Left-wing NGOs opened a campaign to halt settler violence with dramatic signage showing a wounded Palestinian child next to photographs of Defense Minister Benny Gantz and Public Security Minister Omer Bar Lev.
“A 3-year-old Palestinian child was wounded in an attack,” the sign stated. “The time has come to stop settler violence. Gantz, Bar Lev, this is on you.”
As part of the campaign, signs were placed on the back of Egged and Dan buses, the NGOs stated. They provided a photo of the sign.
The move came after Jewish extremists and settlers attacked the Palestinian village of Khirbet al-Mufaqara in the South Hebron Hills on September 28, damaging homes and vehicles.
Twelve Palestinians were injured, including the child, Muhammad Baker Mahmoud Hamamdeh, who was hospitalized at Soroka Medical Center in Beersheba and released.
“We won’t let settler violence pass in silence,” the campaign said in a statement to the media. “Gantz and Bar Lev have a responsibility to stop it. Their continued silence will prove that settler violence is part of the policy of the change government that is acting just like its predecessor.”
Peace Now, Yesh Din, Combatants for Peace and Breaking the Silence are among the groups participating in the campaign.
According to the UN, as of September 20, there have been 290 attacks this year by settlers and Jewish extremists against Palestinians in the West Bank and east Jerusalem that resulted in property damage and 93 in which there were injuries. This is compared to data from all of 2020 in which there were only 270 settler and Jewish extremists attacks that resulted in property damage and 82 in which there were injuries.
Separately, according to the UN, there have been 63 Israeli civilians injured by Palestinians in the West Bank and east Jerusalem, compared with 16 last year.