The West Bank Settlements are Israeli civilian communities in territories acquired by Israel in the Six-Day War that are not under Israel’s sovereignty. Currently, in the West Bank, there are over 700,000 Israeli settlers. Placing Israel’s settlers in designated areas of the West Bank can also help solidify Israel’s control over the region. Israel’s settlements are a problem because they establish spatial dominance over the territory and disrupt the Palestinian unity of population centres in the West Bank. These settlements ultimately negatively impact prospects for a two-state outcome to the Israel-Palestine conflict. The UN has declared these settlements are illegal.
The Rise of Bezalel Smotrich:
Bezalel Smotrich has become a senior member of Prime Minister Netanyahu’s government following his appointment as both finance minister and as a minister of Israel’s defence ministry. He has virtually become the de facto governor of the West Bank. He has authority over the “civil administration” which in reality is a military body which manages the day-to-day occupation of the Palestinian territories. As a religious fundamentalist and head of the National Religious Zionism Party, or Mafdal, a far-right political party, Smotrich has expressed his desire for a state which would extend from the Mediterranean Sea to the Jordan River. Earlier this summer, he announced that he would be making an active effort to annex the West Bank to Israel, stating “My life’s mission is to thwart the establishment of a Palestinian state.” Since Smotrich’s appointment to power, he has made it more difficult for Palestinians to build their homes and move around in the West Bank through the implementation of fixed checkpoints. Annexing the West Bank is a clear dream of Smotrich and his political ally, National Security Minister, Itamar Ben-Gvir. In July, Israel’s parliament passed a resolution which overwhelmingly rejected the establishment of a Palestinian state. The resolution passed in the Knesset (the legislature of Israel) with 68 in favour of a resolution rejecting the establishment of a Palestinian state and nine against it.
What’s going on in the West Bank?
Israeli troops have occupied many cities and areas in the West Bank. Last week has witnessed the withdrawal of Israel’s forces from the Jenin refugee camp. Israel’s troops were involved in a large operation there for over a week. Jenin has been a bone of contention in the Israeli-Palestinian conflict for a long time; since war broke out in Gaza on October 7th, Israel’s raids have increased in Jenin, because the Jenin refugee camp was a stronghold of Palestinian militancy.
The latest raid in Jenin has had a significant impact on Palestinian citizens. Water and electric services have been cut in many areas. The power cuts and lack of internet have made it difficult for Palestinians to know what’s happening across the camp and Eastern Jenin. Houses were raided as Israel’s soldiers searched for militants. Israel’s forces have destroyed infrastructure. Over 20km of access road was destroyed by rippers mounted behind Israel’s bulldozers in Jenin, houses and streets have been left in ruins as the troops have withdrawn. The Palestinian foreign ministry has accused Israel of deploying the same tactics used in the Gaza Strip as in Jenin. Palestinian families have been displaced from their homes as Israel’s military have taken some of them over to use as bases.
The situation reached a climax on the 5th of September when five Palestinian men were killed in an Israeli airstrike in the north of the West Bank. For over nine days, Israel’s forces were raiding northern cities as part of their counter-terrorism operation.
The conflict is not one-sided. On the 8th of September, three Israelis were shot dead at the crossing between Jordan and the West Bank. The men were security guards who were not part of the army or police. The shootings took place at the Allenby Bridge over the Jordan River, a bridge mainly used by Palestinians and international tourists. Jordan has a large Palestinian population.
American Shot
On Friday 6th September, 26-year-old Turkish American Aysenur Ezgi Eygi was shot in the West Bank. She was a volunteer peace activist with the anti-occupation International Solidarity Movement (ISM). Israel stated that it was “highly likely” she was shot by the IDF. Ezgi Eygi was participating in a peaceful demonstration against Israeli settlements near the West Bank village of Beita. Ezgi Eygi’s family believe that an Israeli inquiry into what happened will not be enough, they are publicly calling for the US to handle it, asking Biden and Harris to launch an independent investigation. They are calling for the US to demand accountability from Israel’s armed forces. Ezgi Eygi’s death has sparked some to question the US government’s commitment to American safety overseas. Her death is tragic but not an isolated case in Palestinian territories. For example, earlier in the year, an off-duty Israeli police officer shot 17-year-old US citizen Tawfiz Ajaq in the West Bank. In 2022, an Israeli sniper shot US citizen and Al Jazeera journalist Shireen Abu Akleh who was reporting in Jenin’s refugee camp at the time.
Ezgi Eygi’s death has also exposed what some regard as hypocrisy within the Biden administration. The days following her tragic death revealed a different public response from the White House compared to the deaths of other dual-American citizens. Biden’s immediate public response was very different towards the death of Hersh-Goldbery Polin – an Israeli-American citizen in August. The Department of Justice in America has demonstrated its willingness to prosecute Hamas crimes against Israelis and Israeli-Americans in the Middle East. It needs to be the same legal rigour in prosecuting crimes against Palestinian Americans by Israel’s soldiers and settlers. After Ezgi Eygi’s death, the WhiteHouse only released a statement stating that it was “deeply disturbed” and Biden accepted the results of Israel’s internal military investigation that it was an “incident” where a bullet ricocheted off the ground. The US government has not launched an independent American investigation into her death – despite public pleas. Ezgi Eygi’s family in the US released a statement saying that they were “deeply offended by the suggestion that her killing by a trained sniper was in any way unintentional.” President Biden’s response to Ezgi Eygi’s death is significant because it demonstrates that Israeli-American and Palestinian-American citizens are treated differently.
Contention over the al-Aqsa Mosque:
Al-Aqsa in al-Haram al-Sharif is located in the Old City of Jerusalem and is important to the three Abrahamic religions. In 1980, Israel declared Jerusalem the “complete and united” capital of Israel. In April 2023, the rift between Palestinians and Israelis reached a climax in the region and the Al-Aqsa mosque. Israeli police raided the mosque after Palestinians had barricaded themselves inside after the evening Ramadan prayer. Premier Netanyahu justified the ensuing police violence as a necessary means “to restore order”. The Palestinian Red Crescent reported that 50 Palestinians were injured during this raid. Further violence was recorded on the 14th of July, an attack took place which resulted in the deaths of two Israeli police officers and three Palestinians. The mosque was subsequently closed, and reopened with new measures of control implemented; including metal detectors and additional cameras. Palestinians refused to enter the compound until Israel removed the new measures. Currently, Israel’s armed forces allow groups of Jewish settlers that live in the Palestinian territories to enter the al-Aqsa compound under police and army protection, increasing Palestinian fear of an Israeli takeover of the compound.
Al Jazeera closed
On Sunday 22nd September, Israeli forces raided the office of Al Jazeera in Ramallah in the occupied West Bank. They issued a court ruling to close down Al Jazeera for 45 days. Walid al-Omari, Al Jazeera’s West Bank bureau chief reported that Israel’s troops confiscated documents, devices and office property. Al Jazeera denounced the raid as a ‘criminal act’. This raid has happened only months after the Israeli government banned Israel from operating inside Israel in May. Walid al-Omari has expressed concern that their archival stores will be destroyed by the Israeli forces.
Overall, the situation in the West Bank has shown that Smotrich has been successfully asserting Israeli power over the area by displacing Palestinians. Israel’s operation in the West Bank has caused large-scale disruption and displaced many Palestinians from their homes. It has increased animosity between Israelis and Palestinians. The tragic death of Ezgi Eygi has made us question if the US government is treating dual citizens the same. Biden’s response to her death has demonstrated America’s continued support for Israel. The contention over the Al-Aqsa mosque reiterates the friction between Israelis and Palestinians. It is becoming even more of an issue as tensions rise in the West Bank.
Image of Haram es Sharif by hnsarowar385 from Pixabay
