One year into Palestinian uprising: What’s the status today?
The popular uprising in the West Bank has significantly waned, but not disappeared, in recent months in the absence of organized political support.
RAMALLAH, West Bank — The Palestinian uprising in the West Bank that began in July 2015 has receded, but because the underlying causes still exist and resentment still smolders, observers say the violence could reignite at any time.
It has been a year since the popular uprising erupted after Israeli settlers were blamed for a July 31 arson attack that killed three of the four members of the Dawabsha family, including an 18-month-old boy, and severely wounded the boy's older brother. Clashes broke out in various parts of the West Bank between Palestinians and Israeli army forces and settlers, continuing for months. The Israeli army deployed hundreds of troops in Palestinian towns and villages.
Some aspects of the popular uprising — such as confrontations at military checkpoints and contact areas — have faded today. The number of individual attacks (stabbings and running people over with cars) carried out against settlers and Israeli soldiers has dropped.
According to statistics published annually by the Shin Bet, the Israeli internal security service, 609 attacks were carried out in October 2015 (including throwing of stones and Molotov cocktails), compared with 155 in March 2016. The monthly figure has continued to fall, to 101 attacks in May 2016 and 103 in June, the Shin Bet reported in additional data on its website. The number of Palestinians killed also has decreased, as 145 deaths were registered in just the last three months of 2015, compared with 92 this year through June.
