Yuli Novak, the executive director of the Israeli human rights organization B’Tselem, has asserted that Israel is persistently advancing a project aimed at erasing the Palestinian presence. She criticized the international community for continuing to view the situation through the outdated lens of a “conflict” that can be managed, rather than recognizing the systemic nature of the violence and displacement occurring in the West Bank and Gaza.
In an article published by The New York Times, Novak detailed the difficulties faced by human rights organizations in selecting appropriate language to describe Israeli violence against Palestinians. She noted that while the Israeli discourse has become increasingly explicit and extreme regarding its goals, international responses have remained largely static, focusing on condemning violence and calling for conflict management without exerting real pressure on the occupying state.
Novak explained that B’Tselem recognized approximately a year ago the challenge of explaining the realities in the West Bank. The issue was not a lack of information; rather, the organization had documented daily incidents of home burnings, demolitions, community displacements, shootings of children, road closures, and humiliating displays intended to enforce “Jewish supremacy” by both settlers and the government. What were once rare forms of violence have become routine practices, including aerial bombardments, large-scale destruction of residential areas, and mass displacement.
She argued that describing this comprehensive system requires listening to two political languages simultaneously: the one used by the Israeli system to justify its actions, and the one used by the Palestinian people living under it. Novak, an Israeli Jew, stated she grew up within the former language, which framed violent dominance as “security,” dispossession as “settlement,” and widespread violence as “self-defense.” This language derives strength from genuine fears stemming from decades of attacks, exacerbated after the October 7, 2023, assault by Hamas. However, she observed that the Israeli political language exploits these fears by dehumanizing Palestinians, reducing them to a single category of “threat,” and using the violence of some to justify control over an entire population.
Novak highlighted that the logic behind Israeli policies has remained constant despite changes over time. The political system maintains Jewish sovereignty above Palestinian rights, power, and land control. She pointed to the “Decisive Plan” proposed by Finance Minister and War Minister Bezalel Smotrich in 2017, which offers Palestinians three options: accept Jewish dominance, leave, or face military force if they resist. The Hebrew term used, “hachra’ah,” implies an irreversible end to the conflict by defeating the other side, transforming coercion into a technical routine.
Concluding her analysis, Novak referenced a recent B’Tselem report tracing these operations back to the Nakba of 1948. She emphasized that Israeli policy has consistently sought to entrench Jewish sovereignty while making Palestinian existence and political life increasingly fragile. The current acceleration of this project, marked by open violence and declarations of permanent sovereignty and denial of self-determination, represents a shift where the erasure of Palestinians is no longer hidden but openly pursued.
