Sharing stories of violence and forced displacement of Palestinians in the occupied West Bank as the war in Gaza rages.
Since Israel began its bombing of the Gaza Strip on October 7, 2023, violence has also increased in the occupied West Bank to unprecedented levels.
More than 2,000 Palestinians have been arrested and nearly 200 killed in the last month alone. Dozens more have been arrested, beaten and tortured, fueling fears that this could lead to a second front as Israel pursues its stated goal of gaining access to and controlling Palestinian territory.
Constant nighttime raids by Israeli military forces have seen families across the occupied West Bank forcibly evicted from their homes. Within this complex mosaic of hillside towns, farms, Israeli settlements and military checkpoints that divide Palestinian communities, settlers now have the power to act with even greater impunity.
Shootings, killings and intimidation against Palestinians on the streets and in their homes are nothing new. They have suffered the threat and pressure of violence from the military and settlers for years. The legal phrase that describes these actions is “creating a coercive environment” so that Palestinians leave of their own accord – and eventually collapse under this continued pressure.
The fact that the occupied West Bank is not controlled by Hamas means that Israel’s stated goal of getting rid of these “terrorists” does not justify their actions. And that did not stop them from increasing their military presence in all occupied areas.
This film looks at the current situation in the occupied West Bank as experienced by Palestinians, with a range of Palestinian and Israeli perspectives. It explores how life there, already difficult for Palestinians, is becoming unbearable, as well as what is really at stake here for Israel and what the long-term plans for the West Bank might be.