As Muslims around the globe celebrated Eid al-Fitr, marking the end of Ramadan, the situation in the occupied West Bank intensified, with a surge in violence coinciding with the ongoing US-Israel war on Iran, which has now entered its fourth week. Reports indicate that Israeli settlers have blocked access to several Palestinian communities, burning homes and destroying olive groves in the process. This escalation comes amid heightened tensions and restrictions imposed by Israeli authorities.
In a particularly notable move, Israeli officials used the current conflict with Iran as justification to bar Muslim worshippers from the Al-Aqsa Mosque compound during Eid, a decision described as unprecedented since Israel’s capture of the site in 1967. Israeli police enforced these restrictions with force, employing sound grenades and physical means to disperse those attempting to pray outside the gates of Jerusalem’s Old City, following multiple days of similar interventions.
The violence reached a tragic peak on March 18, when four Palestinian women were killed by debris from a rocket in Beit Awwa, a community in the southern West Bank that lacks adequate air raid sirens or bomb shelters. Despite the ongoing war, the focus for many Palestinians remains on the escalating violence from settlers and the movement restrictions that have intensified since the onset of the conflict.
Escalating Settler Violence
Following the death of a settler, Yehuda Sherman, on March 18, violence from settlers surged. In the early hours of Sunday, approximately 100 masked settlers descended on the villages of Jalud and Qaryut, south of Nablus. Local Palestinian sources reported that they set fire to at least five vehicles, torched over ten homes, burned the Jalud village council building, and injured a fire truck driver while attempting to set a mosque ablaze. These attacks occurred despite the presence of Israeli military and police forces near the villages.
The violence did not stop there; additional attacks were reported on the same day, with settlers setting fire to vehicles in Deir Sharaf, torching homes and injuring residents in Deir al-Hatab, and narrowly avoiding the burning of a medical clinic in Burqa through Palestinian intervention. These acts of violence appear to be retaliation for Sherman’s death, which settlers attributed to a Palestinian ramming his vehicle. Community members suggested that Sherman had stolen a farmer’s pickup truck and crashed it.
Attending Sherman’s funeral, Israeli Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich remarked that the government is intent on dismantling the Palestinian Authority and ending any semblance of autonomy for Palestinians in the West Bank. This statement highlights the increasing alignment of Israeli government policies with settler interests, despite the illegal status of many outposts under Israeli law.
Waves of Arrests Amid Violence
Amidst the settler violence, it is predominantly Palestinians who are facing arrests during these confrontations. Reports indicate that on the night of March 18, settlers raided the village of al-Fandaqumiya, south of Jenin, setting homes and vehicles ablaze before continuing to the neighboring Silat al-Dhaher, where additional homes were torched, resulting in injuries to six residents. Local networks have reported that Israeli forces did not intervene to halt these attacks.
Palestinian activists noted incidents on March 17, where settlers raided the home of Yousef Muzahim in Jiljiliya, northeast of Ramallah, subsequently calling in the Israeli army to arrest him and his two sons, aged 12 and 14. Similar reports of violence and harassment have emerged from the Salfit governorate and the South Hebron Hills.
Land Seizures and Agricultural Destruction
The ongoing campaign to seize Palestinian land has persisted over the past week. Reports of land seizures and agricultural destruction are prevalent, with Israeli bulldozers filmed uprooting olive trees in Nilin and bulldozing over 1,500 olive trees across more than 100 dunams in Huwara, Nablus governorate. In the southern West Bank’s Masafer Yatta, settlers destroyed over 130 olive trees by releasing livestock onto cultivated land.
On March 16, Israeli authorities issued military orders to seize 268 dunams of land in Tubas and Tammun. This seizure came shortly after the killing of four members of a Palestinian family, including two children, by Israeli forces. In the Jordan Valley’s Fasayel al-Wusta, Israeli forces demolished the last remaining home in a community previously subjected to displacement due to settler violence, despite a court ruling allowing the family to remain.
Impact on Gaza and Aid Restrictions
The situation in Gaza has similarly deteriorated, with a marked decrease in the amount of aid entering the region since the US-Israel war on Iran began. The Rafah crossing with Egypt recently reopened but under strict limitations on movement. The World Health Organization has warned of significant shortages in medical supplies and fuel in hospitals, amidst concerns of a resurgence of famine conditions.
US officials have communicated a proposal to Hamas mediators regarding disarmament to facilitate large-scale reconstruction efforts in Gaza, although progress on the October ceasefire has stalled since the onset of the current conflict. In the past week, Israeli airstrikes have resulted in multiple casualties, including a child, with ongoing military actions reported in Gaza City.
as the conflict continues to escalate, both the West Bank and Gaza face significant humanitarian challenges, compounded by violence, land seizures, and restrictions on aid. The international community remains watchful as tensions persist in this volatile region, and the implications for peace and security remain uncertain.
We encourage readers to share their thoughts on the ongoing situation and its impact on the lives of those in the region.
