Editorial – Haaretz, Israel
The decision to arm and mobilize thousands of settlers for military service in the occupied territories, and to station them where they live, and in close proximity to Palestinians, some of whom they know and hate, seemed at first an irresponsible decision by Maj. Gen. Yehuda Fuchs, head of the army’s Central Command.
Three months later, it’s clear that this was a reckless move, accompanied by a lack of supervision over and punishment of rogue soldiers. Testimonies by Palestinians subjected to threats and violence by mobilized settlers and soldiers in general have multiplied, mainly since the war began, at an alarming rate (as reported by Hagar Shezaf, Haaretz, Jan. 5).
The boundary between the settlements and the army, which was blurred in any case before the war, was completely erased once hostilities began. Palestinians testify that since the start of the war, settlers who were until a short time ago neighbors harassing them have appeared in uniform, with weapons and the authority of the Israel Defense Forces.
The soldiers are joined by settlers, some of them residents of outposts known to be ones harassing Palestinians, who have now received military weapons from the IDF. This is not a new phenomenon. In the past, there were reports indicating that the army admitted that there was no real monitoring of weapons distributed in the West Bank.
However, the distribution of 7,000 firearms to mobilized settlers and others who meet the broad criteria entitling them to receive army weapons in the West Bank since the start of the war has led to a deterioration of the situation there.
Among the people inducted and given weapons are those who in the past admitted to and were convicted of assaulting Palestinians. One of the justifications used by the IDF for distributing arms to settlers who are not soldiers is that they live in illegal outposts situated in dangerous locations. If the outpost is illegal and the location dangerous, what justification is there for distributing weapons that enable the continued existence of the outpost? This is patent support for illegal activities.
Shortly after Fuchs assumed his post, he came on a visit, a rare and exceptional one, to the Palestinian village of Khirbet al-Mufkara in the South Hebron Hills. The village had suffered from a serious pogrom perpetrated by settlers. Almost two years later, it turns out that under his command, such violence has led to the flight of entire Palestinian communities, a trend which has been exacerbated during the war.
The army is aware of the fact that the area Fuchs visited continues to be a focus of settler rampages. It is also aware of the problematic conduct of the Yehuda Brigade commander, Yishai Rozolio, under whose command the highest number of violent incidents by soldiers and settlers has been recorded since the beginning of the war.
The arming and drafting of settlers must stop. Monitoring and punitive measures must become stricter. Above all, the protection of Palestinian residents must become in practice, and not just in lip service, the highest priority.
The above article is Haaretz’s lead editorial, as published in the Hebrew and English newspapers in Israel.