As the world focuses on Gaza, the West Bank has reached boiling point. Here’s what to know
Israel’s assault on Gaza since the Hamas-led October 7 attack has killed more than 40,000 people, according to Palestinian authorities, drawing international condemnation. But just 60 miles away, another major escalation of violence has also been playing out in the West Bank, where more than 600 Palestinians have been killed by Israeli troops since the war began.
On Wednesday, the Israel Defense Forces (IDF) said it launched its most expansive offensive in the occupied West Bank in the last year, launching raids and airstrikes in densely populated civilian areas in Jenin and Tulkarem that have killed at least 15 people so far.
The attacks are occurring amid a surge in Israeli settler violence across the West Bank and occupied East Jerusalem, where some settlers continue a campaign targeting Palestinian civilians and infrastructure.
Israel says its military operation in the West Bank is necessary to stem further terror attacks on its territory. Palestinian leaders say the violence will only lead to “dire and dangerous results.” United Nations Secretary-General Antonio Guterres called on Israel to immediately cease its operation, saying it was a “deeply concerning” development.
As Israel signals its operation is only just getting started, here’s what you need to know about the occupied territory and why bloodshed is escalating there.
What is the West Bank and who controls it?
The West Bank, a territory that lies between Israel and Jordan, is home to 3.3 million Palestinians living under Israeli military occupation as well as hundreds of thousands of Jewish Israelis who began settling there some 57 years ago.
Israel began its occupation after the 1967 Six-Day War, where it captured the West Bank and East Jerusalem from Jordan, the Gaza Strip and the Sinai Peninsula from Egypt, and the Golan Heights from Syria. Israel argues that Jews have a biblical and ancestral right to the land.
Soon after, it began establishing Israeli communities in those territories. The West Bank remains where the bulk of those settlements, illegal under international law, are.
Sources: United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs Occupied Palestinian Territory, US Department of State
In the 1990s, Israel and Palestinian factions began a peace process with the aim of establishing a Palestinian state. That process, known as the Oslo Accords, led to the creation of an interim Palestinian government known as the Palestinian Authority (PA), based in the West Bank city of Ramallah, with nominal control over the West Bank and Gaza. Peace talks have been frozen for years and the current Israeli government has ruled out granting independence to the Palestinians.
Today, the PA has administrative and security control of 18% of the West Bank, while 22% is under joint Israeli and PA control. Israel has sole control over the remaining 60%, where most of Jewish settlements are.
Israel withdrew its troops and settlers from Gaza in 2005. In 2007, Hamas seized control of that territory after winning elections.
In July, the International Court of Justice, the United Nations’ top court, issued an unprecedented advisory opinion that found Israel’s presence in the West Bank and East Jerusalem to be illegal, and called on Israel to end its decades-long occupation.
