Far too often these days, we see horrific images of the ongoing dispossession of Palestinians in the West Bank at the hands of Jewish settlers, often passively or actively backed by the Israeli army. Witnessing this reality shakes me to my core. I am angry, I am ashamed, and I want nothing more than to look away.
But we cannot and we will not allow ourselves to shrink from taking responsibility for ending Jewish terrorism in the West Bank. And we cannot allow ourselves to sink into apathy or to fold in the face of evil. And we need not either.
When we zoom out of those images, of violent settlers perpetrating pogroms on the lives of civilians, we also see a reason for hope.
Israeli Jews, young and old, from diverse religious and ethnic backgrounds, are standing shoulder to shoulder with Palestinians, doing everything they can to prevent these attacks. Over the last months, these individuals have become a movement. They put their personal safety on the line to offer Palestinians a protective presence, a nonviolent safeguard to try to block these assaults.
This week, the New Israel Fund is bringing three leaders from this movement to the United States for in-person and virtual events. Or, Maya, and Roei represent a growing trend among a wider and wider swath of Israelis: a loud, insistent, and persistent rejection of Jewish terrorism and a clear-eyed reminder of another, better future. With their feet firmly on the ground, they insist that peace is not only possible, but that it is necessary.
The last year alone was one of the most extreme in settler attacks on Palestinians in the West Bank. Nearly 900 incidents of settler violence were recorded, close to a 30% increase from 2024. This uptick is no coincidence. Relentless wars on other fronts—in Gaza, Lebanon, and Iran—enable settlers to act with impunity as distracted enforcement, overburdened courts, and an exhausted Israeli mainstream look elsewhere. It is rare to see settlers held accountable for their actions of degradation, displacement, and even murder.
That’s why protective presence is so critical. And that’s why we at the New Israel Fund have decided to bring this delegation to the US now. We know that this is the moment to build connections between North American Jews and the Israelis with whom they share deeply held values and commitments. We know that now is the time to highlight partnership and vision. This is our work: to grow a community rooted in justice, in freedom, and in peace.
These three Israelis, and the Palestinians with whom they stand, represent so many more committed activists. Unfortunately, the fourth member of this delegation was unable to join us. He is a Palestinian who can no longer obtain a visa to the US to share his voice. We at the New Israel Fund are committed to ensuring that Palestinian voices are heard, and will therefore be bringing his story and his activism along with us via video.
NIF is now investing even more deeply in protective presence. The movement is not only a way to safeguard Palestinians from additional abuse and eviction. It is also a strategic, systematic approach to prevent sneaking annexation of the West Bank. Settlers attack Palestinians not only to claim specific property as their own. No, their efforts are part of a long-term vision of annexation they are trying to fulfill with each assault. But we too have a long-term vision and a strategy, and we too will fight to bring it to fruition. This is why we are prioritizing our support for partners who promote our shared values and strategy to advance human rights, justice, and peace.
These are the leaders who inspire me each and every day to continue fighting for a better future. These are the leaders who allow us to continue our work every day. These are the leaders who will join us this week in our synagogues and at our dinner tables to remind us that we cannot, and we need not, choose between our values and a connection to Israel.