When 'Citizenship' Doesn't Mean 'Protection'
CASE A: The 'Racist Attack' in Beit She'an The New Arab reports on an incident where Israeli settler students from a religious pre-military academy near Beit She'an attacked Palestinian children, citizens of Israel, using pepper spray and racial slurs. The ensuing outrage is palpable among the Palestinian community, with calls for accountability for the perpetrators and the educational
institution. Curiously, while Israeli authorities are reportedly 'investigating,' the speed and fervor of such investigations often slow to a crawl when the victims are Palestinian and the perpetrators are Jewish settlers. The children were on a school trip, minding their own business, when they were accosted by students from the 'Har Bracha' academy. One might wonder why a 'pre-military'
institution—ostensibly preparing for national service—appears to be training its charges in civilian harassment. CASE B: Settler Violence in the West Bank – A Foreshadowing Contrast this with the long-documented pattern of settler violence in the occupied West Bank. Organizations like B'Tselem (2023) and the UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA, 2023) have consistently
reported a dramatic increase in settler attacks, often with Israeli military presence either standing by or actively participating in the displacement of Palestinian communities. For instance, following the October 7, 2023, attacks, OCHA documented over 1,200 settler attacks leading to casualties or damage to property, with many forcing entire communities to abandon their homes. The common thread?