Pro-Government Militias
Settlers (Israel)
Basic Group Information
| Name assigned by coder: | no |
| PGM ID Number: | 304 |
| Country: | Israel |
| Date formed: | June 25, 1981 |
| Accuracy of date formed: | year |
| Details of Formation: | The government authorised an added 'civil guard unit' in 1991 |
| Date dissolved: | Unknown |
| Accuracy of date dissolved: | day |
| Details of Termination: | |
| Termination Type(s): | none |
Former and Successor Group Information
| Predecessor group(s): | none |
| Successor group(s): | none |
| Private Military Company? | no |
| Former Group? | no |
| Former Armed Group? | no |
| Former Rebel Group? | no |
| Former Rebel Group UCDP ID: | none |
| PGM Becomes Rebel Group? | no information |
| Successor Rebel Group UCDP ID: | none |
Government Relation, Support, and Training
| Government Relation: | semi-official (type 2) |
| Created by the Government?: | no | Main Creating Government Institution: | none |
| Government Link(s): | state (institution) |
| If link to party, name of party: | None |
| Training and Equipment: | yes |
| Shared Information and Joint Operations: | yes |
| Shared Personnel: | no information |
| Type(s) of Material Support: | domestic government |
| State Sponsor(s): | none |
| Other Connection(s): |
Group Characteristics
| Membership: | religious; ideology; village/rural |
| Primary Membership: | local |
| Alternative Primary Membership: | no information |
| Location: | Occupied Territories |
| Force Strength: | [20000, unknown] |
| Target(s): | rebels, insurgents, or other armed group; ethnic group |
| Purpose(s): | self-defense and security |
Ethnic Characteristics
| Ethnic Target(s): | Israeli Arabs (Israel); Palestinian Arabs (Israel) |
| Quality of Information for Ethnic Targeting: | given |
| Ethnic Membership: | none |
| Quality of Information for Ethnic Membership: | not applicable |
| Ethnic Purpose: | none |
| Quality of Information for Ethnic Purpose: | not applicable |
Other Information
| Other Information: | Note that they are located in the Occupied Territories and not in Israel. Added 'civil guard' unit in 1991. 20000 armed males estimated in 1994. |
New Variables from Meta-Analysis
Purpose
| Purpose: | The Israeli government armed Israeli civilians to defend themselves against the Palestine Liberation Organization and civilian Palestinians. Settlers were living in the Israeli-occupied areas in the West Bank and acted as vigilante groups. |
| Relative Benefit(s) of PGM Use | faster mobilization |
Treatment of Civilians
| Treatment of Civilians: | The militia members behaved violently against Palestinians in the Israeli-occupied territories. Incidents include attacks against Palestinian journalists, farmers and car drivers. Their behavior was tolerated and supported by the government as it was in line with the government’s interests in defending the occupied territories. |
| Type(s) of Violence against Civilians: | kidnapping/abductions; killing |
Reasons for Membership
| PGM Members Coerced? | no |
| PGM Members Paid? | no |
| Reasons for Membership: | Settlers in the Israeli-occupied territories were under Israeli military rule, not Israeli law and therefore automatically became government agents to secure Israel’s ownership of the territories. |
| PGM Members Killed? | rarely |
PGM Size
| Size: | It is estimated that about a quarter of Jewish settlers carried automatic rifles. This means there are about 20,000 militia members. |
Weapons and Training
| Weapons and Training: | Settlers were armed with automatic rifles. Furthermore, there is a source reporting on the use of teargas by settlers. |
Organisation
| Organisation: | Israeli settlers had official permission to carry arms, while Palestinian had no authorization. The government emphasized that the militiamen were subject to military control and were only allowed to use violence for self-defense. In 1991, the government allowed the armed Settlers to carry out police operations such as patrolling the streets. In 2004/5, there are first reports on the government’s plan to disarm the Settlers and to replace them by paid security personnel. Nonetheless, evidence of operations by the militia exists until 2014. |
Reference(s) for Meta-Analysis
Evidence
- Examine the evidence for this coding.