Commentary | Pressure is growing in the West to eradicate "nationalist terrorism" against Palestinians in West Bank
It seems that the punitive measures taken so far are only an opening shot, and the Western countries, led by the American administration, will not hesitate to intensify measures to eradicate the phenomenon
IsraelDefense
| 17/12/2023
Clashes during the funeral of a Palestinian who was reportedly killed in an Israeli settlers' attack in the West Bank. October 6, 2023. REUTERS/Raneen Sawafta
In recent days, it is evident that the leading Western countries, led by the USA and the UK, have taken off their gloves in the fight to eradicate the violence of Israeli extremists against Palestinian residents of the West Bank.
The American administration is leading this stern line and was the first to announce that it would prevent entry to the U.S. to those involved in the violent harassment, which it believes is meant to undermine security and stability in the region.
Later, reports were published that the Biden administration had been delaying - for a month - the promotion of the deal for the sale of 27,000 M-16 and M4 rifles intended for the Israel Police. This was due to the requirement to receive commitments from the Israeli government that they would not be transferred to extremists.
The administration's harsh reaction did not come out of nowhere. Throughout the year, President Biden has often referred to the issue while clarifying the expectation that the Israeli government will fight the phenomenon with determination.
For example, in an opinion piece that Biden published in the Washington Post about a month ago, he emphasized that "extremist violence against Palestinians must stop, and those who do it must be brought to justice."
The administration also strongly condemned Finance Minister Smotrich's statement that Hawara should be "erased" and de-facto issued him a “red card” by refraining from holding meetings with him (and Minister Ben Gvir).
Biden did not hesitate to stress on several occasions that, in his view, the current government is the "most extreme" ever.
Like the American government, British Foreign Minister David Cameron announced that the UK has decided to ban the entry of "extremist settlers" involved in violence against Palestinians.
According to him, these factors undermine the security and stability of both Israelis and Palestinians. Cameron also called on the Israeli government to take significant steps against acts of violence.
Other European countries such as Germany, France, and Belgium have already announced their intention to take similar steps.
It seems that from the perspective of the USA and European countries, violent actions against Palestinians may lead to acts of retaliation and incite widespread violence in the area.
Beyond that, the perception is that these actions serve to deepen the animosity between the two peoples further and eliminate any chance of the two-state solution, which they believe is the only possible solution to the Israeli-Palestinian conflict.
Given this, it appears that the punitive measures taken so far are merely an opening shot, and the Western countries, led by the American administration, will not hesitate to intensify their measures to eradicate the phenomenon.
This is the case both on a personal level against those directly or indirectly involved in violent harassment and against the Israeli government. The delay in the delivery of the rifles was intended to convey a clear message to the government regarding expectations.
Likely, the US administration and other countries will not hesitate to use this tool to increase the pressure on Israel to take a more decisive and firm approach.
As such, the Israeli government must take a tough and uncompromising approach to eradicating "nationalist terrorism" by extremist elements against the Palestinian population. This phenomenon could ignite widespread violence and undermine Israel's governing power in the West Bank.
At the same time, these violent actions could potentially harm Israel’s international standing and relations with regional actors. This is dangerous, especially at the current time when Israel needs to preserve international and regional legitimacy. It could affect the support needed to continue the intense military activity to achieve the top goals of the war - the return of the hostages and the destruction of Hamas.
The violent harassment may also force Israeli defense and security forces to invest unnecessary resources in dealing with this phenomenon in a way that may cloud the ability to continue successful activities in countering Palestinian terrorism.
It seems that the punitive measures taken so far are only an opening shot, and the Western countries, led by the American administration, will not hesitate to intensify measures to eradicate the phenomenon
Clashes during the funeral of a Palestinian who was reportedly killed in an Israeli settlers' attack in the West Bank. October 6, 2023. REUTERS/Raneen Sawafta
In recent days, it is evident that the leading Western countries, led by the USA and the UK, have taken off their gloves in the fight to eradicate the violence of Israeli extremists against Palestinian residents of the West Bank.
The American administration is leading this stern line and was the first to announce that it would prevent entry to the U.S. to those involved in the violent harassment, which it believes is meant to undermine security and stability in the region.
Later, reports were published that the Biden administration had been delaying - for a month - the promotion of the deal for the sale of 27,000 M-16 and M4 rifles intended for the Israel Police. This was due to the requirement to receive commitments from the Israeli government that they would not be transferred to extremists.
The administration's harsh reaction did not come out of nowhere. Throughout the year, President Biden has often referred to the issue while clarifying the expectation that the Israeli government will fight the phenomenon with determination.
For example, in an opinion piece that Biden published in the Washington Post about a month ago, he emphasized that "extremist violence against Palestinians must stop, and those who do it must be brought to justice."
The administration also strongly condemned Finance Minister Smotrich's statement that Hawara should be "erased" and de-facto issued him a “red card” by refraining from holding meetings with him (and Minister Ben Gvir).
Biden did not hesitate to stress on several occasions that, in his view, the current government is the "most extreme" ever.
Like the American government, British Foreign Minister David Cameron announced that the UK has decided to ban the entry of "extremist settlers" involved in violence against Palestinians.
According to him, these factors undermine the security and stability of both Israelis and Palestinians. Cameron also called on the Israeli government to take significant steps against acts of violence.
Other European countries such as Germany, France, and Belgium have already announced their intention to take similar steps.
It seems that from the perspective of the USA and European countries, violent actions against Palestinians may lead to acts of retaliation and incite widespread violence in the area.
Beyond that, the perception is that these actions serve to deepen the animosity between the two peoples further and eliminate any chance of the two-state solution, which they believe is the only possible solution to the Israeli-Palestinian conflict.
Given this, it appears that the punitive measures taken so far are merely an opening shot, and the Western countries, led by the American administration, will not hesitate to intensify their measures to eradicate the phenomenon.
This is the case both on a personal level against those directly or indirectly involved in violent harassment and against the Israeli government. The delay in the delivery of the rifles was intended to convey a clear message to the government regarding expectations.
Likely, the US administration and other countries will not hesitate to use this tool to increase the pressure on Israel to take a more decisive and firm approach.
As such, the Israeli government must take a tough and uncompromising approach to eradicating "nationalist terrorism" by extremist elements against the Palestinian population. This phenomenon could ignite widespread violence and undermine Israel's governing power in the West Bank.
At the same time, these violent actions could potentially harm Israel’s international standing and relations with regional actors. This is dangerous, especially at the current time when Israel needs to preserve international and regional legitimacy. It could affect the support needed to continue the intense military activity to achieve the top goals of the war - the return of the hostages and the destruction of Hamas.
The violent harassment may also force Israeli defense and security forces to invest unnecessary resources in dealing with this phenomenon in a way that may cloud the ability to continue successful activities in countering Palestinian terrorism.
