Group sanctioned by US says move prompted by ‘distorted’ info, its actions are legal, nonviolent

Hashomer Yosh, a group sanctioned yesterday by the United States over settler violence, denies any involvement in violent or otherwise illegal activities in the West Bank, arguing that the move is based on false information provided by left-wing groups.

“We ask, why? And we have an answer,” Meir Bertler, the foreign relations chief for the nonprofit, tells the Kan public broadcaster. “The answer isn’t about the activities of Hashomer, which are legal and legitimate and coordinated with the government. It is about false and distorted information conveyed by left-wing groups.”

According to the US State Department, one of the primary activities of Hashomer Yosh is arranging for volunteers to provide help and support for some 26 illegal farming outposts in the West Bank.

Bertler says nobody in the group has been contacted and told what the sanctions entail.

He casts the organization’s activities as aimed at helping farmers protect and tend to their crops and livestock around the country, including in the West Bank.

Asked if this includes clashing with Palestinians, Bertler says: “No. Zero confrontations.”

He cites funding the group has received from multiple government ministries as evidence of its coordination with authorities, rejecting suggestions that it is operating as a “private police.”

“Hashomer Yosh does not engage in violent activity of any kind. The Americans have made a mistake that we are hoping to change and working to change,” he concludes.