In the last several days, the increasing frequency of attacks on Arab civilians in the West Bank has received attention both in Israel and abroad.
Recently, US Senator Jacky Rosen wrote on X/Twitter, “The coordinated attacks against Palestinians in the West Bank at the hands of Israeli extremists are unacceptable, and the perpetrators must be arrested and prosecuted. Violence against Palestinian civilians in the West Bank is a national security threat to Israel and must be treated as such.”
As The Jerusalem Post reported three days ago, “Israeli civilians committed over 20 attacks against Palestinian villages and towns in the West Bank on Saturday night, Israeli media reported. At least 11 Palestinians were injured during the widespread attacks, and dozens of vehicles and buildings were set on fire.”
These attacks, reportedly consisting of groups of Jewish teens and adults attacking Arab villages in the West Bank, have become increasingly common. Videos from several incidents show dozens of individuals running through the streets, attacking homes, burning cars. According to those who support or excuse the attacks, the perpetrators are angry over the murder of Jews and have decided to take the law into their own hands. Hence, they carry out “reprisals” against random Arabs in random towns.
West Bank attacks fuel concerns over governance
Last week, Israel’s IDF Chief of Staff Lt. Gen. Eyal Zamir condemned the violence in the West Bank, calling it “morally and ethically unacceptable.”
He noted that, “in recent months, there has been an increase in nationalist crime incidents, some of which are directed against our troops and toward civilian populations. It is unacceptable that, during a multi-front war, the IDF is also forced to confront a threatening minority from within. These are rioters who do not represent the greater population. In reality, they endanger residents, security, stability, and our values as a people and as a state. I call on all authorities in the country to act against this phenomenon and stop it before it is too late.”
Former US ambassador to Israel, Dan Shapiro, wrote on X, “This must stop. Israeli authorities must put a stop to it. And the US administration should make clear what it calls for and expects.”
Earlier this month, the German Ambassador to Israel, Steffen Seibert, stated, “It is possible and necessary to be appalled by both: Iran using cluster bombs against Israeli civilians, and five Palestinians killed in one weekend of settler violence. My best wishes to the injured in Tel Aviv and sincere condolences to the bereaved families in the West Bank.”
He also noted on March 22, “the violent settler rampage in Palestinian villages following the tragic and to-be-investigated death of one of their own.”
Israel’s Foreign Minister Gideon Sa'ar slammed Seibert, claiming, “Ambassador Seibert finds it very difficult to condemn attacks against Israelis without bringing up the Palestinians. His obsession with Jews living in Judea and Samaria prevents him from even condemning the death of a Jew caused by a Palestinian.”
The response to the rising violence and lawlessness in the West Bank is unclear. In some cases, the IDF has bolstered its forces in the West Bank because of the chaos. However, the IDF does not have police power; it can’t investigate, arrest, or press charges.
When a home or car is burned, or when a person is shot, an investigation is required. That requires authorities to treat the victims as deserving of having rights to life, liberty, and property. These are basic concepts that have underpinned the concept of law and order in most countries for thousands of years. These concepts, such as the right to a trial or basic aspects of police work to investigate crimes, are foundations of Western civilization. This is what separates countries of law and order from those that are run by mob violence. This has always been a basic challenge for societies.
A strong modern country has the rule of law. Failed societies and states generally do not have rule of law and become Hobbesian places where “survival of the fittest” or “law of the jungle” is the norm. Usually, this results in people retreating back to the concept of tribes or clans, or even gangs, in order to find “protection.”
This spectrum of law to chaos forms the first scene in the film The Godfather when a father comes to Don Corleone to ask for help regarding an injustice to his daughter. He says that men attempted to rape his daughter, and they beat her, but a judge suspended their sentence and let the men go. He wants justice. He wants them killed. The Godfather says he will help, but notes that killing these men is not a just response. In this case, we see how justice has failed to protect a community. Subsequently, some members of that community seek mob justice.
Although the scene is poignant and moving, most of us would prefer a society where we don’t have to go to a mafia don to get justice. However, while most of us wouldn’t want the mafia running our lives, we look at the West Bank, and we don’t always draw the same line between chaos and law.
One argument about settler violence asserts it is a “myth.” This is the stance taken in an article by the publication Tablet.
The argument asserts, depending on who makes it, that Palestinians are the ones causing more violence. The assertion is that we should focus on them. This is kind of a “two wrongs make a right” argument.
Some Arabs commit violence, and then several Jews retaliate by attacking random Arabs. Then, in response, Arabs attack random Jews. When examining this, the article argues that we should assess the situation and decide which side is more violent. The theory is that, when a few Arabs do something wrong, communal revenge is normal, and we should downplay it because “the others are worse.”
This concept of community-based violence – of tribes taking revenge – can be found in places like Syria or Afghanistan, or the Congo. When Bedouin in Syria justify attacks on Druze or Kurds, they argue that “the Druze did it first” or “a Kurd took down a Syrian flag and insulted it.” Their excuse is that if one Druze or one Kurd does something wrong, then the whole community should be attacked. Similarly, in Pakistan, when members of the minority Hindu or Christian community are accused of a crime, the entire community is attacked.
Is the West Bank, controlled by Israel for 59 years, becoming like Afghanistan, the Congo, or Syria in terms of lawless communal violence?
It would be surprising if Israel, which built Iron Dome and is considered one of the most hi-tech success stories in the world, can’t enforce basic law and order.
The challenge in the West Bank boils down to providing Arabs with the right not to be attacked and not having their homes, cars, and businesses burned. This means giving them the right to testify and press charges, taking statements, and creating files and reports for each incident. Treating the incidents as nationalist violence that can be addressed with more troops doesn’t provide an answer. Troops are not trained to be police; they can’t take statements, nor can they investigate or create a court case.
Some argue that Israel should annex or extend sovereignty to the West Bank. This means having laws for everyone and reducing lawlessness.
The essence of Zionism argued that Jews should be able to create a country like other countries. Law and order was a basic agenda of David Ben-Gurion, Menachem Begin, and all the early Zionists and founders. They gifted Israel with a strong sense of law and order, not mob rule. In fact, preventing mob rule was a basic agenda of Israel’s politicians in 1950 after the War of Independence.
One of the key documents that led to Israel’s creation is the Balfour Declaration of 1917. Israel’s Foreign Affairs Ministry has a copy of the text and an explainer on its website: “The Balfour Declaration recognized not only the inalienable rights of the Jewish people, but it also stipulated that ‘nothing shall be done which may prejudice the civil and religious rights of existing non-Jewish communities in Palestine.’ The Balfour Declaration made clear that supporting Jewish rights did not preclude the rights and liberties of the Arab side.”
Israel’s own Foreign Affairs Ministry notes this. Arabs in the West Bank deserve rights and liberties. Among those rights are to be secure in their homes and property. If their homes are burned, they should be able to press charges.
Those who see Israel as part of the West and Western civilization should want the basic concepts of law and order applied to the West Bank.