Tensions Rise between Israel and Palestine

On October 1, an Israeli couple was killed by suspected Palestinian attackers in the occupied West Bank as the couple was driving with their four children. In subsequent days, several Israelis were wounded, and at least four were killed, in five separate stabbing attacks involving Palestinian assailants. Violence between the Israeli Defense Force (IDF) and Palestinian protesters has simultaneously moved past the West Bank and into the Gaza Strip. The ongoing clashes have resulted in the death of 24 Palestinians in the month of October. This figure includes the lives of two Palestinian teenagers who were shot at a protest near the border of the Gaza Strip.

The conflict has been heightened as a result of the Rosh Hashanah disputes over the Haram al-Sharif compound. Israelis visiting the site, which they call Temple Mount, leads to greater IDF presence in the area. Some Palestinians view the IDF presence as a serious intrusion at their religious holy site, which prevents them from engaging in prayer.

The recent spate of violence has been accompanied by a rise in political tension. In a speech to the United Nations, Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas decried Israel’s alleged refusal “to commit to the agreements signed with [the Palestinians]” and declared that Palestine could no longer be bound by the Oslo Accord of 1993. Attempts by leaders from both sides to quell the violence with calming rhetoric have been unsuccessful, and some are beginning to wonder whether the conflict may be the Third Intifada.