Israel has been fighting a multi-front war for fifteen months. The Hamas attack on October 7 was the trigger for Iranian-backed groups to attack Israel. This war has developed in stages.
The West Bank was not considered a major front of the war. However, the northern West Bank has seen increasing and growing threats to Israel. The threats include the use of improvised explosive devices (IEDs) as well as a large number of rifles in the hands of terrorists.
Israel launched a new operation in the West Bank on January 21. This followed a clear decision to use the ceasefire and relative calm on the Gaza and Lebanon fronts, to begin a crackdown in the northern West Bank.
The political leadership care a lot about this battle. It’s not just another tactical operation, as Israel has been conducting over the last year and a half. In fact, the IDF has carried out increasingly heavy operations in Jenin and other areas over the last two years.
This began with Operation Home and Garden in July 2023 which was the largest operation in the West Bank in almost two decades. The IDF also began using drones against terrorists in the West Bank and airstrikes, something that was also the first time since the Second Intifada.
Operation Iron Wall
However, the operation dubbed Iron Wall on January 21, 2025, is something else. It follows the decision by Israel to add security in the West Bank to be one of the war aims of the multi-front war.
It also follows the IDF deciding to focus resources on the West Bank. Israel added the West Bank as a focus after the ceasefire in Gaza.
This could be seen as a political decision to assuage right wing national religious politicians who opposed the Gaza hostage deal. However, it’s not just politics. The West Bank is a powder keg. The Palestinian Authority Security Forces have tried to deal with the problem, but the enemy is growing.
Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, said on January 21 “on the directive of the Security Cabinet, the IDF, the ISA and the Israel Police have today begun an extensive and significant military operation to defeat terrorism in Jenin – ‘Iron Wall’.” He said this was linked to the new goal of bolstering security in the West Bank.
“We are acting methodically and with determination against the Iranian axis wherever it reaches – in Gaza, Lebanon, Syria, Yemen, and Judea and Samaria – and we are still active.”
On January 20, IDF Chief of Staff Herzi Halevi had said “alongside enhanced defensive preparations in the Gaza Strip, we must be ready for significant counterterrorism operations in Judea and Samaria in the coming days to preempt and apprehend the terrorists before they reach our civilians.” The IDF has troops ready as well. Some troops have recently been redeployed out of Gaza or from northern Israel.
The IDF recently said that the troops of the Nahal Brigade, under the command of the 162nd Division, were preparing for their next missions after weeks of operations in the Beit Hanun area in the northern Gaza Strip.
All of this points to an important operation in the northern West Bank. However, this is a difficult nut to crack. The terrorists are active in Jenin, Tulkarm, Qalqilya, Nablus and many villages in the northern West Bank such as around Tubas and areas that overlook the Ghor al-Faria, a valley that spills out from the West Bank toward the Jordan River valley.
Another site of threats has been the small Fara camp near Tubas. The overall picture that is being drawn over the last year is that Palestinian Islamic Jihad and other groups are setting down larger roots.
Prisoner release
The prisoners being released as part of the hostage deal could also fan the flames of the battle for the Northern West Bank. For instance Zakaria Zubeidi is apparently going to be released in the deal.
Another terrorist known for being a ringleader at Gilboa prison and was involved in the infamous “prison pimping” case and sexual assaults of Israeli women prison guards is also being released to the northern West Bank.
According to reports, he has threatened Israeli women prison guard who were victims while serving at the prison, saying he would kidnap them to Nablus, near where he apparently lives. Having well known murderers and assaulters released into areas in the northern West Bank could send the message to young men who are joining terrorist groups that they can join them and then get released from prison if they commit crimes.
Another problem in the northern West Bank are all the illegal rifles being smuggled there. Several years ago, in November 2022, we began documenting this problem at the Post.
We discovered that certain types of M-16 and M-4 style rifles, as well as new accessories such as rifle sights, were becoming common in Jenin. Now this initial trickle of smuggled weapons has become a river.
The smuggled rifles, stolen from militaries in the region apparently, are showing up everywhere. Young Palestinian teens have access to the latest gear and are better armed than the Palestinian Authority Security Forces. The terror groups are also becoming more proficient in making bombs.
All of this points to a changing reality in the West Bank. The IDF’s decision to launch Iron Wall is important. However, the wider problem is that “mowing the grass” in the northern West Bank hasn’t worked in the past. Will it work now?