BBC采访了以色列西岸哈瓦特·吉拉德定居点的居民耶胡达·西蒙，他为定居者针对巴勒斯坦村庄的暴力行为进行辩护[1]。这些攻击发生在上周末，起因是该定居点一名保安在塔尔村被杀[1]。西蒙声称一条犹太人生命相当于1000万巴勒斯坦人[1]，并表示"现在他们杀死了一名以色列人后，我们需要杀死塔尔和萨拉的所有人，甚至吉特和法拉塔"[1]。
这次冲突中共有五人丧生，包括四名巴勒斯坦人和一名以色列士兵[1]。根据联合国人道协调厅的数据，从年初至7月20日，西岸共有64名巴勒斯坦人被杀，其中18名死于定居者攻击，而同期仅有1名以色列人被杀[1]。今年定居者发动的攻击造成的伤害人数急剧增加，平均每天超过3人[1]。
西蒙还提出了对巴勒斯坦居民的三个"选项"：要么安静地接受以色列统治，要么自愿移民到其他阿拉伯或穆斯林国家，要么被杀死[1]。约有50万犹太人现居住在西岸的各个定居点和非法前哨站中[1]，其中哈瓦特·吉拉德定居点已存在20多年[1]。
A resident of the Havat Gilad settlement in the Israeli-occupied West Bank has justified settler attacks on Palestinian villages as revenge for the killing of a settlement security guard, according to an interview with the BBC.[1] Yehuda Simon, a lawyer at the settlement, stated that the attacks—which occurred over the past weekend and resulted in the deaths of four Palestinians and one Israeli soldier—were warranted responses to the death of the guard in the village of Tal.[1]
Simon articulated an extreme position on the conflict, asserting that "one Jewish life is equivalent to 10 million Palestinian lives."[1] When asked about potential resolutions, he presented three options for Palestinian residents: to quietly accept Israeli rule, to voluntarily emigrate to other Arab or Muslim countries, or "I must kill you."[1] He also called for the elimination of all residents in Tal and Salim, as well as in Qit and Farata.[1]
The broader context reveals a sharp escalation in settler violence in the West Bank. According to UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs data, from the beginning of the year through July 20, sixty-four Palestinians were killed in the West Bank, with eighteen of those deaths attributed to settler attacks, while only one Israeli was killed during the same period.[1] Settler attacks have caused injuries to more than three people daily this year.[1] Havat Gilad, established more than two decades ago, is one of numerous settlements across the West Bank, with approximately 500,000 Jewish residents living in official settlements and unauthorized outposts in the region.[1]