Washington DC – In the wake of terror attacks, expanding West Bank military operations, ongoing settler violence and growing calls by the far-right to illegally annex Palestinian territory, J Street Vice President and Chief of Staff Adina Vogel Ayalon released the following statement:

“We were horrified by the terror attack last week in which buses exploded near Tel Aviv, with thankfully no injuries. The attack emphasized the danger of escalation and the need to pursue a carefully calibrated strategy to keep Israel secure and prevent terrorist attacks. Instead, what we have seen is a surge in violence and displacement and chaos across the West Bank since the Gaza ceasefire went into effect. There are extremists on both sides who seem to be actively trying to ignite a new war in the West Bank now that the war in Gaza has been put on hold.

In the past few weeks, we’ve seen Israeli settlers and far-right leaders engage in despicable, reckless actions in the West Bank that jeopardize the Gaza ceasefire and threaten further escalation. We’ve seen gangs of extremist settlers attack Palestinian communities in the West Bank with impunity – throwing molotov cocktails into homes, destroying businesses, terrorizing families and attacking Israeli security forces as well.

Following the terror attack, Prime Minister Netanyahu visited Tulkarm in Area A of the West Bank to declare his intent to expand military operations in the West Bank, and Defense Minister Katz boasted that 40,000 Palestinians have been forced from their homes. This is the largest displacement of Palestinians in the West Bank since the Arab-Israeli war of 1967. Just as we know there are legitimate and lawful reasons to pursue terror cells in the West Bank, we also acknowledge that mass displacement raises legitimate fears from generations of Palestinian families who have been forced from their homes, never to return. Major IDF operations targeting terror groups in the West Bank have also killed and injured multiple civilians beyond their intended targets – including killing several children.

This volatile situation underscores the danger posed by President Trump’s proposal to ‘take over’ Gaza and force out its two million residents – and an appalling motion at CPAC last week to support the unlawful Israeli annexation of the West Bank. If the White House wants to prevent another potentially catastrophic, entirely unnecessary conflict from igniting, it must back away from annexationist rhetoric, restrain right-wing extremists, preserve space for credible, targeted operations and restore aid to Palestinian security services even as it presses them to implement agreed reforms.”