Netanyahu Allies Push Sovereignty Talk While President Trump Signals Caution
Maayan Hoffman reports that the battle over Judea and Samaria is no longer just about land and security—it is also a fight over which story sticks, and who pays the price when it does. Inside Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s coalition, leaders such as Bezalel Smotrich and Itamar Ben Gvir are urging the American president to recognize Israeli sovereignty over the territory most countries call the West Bank. President Donald Trump has signaled caution, despite support from parts of his political base.
Numbers are central to the dispute. A United Nations official told The Media Line the UN has logged a sharp rise in settler-related incidents, including more than 264 in October 2025, and says the violence and access restrictions have displaced thousands of Palestinians since October 2023. Israeli NGO Regavim counters that the dataset is inflated by incidents that, it argues, do not belong in a “settler violence” category, including events outside the West Bank and Temple Mount-related clashes, leaving what it says is a far smaller subset of cases involving bodily harm.
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On the Israeli security side, analysts and residents point to a separate surge: Shin Bet figures citing thousands of Palestinian terror incidents in 2024, including shootings, stabbings, and car-rammings, with many attacks thwarted. Palestinians interviewed describe intimidation and attacks aimed at pushing communities off farmland, while some Israeli advocates say a small number of offenders are being used to brand an entire population.
Lt. Col. (res.) Maurice Hirsch warns that narrative can outrun facts: “The whole world is talking about it.” Read the full piece for Hoffman’s detailed look at how data, diplomacy, and violence collide in a conflict where perception can become policy.
