Israel’s war machine shifts to the West Bank

Violence in the West Bank is escalating after a ceasefire was reached in Gaza. It is merely the latest step in Israel’s dangerous, multi-front war against the Palestinian people and their cause for self-determination.

On Tuesday, Israel’s forces launched Operation Iron Wall, killing at least 10 Palestinians and wounding several others in the Jenin camp. The operation also resulted in more arrests and demolitions of entire streets. As decades of experience show, the probable outcome will be more instability in the future.

Last weekend, Israel and Hamas agreed to a ceasefire deal that, for now, has halted the 15-month-long conflict in Gaza. But just two days after pausing a war that has killed more than 47,100 people, displaced more than 90 per cent of the territory’s 2.3 million residents and destroyed more than 90 per cent of its housing units, Israel’s actions in the West Bank are threatening to create a new theatre of conflict with serious repercussions.

Israeli Defence Minister Israel Katz has said that his military’s security strategy is aimed “at eliminating terrorists and terrorist infrastructure in [Jenin] camp”. Meanwhile, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has billed the operation as an action “against the Iranian axis wherever it extends its arms”.

Jenin has for years been the site of periodic, internecine flashes of violence between various armed Palestinian factions. While their actions have contributed to the breakdown of law and order in the West Bank, it is important to remember that these groups have simply stepped into the political and security vacuum left by the governing Palestinian Authority’s inability to challenge Israel’s military assaults and the illegal settlement building that has gone on for far too long, often with the tacit approval of the Israeli state.

The Israeli government claims its actions secure the settlements from these groups’ excesses, but in reality, its military operations have only perpetuated an unending cycle of violence in the West Bank and East Jerusalem. It’s worth noting that, since the war in Gaza began on October 7, 2023, there have been about 1,000 casualties in the West Bank alone.

The territory’s troubles come on the back of years-long statements made by current and former members of Israel’s cabinet, who have often called for the annexation of large parts of the West Bank. Mr Netanyahu himself made it a priority during his election campaign in 2019.

A total or partial annexation of the West Bank would constitute a breach of international law. But Israel’s current coalition government, which relies on the support of far-right, ultranationalist parties, is likely to feel further emboldened by US President Donald Trump’s inauguration this week.

On his first day in office, Mr Trump signed an executive order rescinding sanctions on Israeli settler groups and people accused of being involved in violence against Palestinians in the West Bank. Elise Stefanik, Mr Trump’s nominee for UN ambassador, on Tuesday avoided questions on Palestinian self-determination during her confirmation hearing in Congress.

Despite the Israeli government’s evident military, political and diplomatic advantages over the Palestinian movement, its actions reflect short-term thinking. It is incumbent upon politicians and the people who vote for them to ask whether any of their government’s actions, including its refusal to entertain discussions on a two-state solution – a solution that the international community overwhelmingly endorses – keep them or their country secure in the long term?

This week, UN Secretary General Antonio Guterres expressed concern about an “existential threat” to Gaza and the West Bank. But he also reminded the rest of the world that it has a “responsibility to help make sure the people of the Middle East come out of this turbulent period with peace, dignity and a horizon of hope grounded in action”.

The occupation of Palestine lies at the very heart of the turbulence in the region. Ending the occupation and reaching a sustainable peace lies in an immediate cessation of violence, diplomatic talks and an agreement to facilitate the two-state solution.