Why the Term “Settler Violence” is Very Misleading

As Jews, we’re used to those who are antisemitic pulling at anything and everything they can to make the Jews and Israel look bad. This war against Hamas is just another example of it. They say Israel has killed tens of thousands of people yet they get their numbers from the terrorists themselves. They say there’s no Internet but people are somehow still posting. They say Israel is like Nazi Germany when Israel was the one brutally attacked and Jews were obviously the greatest victims of the Holocaust.

The lies that continue to be spread are completely ridiculous and always infuriating. Even the term “occupation” makes no sense and is a lie. Likewise with “settler violence.” So let’s get some things straight.

According to UN data, between 2016 and 2022 there were 5,656 incidents of settler violence against Palestinians. When you get more granular though, you learn that 1,600 of those incidents took place in Jerusalem, almost all of them involving Jews entering the Temple Mount or issues between police officers and Muslims who were acting violent.

Then, 2,500 incidents are related to property damage or assault but are self-defense related. If a Palestinian terrorist attacked Jews and was neutralized, that counts as “settler violence.” In 2018, a 30-year-old man was murdered by a 17-year-old Palestinian terrorist who stabbed him. Because Ovadia neutralized the terrorists, it was called settler violence. There are dozens of similar stories like this.

A car accident is classified as settler violence when it was an innocent situation. The majority of the incidents all involve mutual violence and many are totally unverified.

From this data, we see that settler violence is yet another lie that is used by Palestinians and others around the world to “justify” the attacks against Israel.

In reality, there is no justification, there never will be. While the world is screaming that we’re committing genocide, they’re really just grasping at straws while we’re trying to defend our lives and our land.

We must stay strong amidst the blood libels, the lies and the ongoing hate against our people. Am Yisrael Chai.

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Leigh Halprin says on February 7, 2024
The term “settler” itself is one to which I object. It erases the historical connection of Jews to Israel and our legitimacy as inhabitants. Instead, the use of the term characterizes us as outsiders who have moved to a new land. As it is used today, it is pejorative and is often used interchangeably with colonist.
We are the indigenous people of Israel and Israel is our ancestral homeland, so we cannot “settle” it.
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Alex Abel

Alex is an editor, writer and content creator. Most recently she served as the Editor-in-Chief of 2.0, Mishpacha’s business magazine. Before that she was the News Editor at People Style where she covered entertainment, fashion, beauty and lifestyle. She has interviewed dozens of celebrities including Sarah Jessica Parker, Kate Hudson, Melissa McCarthy, Priyanka Chopra, and Khloé Kardashian. She’s worked and created partnerships with influencers, hosted and produced videos and managed the brand’s social media accounts. Previously, she worked as an assistant editor at Seventeen. Her work has also appeared on POPSUGAR.com, People.com, Time.com, SHAPE and the website she launched, Chai on Life, which profile and highlights inspirational Jewish women.” During Hurricane Irene, she worked as a stringer for the New York Times reporting on flood conditions. She is a graduate of Binghamton University with a degree in English.