The provocative “trip” that ended in a bloodbath looks to the government like a crack in the new narrative it is trying to sell. Thanks to our determined policy — force, more force, and even more force — we have sharply reduced the number of attacks. The subtext is clear: October 7 was a glitch along the way; the people in charge simply weren’t alerted. Since then, we have taken command into our own hands. Then came the attempt to translate blood into land. Bezalel Smotrich wants, once again, to destroy Palestinian communities. The settlers are demanding the establishment of more settlements.
Horrifyingly, this certainly suits the commander of Central Command, who claims — contrary to basic security logic — that the “farms,” the branding used for illegal outposts (some of which have already been legalized), are actually a “security asset.” This is the same commander who allowed the rampage to continue, whose soldiers enable these “trips,” and who is always surprised and arrives at the scene too late. In Maj. Gen. Avi Blot’s view, there must be no connection between the “farms,” Jewish terrorism, and Palestinian violence. No, no — it’s just a small flame; pour some water on it and it will go out. Now the army is “warning” of a Jewish “response” to the killings, as though it were a research institute in Washington rather than the body responsible for making sure that no one dares to embark on revenge campaigns.
Perhaps the direction of events in the West Bank is about to change. For the better. In October, a different government may be elected. In November, the U.S. midterm elections will be held, and there is a good chance the Democrats will take control of the House of Representatives. Perhaps even the Senate. Given the way the Democratic Party currently looks, there is a chance this could translate into pressure from the House to change Israeli policy in the West Bank. For example, transferring the billions of dollars belonging to the Palestinians — their tax revenues, currently being held by Israel and leaving the Palestinian Authority on the brink of collapse.
In November, elections to the Palestinian parliament are supposed to take place for the first time in roughly 20 years. Hamas will not be allowed to run. It may try to field a list of its affiliates. If elections actually take place, a new Palestinian leadership could emerge. Perhaps it will become possible to start talking again. Probably not about a Palestinian state, but about a million other issues that affect the lives of both peoples.
Stephen Miller, an adviser to Donald Trump, entered this term with a ready-made package of 100 presidential executive orders. Miller understood that, under the shock of defeat, the other side would be unable to cope with a tsunami of executive orders, allowing Trump to bring about in a week changes he had failed to implement during his entire first term. Bezalel Smotrich understood this before him. He came to the coalition agreements after the election prepared down to the number of positions in the Defense Ministry and the question of who would provide legal counsel to the Settlement Administration.
Gadi Eisenkot and his partners must make sure they arrive no less prepared. In the event of victory, there must be no waiting around before implementing the changes. The Civil Administration must immediately be restored to its previous structure; Smotrich’s Settlement Administration must be dismantled; and it must be made clear that the Defense Ministry’s legal adviser and the Coordinator of Government Activities in the Territories understand that there is a new policy. The commander of Central Command cannot remain in his position. The chief of staff must ensure that the soldiers of the territorial-defense units return to being a force for defending communities, rather than an offensive militia.
The defense minister (Naftali Bennett?) should immediately restore administrative detention for Jewish terrorists, however objectionable the practice may be. The national security minister (Yair Golan?) should fundamentally reform the Judea and Samaria District, and the next prime minister must ensure that the Shin Bet’s Jewish Division once again has teeth. This must be done in one swift stroke, before the settler lobby finds its way into the heart of the new government. And they always do.