In the days following a fragile ceasefire took root in the Gaza StripIsrael launched major military operation in occupied West Bank and suspected Jewish settlers to have vandalized through two Palestinian towns.
The violence comes as Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu faces domestic pressure from his far-right allies after agreeing to the truce and the exchange of hostages and prisoners with the militant group Hamas. Meanwhile, US President Donald Trump canceled the Biden administration’s deal. sanctions against Israelis accused of violence in the territory.
It’s a volatile mix that could undermine the ceasefire, which is expected to last at least six weeks, and lead to the release of dozens of hostages in exchange for hundreds of Palestinian prisoners, most of whom will be freed in West Bank.
Israel captured the West Bank, Gaza and East Jerusalem in the 1967 Middle East war, and the Palestinians want these three territories for their future state. Climbing in an area frequently overflowsraising further concerns that the second phase, much more difficult The ceasefire in Gaza – which has not yet been negotiated – may never happen.
Dozens of masked men rampaged through two Palestinian villages in the northern West Bank on Monday evening, throwing stones and burning cars and properties, according to local Palestinian officials. Red Crescent emergency services said 12 people were beaten and injured.
Israeli forces, meanwhile, carried out a raid elsewhere in the West Bank that the military said was in response to firebombing Israeli vehicles. Several suspects were detained for questioning, and a video circulating online appeared to show dozens of people marching through the streets.
On Tuesday, the Israeli army launched another major operationthis time in Jenin, in the northern West Bank, where its forces regularly clash with Palestinian militants. in recent yearseven before the Hamas attack of October 7, 2023 from the Gaza Strip started the war there.
At least nine Palestinians were killed Tuesday, including a 16-year-old boy, and 40 were injured, the Palestinian Health Ministry said. The military said its forces carried out airstrikes, dismantled roadside bombs and “hit” 10 militants – although it was unclear exactly what that meant.
Palestinian residents reported a significant increase in Israeli checkpoints and delays across the territory.
Israel, for its part, says threats from the West Bank against its citizens are increasing. Earlier this month, Palestinian gunmen opened fire on motorists, killing three Israelis, including two women in their 60s. The attack fueled calls from settler leaders for a crackdown in the territory.
Israeli Defense Minister Israel Katz framed the Jenin operation as part of Israel’s broader fight against Iran and its militant allies in the region, saying “we will strike the arms of the octopus until they break.”
The Palestinians consider that such operations and expansion of colonies as a means of consolidating Israeli control over the territory, where 3 million Palestinians live under seemingly unlimited Israeli military rule, with the The Palestinian Authority supported by the West administer towns and villages.
Prominent human rights groups call it a form of apartheid since the more than 500,000 Jewish settlers in the territory benefit from all the rights conferred by Israeli citizenship. Israel rejects these allegations.
Netanyahu has struggled to quell the rebellion of his ultranationalist coalition partners since agreeing to the ceasefire. The deal requires Israeli forces to withdraw from most of Gaza and release hundreds of Palestinian prisoners – including activists convicted of murder – in exchange for hostages kidnapped during the October 7 attack.
A coalition partner, Itamar Ben-Gvirresigned in protest the day the ceasefire took effect. Another, Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich, threatened to flee if Israel did not resume war after the end of the first phase of the ceasefire scheduled for early March.
They want Israel to annex the West Bank and rebuild settlements in Gaza while encouraging what they call the voluntary migration of large numbers of Palestinians.
Netanyahu still has a parliamentary majority after Ben-Gvir’s departure, but the loss of Smotrich – who is also the de facto governor of the West Bank – would seriously weaken his coalition and likely lead to early elections.
This could mean the end of Netanyahu’s nearly uninterrupted 16 years in power, leaving him even more exposed to long-standing corruption accusations And a public inquiry expected on Israel’s inability to prevent the October 7 attack.
Trump’s return to the White House offers Netanyahu a potential lifeline.
The newly inaugurated president, who provided unprecedented support for Israel during his previous term, has surrounded himself with aides who support Israeli settlement. Some support the settlers’ claim a biblical right in the West Bank due to the Jewish kingdoms that existed there in ancient times.
The international community mostly considers the settlements to be illegal.
Among the multitude of executive orders signed by Trump on his first day back in office, there was one. roll back Biden administration sanctions against settlers and Jewish extremists accused of violence against Palestinians.
Sanctions… which had little effect – were one of the few concrete steps taken by the Biden administration in opposition to the United States’ close ally, even as it planned billions of dollars in military support for Israel’s campaign in Gaza, among the deadliest and most destructive in decades.
Trump claimed credit for helping bring the Gaza ceasefire agreement across the finish line in the final days of the Biden presidency.
But this week, Trump said he was “not sure” it would hold and indicated he would give Israel a free hand in Gaza, saying: “It’s not our war, it’s theirs war “.
Follow AP’s war coverage at https://apnews.com/hub/israel-hamas-war
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