Criticism or a lifeline? Britain criticizes settler terrorism while protecting the settlement project
Britain criticizes 'settler terrorism' and imposes sanctions, but the writer sees this criticism as superficial because it does not address the roots of the settlement project. It points to a gap between the Israeli military's figures and those of independent oversight bodies.
In a notable move, Britain recently criticized what it called 'settler terrorism' in the West Bank, imposed sanctions along with other Western countries on settlers and companies, and suspended free trade agreement negotiations with Israel. It also condemned with France, Germany, and Italy the 'massive escalation of violence by settlers against Palestinian civilians.' The writer sees this stance as seemingly positive and worthy of appreciation, but questions whether it is sufficient to address the roots of the problem. He points out that the real problem is not a rogue group of settlers, but an entire system that produces and protects them. While the Israeli military recorded only 845 nationalist violence crimes, the Wall and Settlement Resistance Commission documented 4,723 attacks, more than five times the Israeli figure. The UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs documented 5,375 attacks between 2023 and 2026. The writer asserts that the settlers, numbering about 750,000, operate under the protection of the Israeli military, meaning the phenomenon is structural within an integrated system.