Israel: Shin Bet security agency warns of loss of control in occupied West Bank

Middle East Monitor  /  September 12, 2022

The head of Israel’s Shin Bet security agency, Ronen Bar, is the latest official to express concerns about the Palestinian Authority’s loss of control in the occupied West Bank.

Speaking at a “counter-terrorism” conference at Reichman University in Herzliya yesterday, Bar warned about the security vacuum created in the Israeli-occupied Palestinian territory.

Rising tension in the West Bank poses a major challenge for the apartheid state, which since the 1993 Oslo Accords has been able to maintain its domination and control over non-Jews relatively cost-free because of the PA.

“We have entered a sort of closed circle,” Bar is reported as saying in Haaretz. “Our people are making arrests every night, and are coming under fire.” He added that “the price is also Palestinian casualties.” According to the Shin Bet chief, there have been more than 130 shooting incidents in the West Bank this year so far, compared with 98 in 2021.

He spoke of a general breakdown in law and order, with more than 2,000 arrests, a significant number of which were related to illegal drug dealing. The Israeli occupation forces have increased their activities in Palestinian towns and villages, said Bar, indicating a weakening of the PA’s power and influence in the West Bank.

Under the Oslo Accords the PA, funded by the US and its western allies, is nominally in charge of security in Palestinian towns and villages. The weakening of its influence is playing out on all aspects of Palestinian society, explained Bar, including on social media, which he described as a “new battlefield.” He blamed the recent uprisings against Israeli occupation in the Palestinian capital, Jerusalem, and various other areas as a consequence of “anger” and “rage” expressed outside the control of traditional institutions.

Israelis and Americans are increasingly concerned about the loss of the PA’s power. Last week the government of Israeli Prime Minister Yair Lapid said it was studying a series of options for measures to reinforce the power of the PA in the occupied West Bank. A few days later he held a meeting to assess the security situation. The US has also spoken about its need to bolster the PA.