Palestinian killed as Israeli settlers rampage through West Bank in 'revenge' attacks
Middle East EyeFeb 27, 2023
In response to a Palestinian gunman killing two Israeli settlers —brothers Hillel and Yagel Yaniv — near the northern West Bank city of Nablus on Sunday, Israeli settlers rampaged a number of Palestinian villages, including Hawara, Burin, and Asira al-Qabaliyya.
The Palestinian Health Ministry reported that a Palestinian man was shot dead by Israeli fire, while the Palestinian Red Crescent said that two others were shot and wounded, a third person was stabbed, and a fourth was beaten with an iron bar. Some 95 others were treated for tear gas inhalation.
What happened in Nablus on Sunday night can only be described as a pogrom carried out by fanatic Jewish supremacists with the complete backing of the Israeli army and government. Though this event was so violent many Israeli figures had to vocally condemn it, settler violence is a common practice in the occupied West Bank and has been for decades. The settlers' violence is just another element of the Zionist project to displace the Palestinian people since the movement's inception. Emboldened by international silence after killing more Palestinians last year than in any other calendar year since the Second Intifada, the occupation is becoming even more violent.
Of course, what the settlers did in response to the terrorist attack on Sunday was barbaric and monstrous, but one must keep in mind that such violence is a result of the Israeli government's failure in managing Palestinian terrorism. Netanyahu condemned what happened and so did many in his cabinet. Figures that showed support for the riots should be sidelined — Israel does not support such acts of violence, as it goes against the moral foundation behind the state's creation. Most Israelis want peace, and the actions of these settlers do not represent the rest of Israeli society.
There's a 45% chance that Israel will recognize Palestine by 2070, according to the Metaculus prediction community.