Settler violence in the West Bank and unclear borders between military and settlers

While Washington announced that it requested its ally to take action after one of the Palestinians under siege became a US citizen, the Israeli army also sent troops to the region many times.

However, other than statements of condemnation, the detention of an Israeli, and the dismantling of settlers' tents, almost no steps were taken to remove the settlers from the area.

Some of the soldiers who first arrived at the scene were seen praying with the settlers. The army later announced that disciplinary action would be taken against these soldiers.

Settlers returning to the area on four-wheeled all-terrain vehicles (ATVs) on Monday were seen shaking hands and chatting with Israeli forces, according to videos shared with AFP by a besieged resident.

Nimrod Novik, senior advisor and special representative of former Israeli Prime Minister Shimon Peres, said the government's support for extremist settlers had put the army in an "impossible situation."

Speaking to AFP, Novik said the military was "forced to choose between acting in accordance with its professional judgment and duty, which requires harsh measures against violent settlers, and adhering to government policy, which provides both political support and resources to these terrorists."

"The result is a state of complete paralysis, with rare exceptions due to the seriousness of the crimes or US intervention," Novik said.

Israel has occupied the West Bank, where more than 500 thousand Israelis live today in settlements that are considered illegal under international law, since 1967. Approximately 3 million Palestinians live in the region.

Under Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's right-wing government, settlement construction reached historic levels. Some cabinet ministers call for the annexation of the West Bank while supporting the establishment of illegal settlements that are considered illegal even under Israeli law.

Settler violence against Palestinians has been going on for years, and perpetrators often face no criminal sanctions; However, there has been a dramatic increase in attacks in recent months.

Former sniper Nadav Weiman, director of the non-governmental organization "Breaking the Silence" founded by Israeli combat veterans, said, "The infrastructure of the occupation has been established in such a way that it is almost impossible for a soldier, that is, for us, to apply the law to violent settlers, while it is very easy to do whatever we want to the Palestinians."

Weiman said soldiers were rarely told the rules of engagement on how to deal with settlers, and were told they had to contact the police because of the settlers' status as Israeli citizens.

"In the 22 years we've been collecting testimony from soldiers on the West Bank, I've seen this: In the vast majority of units, soldiers are told nothing about what they can do against settlers," Weiman said.

Stating that the reluctance to intervene is also due to the increasingly unclear borders between settlers and soldiers in the West Bank, Weiman pointed out that the number of settlers who became officers after attending strict ideological academies before the army has increased.

The Army's West Bank Commander, Major General Avi Bluth, is among those trained at the Bnei David military preparation academy in the Eli settlement.

After Hamas's attack on October 7, 2023, these borders became even more intertwined.

With the majority of soldiers sent to fight in Gaza or Lebanon, the army has incorporated thousands of settler reservists into regional defense units tasked with securing their settlements in the West Bank.

According to the data of the human rights organization Yesh Din, approximately 7 thousand settlers were armed and recruited to these units in the first months of the war.

It is noted that these reserve soldiers are more likely to not intervene or personally participate in these attacks, rather than preventing settler attacks.

Yesh Din reports that although many of them were no longer on active reserve duty, the military allowed them to keep their firearms and uniforms, which paved the way for settlers disguised as soldiers to escalate the violence.

Reached by AFP, the Israeli army stated that the main institution dealing with violations of Israeli citizens in the West Bank is the police, and argued that the soldiers were instructed to "take action to stop the violation and detain or detain the suspects until the police arrive at the scene."

The army statement said, "In cases where soldiers do not comply with army orders, the incidents are thoroughly investigated and disciplinary actions are taken accordingly."