West Bank Onslaught Provides More Evidence of Depravity of Israeli Zionists/ U.S. and Canadian Backers
Bulldozers destroy
infrastructure in Tulkarm, September 3, 2024
The current depraved Zionist invasion of the West Bank began on August 28 at 1:30 am. The Israeli army launched a large-scale invasion of the northern West Bank with thousands of soldiers. Hospitals were besieged. Bulldozers destroyed infrastructure including not just buildings, houses and roads but also water and sewer systems. At least 11 Palestinians were reported killed with many others wounded that day alone.
Al Mayadeen's correspondent in the West Bank reported that the Israeli occupation forces stormed the town of Anabta, east of Tulkarm, where they deployed additional military reinforcements entering through the northern axis of Tulkarm toward the Nur Shams camp.
The sanitized report of the Israeli Occupation Forces (IOF) stated that "since the early hours of Wednesday morning, it has begun a wide-scale military operation targeting militants in Jenin, Tulkarm, and Tubas in the northern West Bank." Israeli media stated that the Israeli Security Agency, known as the Shin Bet, and al-Mustaaribeen units -- elite Israeli undercover units that disguise themselves as Arabs or Palestinians -- have joined the IOF in the genocidal operations, alongside the extensive use of helicopters and fighter jets.
On September 3 in Tulkarm Refugee Camp, the IOF intensified their siege and positioned snipers on high buildings around the camp. Surveillance drones persistently patrolled at low altitudes over the area. A child was killed there on September 3 by Israeli snipers while with his father, who was also injured.
Also on September 3, the IOF raided Birzeit University north of Ramallah. Reports indicate that Israeli soldiers damaged property associated with student activities and seized various materials and publications. They also posted intimidating notices warning students against participating in campus activities and threatening to "destroy their futures."
IOF raids continue elsewhere, in the Izbat al-Jarad area east of Tulkarm, the Balata Refugee Camp, the town of Salem east of Nablus, and the city of Qalqilya in the northern West Bank. In al-Khalil, Israeli forces conducted raids and arrests in the towns of Beit Fajjar, Sa'ir, and Idna, and also stormed the town of Silwan south of the Al-Aqsa Mosque.
The IOF assault on Jenin and Tulkarm ended on September 6, the 10th day of the Israeli invasion.
Since the IOF invasion of the West Bank began 10 days ago, the Zionists have killed at least 39 Palestinians in Jenin, Tulkarm and Tubas, and three in al-Khalil, bringing the total number killed in the West Bank since October 7, 2023 to 691. This number is rising every day while the Resistance seizes the initiative through their actions.
Deputy Director of the United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees in the Near East (UNRWA) Affairs in the West Bank, Roland Friedrich, stated that the agency was noting with grave concern the humanitarian situation in the northern West Bank refugee camps following the large-scale Israeli offensive. He called on the occupation authorities to comply with international law, avoid targeting civilians and respect the inviolability of UNRWA premises and facilities. He said that the agency has been compelled to halt its services in several camps affected by the aggression, while stressing that it, in cooperation with UN partners and humanitarian NGOs, remains committed to provide all services to the extent allowed by the security situation on the ground.
Friedrich decried calls by Israeli officials to displace and "temporarily evacuate" Palestinians from their homes in the West Bank in the same manner as in the Gaza Strip.
Ibrahim Fraihat, an associate professor on conflict resolution at the Doha Institute for Graduate Studies, explained to Al Jazeera the significance of the West Bank refugee camps. Jenin, for example, was created after the 1948 Nakba and remains a powerful symbol of the right of return. "Under international law, they [the Palestinians] have the right to return to their homes, so it is very important for them [the Israelis] to target these refugee camps," Fraihat told Al Jazeera. "The Israeli government wants to send a message that no one is immune, that all Palestinians are a target. It goes to the larger vision of depopulating these areas and to be in control of the West Bank."
Jenin, September 3, 2024
(Al Mayadeen, Al Jazeera)
This article was published in
Volume 54
Number 47 - September 7, 2024
Article Link:
https://cpcml.ca/Tmlm2024/Articles/MS54473.HTM
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