Israel has for years deflected allegations of Jewish settlers trying to drive Palestinians out of their land as a result their violence has reached a new level of sophistication with authorities permitting and even encouraging it a new report by the Hebrew daily Yediot Ahranot paper revealed this week.
The paper referred to the terrorist group known as “The hilltop youth” in Israel as “The Hilltop Force&rdquo.
The paper pointed out that huge budgets were allocated to these groups to gain more control over Palestinian territories.
Last week has seen an increase in Jewish settler violence which resulted in the killing of the Palestinian young man Qusai Maatan in Barqa town.
According to the report Israel uses countless lies and excuses to deflect allegations of settler violence: it’s a &ldquoseasonal&rdquo occurrence limited to the olive harvest it’s the work of &ldquobad apples&rdquo &ndash a handful of disaffected fundamentalist teens it happens out of sight in remote illegal outposts law enforcement agencies are on it the police are investigating and the military is refining protocol yet again.
Yediot quoted one of the settler leaders as saying that some of these terrorists disagree even with Itamar Ben Gvir as he recognizes the State of Israel while they believe that the State of Israel must be dismantled and rebuilt again.
The paper confirmed that over the past three years dozens of settlement outposts were established without formal permit most of which are inhabited by one family accompanied by a number of &ldquoyoung volunteers&rdquo.
The settlers use violence against Palestinians all year round on a daily basis throughout the West Bank: in established settlements in isolated outposts and in the dozens of &ldquofarms&rdquo formed in recent years at the hands of teens or adults ordinary settlers or settlement officials. Some areas suffer more but none are exempt.
Since 2020 settlers from outposts were violently expropriating private Palestinian land where tens of thousands of dunums were taken over by settlers from outposts termed &ldquoagricultural farms&rdquo.
Meanwhile the Israeli army has protected the settlers while they carry out assaults and take over land branches of government subsidize outposts – settlement established without formal permits – on the expropriated land while the State’s Attorney Office and other authorities protect them from eviction.
Furthermore violent settlers and those who send and finance them enjoy near complete immunity from the resulting harm to Palestinians. They are very rarely arrested investigated or prosecuted. Soldiers often stand by while settlers go on a rampage.
The intimidation of Palestinians by Jewish settlers in the West Bank is a tool in the hands of the Israeli government. After all the Israeli occupation does exactly what these settlers do &ndash it expropriates land water and natural resources and blocks sustainable Palestinian development.
