In the Occupied Territories, there are two sets of laws for two sets of residents

16 August 2023

Two Jewish-Israeli West Bank settlers accused by police of murdering a 19-year-old Palestinian on August 4 have now been released by an Israeli civil court to house arrest. Make no mistake: If the suspects had been Palestinians, subject to military law, they’d still be behind bars.

Elisha Yered and Yehiel Indore were part of a contingent of armed vigilantes, numbering roughly 150 to 200, who entered Burqa, east of Ramallah, on August 4. They had been called in as reinforcements by a settler shepherd from an unauthorized outpost to help “resolve” a grazing land dispute. According to Palestinian accounts, the ensuing settler assault included arson and wanton property destruction. When the Palestinian villagers tried to resist, settlers opened fire and killed Qusai Mi’tan. The U.S State Department defined the incident as a “terror attack by Israeli extremist settlers”. But Itamar Ben-Gvir, Netanyahu’s Minister of National Security, who is in charge of the police, called Yered and Indore “heroes”.

Now Yered and Indore are out of police custody. Perhaps they’ll eventually stand trial. But don’t count on it: The West Bank has two sets of residents – but they’re governed by two completely different sets of norms and laws.

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