I have just received a disturbing email from Palestine. It contained a photo of my friend Bilal in hospital with a fractured spine and heavy bandaging around his head and hands. While working on his land last week, he was attacked by a gang of settlers. It is not for no reason that the Occupied Palestine Territories are called the Wild East; as settlers consider themselves above the law.

Israel continues to see itself as a Western style democracy with a respected legal system. Israel has also signed the Geneva Convention which lays a duty of care on the occupying forces to protect the civilians under their control. So why is a country with one of the world’s strongest armies unable to control these lawless thugs? Israel never ceases to remind the international community that it has a security problem; but the Palestinians living in the shadow of settlements are absolutely without protection.

In July 2007 a Jerusalem High Court ruling stated that the Israeli police and army were duty bound to protect Palestinians from settler violence. In practice this protection is nonexistent. I have witnessed a number of confrontations between settlers and farmers. If and when Israeli authorities intervene they simply order the Palestinians to leave their lands so as not to ‘inflame’ setters. Most often as in the case above, the army are nowhere to be seen and Palestinians are at the mercy of well armed and very mobile settler gangs.

This problem is on the increase. Settlers have vowed to make ‘price tag’ reprisals against Palestinians if the government attempts to dismantle outposts or settlement. As the settler population grows, more and more army and police recruits come from settlements and outposts. Advocate Talia Sasson expressed the problem succinctly. ‘Law enforcement bodies cannot act against State authorities breaking the law. They cannot handle a mixed message, that the outposts are illegal but encouraged by the authorities.'

Meanwhile my friend Bilal lies in hospital, no redress, no compensation whilst the settlers just sit back and stick two fingers up to decency and democracy.

- MF

23/01/2010