Ending Violence Against Palestinians in Judea and Samaria is Urgent

Rabbi Shammai Engelmayer contributed to this article.

Jews are called to be a holy people, a kingdom of priests, God’s witnesses, and a light unto the nations. The Torah commands Jews 36 times to love the stranger and not oppress the vulnerable, repeatedly reminding us that we were strangers in Egypt. Compassion, justice, and respect for human dignity are therefore at the heart of Jewish life.

Jews, including Israelis,  have much to be proud of in terms of our values, traditions, and accomplishments. But we have not always lived up to these ideals. Especially troubling are the mounting acts of violence by Jewish extremists against  Palestinians in Judea and Samaria and the failure of Israeli authorities to prevent them and hold the perpetrators fully accountable. These attacks have included arson against mosques, vandalism of homes, vehicles, and olive groves, racist graffiti, assaults on Palestinian residents, destruction of water and energy infrastructure, theft of crops, attacks on shepherds and farmers, and the intimidation and displacement of entire communities.

It is important to note that the vast majority of Jews in Judea and Samaria are peaceful and patriotic and that acts of violence are also committed by Palestinians, acts that should be equally condemned and punished. As the Torah indicates,  “There should be one law for you and the stranger who dwells among you.”

Israeli presidents, prime ministers, defense ministers, former military chiefs, and rabbis have repeatedly condemned such violence as immoral and contrary to Jewish law and values. Israeli security agencies, human rights organizations, journalists, and many Israeli political and military leaders have also denounced  Jewish attacks. The attacks make a mockery of the Torah’s ethical codes, and thus are chillulei HaShem, desecrations of God’s Holy Name.

Israeli President Isaac Herzog has been especially vocal in criticizing the attacks, calling them acts of terrorism and a stain on Israel, claiming that such violence is contrary to Jewish and Israeli values and damages Israel’s moral standing.

Former Israeli Prime Minister Ehud Olmert has argued that extremist settler violence threatens Israel’s democracy and international legitimacy, and undermines the rule of law.

Former Prime Minister Ehud Barak has warned that extremist violence and unchecked settlement expansion endanger Israel’s future as both a Jewish and democratic state, and has urged stronger law enforcement against violent extremists.

There are many additional criticisms by current and former Israeli leaders.

Commanders for Israel’s Security (CIS), an organization of over 550 retired senior IDF, Mossad, Shin Bet, and police officials, has consistently argued that settler violence harms Israel’s security, fuels Palestinian extremism, and weakens Israel’s international position.

Several Israeli publications have editorialized against extremist attacks, arguing that they violate Jewish values and damage Israel’s image abroad.

More than 600 prominent Diaspora Jews – among them leading philanthropists, influential rabbis, and former government ministers – have urged President Herzog to use his position “to put an end to the abomination of Jewish-extremist terror and the era of impunity for its perpetrators.”  They added, “It is not only morally shameful but a strategic threat to the future of Israel; it damages world Jewry and the relationship of future generations with Israel.” The signatories further argued that “the violence…is not only condoned by the government but is in fact policy.”

Bret Stephens, former editor-in-chief of The Jerusalem Post and one of The New York Times’s strongest defenders of Israel, recently warned that “unchecked attacks now pose a threat to Israel’s security and to Zionism itself.” Rabbi Jill Jacobs, CEO of T’ruah: The Rabbinic Call for Human Rights, responded: “I think it is really important that people like Bret Stephens are speaking up about settler violence. It also shows how terrible it has become.”

Many governments that have traditionally been strong friends of Israel—including the United Kingdom, France, Germany, Canada, Australia, Italy, the Netherlands, New Zealand, Norway, and the European Union—have condemned attacks on Palestinian civilians while reaffirming Israel’s right to exist and defend itself. They too have argued that settler violence undermines Israel’s security, democracy, international standing, and prospects for peace.

Acts of violence by Jewish extremists are frequently exploited by anti-Israel activists. Some wrongly portray these attacks as representative of Israel as a whole or of Zionism itself rather than the actions of a violent minority. Such distortions can fuel hostility toward Israel and, in some cases, toward Jews generally. Many news sources report that Jews who support Israel are cursed, spat at, and sometimes beaten.

Ending the Jewish acts of violence is both a moral imperative and a strategic necessity. It would demonstrate fidelity to Judaism’s highest ideals, strengthen Israel’s international standing, reinforce the rule of law, help reduce antisemitism, and improve the prospects for a secure, democratic, and internationally respected Jewish state.