Hundreds of Israelis protested against settler violence at Habima Square in Tel Aviv on Thursday, against the backdrop of a sharp escalation of attacks in the West Bank.
The protest, organized by The Peace Partnership initiative, is the first of its kind to specifically target this kind of violence, calling for the government and security officials to move from verbal condemnations to action.
Several individuals and activists injured in the West Bank violence spoke at the protest.
Tour guide Oded Papourish, an Israeli activist injured in the village of Kusra last month, emphasized at the protest that settler violence “relies on the understanding that Israel's law enforcement will always stand by their side.”
Settlers attack unarmed individuals, Papourish went on, noting that if there had been any actual government action, “those who attacked us would have been behind bars yesterday, or at the very least would not have returned to the outpost and continued their violence at this very moment."
“These hilltop farms are not 'weeds' or 'fringe youth' - this terror is an inseparable part of the settlement enterprise,” said Oded Yadaya, principal of Minshar School of Art in Tel Aviv, IDF veteran, and Protective Presence activist, who was injured in an attack in the village of Beita near Nablus. "They receive backing, budgets, and weapons from the state and its authorities.”
“And when something happens, the police will always arrest us and not them, and the courts will always favor the rioter's version, even without conducting an investigation."
Settler violence must be stopped
Adi Cohen, a retiree and volunteer with the Protective Presence organization, who was also injured in Kusra, added that there is “no justification for such violence, not against us [Israeli activists] and not against Palestinians. Not against any human being.”
“The settler terror that harmed us, and that harms many people every single day, must be stopped.”
Settler violence "must be addressed at every level,” added Yael Levkowitz, a teacher and volunteer with Protective Presence, also injured in Kusra. “From the violent youth, to the settlers and the willfully blind public, all the way to the authorities who enable them.”
If the state and IDF are unwilling “or unable” to address the ongoing violence, then those, “whose duty to future generations is not to stand aside and stay silent,” will continue to protest and act against it, she went on.
The protest was organized by The Peace Partnership initiative, together with Looking the Occupation in the Eye, Jordan Valley activists, the Standing Together and Hadash movements, and the Rabbis for Human Rights organization.