Netanyahu accused of escalating West Bank tensions after October 7 fallout
8/30/2026 1:33:23 PM
Israeli military sources have expressed concern that, ahead of elections, Netanyahu is deliberately escalating tensions in the occupied West Bank to divert attention away from the failures of October 7, Israeli news outlet Haaretz is reporting.
The report claimed that Chief of Staff Eyal Zamir doubts the government’s intentions regarding the West Bank, given the ruling coalition’s declining popularity in opinion polls, and “wants to avoid involving the army in new security complications driven by political considerations”.
It added that that many on the right – including Israeli Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich – do not hide their desire for a more intense conflict in the West Bank that would allow them to justify a preemptive military move to topple the Palestinian Authority , followed by the occupation of the land and a large-scale displacement of the population.
The report comes amidst rising settler violence, or pogroms, perpetrated under the protection of the Israeli army.
The report claimed that Chief of Staff Eyal Zamir doubts the government’s intentions regarding the West Bank, given the ruling coalition’s declining popularity in opinion polls, and “wants to avoid involving the army in new security complications driven by political considerations”.
It added that that many on the right – including Israeli Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich – do not hide their desire for a more intense conflict in the West Bank that would allow them to justify a preemptive military move to topple the Palestinian Authority , followed by the occupation of the land and a large-scale displacement of the population.
The report comes amidst rising settler violence, or pogroms, perpetrated under the protection of the Israeli army.