[News] Top Israeli officials demand 'more settlements, more guns' as West Bank violence surges

[Anti-Imperialist News]

 Top Israeli officials demand 'more settlements, more guns' as West Bank
violence surges

The crisis gripping the occupied West Bank has led many to warn that
Israel's continued violations could soon spark a third Intifada

News Desk <https://thecradle.co/authors/news-desk-9>

FEB 22, 2024 -
https://thecradle.co/articles/top-israeli-officials-demand-more-settlements-more-guns-as-west-bank-violence-surges
(Photo Credit: THOMAS COEX/AFP via Getty Images)

Senior Israeli officials are calling for the expansion of illegal
settlements in the occupied West Bank and for the delivery of more weapons
to settlers in the wake of the latest Palestinian resistance operation
<https://thecradle.co/articles/jerusalem-shooting-operation-leaves-several-israeli-casualties>
on 22 February.

"The serious attack on Maale Adumim must have a decisive security response
but also an answer from the settlements … I demand the prime minister
approve the convening of the higher planning council and immediately
approve plans for thousands of housing units in Maale Adumim and the entire
region," anti-Arab Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich
<https://www.cnn.com/2023/03/21/middleeast/israel-smotrich-palestinians-intl/index.html>
said via social media.

This came on the heels of a statement by National Security Minister Itamar
Ben Gvir
<https://www.aljazeera.com/news/2023/8/27/who-is-israels-far-right-pro-settler-security-minister-ben-gvir>,
who said his office will continue to arm extremist settler groups that
terrorize Palestinians across the occupied West Bank and Jerusalem.

"We're distributing more and more guns. I think that today everyone
understands that guns save lives … Six months ago, I said that the right to
life is more important than the right to free movement for residents of the
Palestinian Authority," the Jewish supremacist told reporters. "The right
to life for Jewish residents in the West Bank is more important than the
freedom of movement for residents of the Palestinian Authority."
"I expect that there will be more and more checkpoints, that there will be
restrictions. Our enemies do not look for excuses; our enemies just want to
harm us," he added.

Ben Gvir also echoed claims made several months ago by his coalition
partner Smotrich that "there is no such thing as the Palestinian people"
and stressed he would increase pressure on the government to ban
Palestinian worshippers from entering Al-Aqsa Mosque
<https://thecradle.co/articles-id/23493> during the Muslim holy month of
Ramadan.

Since the start of Israel's campaign of genocide against the Gaza Strip
nearly five months ago, the occupied West Bank and East Jerusalem have
witnessed a significant spike in settler pogroms
<https://thecradle.co/articles/settlers-burn-through-west-bank-village-under-army-protection>
and violent raids by the Israeli army. Palestinian resistance operations
have also seen a massive surge, jumping 350 percent
<https://thecradle.co/articles-id/23498> between 2022 and 2023.

Over 1,000 Palestinians – including hundreds of children – have been
forcibly displaced by settlers and Israeli army soldiers, according to the
UN. Furthermore, over 7,000 Palestinians have been arrested by the army in
operations that have more than doubled the population of Israel's prisons.

As the situation worsens, more settlers are being armed
<https://thecradle.co/articles-id/12476> under an initiative sponsored by
the Israeli National Security Ministry.

According to Israeli watchdog NGO Peace Now
<https://thecradle.co/articles-id/23345>, Israeli settlers established a
record-breaking 26 outposts in the occupied West Bank in 2023. The report
correlates the rise in unlawful settlement construction with the Jewish
supremacist policies of the Israeli government.

The deteriorating crisis comes as dozens of nations attend hearings at the
International Court of Justice (ICJ) that seek to end Israel's illegal
occupation of Palestinian territories and the system of apartheid imposed
on the Arab population.
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