On video: Settlers were recorded destroying Koran books outside the mosque, Orif, June 21, 2023/Yish Din
Behind the scenes, somewhere in the depths of the Israeli internet, a stormy and creative debate arose regarding the question of uploading the entry "settler violence" to Wikipedia - yes or no.
On the one hand, the opponents claim, there is no such phenomenon.
At most, it is a cluster of incidents of reaction and defensiveness on the part of the settlers to the incessant murderous Palestinian terrorism, and that it is part of a delegitimization campaign for the State of Israel by presenting the settlers as violent.
On the other hand, those in favor of increasing the value of the world's largest online encyclopedia claim that this is a widespread phenomenon of violence by settlers against Palestinians in the Judea and Samaria region and present various supports for their version.
Be that as it may, in the coming weeks the disputes between the parties will be decided when the question is brought before Wikipedia editors, mostly anonymous, who will hold a dramatic discussion and vote on the question of whether this is a necessary value and of public interest or whether it is unnecessary and out of touch with reality.
Ahead of the debate on the issue, one of the advocacy organizations on the Israeli right appealed to hundreds of its supporters with the initiative to become editors on Wikipedia in order to influence the fateful debate.
"Unfortunately, there is nothing new under the sun and in the largest collaborative encyclopedia in the world, and Wikipedia is currently waging a war on the truth," the statement said.
"In the coming months, Wikipedia editors are expected to vote (again) on whether there will be an entry in the name of settler violence," he wrote.
"It is important that the vote also have decent and honest editors who will prevent the all-encompassing and dangerous blood plot. Also, there are other values that are important to act on these days and make sure that they are written in accordance with reality," the organization added in the statement.
The battle for the truth?
Settlers in Hawara/documentation in social networks according to Section 27 A of the Copyright Law
"It's a negligible phenomenon that actually doesn't really exist, a statistical error. They went and inflated it for political reasons. The ugliest thing and the most false," says Boaz Atzani, a veteran settlement activist in IOS in a conversation with Walla!. "This is an invention of silence breakers, because after all You have an elephant in the room called Palestinian violence, and you have an ant that calls it settler violence, which is a reaction to the elephant," he said. "I mean, a funny reaction that would never have come if it weren't for the elephant.
But they don't talk about him.
And what do we do?
Talk about the ant, put a magnifying glass on it.
After all, there are fewer violent settlers than pedophiles in Tel Aviv, both in percentages and in absolute numbers."
"It's just like they went to The Hague," claims Atzani, "They committed genocide on us and claim that we are committing genocide.
And Israel's response to the genocide in Otef is much greater than the settlers' response to the daily murder attempts by the Arabs," he added. "And why is this still a topic of discussion?
Because it is a tool against the settlers, and an attempt to legitimize all terrorism and harassment against the settlers.
That is, from now on, after you artificially and maliciously highlighted the "settler violence" and silenced the Arab violence, from now on every act of Arab terrorism is a natural reaction to the atrocities that the settlers supposedly commit."
More in Walla!
After the USA: Britain will ban the entry of settlers involved in violence into its territory
To the full article
According to Atzani, the establishment of the Wikipedia entry is part of a larger goal against the Israeli settlers.
"Another goal in this campaign is the establishment of a Palestinian state," says Atzani.
"That's why people like President Biden have embraced it warmly and globally, anyone who is against the settlers is against Israel. And they use the settlers as a tool against Israel. The disgraceful silence of the leadership in Israel, from the prime minister down, in the face of these statements is simply an insult to Israel because you cannot Blame one wing of the citizens of Israel and it won't stick with you."
Al-Hatsani says that the Arab violence is greater, and therefore establishing such an entry on Wikipedia is a dangerous exercise.
"This is bloodletting, because as soon as you present a presentation that there is no Arab violence and there is Jewish violence, then who is to blame? And who deserves that poor, desperate, victimized Arabs react?" he said.
"This is the story and it's a kindergarten exercise, but a very dangerous one. And instead of responding to President Biden's claims to the point of creating a crisis so that someone will talk about it again, we will respond aggressively and shut his mouth by demanding that he talk about the Arab violence."
"Settler violence is a policy of the Israeli government."
Records of the organization 'Yesh Din' in Judea and Samaria/official website, Yesh Din
Yahav Erez, is the coordinator of international foreign relations at the Yesh Din organization for human rights of Palestinians.
Last month, the organization announced that "2023 is the most difficult year in terms of settler violence against Palestinians in the West Bank in terms of the number of incidents and their severity," and added that "settler violence is not a campaign, settler violence is a policy of the Israeli government."
In a conversation with Walla!
Erez claims that violence is part of the governments policy in Israel.
"After 18 years since the establishment of the organization, I can say that this is not a one-off thing but a systemic one, the policy of the governments over the years is a policy of non-enforcement of the law towards settlers who are violent towards Palestinians," she said.
"You can see it in the numbers and in the decrease in the level of trust of Palestinians towards the police and they file complaints less and less because many say - in the end the case will be closed and nothing will come of it."
Erez also says that her goal is not to act against Israelis, but to present a difficult reality that exists in Judea and Samaria.
"We are not claiming that there is anything here that indicates the character of the Israelis who live in the settlements or a characteristic of a certain section of the population," claims Erez.
"The goal is not to denigrate a certain group or sector. The goal is to show a picture of a very violent and difficult reality, and this is not ordinary criminal violence, but violence driven by ideology, which serves the governments over the years. Because as much as there is settler violence, so is the takeover of Palestinian lands."
Erez repeats her goal, which is "not to show that the settlers are bad, or to demonize a certain population here."
According to her, "the story here is that there is a phenomenon of ideological violence that serves the system and the system serves it by not enforcing it, it is two-sided, those who use violence against Palestinians get immunity and the system here gets the opportunity to continue the project of taking over the land and relegating the Palestinians to spaces that are getting smaller and smaller." .
Erez came back and emphasized, "Even if I live in Tel Aviv, I will come to the West Bank and attack a Palestinian, this will also be considered in the category of "settler violence", because it does not matter where the attacker lives, if Israeli citizens who use violence against Palestinians in the West Bank, this is legally considered as "violence Because this is happening in occupied territory, with 2 systems of law for 2 different populations and at a time when the Palestinians have no protection."
More on the same topic:
violence
Judea and Samaria
Wikipedia
There is justice
Settlers