Settler Violence Called 'Harvest Destruction,' Not State Policy
Mainstream media frames it as 'settler violence' destroying the olive harvest, implying rogue actors. What they gloss over is that this isn't random vigilantism; it's a feature, not a bug, of an occupation that has, since 1967, systematically dispossessed Palestinians. This 'violence' ensures Palestinian lands lie fallow, ripe for expropriation by the very settlements Israel officially subsidizes
and protects. (Remember B'Tselem's report on settlement expansion ? It wasn't just a suggestion.) We're meant to see a 'cycle of violence,' yet one side wields bulldozers, F-16s, and international diplomatic protection, while the other defends generational olive trees. When President Biden consistently approves billions in unconditional aid to Israel—most recently an $26 billion supplemental
package signed into law in April 2024 —one might wonder how much 'surprise' there truly is when this 'settler violence' escalates, year after year. It's not destruction; it's de-development, by design. What do we call it when the funding for the mechanism of oppression comes from our own tax payers?