By Laura Zuber
Impunity Watch Senior Desk Officer, Middle East

SAMUA, West Bank – Major General Gadi Shamni, the Israeli military commander in the occupied West Bank, said settler violence against Palestinians and Israeli soldiers was on the rise.  On October 2, Shamni gave an interview with Ha’aretz, an Israeli newspaper, where he criticized the increase of violence by Israeli settlers in West Bank.

“There has been a rise in Jewish violence in Judea and Samaria. In the past, only a few dozen individuals took part in such activity, but today that number has grown into the hundreds. That’s a very significant change. These hundreds are engaged in conspiratorial actions against Palestinians and the security forces. It’s a very grave phenomenon,” said Shamni.  He added that the radical behavior among right-wing extremists has grown in light of “the backing of part of the leadership, both rabbinical and public, whether in explicit statements or tacitly.”

A recent UN report recorded 222 acts of settler violence in the first half of 2008 compared with 291 in all of 2007.  Such acts include a September 13 attack by a large group of settlers in the village of Asira al-Qibliya.  During the attack settler hurled stones, firedshots and vandalized property.  Three Palestinians were said to be shot and wounded.  Settlers said that the act was in response to an earlier stabbing of an Israeli boy by a Palestinian.

Also in September, an attempt by soldiers to confiscate construction material at an unauthorized outpost ended in a violent confrontation.   One Israeli army officer suffered a broken hand.  A second was bitten by a dog handled by a settler.  Also, in Hebron, an officer was attacked after trying to prevent Jewish children from hurling stones at Palestinians.

In addition, left-wing Israelis have become targets.  On September 25, Ze’ev Sternhell, an outspoken critic of Israeli settlements in the West Bank, was injured when a pipe bomb exploded outside his front door.  In the investigation following the attack, police found a leaflet offering a one million shekel reward to anyone who kills a member of Peace Now, an Israeli anti-settlement organization.

Sarit Michaeli, a spokesman for B’Tselem, said the recent attention to settler violence is the result of the fact that Israeli security forces are becoming targets of attacks.  “The problem traditionally has been that the army often washes its hands of law enforcement with the settlers, or even assists them. We hear commanders say that it is their job to fight Palestinian terror, not to deal with settler violence. That understanding of their responsibilities contradicts international law. As an occupying force, they must protect the safety and welfare of the Palestinian population.”

In response to the increase in settler violence, Israeli Defense Minister Ehud Barak has urged tougher penalties for settlers who attack Palestinian property.  However, the vast majority of attacks on Palestinians go unreported.  In addition, human rights group Yesh Din stated that less than one in 10 reported attacks on Palestinians leads to an indictment and most reported attacks end in acquittals.

In related news, prominent settler leader, Daniela Weiss, was detained on October 2 for attacking police officers near the settlement of Kedumim, of which she is local council head.  The confrontation followed an evacuation of Shvut Ami, an illegal West Bank outpost, by a combined force of police and the Israel Defense Forces.  According to witnesses, shortly after the outpost was evacuated, activists came to the area and confronted the police.  During the clashes, a Palestinian-owned olive grove was set on fire.

For more information, please see:

Chicago Tribune – West Bank on Edge as Young Radicals Settle In – 4 October 2008

The Electronic Intifada – Israel’s Army and Settlers Fall Out – 3 October 2008

Telegraph – Jewish Terrorism Threatens Israel – 3 October 2008

AFP – Israeli Commander Says Settler Violence Rising – 2 October 2008

Ha’aretz – IDF West Bank Commander: Rightist Violence Encouraged by Settler Leaders – 2 October 2008

Ha’aretz – Settler Leader Detained After Clashing with Police During Outpost Evacuation – 2 October 2008

Ma’an News Agency – Israel: Settler Attacks on Palestinians, Israeli Soldiers Increasing – 2 October 2008