Hasan Dajah

In biblical literature, the names "Judah" and "Samaria" appear to denote two kingdoms that arose after the division of the united kingdom following Solomon. Judah was the southern kingdom, with Jerusalem as its capital, and it lasted until its fall in 586 BCE at the hands of the Babylonians. Samaria, on the other hand, formed the capital of the northern kingdom, which fell in 722 BCE to the Assyrians. Judah is presented in the texts as the religious center due to the presence of the Temple in Jerusalem, in contrast to Samaria as the political capital of the north. However, these two names are no longer merely historical references; rather, in contemporary political discourse, they have become descriptions of the West Bank, within the context of a project, that redefines place, identity, and sovereignty.

Today, the confrontation in the West Bank is not limited to clashes, but extends to a deeper level related to law, administration, and ownership. The most dangerous manifestation of the current phase is the attempt to abolish the Jordanian land law that has been in effect in the West Bank since 1967 and replace it with Israeli legislation that subjects the land and its inhabitants to the legal system of the occupation. This shift is not merely a technical amendment; it means transferring the legal framework from a system that existed before the occupation to one imposed by an occupying power, in violation of international law, which prohibits an occupying power from altering the legal and administrative structure of occupied territories or transferring their civilian population into them. Replacing the existing legal framework paves the way for de facto annexation and the entrenchment of a permanent reality, undermines the foundation of the two-state solution, and pushes toward eliminating the possibility of a viable, independent Palestinian state.

The figures on the ground reflect an accelerating trend. By early 2026, the number of official settlements in the West Bank reached approximately 210, in addition to between 250 and 260 unofficial outposts and more than 350 pastoral and agricultural outposts. The number of settlers in the West Bank and East Jerusalem is estimated at around 750,000. This is not merely an indicator of population growth, but rather a network of geographical expansion supported by infrastructure, roads, and military protection, effectively redrawing the map.

Since October 7, 2023, the West Bank has entered an unprecedented phase of escalation. Nearly 40,000 Palestinians have been displaced from various areas, including more than 17,000 children, particularly in Jenin, Tulkarm, and the Nur Shams refugee camp. The number of Palestinians killed has risen to over 1,150, including approximately 260 children, while the number of wounded has exceeded 13,000, and the number of detainees has reached over 22,000 during the same period. These figures reflect a complex humanitarian and security pressure that simultaneously affects the social and economic fabric.

Meanwhile, the pace of settlement planning has accelerated significantly. More than 380 structural plans were studied for the construction of over 40,000 settlement units on an area of ​​nearly 40,000 dunams, with more than 20,000 units already approved. On the ground, the number of permanent and temporary checkpoints reached approximately 950, including more than 260 iron gates erected after October 2023. This further fragments Palestinian cities and towns, restricts movement, and negatively affects the economy, education, and healthcare.

The events in the town of Huwara in February 2023 served as a stark illustration of this silent war. Around 276 vehicles were burned or destroyed, in addition to the torching of shops and industrial and commercial facilities.

The targeting is not limited to urban centers; the agricultural sector is also suffering long-term depletion. Cumulative estimates indicate that more than 800,000 olive trees have been uprooted or burned since 1967. Over the last two decades, estimates range between 1 and 1.5 million trees have been destroyed during various periods of escalation, including at least 300,000 trees in the West Bank and Gaza in separate years, most of them olive trees. In a society where olives are an economic pillar and a cultural symbol, targeting the tree becomes an attack on identity and memory as much as it is a financial loss.

These realities combine to form the features of an undeclared war, but one waged silently through statistics, plans, legislation, and checkpoints spread across the Palestinian territories. It is not merely a traditional military confrontation, but a systematic reshaping of the legal, geographical, and demographic reality in the West Bank. Every new settlement plan, every outpost established, and every legal amendment passed, constitutes another brick in the construction of a different reality gradually imposed on the ground.

This process not only alters the map but also redefines the relationship between the land and its inhabitants, and between law and sovereignty. By invoking historical figures from centuries past to justify contemporary transformations, religious narratives intertwine with on-the-ground policies, giving the project a symbolic dimension that transcends the present moment. In this sense, the “silent war” is not limited to territorial control but extends to the very reformulation of concepts: who owns the land, who has the right to legislate, and where borders begin and end. It is a process of establishing a permanent reality that undermines the prospects for a political settlement and makes the possibility of returning to the two-state solution more complicated with each passing day.

Hasan Al-Dajah - Professor of Strategic Studies at Al-Hussein Bin Talal University