Israeli politicians are increasingly turning to the West Bank as a stage for electoral maneuvering amid fierce competition two months before elections scheduled for October. As the campaign heats up and the government loses ground in opinion polls, far-right National Security Minister Itamar Ben-Gvir entered a UN Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees (UNRWA) compound in Qalandiya, between Jerusalem and Ramallah, accompanied by Israeli forces and media, and declared that Israel had “taken control” of the site. At the same time, Religious Zionism lawmaker Zvi Sukkot entered the village of Madama near Nablus under military protection and began demolishing a memorial to Palestinian fighters. Ben-Gvir arrived at the UNRWA compound with Israeli police and coverage from the right-wing Channel 14, declaring that he was “making history.” He later posted a photograph of an Israeli flag raised over the site with the caption, “UNRWA is in our hands.” UNRWA condemned the “unauthorized and deeply disturbing incursion” into its Qalandiya Training Center. The Palestinian Authority, Palestinian factions and institutions also denounced the raid, while the Palestinian presidency called on the UN Security Council to convene urgently and take binding measures to halt Israeli actions against UN facilities in Jerusalem and Qalandiya. Israel closed UNRWA’s headquarters in East Jerusalem’s Sheikh Jarrah neighborhood in early 2025 over its alleged ties to Hamas and later announced its seizure after the Knesset voted to ban the agency from operating in Israel. The Qalandiya center, whose employees were expelled before the takeover, provides free vocational training in 16 fields to Palestinian refugee students. The 80-dunam site was provided to the UN by Jordan in 1952. In Madama, Sukkot said he had personally come to demolish the memorial after the Israeli military failed to act on his request to remove such monuments across the West Bank. Video showing Sukkot tearing down the structure as Israeli soldiers looked on sparked an uproar and sharp criticism of both the lawmaker and the military. The Israeli military accused Sukkot of “manipulation and deception,” acting without authority and violating agreed arrangements. It said troops eventually halted the demolition. Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu backed Ben-Gvir, saying the minister had acted on his instructions and that further measures would be taken against UNRWA. He did not, however, endorse Sukkot’s actions. “The army is the sovereign authority in Judea and Samaria,” Netanyahu said, using Israel’s term for the West Bank. “Taking the law into one’s own hands, particularly by public figures, is unacceptable.” Foreign Minister Gideon Saar similarly stressed that Sukkot “is not the sovereign” in the West Bank. Opposition leaders sharply condemned the incident. Democrats leader Yair Golan accused Sukkot of trying to ignite another war, while Naftali Bennett, leader of the Together party, accused the government of damaging Israel’s security and international standing “for TikTok views.” Yashar party leader Gadi Eisenkot called Sukkot’s conduct “disgraceful.” Senior military officials told Maariv that Ben-Gvir and Sukkot were seeking to inflame tensions and trigger a third intifada ahead of the elections. Security officials issued a similar warning Tuesday, telling Israel’s Kan public broadcaster that the West Bank was close to erupting, accusing political figures of deliberately aggravating tensions. “It is an arena that could explode at any moment,” a security source said. “Instead of calming it, ministers and Knesset members are making matters worse.”
