Israel sees West Bank as its ‘big prize’
More than a year into the war on Gaza, Israel’s government is increasingly shifting attention to the occupied West Bank, which it is openly discussing annexing and where Israeli settler attacks have become a “daily routine”, says Tamer Qarmout, an assistant professor in public policy at the Doha Institute for Graduate Studies.
“Gaza has been turned to ruins with this ongoing genocide … for them [the Israeli government], it is not an issue any more,” he told Al Jazeera. “The West Bank is the big prize. This is what they’re looking at. They want to annex the West Bank and it’s official now.”
While the US government, which claims to oppose illegal Israeli settlements, has imposed sanctions on some far-right Israeli settlers, the effect has been “very marginal”, Qarmout said.
“[The US is] going after the most radical groups, but the real elephant in the room is the Israeli government,” he added. “I think if the US is sincere about stopping settlement expansion it should target the Israeli government. Stop providing funding to Israel that goes into settlements.”
Clashes, explosions as Israeli forces raid West Bank’s Jenin
Israeli forces stormed the city of Jenin in the occupied West Bank earlier, triggering clashes with Palestinian fighters, according to Al Jazeera Arabic. Fighting is ongoing and witnesses there are reporting hearing explosions.
Footage published by the Palestinian Information Center shows the moment of a large explosion in the city.
Translation: Explosive devices detonated during the ongoing aggression on Jenin and its camp.
The renewed clashes come a day after Israeli forces killed two young men in the city of Jenin and three others in nearby villages.
Israeli raids were also reported in:
- The city of Hebron
- The city of Halhul, north of Hebron
- The Fawwar refugee camp, south of Hebron
- The cities of Ramallah and el-Bireh
- The towns of al-Mughayyir and Silwan, north of Ramallah
- The Jalazone refugee camp, north of Ramallah
- The village of Osrin, south of Nablus.
Israeli settlers torch Palestinian vehicles in West Bank: Report
The Palestinian Information Center is reporting that Israeli settlers set fire to the cars in the village of al-Mazraa al-Gharbiya in the occupied West Bank. It also published footage of the burning vehicles on Twitter.
⬅️ شاهد ..
مستوطنون يحرقون مركبات الأهالي في بلدة المزرعة الغربية شمال رام الله pic.twitter.com/ETqZGlHy91
— المركز الفلسطيني للإعلام (@PalinfoAr) November 20, 2024
Child among seven Palestinians arrested by Israeli forces in occupied West Bank: Report
Israeli forces have carried out a wave of arrests in the occupied West Bank, rounding up seven Palestinians in the governorates of Ramallah, el-Bireh and Bethlehem, according to the Wafa news agency.
Among those arrested are a father and 11-year-old son in the farm town of Mazari al-Nubani, near Ramallah, said Wafa.
While carrying out arrests in the town of Abu Falah, northeast of Ramallah, Israeli forces also confiscated a vehicle and vandalised property while raiding local homes, according to Wafa.
Aftermath of Israeli settler attack on al-Mazraa al-Gharbiya near Ramallah
