Yves here. We must confess that due to so many big stories being in motion as to not give much coverage to an important element of Israel’s ongoing campaign of genocide and ethnic cleansing against Palestinians: that of the escalation of violence against Palestinians in the West Bank. The conflict in Gaza, the successful Houthi attacks on shipping, the continued Israel saber-rattling against Lebanon, the (so far) head fakery of peace talks, have all served, whether by accident or design, to serve as cover for ongoing Israeli human rights violation in the West Bank.
By Jake Johnson, staff writer at Common Dreams. Originally published at Common Dreams
A coalition of aid agencies on Friday implored the international community to take concrete, punitive action against the Israeli government and settlers after the number of settler attacks in the occupied West Bank since October 7 surpassed 1,000.
The Association of International Development Agencies (AIDA), a group of international organizations working in the occupied Palestinian territories, said in a statement that the rate of settler attacks on Palestinians in the West Bank has doubled since the same time last year, from an average of two per day to four.
“At least 10 people, including two children, have been killed during these attacks, and at least 234 have been injured, including 20 children. Since 7 October, 1,260 people, including 600 children, have been forcibly displaced amid settler violence and movement restrictions. The displaced households are from 20 herding and Bedouin communities throughout Area C of the West Bank. As one survivor of settler violence explained, ‘No place is safe here.'”
“Settler violence is premeditated and orchestrated by organized groups from known outposts and settlements, with the support of Israel’s government, including local and regional settlement councils,” the group added, noting the limited sanctions that the United States and the European Union have imposed on individual settlers “have failed to reduce the frequency of attacks.”
“While a few individuals have been detained, no civilian or soldier has been prosecuted in connection with any of these 1,000 attacks,” AIDA said. “Reports indicate that some illegal outpost farms operated by sanctioned settlers—many of whom have been reported to be at the center of multiple violent incidents—have received hundreds of thousands of dollars worth of material support from the Israeli Ministry of Agriculture, the Ministry of Settlements, the Settlement Administration in the Ministry of Defense, and through local and regional settlement councils.”
AIDA urged the international community to “adopt new restrictive measures which go beyond individual settlers to target identified organizations and state entities who promote violence and/or take part in attacks on Palestinian civilians and civilian infrastructure.”
The group also argued that the far-right Israeli government “should be held accountable for the repeated and evidence-based allegations that the military and other state authorities are tolerating, enabling, and at times participating in settler violence.”
A Human Rights Watch report published in April found that the Israeli military “either took part in or did not protect Palestinians from violent settler attacks in the West Bank that have displaced people from 20 communities and have entirely uprooted at least seven communities” since October 7.
AIDA’s statement came days after the Israeli government announced the seizure of nearly five square miles of land in the West Bank—Israel’s largest land grab in the occupied Palestinian territory in more than three decades.
Sally Abi Khalil, Middle East and North Africa director for Oxfam International—an AIDA member—said Friday that settler attacks in the West Bank have reached a “disturbing milestone.”
“In a context where outpost legalization is being fast-tracked, and Israel is stealing more and more land,” said Khalil, “foreign governments must act now to stop this illegal appropriation by taking meaningful measures to hold the Israeli government and perpetrators of these attacks to account.”
22 comments
Comments are closed.
This piece is barely factual.
what facts there are seem to undermine the headline: it is reported there are 1,000 “attacks” with an average 1 “injury”every 4 “attacks.” So, at least 750 “attacks” with not even an injury? (Or more). What could possibly be actually happening that is called an attack?
The 1,200 people displaced are carefully stated to have been displaced “amid” the violence- not directly because of the violence.
What is actually happening, or why, is only gestured at.
It appears there is something about homes or land or something.
So “at least 10 people” have been killed since October 7. What’s the number on the high side?
Well, you have to take the time to follow the links provided to get more details.
Here is a start.
https://www.ochaopt.org/content/humanitarian-situation-update-186-west-bank
“So, at least 750 “attacks” with not even an injury?”
Vs.
“At least 10 people, including two children, have been killed during these attacks, and at least 234 have been injured, including 20 children.”
…………………………………
The 1,200 people displaced are carefully stated to have been displaced “amid” the violence- not directly because of the violence.
Vs.
“A Human Rights Watch report published in April found that the Israeli military “either took part in or did not protect Palestinians from violent settler attacks in the West Bank that have displaced people from 20 communities and have entirely uprooted at least seven communities” since October 7.”
But “What is actually happening, or why, is only gestured at.” ? Seems pretty clear to me. What article were you reading?
You have enough interwebs skills to find this site and make comments, so I’d think you’d be able to search Google, YouTube or X. That would answer your question.
Small sample from X:
https://x.com/Kahlissee/status/1789162588481224996?t=V7V4kGLVrHf4iSN5KtLOaA&s=19
https://x.com/BeckettUnite/status/1778837013589897425?t=C7xGL2EN-YfMECOkpbjokA&s=19
https://x.com/AdameMedia/status/1802035061954388343?t=hZBBCjqOklO4PcLHV6s6Bg&s=19
https://x.com/Hakicat/status/1645536611172532226?t=7OVuwp8dULtHV2QrEqHq-Q&s=19
Etc, etc….
The constant violence, often under the supervision 7 protection of the Israeli police or the IDF, is just the method to force people to flee by terrorizing them. Meanwhile – ‘Israel announces largest appropriation of state land in West Bank since Oslo Accords’-
https://www.timesofisrael.com/israel-announces-largest-appropriation-of-state-land-in-west-bank-since-oslo-accords/
If a general war breaks out, I wonder if Hezbollah will target those illegal settlements with missiles as the people there are behind this genocidal push.
My money is on those ‘settlements’ being already targeted and the required military hardware already prepared for action.
Keep an eye on the Palestinians in Jordan as well.
Why are these people always called “settlers?” This word is endlessly annoying because of its inaccuracy and presumption. The West Bank has been well and firmly “settled” since before the dawn of recorded history. The presumption in the word “settler” is that this is a person who is venturing into the wilderness or semi-charted territory in order to establish residence. In the case of the West Bank the word can only be described as ‘truthy.’ Captures the zeitgeist of the time OK and fits in with dominant narrative. But I’m guessing that the olde timey residents of the West Bank would describe this activity in less charitable terms.
Because that’s what they are called in Israel? Is there a better word?
Conquistadores?
No one expects the
SpanishIsraeli Inquisition.How about Naqbites? (Sounds like something Clive Barker would think up.)
Shtetlers?
Perfect bubbaleh!
Sounds like they teach the Three Rs in their schuls: Readin’, Ritin’, and Riotin’.
terrorists?
“Settler” is the commonly used English term to designate the people who endeavour to occupy permanently and exploit to their own benefit territory that is in fact already inhabited by a native population.
In German one would say “Kolonist”, in French “colon”, in Spanish “colono”, etc, continuing with “Jewish settlement” being “colonie juive” in French f.ex.
A “settler” is basically a colonialist usurper. It is an accepted term in colonial studies, which identify “settler colonies” as the most aggressive form of colonialism.
Not everyone calls them settlers, the presumptive next Prime Minister of Canada calls them true indigenous people.
https://www.clevelandjewishnews.com/jns/canadian-conservative-leader-calls-jews-a-true-indigenous-people/article_eda20ed5-3ad4-5e9d-a28f-de62672c7ba5.html
According to the Bible (Genesis 12) they are actually settlers from Iraq.
Would it be irresponsible to speculate that joey genocides meds were watered down to get him into the news and israel out of it? I doubt kamala frightens aipac… That said, as with mike johnsons sudden appearance, imo it hasn’t been revealed who joey’s actual replacement will be.
As Caitlin Johnstone quipped in one of her articles last week: it wouldn’t make any difference even if we “elected” a Labrador retriever. The Bipartisan Consensus/Washington Consensus always prevails. There is no meaningful choice, and the elections are nothing more than BigMoney PR stunts.
Genocide JB is a classic puppet emperor, even if he did not have dementia. The pres. is just the representative of the “donor” class (oligarchy) that legally and openly bribe Congress, and fund candidates and the spectacle of Elections Inc.
Now the question is, what are we collectively going to do about it?
Anyone sanctioned under the Global Magnitsky Act has the right to ask the question: “Am I more evil than the Israelis?”
Yes, there are many big stories, by design or not, that have overshadowed the ongoing atrocities in Palestine and the media blackout is especially true of the West Bank.
Even in this article, no mention of the fact that many of the illegal occupiers and genocidal mass murderers in the WB are dual US citizens. No mention that the US continues to ship weapons and ol’ Genocide JB has told everyone who opposes it to f-off. As is glaringly obvious, and even senior Israeli officials admit: this is all dependent on the support of the US.
The sick part of all this is that the “liberal” media tells us, as always, we have to still “vote” for JB ’cause “we have to stop DT”. The hypocrisy and contradictions should be clear: we have to support genocide to stop the DT. Sadly, millions of electronically-lobotomized “voters” will go along, no matter if the puppet emperor has serious dementia, or not.
And to make it even worse: even if DT (or even RFK Jr.) becomes the next “elected” emperor, the genocide will continue.
Al Jazeera is reporting a vastly higher number of dead and injured in the occupied West Bank: https://www.aljazeera.com/news/longform/2023/10/9/israel-hamas-war-in-maps-and-charts-live-tracker