Fathers, Sons, and a Struggle for Statehood: Life and Loss in the West Bank
States are meant to protect. But so are fathers.
Earlier this month, 13-year-old Islam Majarmeh was standing beside his father, Abdel Aziz, at the entrance of the Jenin refugee camp in the occupied West Bank when Israeli forces opened fire.
“My son fell to the ground, and then I heard the shot,” Abdel Aziz recalled. “An army jeep pulled up, and soldiers pointed their weapons at me, telling me to leave. I didn’t even know my son was martyred. I just began dragging him away.”
Abdel Aziz had gone to the camp, under Israeli military control since January, to retrieve family documents from his home. Instead, he left with a heartbreak that no parent should endure.
“There is no one for me to complain to,” he said, frustration heavy in his voice. “They control everything. The Palestinian Authority cannot even protect itself—it only carries out the decisions of Israel.”
For Abdel Aziz, the pain is twofold: powerless as a Palestinian, yet shattered as a father.
“In my mind, I keep asking that soldier: why a 13-year-old? I was standing right there. Shoot me. Why are you killing children? Shoot me instead.”
The Israeli army later claimed its forces had acted against a “threat” in a closed military zone, but it did not explain what threat a teenage boy posed.
A Camp Under Siege
Three decades ago, Jenin and other West Bank cities were handed to the Palestinian Authority under the Oslo Peace Accords, meant to serve as stepping stones to Palestinian statehood. But instead of peace, Israel says terrorism flourished.
In January, Israeli tanks rolled into Jenin and nearby Tulkarem, declaring a mission to crush armed Palestinian groups. Since then, soldiers have remained, demolishing homes and leveling large areas of both camps.
Jenin’s mayor, Mohammed Jarrar, described the transformation: “Around 40% of Jenin is now a military zone, and nearly a quarter of residents—everyone in the camp included—has been displaced.”
At the camp entrance where Islam was killed, a mound of earth now blocks the road. Army vehicles may be gone, but residents say Israeli snipers still watch from rooftops.
“This was never just about security,” Jarrar argued. “It is a political plan. This government wants to annex the West Bank and silence any opposition to that plan.”
International Recognition Amid Ongoing Struggle
As Israeli control tightens, momentum is building abroad. The UK, France, and other nations are preparing to recognize a Palestinian state, even as the Gaza war drags on. More than 140 countries already have.
“Recognition matters,” said Jarrar. “It confirms that Palestine is a state, even if under occupation. I know it may bring more pressure and even more occupation, but it is still essential for shaping the future of our people.”
Israel, however, is firm in rejection. Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu recently told settlers: “There will be no Palestinian state. This land is ours.” His far-right allies openly call for annexation, with plans to absorb as much as 82% of the West Bank, leaving Palestinians in isolated enclaves.
Settlers and Shifting Realities
Across the West Bank, new settler outposts are appearing at record pace. Human rights groups say they often spark harassment, arson, and violence against Palestinians, while Israeli forces stand by—or even support them.
In the hills south of Nablus, Ayman Soufan watches from his window as settlers from the nearby Yitzhar settlement build a makeshift outpost just meters from his family home.
“They bang on my door and shout, ‘Leave!’ They throw garbage at my house,” Ayman said. “I call the authorities, but the army never comes. The settlers are the army, the police, everything.”
His family has lived there since after Israel’s 1967 occupation. His father died of a heart attack when settlers set their home on fire in 2003. It has been torched multiple times since.
“Who will protect me? The Palestinian police? They cannot even protect the cities,” Ayman said. “Here, my security is in the hands of the people occupying me.”
Despite everything, he refuses to leave. “If I ever leave this house, it will be when I’m carried out dead. Every corner holds my childhood, my memories. How could I abandon it?”
Recognition vs. Reality
The decades since Oslo have seen trust collapse. Palestinian institutions have weakened. Israeli settlement expansion has accelerated. Armed resistance has grown.
Yet for bereaved father Abdel Aziz, hope remains. “Palestine was never theirs, and it will never be theirs,” he said. “Sooner or later, they will leave. Palestine will be free.”
For Britain, France, and others, recognizing Palestine is more than symbolism—it is a statement that Israel cannot alone erase Palestinian statehood. But on the ground, facts may matter more than declarations.
As one Israeli official put it, the West Bank is like the “Wild West”: sovereignty is decided not in conference halls but by bulldozers, rifles, and the slow creep of settlements.