TEHRAN - Amid ongoing clashes in southern Lebanon and the humanitarian crisis in Gaza, Israeli military forces have escalated their attacks in the West Bank, targeting the cities of Jenin and Tulkarem. On Wednesday, August 28, according to Palestinian authorities, hundreds of Israeli soldiers, supported by drones and armored vehicles, launched an offensive that resulted in the deaths of at least 10 Palestinians and injuries to dozens more.

Israel has conducted repeated assaults on the West Bank, a region home to approximately three million Palestinians. United Nations reports indicate that since October 7, 2023, when Hamas initiated Operation "Al-Aqsa Flood," over 600 Palestinians have died in the West Bank due to attacks by Israeli settlers and military forces, with thousands more arrested.

Israel asserts that these operations aim to "counter militant groups," but analysts argue that the increase in Israeli military violence and settler actions have driven more young Palestinians to join armed resistance.

Lebanon's Al-Arabi Al-Jadeed reports that "the situation in eastern Jenin is dire, with widespread destruction of infrastructure and streets, and residents facing an ongoing blockade. Concerns over the worsening humanitarian situation are rising, especially since the inhabitants were unprepared for a large-scale Israeli military incursion."

Residents of the West Bank report that since October 7, 2023, Israeli military forces have been conducting daily attacks on cities and towns in the region. These incursions, which range from a few hours to several days, severely disrupt civilian life and result in numerous casualties, including women and children.

The West Bank, home to nearly three million Palestinians and 500,000 Israeli settlers, is situated between Jordan and the territories occupied by Israel. During the conflicts leading up to the creation of Israel in 1948, this area was repeatedly attacked by Jewish militias, forcing many Palestinians to flee their homes. During the 1948 Arab-Israeli War, Egypt took control of the Gaza Strip, while Jordan occupied the West Bank.

As explained by Mouin Rabbani, a Palestinian affairs expert, in 1967, following another conflict with Arab countries, Israel occupied the West Bank and Gaza and allowed for the gradual expansion of Israeli settlements in the region. In 1993, a significant breakthrough in the peace process occurred when Israel and the Palestine Liberation Organization (PLO) began secret negotiations in Oslo, facilitated by Norwegian politicians. These talks resulted in the granting of limited autonomy to Palestinians in Gaza and the West Bank under the newly established Palestinian Authority.

Israel agreed to withdraw its forces from Gaza and redeploy its troops in the West Bank as per the agreements. In return, the PLO officially recognized the State of Israel and its citizens' "right to live in peace," implicitly accepting UN Security Council Resolution 242.

The deficiencies of the Oslo Accords quickly became apparent. The Palestine Liberation Organization (PLO) failed to limit the Israeli military presence in Gaza and the West Bank, and no clear timeline was established for the withdrawal of Israeli troops. At the time of the signing, there were around 280,000 settlers in the West Bank; however, this number had increased to 350,000 within five years.

The Oslo II Accord, signed in 1995 by Isaac Rabin and Yasser Arafat in Washington, divided the West Bank into three areas (A, B, and C) with the hope of eventually establishing a Palestinian state in Gaza and the West Bank. However, the agreement faced strong opposition both in Israel and Palestine. In 1996, Benjamin Netanyahu, a critic of the Oslo process, became prime minister, leading to a stalemate in negotiations.

Despite the Oslo agreements, the Israeli military and settler presence in the West Bank continued. Many countries, including some of Israel's traditional allies, view the expansion of settlements as a violation of international law. Moreover, the West Bank operates under a dual system where Israeli settlers enjoy full rights, while Palestinians live under Israeli military administration, with their daily lives directly affected by Israeli government decisions. From this perspective, the goal of the Oslo process was not to establish Palestinian independence but to eliminate it as both a future objective and a present reality. In this sense, Oslo is considered a resounding success.

Israel claims that "Palestinian militant groups" operate in the West Bank and that its military actions in the region aim to suppress these groups. For decades, resistance to Israeli occupation has remained active in the West Bank, particularly in cities like Jenin. The primary goal of Israeli operations seems to be the eradication of any form of resistance to the occupation.

Currently, various Palestinian resistance groups operate in the West Bank, and their influence on the population has grown significantly over the past year, especially since October 7, when the economic situation in the region deteriorated drastically. Key actors include Islamic Jihad, Hamas, and Fatah.

According to local sources, Islamic Jihad is one of the most popular groups in the West Bank, particularly in Jenin, where the "Jenin Brigade" operates under its command. The presence of Hamas in the West Bank is notably different from its strength in Gaza, where it is much more powerful. There are also other independent and semi-independent groups, such as the "Lion's Den" in Nablus, which frequently come under Israeli attacks.

The use of improvised explosive devices (IEDs) has increasingly become a common tactic among decentralized, militia-style resistance groups in northern West Bank. Recently popularized in the refugee camps of Jenin and Tulkarem, this tactic has also been adopted by local resistance brigades in Qalqilya, Tubas in the Jordan Valley, and rural areas around Jenin. These homemade explosives have emerged as a new tool for confronting Israeli forces, reflecting a shift in the tactics of these local groups, which demonstrate growing sophistication and adaptability in response to intensified military incursions in the region.

The political control of the West Bank under Israeli occupation, which effectively exerts total control over the area, rests with the Palestinian Authority (PA), dominated by Fatah and led by Mahmoud Abbas. This situation is viewed by Palestinian resistance groups as an obstacle to their struggle against occupation.

The PA also plays a role in dividing the West Bank into northern and southern regions. According to local journalists, the strong popular support for resistance in cities like Jenin and Nablus significantly complicates the PA's arrest operations in these areas. When the PA attempts to enter Nablus, it must deploy large security forces, but still faces intense opposition, as evidenced during the recent arrest of Hamas operative Musab Shtayyeh. In Jenin, PA security forces avoid entering the refugee camp due to the high risk and fierce resistance encountered.

Joseph Massad describes the PA as "a collaborator with Israel since its creation in 1994." This collaboration is reflected in various local reports, which indicate that the PA sometimes cooperates with Israeli forces to suppress armed resistance groups. This cooperation has led to a notable decline in the popularity of PA leaders in the West Bank.

Surveys among Palestinians corroborate this view. A survey by the Palestinian Center for Policy and Survey Research conducted in December 2023 reveals growing support for Hamas across all occupied Palestinian territories, alongside a surprising drop in support for the PA. The data also shows widespread endorsement of Hamas' actions, including the October 7 operation "Al-Aqsa Flood," and a significant demand for the resignation of Mahmoud Abbas, the PA president.

Despite the PA's efforts to dismantle and arrest resistance members, Palestinians in the West Bank, like those in Gaza, understand the need to defend themselves and establish anti-colonial resistance groups to combat Israeli occupation and fill the sovereignty void left by the PA.

In this context, it is important to highlight the unique history of the West Bank, particularly Jenin, as a center of Palestinian resistance with over a century of history. In the 1920s and 1930s, Izz ad-Din al-Qassam — after whom Hamas' military wing is named — organized armed Palestinian groups, many of them peasant farmers from northern Palestine, to fight against Zionism and British colonialism. When his movement was forced underground, al-Qassam took refuge in the hills between Jenin and Nablus. In 1935, British police located and killed him near Jenin.

The legacy of Izz ad-Din al-Qassam’s anti-colonial struggle remains alive in the current resistance in the West Bank and throughout Palestine.