Israeli military ‘complicit’ in settler violence in the occupied West Bank: Lawyer

Key Concepts

• Settler Violence: Attacks carried out by Israeli settlers against Palestinians in the occupied West Bank.
• Occupied Territories: Areas under Israeli occupation, specifically the West Bank in this context.
• International Humanitarian Law: A set of rules that seek to limit the effects of armed conflict for humanitarian reasons.
• Area C: The largest portion of the West Bank (approximately 60%), under full Israeli civil and security control.
• War Crime: A grave breach of the laws and customs applicable in international armed conflict.
• Complicity: The act of helping or encouraging someone to commit a crime.

Summary of Events and Analysis

This report details a series of attacks perpetrated by Israeli settlers against Palestinians in the occupied West Bank on a Saturday. The violence occurred in multiple locations, highlighting a pattern of escalating aggression.

Attacks on Palestinians and International Activists

In Beta, south of Nablus, settlers attacked Palestinians and international activists who were engaged in harvesting olives. The settlers hurled stones at the group, resulting in injuries. Near Ramallah, settlers set fire to a Palestinian home in the early morning hours. Fortunately, the residents managed to escape before the house was completely destroyed. The report indicates that several individuals were wounded in other settler attacks across the occupied West Bank, with the Israeli army providing support to the settlers.

Legal and Human Rights Perspective

Muhammad Tali, a lawyer and human rights advocate from occupied East Jerusalem, provided an analysis of the situation. He described the settler violence as ongoing and noted that settlers often exploit periods of heightened conflict or military operations in Gaza to intensify their actions. Their primary objectives, according to Tali, are to seize more land, uproot Palestinian trees, and displace Palestinians from their homes. The ultimate goal, he stated, is to expel Palestinians from their homeland and annex these territories to Israel, particularly areas designated as Area C or those strategically located near settlements and highways leading to them.

Tali emphasized that settlers often target Palestinian villages far from urban centers, where Palestinians lack protection. He explained that Palestinian security forces are either absent in these rural areas or are constrained by existing agreements between Israel and the PLO, limiting their ability to intervene. This lack of protection leads to consequences such as burning homes, trees, and cars, and the injury or killing of innocent Palestinians, even during routine activities like olive harvesting.

Responsibility of the Israeli Government

Under international humanitarian law, the Israeli government bears full responsibility for protecting the rights of Palestinians in the occupied territories. Tali highlighted that in the past, human rights organizations, including Israeli ones, held some hope that the Israeli military would fulfill its obligations as an occupying force. These organizations, including Tali himself, actively pursued legal avenues within the Israeli system by filing complaints and petitions with the Israeli police, investigation system, and the army, requesting protection for Palestinians and investigations into settler violence. They also attempted to file civil cases for damages incurred by Palestinians.

However, Tali expressed a significant loss of faith in the Israeli legal system over the past decade. He stated that the Israeli army's apparatus has, in many instances, attempted to cover up these crimes rather than investigate them. This has resulted in a near-zero indictment rate for settlers despite thousands of complaints filed. The situation has reached a point where renowned Israeli human rights organizations have ceased cooperating with the process, deeming the army complicit and finding no purpose in filing further complaints.

International Community's Response

Tali conveyed his frustration with the international community's perceived inaction and lack of understanding regarding the situation in the occupied West Bank. He contrasted the immediate labeling of any Palestinian action as "terror" and the subsequent sanctions imposed on Palestinians with the international community's minimal response to settler violence. He pointed out that the presence of settlers in occupied territories is itself a criminal act and a war crime under international law.

While acknowledging that some sanctions have been imposed on a few individual settlers, Tali argued that sanctions should be applied to all settlers. He suggested that if international law were truly enforced, countries would prohibit settlers from entering their territories and deny them visas. Instead, he observed, sanctions are selectively applied to a small fraction of the hundreds of thousands of settlers residing illegally in occupied land.

Conclusion

The report underscores a pattern of escalating settler violence in the occupied West Bank, characterized by attacks on Palestinians and their property, often with the tacit or active support of the Israeli army. Legal and human rights advocates express deep concern over the lack of accountability within the Israeli system and the international community's insufficient response to these violations of international law. The situation highlights the vulnerability of Palestinians in the occupied territories and the ongoing challenges in ensuring their protection and rights.