Over the past week, a group of diplomats, a representative of the Catholic Church and a Washington Post journalist have been attacked in the West Bank by violent settlers. This is appalling, but sadly not surprising. Given the impunity this Israeli government has afforded settlers, it should shock no one that even accredited diplomats cannot escape settler violence. Tellingly, Prime Minister Netanyahu’s first instinct was not to condemn these attacks but to cast doubt on whether they happened at all.
Too often, the incidents that reach the headlines are those involving members of the international community. But if this is what happens when the cameras are on, one can only imagine the daily reality for ordinary Palestinians when no one is there to document it. Every time these attacks happen, we must be clear: settler violence is part of a system of state-sanctioned violence. The settler enterprise operates unchecked, terrorising Palestinian communities and anyone else who dares to step into the crossfire.
As the deadline for bids on the E1 settlement passes today, we are reminded how urgent action has become.
We welcome the Foreign Secretary’s clear warning that those who bid for E1 tenders risk sanctions, legal and reputational consequences, and complicity in serious breaches of international law. The UK cannot be a bystander to the destruction of the two-state solution. All who care about the future of Israelis and Palestinians alike must not allow what we have witnessed in the West Bank this week to become the permanent reality.
Israelis go to the polls next week. Whatever the outcome, settler violence and the expanding settlement enterprise must continue to be opposed by the international community if a new and better reality is ever to emerge.