Barbra Paskin shares the Stateside view on events in Israel
American Jews are deeply distressed by events in Israel – where police are confronting protests against the Prime Minister Netanyahu’s new right wing government.
They are alarmed by terrorist violence and settler rampages against Palestinians and government moves to weaken the powers of the Israeli Judiciary.
Sunday's attack in Huwara has led to a slew of headlines here that point to a failure by Netanyahu to uphold his mandate to maintain Israeli stability. The New York Times declared "Amid Israeli Turmoil, Netanyahu’s Grip Loosens, at Least for Now" and "Netanyahu is Shattering Israeli Society". While the Washington Post reported "Israel’s far-right government is at the heart of a surge in violence". In a prescient story early last month, Time magazine recorded Palestinians' mounting fears that Israel's right-wing government may spark settler attacks: "Settler Attacks in the West Bank Are On the Rise. Israel’s New Leaders May Make it Worse".
“There will never be an end to bloodshed,” said Seattle resident Dona Cohen, "if this new government stays in power. More lives will be lost – which is tragic.”
Since the start of the year, Israeli soldiers and settlers have killed at least 61 Palestinians — civilians and militants.
Washington spokesmen are being unusually forthright in their condemnation of what is happening on the West Bank underlining their disapproval of the escalating violence.
The Biden administration have called on Israel to pursue the Israeli perpetrators of the Huwara rampage with "equal rigour" as it does with Palestinian attacks against Israelis. Calling the actions "completely unacceptable", the State Department condemned "the wide scale and indiscriminate violence by settlers against Palestinians civilians".
The problems have arisen in the two months since the new government was formed with Netanyahu promising his coalition partners to limit the power of the Supreme Court and to impose new restrictions on West Bank residents who want their own state.