Sometimes the news is like that clump of pasta, where individual strands get stuck together and it seems easier to throw the whole thing out.
Depending on what media stream you are consuming or listservs you are on, the West Bank settler attacks may not have fully hit your radar. However, you may have heard that Charles Kushner is decamping from New York City to Florida because of what he terms "a hostile environment." (Gey gezunt!) No one in the tri-state area could miss the Mamdani-Netanyahu kerfuffle -- and everyone weighing in on it. Proving Sir Issac Newton's theory that "for every action there is an equal and opposite reaction," I got emails informing me that two rabbis I know had released statements critical of Mamdani. Closer to home, I have a neighbor who regularly screams about the Mayor being a terrorist.
Last week, several groups held online talks to bring attention to the horrific violence in the West Bank. Many organizations are currently organizing trips for activists to participate in "protective presence" during the fall olive harvest (October 15-20). I have previously written about the work of Torat Tzedek.
What do all these American-centric stories mean in relationship to the lives of Palestinians trying to survive in the West Bank?
Absolutely nothing.
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The American Friends of Combatants for Peace presented an online talk called "Resisting Displacement: Non-Violent Tools Against Growing Violence on the West Bank." Featured were Arafat Abu Rass, a Palestinian activist and a council member of As-Sawiya, and Iris Gur, an Israeli activist involved with the protective presence movement. She was interviewed in the documentary There Is Another Way.
Abu Rass, whose town is near Nablus, described the escalation of violence over the last three years. Coming from a family of farmers, he said, "We will never leave." He talked about the "need to show the world our suffering." Surrounded by illegal settlements that began in 1984, the 1994 settlements now occupy 5,000 dunams, or about 1,994 acres.
Focusing on the ongoing tribulations, Abu Rass said, "Every day we have killings." He spoke about villages where the electricity was cut, and people were deported. "The majority of Israeli Jews now know what's going on." Because of the constant aggression, there has been no farming or olive work. On the challenges of non-violence, Abu Rass emphasized, "We need to live in peace. We are innocent people. A very poor village."
Gur, the mother of three children, gave a succinct opening statement. "I'm sorry and ashamed," she stated. Explaining that the Jordan Valley activists began a decade ago, she underscored how the brutality had "skyrocketed" after October 7, leading to the necessity for 24/7 shifts. Gur addressed how she uses her "Israeli privilege" to push back against the behavior of the settlers.
Drilling down on what Gur qualified as a triangular plan, she defined it as being spearheaded by the IDF, the police, and the national government. Gur pointed to home demolitions and the destruction of water sources to impede the sustenance of shepherding and agricultural communities. Gur didn't hesitate to use the term "ethnic cleansing," adding the phrase describing the motivation as "more land with less Palestinians." She commented without irony, "It was done to my people."
Gur continued, "Only the international community can stop it. It's going on all over the Jordan bank, in Areas A, B, and C." She delivered a flat statement: "Stop giving Israel money." On a personal level, Gur spoke about wanting to convey, "You're not alone. I was, and I am with you." She paused. "I will not shut up." Using the Arabic term sumud, which translates to steadfastness, resilience, and perseverance, Gur pronounced, "If they can do it, who am I to do something else?"
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