Israeli West Bank settler tells BBC attacks on Palestinians are justified as revenge
Yehuda Shimon, a lawyer and resident of the unauthorized Havat Gilad outpost, tells the BBC that violent attacks against Palestinian villages are a justified form of revenge.
Stock photo for illustration only, not from the actual event
- An Israeli settler and lawyer defends recent attacks on Palestinian villages as justified revenge.
- Havat Gilad is an unauthorized outpost in the occupied West Bank, illegal under international law.
- The UN reports 64 Palestinians killed in the West Bank from the start of the year until 20 July.
- Settlers argue that biblical rights supersede international law regarding West Bank land.
Tensions remain high across the occupied West Bank following a wave of settler attacks on neighboring Palestinian villages over the preceding weekend. The violence erupted after an Israeli security guard from the hilltop outpost of Havat Gilad was killed during a confrontation in the nearby village of Tal.
The incident also claimed the lives of four Palestinians and an Israeli soldier, amid disputed accounts regarding the initial trigger. Seeking to understand the situation firsthand, BBC journalists drove into the Havat Gilad outpost, a scattered collection of sheds and simple block houses spread across several hilltops.
Stock photo for illustration only, not from the actual event
It is exceptionally rare for international media outlets to gain entry into these unauthorized outposts. However, Yehuda Shimon, a lawyer representing Israelis arrested for violence against Palestinians, agreed to speak with reporters and openly defended the weekend violence as legitimate retaliation.
"I think now, after they killed one Israeli, we need to kill all the people in Tal and Sarra, even Jit and Farata,"
When challenged about the explicit racism and the disproportionate nature of his statement equating one Jewish life to hundreds or thousands of Palestinian lives, Shimon offered no denial. Such extreme viewpoints held by some residents are central to understanding the expanding settlement movement and rising violence in the region.
Outposts like Havat Gilad are constructed deep within the West Bank without official Israeli planning permission or legal oversight, distinguishing them from state-approved settlements. While settlers often claim divine ownership of the land, both official settlements and unauthorized outposts are considered illegal under international law.
Established over two decades ago in memory of a murdered security officer, Havat Gilad features a mix of simple dwellings and a vineyard. During the BBC's visit, newly burned buildings stood near the entrance; Shimon claimed Palestinians committed arson, whereas police reports indicated the fire was likely accidental, caused by a discarded cigarette butt.
Official figures contrast sharply with the rhetoric from settlers. Data from the UN Office for the Co-ordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) shows that 64 Palestinians were killed in the territory between the beginning of the year and 20 July, with 18 of those deaths occurring during settler attacks. Furthermore, injuries inflicted by settlers have surged to over three per day this year, highlighting a profound imbalance in the ongoing conflict.
Source: BBC World
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