West Bank unrest threatens peace in Gaza

SGGP June 30, 2023 09:54

The recent escalation of violence in the West Bank threatens to spill over into Gaza and push the region toward war.

Fighting in the West Bank city of Jenin between Israeli and Palestinian forces. Photo: AP

Gaza Involvement

Israeli President Isaac Herzog condemned recent terrorist attacks by extremists against innocent Palestinians in the West Bank, while stressing the importance of a strong and persistent fight against terrorism, incitement and hatred, sources said on June 29.

The crime wave in Palestinian communities in the West Bank shows no signs of abating after hundreds of Israeli settlers carried out dozens of terrorist attacks against Palestinians last week in retaliation for the killing of four Israelis by two Hamas members in an attack near the settlement of Eli. According to the NYT, 2023 is set to be one of the deadliest years for Palestinians in the West Bank in more than a decade. Of the 140 Palestinians killed in armed conflicts in the territory so far this year, about 86 have been in the northern West Bank, mostly in the Jenin and Nablus areas.

Speaking at the UN Security Council's monthly meeting on the Israeli-Palestinian conflict on June 28, the UN Special Coordinator for the Middle East Peace Process Tor Wennesland warned that the events in the West Bank were extremely dangerous and could spread to Gaza. This is considered one of the worst violence in years between Israel and Palestine. In May, Israel and Palestine fought a five-day war in Gaza and the restoration of peace is very fragile.

Obstructing agreements

According to Ha'aretz newspaper, on June 26, Israel approved plans to build 5,623 new homes in several Jewish settlements in the West Bank, including 1,057 in Eli. In a press release, Peace Now, an organization that monitors Israeli settlement activity, said that with the decision, 2023 will see the largest number of new homes approved for construction. According to official figures, since January, more than 13,000 homes have been granted construction permits in settlements, more than the 4,427 homes granted construction permits in all of 2022.

Observers said the move could further escalate tensions between Israel and Palestine. US State Department spokesman Matthew Miller previously stressed that Washington considers these settlements an obstacle to a two-state solution to the Israel-Palestine issue. The most recent round of peace talks between Israel and Palestine has stalled since March 2014 due to deep disagreements over Israel's settlement building activities as well as security and border issues.

In addition, speaking at the US Council on Foreign Relations on June 28, Secretary of State Antony Blinken said that in phone calls with his Israeli counterpart Eli Cohen and Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, Washington warned Israel that the outbreak of tensions with the Palestinians would make the process of expanding normalization agreements with Arab countries, including Saudi Arabia, almost impossible.

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