Israel is flirting with the next intifada
America must press Benjamin Netanyahu to rein in violent settlers.
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An Israeli soldier standing in front of a Palestinian house in the village of Qusra, in the occupied West Bank, after rogue settlers blockaded Palestinian homes.
PHOTO: AFP
The Economist
Few, if any, security forces are as ruthlessly effective as Israel’s. Its military and intelligence services strike against enemies even at extreme distances. In the past couple of years alone, Israel has assassinated dozens of opponents inside Iran, plus proxy militia leaders in Lebanon and Yemen. Israel’s martial capabilities earn respect even from its bitterest enemies.
Yet this superiority seems to count for little closer to home. Those same forces are responsible for a dire failure in the occupied West Bank, where violent Israeli settlers have been attacking Palestinian residents with increasing brutality. Settlers want to force Palestinians from their land and claim it for themselves.