The issue of ongoing Israeli operations in the West Bank is part of a much larger canvas in the overall Israel-Palestine conflict
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The war in Gaza, unleashed on the region as a result of a brutal terror attack by Hamas on Israel on 7 October 2023, is completing 11 months of high intensity war, unprecedented human casualties, and mass displacement. The Gaza Strip, bombarded endlessly, has been reduced to rubble and rendered completely uninhabitable. With no ceasefire in sight, this war may well cross the threshold of one year soon.
While the reasons and triggers for this war have been debated at length, it is important, at this stage, to analyse what it is that each of the warring parties is seeking from the war. For Hamas in particular, and the Palestinian movement in general, the war had become an almost inescapable necessity as the rapidly changing geopolitical dynamics in the region were pushing their cause for an independent Palestinian state into oblivion. Primary among the factors was the Abraham Accords signed in September 2020, which established formal diplomatic relations between Israel and some countries in the region, as well the fast closing deal on Saudi-Israel normalisation, which had almost reached finalisation in September 2023.
The Gaza Strip, bombarded endlessly, has been reduced to rubble and rendered completely uninhabitable. With no ceasefire in sight, this war may well cross the threshold of one year soon.
For Israel, the Gaza war has provided a perfect opportunity to close the debate on the issue of an independent and viable Palestinian state, once and for all. Within this, however, it is not only the Gaza Strip that Israel has been targeting; its plans on taking full control over the other part i.e., the West Bank, have also been put into motion over the last few months.
As a part of this strategy, on the night of 27th August, Israel launched a deliberate military operation into the West Bank where Israel Defence Forces (IDF) troops stormed key locations including the city of Jenin, in a bid to ‘root out militants’. At least 10 Palestinians were killed on the first night. This incursion is the largest in the West Bank and a grim reminder that the conflict extends far beyond just the Gaza Strip. This move by Israel also raises many key questions. Why now? How does it impact the ongoing efforts to negotiate a ceasefire in the Gaza war?
It may be recalled that prior to 7 October 2023 too, the West Bank had come under repeated attacks not only by Israeli settlers but also the IDF. In fact, an Israeli raid on Jenin Camp in the West Bank on 3 July 2023 was the fiercest and largest military operation in over two decades, comprising land as well as air forces in the West Bank. During this brief raid of two days, 12 Palestinians were killed and more than 150 injured. It also destroyed more than 300 homes and damaged over 400, forcing more than 3,000 Palestinians to flee the camp. Earlier too, on 26 January 2023, Israeli forces killed nine Palestinians in a raid in Jenin.
An Israeli raid on Jenin Camp in the West Bank on 3 July 2023 was the fiercest and largest military operation in over two decades, comprising land as well as air forces in the West Bank.
Over the two years preceding the current war in Gaza, there was a drastic escalation in the number of attacks from and into the West Bank. Jenin Camp was in the news for becoming a hotbed of militants and a safe hiding place for them. As a result, the frequency and intensity of engagement by IDF and police had intensified. Weeks before the onset of the Gaza war, on 25 July 2023, armed terrorists opened fire on the IDF in the Nablus neighbourhood of the West Bank. IDF troops fired back, resulting in the death of three Palestinians.
Coming back to the current escalation in the West Bank, there has been a marked increase in violence since October last year. Reports of Israeli settlers targeting Palestinians, including destruction of property, has been on the rise. The Israeli Air Force has carried out more than 50 air attacks in the West Bank since the start of the war in Gaza—the majority of them in Tulkarem, Jenin and Nablus. In addition, Israeli settlers have carried out more than 1,300 attacks in the West Bank over this period. At least 680 Palestinians in the West Bank have been killed since October 2023, according to the Palestinian ministry.
The Israeli Air Force has carried out more than 50 air attacks in the West Bank since the start of the war in Gaza—the majority of them in Tulkarem, Jenin and Nablus.
The issues in the West Bank go well beyond the skirmishes and attacks. One of the major issues is the continuing settlement of Israeli citizens in the West Bank. Israel captured the West Bank, east Jerusalem, and the Gaza Strip in the 1967 war. Over the last 57 years, Israel has built a large number of settlements scattered across the West Bank where more than 700,000 settlers, which is 10 percent of Israel’s nearly seven million population, live. Despite international condemnation on construction of new settlements, Israel has continued to build new ones. With each new settlement, the geographical area for a viable two state solution is steadily decreasing too.
Even before the Gaza war, on 26 June 2023, the Israeli Defense Ministry planning committee approved more than 5,000 new housing units in the West Bank. This was over and above the 13,000 housing units sanctioned by Israel earlier in 2023. Despite being a principal ally of Israel, the United States (US) too has been critical of continued expansion of Israeli settlements in the occupied West Bank and it expressed concern over the announcement of the new settlement in June 2023, stating, “We are deeply troubled by the Israeli government’s reported decision to advance planning for over 4,000 settlements in the West Bank.” Provocative steps like building of additional settlements in the occupied West Bank draw widespread criticism and shrink the geographical area finally available for a ‘two state solution’.
The West Bank also hosts the Al Aqsa Mosque, which has often been a target of violence and vandalism by the Israeli settlers. The Al-Aqsa in East Jerusalem, which Israel captured in the 1967 Six-Day War, hosts Islam’s third-holiest site, Al-Aqsa Mosque and the Dome of the Rock, a 7th-century structure believed to be where the Prophet Muhammad ascended to heaven.
A few months before the outbreak of the Gaza war, in the first week of April 2023, there were incidents of unprovoked attacks on Palestinian worshippers at the Al Aqsa Mosque. Again, on 17th September, Israeli settlers forcefully entered the Mosque complex while Israeli forces attacked Palestinian worshippers at Bab as-Silsila, one of the main entrances to the Al-Aqsa Mosque compound. Saudi Arabia, the UAE and Egypt were prompt in condemning it, with Saudi Arabia’s Foreign Ministry even calling it, “a provocation to the feelings of Muslims across the world”. Again, on 4th October, Israeli Jews entered the Al-Aqsa Mosque complex again while the Palestinian worshippers were held off by the Israeli forces.
On 17th September, Israeli settlers forcefully entered the Mosque complex while Israeli forces attacked Palestinian worshippers at Bab as-Silsila, one of the main entrances to the Al-Aqsa Mosque compound.
More recently, statements by a far-right Israeli minister, Ben-Gvir, who called for the construction of a synagogue in the Al-Aqsa complex, has led to outrage and condemnation in the West Bank and in the region. Saudi Arabia and countries in the Gulf condemned this proposal with Saudi Arabia categorically rejecting it on 27th August speaking against the "extremist and provocative statements" and "the ongoing provocations of Muslims' feelings around the world."
The military operations by the IDF and the violence by Israeli settlers in the West Bank are not incidents in isolation. With Gaza operations stagnating and pressure increasing to accept a ceasefire deal with Hamas, the West Bank provides the ideal foil for Israel to keep the fire burning. It also helps Israel to keep a strict check on any reconciliation and consolidation taking place within various factions (including Hamas and Fatah) of the Palestinian Authority after they signed a peace deal, brokered by China, in July 2024.
Continuing settlements by Israel and driving away the Palestinian population from its areas in the West Bank feeds into Israel’s strategy of nullifying any possibilities of leaving adequate geographical area in the West Bank for a viable ‘Two State’ solution. A resolution passed by overwhelming majority in Israel’s Knesset in July 2024, where it resolved to reject a Palestinian state as it would pose “an existential danger to the State of Israel and its citizens, perpetuate the Israeli-Palestinian conflict and destabilise the region”, too is clearly indicative of Israel’s plans.
With Gaza operations stagnating and pressure increasing to accept a ceasefire deal with Hamas, the West Bank provides the ideal foil for Israel to keep the fire burning.
There is also the issue of East Jerusalem, which is the promised capital for the Palestine State. Israel is not inclined to accept this in any manner. In fact, President Trump, in December 2017, persuaded by Israel, had announced that the US would recognise Jerusalem as the capital of Israel and move the American embassy there.
The issue of ongoing Israeli operations in the West Bank is therefore a part of a much larger canvas in the overall Israel-Palestine conflict. It is clear that, after Gaza, it is the West Bank that Israel plans to control and occupy fully, making the prospect of an independent and viable Palestine State an absolute ‘no possibility’. Amidst this, the negotiations for a ceasefire seem to be heading nowhere. Hamas has pledged support to the Palestine Islamic Jihad fighting Israel in the West Bank, and is unlikely to relent unless fighting in the West Bank stops and becomes a part of the peace deal too. All this while Israel and the region still await Iran’s retaliation for the assassination of Hamas political Chief Ismail Haniyeh on 31 July 2024. In such circumstances, the possibility of an early ceasefire look remote and threat of escalation a distinct possibility.
Rajeev Agarwal is a military veteran and West Asia expert.
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Col. Rajeev Agarwal is a military veteran and West Asia expert. During his service, he had served as Director in Military Intelligence as well as ...
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