Amid pogroms in the West Bank, activists resist

Dear Friend,

Rotem here. Israeli occupation forces and settlers have made it clear time and time again: they do not care that the world can see their crimes, which are well-documented. The pogroms are becoming widespread, the number of Palestinians shot dead by Israeli forces continues to grow and Israel’s annexation of the West Bank continues to expand. Last Friday, Israeli media widely reported on what it called a “terror attack” targeting Israeli settlers. As videos emerged, it became clear the story was, as is often the case, flipped on its head: Israeli settlers entered a Palestinian town without permission, threatened residents after they were not welcome, and the situation escalated, until a Palestinian man shot two settlers dead in what most would call self-defense.

Jewish anti-occupation activists urgently gathered in Tel Aviv for an emergency protest against the violence soon after, without permission from police. The feeling among activists was not only that the grip of Israeli occupation is deepening, but that even in the face of the most obvious case of self-defense, the story is always twisted and fictionalized in Jewish supremacist fashion. There was a frustration shared among the demonstrators: in what world is this possible? In a society built on Jewish supremacy, whether its liberal or fascist, it’s possible.

The demonstration was met with a heavy police presence. Officers forcibly dispersed the crowd and arrested several protesters. That same night, hundreds of Israeli settlers attacked Palestinian villages across the West Bank. Homes and public spaces were vandalized, cars were burned, and residents were terrorized. According to reports, at least six Palestinians were killed and around seventy were arrested in the aftermath.

For many Israelis, these events have been presented as a justified response to what much of the mainstream media described simply as a "terrorist attack." Calls for revenge quickly became normalized, while the collective punishment of Palestinian communities received little scrutiny.

Yet even in this climate, some refuse to accept the consensus. They leave work to attend emergency demonstrations, risk arrest, and strain relationships with their families, friends and colleagues as they are doxxed by growing right-wing media. They choose to stand publicly against war, occupation, and settler violence when doing so carries profound social and political consequences.

These acts of dissent rarely make headlines, but they matter. Resistance from within Israeli society is often small, fragile, and isolated. It survives because people continue to organize and build an ecosystem of resistance, from organizing to media work and protective presence.

We'll continue sharing these stories from the ground: stories of people who refuse war, challenge occupation, and insist that another future remains possible.

In solidarity,

Rotem Sudman
Media Coordinator
Resistance Soldiarity Netowrk