An article by Baruch Kra, presenting his impressions from a tour of the West Bank, in which he participated alongside former senior officials from the army, Mossad, Shin Bet, and the police, and which was broadcast on Channel 13, marked a kind of coming out and exposed to the television audience a glimpse of what is happening in the occupied territories. What surprised the senior officials was not new to the readers of this website, but the public awareness campaign is just beginning.

The actions of the settler extremists engaged in ethnic cleansing are carried out under the umbrella of the state, as evidenced by statements made by Major General of Central Command, as revealed in Haaretz, according to which the judicial system and police demonstrate impotence in the face of settler violence. Major General Avi Blot chose not to mention the involvement of government ministries and the army in the matter, but warned Netanyahu and his ministers about the potential for a violent response from Palestinians in the West Bank.

Responses from participants in these tours or those who became aware of their reports show that critics oppose settler violence on the grounds that it harms Israels` security, with some even concerned about the loss of the Jewish-Democratic state and the transformation of Israel into a bi-national state. However, it is evident from their statements that not all understand that this is not just settler violence but state violence.

Ron Ben-Yishai, who participated in a similar tour, understood this and wrote in Yedioth Ahronoth that the responsibility lies with Netanyahu, and the ministers Smotrich, Ben-Gvir, and Strook. And not only them—according to him, the army, the police, Shin Bet, and the courts appoint, encourage, and enable to varying degrees the process of ethnic cleansing.

Roi Sharon, the military correspondent for Kan11, wrote: "Against Jewish terrorism, the State of Israel stands aside. The Central Command of the IDF, Shin Bet, the police, the prosecution, and the courts—all are negligent in their areas, and the word 'negligent' is a huge concession. Arson goes unsolved, violent physical assaults remain unsolved, violent citizens are not arrested, and if they are arrested, it is almost without indictments and convictions."

Major General Avi Blot, the sovereign in the territories under international law, defined settler violence as "Jewish terrorism." In statements made at a closed forum and published in Haaretz, the major general said he warned the Prime Minister and his ministers about the potential for violent Palestinian reactions in the West Bank. He was quoted saying, "It is quite a miracle that the Palestinian public is still indifferent to the phenomenon, but it will not remain indifferent indefinitely."

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Sunday - Corporal Idan Fox, 19,  was killed by a drone bomb in southern Lebanon. Six other soldiers were injured in the incident, including four in serious condition.

A young man, killed last week in Mughayir by gunfire from a settler in uniform, was buried. During the funeral procession, an IDF vehicle passed by, and a local youth hit the armored jeep with a stick. He did not shoot or throw a Molotov cocktail, just hit the jeep with the stick. That was enough for him to be arrested. The settler who shot the Palestinian teenager dead has still not been arrested.

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Monday - Settlers broke into the wall of a house in the village of Jalud near Nablus, and later they set fire to the house and attacked its residents. One of the residents was injured and transferred to the hospital. This house is a target for settler harassment because it is located at the outskirts of the village, close to two settlements. Last week, vehicles were set on fire in the village.

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Tuesday - A contractor working for the Ministry of Defense was killed in a drone explosion in southern Lebanon. The deceased was Amir Hujirath, 44, from Shfaram. His 19-year-old son was lightly injured. The two were working on demolitions in southern Lebanese villages for a civilian company.

Supreme Court Justice Noam Solberg granted the state a two-week extension to inform the court what steps are being taken to allow the deported residents of Ras ein al-Uja to return to their homes.

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Wednesday - Dorron Meinraht, one of the leaders of "Looking at the Occupation in the Eyes," shared his impressions from the tour in the west bank:

"This week, I participated in a 'journey' to the West Bank attended by former Prime Minister Ehud Olmert, former Police Commissioner, and four former police chiefs. All the participants were horrified by what they saw and heard, emphasizing the importance of seeing things firsthand to understand the reality, from the ideological and strategic level to the implementation in the field.

"So far, nearly 100 former senior officials have participated in these tours, including a Prime Minister, a Defense Minister, a Chief of Staff, a Mossad Head, a Shin Bet Head, police commissioners, former generals, diplomats, and prominent journalists.

"Some participants have already shared or plan to share their impressions through various means, contributing to the resistance against violence in many ways. One of the tours, which included Tamir Pardo former head of the Mossad, was filmed and aired on Channel 13 in Baruch Kra's excellent report.

"We continue to guide these 'journeys,' led by the wise and tireless Yaakov Or ('Mendy'). We emphasize two main points in every 'journey'—the explanation and background of what the eyes see. We trust that these people, with their wealth of knowledge, talent, and experience, who understand large systems and broad processes, will comprehend the bigger picture.

A. This is the implementation of a well-structured plan at every level—both ideological and tactical. They find it easier to understand and accept.

B. All security forces are, in general, working hand-in-hand with the settlers to implement this plan. This claim is harder for them to digest because it means the accelerated dismantling of the most important institutions of Israeli democracy—the institutions they themselves (and both Mendy and I) have served in for years. This is hard to digest, but it cannot be ignored when faced with reality.

"It seems that many of them begin to change their opinion of us, the activists working in the field. I am sure that some of them thought before the tour that we were self-hating extremists wanting the destruction of Israel, or naïve people helping the weak without understanding the complex reality. When I introduce myself at the beginning of the tour as someone from 'Looking at the Occupation in the Eyes,' I can feel the skeptical looks.

"In the field, they meet with us – with the guides leading the tour and with the random activists on shift. They come to realize that we are clear-eyed individuals who understand the reality well and are trying to change it, or at least slow down the process of deterioration. We are working with all our might, to the best of our abilities, to ensure there is a future here worth living in. People who want what’s best for Israel, but understand that it needs to be fundamentally fixed in order to be changed, and that the repair requires a determined struggle. There is another 'side effect' – they also meet with Palestinians."

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Thursday - Liam Ben-Hamo, a 19-year-old soldier from Herzliya serving in Golani Brigade, was killed by a drone bomb in southern Lebanon. He was the third fatality from a drone guided by optical fiber and the 17th fatality in the current round of fighting in southern Lebanon.

Late Wednesday night, settlers near Khirbet a-Twail damaged the electricity lines of residents in the outskirts of the village of Aqraba, after also stealing equipment from one of the homes. In the morning, permission was received from the civil administration to repair the damage. Palestinian electricians attempting to enter the area with a crane were blocked by a group of young settlers and minors riding ATVs. The armed settlers, accompanied by settler in uniform, acted violently towards the activists. The uniformed man expelled the workers and residents, claiming that they did not have permission to repair the power line and to be in the area (this is private Palestinian land).

The Civil Administration demolished Palestinian stores at the entrance to the city of Ariel. These stores, which had been there for many years, were a thriving commercial center serving settlers. The decision to demolish the stores is part of Israel's economic warfare against the residents of the West Bank.

In the same issue: Miron Rapoport reported in Shikha Meqomith that "dozens of Palestinian greenhouses near the separation wall are at risk of demolition following orders from the civil administration. The farmers, who have been relying on them for years, see this as part of the broad campaign to push them off their land and encourage emigration from the villages."

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Friday - The main headline of Haaretz quoted Major General of Central Command Avi Blot at a closed conference. According to the report, Blot distinguished between farms in the West Bank, which he claimed were established "in coordination with the army and state institutions," and outposts "that are established without coordination and call themselves farms." He mentioned that 150 farms established in coordination with the army "unequivocally helped" in preventing "illegal Palestinian construction" in Area C and fighting terrorism.

Regarding the settlers in the illegal outposts, Blot said: "I speak with them, and they are not particularly polite people. They tell me, 'We are the heroes of David, all the deterrence is thanks to us.' This is delusion. You need to meet these people, they are not high-level individuals... these people do not see Arabs as human beings and think they can burn people, burn houses with people inside, and they do it unfortunately regularly. They decided to 'erase the shame of Oslo.' This is a disgrace to the Jewish people." Blot also spoke about the direct link between settler revenge actions against Palestinians and the rise in Palestinian terrorism.

According to the report, the commander criticized the helplessness, in his opinion, that the legal system and the police demonstrate in the face of settler violence. However, although Blot points an accusing finger at the courts and the police, field activists documenting what is happening in the West Bank testify that the IDF also refrains in many cases from dealing with attackers from outposts who carry out terror against Palestinian communities in the West Bank.

In the morning, another tour of the occupied West Bank was led by Doron Meinraht/ About 60 senior faculty members from Tel Aviv University took part in it. At front of the village of Mughayir a military force displaying a closed military area order. Those present learned that it was closed only to them. The tour continued.

A settler serving in the reserves in the Territorial Defense Battalion fired at night at the homes of residents in the Al-Arub refugee camp between Bethlehem and Hebron. Settlers set fire to vehicles in Wadi Rahim near Susiya, in the southern Hebron Hills.

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Saturday - As every Saturday, settlers launched operations in various areas to instill terror among Palestinian communities. Three Palestinians were injured by masked settlers in the village of Jalud, south of Nablus. The army arrested three suspects, while others fled. An army vehicle ran over spikes set by the settlers.

Settlers raided buildings in the village of A-Diouk near Jericho (Area A) and stole property. In Loban Ashraqi, settlers attempted to set fire to an agricultural vehicle. Two young Palestinians were injured in an attack by settlers in the village of Tayasir, east of Tubas. Three Palestinians, including a 71-year-old woman, were injured in an attack by settlers in the Jabal Jalis neighborhood of Hebron.

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