Current sectionOpinionShare to FacebookShare to XArticle printing is available to subscribers onlyPrint in a simple, ad-free formatSubscribeComments: Zen reading is available to subscribers onlyAd-free and in a comfortable reading formatSubscribeHaaretz Editorial12:26 AM • September 01 2026 IDTAhead of the election, and given that the Americans are restricting Israel's moves on the Iranian front, in Gaza and in Lebanon, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's government has been left with no other arena than the West Bank, which it can set on fire. Loading...Click the alert icon to follow topics:Israel settlersIsrael settlementsWest BankIsrael occupationIDFOpinionBenjamin NetanyahuIsrael-PalestineCommentsLoading...In the NewsIn the News: Live UpdatesIran-U.S.E1 West BankBritish AcitivistEl-Sayed NetanyahuNBC CrewRoger WatersPollHaQuizHaaretz PodcastThere's No Point Warning Israel's Pyromaniac Gov't About the West Bank BlazeIDF Names New Central Command Chief Amid Ongoing Friction Over West Bank PolicyIsrael's Far-right Leaders Dodged the Draft but Now Preach War and ExpulsionU.S., Israel, Palestine: Three Dramatic Elections in One MonthEarth's Magnetic Field Can Help Archaeologists Sniff Out Forged AntiquitiesRemembering and rebuilding two years laterICYMI'Israel Is Sending Militias to Commit War Crimes – and I Have to Protect Them'Israeli Court Acquits Man of Assaulting Nun in Jerusalem's Old CityPoll: Likud Sinks to 19 Seats as New Right-wing Party Falls Below ThresholdParents to Suspend Classes at Tel Aviv School Over Admission of Migrant ChildrenJewish Space Lasers? Israel Wants 'Rods From God'Ben-Gvir's Ambush Shook Netanyahu – and Unleashed a War for Right-wing Votes