Israel’s West Bank raids seek to sideline Palestinian Authority: Ex-diplomat
Alon Pinkas, a former Israeli diplomat, says he doesn’t believe the Netanyahu government plans to annex the entire West Bank during its latest military incursion because of the sticky issue of governance over the large Palestinian population.
But, he said, it’s clear the Israeli government is attempting to sideline the Palestinian Authority.
“This government is intent on weakening the Palestinian Authority. A few months ago – even though everyone stopped talking about it – there was a plan for post-war Gaza with the Palestinian Authority extending its governance from the West Bank,” Pinkas told Al Jazeera.
“With this [West Bank] operation, Israel is weakening the Palestinian Authority to the point where there’s not going to be anyone to negotiate with. And that is the grand plan that the government has.”
‘It’s absurd to ask the perpetrator of a genocide for a ceasefire’
Miko Peled, from the Palestine House of Freedom, says that the large protests in Israel will not have a tangible effect on the war on Gaza because the fundamental demand to stop the mass killing of Palestinians is absent.
“It’s a group within Israeli society that doesn’t like Netanyahu’s policies and has been trying to push him away but his majority in the Knesset is solid, his support from the right is solid, and really, if these protesters were serious about releasing the hostages, they would focus on ending the mass killing of Palestinians,” he said.
“Since there’s no real concern being expressed for the fate and safety and security of Palestinians who are being butchered by the tens of thousands in Gaza and the West Bank. I don’t believe these protests are serious.
“It’s absurd to ask the perpetrator of a genocide for a ceasefire. The asks are the wrong asks. The premise for the negotiations is the wrong premise. There has to be an absolute clear demand to end the killing of Palestinians. Nothing short of that is going to bring about any change,” Peled told Al Jazeera.
