Increasing violence in the
Palestinian-controlled territories
23 June 2023

The violence in the “occupied” territories is rising. There is a new wave of terror. The Israeli army (IDF) is using increasing force to destroy terror cells that threaten the lives of Israelis. A large-scale operation is being contemplated. 
 
This is all the result of the failed “two states” policy. 
 
Since the 1970’s, European and other Western countries have acquiesced to Arab demands that a Palestinian state be created in the territories occupied by Israel since 1967, plus East Jerusalem. 
 
The European Union has become the primary financial and political sponsor of this project. 
 
The Palestinian statehood project has failed catastrophically. Literally billions of dollars/euros have been spent over the last decades. The results are alarming. Rather than creating a viable, peaceful state adjacent to Israel, this policy has created a hotbed of violence and hatred. The PA is corrupt. The Palestinian leadership has failed to build the social and physical infrastructure necessary for statehood. There is a vacuum of leadership. The ordinary Palestinian population has radicalized. 
 
Peace is further away than ever. 
 
It is time to call on our governments to abandon a failed policy, and develop a new paradigm for promoting peace between Israel and the Palestinians. 
 
Let us pray for our leaders, for the Jewish State of Israel and for the Palestinians. 
 

Israel’s American ‘frenemy’
 
Melanie Philips writes: “If Netanyahu won’t alert Americans to their government’s abandonment of Israel, U.S. politicians must step up to the plate.”

Israel kills 3 terrorists in Samaria drone strike 

JNS reports: “The terror cell was responsible for a number of shootings, including on an IDF checkpoint near Jenin, according to the Israeli military.”

IDF mulls larger op as Judea and Samaria security crumbles 
 
Yaakov Lappin reports at JNS: “The deadly Eli shootings on Tuesday indicate that murderous Palestinian terrorism is spreading south from its epicenter in Jenin as the power vacuum in the area grows….it is undeniable that Hamas’s narrative of terror and violence is gaining the upper hand in Samaria.”

Palestinians: We Prefer Terrorism to Peace with Israel

Bassim Tawil writes at Gatestone: “The findings of a poll which was conducted between June 7 and 11, show that the Biden Administration and all those who continue to talk about reviving the peace process between Israel and the Palestinians are living under an illusion. The results of the poll indicate that most Palestinians are more interested in killing Jews than making peace with them.”