The arid hilltops of the West Bank have seen shepherds come and go for thousands of years, and now some of these shepherds are behind settler violence against Palestinians.
asserted
some → see → Palestinians
The West Bank, located on the west bank of the Jordan River, is home to more than 3 million Palestinians who hope to make it the heart of their future state.
asserted
it → locate → state
It is also home to over 500,000 Jews who call the area Judea and Samaria, their biblical homeland.
asserted
who → call → area
Jewish settlers have built communities in the West Bank in hopes of making the land part of Israel.
asserted
land → build → Israel
With Israeli elections two weeks away, and midterms in the U.S. next month, how settler violence is handled could soon change.
uncertain
handled → handle → U.S.
Driving sheep herds into Palestinian communities
Mordehai Minster, who cofounded a sheep farm in the West Bank, is a new type of Israeli settler.
asserted
who → drive → settler
His herd is driven deeper and deeper into surrounding Palestinian communities.
asserted
herd → drive → communities
"When you have sheep, everyone understands.
asserted
everyone → have → sheep
Arabs tend to fight over grazing lands among themselves.
asserted
Arabs → tend → themselves
It's a language that we understand, and they understand," Minster said.
asserted
Minster → understand → that
"And it's a way to delineate the border.
asserted
it → delineate → border
'This is where I graze my sheep.
asserted
I → graze → sheep
You don't take your sheep here.
asserted
You → take → sheep
You don't build here.'
asserted
You → build → ?
"
Israeli sheep farms have taken over huge swathes of land: an estimated 20% of the West Bank.
asserted
farms → take → Bank
Some 200 sheep farms have popped up in recent years.
asserted
farms → pop → years
Settlers even push sheep into Palestinian homes.
asserted
Settlers → push → homes
"They enter, they open the gate of the house and take the sheep inside to eat the trees around the house," Waheed Marsouq, a Palestinian teacher in Al-Mughayyir, said.
asserted
Marsouq → enter → Mughayyir
For decades, Jewish settlers put up fences to protect themselves from the active threat of Palestinian terrorism.
asserted
settlers → put → terrorism
Now it's the Palestinians who are penning themselves in.
asserted
who → pen → themselves
More than 100 Palestinian communities have been displaced or erased by the settler violence and the ever-encroaching sheep.
asserted
communities → displace → violence
"Whenever you have ethnic religious communities, especially in the Middle East, fighting over land and resources, that conflict sometimes gets ugly," Minster said.
asserted
Minster → have → land
"The fact that violence exists doesn't change the merit of the right that we have to this land.
asserted
we → exist → land
Young shepherds, known as Hilltop Youth, are often behind the violence.
asserted
shepherds → know → violence
They've flocked to the West Bank for a sense of adventure, and are told they're on a God-given mission to redeem the land.
asserted
they → flock → land
They storm Palestinian fields and villages, cut down olive trees, torch cars and destroy property, and harass farmers and livestock.
asserted
They → storm → farmers
There's a hardcore group of up to 500 settlers, and up to 1,000 more people drift in and out.
asserted
people → be → settlers
"Those are kids that are ranging in age between, I don't know, 15 and 25," Minster said.
asserted
Minster → range → 15
"They don't do great in school.
asserted
They → do → school
They don't get into the army that easily because maybe behavioral problems.
asserted
They → get → problems
So some of them end up in places like this, taking care of sheep, doing construction.
asserted
some → end → construction
Some of these kids may have drug problems.
uncertain
Some → have → problems
They smoke pot.
asserted
They → smoke → pot
They grow pot."
asserted
They → grow → pot
U.S. Ambassador to Israel Mike Huckabee has
, describing it as thuggish and disgusting.
asserted
Huckabee → describe → it
"I wouldn't classify it as terrorism, but are there some children who overreact and act in thuggish ways and need to be controlled and held in?
asserted
who → classify → ways
Yeah, definitely," Minster said.
asserted
Minster → say → ?
Palestinians have been
."Yes," Minster acknowledged.
asserted
Minster → acknowledge → ?
"None of this is great and none of this changes the fact that our right to be here is legal and it's ancient.
asserted
it → change → fact
That is not how the Palestinians who live directly down the hill from Minster's farm see it.
asserted
who → live → it
…and 65 more, not listed.
The Aporia
