As much as Israel’s – and the world’s – focus has been on the war in Gaza, it’s become apparent in recent months that the conflict is inseparable from what’s been taking place in the West Bank. Most of you have probably never heard of the fact that Mujahideen Brigades terrorists threw IEDs (improvised explosive devices) toward the settlement of Karmei Tzur in Gush Etzion on Wednesday. On Monday, armed Palestinian terrorists opened fire toward Israeli civilians in Mitzpe Yosef, near Nablus. These are just two of dozens of shootings, stabbing attempts, and terror acts against Israelis and IDF forces in the past week, as documented by the Foundation for Defense of Democracies, an American-based think-tank.
According to Israel’s security establishment, Palestinian areas have become breeding grounds for terror cells. That’s why the IDF and Shin Bet (Israel Security Agency) have been conducting a huge, complex counterterrorism operation this week, specifically around localities like Jenin and Tulkarm. The IDF called it the most extensive operation in the area in several months.
The operation was in response to, among other acts of terror, an attempted terrorist attack in Tel Aviv on August 18, which was believed to have been planned out on Tulkarm. Post analyst Herb Keinon explained that the IDF’s operation was planned to prevent terrorist cells from entrenching themselves firmly under Israel’s nose in the West Bank, as Hamas and Hezbollah were able to do in Gaza and Lebanon before.
According to data by FDD and the Shin Bet, 3,425 violent terrorist incidents occurred in Judea, Samaria, and eastern Jerusalem during the first seven months of 2024. During August, an additional 145 terrorist incidents were reported, bringing the total to 3,570. In addition, since October 7, approximately 4,600 terrorist actions in Judea, Samaria and eastern Jerusalem accounted for 92% of all terror incidents in Israel during this period. In 2020, the lowest number of attacks was reported compared to recent years, with 1,320 incidents.
Let’s not forget that in 2023, 414 significant attacks occurred in Judea, Samaria, and eastern Jerusalem, with 43 Israelis killed and 224 injured. In the first seven months of 2024, 685 significant attacks were thwarted.
Jewish terror in the West Bank
Against those numbers, while we cannot ignore the rise of Jewish terror, let’s also not go overboard; there is no comparison whatsoever.
Last week, Shin Bet director Ronen Bar criticized this phenomenon, noting that while in the past these acts of violence would be carried out with makeshift weapons and discreetly, now they were being done openly and with lethal arms. Bar added that the IDF is not trained or equipped to handle the size and scope of the expanding Jewish terror phenomenon.
One needs to look no further than the August 15 attack on the Palestinian village of Jit by 100 Jewish extremists, in which numerous homes and vehicles were burned, one Palestinian was killed, and many others attacked.
IDF Central Commander Maj.-Gen. Avi Bluth referred to it on Wednesday as a very serious act of Jewish terrorism. Since the shocking attack, the Shin Bet has detained only four suspects who are currently being questioned.
Most Jewish residents of the West Bank are peaceful and law-abiding. Can the same be said of the vast majority of Palestinians? Most aren’t directly involved in terror, but a vast majority supports it, according to the many surveys conducted in the past ten months. There is no doubt that it’s the incendiary minorities that are the problem, and it’s worthwhile to look at what’s fueling them. But they are also very different from their core. Both have external factors behind them: For Palestinian terrorism, there are several factors ranging from the influence of Hamas and Iran to socioeconomic conditions that drive people to join radical groups; for settlers, there is the influence of firebrand rhetoric by the Israeli far-right and other ideologues.
We should be proud of the IDF for not only cracking down on Palestinian terrorism but also fighting the extremists from the Israeli side. As a democratic country, we cannot tolerate violence of any kind. But make no mistake, the fringe of the settler movement isn’t the main problem – it’s the thousands of Palestinian terrorists who would kill any Jew if they only had a chance.