In response to the murder of an Israeli on April 30, 2013, B’Tselem released a statement “strongly condemn[ing] the stabbing attack” (“Israeli civilian killed in stabbing attack, northern West Bank,” April 30, 2013). B’Tselem emphasized that “There is absolutely no moral or legal justification for attacks that deliberately target civilians. Civilians must be kept separate from the fighting. This applies to countries, organizations and individuals.”

B’Tselem also rejected “certain Palestinian claims” that permit “attacks against settlers living in the West Bank.” According to B’Tselem, “The fact that the settlements are illegal is entirely irrelevant to the status of their residents – settlers are civilians – and to the unequivocal prohibition of attacks that target them. Similarly, the argument that there is justification for killing settlers as part of the struggle against Israeli occupation is both legally and morally groundless.”

Since 2008, B’Tselem has issued over 20 press releases about attacks targeting Israeli civilians. Frequently, B’Tselem’s statements labeled them “immoral, inhuman, and illegal” or “undermin[ing] all rules of morality and law.”

B’Tselem’s unequivocal, prompt, and public condemnations stand in sharp contrast to the silence from the many Israeli, Palestinian, and international NGOs that rush to condemn Israel, often without any evidence or basis, for alleged violations of international law.