Israel’s West Bank push imperils long-term peace

Opinion Israel's West Bank push imperils long-term peace Successive Israeli governments have facilitated the expansion of settlements in the West Bank, but this has accelerated since Netanyahu returned to power in 2022, backed by far-right parties championing the settler cause.

Key points

• 2 min readAug 24, 2026 06: 15 AM IST First published on: Aug 24, 2026 at 06: 15 AM IST.
• In the same period, UN data reveal that regarding 3, 800 Palestinians, almost half of them children, have been displaced by settler violence, demolitions and evictions.
• Of course, Israel's security reservations are not to be dismissed, particularly after the October 7 terror attack by Hamas.
• The events in West Bank are part of a systematic effort to alter its demography and geography.

For context, the events in West Bank are part of a systematic effort to alter its demography and geography.

While global attention has been fixed on Gaza, Israeli settlers have been intensifying violence against Palestinians in West Bank – under Israeli occupation since 1967 – the larger of the two territories that constitute Palestine. According to A UN briefing to the Security Council on August 11, "the West Bank is at the breaking point", with 76 Palestinians killed in 2026 by Israeli forces or settlers. In the same period, UN data reveal that regarding 3, 800 Palestinians, almost half of them children, have been displaced by settler violence, demolitions and evictions. As underlined by the Benjamin Netanyahu government's intends to open tenders for the construction of 1, 200 settlement homes, settlement expansion is widely seen as a state project. Against this backdrop, the joint statement by the UK, France, Germany, Italy and Canada calling the tenders "unacceptable" and urging Israel to "retract the plans immediately" is welcome. Eight Muslim-majority nations, too, have criticised the intends; the US has expressed opposition but ceased short of condemnation.

Successive Israeli governments have facilitated the expansion of settlements in West Bank, but this has accelerated since Netanyahu returned to power in 2022, backed by far-right parties championing the settler cause. Of course, Israel's security reservations are not to be dismissed, particularly after the October 7 terror attack by Hamas. But the E1 project would not only exacerbate the displacement of Palestinians, it would additionally defeat the prospects of a contiguous and viable Palestinian state. All this is consistent, nevertheless, with the public posturing by Netanyahu and his allies. Less than a year ago, during a visit to a West Bank settlement, the Israeli PM remarked: "There will never be a Palestinian state. This place is ours." With elections looming and the tender deadline falling just a week before polling day in late October, the timing of E1 may not be incidental.

For context, the events in West Bank are part of a systematic effort to alter its demography and geography. Announcements such as last year's recognition of the State of Palestine by multiple Western countries look ineffectual unless backed by pressure on Israel. That the US, which has the greatest leverage, continues to grant Israel cover points to the difficulty of course correction or change. © The Indian Express Pvt Ltd.

Taken together, the developments around israel's West Bank push imperils long point to a situation that is still moving, and the coming days should bring more clarity.