Israelis and Palestinians Continue To Clash in the West Bank as Future of Territories in Question
Israel’s conflict with Hamas in Gaza and Hezbollah in Lebanon has often diverted attention from another simmering front in the West Bank.
Israeli troops conduct daily operations in the West Bank, which many Israelis refer to by its biblical names, Judea and Samaria. These activities contribute to persistent tension and violence.
Violence has intensified since the onset of the Israel-Hamas war in October last year, with an increase in attacks by Palestinians against Israelis and a surge in settler violence targeting Palestinians.
Tensions were escalating between Israelis and Palestinians even before the war. In late 2022, Israel swore in its most right-wing government to date, led by Benjamin Netanyahu, the country’s longest-serving prime minister. This government has ruled out concessions to the Palestinians and has effectively sidelined the prospect of Palestinian statehood.
This is not war against the Gaza Strip or a specific political party, but against the entire Palestinian population
“This is not war against the Gaza Strip or a specific political party, but against the entire Palestinian population,” Dr. Sabri Saidam, deputy secretary-general of the Ramallah-based Fatah Central Committee, told The Media Line. “The right-wing government is fixated on the idea that any Palestinian state poses an existential threat to Israel and for that specific purpose Israel has been planning for.”
According to the Institute of National Security Studies in Tel Aviv, Palestinians have carried out over 5,400 attacks in the West Bank since the war began, leading to the deaths of 51 Israelis and injuries to nearly 300 others. During the same period, 779 Palestinians have been killed. Israeli forces have detained over 5,200 Palestinians. The UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs reports a significant increase in Palestinian children killed or injured by Israeli fire and settler violence since last October.
“This is an arena in which Israel is constantly conducting preemptive operations with a relative degree of effectivity,” Shaul Bartal, a research associate at the Begin-Sadat Center for Strategic Studies and the Universidade de Lisboa in Portugal, told The Media Line. “Within the Palestinian population, we also have terrorist organizations operating and the Palestinian Authority (PA), which despite criticism, is still trying to enforce its hold over the territory.”
Following years in which lone Palestinian attackers often relied on stabbing and ramming assaults, there has been a rise in more organized violence against Israelis, led by groups such as Hamas and Palestinian Islamic Jihad. The Israeli military reports discovering underground tunnels originating in the West Bank, allegedly intended for attacks on Israel. Rockets and bombs have also been uncovered, pointing to a growing threat.
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The threat is limited only due to Israel’s ability to thwart and respond to such attacks
“The threat is limited only due to Israel’s ability to thwart and respond to such attacks,” Ido Zelkovitz, head of the Middle Eastern Studies program at Yezreel Valley College and a research fellow in the Chaikin Chair of Geostrategy at the University of Haifa, told The Media Line. “The motivation of Palestinian organizations has grown since the 7th of October and includes increasing attempts to raid Israeli territory and the development of the ability to fire rockets at Israel using knowledge that has trickled from Gaza and Lebanon.”
Israel captured the West Bank during the 1967 Middle East war. Home to nearly three million Palestinians, the West Bank is seen by them as the core of a future state—a stance supported by most of the international community, which considers Israel’s settlements in the area a violation of international law.
Some key Israeli cabinet ministers advocate strengthening Israel’s control over the West Bank, citing both biblical beliefs and security concerns posed by the Palestinian presence. Ultra-right-wing minister Bezalel Smotrich called for the full annexation of the West Bank following Donald Trump’s election as US president.
Over 500,000 Jewish settlers live in the West Bank, while an additional 200,000 Israelis reside in east Jerusalem. Israel views east Jerusalem as part of its capital, but most of the international community considers it part of the West Bank.
In the course of the last two years of the government there has been a multiplication of the expansion of settlements, annexation of land and demolition of homes and confiscating any means of life that supports Palestinians and their presence
“In the course of the last two years of the government there has been a multiplication of the expansion of settlements, annexation of land and demolition of homes and confiscating any means of life that supports Palestinians and their presence,” said Saidam. “What Smotrich said is yet more evidence that Israel is intentionally doing what it is doing and is turning its back to the wish and will of the international community.”
The PA was established in 1994 after the 1993 Oslo Accords. Led by the Fatah party and President Mahmoud Abbas, it exercises full control over parts of the West Bank known as Area A and partial civil control over Area B, while Israel retains full control over Area C. The Israeli government has accused the PA of inciting and funding terrorism, noting that it does not fully control certain areas, allowing attacks to originate from them.
The Trump Administration marked a significant shift in US policy regarding Israel’s presence in Jerusalem and the West Bank, fueling the hopes expressed by Smotrich. In 2017, the US recognized both east and west Jerusalem as Israel’s capital. In 2019, it declared that Jewish settlements in the West Bank did not violate international law, further emboldening ultra-right-wing goals. Trump’s “deal of the century” sought to formalize Israel’s control over major West Bank areas while offering Palestinians a smaller territory with limited sovereignty. It remains unclear if this plan will be revived.
“It is not the time for any statements at this point, it remains to be seen what the US will do,” said Bartal. “Israel’s steps in area C are seemingly irreversible. At some point, Israel will need to make a decision regarding annexation of these territories.”
Bartal is specifically referring to Maaleh Adumim and Ariel, two major settlement blocs with a combined population of roughly 60,000 Israelis, as well as Israeli control in the Jordan Valley. What Palestinians view as a land grab is seen by many Israelis as a national consensus and an integral part of the country.
“I do not see any future Israeli government relinquishing control there,” Bartal added.
The Israeli settlement watchdog Peace Now reports that over 8,000 advanced plans for new housing units have been approved by Israeli authorities since the start of the war last year. Additionally, five previously illegal settlements have been cleared for legal recognition, and the settlement budget has seen a significant increase.
“In the course of the last two years of the government there has been a multiplication of the expansion of settlements, annexation of land and demolition of homes and confiscating any mean of life that supports Palestinians and their presence,” said Saidam. “This is a plan, not something that just came to mind on the 7th of October, this has been in the pipeline. For Smotrich … this is a time for political harvest of the results of the crop they want to see that is based on the end of the existence of Palestine and the termination of the possibility of the establishment of a Palestinian state.”
Israeli-Palestinian negotiations have been stalled for a decade, with no signs of resumption. As a result, hopes for a diplomatic resolution appear increasingly dim.
“The fact that we are in the midst of regional instability and with Israel’s most far-right government ever to govern, reduces the amount of faith the Palestinians have in any political process,” said Zelkovitz. “However, the motivation to carry out attacks is not influenced by the lack of such a process but rather by events of the 7th of October 2023 and a radical ideology. A political process won’t reduce this motivation but will improve the legitimacy of the PA to try and operate against these organizations.”
PA President Mahmoud Abbas has seen his political influence wane in recent years. Elected for a four-year term in 2005, he lost control of Gaza in 2007, retaining authority only over the West Bank. Repeatedly postponed elections have further eroded the legitimacy of his leadership.
Abbas’ grip on specific areas, especially in the northern West Bank, has weakened. PA security forces are increasingly challenged, and internal conflicts have arisen over loyalty to Abbas and the PA. While some security personnel have cooperated with Israel in countering terrorist threats, others have become less reliable and, in some cases, involved in attacks themselves.
The violence shows no signs of subsiding, as prevailing conditions continue to exacerbate tensions.
