Editorial | Israel’s Contradiction of Eliminating Terrorism and Expanding Settlements
Israeli soldiers stop Jewish settlers from entering the Palestinian West Bank town of Turmus Ayya on Wednesday.Credit: Ohad Zwigenberg/AP
Haaretz Editorial
The murderous attack on Tuesday, which left four Israeli civilians dead near the West Bank settlement of Eli, tragically reminds us – as if there were a need for such a reminder – of the profound danger facing Israelis who choose to live in conquered territory.
The government’s efforts to blur the existence of the occupation and the legal contortions defining the West Bank as an area of “belligerent occupation” – meaning territory that is not subject to the Geneva Convention, which forbids civilian settlement on occupied territory – will not change the difficult, dangerous reality. It is a reality in which there is daily confrontation between the military, the settlers and the Palestinian population striving for release from the occupation, including by armed struggle.
The extent of the threat is not expressed solely in the scope of attacks carried out, but rather in the large number of thwarted attacks – attesting to the situation of constant war, which demands a thorough diplomatic solution.
Haaretz Editorial
The murderous attack on Tuesday, which left four Israeli civilians dead near the West Bank settlement of Eli, tragically reminds us – as if there were a need for such a reminder – of the profound danger facing Israelis who choose to live in conquered territory.
The government’s efforts to blur the existence of the occupation and the legal contortions defining the West Bank as an area of “belligerent occupation” – meaning territory that is not subject to the Geneva Convention, which forbids civilian settlement on occupied territory – will not change the difficult, dangerous reality. It is a reality in which there is daily confrontation between the military, the settlers and the Palestinian population striving for release from the occupation, including by armed struggle.
The extent of the threat is not expressed solely in the scope of attacks carried out, but rather in the large number of thwarted attacks – attesting to the situation of constant war, which demands a thorough diplomatic solution.
Palestinian shot dead as dozens of Jewish settlers torch homes, vehicles in West Bank
There is no disputing that the security and intelligence forces are obliged to prevent the growth of terror organizations and prevent attacks by “lone wolves.” But it would be an illusion to expect that an extensive military operation like Defensive Shield or the incursions into Gaza will forge a different, calm reality, one bereft of threats.
The painful cries of cabinet ministers and lawmakers calling on the army to “level buildings,” as Itamar Ben-Gvir suggested, or “the time has come for action and not words,” as Bezalel Smotrich said, as well as the calls for “an extensive operation in Jenin” only feed the ambitions for unfettered revenge, reaping political dividends and mainly portraying these saber-rattlers as patriots who hold the exclusive patent on the war on terror. But in their emptiness, they ignore the fact that the military and the Shin Bet are not twiddling their thumbs, as their operations in Jenin and Nablus demonstrate.
At the same time, when the government decides to expand settlement construction, permits settlers to return to Homesh and doesn’t do much to prevent settler pogroms against Palestinian residents, it can’t expect that the occupied Palestinian population’s feelings of rage, revenge and frustration won’t find violent outlets.
Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, who leans on a reasonable record in everything regarding ostentatious military operations, needs now to stop the vociferous war agitators in his government, and not to get dragged into a disastrous military campaign.
He must wage the war on terror wisely, as anyone who is not prepared to pay a diplomatic price will have to pay in blood.
The above article is Haaretz’s lead editorial, as published in the Hebrew and English newspapers in Israel.
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