Report: Israeli Military Transfers Powers in West Bank to Pro-Settlement Civil Servants

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Facts

  • The Israeli military has reportedly handed over significant legal powers in the West Bank to pro-settler civil servants working for right-wing Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich. The move comes after years of attempts by pro-settlement politicians to obtain legal authority over the West Bank.1
  • The legal powers cover building regulations and the administration of farming, forestry, parks, as well as bathing locations, among other duties. Smotrich has moved to approve new settlements, legalize previously unauthorized outposts, and make it more challenging for Palestinian residents to both build homes and move.1
  • Smotrich, an outspoken member of Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's government, was recorded saying during a meeting regarding Israeli settlement in the West Bank earlier this month that settlement expansion would help prevent the establishment of a Palestinian state.2
  • There are around 500K Israeli settlers in the West Bank. The international community largely views Israeli settlements there as a breach of international law. The territory is partially governed by the Palestinian Authority (PA), and the roughly 3M Palestinians who live there are subject to Israeli military law.3
  • The situation in the West Bank has escalated since Hamas' Oct 7 attack, with Israeli forces killing more than 500 Palestinians in the last nine months. Israeli security officials have also arrested more than 9K Palestinians — around half of them being held indefinitely without charge via administrative detention. Israel has said that it has prevented several attacks originating from the West Bank.4
  • Israel has said that it has arrested 4,150 wanted individuals in the West Bank since Oct. 7, stating that around 1,750 of them were affiliated with Hamas.5

Sources: 1Guardian, 2CNN, 3New York Times, 4Sky News and 5Jerusalem Post.

Narratives

  • Left narrative, as provided by Timesofisrael. Though Israel's far-right has made gains, ultimately, it should be well understood that they are still a fringe segment of Israeli society. Israel is a democracy in which everyone is entitled to their views, but the right-wing does not reflect the views of the whole country — including prominent Israeli lawmakers who condemn settlement expansion. Netanyahu needs to understand that politicians like Smotrich only endanger Israel's security.
  • Right narrative, as provided by Tablet Magazine. Hamas' Oct. 7 attack on Israel was the final nail in the coffin for the establishment of a Palestinian state. Since Israel withdrew from Gaza in 2005, the enclave has essentially existed as a terrorist-run proto-state run by Hamas. Given the Palestinian Authority's inefficacy, Israel has no partners for peace, and the last 20 years in Gaza prove this. A violent, terrorist-run Palestinian state would be an existential threat to Israel's security, and settlement expansion is a natural reaction to this reality.
  • Pro-Palestine narrative, as provided by Middle East Eye. Though the Israeli and Western media try to portray settlers as a fringe element of Israeli society, the state was founded on the basis of ethnic cleansing and land theft. Israeli leaders on the left and right have continued to approve settlement expansion, and Palestinian land has continued to recede since 1948. Israeli politicians are also increasingly open about Israel's intentions — the incremental destruction of Palestine and its people.

Predictions