Israeli minister calls for launch of ‘large-scale operations’ in occupied West Bank
Israeli Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich has called for the launch of “large-scale operations” in the occupied West Bank.
Smotrich wrote on X that a cabinet meeting will take place today which “will deal with steps to eradicate terrorism in Judea and Samaria [a biblical term referring to the occupied West Bank]”.
His comments follow yesterday’s bus shooting attack there that killed three Israelis.
“In Judea and Samaria, as in other arenas, we must move from defense to offense and launch extensive operations within the terrorist nests until the weapons and terrorists are completely destroyed,” Smotrich said.
West Bank should be treated like Gaza: Israeli settler official
Ozal Vatik, head of the local council of Kedumim, an illegal Israeli settlement, says Tulkarem and the village of Funduq in the occupied West Bank should be treated like Jabalia in Gaza, referring to the mass destruction there.
Israeli Army Radio quoted the council head a day after three Israelis were killed and eight others wounded in a shooting attack near Kedumim and Funduq.
“We need to change our approach. Instead of thinking about how to settle accounts with the terrorists, we need to think about how to prevent future attacks,” Vatik said. “The state of Israel is the sovereign on the ground and that’s how it should be conducted. Like the treatment in Jabalia – that’s how it should be in Tulkarem and Funduq.”
Palestinian presidency condemns Israeli calls to annex West Bank: Report
Nabil Abu Rudeineh, the spokesperson for Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas, has condemned Israeli social media accounts affiliated with the Israeli government that are calling for the annexation of the occupied West Bank and the establishment of settlements in the Gaza Strip, according to the Wafa news agency.
Abu Rudeineh said that these Israeli policies are what led to the wars “we are currently witnessing”.
He called for an immediate ceasefire in Gaza and the state of Palestine to assume full responsibility for the enclave on the path towards implementing the Arab Peace Initiative to bring security and stability to the region.
He also called on the incoming US administration to stop Israeli policies, actions and procedures that do not bring peace to the region.
Abu Rudeineh added that the actions of Israeli forces in the West Bank, including the frequent raids, the Israeli settler attacks and the incursions into the Al-Aqsa Mosque compound, require an urgent response from the international community.
Jordan condemns Israeli social media posts on ‘greater’ Israel
Jordan’s Foreign Ministry condemns Israeli social media accounts for publishing what they are claiming are historical maps of Israel.
The published maps include the occupied Palestinian territory, Jordan, Lebanon and Syria, with racist statements from the far-right Israeli Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich, who called for annexation.
Sufyan Qudah, a spokesman for Jordan’s Foreign Ministry, stressed his country’s absolute rejection of the “provocative policies and statements that aim to deny the Palestinians’ right to establish their independent and sovereign state” with Jerusalem as its capital.
Qudah added that the claims by the Israeli social media outlets are a “flagrant violation of international laws”.
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