Even though extremist Israeli settler attacks are at an all-time high in the Palestinian towns and villages in the West Bank, “trespassing” incidents by another group of Israelis deserve some attention.
In recent days, Israeli media have been reporting on (innocent) trespassing incidents by Israelis, mostly young, who had to be retrieved from West Bank cities in close cooperation between the Israeli Defence Forces (IDF) and the Palestine National Authority (PNA) security apparatus. In one such incident reported on 10 July, a young off-duty IDF servicewoman had to be extracted from the West Bank city of Jericho after she went to celebrate a birthday with her Israeli-Arab friend.
In another incident reported the same night, two young Israeli women had to be retrieved from an upscale neighbourhood in the same city after they went to meet friends they had made during their earlier trip to Sinai in Egypt. Similarly, a group of around 23 deaf and non-speaking (mute) Israelis on a lunch invite from a Palestinian deaf and non-speaking (mute) person in Nablus and another group of six Israelis had to be extracted from Jericho on the same day in separate incidents.
These incidents are just a few of those reported over the past few days. At the same time, many such incidents have gone unreported. Such incidents are on the rise despite a legal ban on Israelis entering “Area A” in the West Bank, where the PNA, as envisaged by the Oslo II Accords of 1995, controls both the civilian and security administration. Area A comprises most West Bank towns and population centres.
Despite the continued security risk, the main attraction of such trespassing incidents is twofold. The first, the most lucrative, involves the automobile repair sector, sometimes with active connivance of the Israeli authorities. The second involves the tourism and hotel sector.
In both cases, Palestinian businesses in the West Bank charge prices nearly half those of their Israeli counterparts. As a result, this financially lucrative prospect has given rise to a new economic activity, even involving Israeli intermediaries who help Israeli citizens by collecting their vehicles, driving them to Palestinian workshops, and returning them after repairs. A robust automotive spare parts supply chain, coupled with cheap labour and little to no regulatory oversight, has made this a lucrative business in the Palestinian territories.
Similarly, in the hotel sector, recreational spaces and vacation villas with comparable amenities (e.g., private pools) are available in the West Bank at about half the price, making them an attractive option for Israelis who can't afford similar services in their country. Thus, many of the above-mentioned trespassing incidents have involved young Israelis visiting such spaces on weekends or during vacations. Similarly, most daily consumables and groceries, as well as medical visits, are much cheaper in the West Bank than in Israel. The improved security situation, especially after the ceasefire in the Gaza Strip, has contributed to these developments.
It needs to be noted that these developments are also significant because they involve Jewish Israelis, who have been visiting the West Bank to meet their relatives and for commerce for quite some time and are generally not restricted by Israeli law from doing so, and are separate from Arab citizens of Israel, commonly referred to as Israeli Arabs. While it must be considered that entering Area A remains illegal for Jewish Israelis, they are mostly let off with no more than a rap on the knuckles for such violations.
More than three decades after the signing of the Oslo Accords, which extremists on both sides derailed, these developments in “crossing the lines” offer hope for the future and should be further encouraged in both directions.
Israel prepares for the next Knesset Elections on 27 October. It won't be a surprise if Likud, under incumbent Prime Minister Netanyahu, is voted out by a populace tired of the region's forever war, and other political formations may take shape to form the government.
Similarly, the political process in the West Bank, which has been moribund for many years, needs to be revitalised. With an ageing nonagenarian PNA President Mahmoud Abbas at the helm since 2005, his popularity and continued legitimacy to hold high office are increasingly suspect.
As Karl Marx famously wrote, “Money degrades all the gods of man – and turns them into commodities.” But one sees more Israelis venturing into the West Bank, and the Palestinian automobile repair and service, as well as the hospitality sector, are eagerly catering to them. What could be more paradoxical in the holy land, which has seen much bloodshed over the last few decades, than the pure economic logic of the market now undercutting religion and politics?
Perhaps placing this in a broader context also partially explains why the West Bank has largely remained peaceful and didn’t erupt in violence when the current round of conflict in the Gaza Strip began on 7 October 2023.
Even though scholars still debate the best possible solution for the future of the Israeli-Palestinian conflict, the young Israelis who are voting with their feet and venturing into West Bank cities are providing a promising sign that needs to be nurtured on both sides of the border.
The author is a non-resident researcher at MEI@ND.
