Lawlessness Is the Source of the West Bank’s Current Problems

On Monday, a Palestinian stabbed an Israeli in Samaria, injuring him seriously. He later tried to stab the IDF soldiers tasked with tracking him down, who then killed him. This terrorist attack follows on much more widely reported incidents of Jewish attacks on, and harassment of, Palestinians. In conversation with Aylana Meisel Diament, Amiad Cohen argues that the common source of these problems is widespread lawlessness in the West Bank, in turn a product of legal ambiguity and the lack of normal policing. He argues for a set of reforms that would bring order and help to solve all sorts of more mundane problems—like property claims—while improving the circumstances of Israelis and Palestinians alike. (Video, 38 minutes. Audio-only available on podcast platforms.)