Once again, Israeli and international audiences are being flooded with videos allegedly proving what has become known as “settler violence.” This type of campaign resurfaces with striking consistency, often ahead of diplomatic events or renewed calls for territorial withdrawals, precisely when political pressure is being mobilized against Israel.
This is not a coincidence.
The term “settler violence” has become a modern blood libel, designed to delegitimize Jews living in Judea and Samaria and to portray them as aggressors who must be uprooted. The aim is clear: to justify international pressure on Israel and pave the way for the establishment of a Palestinian state in the heart of our land.
'Settler violence' requires examination
The phenomenon known as “settler violence” needs to be examined.
Jews do not wake up in the morning seeking to attack their Arab neighbors. When friction occurs, it is almost always in the context of self-defense.
Unlike the reality within Palestinian society, where incitement against Jews and the glorification of violence begin at a very young age, Jewish life in Judea and Samaria, like anywhere else, is centered on work, study, family, and building the land.
That is precisely why every sensational video should raise an immediate question: What happened before the camera was turned on? Experience teaches us that the critical context is almost always missing.
One incident from several months ago illustrates the pattern all too well.
A widely circulated video showed what appeared to be a Jewish shepherd attacking an Arab and stealing his mobile phone.
Investigating the story
Even well-meaning viewers concluded, “This is settler violence.” But the full story, uncovered after a brief investigation, revealed something very different.
Two young Jewish shepherds were grazing their flock on land belonging to their community when a group of Palestinian Arabs arrived and began throwing stones. One shepherd was struck in the head and seriously injured.
His companion began filming the Arab attackers, at which point he himself was assaulted, beaten, and robbed of his phone.
The attackers fled toward their village.
Refusing to surrender evidence of the assault, the shepherd pursued them, entered a building where the phone was hidden, and managed to retrieve it.
Yet only that final confrontation – the moment he reclaimed his stolen phone – was filmed and distributed. The violent attack on the Jewish shepherds, which preceded it was erased from the narrative.
And this is not an isolated case. It is a method.
Just days ago, another video spread rapidly, accusing a reservist of deliberately running over an Arab while the man was praying.
Predictably, condemnations poured in before facts were known.
However, the truth soon emerged.
Hilltop youth defamation
Jewish shepherds had again been attacked, and the IDF reservist arrived alone and succeeded in driving away the Arab rioters. Instead of recognition for decisive and courageous action, he was met with vilification and accusations of trying to wound a man at prayer. Even after the truth became clear, there were no apologies.
For years, similar defamation has targeted hilltop youth and farm residents – idealistic Israelis who left comfortable lives to maintain a Jewish presence where the state itself often fails to do so, thus creating a buffer for the state. History will judge them very differently from how the media does.
The lesson to be learned is simple.
The next time a “shocking” video of “settler violence” appears on your screen, do not rush to condemn. Pause. Ask what is missing. Refuse to be manipulated by a campaign whose goal is to demonize Jews in Judea and Samaria and turn self-defense into a crime.
At a time when the discussion of sovereignty is once again on the table, clarity matters.
There is no “settler violence.” There is Jewish self-defense in the Jewish homeland.
The writers are the co-chairs of the Sovereignty Movement.