News Desk - The Cradle
Between 2010 and 2019, settlers have killed at least 22 Palestinians and injured over 1,200
“In the first six months of 2023, Jews were behind 25 incidents that have been classified by Israeli defense officials as terrorism, compared with 25 acts of Jewish terror throughout all of 2022,” the newspaper wrote on 8 August.
These attacks include “firebombing” and acts of vandalism against homes and mosques.
The report also highlights an increase in what Israel Hayom refers to as “price-tag events,” which is described by the newspaper as “settlers arriving at various Palestinian locations” to carry out “revenge” attacks “in response to terrorism.”
This was the case after the shooting in Nablus’ village of Huwara in February, which led to two Israeli deaths and triggered a brutal settler ‘pogrom’ on the town. At the time, one Palestinian was killed, and hundreds were injured. Numerous homes and vehicles were destroyed.
Another brutal, five-day rampage was carried out by settlers across the West Bank in response to a shooting in June.
“Security officials are concerned over these trends,” the report says, particularly over the “rise in the number of Jewish terrorists” not linked to the fundamentalist Hilltop Youth group or other extremist settler organizations.
“In the past, such provocateurs could be easily identified based on their pattern of behavior and area of activity, but today there are many more people engaged in these actions that fly beneath the Shin Bet security agency's radar.”
On Friday, 4 August, armed Israeli settlers stormed the West Bank village of Burqa, triggering skirmishes with residents of the area. 19-year-old Qusai Jamal Matan was shot dead by one of the settlers.
The settler’s legal defense team has claimed he was defending himself, and according to Israel Hayom, an investigation is ongoing.
In a rare move, Washington labeled Matan’s killing as a “terrorist” attack, and has maintained its position.
Israeli authorities have reportedly arrested a number of settlers linked to the incident.
Israel has been accused of not taking settler crimes as seriously as they should. Earlier this year, several settlers linked to the brutal Huwara ‘pogrom’ were released from their brief detention.
The Israeli army has also been seen protecting settlers carrying out violent and provocative acts against Palestinians.
Additionally, members of the current government have continued to encourage such actions. When the settler attack on Huwara took place in February, Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich called for the Palestinian village to be “wiped out.”
Just days ago, after Matan’s death, National Security Minister Itamar Ben Gvir referred to the suspects in the killing as “heroes.”
On 5 August, an Israeli general admitted that Tel Aviv green lights settler violence.
According to Al-Jazeera, “between 2010 and 2019, nearly 3,000 Israeli settler attacks killed at least 22 Palestinians and injured 1,258 others across the occupied West Bank.”
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