Israeli Analysis: Condemnations of 'Settler Violence' Are Just a Cover for Silent Ethnic Cleansing in the West Bank

Israeli writer and journalist Oren Ziv considered the recent widespread condemnations by officials, ministers, and military leaders regarding what is known as 'settler violence' to be nothing more than a smokescreen aimed at obscuring the harsh truth. Ziv affirmed in an analytical article that this violence fundamentally represents an official policy systematically adopted by Israeli state institutions.

The writer explained that the term 'settler violence' is used as a euphemism to describe organized and planned attacks launched against Palestinians in the occupied West Bank. These attacks primarily aim to force Palestinian residents to leave their lands and facilitate forced displacement in favor of settlement expansion.

The article noted that the escalation of these assaults and murders since the beginning of the recent confrontations has brought the issue back to the forefront of international and local headlines. This escalation prompted far-right ministers and the army chief of staff to issue unusual verbal condemnations, in an attempt to absorb the growing anger.

In the context of the official stance, Ziv pointed out that Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu merely conducted security assessments behind closed doors, avoiding public condemnation of these actions as is his custom. Analysts believe that this silence reflects a desire to maintain the governmental coalition that supports the settlement project with all its tools.

The writer believes that these condemnations do not reflect a real change in security or political doctrine, but rather a recurring pattern that emerges when the assaults cause international embarrassment for Israel. These statements usually appear when the state's image abroad is damaged, while Palestinian victims are completely absent from the core of these official condemnations.

The analysis revealed that external pressures, especially from the American administration, played a significant role in triggering this wave of statements. US Secretary of State Marco Rubio demanded that the Israeli government take concrete measures, making it difficult to continue claiming that these attacks are individual acts.

Despite the Israeli establishment's rhetorical acknowledgment of what it calls 'Jewish terrorism,' this acknowledgment remains devoid of any real punitive measures. This is because settler violence is considered an effective tool for the state to achieve demographic and geographical gains on the ground without bearing direct legal responsibility.

Statistics monitored since the end of last February indicate more than 305 incidents of assault in 139 different areas in the West Bank. These attacks resulted in the martyrdom of 7 people and the injury of hundreds, as well as the displacement of entire communities under threat of arms and with the support of settlers wearing military uniforms.

Ziv affirmed that there is close coordination between settlers and security forces, as many of the attackers serve in the army's regional defense battalions. Official condemnations ignore the fact that the army often provides protection to settlers during their assaults, instead of protecting unarmed Palestinian civilians.

The writer concluded that the ultimate goal of this systematic process is to confine Palestinians to narrow urban enclaves and seize open areas. This policy will continue to expand as long as international reactions remain limited to verbal condemnations that do not impose a new reality or stop the silent ethnic cleansing project.

The term settler violence is merely a euphemism for organized attacks launched against Palestinians with the aim of displacing them from their lands.