The Occupied West Bank: The Other Front

Al Jazeera (2023)

Film Review

Link to film: The Occupied West Bank: The Other Front

Since the Israeli military attack on Gaza on October 7, 2023, Palestinians in the West Bank have also experienced settler and IDF violence not seen for 50 years.

The film starts by reviewing the 1948 Zionist terrorist violence that forced 75% of non-Jewish Palestinians to flee their country. Those that remained sought refuge on the West Bank of the Jordan river (ruled by Jordan) or Gaza (ruled by Egypt). Following the Six Day War in 1967, Israel took possession of both the West Bank and Gaza.

At present there are over 200 illegal* Israeli settlements in the West Bank, home to 750,000 Israeli settlers. As Jewish settlers take control of ever larger swathes of Palestinian land, (according to UN records) 2023 witnessed the largest number of settler attacks ever recorded on Palestinian homes, olive orchards and homes. Interviewed on camera, Palestinians report that Israeli troops frequently stand and watch these attacks. Sometimes they join in.

Since October 2023, the Israeli government has shut down access roads to the West Bank cities of Yatta and Hebron, making it impossible for Palestinians in the adjacent countryside to access schools, hospitals and basic necessities, such as water and cooking gas cylinders.

Making the plight of West Bank Palestinians even more complicated, many Isareli troops serving in the West Bank are settlers themselves. They frequently film themselves randomly attacking and sexually humiliating West Bank Palestinians and post their videos on social media.

*In 1960, settler colonialism was proclaimed illegal under international law by UN General Assembly Resolution 1514. In July 2024, the International Court of Justice confirmed the Israeli settlements in the West Bank are illegal:  ICJ United Nations Israel Settlment Violates International Law