It’s not just violence from Israeli settlers and raids by Israel’s military that have pushed tensions with Palestinians in the occupied West Bank to a flash point.
So have Israeli economic restrictions that some Palestinians fear will last long after the war in Gaza ends, regardless of whether current negotiations between Israel and Hamas lead to a ceasefire.
Between Palestinians who’ve had permits to work in Israel revoked and Arab Israelis who can no longer travel to spend money in the West Bank, roughly a third of the territory’s income has vanished over the last four months.
Additionally, Israel is withholding the tax revenues it collects on behalf of the Palestinian Authority (PA) — the single biggest employer in the West Bank — forcing it to cut worker salaries.