The Guardian's editorial warns that violence against Palestinians in the occupied West Bank is accelerating as international attention remains fixed on Gaza. The piece cites Unicef warnings of continued Palestinian deaths after the October ceasefire, a letter from former Israeli security leaders accusing the government of failing to stop settler attacks, and allegations that Israeli security forces have enabled that violence.
The West Bank is the test of whether Israel's allies actually mean their stated red lines on civilian protection and settlement expansion. If Washington and European capitals treat settler attacks as background noise, they're not preserving a future peace deal. They're erasing it village by village.
Diplomatic language dies here. Allies keep saying they support Israel's security and oppose settler violence, but objections without consequences are permission slips. Will any partner attach costs to the destruction of Palestinian homes and livelihoods in the West Bank, or will this join the long list of abuses everyone condemns until the next war crowds it out?
Filed to the World desk · Jun 21