ADL and 6 other Jewish orgs denounce ‘ongoing terrorism’ by Jewish Israeli extremists
Palestinians extinguish a fire in a field around the village of Burin, south of Nablus in the occupied West Bank, after Israeli settlers from the settlement of Yitzhar set it ablaze, according to eyewitnesses from the village council, Jun. 29, 2021. (Jaafar Ashtiyeh/AFP via Getty Images)
(JTA) — Seven American Jewish organizations released an open letter calling on Israel’s top leaders to take “unequivocal action” to stop “ongoing terrorism and political violence committed by Jewish Israeli extremists in the West Bank against Palestinians, Israeli civilians, and IDF soldiers.”
“We urge the entire Israeli government to unite in strong condemnation against these acts, to work decisively to hold those responsible accountable, and to confront the growing threats posed by these extremists with the determination and seriousness that this grave situation requires,” they wrote.
The letter was signed by the Anti-Defamation League, the Central Conference of American Rabbis, the Israel Policy Forum, the National Council of Jewish Women, the Rabbinical Assembly, the Union for Reform Judaism, and the United Synagogue of Conservative Judaism. It was addressed to Israeli Prime Minister Naftali Bennett as well as Foreign Minister Yair Lapid and Defense Minister Benny Gantz.
The letter, which does not use the word “settler,” noted the damage done by such incidents to Israel’s “image and relations with the United States government, American people, and American Jewry” as well as to Israel’s status as a democracy.
Violent acts by Israeli settlers against Palestinians in the West Bank have become increasingly common over the past year.
Earlier this month, settlers from a West Bank outpost that is not recognized by Israel’s government attacked a group of human rights activists who were assisting Palestinian farmers in Burin, a village south of Nablus, in planting trees. The letter specifically cited the incident in Burin as “particularly egregious” but noted it is not an isolated incident.
Violent attacks perpetrated by settlers agains Palestinians in the West Bank in 2021 exceeding the previous year’s attacks by nearly 50%, according to a report by The Times of Israel. The Biden administration has signaled that it is monitoring the phenomenon and last month the U.S. State Department’s annual terrorism report included extensive reporting on settler violence.
—
The post ADL and 6 other Jewish orgs denounce ‘ongoing terrorism’ by Jewish Israeli extremists appeared first on Jewish Telegraphic Agency.
A message from our CEO & publisher Rachel Fishman Feddersen
I hope you appreciated this article. Before you go, I’d like to ask you to please support the Forward’s award-winning, nonprofit journalism during this critical time.
At a time when other newsrooms are closing or cutting back, the Forward has removed its paywall and invested additional resources to report on the ground from Israel and around the U.S. on the impact of the war, rising antisemitism and polarized discourse..
Readers like you make it all possible. Support our work by becoming a Forward Member and connect with our journalism and your community.
— Rachel Fishman Feddersen, Publisher and CEO
