Why the West Bank remains distanced from Gazas conflict?

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In a time when the images from Gaza show hundreds of casualties, the death toll surpassed 2,700 on Monday morning, in addition to the extensive destruction that has devastated entire families and neighborhoods...

The situation in the West Bank, where 3.25 million Palestinians reside, is relatively calmer.

Over the years, the Israeli occupation has expanded through establishing settlements, creating a distance of 115 kilometers between the West Bank and the Gaza Strip.

This distance has separated the two regions, leading to their complete isolation.

The West Bank has been witnessing sporadic incidents, such as shootings, vehicular attacks, throwing incendiary grenades, and other clashes from time to time, resulting in the deaths of 60 people so far.

So why is the West Bank somewhat uninvolved in this war? Three main reasons provide an answer to this question:

Geographical Location

The West Bank is surrounded on all sides by Israeli settlements, except to the east, where it borders Jordan.

This location makes it nearly impossible to smuggle weapons into the hands of Palestinians in the West Bank, especially since Jordanian security forces closely monitor the borders.

Governance

The West Bank is the Palestinian Authority's stronghold, led by Mahmoud Abbas.

According to the Palestinian news agency, Abbas has emphasized that the policies and actions of Hamas do not represent the Palestinian people.

Furthermore, the West Bank does not provide an environment encouraging Hamas's activities.

Israeli Security Control

Israeli security control over the West Bank and cooperation with the Palestinian Liberation Organization (PLO) Fatah faction, which represents the Authority in the West Bank, make it challenging to establish armed groups affiliated with Hamas in the West Bank.

However, this has not prevented Hamas sympathizers from conducting individual operations targeting Israelis.

All these factors have kept the West Bank relatively disengaged from the events occurring in the Gaza Strip after the Al-Aqsa Flood operation. But the public sentiment in the West Bank remained loud and clear in support of Gaza.