In remarks featured in a New Israel Fund video, attorney Michael Sfard dismissed the notion that violent settlers are merely isolated bad actors operating outside official control. Instead, he described the dynamic as a unified joint venture where state backing actively facilitates settler operations. According to Sfard, the government supplies settlers with funding, weapons, farms, and immunity to advance this single machine.
Key points
Human rights attorney Michael Sfard argued that settler attacks function as an official a…: Human rights attorney Michael Sfard argued that settler attacks function as an official arm of state violence.
The military should not be viewed as a neutral force caught between opposing sides in the…: The military should not be viewed as a neutral force caught between opposing sides in the region.
Coordinated actions between the state apparatus and settlers directly result in the daily…: Coordinated actions between the state apparatus and settlers directly result in the daily displacement of Palestinians.
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A prominent Israeli attorney and rights activist, Michael Sfard, has said that "settler violence is state violence" and one must not be "misled by the notion that there are these bad settlers and an army caught in between Palestinians".
"There is one machine. It is one machine. Settler violence is state violence. It is supported by the state. It is funded by the state. It gets guns from the state. It gets their farms from the state. It gets immunity from the state. But it is a joint venture and it is a huge apparatus," Sfard said, according to a video by New Israel Fund and shared by Tim Anderson, Director of the Centre for Counter Hegemonic Studies.
"It is a huge monster with many arms and Palestinians are being displaced on a daily basis," Sfard said.
Israeli lawyer Michael Sfard: don't be misled by the idea that there are 'bad apple' settlers on the Zionist tree. There is "one machine". https://t.co/GfKn9xw5o4
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