Donkeys are a symbol of endurance for Palestinians – they are also a target of settler violence and care

From violence to rescue, settler practices involving donkeys are increasingly entangled with Palestinian dispossession.

By: Irus Braverman, University at Buffalo, The Conversation

Outlets: The Conversation

Published: April 27, 2026

Words: 1,494

Last Updated: 3 months ago

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By Irus Braverman, University at Buffalo

Donkeys tend to symbolize humility and redemption; in Jewish tradition, the Messiah will arrive on a white donkey.

But in today’s “land of the Bible,” donkeys have become victims of the war in Gaza and, increasingly, targets of the growing settler violence in the West Bank.

Take what happened in December 2025 near Jaba, north of Ramallah. While a Palestinian child watched, seven Jewish settlers from Gur Aryeh, a …

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