The IPMN Strongly Condemns the Attack on the Fogel Family in Itamar

The Israel/Palestine Mission Network of the PC(USA) (IPMN) condemns with the strongest force, the murder of the Fogel family in the settlement of Itamar, near the West Bank town of Nablus.

There can be no justification, political or otherwise, for such a horrific act of murder. The fact that the victims were living in what is a settlement, considered illegal under international humanitarian law, is not justification for any kind of attack, let alone cold-blooded murder. Civilians are protected under the Fourth Geneva Convention in any circumstance. Furthermore, the many documented settler attacks on Palestinians in the West Bank are not justification for any kind of attack or reprisal. The IPMN strongly condemns any revenge attacks, which are not justifiable under any law.

We call on the Palestinian Authority to full cooperation with the Israeli investigators in order to bring the perpetrators to justice. The IPMN acknowledges the condemnation of the attack by Palestinian civil authorities and expects that they will continue to condemn violence in their struggle for statehood. We pray for the grieving family of the victims and wish for healing and mercy.

This senseless loss of life is a reminder that the Israel/Palestine conflict cannot be left to continue and a real peace process must be re-imagined and re-started. IPMN agrees with the State Department that Israel’s recent approval of 500 settlement home, since the murders, is counter to peace efforts and that the continued stalemate injures both parties.  The network calls for a re-doubling of efforts to end this conflict, which harms both Israelis and Palestinians, and leaves lives shattered and lost.