Latest news with #JewishSettlers
Asharq Al-Awsat
6 days ago
- Politics
- Asharq Al-Awsat
Israel's Parliament Backs Symbolic Motion to Annex the West Bank
Israeli lawmakers voted 71-13 in favor of the measure, which calls for 'applying Israeli sovereignty to Judea, Samaria and the Jordan Valley,' the biblical terms for the area. Wednesday's motion, advanced by Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's coalition, is declarative and has no direct legal implications, although it could place the issue of annexation on the agenda of future debates in the parliament. Israel captured the West Bank in the 1967 Mideast war, along with the Gaza Strip and east Jerusalem. The Palestinians want all three for a future state. Some 3 million Palestinians and over 500,000 Jewish settlers live in the West Bank. Annexation of the West Bank could make it impossible to create a viable Palestinian state alongside Israel, which is seen internationally as the only realistic way to resolve the conflict. Last year, the Israeli parliament approved a similar symbolic motion declaring opposition to the establishment of a Palestinian state.
Arab News
21-07-2025
- Politics
- Arab News
Israel's annexation playbook and the looming explosion
Israel is meticulously following a textbook model of instigating unrest in the West Bank. The latest provocation consisted of stripping the Palestinian-run Hebron municipality of its administrative powers over the venerable Ibrahimi Mosque. Worse, according to Israel Hayom, it transferred these powers to the religious council of the Kiryat Arba Jewish settlement, an extremist settler body. Though all Jewish settlers in the Occupied Territories can be qualified as extremists, the approximately 7,500 inhabitants of Kiryat Arba represent a more virulent category. This settlement, established in 1972, serves as a strategic foothold to justify subjecting Hebron to stricter military control than virtually any other part of the West Bank. Kiryat Arba is infamously linked to Baruch Goldstein, the US-Israeli settler who, in February 1994, unleashed a horrific attack. He opened fire at Muslim worshippers as they knelt for dawn prayer at the Ibrahimi Mosque, mercilessly killing 29. This bloodbath was swiftly followed by another, with the Israeli army brutally cracking down on Palestinian protesters in Hebron and across the West Bank, murdering an additional 25 Palestinians. In 1994, Israel decided that the Palestinian mosque, a site of profound religious significance, should be grotesquely divided: 63 percent allocated to Jewish worshippers and a mere 37 percent to Palestinian Muslims. Since that calamitous decision, oppressive restrictions have been systematically imposed. These include pervasive surveillance and, at times, unjustifiable, extended closures of the site, leaving it solely for settler use. The Ibrahimi Mosque is a microcosm of something far more sinister that is underway across the West Bank Dr. Ramzy Baroud The latest decision, described by Israel Hayom as 'historic and unprecedented,' is profoundly dangerous. It places the fate of this historic Palestinian mosque directly in the hands of those fanatically keen on acquiring the holy site in its entirety. But the Ibrahimi Mosque is merely a microcosm of something far more sinister that is underway across the West Bank. Israel has exploited its war in Gaza to dramatically escalate its violence, carry out mass arrests, confiscate vast tracts of land, systematically destroy Palestinian farms and orchards, and aggressively expand illegal settlements. Though the West Bank, previously largely subdued by joint Israeli military pressure and Palestinian Authority crackdowns, was not a direct party to the Oct. 7, 2023, assault or the ongoing Israeli genocide in Gaza, it has inexplicably become a major focus for Israeli military measures. In the first year of the war, more than 10,400 Palestinians were detained in Israeli army crackdowns, with thousands held without charge. Furthermore, hundreds of Palestinians have been forcibly ethnically cleansed, largely from the northern West Bank, where entire refugee camps and towns have been systematically destroyed in protracted military campaigns. Israel's overarching aim remains the strangulation of the West Bank. This is achieved by severing communities using ubiquitous military checkpoints, imposing total closures of vast regions and cruelly suspending work permits for Palestinian laborers, who are almost entirely dependent on the Israeli jobs market for survival. This insidious plan also explicitly targets all Palestinian holy sites, including the revered Al-Aqsa Mosque compound in East Jerusalem and the Ibrahimi Mosque. Even when these shrines were nominally accessible, age restrictions and suffocating military checkpoints make it difficult, at times utterly impossible, for Palestinians to worship there. In August 2024, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu asserted that his relentless violent campaign against the West Bank was part of Israel's confrontation of the 'broader Iran terror axis.' Practically, this statement served as a green light for the Israeli army to treat the West Bank as an extension of its ongoing genocide in Gaza. By the middle of this month, more than 900 Palestinians had been killed by the Israeli army in the West Bank since Oct. 7, 2023, with at least another 15 murdered by settlers. Israel's actions are not a sudden deviation but are consistent with a long-standing, insidious scheme Dr. Ramzy Baroud As Palestinians were pushed further against the wall, with no centralized strategy by their leadership to meaningfully resist, Israel exponentially increased its illegal settlement construction and brazen legalization of numerous outposts, many built illegally even by Israeli government standards. Israel's actions in the West Bank are not a sudden deviation but are consistent with a long-standing, insidious scheme. This includes a plan solidified by the Knesset in 2020 that 'allows' Israel to officially annex the West Bank. Israel's ultimate goal has always been to confine the majority of Palestinians to Bantustan-like enclaves, while asserting full control over the vast majority of the region. In August 2023, extremist National Security Minister Itamar Ben-Gvir articulated this sinister vision: 'My right, the right of my wife and my children to move around Judea and Samaria (the West Bank) is more important than freedom of movement for the Arabs.' More coercive measures swiftly followed, including Knesset laws to significantly curtail UNRWA operations and further legislation to entrench de facto annexation. In May, Smotrich audaciously announced 22 more settlements. On July 2, 14 Israeli ministers made a public call on Netanyahu to immediately annex the West Bank. In fact, every action Israel has undertaken, especially since the commencement of its devastating genocide in Gaza, has been carefully calculated to culminate in the irreversible annexation of the West Bank — a process that would inevitably be followed by declaring native inhabitants personae non gratae in their own homeland. This level of systemic pressure and oppression will ultimately lead to a popular explosion. Though suppressed by the brutality of the Israeli army, the terror of armed settlers and the suppressive actions of the PA, the breaking point is fast approaching. Those in the West who preach hollow calls for calm and de-escalation must understand that the region is hurtling toward the brink. Neither diplomatic platitudes nor sterile press releases will avert the catastrophe. They are advised to act decisively against Israel's destructive policies — and they must act immediately.
Al Arabiya
30-06-2025
- Politics
- Al Arabiya
Israeli settlers rampage at a military base in the West Bank
Dozens of Israeli settlers rampaged around a military base in the Israeli-occupied West Bank, setting fires, vandalizing military vehicles, spraying graffiti, and attacking soldiers, the military said. Sunday night's unrest came after several attacks in the West Bank carried out by Jewish settlers and anger at their arrests by security forces attempting to contain the violence over the past few days. More than 100 settlers on Wednesday evening entered the West Bank town of Kfar Malik, setting property ablaze and opening fire on Palestinians who tried to stop them, Najeb Rostom, head of the local council, said. Three Palestinians were killed after the military intervened. Israeli security forces arrested five settlers. Far-right Security Minister Itamar Ben-Gvir, who has often defended Israelis accused of similar crimes, offered a rare condemnation of Sunday's violence. 'Attacking security forces, security facilities and IDF soldiers who are our brothers, our protectors is a red line and must be dealt with in full severity. We are brothers,' he wrote on X. Opposition leader Yair Lapid told Israel's Army radio that the riots were carried out by 'Jewish terrorist gangs of criminals who feel backed by the (governing) coalition.' A hard-line supporter of Jewish settlements, Ben-Gvir was previously convicted in Israel of racist incitement and support for terrorist groups and has called for the deportation of all Arab citizens from Israel. Though once widely shunned by Israel's politicians, Ben-Gvir's influence has grown and, alongside a shift to the right in the country's electorate, has further emboldened violence from extremist settlers in the West Bank. Footage on Israeli media showed dozens of young religious men typically associated with 'hilltop youth' – an extremist movement of Israeli settlers who occupy West Bank hilltops and have been accused of attacking Palestinians and their property. The footage showed security forces using stun grenades as dozens of settlers gathered around the military base just north of Ramallah. The Israeli military released photos of the infrastructure burned in the attack, which it said included systems that help thwart terrorist attacks and maintain security. Defense Minister Israel Katz vowed Monday to 'eradicate this violence from the root' and implored the extremist settlers to remember that many of the security forces are exhausted reservists serving multiple rounds of duty. Over the past two years of the Israel–Hamas war in Gaza, Palestinian residents in the West Bank have reported a major increase in Israeli checkpoints and delays across the territory. Israel, meanwhile, says threats from the West Bank against its citizens are on the rise. Israel captured the West Bank, Gaza and east Jerusalem in the 1967 Mideast war, and Palestinians want all three territories for their future state. The West Bank is home to some 3 million Palestinians live under seemingly open-ended Israeli military rule and 500,000 Jewish settlers. The international community overwhelmingly considers settlements illegal.
Asharq Al-Awsat
30-06-2025
- Politics
- Asharq Al-Awsat
Israeli Settlers Rampage at a Military Base in the West Bank
Dozens of Israeli settlers rampaged around a military base in the Israeli-occupied West Bank, setting fires, vandalizing military vehicles, spraying graffiti and attacking soldiers, the military said. Sunday night's unrest came after several attacks in the West Bank carried out by Jewish settlers and anger at their arrests by security forces attempting to contain the violence over the past few days, The Associated Press said. More than 100 settlers on Wednesday evening entered the West Bank town of Kfar Malik, setting property ablaze and opening fire on Palestinians who tried to stop them, Najeb Rostom, head of the local council, said. Three Palestinians were killed after the military intervened. Israeli security forces arrested five settlers. Far-right Security Minister Itamar Ben-Gvir, who has often defended Israelis accused of similar crimes, offered a rare condemnation of Sunday's violence. 'Attacking security forces, security facilities, and Israeli soldiers who are our brothers, our protectors, is a red line, and must be dealt with in full severity. We are brothers,' he wrote on X. Opposition leader Yair Lapid told Israel's Army radio that the riots were carried out by 'Jewish terrorists, gangs of criminals, who feel backed by the (governing) coalition.' A hard-line supporter of Jewish settlements, Ben-Gvir was previously convicted in Israel of racist incitement and support for terrorist groups, and has called for the deportation of all Arab citizens from Israel. Though once widely shunned by Israel's politicians, Ben-Gvir's influence has grown and alongside a shift to the right in the country's electorate has further emboldened violence from extremist settlers in the West Bank. Footage on Israeli media showed dozens of young, religious men typically associated with 'hilltop youth,' an extremist movement of Israeli settlers who occupy West Bank hilltops and have been accused of attacking Palestinians and their property. The footage showed security forces using stun grenades as dozens of settlers gathered around the military base just north of Ramallah. The Israeli military released photos of the infrastructure burned in the attack, which it said included 'systems that help thwart terrorist attacks and maintain security.' Defense Minister Israel Katz vowed Monday to 'eradicate this violence from the root,' and implored the extremist settlers to remember that many of the security forces are exhausted reservists serving multiple rounds of duty. Over the past two years of the Israel-Hamas war in Gaza, Palestinian residents in the West Bank have reported a major increase in Israeli checkpoints and delays across the territory. Israel, meanwhile, says threats from the West Bank against its citizens are on the rise. Israel captured the West Bank, Gaza and east Jerusalem in the 1967 Mideast war, and Palestinians want all three territories for their future state. The West Bank is home to some 3 million Palestinians live under seemingly open-ended Israeli military rule, and 500,000 Jewish settlers. The international community overwhelmingly considers settlements illegal.
Washington Post
30-06-2025
- Politics
- Washington Post
Israeli settlers rampage at a military base in the West Bank
TEL AVIV, Israel — Dozens of Israeli settlers rampaged around a military base in the Israeli-occupied West Bank, setting fires, vandalizing military vehicles, spraying graffiti and attacking soldiers, the military said. Sunday night's unrest came after several attacks in the West Bank carried out by Jewish settlers and anger at their arrests by security forces attempting to contain the violence over the past few days.
