‘On a pause from genocide, Israel turns its focus to ethnic cleansing’
On Sunday, Israel deployed tanks in the occupied West Bank for the first time in more than two decades. It was the latest in a series of bellicose stunts that escalated in January in tandem with the implementation of the tenuous ceasefire in the Gaza Strip.
Israeli Defence Minister Israel Katz instructed the army to prepare for an “extended presence in the cleared [West Bank refugee] camps for the next year and not to allow the return of residents”.
There is nothing like ethnic cleansing to pave the way for annexation, the chief fantasy of the Israeli right wing.
Israeli bulldozers demolish homes in Nur Shams; residents told to leave
On the first day of Ramadan, Israeli military bulldozers have entered the Nur Shams refugee camp in the occupied West Bank, demolishing homes and tearing up roads.
Nihad al-Shawish, head of the camp’s Popular Committee, told the Anadolu news agency “several military bulldozers stormed the al-Manshiya neighbourhood” and destroyed residential buildings.
Israeli soldiers forced residents to evacuate, saying they were preparing for “large-scale detonations”, he said.
“The army has ordered all residents of the camp to leave,” al-Shawish said.
According to the UN, at least 55 Palestinians and three Israeli soldiers have been killed since the incursion was launched in January. The assault has displaced more than 40,000 Palestinians.
Hamas calls on UN to stop Israeli violations in occupied West Bank
Hamas says the demolition of homes in the Nur Shams camp by Israeli soldiers who forced residents to flee is “a war crime”.
In a statement, the group said the destruction along with remarks made by Israeli politicians affirms “Israel’s systematic intention to displace our people” from the camps in the northern West Bank.
“We warn of the consequences of continued international silence on the crimes of the fascist occupation government against our people,” a statement said.
“We call on the United Nations and its institutions to take immediate action to stop the occupation’s horrific and ongoing violations of international laws.”
A Palestinian woman walks out of the Nur Shams camp in the occupied West Bank
