Al-Aqsa Mosque incursions: Will Israel open a new battlefront in the West Bank?

Report by Amal Shehadeh, English adaptation by Yasmine Jaroudi

From Gaza to Jerusalem, all eyes are on the escalating situation, with growing concerns that Israel may soon open a new front in the West Bank. 

Increasing violence and killings across various areas of the West Bank are among the indicators of this potential development. 

However, the most prominent sign is the ongoing incursions into the Al-Aqsa Mosque compound by Jewish extremists led by National Security Minister Itamar Ben-Gvir.

These actions are widely seen as a green light from Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's government, endorsing steps that not only threaten to alter the status of this sacred site for Palestinians and Arabs but also aim to impose an Israeli narrative on it. 

Following Ben-Gvir's controversial proposal to build a synagogue within the Al-Aqsa compound—a move that Israeli political and security officials have warned could have dangerous repercussions—the government has approved funding from the Heritage Ministry for guided tours of the site. These tours are expected to begin next month under police protection.

Ben-Gvir is increasingly viewed as a threat to Israel's security, a sentiment shared not only by the Israeli left and government critics but also by the legal advisor and fellow ministers who sit alongside him in the cabinet. His provocative actions come at a time when Israel remains entangled in a multi-front regional war, with critics arguing that the nation is fighting for its survival.

As Israel's internal divisions deepen, the military has yet to formulate a clear strategy for the southern front in Gaza and the northern front in Lebanon. 

Meanwhile, more than 100 hostages remain in Gaza, with mounting public pressure in Israel for their return—a deal that few believe Prime Minister Netanyahu is committed to achieving.

Ben-Gvir's efforts to impose a new reality in Al-Aqsa and announcing a military campaign in the West Bank expected to last several weeks have placed the entire region on edge. 

Israeli commentators are warning that the consequences of these actions could surpass even those of the recent Al-Aqsa Flood War.