Jericho First: The Settlers Shift Gears from the Hills into the Palestinian Cities
Now in the crosshairs is Jericho | The entry of settlers into homes in one of the city's neighborhoods was accompanied by violence that drove away the neighbors: "We understood it was either the lives…
Assessment
Settler activity is moving beyond isolated hilltop outposts into Palestinian urban centers, with Jericho as the current target. Residents describe being driven from their homes by violence, and the army's response has been to set up checkpoints that contain the Palestinian population rather than remove the settlers. The sudden reopening of a road to a monastery, closed for three years, suggests coordinated infrastructure preparation for a new settlement inside the city. What happens in Jericho will test whether the state is willing to prevent settlement expansion inside Palestinian municipalities or will facilitate it.