Unrest in West Bank: Settlers clash with Israeli forces

Unrest erupted in the West Bank on June 29th after Israeli settlers stormed an Israeli military base, according to Asharq Al-Awsat via The Associated Press.

The unrest is reported to have stemmed from the military’s response to an earlier attack conducted on June 25th. Over 100 settlers entered the town of Kfar Malik in the West Bank, setting fire to houses and shooting at locals attempting to stop them. Reportedly, three Palestinians were killed and five settlers were arrested.

The five arrests appear to have provoked the events of the unrest in the West Bank on June 29th. According to the Israeli military, dozens of extremist settlers rampaged through a military base north of Ramallah, setting fires, vandalizing vehicles, and assaulting soldiers.

Footage released on Israeli media shows security forces using stun grenades in an attempt to repel the dozens of attackers. The footage also identified a lot of attackers as young, religious men, often associated with the extremist movement “hilltop youth.”

The damage of this attack is shown through multiple pictures of burnt infrastructure, released by the Israeli military, which apparently included “systems that help thwart terrorist attacks and maintain security.”

The attack has been condemned by Israeli politicians, even those such as far-right Security Minister Itamar Ben-Gvir, who has previously defended settlers who purportedly carried out similar crimes. He said on X: “Attacking security forces, security facilities, and Israeli soldiers who are our brothers, our protectors, is a red line, and must be dealt with in full severity. We are brothers.”

Further condemnation came from Defence Minister Israel Katz, who vowed to “eradicate this violence from the root.” He also called on the extremists to sympathise with the security forces as they are often exhausted reservists carrying out several rounds of duty.

For the past two years, the worlds eyes have been focused on the war in Gaza, often shifting focus away from the increasing tensions occurring in the West Bank. Palestinians report major rises in Israeli checkpoints and delays in the territory, and hostility from settlers. Israel reports an increase in threats to its citizens coming from the West Bank.

The West Bank has remained one of the most contested pieces of land since the beginning of its occupation in 1967. Today, the region is home to around three million Palestinians, living under what seems to be an unlimited Israeli military presence, alongside over 500,000 Jewish settlers.

Palestinians see the West Bank as a crucial part of any future independent state and, despite the international community’s overwhelming condemnation of settlements, Jewish settlers have an equal commitment to a claim over the region. In a land where two futures compete, the West Bank remains suspended in that struggle, marking another chapter in a region where it is difficult to maintain peace.

Asharq Al-Awsat via The Associated Press