On December 29, 2022, the 37th government of the State of Israel was sworn in. Against the backdrop of the “judicial reform,” the Hamas attack on October 7, 2023, the war in Gaza, and the situation in the north, the government’s policy regarding the occupation in the West Bank remains on the margins of public discourse. However, significant change is taking place on the ground, and the current government is promoting a policy that seeks to bring about full Israeli sovereignty over the West Bank, while establishing Jewish supremacy and marginalizing the Palestinian population.
Government guidelines and coalition agreements shows a declaration to apply full sovereignty, at least to Area C, if not to the entire West Bank; massive development of the settlement enterprise; full application of Israeli legislation to settlers in the name of “equality,” which, of course, applies only to Israelis; and to combat the so-called “Palestinian takeover plan” of open spaces. A report published by the Association for Civil Rights in Israel, Yesh Din, Ofek and Breaking the Silence extensively reviews the various means used by the government to implement its vision, including: structural changes in military rule, legislative changes, budgetary support, expansion of the settlement enterprise, and the use of violence as a tool for annexation and expulsion. At the same time, efforts continue to weaken democracy, increase the politicization of the judicial system, and violate human rights within Israel’s sovereign borders. These will help implement government policy, which will be implemented without criticism or opposition.
The current government is removing the mask that Israeli governments have presented to the world so far. For years, this mask has portrayed Israel as one whose rule in the West Bank meets its legal obligations and whose decisions are subject to judicial review by the Supreme Court. Now the government’s policy openly seeks annexation and the establishment of Jewish supremacy in the West Bank. In the words of Finance Minister Smotrich, the current government is promoting “broad structural changes that will change the DNA of the system [of governance in the West Bank] for many years [to come].”
The division of powers between the Minister of Defense and Minister Smotrich, on the basis of which the Settlement Administration was established and a civilian was appointed deputy head of the Civil Administration, is the most prominent example of the government’s intention to advance this process by changing the structure of government in the West Bank. Moreover, transferring broad powers to manage many aspects of life from the military commander to the additional Minister in the Ministry of Defense. The government’s actions indicate a process based on a political ideology, producing a strategy that has been translated into orderly long-term action plans, which is at the core of the government’s policy even during the war.
Full report: A Silent Takeover: Changing the Nature of Israeli Control of the West Bank
עברית – Hebrew
