As the window for a potential ceasefire closes and the US and other mediators delay announcing their new initiative to halt the ongoing conflict in Gaza, Israel has intensified its assaults in the West Bank.

These aggressive actions are permeating all aspects of life and, if they persist, are expected to ignite further unrest. They appear to align with the ambitions of Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and far-right ministers such as Itamar Ben-Gvir and Bezalel Smotrich whose agenda includes expanding settlements and reviving what they call the “Jewish Kingdom” in the regions of Judea (southern West Bank) and Samaria (northern West Bank).

Israel had conducted military operations in the West Bank even before 7 October last year, and it has now doubled its efforts, especially in the northern areas. In the past few weeks, the Israeli Army has launched military operations in cities such as Jenin, Tulkarm, Qalqilya, and Tubas. A strict siege has been imposed on the Hebron district in the southern West Bank after the deaths of three Israeli police officers.

Many Palestinians and even some Israeli military officials argue that the current actions by Israel’s political leadership are pushing the region towards a major explosion. They contend that these tactics will only further complicate Israel’s internal crises rather than resolve them.

The increasing Palestinian resistance to the Israeli aggression also serves as evidence of the failure of the policies implemented by Netanyahu and his government. The rapid rebuilding efforts undertaken by the Palestinians after the destruction of their infrastructure in recent Israeli attacks further highlights the resilience of the local population.

The escalation of the violence in the West Bank has intensified week by week. From raids on Palestinian refugee camps in Tulkarm and Jenin, which resulted in the execution of around 30 Palestinians in just one week, to the destruction of vital infrastructure, Israel’s aggressive tactics have reached new heights.

Recently, an American activist was killed by Israeli forces in Nablus, and far-right Israeli Foreign Minister Yisrael Katz has threatened to deport thousands of Palestinians from the West Bank, claiming they hold Jordanian citizenship. Such provocations have brought the situation to the brink of an explosion, with little hope of de-escalation.

On the political front, the Palestine Liberation Organisation (PLO) has reaffirmed its commitment to confronting Israel diplomatically. Following a meeting of Fatah’s Central Committee attended by Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas, the Organisation called on the international community to intervene immediately and force Israel to halt its escalating crimes against Palestinians in the West Bank, including East Jerusalem.

The committee denounced Israel’s daily killings, collective punishment, and destruction of Palestinian cities and infrastructure. They accused Israel of violating international law and defying resolutions by bodies such as the International Court of Justice (ICJ).

The committee also expressed its support for the Palestinian leadership’s efforts to work with Arab and international actors to bring ICJ recommendations to the UN General Assembly. The goal is to secure a binding UN resolution that compels Israel to adhere to international law.

Nabil Abu Rudeineh, official spokesperson for the Palestinian Presidency, criticised Netanyahu’s claim that “swords” will bring security and stability. He emphasised that the only path to lasting peace is through recognition of international legitimacy and the Palestinian people’s right to establish an independent state with East Jerusalem as its capital.

Abu Rudeineh warned that the continued Israeli aggression against the Palestinians, coupled with US support for these actions, will only further inflame the region. He argued that no regional or international efforts can contain the inevitable explosion that will engulf the area if the violence persists.

He also highlighted that Israel’s true objective is to undermine the status of Jerusalem, its Islamic and Christian holy sites, and Palestinian national identity. He stressed that both Israel and its backers must understand that Jerusalem remains the key to peace, security, and stability.

Abu Rudeineh dismissed efforts to quell the growing unrest without first halting the Israeli aggression as futile, asserting that the region continues to pay the price for Israel’s US-backed policies. These policies will not succeed in dismantling the Palestinian national project, he said, which is rooted in the defence of Jerusalem and its sacred sites, serving as a rallying point for Palestinian resistance, the Arab world, and global supporters of justice.

Israeli Foreign Minister Yisrael Katz has threatened severe action against the Palestinian Authority (PA), including its potential dismantling, following its approach to the UN to enforce a ruling from the ICJ against Israel. The PA is seeking UN intervention to implement the ICJ’s recommendation, which calls for Israel to withdraw from the Occupied Territories within six months and to impose a weapons embargo on Israeli settlers.

Political analyst Najeeb Farraj told Al-Ahram Weekly that the PA, as the political entity representing the PLO on the ground, faces a grave danger. Netanyahu and his cabinet, including far-right ministers like Ben-Gvir and Smotrich, have expressed their intentions to undermine the PA. Farraj said that Netanyahu, in a bid to maintain his grip on power, may succumb to the demands of these extremist ministers, as he has in previous cases.

Farraj urged the Palestinian leadership to acknowledge the existential threat to the PA and avoid relying on Arab, US, or European intervention. Israel has been dismissing all international efforts to stop the war, he said, including the new US initiative, which some sources claim will not even be announced due to the anticipated Israeli rejection.

Israel has also shown its disregard for European involvement, recently refusing a visit from EU Foreign Policy Chief Josep Borrell after his criticisms of Israeli policies, including the blocking of medical aid to civilians in Gaza.

Farraj said that the only way to counter Israel’s increasing aggression in the West Bank is for the PA to take meaningful steps towards unity, including ending the division with Hamas. He emphasised that the entire Palestinian population is being targeted, making the need for unity far greater than the reasons for division, especially in the face of the ongoing genocide in Gaza and military incursions in the West Bank.

He further argued that serious steps towards reconciliation are crucial for the protection of the Palestinian national project. He warned that the Palestinian people are without protection, while the Arab nations remain indifferent and the international community is silent on the atrocities being committed. He called on the PA to break its silence, pointing out that its existence is at the top of the Israeli far-right’s hit list.

Criticism of Netanyahu’s far-right government has not only come from Palestinian and international voices but also from within Israel’s own military ranks. Senior officers in the Israeli Army, according to a report by the Israeli newspaper Yedioth Ahronoth, have threatened to resign over the current policies. These officers believe that Netanyahu and his far-right ministers are steering the region towards a major explosion.

Israeli military leaders are increasingly concerned that the government’s hardline stance is guided by a far-right ideological agenda. This includes rejecting ceasefire negotiations and a potential prisoner-exchange deal, as well as attempts to alter the status quo at the Al-Aqsa Mosque in Jerusalem. Moreover, the government’s political support for settlement expansion, coupled with the provision of weapons to settlers and legal protections from prosecution, further exacerbates tensions in the West Bank.

The Israeli government’s attempts to weaken the PA by annexing Area B territories into Area C, withholding Palestinian tax revenues, and enforcing blockades on Palestinian cities, villages, and refugee camps are also contributing to an increasingly volatile situation. Israeli military officials fear that such policies will eventually lead to a significant uprising in the West Bank, a concern echoed by many within the army’s leadership.

One senior officer expressed his frustration at the lack of strategic decisions to build on the military’s successes. He remarked that the political leadership’s inaction is causing many top officers to consider retiring, blaming Netanyahu and his ministers for the persistent confusion and lack of direction.

Journalist Eyad Hamad, commenting on the growing discord between the Israeli military and government, noted that while such tensions exist, they are unlikely to result in significant policy changes. Speaking to the Weekly, Hamad explained that the military ultimately carries out the political decisions of whichever government is in power in Israel, regardless of internal disagreements.

Recent comments by Netanyahu, coupled with the publication of his proposed map of Gaza and the Palestinian Territories, demonstrate his outright rejection of the idea of a Palestinian state, even one confined to 22 per cent of historic Palestine, Hamad said.

He warned of the dangerous trajectory Israel is following under the influence of far-right leaders who are the descendants of extremist movements, such as followers of the extremist religious leader Meir Kahane. Once labelled as terrorist organisations and outlawed by Israel, members of these movements have now ascended to positions of power within the Israeli government.

Their ultimate goal, Hamad suggested, is to expel the Palestinians from their land, a goal that may be within reach if the Arab states remain silent and the international community continues its complicity.

* A version of this article appears in print in the 12 September, 2024 edition of Al-Ahram Weekly