Politics1 min read

Israeli ex-generals condemn settler violence, help Palestinian farmers

By · Via Middle East Eye · Published by Everything Blog

In short

The solidarity effort was organized by former Major General Eyal Ben-Reuven, who mobilized around 30 senior military figures, including six generals, to assist with the seasonal olive harvest. During the gathering, Ben-Reuven strongly denounced the settler assaults, comparing violence against women and children to historic Jewish pogroms. Former Colonel Doron Meinert also spoke out, describing the occupation as Israel's core societal problem that must be addressed alongside Palestinians.

Key points

  • Senior military veterans publicly challenged settler aggression by offering hands-on assi…: Senior military veterans publicly challenged settler aggression by offering hands-on assistance to Palestinian farmers.
  • Participants denounced attacks on civilians, explicitly likening the targeted violence to…: Participants denounced attacks on civilians, explicitly likening the targeted violence to historic pogroms.
  • The participating officers urged the Israeli public to stop ignoring the occupation and c…: The participating officers urged the Israeli public to stop ignoring the occupation and confront its societal consequences.

Sources checked by our analysis pipeline: 1

A group of senior Israeli ex-military officials helped Palestinian farmers on Tuesday to harvest olives, in a gesture of solidarity amid an upsurge in militant settler violence targeting Palestinians in the occupied West Bank.

"When I see what is going on here, when I see these guys come... and hit women and kids, it reminds me of stories from my parents from the time when the Jewish people suffered," said former Major General Eyal Ben-Reuven, who compared the settler attacks to pogroms.

Ben-Reuven said he began organising a group of around 30 senior military officials - including six generals - several months ago following an increase in settler violence that many Palestinians say is enabled by the Israeli military.

"Occupation is the main problem of Israeli society. I believe we must deal with it, we cannot ignore it. We must try to solve it together with the Palestinians," said former Colonel Doron Meinert.

Reporting by Reuters

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