An Open Letter on Settler Violence and British Sanctions

I’ve witnessed and experienced settler violence first-hand. On a 2024 visit to the West Bank, a group of rabbis, including myself and Rabbi Natasha, were stoned and repeatedly threatened with being rammed by a pick-up truck in the ruins of the Palestinian village of Zanuta. The picture above, taken at that time, is of the school destroyed by settlers – the Israeli High Court ordered the settlers to vacate to allow the village to be rebuilt. Israel requested a delay in the implementation of the decision and, in the meantime, 90% of what remained of the village was torn down, including the last remaining 40 olive trees. We witnessed direct physical violence directed against Palestinians in the area. We met with Awdah Hathleen who in 2025, was shot dead by the Israeli settler Yinon Levi (the first Israeli to be prosecuted for violence in the West Bank since October 7th).

I find this behaviour repugnant and contrary to every understanding I have of what it means to be a Jew and what it means to be an ethical person. I condemn, obviously, Palestinian violence against Israelis, but I do not accept the levels and nature of Israeli settlement violence is, in any way, justifiable on that basis. So far so straightforward. Those opposing the clearly unacceptable actions of settler extremists include leading politicians in Israel’s government as well as in the British Jewish community. But there is, in Israel and this country, a divergence that emerges at that point – how broad is the blame for these extremist actions to be ascribed, what should be done?

Last week, I attended a meeting of Jewish leaders in the Cities of London and Westminster constituency, hosted by our MP, Rachel Blake. Several of my local colleagues shared their utter opposition to any sanction-based British governmental response. Caution was urged, as was the ‘use of carrots rather than sticks.’ Allegations were made that Israel is held to an unfair double standard and fears of affecting innocent Israelis and British Jews were articulated. In statements following the announcement of sanctions, many British Jewish organisations have protested the British Government statements in similar language, and I do understand these concerns, but these oppositional statements have almost invariable failed to make any reference to the violence and explicit ethnic-cleansing language used by both settler extremists and those politicians who support and create the atmosphere in which this violence is happening. I take a different view.

In verses connected to the ritual of the Eglah Arufah (Deut 21:1-4)– heifer with a broken neck - the Torah articulates a two-tier approach to responsibility for atrocity. There are those who are directly responsible – those whose “hands spill blood.” And then there are “elders,” those in positions of societal responsibility who are implicated for the “bloodguilt” that seeps into the land because an atrocity was allowed to be perpetrated in an area for which they bear responsibility. Violent perpetrators, of course, bear direct responsibility for their criminality, but the tiers of responsibility don’t end there. Settler violence is directly connected to a sophisticated political movement dedicated to the elimination of any degree of Palestinian autonomy and the removal of Palestinian populations from an ever-increasing swathe of the West Bank. The violence and the threats of violence are tactics encouraged by political leadership in a combination of dog-whistles and outright racist public positions and articulations. There are political parties closer and more willing to support these tactics explicitly and parties and leadership who remain a step further back, but nonetheless implicitly support these racist extremists in a broad range of ways. This is not a case of “merely a few bad apples,” or rather, it is a case of “apples” actively seeking and being supported in rotting the barrel.

With deep sadness, I find it impossible to apply the principle of Dan L’Chaf Zchut – considering favourably – Israeli government leadership when it protests the challenges of policing and prosecuting those directly responsible for this violence. The Minister for National Security, with responsibility for Border Policing, is, after all one of the most articulate voices inflaming settler aggression towards Palestinians. In the language of Parshat Eglah Arufah, all these elders are responsible for a bloodguilt in the land.

This analysis of tiers of responsibility does not, of course, condone antisemitism and certainly does not condone a violent response to Jews in any country, but it does, I think, raise the necessity for a clear acknowledgement of the dangers posed by settlers and those who support them by Jewish communal leaders both in Israel and here.

As for the role of governments, in this or any other international country, it is clearly complex. Proportion, an acceptance of national sovereignty and efficacy are necessary balances, but the need for balance should not be confused with a call for inaction. Clearly, effort must be taken to ensure that antipathy towards the policies that result in settler violence is not confused with a notion that Israel has no right to exist – of course Israel has a right to exist, and in safety. Similarly, effort must be taken to ensure that any sanctions are not able to be used as a justification for antisemitism in this country. The statement of the Foreign Secretary on Tuesday clearly attempted to do that. There will undoubtably be those who ignore this attempt. We, as a Jewish community, need to be alert and respond to that.

But it is wrong to argue for silence, inaction or “the use of carrots” – appeasement - before the settler movement and those who support it. The playbook of these settlers is predicated on the notion that they will be appeased or ignored, and that well-meaning Jews the world over overlook their illegal and criminal actions.It is wrong to address the sanctions raised by the British government without addressing the terrible ethical stain of settler violence.

It is the actions of these settlers, and the politicians who support them, that are responsible for the British government's response on Tuesday. It is the actions of these settlers, and those who support them, that should be more of a focus for those who work so tirelessly to oppose antisemitism however and wherever it emerges. It is the actions of these settlers which make it harder for anyone, Jew or non-Jew, to empathise with the undoubted challenges Israel does face and for which it should be able to call on international support. It is the actions of these extremists that make it harder for me, and for many Jews like me, to feel a love for Israel and I know it drives many Jews away not only from a commitment towards Israel, but towards Judaism more generally.

I believe the failure to condemn and articulate the relationship of responsibility outlined above has and will lead to many British Jews feeling their religious and institutional leaders are failing to respond to the ethical urgency of this moment. There is a great deal of urgency. Not only are the settlers committed to the destruction of Palestinian property in order to create ‘facts on the ground,’ they are also keen to escalate tensions in the West Bank to strengthen the extreme right in the upcoming Israeli General Election.

Of course, any overspill from the sanctions articulated by the Government that suggests Israel has no right to exist should be rejected. Of course, antisemitism should be fought back wherever and however it emerges. But I take this opportunity to clearly oppose both settler violence and the explicit and implicit condoning of such behaviour.

I do not share with those who feel that lovers of Israel, and supporters of Jewish life in this country must oppose, as a matter of course, sanctions designed to limit and draw attention to the damage caused by settler extremists. The British Government is saying they are not prepared to legitimise terrorism, settlements and policies that eliminate the possibility of a political resolution. That should be a cause we should support.

Rabbi Jeremy