West Bank becomes new front in conflict

(MENAFN) The West Bank has become a new front in the conflict, with increased settler violence and tighter military control over Palestinian cities and villages. This includes restricting movement, closing key entrances and exits, and intensifying military checkpoints, effectively isolating these areas. Recently, nine Palestinians were killed, and many more injured in a large-scale Israeli military operation in Jenin and its refugee camp, named "Iron Wall," with Hamas calling for heightened public vigilance. The Palestinian Red Crescent reported that Israeli forces obstructed their teams from reaching the injured in Jenin, while local sources noted heavy Israeli helicopter activity over the area, coinciding with the siege and large-scale incursions. Earlier in the day, Israeli forces had shut down all access points to Jenin, further tightening control over other parts of the West Bank, including Ramallah, Al-Bireh, Nablus, and Jerusalem.

The West Bank is witnessing escalating violence from both the occupation forces and extremist settler groups, with frequent attacks on Palestinian towns, homes, and properties. Over the past 24 hours, forty Palestinians were injured in settler assaults on towns near Qalqilya, while further attacks led to the burning of Palestinian homes, shops, and vehicles. The Palestinian Foreign Ministry condemned these settler attacks and the international community's failure to act against them. It called for sanctions on the Israeli occupation and settler groups and urged the UN and international organizations to apply pressure to end the ongoing occupation.

The Israeli government’s focus on expanding settlements, especially under the leadership of extremist ministers like Bezalel Smotrich, has led to a surge in settlement construction, with the introduction of a “rapid settlement” method that accelerates building approvals for new units. These plans aim to seize more Palestinian land and displace local inhabitants, with hundreds of new settlement units expected to be approved in the coming weeks, further entrenching the occupation in the region.

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