For the first time in 20 years, the Israeli army has sent tanks into the occupied West Bank and launched extensive operations. This has raised concerns about the West Bank becoming the new Gaza. But where is the West Bank and why is it important?Over the weekend, the Israeli army sent tanks into the occupied West Bank for the first time in twenty years.
Following a ceasefire declaration in Gaza, Israel initiated a heavy military operation in Palestinian cities in the West Bank, resulting in the deaths of dozens and displacement of tens of thousands.
Since the start of the war in Gaza in October 2023, Israel has escalated the use of lethal force in the West Bank, deploying helicopters, drones, and now tanks.
Defense Minister Yisrael Katz stated on Sunday that he had instructed the army to remain in the region for a year and “prevent the return of the region’s residents.”
US President Donald Trump faced harsh criticism for his proposal to evacuate 2.1 million Palestinians from Gaza. However, as claimed in yesterday’s editorial of the left-leaning Israeli newspaper Haaretz, “Israel is already doing in the West Bank what it threatened to do in Gaza.”
The West Bank, situated between Israel and Jordan west of the Jordan River, has been under Israeli occupation since 1967. Over 3.3 million Palestinians reside there.
Israel captured the West Bank and East Jerusalem from Jordan after the 1967 war. Many Israelis believe they have the right to these lands, which they refer to as Judea and Samaria, based on biblical claims.
Since Israel seized the West Bank, around half a million Jewish Israelis have built homes in towns known as “settlements.”
These settlements are considered illegal under international law due to the West Bank’s occupation status. However, the far-right Israeli government actively encourages these settlements.
Recent operations intensified in Jenin starting on January 21, but Israeli forces also attacked other places including Kabatiya and Tulkarem.
According to the United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees in the Near East (UNRWA), over 40,000 Palestinians have been forcibly displaced from their homes in the West Bank with no permission to return granted by Israeli forces.
The siege on the camp in Jenin followed weeks of restrictions imposed first by Palestinian Authority forces and then by the Israeli army, cutting off the camp’s water and electricity supply.