'Contrary to Morality of the Torah': Jewish Leaders Condemn Settler Violence in West Bank
‘Silence in today's circumstances is complicity,' say over 600 rabbis and educators following the killing of a Palestinian and a Palestinian-American last Friday, warning that religious leaders' silence has emboldened settlers to commit violence under the guise of divine command.
More than 600 rabbis, educators, and Jewish communal leaders from the United States and Israel have signed a public letter condemning settler violence following the killing of a Palestinian and a Palestinian-American last Friday near the West Bank town of Sinjil, north of Ramallah.
The deadly assault, allegedly carried out by settlers, claimed the lives of two young Palestinians – Saif Mussallet, 21, an American citizen, and Mohammad Razek Hussein al-Shalabi, 23 – in an area that had recently been seized by settlers who had previously carried out attacks there.
The letter, organized by the U.S. branch of Smol Emuni (Religious Left) – an organization of observant Jews focused on ending the occupation and promoting human rights and equality – comes amid a sharp rise in settler violence across the West Bank since the outbreak of war in Gaza.
The signatories describe what they call a pattern of violent attacks on Palestinian civilians, including arson and the forced displacement of families from their homes.
"These actions are contrary to the morality of the Torah," the letter reads.
The letter refers to the perpetrators who "believe they are fulfilling God's commandment to conquer the land" and rejects the use of religious justification for violence against civilians. "We realize that among those committing these violent crimes are confused young people who are searching for the truth," the letter reads. "As parents, rabbis, educators and communal leaders, we must help them find ethical ways to serve God and protect their souls from cruelty and sin."
Esther Sperber, a Manhattan-based architect and Israeli-born activist, told Haaretz, "I fear that our Jewish religious tradition is being 'Smotriched' from us by extremists who speak a language of revenge, power, and Jewish supremacy, laced with disdain for diaspora Jews and Western values."
The attack near Sinjil is among a growing number of documented settler assaults since October 7, most of which have resulted in no arrests – a pattern that has intensified in recent years. These incidents are part of a broader effort to displace Palestinians from areas such as Masafer Yatta, a cluster of villages in the southern West Bank long targeted by Israeli military demolitions and settler expansion.
The letter urges rabbis and community leaders not to remain silent. "Silence in today's circumstances is complicity," Sperber said. "Silence has emboldened the settlers to act increasingly violently against Palestinians, protected by the army and motivated by some religious and political leaders."
The letter also comes amid a broader rightward shift in U.S. policy on the Israeli-Palestinian conflict. Prominent Trump ally and U.S. Ambassador to Israel Mike Huckabee, in the closest thing resembling a condemnation from a U.S. diplomat, called on Israel "to aggressively investigate the murder of Saif Mussallet", but did not mention Mohammed Razek Hussein al-Shalabi, who was killed alongside him.
Among the signatories are prominent Jewish leaders from a wide spectrum of religious and educational institutions, including Rabbi Donniel Hartman and Yehuda Kurtzer of the Shalom Hartman Institute, Rabbi Yosef Blau of Yeshiva University, Rabbi Daniel Sperber of Bar-Ilan University, and Rabbi Sharon Brous of the Los Angeles-based community IKAR. Others include Rabbanit Leah Shakdiel, Rabbi Herzl Hefter, and Rabbi Naama Kelman, the first woman ordained as a Reform rabbi in Israel, alongside dozens of rabbis affiliated with Orthodox, Conservative, Reform and progressive institutions in both Israel and the U.S.
The Trump administration has also reversed course on West Bank policy, rolling back Biden-era measures including lifting sanctions on settler leaders involved in violence, and dropping the long-standing commitment to a two-state solution. When asked whether Palestinians should live in the West Bank, where some three million Palestinians live under Israeli military occupation, Huckabee replied, "Does it have to be in Judea and Samaria?" He also rejected the term "West Bank," stating, "There is no such thing ... There is no 'occupation.'"
This also comes amid a broader crackdown on Palestinian voices in the U.S. Just last month, two Palestinians from Masafer Yatta – invited to speak in Jewish communities across the country – were detained at San Francisco International Airport and deported without explanation.
Organizers say the letter is meant to signal an alternative Jewish moral and spiritual leadership. "This letter demonstrates that there is a community and leadership that rejects these extreme and violent views and affirms a Judaism in which all people are created in the image of God and have the right to equality and safety, based on love, care, and humility," Sperber said.