8/29/2024–|Last update: 8/29/202410:32 PM (Makkah Time)
The large-scale military operation launched by the occupation army in the northern occupied West Bank is an extension of the ongoing war on the Gaza Strip, and a translation of plans aimed at accelerating the annexation of lands, Judaization, and expansion of settlements, according to speakers for the program “Gaza… What’s Next?”
In this context, Secretary-General of the Palestinian National Initiative, Dr. Mustafa Barghouti, said that Israel aims to break any form of resistance to the Zionist plan, in addition to facilitating the expansion of settlements and accelerating the process of annexation and Judaization.
He stressed the existence of one Israeli project to prevent the establishment of any Palestinian state, “What happened on October 7, 2023 was the result of repeated Israeli attacks in the West Bank and Jerusalem,” noting that the same brutality and oppression practiced in Gaza is now being repeated in the West Bank.
He stressed that the attack targets all Palestinians, not a specific faction or region, noting that Israel is led by a fascist government based on settlers who want to destroy any Palestinian structure and create conditions to force Palestinians to leave their lands.
Although he acknowledged that Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu is a coward who does not take risks if he feels he will face danger, “the Arab and Islamic inaction and the shameful Western position gave him the reassurance to wage a brutal, ongoing war.”
According to Barghouti, Netanyahu is digging his own grave because he will not be stronger and bolder than his predecessor, Ariel Sharon, who withdrew from the Gaza Strip in 2005, citing the resistance’s steadfastness in the Gaza Strip despite the passage of 11 months since the war and its possession of capabilities that exceed what it had two decades ago.
In turn, the writer on Israeli affairs, Ihab Jabareen, says that the settlers left Gaza in 2005 in a humiliating manner that they were not accustomed to, pointing out that Sharon – known for his brutality and Nazism – was stigmatized because he broke the settlement project inside the Strip.
He pointed out that the settlers and the Israeli right behind them have strategic projects to impose rule over Israel, noting that they have become convinced that there will be no international opposition if a second Nakba occurs, which accelerates the presentation of plans and their imposition as a reality.
He recalled the name of the town of Hawara, which has been subjected to systematic attacks by settlers since 2021, indicating that it is a point of connection between the north and center of the West Bank. He also recalled Israeli statements saying that the West Bank should be separated into 3 sections (north, center, south) and then it can be gradually nibbled away and eradicated.
He concluded that Israel’s strategic goals coincide with the settlers’ goals, as Tel Aviv plans to assassinate the West Bank camps while the settlers monopolize the (C) lands.
Sector Management Officer
Regarding the implications of appointing a military officer to manage Gaza, the Secretary-General of the Palestinian National Initiative said that the matter confirms Netanyahu’s intention to remain in Gaza and establish a complete military occupation, but he went on to stress that Netanyahu will not be able to tolerate the steadfastness and resistance of the Palestinians.
According to Barghouti, Israel does not learn from history; it displaced 70% of the Palestinian people in 1948, but today the number of Palestinians exceeds the number of Jews throughout historical Palestine, in addition to its invasion of all the cities and villages of the West Bank in 2002, leading to its withdrawal from Gaza three years later.
According to Barghouti, appointing an officer to administer Gaza means appointing a military governor in light of the Israeli media’s talk about long-term missions, while at the same time stressing that Israel is dragging itself into a quagmire, “treating the occupation with more occupation only indicates a crisis.”
He believes that the differences between the Israeli army and Netanyahu are exaggerated, stressing that there are no strategic differences between the two sides because they agree on the principle of “no compromise with the Palestinian people.”
In a related context, Jabareen says that Netanyahu monopolizes decision-making and governance in Israel, citing what he called “the army’s concessions to Netanyahu, such as paving the Netzarim and Philadelphi axes.”
He pointed out that what is happening contradicts the army’s previous statements, which confirmed the end of the war’s goals, adding that the army is now in line with Netanyahu’s desires.
He did not rule out the possibility of an agreement between Netanyahu and the army on completing the first stage of the ceasefire and prisoner exchange deal, noting the recent silence of extremist ministers Itamar Ben-Gvir and Bezalel Smotrich regarding the deal.