Israeli Violence Against Palestinians in the West Bank Escalates After Gaza War

The Israeli-occupied West Bank has become a hotbed of violence and intimidation against Palestinians, particularly in rural communities, since the war in Gaza began. Israeli settlers, backed by the military, have carried out attacks against Palestinians, including a violent incident at a primary school in Mu'arrajat, where extremist settlers stormed the school, wielding wooden bats and attempting to break into locked classrooms. The school's director, Suleman Mleihat, said he rushed to the school when he heard the attack was happening but was blocked by the military, which failed to stop the settlers.

Key Takeaways:

• Israeli violence against Palestinians in the West Bank has escalated significantly since the war in Gaza began, with nearly 1,400 attacks documented by the U.N. in the past year, the highest number since the organization began collecting data nearly 20 years ago.
• The attacks are often orchestrated to intimidate Palestinians into leaving their land, with about 17 communities forcefully displaced in the past year.
• The Israeli military has also carried out destructive and deadly raids in the West Bank, killing at least 678 Palestinians since October 7, according to the U.N.
• The Yesha Council, the umbrella organization for Israeli settlements in the West Bank, has stated that its goal is to prevent the establishment of a Palestinian state between the Jordan River and the Mediterranean Sea.
• World leaders, including President Biden, are pushing for a two-state solution, but the Israeli government, with ultra-nationalist lawmakers in major positions of power, is encouraging the expansion of settlements and instructing the military to protect them.
• Palestinians in the West Bank are feeling increasingly unsafe, unprotected, and at the mercy of Israeli troops and air strikes, which have restarted in the West Bank after many years.

Statistics:

• 1,400 attacks by settlers against Palestinians in the West Bank documented by the U.N. in the past year
• 678 Palestinians killed by the Israeli military in the West Bank since October 7, according to the U.N.
• 17 communities forcefully displaced in the past year due to settler violence
• 10-day-long and deadly raid by the Israeli military in Jenin in late August, which killed 28 people and caused significant damage to infrastructure.

Sources:

• U.N. report on settler violence in the West Bank
• NPR reporting from the West Bank
• Interview with Suleman Mleihat, head of the Mu'arrajat community
• Interview with Allegra Pacheco, American attorney and head of the West Bank Protection Consortium
• Interview with Khalil Shikaki, political scientist and pollster in Ramallah
• Interview with Farha Abu Hejah, community leader in Jenin
• Interview with Raeda Abu Ali, matriarch of the Abu Ali family
• Israeli military statement on the raid in Jenin
• Yesha Council statement on its goals for the West Bank
• State of the Union address by President Biden