Friends --
Last week’s settler attack in the West Bank started with masked settlers assaulting Palestinian farmers, slitting the throats of their sheep and destroying water and power utilities.
It ended with a three-year-old in the hospital.
During the attack, a settler’s rock crashed through three-year-old Muhammad’s window, slamming into his head. Reports indicate that although IDF personnel were present, they were only seen to fire tear gas and stun grenades at Palestinians when they sought to push the attackers back.
Muhammad’s skull was fractured. His brain started bleeding internally. For days, his parents were barred by Israel’s border authorities from being by his side in the hospital.
I’m an Israeli-American. I grew up in Be'er Sheva, just miles from the Palestinian town of Mufaqara where this attack happened. I now live in the US, but the fear, violence and inequity we witnessed last week still hits very close to home.
I’m disgusted by these attacks. Distressed at the thought of young Muhammad alone in the hospital. Sickened to know that very few of those responsible for this attack -- and many other acts of settler violence and harassment -- will likely ever face justice.
And, if I’m being honest, I’m also scared. Scared for my Palestinian friends in the West Bank, as extremist settlers feel increasingly emboldened. Scared that so many in Israel and the United States seem willing to tolerate this reality. Scared of what it means for the future of Israel as a just, democratic homeland for the Jewish people.
Most of all, I’m scared of the future we’re forcing on kids like Muhammad -- stateless and unequal with no civil rights and no end in sight. Scared of a future in which we continue to hand automatic weapons to our own kids and ask them to defend unlawful settlements and -- too often -- to act as government-sponsored security guards for settlers bent on carrying out violent, ideological extremism.
As Americans, we have an obligation to make sure our government is doing far more to make clear that these attacks -- and the status quo of occupation that makes them possible -- are unacceptable.
That’s why -- however far off a two-state solution might appear -- I want to stress the moral urgency of Congress passing the Two-State Solution Act.
This is a truly pro-Israel, pro-peace bill designed to make sure the US is truly acting to promote peace, not just paying lip service. It’s a bill to undo Trump’s legacy. To reaffirm that settlements are illegal. That our security aid to Israel cannot be used to support settler violence, evictions, demolitions and the deepening of occupation. That we will not sit by quietly while disastrous right-wing policies imperil Israel’s future and oppress Palestinians.
While the scale of the attack -- over 80 settlers -- is truly shocking, we cannot claim to be surprised by either the nature of the violence or the IDF’s complicity.
A total of 416 anti-Palestinian attacks were reported in the first half of 2021 -- more than double that of the same period last year when Trump and Netanyahu were in office. It’s a number that also doesn’t account for the many Jewish activists and advocates who have also been attacked by settlers -- or beaten by soldiers -- as they attempt to support and protect Palestinians.
One IDF official told the Haaretz newspaper it was part of a more “permissive atmosphere” designed to help settlers “let off steam.” Those responsible are almost never brought to justice.
One rule for settlers. Another for Palestinians. Fuel for the cycle of injustice, retaliation and violence. A painful violation of Israel’s founding values of justice, equality and peace.
Together with other J Street supporters, I’m working with activists on the ground to help gather footage, to tell the stories of the occupation and to make sure our communities here in America -- where I now live -- are aware of and engaged with the harsh reality on the ground.
Together, we must be clear. The goal of these attackers is the same goal of the Israeli right writ large: To force Palestinians from their land, to build more Israeli settlements, and to secure permanent, undemocratic control over the entire West Bank. And ultimately, to prevent a peaceful two-state resolution to the conflict.
As Israel’s most important partner, the United States must stop enabling this spiral toward catastrophe -- we must stand up for the rights of both Israelis and Palestinians to live with peace, justice and self-determination.
Friends -- If you feel able, please consider a contribution to support J Street’s advocacy for the urgent passage of the Two-State Solution Act >>
Together, we must act on our commitment to Israel’s future, and to the security and freedom of both Israelis and Palestinians.
Yours sincerely,
Gili Getz
Fellow J Street Supporter
