Another Attack, This Time the West Bank
Another Attack, This Time the West Bank
From Gaza to the West Bank, the Same War on Another Front
A large-scale Israeli military operation in Jenin, and now with Trump in the White House, Israeli right-wing extremists dream of annexing the West Bank. Weapons that have been silent in Gaza are firing hours ago in Jenin in the West Bank. The death toll is at least 12, and the number of wounded is around 40. This is the initial count from the large military operation that Israeli armed forces have launched against this city, which hosts the largest refugee camp in the West Bank. Governor Kamal Abu al-Rub described the operation as a full-scale invasion and reported that Apache helicopters are flying over the city and Israeli military vehicles are everywhere.
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu explained that the Iron Wall attack aims to eradicate terrorism and is considered another step to strengthen security in Judea and Samaria. However, in the view of many, this action seems like a concession to the far-right to at least accept the ceasefire in Gaza for the time being. With the implementation of the ceasefire in this area, the level of conflict in the West Bank is expected to increase.
On Monday, masked Israeli settlers attacked the Palestinian villages of Al-Funduq and Jinsafut in the northern West Bank, injuring at least 21 people.
Amidst these peak tensions, Israeli Chief of Staff Herzi Halevi announced that he will resign on March 6, 2025. He, who is set to remain in his position until around 45 days from now, said he submitted his resignation to the Defense Minister due to the failure to predict and counter the October 7 Hamas attack. Halevi stated in his resignation letter that he made this decision at a time of significant achievements for the army, although not all of Israel’s military objectives have been achieved.
Shortly after him, Yaron Finkelman, the head of the Israeli Southern Command, also resigned.
Former Minister Itamar Ben-Gvir, who resigned after signing an agreement with Hamas, praised this decision and added, ‘Now I expect a new strong and aggressive Chief of Staff to be appointed who will lead us to victory over Hamas.’
A Friend in the White House
The escalation of conflicts in Jenin occurs amidst rapid changes in the United States, a country that is Israel’s biggest ally and supporter. Immediately after entering the White House, Donald Trump issued an executive order that immediately lifted sanctions against settlers involved in violent activities.
This action, taken for the first time by Washington, was approved by the Biden administration in an atmosphere of growing frustration over the violence by Israeli settlers in the West Bank and the handling of conflicts in Gaza by the Tel Aviv government, which faced U.S. pressure.
The Palestinian Ministry of Foreign Affairs announced that lifting sanctions against extremist settlers encourages them to commit more crimes against our people, while the Times of Israel noted that the presence of a settler movement leader at the U.S. President’s inauguration ceremony indicates the rapid shift in Washington’s stance.
Among the slew of executive orders signed immediately after taking office, Trump also reinstated an order allowing him to impose economic sanctions on the International Criminal Court (ICC).
This action paves the way for the United States to impose sanctions against the judicial body and its staff, who in recent months issued international arrest warrants against Israeli officials accused of committing war crimes and crimes against humanity.
Biblical Claims
Among the decisions made by the elected President, another decision that has worried Palestinians and a significant portion of U.S. allies is the selection of Elise Stefanik, a New York representative, as ambassador to the United Nations.
During a confirmation hearing in the U.S. Senate, when Maryland Senator Chris Van Hollen asked her, Stefanik affirmed her full support for Israel’s claim to Biblical rights over the entire West Bank. Stefanik, whose stance is considered a threat to influencing diplomatic efforts in the Middle East, criticized what she called the UN’s ongoing bias against Israel and pointed to the disproportionate number of resolutions targeting the country.
She said the United States should unconditionally support Israel at the United Nations. As ambassador, I will work tirelessly to counter unilateral attacks against the closest U.S. ally and ensure that the United Nations fairly carries out its mission to promote peace and security. Another key aspect of Stefanik’s testimony was her commitment to reviewing and revising U.S. funding allocations within international organizations. She criticized some organizations, particularly UNRWA, the UN agency for Palestinian refugees, which Israel considers illegal, for supporting activities that she believes promote anti-Semitism and encourage terrorism.
Mike Huckabee, Trump’s new ambassador to Israel, echoed similar sentiments, stating that there is no such thing as the West Bank. Previously, during his 2017 visit to Israel, he had said there is no Palestinian identity.
Do Right-Wingers Have Their Eyes on the West Bank?
Overall, it seems that Washington’s decisions confirm the Financial Times’ predictions that the new U.S. administration will be the staunchest supporter of the Israeli government in decades. During his first presidency, Trump legitimized Jewish settlements in the occupied West Bank, recognized Israel’s claims over the Golan Heights in Syria, and proposed a peace initiative that allocated the majority of Jerusalem to Israel, leaving only a poor suburb of the contested city to the Palestinians.
Today, Trump’s return to power, at a time when Palestinians are weaker than before, strengthens the expectations of Israeli right-wing extremists regarding their long-term goals, including the annexation of large parts of the West Bank. Trump has previously gained credit for creating a fragile ceasefire between Israel and Hamas, which led to the release of three Israeli hostages.
However, when asked if he thinks the ceasefire can be sustained, the President refrained from committing to this issue. He said, ‘This is not our war, it’s their war,’ and similarly, when asked about the future of Gaza, which after 15 months of relentless bombings and at least 46,000 deaths will need billions of dollars for reconstruction, he gave an ambiguous response.
Trump said Gaza looks like a ruined place that needs to be rebuilt differently, and for a moment returned to his former role as a real estate mogul, envisioning a future for this war-torn area as a luxury resort. ‘This place is in an extraordinary location, by the sea, with great weather. Amazing things can be done,’ he said.
On October 7, under my command, the Israeli army failed to protect Israeli citizens, and this is the reason for Herzi Halevi’s resignation as Chief of Staff of the Israeli army. His decision was based on his ethical principles, something Netanyahu probably lacks. Halevi’s resignation somewhat reveals the reasons for Israel’s recent operation against Jenin.
This city is the main base of Hamas in the West Bank, but the main reason for an attack that may threaten the Gaza ceasefire and the release of Israeli hostages is Netanyahu’s need for a perpetual war. His political survival depends on it. In fact, with his resignation, Halevi implicitly reminded that the main responsible for the October 7 disaster is the Prime Minister. In the absence of war, Israel had asked Netanyahu to be accountable. Even judges were calling for him to respond to allegations of corruption and abuse of power leveled against him.
