Israel's real West Bank problem is not settler violence - it is the settlement enterprise - opinion

An opinion piece argues that Israel's real West Bank problem is not settler violence but the settlement enterprise itself, which constitutes structural violence against Palestinians. The author introduces 'settlerism' as the dominant Israeli ideology, supported by all major parties. The article details the re-establishment of Sa-Nur settlement and its impact on the Palestinian town of Jaba, including military raids and land seizures. It concludes that settlements inherently require military presence and land appropriation, harming Palestinian rights.

In an opinion piece for The Jerusalem Post, Yonatan Kanonich argues that Israel's real problem in the West Bank is not settler violence but the settlement enterprise itself, which he describes as a form of structural violence against Palestinians. He coins the term 'settlerism' to describe what he sees as the dominant political ideology in Israel, supported by all major Jewish parties. The article focuses on the re-establishment of the Sa-Nur settlement, approved by the security cabinet in May 2025, and its impact on the neighboring Palestinian town of Jaba. Kanonich reports that before settlers arrived, the military issued seizure orders for approximately 650 dunams of private Palestinian land for a security fence and access road. He quotes the mayor of Jaba, Muhammad Badad, describing frequent military raids, detentions, and interrogations by the Shin Bet. The author argues that settlements inherently require military presence and land appropriation, leading to systemic harm. He concludes that settlerism contradicts democracy and that meaningful change requires acknowledging responsibility for the settlement enterprise itself.