The outbreak of the latest intifada in October, accompanied by the intensification of Palestinian attacks against Israeli targets, which resulted in the death of 33 Israelis and the injury of over 250 others, provided the Israeli army with an excuse to further encroach on the West Bank under the pretext of a hot pursuit of Palestinian fugitives, without any distinction as to the statuses of Areas A, B and C. Such hot pursuits began after Israel launched Operation Defensive Shield in the West Bank in 2002 following suicide bombings undertaken by Palestinian factions between 2001 and 2002 within Israel, which killed and wounded hundreds of Israelis.

The Oslo II Accord of 1995 divided the West Bank (5,844 square kilometers, or 2,256 square miles) between Palestinians and Israelis into three areas. Area A, where the majority of the Palestinian population is concentrated, is under the Palestinian Authority (PA) full civil and security control and its surface area represents 18% of the total land area of the West Bank. Area B, with a surface area of 21% of the West Bank, comprises the villages adjoining the main cities and falls under Palestinian civil control and Israeli security control. Area C — 61% of the West Bank — includes contiguous areas of the West Bank and falls under full Israeli security and civil control.

Amin Maqbul, secretary-general of Fatah's Revolutionary Council, told Al-Monitor, “Israel’s determination to invade Area A reveals its intent of fueling security tensions with Palestinians. It is also indicative of Israel’s refusal of the security and military recommendations by the IDF [Israel Defense Forces] and the Shin Bet in late November 2015, which included a series of provisions for the PA, such as strengthening its security by giving it more weapons, as well as granting work permits for Palestinians inside Israel, releasing Palestinian prisoners, granting permits for the export of goods from the West Bank to Israeli factories, allowing Palestinians to build houses in Area C in the West Bank, in addition to Israel refraining from any military action in Area A. This means that Israel is making a wrong political judgment that may harm the region in general by further exacerbating the [heated] situation. The PA can respond to these Israeli measures by calling for suspending the security coordination and reconsidering the political agreements signed with Israel such as the Oslo Accord in 1993, the Paris Economic Protocol in 1994 and the security coordination agreement in 1994.”

The Israeli newspaper Haaretz reported April 7 that Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu had stated that the IDF's freedom of action in Area A is sacred, which paves the way for the IDF to enter all areas in the West Bank without differentiating between Areas A, B or C.