The European Union’s chief diplomat, Josep Borrell, has warned that escalating violence in the occupied West Bank, spurred by Israel’s ongoing conflict with Gaza, could transform the area into “a new Gaza.”
Tensions in the West Bank, which Israel has occupied since 1967 and which is geographically separated from Gaza by Israeli land, have surged alongside the war that erupted on October 7, 2023.
Speaking at an Arab League ministerial meeting in Cairo, Borrell accused Israel of opening “a new front” with the intent of turning the West Bank into a “new Gaza” by fueling violence, undermining the Palestinian Authority, and provoking forceful reactions.
Borrell further claimed that Israel has made no secret of its aim to annex both the West Bank and Gaza, viewing it as the only path to a peaceful resolution. He blamed “radical elements” within Israel’s government for efforts to block the creation of a future Palestinian state, which Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and other officials have framed as a security threat to Israel.
In recent months, some Israeli ministers have advocated for intensifying military operations in the West Bank.
“Without decisive action, the West Bank risks becoming another Gaza,” Borrell cautioned, adding, “Meanwhile, Gaza is being transformed into a new West Bank as settlers push for the expansion of settlements.”
He lamented the international community’s inability to act effectively, saying it “condemns and deplores” the situation but struggles to intervene.
According to the Israeli human rights group Yesh Din, attacks by Israeli settlers against Palestinians in the West Bank reached a record high in 2023. The European Union also reported that last year saw the largest number of settlement building permits issued in decades.
Around 490,000 Israelis live in settlements in the occupied West Bank, which are deemed illegal under international law, alongside approximately three million Palestinians.
Since the onset of Israel’s war in October 2023, at least 662 Palestinians have been killed in the West Bank by Israeli forces or settlers, according to the Palestinian Health Ministry. Israeli officials report that retaliatory attacks in the West Bank during the same period have claimed the lives of 23 Israelis, including security personnel.
