Yossi Schwartz ISL (RCIT section in Israel/Occupied Palestine) 02.09.2026
In recent days, reports and assessments by senior Zionist army officials about the possibility of a conflagration in the West Bank have increased, but Palestinian sources in the West Bank linked to the Palestinian Authority say that at this stage there are no signs of widespread popular organizing in Palestinian society. However, some say that Palestinians in the West Bank expect a change in the violent reality, and if such a change does not come, anger and frustration will lead to reactions.
Fatah activists told Haaretz that despite the severe violence by settlers in the West Bank, there is currently no clear sense of an impending uprising on the Palestinian street. According to them, there are also no clear signs of widespread popular organization, and there are no signs that the Palestinian security forces are facing a situation in which they will join the insurgents.
Anger exists, and it is deep. The sense of insecurity is increasing. “The violence of the settlers, the damage to land, the restrictions, the arrests and the economic distress all add up to a feeling of living in a reality that is becoming increasingly unbearable. But there is still a distance between anger and an uprising,” says a Fatah activist who has worked in Palestinian Authority institutions for 20 years.
On the other hand, Qadoura Fares, a senior Fatah official who led the first and second intifadas, told Haaretz that the situation in the West Bank is dangerous not only because of settler violence, but because every Palestinian understands that this is a policy of the Israeli government.
Fares, who was one of the leaders of the popular struggle after the second intifada, emphasizes that the fact that there is no widespread popular outbreak today does not necessarily indicate long-term stability. “Citizens still expect change, whether inside Israel, including through elections, or through international pressure to curb settler crime,” he says.
It is highly doubtful that a government headed by Eisenkot will take harsh measures against the settlers, and Israel ignores the condemnations of Western countries because they are interested in the military products of the Zionist monster.
So, after the inaction to curb the settler violence by the next Zionist government, there is a great chance of an uprising. Now is the time to establish self-defense committees in every village, city and refugee camp from which a leadership will be established of a real national organization.