Settler attacks against Palestinians in the past two years have escalated into terrorism. These actions harm thousands of Palestinians, damage the reputation of the Jewish people, and undermine Israel’s international standing.
Jewish nationalist terrorism can be stopped. The government must act to prevent attacks, apprehend perpetrators, and ensure they are prosecuted.
Peace Now proposes a five-step plan to eliminate settler violence and terrorism:
1. Prevent attacks on the ground
Establish a joint command center for the IDF Central Command and the Judea and Samaria Police District, in coordination with the Shin Bet, to strengthen intelligence gathering and manage incidents in real time. The center will consolidate field intelligence, employ Arabic-speaking operators to receive incident reports, and immediately deploy forces to prevent attacks and apprehend suspects.
Designate the prevention of settler violence and protection of Palestinian civilians as a high-priority IDF mission. Develop an operational doctrine to allocate and deploy forces to prevent violence, remove and detain rioters, and protect and escort Palestinian farmers in high-risk areas.
Disband regional defense units and reassign their members to standard, integrated reserve units.
2. End public funding and support for illegal settlement farms and outposts
Cancel direct funding, totaling hundreds of millions of shekels, for settlement farms and outposts. This includes the Settlement Division’s “security components for young settlements,” the Ministry of Settlements’ support for land patrol units, the Ministry of Agriculture’s support for organizations that operate volunteer programs on farms, and the Ministry of Agriculture’s grazing grants.
Take action against local authorities that fund or support illegal construction in settlement farms and outposts. Initiate administrative and criminal proceedings against those within the local authorities who are responsible for funding illegal activity. The Minister of Interior will deduct illegally spent funds from local authorities and apply personal liability procedures to those involved.
Cancel all grazing allocations in the West Bank, including those made by the Settlement Division and the Custodian of Government and Abandoned Property in Judea and Samaria.
Revoke Section 46A eligibility from nonprofits that raise funds for illegal outposts and end government participation in financing these donations. The Registrar of Associations will take administrative action against these organizations.
3. ENFORCE! Investigate and prosecute violent settlers
Strengthen intelligence and investigative capacity by adding police positions for investigation and prosecution, and by establishing a procedure for assigning a prosecutor to politically motivated crime investigations.
Issue exclusion orders to bar violent settlers and organizers of terrorism from the West Bank.
Ensure police stations and complaint channels of the Military Police Criminal Investigation Division are accessible to Palestinians by providing physical access and increasing the number of Arabic-speaking investigators to receive complaints.
Transfer footage from military cameras to the police, following the same procedures used in investigations of Palestinian terrorism.
4. EVACUATE! Remove outposts and centers of violence
Enforce planning and building laws in farm outposts and outposts, with priority given to settlement farms. Begin executing demolition orders against illegal construction in outposts.
Develop a plan for the gradual evacuation of illegal farm outposts and outposts. The Minister of Defense will prepare a plan for their gradual evacuation and for preventing their re-establishment, with a focus on centers of violence.
5. SOCIAL AND THERAPEUTIC RESPONSE
Develop a government plan involving the Ministries of Welfare, Education, National Security, and Justice to create a program for at-risk youth in the hills and settlements.
Establish treatment frameworks outside the West Bank to provide care for at-risk youth, away from centers of violence.