Israeli President Condemns Violence After Decades of Settler Immunity
When Israeli President Isaac Herzog calls settler violence 'shocking,' one has to ask: shocking to whom? For decades, organizations like Btselem have meticulously documented the systematic harassment, land theft, and physical assaults targeting Palestinians by Israeli settlers, often under the purview—or direct complicity—of the Israeli military. The UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian
Affairs (OCHA) reported a significant increase in settler attacks in the West Bank in 2023, yet suddenly, after an olive harvest assault, it's 'shocking.' Critics might suggest that the 'shock' isn't at the violence itself, but perhaps at its becoming too public to ignore as international scrutiny intensifies. This isn't a new phenomenon. Former Israeli Prime Minister Ariel Sharon, for instance,
in 1998, called on settlers to 'grab as many hilltops as they can,' a clear directive to expand settlements irrespective of international law. The official condemnation now rings hollow when the systemic violence has been an open secret, often tacitly, if not explicitly, supported by government policies that provide infrastructure, resources, and legal protection for these illegal outposts. How
many 'shocking' incidents does it take before rhetoric translates into genuine accountability and an end to the illegal occupation that fuels it?