In the occupied West Bank, Palestinians live in the shadow of the ongoing war in Gaza. For them, this has meant increased raids and arrests, tightening security restrictions, settler violence and economic upheaval. We spend time with two Palestinians whose lives and livelihoods are being reshaped by the war and who worry that some of these changes may be long-lasting. Laith Al-Muti, a 29-year-old taxi driver and tour guide, now waits all day here at one of the Israeli-controlled checkpoints in Bethlehem. But nowadays hardly any visitors come. Thirteen miles away, in the Tel Rumeida area of Hebron, Wijdan Ziadeh’s life is also at a standstill. Palestinians in the area, the site of an Israeli settlement, say their movement, limited before the war, has felt even more restricted since October 7. Security control in Hebron is divided into two zones. H1 is managed by the Palestinian Authority and H2, where Ziadeh lives, is managed by the Israeli army. The Israeli military told the Times that security measures have been increased in the West Bank as part of a response to terrorist actors, including Hamas, and that its forces are in Tel Rumeida to help ensure the safety of all residents. But Ziadeh lives in fear of scenes of settler aggression like this one captured by a nearby Palestinian resident. Ziadeh says that since the war, her neighbors and settlers have become even more aggressive toward her and her two children. Across the West Bank, incidents of settler violence against Palestinians increased after October 7, according to the UN, which has recorded nearly 950 attacks as of June 2024. Palestinians in the area say the Israeli military is there to protect to the Palestinians. settlers and that settler violence against Palestinians goes largely unpunished, a decades-long pattern detailed in a recent Times investigation. Back in Bethlehem, Laith also fears for the future. Sites he used to frequent with tourists, such as the Church of the Nativity, are now empty. Al-Muti and Ziadeh say they don’t know what’s next for them or others in the West Bank.
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