A Video Shows an Israeli Settler Shooting a Palestinian Point-Blank. 10 Months Later, No One Has Been Arrested [Published on Zeteo]

How generations of extremist settlers have terrorized Palestinians with impunity.

Hi everyone—I just wanted to share a new story of mine published yesterday on Zeteo News, Medhi Hasan’s new media platform:

A Video Shows an Israeli Settler Shooting a Palestinian Point-Blank. 10 Months Later, No One Has Been Arrested

The piece examines the genealogy—both literal and figurative—of the specific strain of terrorism rooted in the teachings of Rabbi Meir Kahane and the Kach movement that drove a settler to shoot a Palestinian at point-blank range in the West Bank. It also explores why the settler has not been held accountable despite the indisputable evidence of his crime. It’s a bit more of a straightforward reported piece than what I typically publish here, but I felt that was the right approach for this story—there’s really no need for editorializing when you can see what happened with your own two eyes.

I also spoke about it on The Majority Report—you can see my interview at the 39:50 mark of this video or listen at the 37:00 mark of the podcast. You can also watch a short edit of the interview here.

Those of you who follow me on Instagram might recognize Zakaria al-Adra, the shooting victim. I’ve gotten to know him and his beautiful family over two visits to at-Tuwani, and countless exchanged voice notes this year. He’s truly a gentle soul, and it’s difficult to watch how much he continues to suffer. The sheer physical pain seems unbearable, and the plain fact is that he is not out of the woods: his injuries are grievous, the complications continue to pile up, and, though I’m no doctor, I’m sure the constant threat of violence and eviction doesn’t help the healing process. The first time we met, on the day he was released from the hospital, we were interrupted by a mob of settlers invading the village and shooting guns in the air.

While investigating the man who shot Zakaria, I came across a 2016 article about a medical procedure he underwent in which he was quoted as saying, “My wife has six children. She doesn't need to keep a sick husband as well. My family needs a healthy father.”

It’s difficult to wrap your mind around how the same man who said this could smile through a court proceeding recounting how he crippled a father of four young children. It tells you something about how little value these settlers place on Palestinian lives—and, frankly, it’s consistent with how significant portions of Israeli society have reacted to the utter carnage in Gaza. From my vantage point, it’s a difference in degree, not in kind.¹

Publishing a story usually brings a sense of accomplishment, but today, it’s overshadowed by futility. This story won’t change anything. The Israeli police, military, and government have known exactly who committed this heinous crime for over ten months, and they’ve chosen not to arrest him. The whole thing is maddening, but that’s just how it goes in the West Bank.

The people I most hope read this story are those who earnestly believe in the viability of a two-state solution. Beyond the geographical considerations—there is no contiguous Palestinian-administered territory in the West Bank, let alone a corridor to Gaza, such as it still exists—what are you going to do about these messianic settlers, armed to the teeth, whose life’s work is to prevent the creation of a Palestinian state? It would take a full-scale civil war for the State of Israel to get them out, and I don’t think the two-staters have fully clocked this reality. If you know any of them, please send this story their way.

Head over to Zeteo to read it in full: A Video Shows an Israeli Settler Shooting a Palestinian Point-Blank. 10 Months Later, No One Has Been Arrested.

Jasper

1. On the flip side, there are Israeli anti-occupation activists deeply embedded in these communities who put life and limb on the line to provide ‘protective presence.’ No, the ratio is not flattering for Israel, but yes, these people do exist. Local activist Basel Adra partnered with Israeli Yuval Abraham to produce No Other Land, a documentary about the destruction of Masafer Yatta.