Analysts link settler violence to ideology of Jewish supremacy

In this interview, analysts Sakina Datoo and Syed Mohsin Abbas examine the escalating violence by Israeli settlers against Palestinians and journalists in the occupied territories, arguing that such attacks reflect a broader pattern of impunity under the Israeli regime.

Abbas argues that settler violence is rooted in an ideology of Jewish supremacy that, he says, fosters a sense of exceptionalism and justifies abuses against Palestinians. He maintains that the destruction of Palestinian homes, the seizure of land, attacks on farmers and the uprooting of olive groves continue with the acquiescence of Israeli security forces, underscoring the complicity of the regime and its military.

Touching on the assault on a 63-year-old American photojournalist, Datoo says settlers are armed and emboldened by a system that enables them to act with impunity, dismissing Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s pledge to investigate the latest assault while rejecting the demonization of settlers.

She argues that the incident exposes the contradiction between Israel’s treatment of Western journalists and its longstanding violence against Palestinians, whose experiences often receive far less attention from major Western media outlets.

Both analysts stress that attacks on journalists cannot be separated from the wider system of occupation and dispossession. They suggest that the international community must confront the ideological and political structures enabling settler violence and hold the Israeli regime accountable for abuses against Palestinians and those documenting them.