Reform Movement Statement on Increased West Bank Settler Violence

November 13, 2025 - Amidst a sharp increase in settler violence in the West Bank, it is past time for decisive, public, and consistent action from the Israeli government and from allies committed to ending attacks that violate Palestinians' human rights and endanger the prospects for peaceful coexistence.

We join our Israeli Reform Movement (IMPJ) and the Council of Reform Rabbis in Israel (MARAM) in expressing deep shock and concern over the violent attack on the Rabbis for Human Rights delegation. The group included activists, and religious and spiritual leaders from Israel and the United States who came to assist Palestinians with the olive harvest in the West Bank.

A drone operated by extremist settlers struck and injured Reform Rabbi Dana Sharon, who required medical treatment. Following the initial attack, more armed settlers - some wearing uniforms - arrived on the scene, firing rifles into the air and further endangering those present.

Such actions must be stopped. Palestinian families and communities must be protected, and the perpetrators of settler violence must be held accountable through prompt investigations, timely prosecutions, and appropriate punishment.

"We will not be silent in the face of this outrage and will continue to speak out for the Jewish and democratic values upon which the relationship between Israel and the Jewish world is based." - MK Rabbi Gilad Kariv Adv, Chair Knesset Committee on Aliyah, Absorption and Diaspora

We also call on the U.S. and other friends of Israel - both in the region and globally - to urge Israel to act decisively at this critical moment. The path chosen now will help determine whether the possibility of a two-state solution can be preserved. The West Bank Violence Prevention Act, introduced by Rep. Jerry Nadler with the support of 100 House co-sponsors, would impose sanctions on those responsible for such attacks. The legislation represents one important step the U.S. can and should take to address these injustices.

In recent weeks, ever-larger groups of settlers in the West Bank have attacked Palestinian olive groves, businesses, and homes with horrific violence and seeming impunity. These assaults devastate individuals, destroy livelihoods, and desecrate the land itself.

Rabbis, journalists, and others present to bear witness and assist with the olive harvest have also been assaulted. In some cases, even IDF soldiers have been the victims of settler violence. Yet too often, Israeli authorities charged with upholding the law respond ineffectually - or not at all. Justice for victims is rare, and accountability for perpetrators is equally rare. Given the influence of ministers Itamar Ben-Gvir and Bezalel Smotrich, outspoken advocates for expanding West Bank settlements, this failure of justice is especially tragic.

When government officials claim these attacks are carried out by a small group of extremists whose actions tarnish the reputation of the broader settler community, we ask: if the group is truly small, why has the violence grown in both frequency and severity in recent months?

We reaffirm our July statement condemning settler violence against Palestinians - violence that is immoral and a desecration of God's name. We again call upon the IDF and Israeli police to take immediate and effective measures to locate the perpetrators and bring them to justice, in the spirit of last week's Torah portion:

"And they shall keep the way of the Eternal, by doing what is just and right." 
וְשָֽׁמְרוּ֙ דֶּ֣רֶךְ יְהֹוָ֔ה לַעֲשׂ֥וֹת צְדָקָ֖ה וּמִשְׁפָּ֑ט 
(Genesis 18:19)

Union for Reform Judaism
Shelley Niceley Groff (she/her)
North American Board Chair

Rabbi Rick Jacobs (he/him)
President

Central Conference of American Rabbis
Rabbi David A. Lyon (he/him)
President

Rabbi Hara Person (she/her)
Chief Executive Officer

American Conference of Cantors
Cantor Josh Breitzer (he/him)
President

Rachel Roth (she/her)
Chief Operating Officer