Israel focuses on the West Bank - reasons for it

Israel focuses on the West Bank - reasons for it

The Israeli army intensified its operations in occupied West Bank. The aim is Palestinian militan groups, while roadblocks are built and municipalities are cut off by the rest of the world. This sudden expansion of the Israeli security measures has already cost at least 10 people and takes place in the context of the fragile ceasefire process in the Gaza Strip. In this process, Israeli hostages are to be released gradually, while a slow withdrawal of Israeli forces is planned at the same time.

Current situation in the West Bank

The Israeli Minister of Defense Israel Katz spoke of a new dynamic in West Bank. He said the military would use tactics that were learned during the offensive in the Gaza Strip to combat militant groups and "ensure that terrorism does not return". The Jenin refugee camp in the north of the West Bank, known for its narrow streets and as a stronghold of military factions, is the focus of the current campaign of the Israeli defense forces (IDF).

operation "iron wall"

Katz announced the "Iron Wall" operation on Tuesday, which aims to remove terrorists and the terror's infrastructure in the warehouse. "We want to ensure that terrorism does not return to the camp after completing the operation - this is the first lesson from the repeated missions in Gaza," he said. The goal of this operation is more ambitious than previous missions. Hundreds of civilians left the camp; The governor of Jenin, Kamal Abu al-Roug, reported that it was now almost empty. Water supply was parked and the area is "under siege".

growing military controls

The latest IDF operations include the construction of further roadblocks in the West Bank. The Commission for Colonization and Resistance to the Wall reported that there are now almost 900 military controls, including more than 173 iron gates that have been installed since October 2023. Al-Roug described the IDF operation as "one of the largest and most intense" that has been started so far: "We speak of over 20,000 people who have been expelled. Many have been arrested." Palestinian television reported that the IDF built roadblocks near Ramallah and sealed off a village in the area.

Influence of the ceasefire

The operation started two days after the first stage of the armistice in the Gaza Strip and shows a change in the focus of the Israeli government. The right -wing extremist finance minister Bezalel Smotrich said: "We have started to change the security concept in Judea and Samaria [the biblical term that many Israelis use for West Bank] and act in the fight against terrorism in the region." He also claimed that the cabinet had decided to determine the security in the West Bank as the official goal of the war. However, the prime minister's office did not confirm this step.

influences of the Trump administration

For some right-wing Israelis, the emergence of the Trump administration, together with success in the weakening of Hamas and Hezbollah, offers a unique opportunity to expand Israeli superiority in the region. During his first term, Trump gave up the long-term US position that settlements were illegal; Biddle restored it. More than 500,000 Jewish settlers live in the West Bank occupied by Israel, which was conquered by Jordan in 1967 in the war of Israel. According to international law, Jewish settlements are considered illegal.

summary

The situation in the West Bank is tense and is complicated by intensive military operations and the associated human rights issues. The ceasefire in the Gaza Strip could continue to burden the situation, while the hope of peace and stability remains fragile in the region.