Tensions Run High in West Bank as Israel’s Military Steps Up Raids

There have been nightly clashes between Palestinians and Israeli troops; Israel is trying to weaken the Palestinian Authority, expert says

The West Bank witnessed another night of confrontation and clashes between Palestinians and the Israeli military on Wednesday, which saw a Palestinian teen killed near Ramallah, as Israel ramped up its incursions in the West Bank.

The Israel Defense Forces said the assailant “attacked a soldier with a hammer, injuring him in the face” during an operation near Ramallah. The assailant also was carrying a knife during the attack, according to the IDF.

It was the fourth deadly incident in the Palestinian territories in as many days.

Israel’s military and security forces have stepped up its operations in the West Bank, carrying out nightly raids and arresting dozens of Palestinians, much of it in areas under the Palestinian Authority’s control, that have triggered frequent clashes with residents.

At least 89 Palestinians have been killed in the West Bank this year in nightly raids carried out by Israeli security forces in cities, towns and villages, making it the deadliest year since 2016.

Israel says it is facing the worst spate of deadly violence in years, in particular after a wave of attacks by Palestinian assailants against Israelis that killed 19 people.

The United Nations has raised concerns over the IDF’s use of “excessive force” and “possible collective punishment” in these raids.

Meanwhile, the Israeli government justifies the incursions, saying that many of the perpetrators of the attacks came from the West Bank city of Jenin, and that Palestinian factions in the refugee camp adjacent to the city are rearming, adding that planning for future attacks happens in areas under the control of the Palestinian Authority.

Earlier this week, IDF Chief of Staff Lt. Gen. Aviv Kochavi criticized the Palestinian Authority security forces, saying that the increase in the number of attacks in the West Bank is due to its incompetence.

“The lack of governance of the Palestinian security forces in certain areas of the West Bank constitutes fertile ground for the growth of terrorism,” Kochavi said.

The outgoing chief of staff, who has been on the job since 2019 and whose tenure is set to end in January 2023, added that since the beginning of the Israeli operation “Breaking Dawn” at the end of March, and now during the wave of attacks in Israel, “about 1,500 wanted persons were arrested and hundreds of attacks were thwarted.”

Israeli statements on the state of the PA don’t sit well with many Palestinians who accuse Israel of fanning the flames of the tension, pointing to the almost daily incursions and nightly arrest campaigns, and blame Israel for the recent deterioration of the security situation in the West Bank.

The PA condemns the Israeli chief of staff’s remarks, a PA official told The Media Line on condition of anonymity, calling the remarks “irresponsible.”

Most of the resistance operations carried out by Palestinians against the Israeli army and settlers are legitimate and take place in areas classified as C. Therefore, the Israeli army has the first and last responsibility for security in these areas, not the Palestinian Authority.

Ramallah-based political analyst Mohammed Hawash told The Media Line that Israel’s assertions are “ridiculous,” adding that Israel deals with the Palestinians in a way “devoid of logic.”

“It wants the Palestinian Authority to perform the functions of the Israeli army, because most of the operations carried out by the Palestinians are (in areas) under Israeli control. These allegations and what the occupation army is doing violate the security agreements between the two parties,” he said.

Hawash says Israel is trying to weaken the PA and at the same time hold it responsible for its inability and failure to impose control in the field. He pointed out that the operations that have recently increased in frequency are mostly in areas classified as C, which is under full Israeli control, and the Palestinian Authority has no security role in that area.

“I think that Israel is trying to permanently weaken the PA and holds it responsible for the inability of the Israeli army to control the situation in the areas it controls. Most of the resistance operations carried out by Palestinians against the Israeli army and settlers are legitimate and take place in areas classified as C. Therefore, the Israeli army has the first and last responsibility for security in these areas, not the Palestinian Authority,” he said.

Professor Efraim Inbar, president of the Jerusalem Institute for Strategy and Security, told The Media Line that he agrees with Kochavi’s remarks, saying that “Israel has no choice; the security cooperation is not effective, and we have to do it ourselves.”

“This is a true comment, after all, they are not able to control refugee camps in Jenin or Nablus and we see over the years the weakening of the Palestinian Authority which is a corrupt regime that doesn’t deliver,” he added.

But Hawash questions the Israeli army’s continued incursions in areas under full control of the PA.

“Palestinian operations do not take place inside Palestinian cities, and the Israelis must be asked what they do inside Palestinian cities such as Nablus and Jenin,” he said.

He explains that the Palestinian security services cannot enter area C without prior coordination with Israel.

“Israel is responsible for the deterioration of the situation in the region because it has closed the political horizon to the Palestinian people, who are resisting in all possible and available forms,” he said.

Hawash says these deadly military operations undermine the credibility and authority of the PA, causing tensions to spike.

“The Israeli political and military echelons view the PA and its security services as a partner in the security aspect only, and their role is to fight the resistance, demanding the PA maintain the security of the Israelis,” he said.

Inbar says PA President Mahmoud Abbas has gotten weaker over the years, and the PA has failed to stop attacks against Israelis.

“The deal between (former Israeli Prime Minister Yitzhak) Rabin and (former PA President Yasir) Arafat was ‘we give you territory and you stop terrorism.’ That’s the same deal with Jordan, Egypt and even Syria. The PA was not able to stop attacks. The PA lost territory to Hamas,” Inbar said.

He adds that the internal struggle for who will replace Abbas has contributed to the increased tension.

“It’s problematic because we can’t intervene on behalf of anybody because he will permanently lose his legitimacy,” he acknowledges.

Inbar doesn’t foresee a third intifada, or violent Palestinian uprising, on the horizon, however.

“I don’t think so; the Palestinians are tired, and they know it will be costly for them,” he said.