What is the West Bank? Why are tensions rising there?

Amid the backdrop of the war between Israel and Hamas, tensions are rising in the West Bank.

At least 64 Palestinians have been killed in protests in the West Bank during widespread protests against Israel’s bombing of the Gaza Strip, Palestinian officials said.

This comes as Israel prepares a ground assault in the Gaza Strip in response to a deadly attack by Palestinian militant group Hamas that killed at least 1,400 Israelis, mostly civilians, on 7 October.

But what is the West Bank? And how are tensions rising?

Let’s take a closer look:

What is the West Bank?

The West Bank is land to Israel’s east.

It lies on the West Bank of the River Jordan – hence its name – and is bordered by Israel to its north, west and south.

It borders Jerusalem – which houses sites sacred to Muslims, Christians and Jews and is a flashpoint for internecine violence.

Israel captured the West Bank, which measures 5,628 square kilometres, in what is known as the ‘Six-Day War’ in 1967 when it fought and defeated Egypt, Syria, and Jordan.

It has since let Jewish people move on to the land which it considers of great importance.

As per Vox, the Jews consider the West Bank integral to the ancient Jewish state which has several ancient sites including Hebron’s the Cave of the Patriarchs.

Obviously, this is a problem for Palestinians – many of whom continue to call their land home.

As per BBC, the West Bank is home to two to three million Palestinians and around half a million Jews.

The West Bank is home to the Palestinian Authority (PA) – based in Ramallah – which is dominated by Hamas rivals Fatah and 87-year-old Palestinian president Mahmoud Abbas.

Ramallah serves as the de facto administrative capital of Palestine.

Israel also considers its presence in the West Bank strategically important to its self-defence.

West Bank under new Netanyahu government

Israel under Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu – in its most right-wing government in history– has made the construction of ‘settlements’ in the West Bank a top priority.

Netanyahu’s office in June announced plans to build 1,000 new homes for the Eli settlement in West Bank.

Netanyahu and Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich, whom he has given sweeping powers to construct settlements and thereby bypass measures that have been in place for decades,  “agreed to move ahead immediately” with the planning the statement added.

Al Jazeera reported that the move was in the offing for some time and it allows Smotrich to “effectively take over the entire illegal settlement-building process”.

“We will continue to develop the settlement project and strengthen Israeli control of the territory,” Smotrich was quoted as saying.

The Palestinian foreign ministry at the time called the move a “dangerous escalation to complete the annexation of the West Bank”.

Al Jazeera reported that the move was in the offing for some time and it allows Smotrich to “effectively take over the entire illegal settlement-building process”.

“We will continue to develop the settlement project and strengthen Israeli control of the territory,” Smotrich was quoted as saying.

The Palestinian foreign ministry at the time called the move a “dangerous escalation to complete the annexation of the West Bank”.

The international community including the United Nations and the UK government regards Israel’s move as illegal and considers the land occupied.

Israel rejects this assertion – as did the United States under Donald Trump.

But United States has cautioned Israel against building new settlements.

“The United States opposes such unilateral actions that make a two-state solution more difficult to achieve and are an obstacle to peace,” state department spokesperson Matthew Miller said at the time. “We call on the Government of Israel to fulfill the commitments it made in Aqaba, Jordan and Sharm El Sheikh, Egypt and return to dialogue aimed at de-escalation.”

How are tensions rising?

The West Bank has witnessed a sharp uptick in fatal clashes with the army and settlers.

Palestinians in the West Bank have been angered by Israeli forces’ bombardment of Gaza in response to the attack –their fiercest bombing campaign ever – leaving more than 3,000 Palestinians and imposing a total siege on the blockaded enclave that Hamas controls.

As per NPR, dozens of Palestinians have been killed in the West Bank in the aftermath of the 7 October Hamas attack – seemingly in revenge killings.

Qusra Mayor Hani Awda Abu Aalaa told NPR three of his people were murdered trying to defend children in a home attacked by settlers. Then, soldiers entered the village and killed another person.

“The attacks on Qusra are ongoing and are on a daily basis. As you can see in all these pictures, we have an attack on a mosque. We have attack on agricultural sites. Wherever you look here, it’s attacks by Israeli soldiers and settlers, the worst of which was the one we had a couple of days ago,” Aalaa added.

Aalaa claimed to CNN that settlers, who are protected by the Israeli police, roam freely in the village.

Speaking to CNN, Palestinians in the West Bank their movements are being severely restricted – which has impacted their ability to travel for work, school, medical treatment and other essential activities.

Qusra saw an apartment building being attacked on 11 October by armed settlers.

Four people were shot dead – Musa’ab Abu Raidi, 19, Obaida Abu Srour, 18, Hassan Muhannad, 22, and Moath Odesa, 29 – after neighbours arrived to help.

Meanwhile, Rabeea, 19, and her brother, Abdulrahman, 12, watched from inside the building with a mix of fear and dismay. They said they and their mother hid inside as settlers threw rocks and opened fire on the building.

“I feel so bad. I want to cry but, what can we do?” Rabeea, whose family is leaving for another village, said. “I want to stay here but we can’t do anything.”

At a building a short drive away, Ibrahim and Ahmad are in mourning over the attack.

“Thank God, we are strong. And God willing, we will continue to have strength and patience,” Khitam Wadi, Ibrahim’s wife and Ahmad’s mother, told CNN.

“My husband loved his land. He defended his land. And we will continue to do the same so long as we are alive,” she added.

Two teens shot dead near Ramallah, protests in West Bank

Israeli forces on Wednesday shot dead two Palestinian teenagers near Ramallah.

A statement from the Palestinian Authority’s health ministry said Israeli forces shot a 15-year-old and a 17-year-old in the village of Shuqba west of Ramallah.

It did not elaborate.

Residents told Reuters the two boys were trying to set fire to tyres in protest against Israel when they were shot. Israel’s defence forces, asked for comment, said they were looking into the incident.

This came after hundreds of Palestinians marched in West Bank cities, a day after a deadly hospital explosion in Gaza.

Israel has denied blame and said the hospital was hit by an Islamic Jihad rocket that misfired.

Waving Palestinian flags and chanting for Hamas, a rare show of support for the militant group that has a relatively small presence in the West Bank, some young Palestinians said they were ready to resort to violence to oppose Israel’s assault.

“With our blood and spirit, we sacrifice ourselves for you, Gaza!” a crowd in Ramallah chanted, later shouting “we want the Qassam Brigades”, a reference to Hamas’s military wing.

Hamas said separately that one of its members in the West Bank was killed trying to throw an explosive device at Israeli security forces near the northern city of Nablus on Wednesday.

Salah, a 20-year-old at the Ramallah protest who identified himself only by his first name, said he hoped more people would rally to the Palestinian cause.

“Everyone must come and defend Gaza. Whoever has stones should come and throw them, whoever has guns should come and shoot them,” he said.

Hamas said on Wednesday that an explosion at the Al-Ahli al-Arabi hospital in Gaza killed hundreds of people and blamed Israeli strikes. Israel says a failed rocket launch by militants in Gaza was the cause of the blast and accuses Hamas of inflating the death toll.

In Ramallah, Palestinian security forces fired tear gas and stun grenades to disperse protesters throwing rocks and chanting against Abbas on Tuesday after the Gaza hospital attack.

The outbreak of West Bank protests also highlights long-simmering Palestinian anger against Abbas, whose forces have long faced criticism for coordinating with Israel on security in the territory.

“The people want the fall of the president,” demonstrators chanted in Ramallah.

Hundreds of protesters in Nablus, many draped in Palestinian flags and some holding Hamas banners, chanted slogans against Israel and its ally the United States.

“Free, free Palestine,” chanted the protesters.

“Down, down with Abbas,” they chanted.

An AFP correspondent in Nablus said Palestinian security forces fired tear gas at protesters as they marched out of the city centre.

After touching down in Tel Aviv Wednesday morning, US president Joe Biden threw his support behind Israel’s account of the strike, telling Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu “it appears as though it was done by the other team”.

The United Arab Emirates and Bahrain, which both established ties with Israel under the US-brokered Abraham Accords of 2020, condemned what they called the “Israeli” attack.

Morocco, another country that recognised Israel in 2020, also blamed it for the strike, as did Egypt, which in 1979 became the first Arab country to normalise relations with Israel.

For 12 days now, Israel has carried out a withering bombardment of Gaza in retaliation for the killing of 1,400 people who were shot, mutilated or burnt to death in shock cross-border attacks launched by Hamas on 7 October.

Around 3,000 people have been killed in Gaza as a result of Israeli air strikes, according to health officials.

With inputs from agencies