ACRI, together with Yesh Din, Bimkom and Haqel sent a letter to prime Minister Netanyahu and other relevant parties outlining the exponential increase of violence towards Palestinians in the West Bank and the obligation to protect them:
1. In our letter[1] in reference (a copy of which is attached), we demanded that, in light of the unprecedented scale of violence, property damage, and threats by settlers against Palestinians, you instruct military forces to protect Palestinians in the West Bank from attacks by the settlers (which often occur in the presence of soldiers or with their assistance) and that you take action to prevent the mass forced displacement of Palestinian shepherding communities underway in the past three weeks, under the cover of the war.
2. Nearly two weeks have passed since our previous communication, and no action has been taken. The opposite is true. The violence has intensified, taking lives and causing extensive property damage. Additional communities have been forced to flee their homes, fearing violence. Palestinians wishing to harvest their olives are subjected to severe violence and forced to forego the harvest, on which the livelihood of many depends. The settlers are taking advantage of the lack of protection for Palestinians in order to take over private lands.
3. The onslaught of settler violence against Palestinians in the West Bank has so far taken the lives of seven Palestinians, resulted in the expulsion of 896 people from 15 different communities, and caused massive damage to property, infrastructure,
agricultural equipment, livestock, trees, and fields. Many of the attacks are carried out near settlements and outposts, but some invasions and attacks have occurred in remote villages, with no settlements or outposts in the vicinity, sometimes in Areas A and B. Since the beginning of the war, nearly 200 violent incidents have occurred - an average of eight incidents per day - an unprecedented record in scope and severity.
4. Below is a list of all incidents of which we are aware, occurring between October 16 and 28, 2023. The list includes 108 incidents that have taken place since our previous communication:
[1] Yesh Din, Haqel and Bimkom receive most of their funding from foreign countries. A list of our donors is available on the Israeli Associations Register’s website and on the organizations’ websites.