A third Palestinian intifada under way?

Sabaaneh became one of the more than 97 Palestinians killed by Israeli forces so far this year in the West Bank — making it the deadliest year in the West Bank for Palestinians killed by Israeli soldiers since 2015. Israel claims most killed were clashing violently with soldiers.

The Israel Defense Forces (IDF) said in a statement it came under attack by “rioters” the night Sabaaneh died and is examining the circumstances around his death. Although his cousin displays a photo of Sabaaneh with a gun, a common pose for young men from Jenin, nothing in his video suggests he was armed when he was killed.

The West Bank, which has been under Israeli military occupation since 1967, is simmering. Between the near-nightly Israeli raids, the clashes, the ensuing deaths, arrests and a political vacuum under an increasingly unpopular Palestinian Authority, there are fears it could soon boil over into a third Intifada, or uprising.

For months, Israel has been regularly raiding cities in the West Bank, saying it is targeting militants and their weapon caches before they have the chance to cross into Israel and carry out attacks. The operation, dubbed ‘Breaking the Wave’ by the IDF, was launched after a series of attacks earlier in the year killed 17 within Israel, three of whom were police or soldiers. One Israeli security guard and two Israeli soldiers have been killed in attacks in or near the West Bank since the beginning of the year, bringing the total to 20.