Jasper Nathaniel on Settler Violence and US Complicity in the West Bank

Escalating Violence in the West Bank

• 🚨 The situation in the West Bank has been spiraling for years, with violence often escalating during ostensible ceasefires in Gaza, suggesting a quid pro quo for right-wing Israeli politicians.
• 🌾 Olive harvest season is historically a dangerous time, exploited by settlers to terrorize Palestinians and disrupt their livelihoods.
• 🎯 Settlers are increasingly targeting wealthier Palestinian-American communities, aiming to occupy their homes and land.

The Murder of Auda Hathalin

• 💔 In Umay, a Bedouin village, settlers from a legal settlement built an outpost adjacent to the village, leading to daily harassment and property destruction.
• 🔫 A notorious settler, Yinan Levy, known for violence and armed by the government, bulldozed through the village, cut utilities, and then shot and killed Auda Hathalin, a beloved teacher and activist, while he held his child.
• ⚖️ Despite video evidence, Levy was briefly detained, then released, with some Israeli media framing it as an attempted lynching, used to justify further arming settlers.

Attack in Turmus’ayya Olive Fields

• 🏡 In Turmus’ayya, a town with many Palestinian-American residents, farmers organized a caravan to access their olive fields, which serve as a buffer zone against encroaching settlements.
• 🚫 Settlers, including a known menace named Amish Malt, blocked roads with firearms, and the Israeli military, present at the scene, inexplicably sped away, leaving Palestinians and journalists vulnerable.
• 🤕 A mob of masked settlers attacked, throwing rocks, setting a car on fire, and brutally clubbing a Palestinian grandmother unconscious, an act captured on video and widely circulated.

US Government Inaction and Complicity

• 📧 Despite being American citizens attacked by Israeli settlers, pleas to US Senators like Schumer and Gillibrand, and the US Embassy, were met with indifference or dismissive responses, citing the host nation's responsibility.
• 🚫 The US government has consistently deferred to Israel for investigations into the killing or brutalization of Palestinian-Americans, with no meaningful pressure applied for accountability.
• 🗣️ The Israeli government, while sometimes responding to international outrage with symbolic actions, continues its de facto annexation of the West Bank, dismantling Palestinian Authority and marginalizing Palestinians.

Settler Ideology and Impunity

• 🗺️ Settlers, often driven by a belief in biblical and historical claims to the land, view their actions as part of a project to create a Jewish territory, using the same language as early Zionist movements.
• 📺 Figures like Daniella Weiss exemplify the brazenness of the settler movement, refusing to acknowledge evidence of violence and demonstrating a profound sense of impunity.
• 🤝 While the US government prioritizes normalization with Gulf states and financial ties, the ongoing violence and lack of accountability in the West Bank highlight a deep-seated deference to Israel, even at the expense of American citizens.