Protecting Your Own

A study by an Israeli human rights group, Yesh Din, concluded that only 6% of the investigations into violence against Palestinians committed by Israeli soldiers and settlers resulted in indictments. In many cases paperwork was lost or identifications could not be made.

Settlers in and around Hebron are a particular problem. The 700 settlers, who live among 170,000 Palestinians, are protected by 1,000 Israeli soldiers – more than 1 soldier for each settler, man, woman or child. This group built a shrine to one of their number who killed 29 Palestinians as they prayed in a mosque. In especially troubled times in this area, the police establish a curfew for the Palestinians, but not the settlers.