Elisha Yard, a member of the "Hilltop Youth" and former spokesperson for MK Limor Son Har-Melech, published an article on Arutz 7 (Channel 7) in which he boasted of a major success: the completion of the removal of Arabs (or in plain terms — ethnic cleansing) from the entire area between the Alon Road and the Jordan Valley. The expulsion of the residents of the village Mughayyir al-Deir  two weeks ago marked the fall of the final stone in this region, prompting Yard to sound the victory trumpet.

Although the article is full of inaccuracies — true to the tradition of the “plundered Cossack” narrative — in its bottom line, Yard is right. Indeed, 381,000 dunams (approximately 94,000 acres) have been cleared of Palestinians who lived there, and indeed the area is now filled with 37 illegal outposts — a space larger than the entire Gaza Strip. The article contains factual errors about the characteristics of the population that was expelled, the length of time they had lived there, and how they came to be there, as well as about the nature and methods of the dispossessors. But in terms of the outcome, he is correct.

Between Wadi Qelt (Nahal Prat) in the south and Wadi Far’a (Nahal Tirzah) in the north, all shepherding communities have been removed. Additionally, Palestinians have been denied access to agricultural use of the land — both grazing areas and thousands of acres of farmland owned by villages in the area.

Yard is also right about another claim: while this process may have originated from a “bottom-up” civilian initiative, it constitutes the execution of a broader Israeli state strategy. The security forces deliberately abandoned the Palestinians living there and allowed the settlers to act freely. From the government’s perspective, the settlers did the job that it could not officially carry out itself.

But the area was not only cleansed of Palestinians — it was also emptied of security forces. The torching of a police patrol vehicle in one of the settlements near Kochav HaShahar about two months ago sent a clear message to the army and police: in this area, seized by settlers, only they hold the authority. One example among many is an illegal road being constructed by settlers for months now from Kochav HaShahar toward the town of Auja. Despite numerous appeals to the Binyamin Brigade commander, the Jordan Valley brigade commander, the Civil Administration (part of the ministry of defence) and the police — and even commitments by some to stop it — the road construction continues unabated.

This issue is part of a petition to the High Court of Justice, but the court has repeatedly allowed the state to delay its response — exactly as described in the article by Nir Hasson and Chen Ma’anit in the Haaretz weekend supplement.

The attack by government-aligned media outlets on the head of the Shin Bet’s (Israel Security Agency) Jewish Division is evidence of a struggle against the last agency still trying to hold the line. Still, so-called “moderate” crime — i.e., the continuous violence that has gone on for years — does not reach the threshold that triggers Shin Bet intervention. The agency tries to prevent violence that leads to death or serious injury but does not address anything below that threshold. The settlers are well aware of this. Therefore, while they try to avoid killing Palestinians, they simultaneously incite their leaders against the Shin Bet.

The settlers are not resting on their laurels and are not satisfied with what they’ve already achieved. They continue working to complete the cleansing of other frontier areas, such as Masafer Yatta, the Jordan Valley itself along Route 90, and the northern section of the Alon Road. But the more significant step is redirecting efforts toward the heart of the populated Palestinian territory.

Just as they operated along the Alon Road, the first phase involves denying villagers access to their agricultural lands and confining them to their residential areas. Dozens of illegal outposts are being established in this region as well; the terror directed at olive harvesters and orchards is expanding from the areas adjacent to settlements — as has been the case for many years — into the heart of Palestinian farmland. Dirt roads leading to farmland are being blocked, depriving Palestinians of their livelihoods.

The next phase involves harassment within the villages themselves. Settlers carry out acts of terror under the pretext of responding to attacks — as seen in the past in Hawara, Duma, al-Mughayyir, and more recently, a few months ago in the Al-Funduq area. For the past two weeks, villages such as A-Dik and Brukin have been subjected to terror following the attack that killed Tze`ela Gaz and her baby. This is a deliberate strategy, not a “spontaneous outburst of anger.” One need only note that Yossi Dagan, head of the Samaria Regional Council, established a “tent office” near Brukin.

In this area, too, the security forces allow Jewish terror to proceed unchecked. This, too, is an expression of the state’s strategy — a strategy effectively directed by Bezalel Smotrich’s “Decisive Plan".

The only bright spot in the entire nationalist crime landscape of the West Bank is the activity of several groups of Israeli volunteers in various areas, who assist and defend Palestinians in cooperation with them. Additionally, various organizations provide them with legal, logistical, and other support. Groups operating in the Jordan Valley, around Ariel, in southern Binyamin, in the South Hebron Hills, and elsewhere are a moral beacon and sometimes achieve practical results in specific situations — for example, the successful effort last week to prevent the establishment of another settler outpost right inside the Ras al-Ein community.

Joining the efforts of these groups is one of the only ways today to stay on the right side of the abyss.

Originally published on the “Local Call” website (mekomit.co.il) on June 4, 2025