Le Monde: Israel Imposes an Unprecedented System of Terrorism in the West Bank

SadaNews - The level of violence inflicted on Palestinians in the West Bank has reached unprecedented heights, with lethal gunfire from the army, brutal assaults by settlers, arbitrary raids and arrests, and torture in prisons; it is a situation of terrorism.

With this introduction, Le Monde opened an analysis by its correspondent in Jerusalem, Luc Bronner, which provides a comprehensive picture of the profound transformation that the West Bank has witnessed over the past two years, as Israel, through the army, settlers, and security agencies, imposes a new pattern of control based on systematic violence, deterrence through intimidation, and collective punishment.

The correspondent begins his article with a scene from Kfar Aqab, a neighborhood located between Jerusalem and Ramallah, where border guard soldiers cold-bloodedly killed two Palestinian youths, claiming they faced riots, stone-throwing, and the firing of fireworks.

Unprecedented Surge in Violence

The article presents evidence from residents detailing the state of terror they live in daily, where fear of the army, police, and internal security service (Shin Bet) has become part of everyday life, along with fear of traveling between cities, nighttime raids, and arrest without charges.

A restaurant employee, who requested not to be identified, said, "Soldiers come and block the road, then fire gas, and sometimes bullets without reason; they terrorize us."

Another adds that he dreams of seeking asylum in Spain, while a third says, "They want us to leave," and a fourth notes, "Palestinian blood is shed, yet it means nothing; no one stops them."

Such remarks, according to the correspondent, resonate in Ramallah, Bethlehem, Nablus, Tubas, and almost all over the West Bank, where military occupation has radically changed since the arrival of the right and far-right government led by Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu at the end of 2022, a situation that intensified after October 7, 2023, according to numerous Palestinian and Israeli sources.

The writer emphasizes that the level of repression has not reached this extent since the start of the occupation in 1967, as figures indicate the killing of 1,043 Palestinians over two years and the injury of more than 10,000, while United Nations statistics show a sharp increase in the number of civilian casualties, including women, minors, and people with disabilities, as the newspaper states.

According to 12 Israeli human rights organizations, the main reason for the unprecedented escalation of military violence is the easing of shooting rules and the adoption of combat tactics derived from the war in Gaza, which means firing more heavily and in less clear circumstances.

Destruction and Operations Similar to Gaza

The correspondent noted the use of attack helicopters and the near-total destruction of refugee camps in Jenin and Tulkarem, in addition to military drills based on scenarios of airstrikes within the West Bank—a precedent step that reveals that military leadership now treats the West Bank as an open combat zone.

Data shows that investigations into killings are rare, and sentences are almost non-existent; only symbolic punishment has been issued over four years, while the vast majority of complaints do not reach the courts, allowing soldiers to operate without fear of accountability.

Even when the camera documents clear executions of civilians, as happened in Jenin—according to the correspondent—Israeli National Security Minister Itamar Ben Gvir publicly defends the soldiers.

Over two years, approximately 100 Palestinian detainees have been martyred in Israeli prisons, including 26 from the West Bank, as stated by the organization Physicians for Human Rights.

The article discusses repeated testimonies regarding physical and sexual torture and deliberate medical neglect, corroborated by statements from Ben Gvir himself, who openly spoke about the necessity of starving prisoners, reflecting a systematic policy to break the prisoner psychologically and physically.

Additionally, over 21,000 Palestinians have been arrested in the last two years in the West Bank—most of them without charges—under the "administrative detention" system, and the army has carried out extensive sweeps that included hundreds of homes, often accompanied by beatings, insults, and restraints, in addition to long collective detention in the open or in playgrounds, the correspondent states.

Alongside this, the policy of collective punishment has expanded, with complete closure of roads and cities, destruction of essential infrastructures, detention of the bodies of martyrs for months, and the use of checkpoints that suffocate daily life, which one of the mayors described by saying, "We live in a big prison," according to the correspondent.

Thefts and Looting During Raids

Israeli organizations have revealed a "systematic" phenomenon of looting money, gold, and properties during raids—practices that have existed for decades but have increased and become ordinary without accountability, according to the correspondent.

Settlers play a central role in this system of repression, with assaults on Palestinians rising, including more than 1,000 injuries, as land seizure operations expanded to 1,600 assaults since the beginning of the year, the highest number ever recorded, according to the article.

The correspondent noted that since October 7, 2023, Israeli authorities have distributed 220,000 new weapon licenses, a large portion of which went to settlers who have become akin to private militias. The number of illegal settlement outposts surged to record levels, reaching 32 outposts in 2023, and 61 in 2024, with 68 in just a few months in 2025.

In this context, the West Bank appears—according to the article—as an economically strangled area, geographically fragmented, and threatened in its national identity.

Palestinian activists believe that Israel is no longer just seeking to "suppress resistance," but aims to eradicate the Palestinian national presence itself in the West Bank.

With the enormous increase in the number of dead, detainees, and injured, alongside people's despair for any protection, a feeling of fear and anger prevails, with many expecting an impending explosion, especially as the Palestinian Authority loses its remaining legitimacy and is seen as a partner in maintaining the status quo through security coordination with Israel. One shopkeeper in Kfar Aqab remarked, "We live under two occupations, Israel and the Palestinian Authority," as he expressed.