Opinion: Why the UK allows Israeli settlers to terrorise the West Bank

Imagine you are a farmer living in a village in the occupied West Bank.

You wake up one morning and notice a couple of caravans on a nearby hill: an illegal settlement. 

The settlers move down the hill. They are armed. Many wear military uniforms. 

At first, they harass and threaten you. They fire warning shots if you go out to cultivate your fields.

More caravans turn up, and the settlers invade your village. They destroy your agricultural equipment, steal your livestock, and shoot holes in the water tank. 

Then they beat you with iron bars. They might beat your wife, too, and intimidate your children.

They enter your home. They rummage through your possessions. They steal your money, papers, jewellery and household appliances.

If you have a car, they burn it. They steal your water.

If you call the police, nobody comes. If you resist, settlers call in the Israeli army. The soldiers arrest you, and treat the settlers as victims.

Why the UK allows Israeli settlers to terrorise the West Bank Opinion by Peter Oborne