THE Israeli government has launched a major military offensive in the occupied West Bank, miles away from Gaza, where its deadly attacks have killed and wounded more than 135,000 Palestinians. Since Wednesday (August 28), hundreds of Israeli soldiers, armored vehicles, drones, fighter jets and bulldozers have been deployed in the northern West Bank, specifically targeting the cities of Jenin, Tulkarem and Tubas.
It is Israel’s largest military operation in the West Bank in more than two decades. Its forces have killed and wounded scores of Palestinians in the past two days, adding to the more than 6,000 casualties in the occupied territory since the Gaza war began on October 7. They have also destroyed scores of Palestinian homes and property, along with critical infrastructure including roads, water and sewage networks, and electricity poles.
For Palestinian political analyst Nour Odeh, the massive escalation in the West Bank is a clear reflection of Israel’s mentality that wants permanent, complete and absolute control. “This is very clearly stated in the Israeli government’s program, which states that the government’s main goal is the annexation of the West Bank,” Odeh said as reported by Anadolu, Saturday (8/31).
He dismissed Israeli attempts to claim the offensive was a response to escalating attacks by Palestinian militants. “Strategically and realistically, this is not about fighting the Palestinian resistance, which is nominally in the West Bank. It is very limited and has very little impact on Israel, compared to what is happening in Gaza,” he said.
Israeli Foreign Minister Israel Katz has called on the military to emulate the actions it has taken in Gaza, saying in a statement Wednesday that the operation in the West Bank involved the temporary evacuation of Palestinian residents. “When you hear the Israeli foreign minister say … we need to attack in the same way we fought in Gaza, that gives you an idea of the mindset that is prevailing or that is making these decisions,” Odeh said.
According to him, that’s why you see Israeli soldiers blocking paramedics, surrounding hospitals, deciding who gets treatment, destroying civilian infrastructure, cutting off water and electricity, and so on. “Instead, there are attempts to turn Gaza into the West Bank … by dissecting it, dividing it, blocking movement from north to south, and by discussing the appointment of a military leader.”
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What Israel is doing in the West Bank, he said, is accelerating steps to facilitate ethnic cleansing, to expel as many Palestinians as possible from their homes and communities.”
“They (Israeli officials) don’t mince words about it, and it’s not targeting one specific area in the West Bank. The entire West Bank is on the radar of the Israeli right wing. They want it all,” he said, reiterating that their goal is “total control.”
“Militarily, Israel has supreme power over the West Bank, over the movement of Palestinians, the movement of goods in Palestine, the water supply. They control every aspect of life,” Odeh said.
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The current Israeli escalation “paves the way not only to destroy densely populated centers such as Tulkarem, Jenin and others, but also to facilitate the reconstruction of settlements in these areas, especially in Jenin, where there are very few settlements,” he added.
All this comes after two years of record-breaking Israeli violence in the West Bank, breaking records for the number of Palestinians killed, the number of homes demolished, the amount of land confiscated. Since October 7, Israel has killed at least 670 Palestinians and injured nearly 5,400 others in the West Bank, in addition to arresting some 10,300 others.
Settlement expansion, all of which is illegal under international law, has also accelerated, along with the seizure of Palestinian land. Last month, Israel approved the largest land seizure in the occupied West Bank since the Oslo Accords, with Israeli anti-settlement watchdog PeaceNow warning that 2024 would mark a peak in the extent of state land declarations.
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“They have taken over more land than they have ever done since the beginning of the Oslo process. This really reflects the program of the Israeli government and what it wants to do, which is to take over the West Bank completely. To take over completely, Israel considers settlement construction and expansion a high national goal,” said Odeh, a former Palestinian Authority spokesman.
Without sanctions
In a major advisory opinion on July 19, the International Court of Justice (ICJ) declared Israel’s occupation of Palestinian land unlawful and called for the evacuation of all settlements in the West Bank and East Jerusalem. The ICJ is also separately evaluating Israel’s actions in Gaza, a case brought by South Africa, to determine whether they constitute genocide. The court’s deliberations are expected to take years to complete.
“I think what’s interesting and ironic about all of this is that it has prompted the highest court in the world to not only declare that the Israeli occupation of the West Bank and Gaza is illegal, but that it must be ended and dismantled in all its forms, including the military presence and the settlements, which are war crimes. They[ICJ judges]even talked about Israeli settler attacks, and they considered them to be part of a structure of violence and a structure of illegal occupation that uses extreme violence and racism against Palestinians to maintain control,” he said.
Another aspect discussed by the ICJ is the involvement of states and their obligation to stop aiding or supporting, in any way, the continued illegal occupation of the Palestinian territories and the continued military attacks on the Palestinian people, which are essential components for maintaining this occupation.
Odeh said that while some countries may be saying the right things now instead of remaining silent or fully buying into Israel’s narrative, what is crucial remains concrete action to pressure Israel. “As long as there is no proper action, Israel will not feel pressure to stop its military offensive in the West Bank, stop the genocide in Gaza, control the settlers, and stop the land grabbing,” he said.
Odeh also urged us to be wary of Israel’s clever attempts to divide the big picture. He said Israel’s actions are comprehensive, and to always remember that Gaza and the West Bank are not two separate worlds or two separate entities.
“Israel’s war on Palestine is comprehensive. It does not differentiate between Palestinians based on where they live. We are the same target in the Israeli right-wing mindset, and everyone is subject to ethnic cleansing and forced displacement, because the ultimate goal of this government, and the political reality it represents, is a Palestine without Palestinians,” he concluded. (I-2)
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