Beyond Gaza: The struggle in the West Bank under Israeli occupation.

Written by Elijah J. Magnier:

The expansion of settlements in the West Bank has reached unprecedented levels, effectively obstructing the creation of a future Palestinian state and crushing the aspirations of President Mahmoud Abbas. Abbas, a proponent of non-violent political engagement, has seen his efforts thwarted by the weakening of the institutions he sought to build, institutions that are now vulnerable under his watch and unable to protect the Palestinians, including his security forces, living in this besieged and invaded territory.

Bezalel Smotrich, the Israeli finance minister responsible for West Bank policy, bluntly stated: “The West Bank is the security belt for the state of Palestine, and a Palestinian state will not be established.” This statement underlines the aggressive Israeli strategy, which includes the continued demolition of Palestinian homes and the burning of agricultural land in the West Bank. These acts of displacement and destruction are reminiscent, albeit on a smaller scale, of the wider tactics of devastation and death used in Gaza.

Israel pursues these aims through the actions of settler groups, whose numbers have swelled from 127,000 at the time of the Oslo Accords to over 750,000 and continue increasing in number. These settlers, often acting with impunity and with the open protection of the Israeli military, regularly raid Palestinian homes and villages and inflict violence on West Bank residents without fear of repercussion or accountability.

In areas such as the Jenin camp, Tul Karam and Nour Shams, Israeli forces enter with the explicit aim of breaking the resistance and determination of the Palestinian people and encouraging them to abandon what is left of their land – the primary objective of the occupation forces. Since the 7th of October, marked by the beginning of the operation “Al-Aqsa Flood”, the Israeli military has effectively reasserted its control over the West Bank. This resurgence has nullified the role of the Palestinian Authority and has been characterised by rampant torture, killings and the arrest of over 9,500 Palestinians. Of those arrested, 3,660 have been held in administrative detention without trial.