West Bank Assault Part of Plan to ‘Ethnically Cleanse’ Palestinians: Analysts
TEHRAN (Tasnim) – The Israeli military has launched a large-scale operation in the occupied West Bank, deploying hundreds of soldiers and army vehicles in what analysts describe as a calculated move toward the ethnic cleansing of both the West Bank and Gaza.
Israeli forces have initiated a major military operation in the occupied West Bank, deploying hundreds of soldiers and heavy vehicles, resulting in intense gun battles and widespread destruction, as global attention remains focused on Gaza.
Intense gun battles have erupted between Israeli forces and Palestinian fighters, leading to significant destruction in neighborhoods within Jenin.
As the situation escalates, residents are facing severe shortages of food and water.
Mohamad Elmasry, a professor in the media studies program at the Doha Institute for Graduate Studies, stated that Israel's ongoing assault in the West Bank was premeditated before the events of October 7.
"Israel's plans involve annexing Palestinian land, ultimately over time getting rid of the Palestinian population and ethnically cleansing the West Bank and Gaza," Elmasry told Al Jazeera.
He added, "From Israel's perspective, right now is the perfect time to go to war with the West Bank because people are sort of distracted by what is happening in Gaza."
Elmasry also noted that Israel has been emboldened by the lack of a strong response from the United States regarding its ongoing genocidal war in Gaza.
"So if it can get away with it there, why not in the West Bank?" Elmasry said.
Mustafa Barghouti, secretary-general of the Palestinian National Initiative, condemned Israel's mass raids in the West Bank as a strategic move to expand control over the territory and displace more Palestinians.
"Israel's goal is to break down any form of resistance to their political plan," Barghouti told Al Jazeera.
He explained that Israel's political plan involves expanding settlements across the West Bank, annexing the territory, and dismantling any form of Palestinian authority.
Barghouti further stated that Israel's aggressions amount to waging war on an occupied population, a violation of international law, and represent a "fascist shift."
"Why are they (Israeli authorities) doing it now?" Barghouti asked, suggesting that the weak reaction from the international community to the atrocities in Gaza has emboldened Israel to act aggressively in the West Bank.
Israel's ongoing assaults on refugee camps in the occupied West Bank have drawn significant attention.
Since the operation began overnight on Wednesday, Israeli forces have killed at least 20 people in towns and refugee camps in Jenin, Nablus, Tubas, and Tulkarem.
The violence is not new for Palestinians in the West Bank, who have long endured displacement, dispossession, and Israeli military control.
In Gaza, where the Israeli war has been particularly intense, the territory had been densely populated, with 85,409 Palestine refugees registered with UNRWA before the latest escalation.
According to Gaza's Health Ministry, at least 40,691 people have been killed and 94,060 wounded in Israeli military attacks on Gaza since October 7.
In the past 24 hours alone, 89 Palestinians have been killed and 205 wounded, the ministry reported.
