The influential Israeli Rabbi Eliakim Levanon, known for his close ties to far-right currents, issued a remarkable statement condemning the escalation of settler attacks against Palestinians in the occupied West Bank. In an open letter, Levanon affirmed that harming property or inflicting physical injury on any human being, regardless of their religion, constitutes unethical behavior. This statement comes amidst a peak in settler violence.
This condemnation comes at a time when Palestinians mourned the bodies of four martyrs who died in recent hours from settler bullets in various areas. Three young men were killed in a bloody attack targeting the village of Abu Falah, northeast of Ramallah, while the fourth was martyred in the Wadi al-Rakheem area, south of the West Bank, reflecting the widening scope of direct targeting of civilians.
In successive field developments, medical and local sources reported that a number of citizens were injured and bruised as a result of attacks carried out by groups of settlers on towns and villages in the northern and southern West Bank. These attacks focused on the towns of Beita, Jama'in, and Aqraba around Nablus, where the assailants used severe beatings and sprayed toxic pepper gas at unarmed citizens.
Attacks were not limited to the northern West Bank but extended to Khirbet Hamroush, affiliated with the town of Sa'ir, north of Hebron, where settlers attacked residents and assaulted them. These attacks are part of a series of continuous attempts to terrorize Palestinian residents in areas classified as 'C' to impose a new geographical and demographic reality that serves settlement expansion.
For its part, Hebrew press reports indicated that these attacks cannot be described as isolated or spontaneous incidents, but rather are part of an organized strategy falling under the name of 'Jewish terrorism.' This systematic policy aims to create a state of permanent friction and psychological and material pressure on Palestinians to make their daily lives impossible in their historical lands.
Observers and analysts believe that the ultimate goal of this escalation is to push Palestinian residents to leave their villages voluntarily or by force, in what is described as 'gradual displacement.' These operations take place under a cover of silence or sometimes implicit support, which encourages extremist groups to continue destroying agricultural facilities and demolishing homes to undermine the elements of Palestinian survival.
Official data issued by the Wall and Settlement Resistance Commission indicates that settler attacks alone have resulted in the martyrdom of 42 Palestinians since the outbreak of the war on October 8, 2023. These figures reflect a dangerous shift in the role of settlers, who have become a parallel military force targeting remote and marginalized Palestinian communities in particular.
Regarding the total toll, attacks by occupation forces and settlers in the West Bank since the same date have led to the martyrdom of 1,125 people and the injury of approximately 11,700 others with varying degrees of wounds. These statistics show the extent of excessive force used against Palestinians in various governorates, coinciding with the continuation of widespread military operations in the Gaza Strip.
In a related context, the occupation authorities continue their frantic arrest campaigns, which have targeted about 22,000 Palestinians since the beginning of the recent escalation, in an attempt to break the will of popular resistance. These arrests are accompanied by widespread destruction of private property and infrastructure in camps and cities, exacerbating the economic and social suffering of citizens.
The scene in the West Bank remains open to further escalation in light of the continued policy of settlement expansion and the demolition of vital facilities. With increasing international warnings of a complete explosion of the situation, Palestinians continue their steadfastness in the face of displacement attempts, despite the heavy human and material cost imposed by the reality of occupation and settlers.
Damaging property, let alone harming anyone, Jewish or non-Jewish, is an immoral act.
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Right-wing rabbi condemns settler attacks amid escalating killings and displacement in the West Bank