More than 300 Israeli reserve soldiers have signed a petition addressed to the regime’s army chief of staff Eyal Zamir, calling for a decisive response to “Jewish terrorism” perpetrated by settlers in the occupied West Bank, saying that the rampant violence from settlers poses a significant threat to the Israeli forces.
According to the signatories of the petition, commanders have instructed them to position themselves in the field to mediate between illegal settlers and local Palestinians during what the military calls “friction incidents,” yet they are being deprived of both the powers and the tools required to avert an attack before it takes place.
“We are reserve soldiers who have served hundreds of days since 7 October, 2023, including in the West Bank, where we risked our lives for Israel’s security, but we feel that the army leadership is abandoning us in the field and does not support us,” the petition read.
It added, “We are repeatedly asked to put out the fires, but no one ensures that the leaders of national terrorism are stopped and uprooted.”
The soldiers associated that vacuum, together with the political support granted to some of the responsible settlers, with the injuries and fatalities of troops amid the surrounding turmoil.
They requested Zamir to take what they termed “decisive action to halt and eliminate Jewish terrorism,” and sought directives detailing what actions they are authorized to undertake when such incidents occur in their presence.
A signatory said the events occurring in the Palestinian village of Qusra, south of Nablus, where illegal settlers have appropriated Palestinian territory, set up an outpost, and encircled Palestinian homes, represent “not an isolated incident, but rather part of a broader pattern in the West Bank.”
He stated that armed settlers “act with limited intervention, while the army often becomes engaged in defending the actions of a radical minority instead of enforcing the law.”
“Criminal violence against Palestinians does not enhance security. It puts soldiers at risk, fuels tensions in the region, and harms everyone’s security,” the unnamed individual noted.
In recent years, the West Bank has experienced a significant increase in assaults by settlers targeting Palestinians and their properties, with the violence intensifying following the onset of Israel’s genocidal military campaign in the Gaza Strip in October 2023.
The most recent report from the UN Secretary-General regarding settlements indicates that Israeli authorities have moved forward with or authorized plans for the construction of 4,750 settler units in the West Bank, which includes occupied East al-Quds, between March 14 and June 12.
On March 25, the Israeli cabinet sanctioned the establishment or legalization of 34 illegal settlements in Area C of the West Bank, marking the highest number approved in a single decision by the Tel Aviv regime, as stated in the same UN report.
UN Security Council Resolution 2334 affirms that Israeli settlements in Palestinian territories occupied since 1967, including East al-Quds, possess “no legal validity” and represent a blatant infringement of international law.
