The Hamas attacks in Israel on Oct. 7th, 2023 and the ensuing Israeli invasion and bombardment of Gaza have refocused the world's attention on Israel's continuing inability to address the issue of Palestinian autonomy.

On assignment for the NYT, Peter Van Agtmael traveled to Israel and the West Bank, including Hebron and Kiryat Arba, where the uneven justice system that has developed around Jewish settlements has allowed violence by extremist settlers against Palestinians to pervade these disputed places.

According to a senior Israeli defense official, since the event, some 7,000 settler reservists...