Hasan Dajah

Since October 7, 2023, the West Bank has witnessed an unprecedented wave of Israeli attacks, both through military operations and settler attacks, which have intensified significantly, exploiting the fragile calm in Gaza. These ongoing attacks have led to the displacement of approximately 33,000 Palestinians, including some 14,000 children, according to UN estimates that examined the situation in the Jenin, Tulkarm, and Nur Shams refugee camps, among other areas.

This highlights the scale of the escalating humanitarian crisis in the West Bank. These large numbers of displaced people reveal a dire situation that necessitates urgent Arab, regional, and international support for the Palestinian National Authority, as it is the only official and legitimate body capable of addressing these interconnected crises.

In parallel with the displacement crisis, multiple field reports indicate that at least 1,078 Palestinians have been killed since October 2023, including 223 children. However, the situation on the ground reveals that the actual number of victims is higher, a figure that may reflect the true extent of the escalating violence in the complete absence of accountability. This surge in killings, coupled with the unlawful use of force by the army and acts of settler violence, deepens the gap between the scale of the violations and the Palestinian Authority's capacity to confront them, making support for the Palestinian Authority a matter of survival, not merely a political choice.

Humanitarian data also shows that the number of martyrs and wounded exceeds the officially reported figures during the same period. It indicates that more than 1,085 Palestinians have been killed, nearly 11,000 wounded, and over 20,500 arrested since the start of the war of annihilation in the Gaza Strip on October 7, 2023. Extrajudicial killings of Palestinians by the Israeli army have also been documented, deeply shocking the Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights and prompting Commissioner Volker Türk to call for independent, swift, and effective investigations to ensure that those responsible for these grave violations are held accountable.

While the Palestinian population faces these harsh conditions, settlement projects are expanding at an unprecedented pace. The Applied Research Institute in Jerusalem revealed that the Israeli government, during this period, reviewed 355 master plans aimed at constructing 37,415 settlement units on an area of ​​38,551 dunams. Of these, 18,801 units were approved, while 18,614 new units were submitted for further review.

The plans were concentrated in the Jerusalem Governorate (148 plans), followed by Bethlehem (51 plans), Salfit (48), and Ramallah (38), in addition to scattered plans in other governorates. The measures also included the legalization of 11 new outposts, which were annexed to 68 existing agricultural outposts, while simultaneously establishing 114 new settlement outposts in an unprecedented escalation. The number of permanent and temporary barriers reached 916, including more than 243 iron gates that were installed after October 7, 2023.

The entire situation presents the Palestinian National Authority with enormous challenges that exceed its capabilities, especially given the financial and political pressures it faces. It is required to provide basic services to tens of thousands of displaced people, offer support to affected families, follow up on cases of arrest and injury, and diplomatically counter killings, displacement, and settlement expansion. All these issues are being addressed simultaneously at a time when the Authority is facing attempts at regional and international marginalization, further exacerbating the already precarious situation.

Arab support is paramount. Arab states possess the capacity to bolster the Authority's resilience through financial and political support, as well as diplomatic pressure within international institutions to halt Israeli violations. Furthermore, supporting the Authority thwarts attempts to create illegitimate political alternatives or impose local leaders who bypass official Palestinian representation. Regional support is even more crucial in light of the major settlement projects aimed at seizing vast areas of the West Bank. A unified regional stance can serve as a significant deterrent, curbing these policies and preventing further escalation of tensions.

At the international level, support is becoming increasingly urgent, especially given the repeated calls from the United Nations and European countries for Israel to halt attacks that terrorize civilians and undermine any efforts to achieve peace. The required international support is not limited to statements; it must include concrete action to launch international investigations, hold those responsible for killings and displacement accountable, and exert pressure to stop settlement activity and ensure the protection of the Palestinian population.

The West Bank is passing through a critical juncture that threatens its geographic, demographic, and political existence, under a systematic policy pursued by the occupying government based on the piecemeal annexation of land and the imposition of a new reality on the ground through settlement expansion and ongoing violations. The Palestinian Authority finds itself facing this delicate stage with limited resources, while field and political pressures escalate at an unprecedented rate.

Supporting the Authority today is not merely a political stance; it is direct support for the steadfastness of the Palestinians and for protecting what remains of the possibility of establishing a viable, independent state. Every passing day witnesses a deepening of the policy of imposing facts on the ground, making the absence of Arab and international support a major danger that may open the door to a comprehensive erosion of the future of the West Bank and its slide into a state of chaos that is difficult to overcome.

Hasan Dajah is professor of strategic studies at Al-Hussein Bin Talal University