On Sunday, a Palestinian murdered two Israelis driving through the West Bank town of Huwara, to which hundreds of settlers responded by rampaging against Huwara’s Palestinian residents, murdering one Palestinian, injuring over 100, and burning buildings and property. This Palestinian attack and escalating settler violence come on the heels of several fatal terror attacks against Israeli Jews and daytime IDF operations into Area A that devolved into violent clashes. Meanwhile, top ministers in Israel’s far-right government are inciting violence and calling for collective punishment against Palestinians as a weakened Palestinian Authority cedes ground to militant groups.
In this Israel Policy Briefing, Haaretz Military Correspondent Amos Harel unpacks the current West Bank security situation and the state of the Israeli-Palestinian arena.