Concerned about the reputational damage resulting from widespread media coverage of violence in the territories, 10 distinguished rabbis in Judea and Samaria signed a letter dated Feb. 8 that was released Monday, voicing their full-throated support for new settlements and outposts but condemning all violence unequivocally. In the letter, they warned that ultimately, violent acts could endanger the project of settling the land.

“We are concerned by negative activities, which are carried out at times by people whose intentions are right but whose actions are not right, or, God forbid, by people exploiting the precious and important settlement project for ulterior and illegitimate motives,” the letter read.

The rabbis went on to say that they “oppose violence of any sort,” and that “the reality of life on the hilltops and farms can include complex frictions with respect to a variety of events that demand heroism and self-sacrifice.”

“If, God forbid, rioters try to act against a farm or a point of settlement, [Jews in the territories] must not respond with violence of any sort, but rather call the security forces or the regional council to handle the incident,” the letter said.

“Unfortunately, a campaign is being conducted that seeks to turn any case of friction, and certainly any case of violence, into a weapon against the settlements overall,” the letter added. “This campaign harms our reputation, in Israel and in the US and around the world.”

The rabbis did not mention their Arab neighbors or identify the rioters, who could also have included left-wing activists who insert themselves into confrontations, ostensibly to protect Arabs — but Jews in the area have accused them of instigating confrontations to film and publicize them in order to make them look bad.

One of the rabbinic signatories to the letter was also quoted as calling for a halt in “attacks on Jewish shepherds” by “Arabs and violent anarchists” as well as what he termed “worrying” security operations against “the youth.”

While violence against Arabs in the region has increased since the war in Gaza began more than two years ago, violence against Jews has also increased.