J Street is appalled by the surge in extremist settler violence against Palestinians in the West Bank that continues to terrorize families and leave a trail of damage and destruction, jeopardizing the Gaza ceasefire and hostage deal implemented last week.
In the days since the ceasefire went into effect, dozens of extremist Israeli settlers have set fire to villages around the West Bank, destroyed businesses and thrown molotov cocktails into homes – as well as reportedly attacking Israeli security forces. At least 21 Palestinians have been injured in the rampages. As one of his first actions in office, President Trump rescinded US sanctions designed to hold violent settlers accountable, a move which will embolden extremists further.
“Extremists in the settlement movement are clearly trying to sabotage the Gaza ceasefire even as it’s bringing Israeli hostages home. Their goal is to push Palestinians from their land so they can lock in permanent, undemocratic control, and they don’t seem to care how many lives are destroyed in the process,” said J Street President Jeremy Ben-Ami. “By backing down from sanctions, Trump has signaled that it’s open season to continue these appalling attacks.”
At the same time as extremists carry out these attacks, right-wing allies in the Israeli government are pursuing reckless actions that jeopardize the ceasefire as well. Earlier this month, Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich said he wanted to make cities in the West Bank look like heavily damaged cities in Gaza. Israeli security forces have erected dozens more checkpoints restricting freedom of movement in the West Bank and grinding daily life to a halt. Major new IDF operations targeting terrorist groups in the West Bank have killed and injured multiple civilians beyond their intended targets – including killing several children.
“We cannot allow extremists both inside and outside the Israeli government to bring down the ceasefire by igniting chaos in the West Bank. It’s more important than ever that Israel’s operations be tightly calibrated and they do everything possible to protect civilians,” Ben-Ami said. “All Israelis and Palestinians have the right to live free from fear and violence.”