An Israeli settler attacked a left-wing activist who was present to protect Palestinians at the illegal Israeli outpost of Jannatah. Ziva Sharp stated that her Jewish faith motivated her to travel from Jerusalem to the West Bank to support Palestinians, a commitment that led to confrontations with fellow Israelis who also identify as Jewish. Sharp and approximately 30 other activists are part of a movement of Israelis, many of whom are religious Jews, who periodically visit the occupied West Bank to protect Palestinians facing increasing violence from settlers.
On Tuesday, at least five activists were injured as settlers expelled them violently, throwing stones, using pepper spray, and injuring an AFP journalist. Sharp expressed her desire to practice a non-violent form of Judaism and to mitigate the harm caused by Jewish people to Palestinians, citing inspiration from Jewish religious texts emphasizing compassion and justice.
The activists traveled to Jannatah, near Bethlehem, to build a protective fence around the home of the Faraj family, who have faced pressure from Jewish extremists. Mohammed Faraj, a member of the family, was killed in clashes with settlers in March, and no arrests have been made in connection with his death, according to his brother Hassan. The activists aimed to clear roadblocks that hindered the Faraj family after settlers erected a prefabricated home on their private land.
Upon returning, the activists found their vehicles vandalized, with smashed windows and punctured tires. When they confronted the settlers, reinforcements arrived in two cars, leading to further confrontations. The outpost, known as Kochav Yehuda, has been dismantled 64 times by Israeli authorities but has been rebuilt each time, most recently the day before the activists' visit.
The settlers involved are part of the Hilltop Youth movement, which seeks to pressure Palestinian residents to leave their homes, often through violent means, and to establish illegal outposts with the hope of later legalizing them. More than 500,000 Israelis currently live in the West Bank, which Israel has occupied since 1967, alongside approximately three million Palestinians. Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's right-wing government is promoting further settlement construction ahead of the elections on October 27.
The Israeli activists are affiliated with Bnei Avraham (Children of Abraham), a movement of religious Jews founded four years ago to confront perceived injustices against Palestinians. This group stands in opposition to religious Zionist extremists who use Judaism to justify the expulsion of Palestinians. Avishai Liss, a member of Bnei Avraham, expressed that the current situation in the West Bank is neither Jewish nor moral, and he aims to defend Palestinian homes from violent settlers.
Dror Nadel, who grew up in an ultra-Orthodox community, stated that his upbringing influenced his socialist perspective and emphasized the need to critically engage with religious teachings to address the conflict. He remarked on the dual nature of religion as both beautiful and potentially dangerous, advocating for a thoughtful examination of its implications in contemporary society.