Thread by @BtSIsrael

Remember the story of the settler documented taking a rifle from a soldier and using it to shoot at Palestinians? Now it turns out that the IDF identified the settler, but didn't report him and are refusing to share his name. haaretz.com/israel-news/.p…

They're also refusing to say whether action was taken against the masked soldier who was seen shooting at Palestinians in May, even though one of the Palestinians ended up dead that day.

If that wasn't enough, even though soldiers have for months been documented protecting settlers while the latter attack Palestinians, the IDF's Advocate General says that no disciplinary action has been taken against these soldiers.

Apparently, the IDF Spokesperson's standard response—"the rules have been clarified"—was enough.
But what needs clarification is that it's not just a problem with settlers. The problem is the system which enables, encourages, protects them & whitewashes the truth on their behalf.

After the umpteenth time, it's hard to escape the conclusion that settler violence *is* state violence, carried out by an external contractor to make it easier to deny it. An entire system for whom a bullet in a Palestinian's head is little more than a PR accident.

Because we know exactly what need clarifying. We were there, we've spoken to countless soldiers who testify about the far-too-close relationship with settlers, the fear of arresting them, the vague rules and the settlers who give orders. It's all here: bit.ly/3BtshpQ

For example, one testifier told us: "Obviously they (the soldiers) aren’t allowed to touch Jews. That’s the whole story regarding the law as it applies in the territories. [...] The army isn’t allowed to arrest or detain [the settlers]." bit.ly/3673Wrt

Of the few politicians who commented on last week's wild attack in the Hebron Hills, fewer spoke of the soldiers at the scene. It's easier to condemn "extremists" than the system that protects them. But the settlers wouldn't be nearly as powerful w/out it.