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Israeli soldiers and police are facilitating illegal settlements in the West Bank, sparking more violence against Palestinians.

By Sam Stein, The Progressive

With the American news cycle focused on Israel’s bombardment of the Gaza Strip, escalating Israeli state and settler violence in the West Bank is going largely unreported.

Although President Joe Biden has sanctioned individual extremist Israeli settlers, Progressive analysts –  such as Democracy Now’s Amy Goodman – say he has ignored Israel’s support for this violence. Earlier this year, the United States decided against sanctioning the infamous Israeli military unit Netzah Yehuda, which has been accused of human rights abuses by a U.S. State Department probe and other reports.

homes in the west bank

The United States has a long history of empty promises when it comes to holding Israel accountable. On June 22, for example, Israeli soldiers shot, beat, and tied a Palestinian man to a military jeep before using him as a human shield against potential retaliation from Palestinian militants. The U.S. State Department condemned this clear human rights violation, but any further action seems unlikely.

Since October 7, there has been a well-documented increase in settler violence, facilitated by Israel.

In the latest documented incident, more than twenty Israeli settlers invaded the Palestinian village of Ras al-Ein, located in the southern Jordan Valley. The settlers were accompanied by dozens of Israeli soldiers and police officers.

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Militarism and Foreign Policy