The death toll in the West Bank has risen to 200 since October 7th Photo Anadolu Ajansi
West Bank – As the world’s gaze is on the horrifying genocide unfolding in Gaza, the shadows cast over other regions, like the West Bank, have become more pronounced. Exploiting this diversion, Israeli settlers and forces have seized the opportunity to unleash a brutal onslaught on the West Bank. Since the ominous date of October 7th, a relentless wave of raids has swept through Palestinian cities and villages, leaving a trail of devastation with around 200 lives lost and a staggering 2 500 Palestinians incarcerated in the clutches of oppression.
The Israeli government has also imposed curfews and the lockdown of major roads. This has left Palestinians in the West Bank under siege, hindering their daily lives, explained Fareed Taamallah, a Palestinian journalist. The settlers are allowed to roam and freely attack Palestinians who have little to no means to defend themselves.
“The settlers are expanding and using this time and war to expand the settlements, to build new houses and to displace Palestinian farmers from their farms. They are kicking them out of their farm. All this is happening by settlers and by the Israeli army which is protecting the settlers when Palestinians try to defend themselves. The situation here is very bad. The killing, arresting and settlements are expanding day by day and this thing was happening before October 7th. After October 7th it’s more extensive and the settlers are using the time to raid and take as much of the land as they can.”
Historical context and the Two-State solution
In the grim shadow of this ongoing genocide, it appears as though the collective consciousness of many have adopted a morbid calendar commencing on October 7th. The discourse surrounding this atrocity consistently fixates on that fateful date, as if the lives of Palestinians were idyllic, bathed in peace, harmony, and freedom before the horrors unfolded. However, such a narrative starkly disregards the harsh reality that Palestinians have endured for the past 75 years.
“I like to say that history did not start on October 7th. Before that and for the last 75 years since the Nakba, Palestinians have been subject to Israeli displacements, land grabbing and killing. Even this year before October 7th around 250 Palestinians were killed in the West Bank . At the same time there were like 5 000 Palestinians in the Israeli prison including women and children. Every day the Israelis are establishing a new settlement and expanding the existing settlements and all this before 7th of October.”
Those settlers who are committing these atrocities are left to do as they please. There are no courts or criminal procedures for them. Thus, the settlers can continue to do as they please, said Taamallah.
“They are cutting off water and cutting the trees of the Palestinian farmers. Yesterday, they went to a village near to me, they cut off 80 olive trees. Every tree is about 70 or 80 years old. They are also preventing farmers from entering their farms which are next to the main road. They are calling for buffer zones next to the settlement and they want to prohibit Palestinians from entering these lands. At the same time the Israeli army and the government of Israel is distributing arms and guns for the settlers. They are forming a militia under the pretext of security and this militia’s main goal is to dismiss Palestinians and kick them out of the land and to take over the land.”
The concept of a two-state solution, championed by the UN and the international community, advocating for a unified political entity encompassing both the West Bank and Gaza, has long been part of the discourse. However, even in the hypothetical scenario where the violence and genocide cease today, Taamallah remains skeptical about the realization of this vision. He points to Israel’s persistent endeavours to obstruct the attainment of Palestinian statehood, casting doubt on the feasibility of the proposed two-state solution.
“Every 10 minutes there is a Palestinian child being killed in Gaza. So, there is an urgent need to stop it soon but the Israelis in the meantime, they are trying to separate the West Bank from Gaza. That has been taking place for decades. As a Palestinian who lives in the West Bank, I cannot go to Gaza. The people of Gaza cannot enter the West Bank because it’s separated … When it comes to political things, Israelis are supporting the split between the West Bank and Gaza. It is part of their policy which is not to have any kind of Palestinian state or Palestinian sovereignty over the territories in the West Bank or in Gaza. The main idea is to kill any hope, kill any possibility to establish any kind of Palestinian entity, political entity and this is exactly the core goal of the Israeli government.”
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The threat of forced displacement in the West Bank
Taamallah shared the unsettling reality faced by Palestinians living in the West Bank, where settlers have begun leaving leaflets, giving Palestinians one choice: leave for Jordan or be killed.The haunting nature of these leaflets has escalated in terror, especially as Gazans are mercilessly coerced into exile. In the ominous shadow of forced departures from Gaza, Taamallah trembles at the spectre that, if successful, Israel might unleash the same malevolent tactics on them in order to force them to leave their beloved homeland.
“They claim that we are strangers living here and this land belongs to the Jews. They are asking people to voluntarily leave the country to Jordan otherwise they will come and they will kill, they will cause a new Nakba. a new catastrophe and displacement for Palestinians. This is preplanned and now they are using what happened on October 7th to carry out these plans very quickly. I hope that the international community will help Palestinians in stopping this kind of plan and to stop the action and the injustice in the Palestinian territories.”
For Taamallah, they have learnt from the 1948 Nakba. Leaving will never be an option for Palestinians because they know, no matter what promises the Israeli government makes, they will not be able to return. Leaving the homeland is never an option for them.
“I see in Gaza, I see on the TV the people and when they demolish their houses they are sitting next to their houses. Next to their demolished houses. They say they are not leaving here. We have learned what happened. It’s true that people are fleeing to the south of Gaza but this is still Gaza. They hope that they will come back to their houses and homes after the war. We learned from history that anybody who leaves the country, they will never be able to come back again.”
Despite the uncertainties, Taamallah remains hopeful that the resilience of the Palestinian people, coupled with international support, can bring an end to the genocide. The international community must cut ties with Israel and must call for a ceasefire immediately.
“We are hopeful uh but hope is not enough by itself alone … It is the international community that can help. We are seeing the demonstrations taking place in Cape Town, Johannesburg, South Africa and Europe. In America and the Arab countries, we think that maybe the only hope we have are those mass demonstrations in the streets. That will influence the government do something to stop this genocide very quickly. Every minute we are losing more and more innocent people and more houses are being destroyed and the possibility of displacement is getting bigger and bigger.”
