The Significant, Unnoticed Transformation Taking Place in the West Bank

The city of Jenin, a densely populated area once under the Palestinian Authority, has become desolate, with homes in ruins and streets blocked. This devastating scene mirrors the aftermath of war in the Gaza Strip, but is instead a consequence of an intensive Israeli crackdown in the West Bank. Neighborhoods that were once bustling with life are now empty, the result of the Israeli military’s operation against Hamas and the Islamic Jihad. The campaign has displaced tens of thousands of Palestinians, the most since the 1967 Middle East War. Israel justifies its aggressive tactics as necessary to combat militancy, but Palestinians fear a second ‘nakba’, or cataclysm, reminiscent of the displacement and loss of homes in 1948. As the Israeli military plans to continue its presence in these areas for an extended period, concerns grow about annexation and the erosion of the Palestinian Authority’s power.

Source: https://www.nytimes.com/2025/05/08/world/middleeast/israel-west-bank-palestinians-fear-annexation.html