In the days following the ceasefire deal reached between Israel and Hamas, Israeli President Benjamin Netanyahu increased the Israel Defense Forces (I.D.F.) presence in the West Bank, creating a possibility for another large-scale military operation in the region. According to Al Jazeera, at least 14 Palestinians in the West Bank have already been killed after an I.D.F. attack on the city of Jenin, which targeted the Jenin refugee camp and placed military roadblocks throughout the area. Violent protests led by Israeli settlers in the West Bank are also occurring in greater numbers, some of which escalated into armed riots targeting Palestinians earlier this week. As Israel and Hamas carefully navigate the first phase of the ceasefire deal that was reached on January 15th, conflict in the West Bank threatens to destabilize the peacebuilding process that took over a year to initiate.
While human rights organizations around the world have condemned Israel’s use of violence against Palestinians in the West Bank, prominent political actors in the United States have shown support for President Netanyahu’s military occupation of the region. Angelita Caredda, the Middle East and North Africa regional director at the Norwegian Refugee Council (N.R.C.) called the level of force used against Palestinians in the West Bank “unnecessary, indiscriminate, and disproportionate.” The United Nations Human Rights Office (O.H.C.H.R.) has also voiced concerns over recent I.D.F. and settler violence in the West Bank. Regardless, Elise Stefanik, the recently-appointed United States Ambassador to the United Nations, called Israel’s settlement of the West Bank a “biblical right,” and immediately after taking office, President Donald Trump removed sanctions on Israeli settlers who committed violence against Palestinians (AP News).
As Palestine and Israel work towards a permanent ceasefire, I.D.F. military action in the West Bank and violence from Israeli settlers must immediately come to an end. Israel’s occupation of the West Bank is not new in the Israel-Palestine conflict, but it is a serious threat to the success of the ceasefire agreement reached earlier this month. According to international law, the West Bank is considered Palestinian territory, making Israeli military and settler activity there illegal. Therefore, all countries and international agencies capable of influencing President Netanyahu’s military campaign should direct their efforts toward upholding international law and achieving the terms of the ceasefire deal that is currently being pursued. For the current negotiations to be effective, President Trump should not only reinforce sanctions meant to deter settler violence but should also condemn Israel’s military presence in territories that are recognized as Palestinian.
Israeli occupation of the West Bank has been a consistent factor in Israel-Palestine tensions since the War of 1967, which resulted in the U.N. Security Council designating the West Bank, Gaza, and East Jerusalem as Palestinian territories. Despite international law making Israel’s settlement of the West Bank illegal, Israeli settlers and military forces have maintained their presence in the region, forcing tens of thousands of Palestinians over the years to flee. According to CNN, over 850 Palestinians in the West Bank have been killed by Israeli forces since October 2023, and just this week thousands of Palestinian residents in the West Bank were forcibly removed from their homes. Given Israel’s failure to acknowledge Palestinian territory, and considering the mass human rights violations that President Netanyahu’s regime committed in Gaza over the last 15 months, international actors should be applying pressure to make sure conflict in the West Bank does not become an extension of the war in Gaza.
With the rise in violence by the I.D.F. and Israeli settlers in the West Bank, it is clear that Israel and Palestine still have weeks of work ahead to secure a permanent end to the conflict. Israel’s sudden increase in the use of force against Palestinian civilians in the West Bank has the potential to unravel the progress currently being made in the first phase of the ceasefire agreement. Therefore, to ensure that future phases of the deal are successful, Israel must immediately terminate its unlawful occupation of the area. To help secure a permanent end to the Israel-Palestine conflict, international actors must urge President Netanyahu to stop the use of military force against civilians and recognize the West Bank as a sovereign Palestinian territory.
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