Vigilante violence is at an all-time high in the occupied West Bank. Emboldened by the war in the Gaza Strip and backed by the military, Israeli settlers aiming to annex more and more of the Palestinian territory have launched hundreds of attacks, displacing people from at least 17 communities over the past month while soldiers and settlers have killed nearly 200.

And at least three New York nonprofit organizations are calling on donors to help outfit those settlers with combat gear, in a fundraising blitz funneling millions of tax-deductible dollars to the West Bank aggression.

Dozens of Hudson Valley residents showed up at public hearings last month and described an ongoing fiasco at Central Hudson Gas and Electric: inexplicable spikes in their energy bills, no bills for months and then multiple at once, automatic bank account withdrawals for thousands of dollars, and a customer service department that wouldn’t return their calls.

“It’s time for me to sit back and enjoy my life, and getting a $500 bill is insane,” said Pam O’Reilly, who is in her late 60s and lives on a fixed income, at an October town hall in Catskill. “Am I supposed to plant money and make it come from a tree?”

Now, Central Hudson is pushing for a steep rate hike that would cost its customers an average of $30 on both their gas and electric bills each month. Ratepayer advocates are urging regulators to reject the hike, arguing that it could illegally stick customers with the bill for the company’s own mess. They also cite a practical issue: Customers are refusing to pay bills that they still doubt are accurate.