Israeli settler violence and terrorism against Palestinians in the Occupied Territories has been on the rise for many years, but the rate at which this violence is perpetuated has seen a significant spike in the past few years. The most egregious incidents often make headlines, such as the settler rampage in the village of Huwara last March or the 2014 fire-bombing in Duma. Yet the vast majority of settler attacks on Palestinians go largely unnoticed in the international and Israeli press. Meanwhile, many of the most violent settlers and settlements maintain extensive organizational and financial ties with actors in the United States and other Western nations.
How pervasive is the problem of Israeli settler violence, and how does it affect the daily lives of Palestinians living under Israeli occupation? What role do Israeli authorities, including the army, play in preventing or encouraging settler violence? How has U.S. policy responded to the growing threat of Israeli settler violence and extremism — and where could Washington do more? To shed light on these and other questions, the Middle East Institute is pleased to invite you to join an expert panel discussion.
Speakers
Ahmed Abofoul
Legal Research and Advocacy Officer, Al-Haq
Sarit Michaeli
International Advocacy Officer, B'Tselem
Alex Kane
Senior Reporter, Jewish Currents
Khaled Elgindy, moderator
Senior Fellow and Director of the Program on Palestine and Palestinian-Israeli Affairs, Middle East Institute
Speaker Biographies
Ahmed Abofoul is an international lawyer and currently serves as the Legal Research and Advocacy Officer at Al-Haq, the largest and oldest human rights organization in Palestine. He is also a Research Fellow on legal mobilization at the International Institute of Social Studies (ISS) of Erasmus University Rotterdam.
Sarit Michaeli is International Advocacy Officer for B'Tselem at the Israeli Information Center for Human Rights in the Occupied Territories and previously served as B’Tselem’s spokesperson from 2004 to 2016. Prior to joining B’Tselem, she worked extensively in journalism, graphic design, and translation in Israel, London, and New York.
Alex Kane is Senior Reporter for Jewish Currents, where he covers the politics of Israel/Palestine in the United States. Prior to joining Jewish Currents, he freelanced widely for numerous publications, including The Nation, The Intercept, VICE, Al Jazeera English, and more.
Khaled Elgindy is the author of the book, Blind Spot: America and the Palestinians, from Balfour to Trump, published by Brookings Institution Press in April 2019. Elgindy previously served as a fellow in the Foreign Policy program at the Brookings Institution from 2010 through 2018. Prior to arriving at Brookings, he served as an advisor to the Palestinian leadership in Ramallah on permanent status negotiations with Israel from 2004 to 2009 and was a key participant in the Annapolis negotiations of 2007-08.
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