Jewish Voice for Peace condemns brutal Israeli military attack on Palestinians in Nablus

The Israeli military killed at least 11 Palestinians and wounded over 100 more on Wednesday, when military forces carried out an attack on the densely populated historic Old City of Nablus in broad daylight. Jewish Voice for Peace stands in solidarity with the movement for Palestinian freedom to end the brutal and escalating state violence of the Israeli government.

Reports from Nablus earlier today are chilling. The Israeli military reduced a building in the center of the city to rubble and left storefronts riddled with bullet holes. Among the Palestinians killed were a 16-year-old child and a 72-year-old man. Throughout the brutal attack, reports claimed that Israeli forces blocked Palestinian medical personnel from treating the wounded.

The attack on Nablus comes amid a horrific and violent year. At least 60 Palestinians have been killed by Israeli forces or Israeli settlers since the beginning of 2023. 2022 was the deadliest year for Palestinians in the occupied West Bank since 2004, and already this year is set out-pace it.

The current Israeli government, which is the most violent and right-wing in Israeli history, is behaving exactly as promised. This is not a conflict or a cycle of violence between two equal parties – this is a military terrorizing an occupied people. The Israeli government’s domination and oppression of Palestinians is the root cause of each tragic death.

As we mourn the loss of life, we refuse to let hopelessness deter us from action. We are on the side of unconditional commitment to justice, equality, freedom and dignity for all people, no exceptions.

Stefanie Fox, the executive director of Jewish Voice for Peace

The horrifying and brutal actions of this new government prove exactly what Palestinians have been saying all along: Israel is an apartheid state carrying out ongoing ethnic cleansing of Palestinians. Jewish people show our beliefs through action. And it is long past time for our community to act. All Jewish people who believe in justice should support Palestinians’ calls for freedom.

As an American Jewish organization, we are acutely aware of the role our own institutions and government play in the ongoing state violence against Palestinians. We continue to call for an end to U.S. military funding and complicity in Israeli apartheid and we call on our fellow progressive American Jews to actively participate in the Boycott, Divestment, and Sanctions movement until Palestinians are free.

Join us for ongoing 30 minute calls to learn the latest news from Palestine and take collective action: jvp.org/powerhours