administration believes this will serve as a useful next step. reportedly considering.But targeting individuals, even those in power, fails at a fundamental level. It would leave intact the structures that allow Jewish Israelis to exercise military, economic, and legal control over Palestinians in the West Bank. For both our countries, who live on land between rivers and seas, we must eradicate the system of Jewish supremacy in order to sow the seeds of a common future for all Palestinians and Israelis. .
https://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2024/mar/04/israel-settler-violence-sanctions I met with Israeli settlers whom Biden sanctioned.They are bad, but part of a rotten system | Zach Witus