'No magic solution in West Bank' says Israeli Media

By Al Mayadeen English
Source: Israeli Media
22 Aug 2023 14:54

Israeli media reports, citing officials in the Israeli Occupation Forces, that the majority of operations conducted against Israeli settlers were launched from across the West Bank, reaffirming that from here on out, escalation is the only path forward.

Members of Israeli occupation forces block a road leading to the site of the Resistance shooting operation in Al-Khalil, occupied West Bank, Palestine, on August 21, 2023. (AFP)

The successive waves of confrontation and shooting operations carried out by Palestinian Resistance fighters in the West Bank resulted in increased concern for the Israeli Occupation Forces (IOF) and its security services, according to a new report by Israeli Media.

The IOF, which for the past decade, had focused its efforts on conducting itself with a strict policy of "more than a battle but less than a war", finds itself confused when faced by the Palestinian Resistance whose operations have intensified to become a trend in that they are more than simple operations but still less than a full-blown intifada.

Israeli media website, Maariv, as a result of the intensifying situation in Occupied Palestine, has dubbed 2023 as the deadliest year, as 34 Israeli settlers have been killed by Palestinian operations.

According to the IOF, as reported by Israeli Media, this "a period of terror that is intensifying." Moreover, the IOF undoubtedly knows by now, according to Israeli media, that there will not be any "miraculous solution" in the West Bank, and that no large-scale military offensive will thwart the increasing trend of operations against Israeli settlers.

The Israeli media says that "the majority of the harsh attacks that took place in the last year were launched from the northern West Bank." Furthermore, Maariv also criticized the IOF after it had expressed "surprise" regarding the latest Palestinian Resistance operation conducted in Al-Khalil.

Multiple tools and wrong estimates

The period between 2014-2015 was marked by stabbing and car ramming attacks, but the recent period has become more effective, due to the frequent use of weapons.

Tal Lev-Ram, a military affairs analyst for Maariv, said that some would blame the increasing trend on the "availability of weapons that reach terrorist organizations or lone terrorists" which they argue "is not new." However, Lev-Ram reaffirmed that "the truth is that obtaining weapons in the territories has always been a feasible task for terrorist organizations."

Maariv explained, in its report, that despite the availability of weapons across the West Bank, it remained that "in order to carry out serious attacks, many times an entire operation was required," adding that "It was never an impossible task, but it seems that in recent years the dam has been breached."

The report highlights that the situation is possible, primarily "because the scope of arms smuggling into the West Bank, mainly from the breached Jordanian border, has increased dramatically, and firearms are found on an unprecedented scale in many Palestinian homes."

Lev-Ram further underscored that the Palestinian Resistance is building a "growing motivation to carry out attacks," whether on an individual level or through "the incitement on the part of the terrorist organizations," or through "Iran's increasing involvement in supporting the terrorist organizations." These factors, alongside the increased availability of weapons and ammunition in the West Bank, combine to draw on the reason behind the increasing trend the IOF is very concerned about and confused by.

The analyst also stated that "From an intelligence standpoint, too, it is more difficult to thwart attacks," claiming that "due to the availability of weapons on the Palestinian street." combined with "the high motivation to carry out attacks," the West Bank has been witnessing "more local and less institutionalized" Resistance organizations making it "more difficult for the security establishment to identify the indicative signs that are supposed to provide the golden knowledge to thwart the attack."

Accusations and pointing fingers

Israeli analysts' arguments as to who is responsible for the deteriorating security of "Israel" have been conflicting. Channel 13's military commentator, Alon Ben-David, said that "attributing this operation to Iran is a simplistic approach. Iran cannot be held accountable for the intricate situation in the West Bank, where a significant number of Israelis reside within the Palestinian community."

In turn, Raviv Drürk, also on Israeli Channel 13, pointed out the hypocrisy saying, "For years we have been mocking Arab countries when anything negative happens, as they were immediately accusing Israel."

Drürk said that such statements could have come in the context of attempting to "launch a campaign against Iran regarding the Iranian nuclear issue" as negotiations remain outstanding. But he then emphasized that this "will not help, and I do not think there is an international interest" to what the Israeli Minister of Security, Yoav Gallant, and Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, said following the latest operation in Al-Khalil.