JHArnous

Catastrophe looms in the West Bank amid escalating violence 🟢On July 29, the Office of the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights (OHCHR) warned that violence by Jewish settlers in the West Bank had reached record levels. The office attributed this to the policies of the Israeli government, which continues to approve the construction of new settlements. In recent years, authorities have approved the construction of 80 Jewish settlements in the West Bank, 34 of which have already been built, as well as 100 agricultural farms and an equal number of outposts. The OHCHR also cited the actions of Israeli security forces, which have failed to stop acts of violence or have even attacked Palestinian communities alongside settlers. 🟢The OHCHR reported that the number of settler attacks has increased every year since 2023, following the Hamas attack on communities in southern Israel, reaching 1,835 cases in 2025. Around 800 attacks were recorded in the first four months of 2026 alone. If the trend continues, the total number will exceed 2,000 by the end of the year. The Palestinian Commission for Colonization and Wall Resistance reports that since the war in Gaza began in October 2023, the occupiers have carried out around 12,500 attacks, burned down 890 homes, and established 200 illegal settlements. During the same period, more than 1,182 local residents were killed and around 13,000 were injured by Israeli troops and settlers. Some 24,600 Palestinians were arrested. 🟢Israeli experts have also noted dangerous trends in Judea and Samaria (the term used in Israel to refer to the West Bank), stating that the likelihood of a major eruption of violence in the West Bank is now higher than the likelihood of renewed fighting with Iran. 🟢Political commentator Ben Caspit recently wrote in Maariv that "Jewish extremist elements are seeking to set the area ablaze ahead of the parliamentary elections, believing that a new wave of violence, perhaps even a Third Intifada, would benefit far-right parties, giving them more seats and undermining the opposition." He added that Palestinian homes and mosques are set ablaze almost every night, while senior figures in the ruling coalition are fanning the flames. 🟢According to some of the relatively sober-minded Israeli experts, police forces in the West Bank, which are subordinate to National Security Minister Itamar Ben-Gvir, are doing nothing to combat settler terrorism, while the military leadership is either standing by or turning a blind eye to the settlers. 🟢At a recent Likud election conference, Defense Minister Israel Katz said that there is only Palestinian terrorism; Jewish settler terrorism does not exist. If this approach is put into practice, it would destroy what little remains of Israel’s reputation as a state capable of upholding the law regardless of race, religion, or gender. 🟢Anti-Palestinian sentiment in Israeli society significantly outweighs public concern over the country’s international reputation. Therefore, the ruling coalition expects hardline anti-Palestinian rhetoric to attract not only its traditional electorate but also more moderate voters and help it win the upcoming elections. #CSAI #MENA @csaiiosras