As of: February 1, 2024, 2:30 p.m
By: Tadhg Nagel
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The right-wing Israeli Minister of National Security, Itamar Ben-Gvir, himself lives in the occupied territories.
© IMAGO/DEBBIE HILL
Things have been simmering in the occupied territories for years.
Violence between settlers and Palestinians is escalating.
There is no solution in sight.
Jerusalem – It is still unclear what will happen after a possible end to the Middle East war.
US President Joe Biden continues to advocate a two-state solution.
This is “the only way to ensure the long-term security of both the Israeli and Palestinian people,” Biden said in a guest article in the
Washington Post
in November 2023 .
In the same breath, the US President once again criticized “the extremist violence against Palestinians in the West Bank” and emphasized that those who carried out this violence must be held accountable.
Activists have long complained that settler violence in the West Bank has increased in the shadow of the war in Israel.
According to
ARD
Tagesschau
Human rights organizations documented more than 170 cases of settler violence in the first month after the start of the war alone.
Roadblocks were set up, olive trees were uprooted and wells and houses were destroyed.
According to a report from the UN Human Rights Office, Israeli security forces killed a total of 492 Palestinians in the West Bank in 2023;
Palestinians killed 29 Israelis.
In the period after October 7, 2023 alone, at least a dozen people were killed by Israeli settlers in the West Bank.
This is what the Süddeutsche Zeitung
writes
.
Coexistence of Angry Settlers and Palestinians - A Catastrophic Impasse
Since Israel captured the West Bank from Jordan in 1967, continuous settlement has led to a catastrophic impasse.
Half a million settlers now live in explosive proximity to three million Palestinians.
“An incompetent, incompetent and unpopular Palestinian Authority, a voiceless Palestinian people, armed settlers and an Israeli military with an ambiguous mission coexist in the treacherous vacuum of a supposed but increasingly unimaginable Palestinian statehood,” wrote journalist Roger Cohen in the New
York Times
.
A hopeless situation has existed for decades, which has repeatedly led to outbreaks of violence, including two intifadas.
What does “Intifada” mean?
The term “
Intifada
” comes from Arabic and literally means “shock” or “uprising”.
It is often used in the context of the Palestinian-Israeli conflicts to describe specific periods of violent resistance and uprisings.
There were two main phases of the Intifada in the context of the Israel-Palestine conflict:
First Intifada (1987–1993):
This began in December 1987 in the occupied territories, particularly the Gaza Strip and the West Bank.
Palestinians, mostly young people, began mass protests, blocking roads and throwing stones at Israeli troops.
The uprising lasted until around 1993 and led to political changes and negotiations that eventually led to the Oslo Peace Process.
Second Intifada (2000–2005):
This began in September 2000 after negotiations in the Oslo peace process collapsed.
Violence escalated with suicide attacks, bombings and armed confrontations between Palestinian groups and Israeli forces.
The Second Intifada did not end as clearly as the First and left deep wounds in the conflict that are still felt today.
What for most of the world is an illegal settlement of the West Bank is for countless Israelis the ultimate act of return to the holy land.
Even if this return is considered a military occupation under international law.
Nevertheless, the settlers believe they are in the right, as the example of the city of Huwara makes clear.
The Israeli north-south highway runs through the middle of the Palestinian town, which is surrounded by Israeli settlements.
As a result, the street was closed ten times last year alone, a city official told the
New York Times.
The IDF is not doing its job - Ben-Gvir is equipping the settlers with automatic weapons
After a Palestinian militant shot two settlers as they drove through the settlement, the Israelis retaliated, the newspaper said.
They set fire to cars, shops and houses, killed at least one Palestinian and injured others.
The Israeli army was tasked with maintaining order, but did not prevent the riot.
Many Israeli politicians even glorified the settlers' violence.
Bezalel Smotrich, Israel's finance minister, called for Huwara to be "exterminated" - not by lawless settlers.
“The state of Israel should do this,” said Smotrich.
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Smotrich is not only responsible for managing settler affairs in the West Bank as part of a coalition agreement concluded with Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu in early 2023, he also lives in the West Bank.
Just like the Israeli Minister of National Security, Itamar Ben-Gvir, who is also a settler.
How did the Israeli occupation of the West Bank come about?
Israel's occupation of the West Bank took place as part of the Six-Day War (June 5-10, 1967), a military conflict between Israel and its neighbors Egypt, Jordan and Syria.
There were already significant geopolitical tensions in the region before the Six-Day War.
Arab nationalism and the Israeli-Arab conflict played a central role.
The situation came to a head in May 1967 when Egypt closed the Strait of Tiran, a strategically important sea route for Israel.
This was interpreted by Israel as an act of war as it blocked international shipping to Israeli ports.
Egypt, Jordan and Syria mobilized troops and joined forces against Israel.
The rhetoric and troop movements suggested that an attack on Israel could be imminent.
Israel opted for a preemptive military strike to counter perceived threats.
On June 5, 1967, Israel launched a surprise attack on Egyptian air force bases, largely destroying the Egyptian air force.
During the Six Day War, Israel captured the West Bank from Jordan.
In a rapid military advance, the Israeli armed forces managed to take control of large parts of the area.
On June 10, 1967, a ceasefire between Israel and the Arab states was announced.
At this point, Israel controlled the West Bank, the Gaza Strip, the Golan Heights and the Sinai Peninsula.
After October 7, Israeli forces closed all shops in Huwara, a local resident named Soasa told the
New York Times
.
“We are trapped,” the newspaper quoted him as saying.
“Ben-Gvir equips the settlers with automatic weapons and tells them to do whatever they want and where should we go?”
“Not far from an explosion” - Can the violence in the West Bank be stopped?
Since Hamas' attack on Israel, Ben-Gvir has "further pushed forward his Jewish supremacist agenda," according to the portal
Democracy for the Arab World now.
He relaxed gun regulations to make it easier for Israeli citizens to purchase firearms and called for the mass arming of Jews across Israel.
He is also pushing forward the establishment of more rapid reaction forces – called Kitat Konenut in Hebrew.
These are civilian groups that are supposed to act as volunteer defense forces in an emergency.
Daniel Seidemann, an Israeli lawyer and head of the NGO Terrestrial Jerusalem, warned the portal that they would end up being more like Ben-Gvir's own "private militias."
In this situation, the question arises as to whether the “cycle of carnage” can be broken, a third intifada averted and something new can emerge from the disintegration of the West Bank and Israel's invasion of the Gaza Strip, said Roger Cohen in the
New York Times
.
“We are not far from an explosion,” said Palestinian Prime Minister Shtayyeh.
“Israel has lost its balance and is behaving like a wounded bull.
They act out of revenge and kill for the sake of killing.”
A third intifada cannot be ruled out; the extent of Palestinian anger combined with settler violence creates a combustible mix.
(tpn)