The Israeli authorities, both civil and military, are doing their best to drive Palestinians from their homes in the West Bank – and if possible out of Palestine altogether. In June 2023 gangs of racist settlers – who live on stolen land in breach of international law – attacked numerous villages around Nablus. They threw stones at farmers and burned and destroyed their olive trees. They also burned schools and vehicles and demolished electricity and water supplies.
Then it was the turn of the Israeli army. On 3 July 2023 over 1,000 soldiers attacked the town of Jenin with the support of armed drones. They ripped up power lines, bulldozed streets and shot to kill. They even stopped ambulances reaching the wounded and attacked hospitals. Hundreds of families, already refugees from the Nakba of 1948, had to leave their homes with their hands in the air.
An appeal to the United Nations from the Palestinian organisation Al-Haq is HERE. See too THIS ARTICLE in Middle East Eye which also comments on the encouragement given by Britain and the USA to these atrocities.
There were similar events earlier this year. On the night of 26 February, hundreds of Israeli settlers attacked Huwara and three nearby Palestinian villages. They torched hundreds of homes (some of them were occupied at the time), businesses, a school and 250 vehicles. One Palestinian man was shot dead in the village of Za’atar. 400 others were injured (many from army teargas) and thirty homes were destroyed. The Israeli military commander in charge of the area described the atrocity as a ‘pogrom’.
These outrages are becoming increasingly common. The human rights group B’Tselem commented succinctly that ‘the pogrom in Huwarah was not an isolated incident, but an extreme example of what the routine of state violence carried out by settlers is like all year around’. It was also not unexpected. The Israeli army knew from social media that the violence was coming and did nothing to protect Palestinians. In fact most of the injuries of the incident were the result of army teargas. The army knew the politicians would not criticise their role. The Israeli Finance Minister Smotrich even called shortly afterwards for the village of Huwara to be ‘wiped out’
Looking a little further back, THIS REPORT from the European Union documents demolitions and land seizures during 2021 and makes you wonder why the same EU does not impose sanctions. One example of the continuing ethnic cleansing is the area South of Hebron that is known as Masafer Yatta. This area has been designated as a ‘firing zone’ for the Israeli army (a thin pretext for clearance and resettlement) and the Israeli courts have in May 2022 given permission to evict the Palestinian inhabitants altogether. The Israeli human rights organisation B’Tselem (HERE) asked the International Criminal Court for protection for this area.
Attempts to force Palestinians to leave their homes are not confined to the West Bank. THIS REPORT from December 2021 shows how Palestinians in the Israeli town of Lydd – who are Israeli citizens – encounter similar pressures.