a day ago
Britain must hold Israel to account for settler violence in the West Bank
As the war in Gaza persists, the situation in the West Bank is in freefall, with increasing levels of settler violence and intimidation against Palestinians. Last week, the heads of churches in Taybeh, the last remaining Christian-majority town in the West Bank, spoke out against the series of systematic attacks by settlers on the town's land and holy sites, including St George's, its fifth-century church.
As well as threatening the town's security and livelihood, these attacks undermine the dignity of its Christian residents and threaten their historical and religious heritage. Residents fear expulsion from their land and homes. This is part of a wider strategy of control and coercion rendering life unviable for Palestinians across the occupied territory. Successive Israeli governments have used settler violence as an informal tool to annex Palestinian land.
The current Israeli government appears to support these violent settler acts through the military and police not intervening. As a rule, the military prefers to remove Palestinians from their land rather than confront settlers. Complaints are difficult to file. Few investigations are opened. Where indictments are made, it is for minor offences. Where convictions occur, the penalties are token.
This culture of impunity rewards settler violence. There is no plausible deniability here – settlers aren't defying the state; they are doing its bidding. Settler violence is state violence by any other name.
This situation must not continue. The UK government must stop its indecision and publish its legal response to last July's international court of justice advisory opinion that found Israel's presence in the occupied territory to be unlawful.
It must intensify sanctions against individuals, illegal settler outposts and organisations that support violence against Palestinians in the occupied territory. But it also needs to hold the Israeli government to account by signalling its willingness to suspend the UK-Israel trade agreement. The UK government has a legal and moral duty to ensure Britain is taking all necessary steps to address settler violence, which threatens not just the peace of the region but the continued presence of Christians in this Holy Francis-Dehqani Bishop of Chelmsford, Rachel Treweek Bishop of Gloucester, Graham Usher Bishop of Norwich, Christopher Chessun Bishop of Southwark
