Israelis are still celebrating the ongoing ceasefire with Hamas – and not just because the hostages have returned. Since the ceasefire has been implemented, the country has experienced a degree of quiet not seen since before October 7, 2023, without a rocket siren to be heard.
However, shortly before the ceasefire began, signs of danger began to once again emanate from the West Bank.
On January 6, three Israelis were killed in a terrorist attack in the Kedumim settlement in Samaria. On January 18, just before the ceasefire went into effect, several people were wounded in Tel Aviv’s Florentine neighborhood in what was determined to be a Palestinian terrorist attack.
These are not isolated incidents. Tensions are rising in Judea and Samaria once again.
Thankfully, Israel isn’t exactly unaware of this. On Tuesday, the IDF launched Iron Wall, a new military operation to eliminate Palestinian terrorists in Jenin. This followed a month-long push by Palestinian Authority security forces to crack down on local terrorist groups, despite not having sent troops into the Jenin refugee camp for several years, showing that the PA is taking the issue seriously as well.
Regarding the scope of the operation, Defense Minister Israel Katz said this was a show of force against Palestinian terror to deter Hamas and others from making trouble in the West Bank now that there is a ceasefire both with Hezbollah in Lebanon and Hamas in Gaza.
But Hamas has heard this, too, and shortly after the operation began, they called for general mobilization in the West Bank in response.
Couple this with the recent attack on the Palestinian town of Funduk by Jewish extremists, and tensions are certainly high.
What could potentially make this even worse is the release of Palestinian security prisoners as part of the hostage deal.
Returning to terrorism
As Shin Bet (Israel Security Agency) head Ronen Bar said on Friday, 82% of terrorists released as part of the 2011 Gilad Schalit prisoner swap returned to terrorism. He also noted that the current release of terrorists is expected to increase the motivation to carry out attacks against Israelis in Judea and Samaria.
The facts are clear: The West Bank is a powder keg ready to blow with the right conditions, especially now.
The time is right for Israel to find a way to stop a potential outburst of violence and chaos from happening.
The country is in the middle of ceasefires in the North and the South, and Hamas and Hezbollah have had their capabilities decimated over the past year. The Houthis in Yemen, the last Iranian proxy still posing a significant threat to Israeli security, have also announced they would halt hostilities for the duration of the ceasefire in Gaza.
And to top it all off, US President Donald Trump has returned to the White House. All signs point to his administration being far friendlier to Israel’s current policies, especially regarding the settlements.
One of Trump’s first acts in office was to lift sanctions on four Jewish settlers that the Biden administration had levied. If any world leader is going to give Israel the support it needs to bring quiet to Judea and Samaria, it’s going to be Trump.
Let’s not be fooled
It’s time to look at the situation in the West Bank and do something. Israel is experiencing its calmest moment since before the October 7 massacre. But let’s not be fooled: Hamas has a firm hold on the West Bank, as well as Gaza. We cannot allow them to rise to power.
In addition, we commend the cooperation between the IDF and the PA.
Though the authority is corrupt, and its intentions are very different from those of Israel, the security cooperation, taking place in such a public manner, is a positive one. The PA and Israel see eye-to-eye on the elimination of Hamas to prevent it from obtaining political power.
Many PA leaders have supported the October 7 massacre, but the fact that they align with Israel on a common enemy could result in strengthening the authority. A vigorous PA isn’t the best option for Israel, but it’s the least worst option of them all.
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