94% of probes into settlers violence led to no indictment: NGO

By Al Mayadeen English
Source: Israeli media
23 Jan 2024 10:08

Findings of a 19-year examination by an Israeli NGO suggest a "deliberate Israeli policy."

Israeli settlers attacking Palestinians in the occupied West Bank with axes and other weapons (Yesh Din)

An Israeli organization reported that an analysis of Israeli police investigations into violence by Israeli settlers against Palestinians in the occupied West Bank reveals that between 2005 and September 2023, approximately 94% of scrutinized investigations were concluded without an indictment, with only three percent resulting in a conviction.

More than 80% of the examined investigations were closed because the police either couldn't "identify the perpetrators" or failed to gather the "necessary evidence" for prosecution.

Conducted by Yesh Din, an organization advocating against Israeli occupation of the West Bank, the study also revealed a significant level of distrust among Palestinian residents toward Israeli law enforcement. In 2023, 58% of Palestinian settler violence victims chose not to report the crimes to the Israeli occupation's police.

Dive deeper

The study focused on 1,664 police investigation files initiated in response to Israeli violence against Palestinians in the West Bank. Yesh Din monitored these files from 2005 to September 2023.

It's important to note that this figure does not encompass the total number of all investigations initiated by the police. Instead, it specifically pertains to cases tracked by Yesh Din, where the organization obtained power of attorney from the Palestinian victims. This authority allowed Yesh Din to represent them in legal proceedings, granting the organization the ability to assess the conduct of the investigations. It is worth noting that the overall number of police investigations during this period is not available.

The study's revelations coincide with a significant increase in incidents of settler violence throughout 2023 with a more alarming surge in such attacks in the month following October 7. This escalation resulted in the forcible displacement of approximately 15 Palestinian villages in the Jordan Valley and the South al-Khalil Hills due to immense settler violence and harassment.

In its report, Yesh Din highlighted that, according to international law, Palestinian residents of the West Bank are recognized as "protected persons" for whom "Israel" bears the responsibility of safeguarding. The organization affirmed that the Israeli entity's prolonged failure to fulfill this duty suggests implicit support for violent attacks on Palestinian civilians.

“The fact that this systemic failure has continued for at least two decades evinces that the State of Israel normalizes and supports ideologically motivated violence perpetrated by Israeli settlers against Palestinians in the West Bank as a matter of policy and benefits from its effects,” the organization stated.

The organization acknowledged that the data from these cases formed a comprehensive and cumulative sample. This allowed for an analysis of the Israeli police's response to "ideologically motivated crimes" committed by Israeli settlers in the West Bank.

Out of the 1,664 cases monitored by Yesh Din, 670 (40.3%) involved violent offenses committed by Israeli settlers against Palestinians, including homicide, assault, use of firearms, stone-throwing, threats, and harming animals.

Property offenses constituted 772 cases (46.4%), involving acts like arson, theft, damaging homes, mosques, cars, cutting down trees, harming crops, vandalizing property, and spraying graffiti.

Additionally, 222 cases (13.3%) pertained to incidents where Israelis attempted to steal Palestinian land, such as by fencing off areas, constructing structures, or blocking access.

Among the 1,664 police investigations tracked by Yesh Din, 1,615 have been concluded. Of these, 1,513 (93.7%) were closed without an indictment. In only 107 cases (6.6%) were indictments filed. The 0.3% discrepancy accounts for cases initially closed by the police but later reopened due to Yesh Din's appeal, ultimately resulting in an indictment.

Significantly, approximately 84% of police investigations were concluded due to deficiencies on the part of the police. Out of the 1,437 cases in which the police furnished Yesh Din with explanations for the closure, 921, or 64%, were terminated citing "offender unknown". This implies that the police acknowledged a crime had occurred but claimed it could not identify the perpetrator.

“The high rate of failure points to a longstanding systemic and deliberate failure in law enforcement responses to ideologically motivated crime against Palestinians in the West Bank,” said Yesh Din.

“The fact that the systemic failure has continued for at least two decades indicates that this is a deliberate policy of Israel, which normalizes the ideological violence of settlers against Palestinians in the West Bank, supports it, and benefits from its results,” it added.