Settlers continue rampage through West Bank Palestinian villages

The photo above was taken on June 24th in a village north of Ramallah. Credit: Yesh Din.

Since Tuesday, when four Israelis were killed by two Palestinians in retaliation for the killing of seven Palestinians and wounding of 90 by Israeli troops, illegal settlers have been rampaging through Palestinian towns, attacking and burning homes, schools and cars indiscriminately. Israeli soldiers have stood by, failing to stop them. The US has joined governments around the world in condemning these programs, but action to hold the Israeli government accountable is in short supply. Innocent Palestinians are losing their property and in some cases their lives to these hoodlums who are intent on expanding Jewish-only settlements throughout the West Bank and squeezing the native population out. As one Israeli writer pointed out, "Words are not enough." The US, which sends more than $38 billion to Israel each year, has the leverage to stop this ethnic cleansing by withholding funds until the illegal settlements and the brutal occupation of Palestinian land come to an end.