Highlights
− Jewish and Arab Israelis no longer trust the government to defend their rights
− Settlers angered by the results of Israel’s unilateral disengagement of Gaza are relying on militia violence for defense
− Ethnic violence expected to escalate in the near to mid-term
In recent weeks, Acre, Jerusalem and the West Bank have witnessed a spike in ethnic violence. Steadily increasing since the inauguration of Israel-Palestinian track peace talks, the smoldering tension was ignited to violence in Acre when a man drove through an Orthodox neighborhood on the eve of Yom Kippur. A fight between two drunken youths in a mixed neighborhood in East Jerusalem incited a brawl that sent two youths to the hospital and left several wounded on October 19, 2008. Since the beginning of October 2008, violence between settlers has increased markedly. Rumors of settlement expansion and the possible plans to sabotage the yearly olive harvest were met with arson and indiscriminate violence.
Ethnic tension in Israel and the West Bank is the result of both communities feeling equally betrayed by the Israeli government. Followers of Jewish ultra-orthodoxy are angered by memories of the forced evacuation of settlements in the Gaza Strip during Israel’s unilateral disengagement in September 2005.
Palestinians and Arabs, on the other hand, consider the proposals and efforts to segregate Arabs from Jewish neighborhoods in Israel, as well as settler violence and settlement expansion in the West Bank, evidence that Jewish Israelis—at least the Orthodox community— have no respect for the peace process or intention to peacefully coincide with their Arab counterparts.
Ultra-Orthodox: Betrayed by Their Government
Many in Israel’s Ultra-Orthodox community are leery of ongoing peace talks between Israel and the Palestinian Authority. They think their government betrayed them by forcing their evacuation from the Gaza Strip in September 2005, which was later taken over by Hamas. For the conservative right in Israel, Hamas’ takeover of the Gaza Strip is evidence that Israel cannot rely on the Palestinian Authority to police the Palestinian Territories and ensure the security of Israel’s borders.
Instead, the ultra-orthodox community predominantly believes Israel should reoccupy the Palestinian Territories. For them, the increase in violence perpetrated by settler communities in the West Bank is a direct result of the government’s betrayal. Israeli Defense Forces (IDF) campaigns to dismantle illegal settlements and police existing settlements are evidence that the Israeli forces are no longer in the West Bank to ensure their security. In turn, settlers argue they must act to defend their families, land and right to live in the West Bank. These settlers point to instances of Palestinian violence against settler communities and argue they acquired more land to serve as buffer zones between the two communities.
Arabs: Fear, Anger and Hostility
One conservative member of the Knesset, Avigdor Lieberman, proposed Arab Israelis be relocated under the guardianship of the Palestinian Authority and Israeli settlers and settlements reorganized under Israeli rule. At least 20 Arab Israeli families—those forced to evacuate as a result of Jewish violence in Acre—believe this plan is being implemented in mixed communities in Israel.
Displaced Arab Israelis and their Palestinian counterparts argue the burning of Arab Israeli houses in Acre, the expansion of Israeli settlements and the destruction of Palestinian crops is part of a grand Zionist plan to force Arabs to relocate to segregated communities. In response, traditionally peaceful Arab Israeli and Palestinian communities are increasingly resorting to violence.
Future Outlook
Given the mutual distrust of the Israeli government and political system, ethnic violence in Israel and the West Bank is expected to increase in the near to mid-term. Ironically, the peace process is more likely to exacerbate ethnic tension than resolve it. As the peace talks move forward, Israeli settlers and the ultra-orthodox communities will become increasingly antagonistic toward their Arab neighbors. Arab communities will view IDF attempts to promote stability by isolating the communities as governmental denial of the rights of Arab Israelis.
As a result, continued violence between Arab and Jewish Israeli youth is anticipated in the near to mid-term. Likewise, the aggressive practices by some settlers and Palestinians residing in the West Bank will likely lead to a broad escalation of violence between the communities in the mid-term.
