In the daily reports about the war in the south and the north, the West Bank theater is nearly forgotten. Yet since October 7, over 200 Palestinians have been killed there in intense activity by the IDF and the Shin Bet, and the explosive elements that could lead to a major conflagration are accumulating: increasing economic pressure, as Palestinian workers are denied entry into Israel; the weakness of the Palestinian Authority and the rise in popularity of Hamas; and provocations by Jewish extremists, with the blatant encouragement by some members of the government and the coalition.
This situation is not only a third front that further stretches the resources and attention of the security forces, but a significant threat to the support for Israel in the US and Europe and to our ability to defend ourselves against the intensifying political attack. The problem is not only that the Prime Minister is silent in the face of the developments; those who are supposed to be the more sober parts of the government and the political system in general do not talk at all, which sends a clear hint to the extremists to continue and even heighten their activity. The result for Israel's ability to defend itself, on all fronts., could be quite severe.
In the daily reports about the war in the south and the north, the West Bank theater is nearly forgotten. Yet since October 7, over 200 Palestinians have been killed there in intense activity by the IDF and the Shin Bet, and the explosive elements that could lead to a major conflagration are accumulating: increasing economic pressure, as Palestinian workers are denied entry into Israel; the weakness of the Palestinian Authority and the rise in popularity of Hamas; and provocations by Jewish extremists, with the blatant encouragement by some members of the government and the coalition.
This situation is not only a third front that further stretches the resources and attention of the security forces, but a significant threat to the support for Israel in the US and Europe and to our ability to defend ourselves against the intensifying political attack. The problem is not only that the Prime Minister is silent in the face of the developments; those who are supposed to be the more sober parts of the government and the political system in general do not talk at all, which sends a clear hint to the extremists to continue and even heighten their activity. The result for Israel's ability to defend itself, on all fronts., could be quite severe.