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The Uptick in Israeli Settler Violence

Jerusalem24 – Israeli settlers stormed the northern entrance of the Al-Bireh, attacking Palestinian vehicles, opening fire on Palestinian homes. They did this the day before yesterday. A few weeks ago Israeli settlers entered the northern neighborhoods of AL-Bireh over dawn, spray painting anti-Arab graffiti damaging some vehicles.  Now the Israeli military has claimed it opened an investigation into the attack. The same way it investigated attacks a few years ago, but no arrests were and nothing happened. Settlers have been attacking Palestinians near the DCO checkpoint, آorth of Al-Bireh and no one was there to stop them.

Driving back home the other night I had already known that the entrance to my hometown was besieged by armed groups of settlers, with no one stopping them, or protecting me. Past few years, Israeli settlers have increased their attacks against Palestinian homes in the West Bank. I took a different route to get back to Ramallah, but I won’t lie if I wasn’t thinking that we could be ambushed anywhere else.

An Israeli rights group has said it documented 451 incidents of settler violence on Palestinians since early 2020, with Israeli forces not intervening to stop the attacks in the majority of cases.

In a report published on Sunday, B’Tselem said in 66 percent of the incidents when settlers in the occupied West Bank attacked Palestinians, Israeli forces did not go to the scene.

In 170 of the cases where the army did arrive, troops either chose not to intervene to protect the Palestinians or actively joined the attack.

In just 13 cases, Israeli forces took action to “prevent the settler violence”, according to B’Tselem.

“Settler attacks against Palestinians are a strategy employed by the Israeli apartheid regime, which seeks to advance and complete its misappropriation of more and more Palestinian land,” the rights group said in its report. “When the violence occurs with permission and assistance from the Israeli authorities and under its auspices, it is state violence. The settlers are not defying the state; they are doing its bidding.”

Israel, which has occupied the West Bank since 1967, rejects claims that its treatment of the Palestinians amounts to apartheid.

There was no immediate comment by Israel’s security forces on B’Tselem’s findings.

Mohammad Hamayel

Ramallah based journalist, Mohammad graduated from Al-Quds University with a B.A. in Media and Television. He has covered the 2015 Jerusalem Intifada as well as the Great March of Return for international media outlets. currently an editor/presenter at Jerusalem24. A UN alumni and a follower of global events and politics, especially American affairs.

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