- Advertisement -The violent scenes playing out in the West Bank over the past few days are painfully familiar. - Advertisement -Listening to Israeli officials, one may think Israeli military operations and settlements in the West Bank are a reaction. The settler-soldier sequenceFor years, the presence of the Israeli military in the West Bank was justified by the presence of Israeli settlers. Not only do the Israeli government and security apparatus provide protection to Israeli settlers, but the reverse is also true. This is precisely why reporting on Israeli violence in the West Bank as “settler violence” does not tell the full story.