Senior Israeli official: Settler violence harming Israel, Syria security deal attempt failed
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- A senior Israeli diplomatic official said settler violence in the West Bank continues to damage Israel diplomatically, although incidents and serious cases declined from March to July as enforcement increased.
- The official said an attempted security agreement with Syria failed after Syrian interest declined when some sanctions were lifted, while Israel rejected withdrawal from a buffer zone.
Settler violence in the West Bank remains a diplomatic liability for Israel, even as the number of incidents has fallen in recent months, a senior Israeli diplomatic official said.
The phenomenon still exists. It needs to be dealt with. We certainly see the damage caused as a result of it.
The official described March as a “peak month” and said both total incidents and serious incidents declined between March and July. At the same time, enforcement activity and arrests increased. “The phenomenon still exists. It needs to be dealt with,” the official said. “We certainly see the damage caused as a result of it.”
Israel is responding by deploying more personnel, increasing enforcement on the ground and pursuing other measures against those involved, the official said. Amid international criticism, the Foreign Ministry is also trying to make those actions more visible. “We asked to show, not just tell, the enforcement actions,” the official said, explaining the recent release of footage showing arrests and legal proceedings.
We asked to show, not just tell, the enforcement actions.
The official drew a distinction between violence by settlers and the wider dispute with European countries over Israeli settlements in the West Bank. Israel rejects the European position on settlements while continuing to take action against Israelis involved in violence. Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich has also published an article opposing the phenomenon and addressed the relevant public on the issue.
We tried to reach a security agreement. In the end, it did not succeed.
The official separately confirmed that Israel’s effort to reach a security agreement with the government in Damascus had failed. “We tried to reach a security agreement. In the end, it did not succeed,” the official said. According to the official, Syrian motivation declined after certain sanctions were lifted. The buffer zone was another central dispute, with Israel unwilling to accept an agreement requiring it to withdraw from the area.
Syrian motivation to move forward with such an agreement declined when certain sanctions on Syria were lifted.
About this summary
Originally published by Jerusalem Post. Summarized and contextualized automatically by DistantNews, with a note on how the source frames the story. Not individually reviewed before publishing. How this works.
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