US Questions Israeli Goals Amidst Largest West Bank Offensive Since Second Intifada
The US said it was seeking clarification on Israel’s goals after its ally launched an offensive in the occupied West Bank which Palestinian and Israeli media said was the largest such attack since the Second Intifada. “We are in touch with Israeli officials to learn more about the operation,” a national security council spokesperson said.
“The United States supports Israel’s right to defend itself against threats to its security. At the same time, they must do so in a way that limits civilian casualties and damage to civilian infrastructure”. Israeli troops landed in parts of the northern West Bank in military helicopters and large convoys of armored vehicles, attacking three cities – Jenin, Tulkarm, and Tubas.
But although the scope and size of the operation match Israel’s military activity during the Palestinian Intifada in the early 2000s, for the time being, the Biden administration has remained tight-lipped over the operation outside answering questions by journalists: “The number of military vehicles storming Jenin is very large,” Shatha Sabagh, a Jenin camp resident, said.
The three central hospitals are under siege, and all the roads leading to town are closed with dirt roadblocks. We have not seen such an infiltration in a long period of time, and from what it looks like, it will take several days.
Meanwhile, in an unrelated move to Israel’s in relation to the PA, on Wednesday Washington revealed a new set of sanctions against a settler group in the occupied West Bank in Israel. Hashomer Yosh, has received money from the Israeli government and has fundraised in the US.
Washington recognizes “Israel’s very real security needs, which includes countering terrorist activity in the West Bank,” a State Department spokesperson said. Meanwhile, we continue to demand that the Government of Israel act to prevent injury to all civilians,” he said.
We also remain deeply concerned about the sustainability of stability in the West Bank and continue to call on Israel to take all feasible measures to prevent civilian casualties in the West Bank – as we do in Gaza.”The assault has been launched as cease-fire negotiations between Israel and Hamas have dragged on, with diplomats offering little hope of an end.
The US and its Arab partners have been concerned about a war between Israel and Iran. But they also fear fighting in Gaza could spill into the occupied West Bank. The West Bank is occupied territory which contains the widely unpopular, US-backed Palestinian Authority, and it shares a border with Jordan-a key US ally whose majority population is of Palestinian descent.
The Palestinian Red Crescent said that 10 were killed and 22 wounded in the offensive. Its West Bank chief, Younes al-Khatib, said ambulances came under fire and one staff member was hit. Stephane Dujarric, spokesman for UN secretary general Antonio Guterres said that “Israeli operations took place in close proximity to four hospitals, with at least some having been surrounded as of this morning, impacting the ability of medical teams to move.”
The Israeli military claimed that at least nine Palestinian fighters were killed and another five detained. It said it carried out at least two drone strikes, which were rare in the occupied West Bank before the Hamas-led attacks on 7 October, but have become more common after Israel’s invasion of Gaza.
By targeting Jenin and Tulkarm, Israel has struck two burgeoning bastions of Palestinian armed resistance against Israel’s occupation. The near-daily Israeli military incursions and larger operations haven’t been able to stamp out the movements.
In a statement, armed Palestinian groups in the targeted cities – including local chapters of Hamas, Islamic Jihad, and Fatah – reported that their members clashed with Israeli troops inside the cities, including detonating explosive devices against them. According to news outlet Israel Hayom, the fighting between the soldiers and the Palestinians in the camps was “heavy and difficult”.
