Israeli defense officials slam Government for harming efforts to fight settlers’ violence

House and vehicle set on fire by Jewish settlers in village of Turmus Ayya, June 2023

Yaniv Kubovich and Hagar Shezaf report in Haaretz on 27 June 2023:

The Israeli government’s policy is disrupting efforts to counter hate crimes by Jewish settlers against Palestinians in the West Bank, senior defense officials told Haaretz.

The sources said that the Israel Defense Forces and the Shin Bet security service have, in recent months, lost control of the situation and of their ability to halt the settlers – who operate freely with the encouragement of ministers and coalition lawmakers.

The sources further told Haaretz that state officials are preventing them from bolstering security forces to counter settlers’ violence throughout the West Bank, do not approve of them evacuating illegal outposts and commands that they turn a blind eye to the movement of equipment into these sites.

“We actually don’t have any control over the mob of settlers, who do whatever they want in [the West Bank],” a senior defense source told Haaretz. “The police are nowhere to be found, and it’s doubtful that they’ll show up.”  The source added that there have been “hundreds of cases of nationalist crime by Jewish settlers” since the deadly shooting attack at the Eli settlement last week, with assailants setting fire to houses, vehicles and farmland.  “They also threw rocks at Palestinians and vehicles on highways,” the source continued, adding that there are also “many instances of violent attacks against Palestinian passersby who happen upon the scene.”

In recent days, there have been many violent incidents in which settlers attacked and vandalized Palestinian property throughout the West Bank.
Last week, a day after the Eli terror attack, about 200 settlers – some of them armed – set fire to houses, fields and cars in the Palestinian town of Turmus Ayya in the central West Bank. After the rioters left, clashes broke out between Israeli forces and the Palestinians, and a Palestinian man was killed.

Overnight between Wednesday and Thursday, settlers who arrived from the direction of the Yitzhar settlement set fire to a school in the Palestinian village of Urif, and – according to local residents – also tried to ignite houses and a mosque. On Thursday, Palestinians also reported casualties from an attack by dozens of settlers who rampaged in the village of Jalud, northeast of Ramallah, and damaged property in the village of Qaryut, east of Eli.

The most recent instance of violence took place on Saturday afternoon when a large mob of armed settlers stormed the Palestinian village of Umm Safa. The rioters wounded several Palestinians, and also set fire to four houses and 20 vehicles. Video footage from the scene showed one of the settlers firing toward the village with an automatic weapon.

A defense source told Haaretz that many of the rioters who rampaged in Umm Safa had traveled from the settlement of Shiloh with unregistered vehicles. When Israeli forces arrived at the settlement of Ateret to detain several of the rioters who had rampaged in Umm Safa, dozens of settlers from the Yitzhar area arrived at the scene and blocked their path.  “We shouldn’t be surprised. The writing was on the wall,” the source said. “Their racism, how they cursed [us], their violence against army officers, the lack of control by their leaders.”

A torched Palestinian house after the settler rampage in Turmus Ayya

The army’s attempts to arrest the rioters led to an attack on Binyamin Territorial Brigade commander Col. Eliav Elbaz, after he was recorded checking vehicles leaving the settlement of Ateret on Saturday night. Settlers posted ad hominem attacks against Elbaz on social media, calling for his dismissal, along with pictures of the commander and his phone number. On Monday evening, Elbaz was banished from the shiva, the seven-day mourning period for one of the victims of the Eli shooting. He was called “a murderer” by the attendees.

National Security Minister Itamar Ben-Gvir referred to Elbaz’s actions – checking the vehicles of settlers – as “collective punishment,” adding that he instructed the police to investigate. Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich, who is also a minister in the Defense Ministry, additionally said that “The collective punishment that is being carried out against settlers in Ateret is outrageous.”

Several senior defense officials harshly criticized the settlers. One official told Haaretz that “It’s not a handful [of rioters] and not a few ‘bad apples.’ We’re talking about hundreds of people, and they’re entering the mainstream. In the past, there were just a few dozen of them hiding in the dark. Today, they’re out in full daylight, and have the support of lawmakers and ministers. If the national security minister tells them to ‘Run to the hilltops,’ what would you expect to happen on Saturday afternoon?”

The official added that due to the diversion of forces to prevent settler violence in recent days, several military operations had been cancelled – including planned arrests and the demolition of a terrorist’s home. The source went on to say that the settler leadership is afraid to confront the rioters regarding their actions.

Settlers have also established several new illegal outposts and structures throughout the West Bank with the backing of senior state officials, including a farm near the village of Umm Safa – sparking clashes between Palestinian residents and the settlers. Security officials were ordered not to evacuate the settlers.

In recent days, senior officials have made it clear to the defense establishment that they prefer direct dialogue with settlers and to avoid settler communication with defense officials. A decision was also made to stop monitoring and enforcing the law on Palestinians engaged in illegal construction. Representatives who were present during the discussion explained that only enforcing the law against Palestinians while allowing Israeli settlers to act as they wish is illegal under international law and will harm the IDF’s sovereignty in the West Bank.

Lawyers representing Palestinians have begun filing lawsuits against the state in recent weeks for attacks and destruction of their clients’ property. The claims could reach a total sum of tens of millions of shekels. The security establishment fears that ignoring these lawsuits will lead the plaintiffs to turn to the International Court of Justice or other international organizations.

IDF Chief of Staff Herzl Halevi, Shin Bet Chief Ronen Bar and Police Commissioner Kobi Shabtai denounced the series of settler attacks in the West Bank on Saturday in a joint statement, claiming they plan to step up efforts against them.  “In recent days, violent attacks in Judea and Samaria have been carried out by Israeli citizens against innocent Palestinians,” they said. “These attacks contradict all Jewish values and are nationalist terror in every sense, and we are obligated to stop them.”

“We call on settlement leaders, educators and public leaders to publicly denounce these acts of violence,” they added, as such violence “only fuels Palestinian attacks, harms Israeli security as well as the international legitimacy of Israeli security forces.”

The Mateh Binyamin Regional Council, in which the settler attacks occurred last week, published a document on Monday denouncing these condemnations – which according to settlers “have distorted reality.” Yisrael Gantz, head of the regional council, is a close associated of Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich and was involved in negotiations that led to the formation of the current government.

“These statements cause hard feelings among us because [it shows that] the heads of the security establishment no longer distinguish between what is primary and secondary. Their [judgment] is blurred, and they cannot distinguish between daily, systematic and murderous terrorism against Jews and acts of criminality […],” the document said.  It went on to say that such condemnations “Harmed the settlers and their image and caused Israel great damage abroad.” It also criticized the army for not imposing a curfew on Palestinian villages.

In November 2021, then Defense Minister Benny Gantz and his deputy Alon Shuster, together with the heads of the defense establishment, decided to form two special units to eradicate hate crimes. One included state officials that worked with the defense establishment and representatives of government ministries. The second was led by the commander of the IDF’s Judea and Samaria division and included representatives from various security organizations and government ministries.

The teams were supposed to investigate hate crimes throughout the West Bank and gather information about settler crimes and plans to attack Palestinians. However, despite the spike in hate crimes in recent months, the teams have remained inactive since the current government was established.

Eight suspects are still in custody for involvement in the attacks against Palestinians. Eleven were in custody until Monday, but Judge Zion Saharay released three suspected of arson, vandalizing property and stone throwing. Saharay stated that at this stage, there is no reasonable suspicion to justify holding the detainees any longer.

Five of the detainees who are still in custody were issued an order preventing them from meeting with their lawyers. However, the Jerusalem District Court overturned this following an appeal filed by attorney Nati Rom of the Honenu right-wing legal aid organization. Two of the detainees suspected of involvement in the Umm Safa riots are IDF soldiers.

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