The occupied West Bank has been rocked by violence this week, with an Israeli raid in Jenin killing seven Palestinians, a gun attack by two Palestinians at an Israeli settlement in Eli that killed four, and a rampage of an Arab village by Israeli settlers resulting in the death of one Palestinian and several others injured. The emergence of local Palestinian resistance groups such as the Jenin Brigade, who are carrying out attacks on Israeli soldiers and settlers using home-made weapons and low-tech bombs, is indicative of the lack of hope for a political solution.

I’m deeply concerned about the escalating violence in Israel and the West Bank. Dozens have already been killed, hundreds injured and civilians on all sides will continue to suffer as long as the conflict continues.

— Senator Dianne Feinstein (@SenFeinstein) June 21, 2023

Israel has tightened its grip on the West Bank and built checkpoints that criss-cross the occupied territories, while Palestinian knife attacks against Israeli soldiers have escalated. In response, Israel has rained fire on Palestinian villages and demolished the houses of attackers, with impunity. The Arab world, which used to support Palestinian nationhood, is now focused on improving ties with Israel, and the U.S. and Europe have done little to address the situation. Unless there is a freeze on Israeli settlements and a genuine dialogue between the two sides, the cycle of violence will continue indefinitely.

The international community must push for a path towards peace and a political solution, rather than relying on military force to stop the violence. This is the only way to restore a measure of stability to the West Bank and Gaza. All stakeholders must be brought to the negotiating table for ensuring a steadfast peace process. However, given the rising right wing influence in Israel and growing anger amongst the Palestinians over the occupation achieving sustainable peace remains a distant cry.