Israeli soldiers patrol the Palestinian Bedouin village of Tala (Thala) in the occupied West Bank on Oct. 26, 2023, after residents were attacked by Israeli settlers the same day.
With violence and destruction raging in southern Israel and Gaza, there has been less attention on the worsening violence in the West Bank, the other half of the occupied territories.
Since the Hamas attack on Oct. 7, 2023, and the onset of Israel’s war in Gaza, Israelis and Palestinians have been thrust back into the headlines. Hamas killed 1,200 Israelis on Oct. 7 and took more than 200 hostages; Israelis have killed at least 11,000 Palestinians in a response that has sparked a debate about whether what the world is witnessing amounts to war crimes, ethnic cleansing or genocide.
The escalation of violence in the West Bank is neither arbitrary nor disconnected from the violence in Gaza. Instead, as a political scientist who studies Palestinian politics, I believe it should be understood in the broader context. The proliferation of armed settlers in the West Bank, the expansion of illegal settler outposts and now the increasing violence and forced displacement all stem from the same underlying policy that led to the 16-year blockade of Gaza: an Israeli policy of ignoring Palestinian national claims altogether.
This policy disregards political solutions and pursues violent ones. The policy has not just taken hold in Israel but has been facilitated by American and Arab support.
With violence and destruction raging in southern Israel and Gaza, there has been less attention on the worsening violence in the West Bank, the other half of the occupied territories.
Since the Hamas attack on Oct. 7, 2023, and the onset of Israel’s war in Gaza, Israelis and Palestinians have been thrust back into the headlines. Hamas killed 1,200 Israelis on Oct. 7 and took more than 200 hostages; Israelis have killed at least 11,000 Palestinians in a response that has sparked a debate about whether what the world is witnessing amounts to war crimes, ethnic cleansing or genocide.
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