The international community faces a narrowing window to intervene against Israeli expansionist policies undermining the viability of a two-state solution.
In a recent operation near Jenin, Israeli forces fatally shot a 19-year-old Palestinian, marking the second fatality in the occupied West Bank within 48 hours amid Israel’s intensified efforts to annex parts of the territory.
The military confirmed the death of Ahmed Jihad Barahmeh in the Anzah area on Wednesday, stating that troops opened fire after he allegedly hurled an explosive device at them.
Emergency responders from the Palestine Red Crescent Society arrived promptly and transported Barahmeh after he sustained a gunshot wound to the chest; however, he succumbed to his injuries shortly thereafter.
This incident follows the killing of 20-year-old Saeed Murad al-Nasan, who was reportedly attacked by armed Israeli settlers in the village of al-Mughayyir, north of Ramallah, as reported by Al Jazeera Arabic on Tuesday.
Since the onset of Israel’s military campaign in Gaza, the West Bank has witnessed near-daily incursions by Israeli forces, with violence surging notably after Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich publicly advocated for the annexation of the area.
Over 1,000 Palestinians have lost their lives in the West Bank since the escalation of hostilities began, underscoring the severe human toll of the conflict.
Meanwhile, Israeli settlers have intensified their attacks on Palestinian communities, often with military backing, engaging in acts of violence including assaults, arson of homes and olive groves, and killings. Palestinian victims rarely find justice through legal channels.
On Wednesday, two Israeli settlers reportedly assaulted Mahmoud Barham, the mayor of Beita near Nablus, along with a municipal official, damaging their vehicle and inflicting bruises, according to the Wafa news agency.
According to the United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA), Israeli settler violence has resulted in injuries to 540 Palestinians in the West Bank so far this year.
Diana Buttu, a Palestinian-Canadian human rights attorney, told Al Jazeera that conditions for Palestinians in the occupied territories are deteriorating rapidly, emphasizing the urgent need for international intervention to halt Israel’s ongoing violence.
She argued that Israel’s settlement expansion has effectively dismantled the prospects for a two-state solution by fragmenting Palestinian lands, a situation reversible only through decisive political action.
“Condemnations alone are insufficient; the global community must take concrete steps,” Buttu urged, calling for nations to implement arms embargoes on Israel following recent recognitions of Palestinian statehood.
In parallel with its raids across multiple West Bank towns, Israel has indefinitely closed the King Hussein (Allenby) Bridge, the sole crossing point for people and goods between the West Bank and Jordan.
Aida Touma-Sliman, a Palestinian member of the Israeli Knesset representing left-wing factions, condemned Israel’s actions as retaliatory measures against countries endorsing Palestinian sovereignty, accusing Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu of pursuing “destructive and devastating” policies.
“Netanyahu has threatened further escalations soon. The international community, having finally grasped the peril posed by this transfer and extermination agenda, must act swiftly to halt these harmful policies,” she stated on X.
On Tuesday, a United Nations Commission of Inquiry on the Occupied Palestinian Territory released a report accusing Israel of systematically dismantling civilian life in Gaza and demonstrating a clear intent to forcibly displace Palestinians from the West Bank, thereby obstructing any future realization of a Palestinian state.
