In West Bank, the other half of Palestine, there’s worry, scramble for food

A local resident translates a line from one of the patriotic songs being played: “We are waiting so long, there is hope, they told us.”

As time passes, the gathering swells. Many of them wave the Palestinian flag, some are wearing the ruling Fatah party’s yellow ribbon on their arms. They shout slogans, all with a common theme — asking Israel to stop the bomb attacks.

Hamza, 30, is an English teacher at a high school. Asked about the Hamas attacks on October 7, he says, “We are defending our country, this is our homeland… We are against the killing of civilians, but civilians of Gaza have also been killed. Each one of them has martyrs in their family.”

In a corner of the square is a shop selling men’s clothing. Inside is a well-built man, in his early 30s, who is one of the owners. He doesn’t want to give his name. As the war clouds hover, he says: “The situation is going to be bad… politically, economically, even travel between Israel and Palestine… fearing the worst, people have already started stocking up on food.”

Speaking to The Indian Express, Mustafa Barghouti, leader of the Palestinian National Initiative and among the top politicians in the West Bank, says: “History does not begin on October 7. I do feel very sorry for the deaths of so many Palestinians and Israeli citizens, civilians. But, at the same time, I must say that what happened on October 7 was one of the consequences of Israeli behaviour in the West Bank, where the Israeli Army, along with the Israeli illegal settlers, was conducting a joint campaign of terror against the Palestinian civilian population, which led to the deaths of 248 Palestinians, including 40 children, even before the war started in Gaza.”

“The Hamas was trying to interfere and respond to all these things, and the situation went out of control… what happened, has happened. But since then, in my opinion, what Israel is doing now in Gaza is not like a reaction, it must have been planned, and (Israel was) waiting for the opportunity. They think they now have the opportunity, and… are now conducting horrible war crimes. These war crimes were preceded by a big campaign to dehumanise Palestinians,” says Barghouti, former Palestinian information minister.