Dr. Amjad Abu Al-Ezz: Israel seeks to exploit the implementation of any operation against it to eliminate the Palestinian political entity and turn the West Bank into an area unfit for living

Mohammad Hawash: Incitement and military mobilization against the West Bank reflect Israel's desire to intensify its control and expand its settlement project

Muhannad Abdul Hamid: Concluding a national agreement to stop armed resistance in the West Bank does not mean giving up rights, but rather represents a necessary tactic to disrupt the occupation’s plans

Imad Musa: The occupation may destroy the northern camps under the pretext of the "failure of the authority to perform its duties" and cause strife to be inflamed to justify its military intervention

Sari Samour: The West Bank is the most prominent front that Israel seeks to target as its aggression on Gaza draws to a close, due to its strategic importance within the settlement project.

Samir Anabtawi: Israel is promoting exaggerated claims about the capabilities of the resistance in the West Bank to justify any future military operations under the pretext of fighting an alleged threat

The West Bank is awaiting a critical phase of Israeli escalation, as the occupation government seeks to inflate the capabilities of the resistance, especially the Hamas movement, and exploit any Palestinian operations against Israel as a pretext to implement strategic plans aimed at eliminating the Palestinian political entity.

In separate interviews with “I”, writers, political analysts, specialists and university professors believe that these policies seek to transform the West Bank into an area unfit for living by escalating settlements, reducing the population, and intensifying daily military measures that deepen Palestinian suffering.

They assert that Israel is using this exaggeration of the capabilities of the resistance, especially the Hamas movement in the West Bank, to justify new repressive and settlement measures aimed at imposing complete control over the Palestinian land and turning it into areas under Israeli sovereignty, including implementing the so-called “decisive plan” supported by the extreme right in the Israeli government, and making radical changes on the ground by intensifying settlement activity, strengthening the military presence throughout the West Bank, and increasing pressure on the Palestinian Authority, which raises the need to agree on a national program in order to remove the pretexts from Israel’s hands.

Preparing the atmosphere for the implementation of a long-term Israeli plan

The writer, political analyst, and professor of international relations at the Arab American University, Dr. Amjad Abu Al-Ezz, confirms that Israel seeks to exploit any operation targeting it to justify the implementation of a strategic plan aimed at eliminating the political and legal entity of the Palestinian Authority, explaining that this plan includes transforming the West Bank into an area unfit for living and systematically reducing the number of Palestinian residents, as part of a long-term Israeli plan.

Abu Al-Ezz believes that Israel's exaggeration of the capabilities of Hamas and the armed factions in the West Bank comes in the context of preparing the atmosphere for the implementation of this plan.

Abu Al-Ezz points out that Israel relies on spreading narratives that portray the West Bank as a serious security threat, which facilitates the passage of its plans locally and internationally. He believes that media coverage of what is currently happening may indirectly contribute to amplifying the problem, as excessive media focus on military aspects overshadows political dimensions, which leads to increased escalation rather than pushing towards political solutions.

Abu Al-Ezz points out that the administration of President-elect Donald Trump has provided implicit support for these Israeli policies, as the Trump administration believes that the time is right to achieve what he described as “silent annexation,” without directly provoking the international community.

Abu Al-Ezz explains that extremist Israeli figures, such as Itamar Ben-Gvir and Bezalel Smotrich, believe that Trump’s presence in power in the United States of America will allow the annexation of more than 60% of the West Bank lands, especially those classified as Area C, to full Israeli sovereignty.

Israel uses Hamas as a scarecrow to justify its settlements and aggression

Writer and political analyst Muhammad Hawash believes that Israel is using the "scarecrow" of the Hamas movement to justify its settlement and military measures. The escalating mobilization and incitement, along with allegations that Hamas possesses weapons that break the balance, are nothing more than an attempt to justify its policies of control over the West Bank before the international community, which classifies Hamas as a terrorist movement.

Hawash explains that Israel cannot bypass international agreements with the Palestinians, and it seeks to create justifications for annexing the West Bank. The presence of 22 Israeli military battalions in the West Bank, and proposals to increase the number to 20 additional battalions, represent part of plans to intensify military control and strengthen the occupation.

He points out that these measures are in line with the policies of the extreme Israeli right, which seeks to implement the "decisive plan" proposed by Israeli Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich, which aims to gradually nibble away at Palestinian lands, in order to strengthen the Israeli settlement project.

According to Hawash, the settlement project is the cornerstone of Israeli policies in the West Bank, as successive Israeli governments work to provide funding and legislative support for this project, including granting settlers privileges such as possessing weapons, and ensuring that the Israeli army protects them at the expense of the Palestinians.

These policies, according to Hawash, aim to reassure settlers that the Israeli government and army are committed to strengthening settlements and turning the West Bank into an entirely Jewish area, in line with the Israeli narrative that it calls “Judea and Samaria.”

Hawash points out that Israel exploits the mention of Hamas in incitement against the Palestinians to justify its oppressive policies before the world, as Hamas is classified as a terrorist movement in Western countries, and this narrative gives Israel international legitimacy to implement its settlement and military policies. However, this justification faces increasing rejection from the international community, which criticizes Israeli attacks on Palestinians, whether by the army or settlers, especially after the revenge attacks targeting Palestinian villages and rural areas following military operations.

Hawash believes that Israeli policies aim to exert more intense daily pressure on the Palestinians in the West Bank, to make them feel that sovereignty over the land belongs to the Israelis. This is evident in the military checkpoints, iron gates, control of roads, and intensive military deployment at the entrances to cities and villages. Although these measures are not new, efforts are being made to intensify them.

Hawash speaks of an internal conflict between the Israeli right wing over how to deal with the West Bank. While the extreme right calls for the complete annexation of Palestinian lands, the moderate right seeks to strengthen colonial control without significantly provoking the international community.

Hawash points out that this discussion reveals a difference in visions within Israel, but they agree on one goal: absolute control over the West Bank and emptying it of its Palestinian content.

He points out that Palestinian operations, such as the recent “hotel” operation, arouse racist hysteria within Israeli society, and Israeli extremists are calling for the erasure of Palestinian cities such as Nablus and Jenin, similar to what is happening in Gaza. However, these calls reflect the internal fragility of Israeli society, despite its enormous military power, and at the same time reveal its racist tendencies against the Palestinians.

Despite the extremist calls within Israel, Hawash asserts that the Israeli government’s decisions are subject to international restrictions. Israel is part of the Western system, and it is the West that is managing the conflict against the Palestinians, whether in the West Bank or Gaza. This factor limits Israel’s ability to take excessive measures that could lead to international isolation, but at the same time it provides it with the necessary support to continue its settlement project.

Hawash believes that Israel does not need extensive military campaigns in the West Bank, as the occupation itself constitutes a permanent campaign, but the incitement and military mobilization reflect Israel's desire to intensify control and expand the settlement project.

Hawash asserts that this situation places the Palestinians before daily challenges in the face of Israeli policies aimed at eliminating their national existence, while the international community continues to criticize these policies without taking practical steps to end them.

A systematic Israeli strategy targeting the Palestinian people

Journalist Muhannad Abdul Hamid describes the Israeli allegations that Hamas possesses destabilizing weapons in the West Bank as a “silly joke,” noting that no observer can take this claim seriously, especially since the policies of Benjamin Netanyahu’s government clearly show that its goals go beyond mere media claims. The scene on the ground reveals a systematic Israeli strategy targeting the Palestinian people through land confiscation, the spread of settlement outposts, the expansion of settlements, ethnic cleansing, siege, and starvation, in addition to daily campaigns of repression.

Abdul Hamid confirms that these policies in the West Bank are accompanied by an ongoing war of extermination in the Gaza Strip, which aims to achieve comprehensive destruction and impose new facts that serve the occupation project.

“The Netanyahu government, which does not hide its intentions, is clearly working to impose what can be described as a ‘fascist solution’ to the Palestinian-Israeli conflict, a solution that completely contradicts international solutions that call for ending the occupation and granting the Palestinian people the right to self-determination,” Abdul Hamid says.

In this context, Abdel Hamid refers to the statements of Israeli Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich, which are a clear indication of this trend. He called for transforming cities in the West Bank into a model similar to the destruction that befell the Jabalia camp in Gaza, and he had previously called for wiping out the town of Hawara from existence.

Abdul Hamid stresses that these statements are not just words, but have been translated into actions through policies that work to bring down the Palestinian Authority and empty it of its political and administrative content by refusing to hand over tax funds and stripping it of its powers.

Abdul Hamid believes that the Israeli exaggeration in portraying an alleged security threat in the West Bank, while talking about possible opportunities to stop the war in Gaza, comes as a pretext to justify the ongoing destructive aggression in the West Bank on the one hand, and on the other hand to block the path of regional and international efforts aimed at healing the wounds of Gaza and supporting its afflicted people.

Abdul Hamid explains that since 2021, the Israeli military campaigns in the West Bank have continued without interruption, with daily raids and incursions becoming a familiar reality, and drones and heavy equipment being used, resulting in the deaths of more than 760 martyrs, thousands of wounded, and the arrest of 11,000 Palestinians since the “Al-Aqsa Flood.” This aggression was accompanied by widespread destruction of infrastructure, especially in the Jenin and Tulkarm camps, and the demolition of dozens of homes.

Despite this, Abdel Hamid explains, Netanyahu’s government has not resorted to launching a large-scale military campaign as happened in 2002, when it invaded the cities of the West Bank and besieged the late President Yasser Arafat. Instead, the government is following new tactics that rely on daily attacks with the aim of expanding settlements. It has cancelled Ariel Sharon’s decision to dismantle the settlements around the city of Jenin and rebuilt them as part of a plan aimed at annexing the West Bank and liquidating the Palestinian entity represented by the Palestinian National Authority.

Abdul Hamid believes that the ongoing military campaigns in the West Bank, even if they are on a smaller scale compared to the major invasions, have devastating effects on the economic, security and political levels. In addition to targeting the infrastructure and displacing Palestinians, these campaigns are used as a cover for settlement expansion and undermining and weakening the Palestinian Authority. This political vacuum is used to deepen the annexation and Judaization processes, in a way that serves the fascist plan adopted by Netanyahu’s government.

He stresses that in the face of this dangerous reality, there seems to be an urgent need to reach an internal Palestinian understanding that puts an end to internal clashes and unites the people with their various political spectrums and armed organizations on the basis of Palestinian legitimacy.

Abdul Hamid explains that the continuation of the internal conflict, in light of the noticeable decline of the regional resistance axis, enhances the occupation’s ability to achieve its goals.

Abdul Hamid stresses that concluding a national agreement to stop armed resistance in the West Bank, under these difficult circumstances, does not mean giving up rights, but rather represents a necessary tactic to disrupt the occupation’s plans, achieve Palestinian unity and the national project, and strengthen the steadfastness of the Palestinian people in the face of Israeli plans.

Creating a vertical and horizontal rift in internal Palestinian relations

Writer and political analyst Imad Musa warns that Benjamin Netanyahu's government may destroy the Palestinian camps in the northern West Bank under the pretext of "the failure of the Palestinian Authority to perform its duties," which will lead to a vertical and horizontal rift in internal Palestinian relations.

Musa believes that this step aims to fuel strife between the Palestinian factions on the one hand, and between them and the Palestinian Authority on the other hand, which gives Israel a justification for bloody military intervention under the cover of fighting “chaos,” which directly threatens the Palestinian state project.

Musa believes that Benjamin Netanyahu's government is proceeding with calculated steps towards achieving the "ultimate achievement" of completely eliminating the Oslo Accords, which many at the time considered the basis for achieving a political settlement between the Palestinians and the Israelis.

Musa believes that Netanyahu's government is seeking to destroy any remaining hope for the Palestinians to establish their independent state, through a systematic policy based on destroying all the elements of life, especially in the Gaza Strip.

Musa points out that Netanyahu and his government are adopting a strategy based on systematic genocide against the Palestinians, especially in Gaza, which has been returned to the "ancient ages" due to the siege and intensive bombardment, in an expression of the deterioration of the humanitarian and living conditions there.

What is more dangerous, Moussa believes, is the Netanyahu government’s complete disregard for international humanitarian law and UN resolutions that have served as the “birth certificate” of the State of Israel. This disregard is evident in his government’s attacks on the United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees (UNRWA) and the International Criminal Court, reflecting Israel’s desire to obstruct any legal path that exposes its repeated violations against the Palestinians.

Musa believes that Netanyahu seeks to employ “soft power” to achieve his political goals, by offering the Palestinians two options: destruction and displacement or submission to Israel’s conditions.

Musa confirms that Netanyahu's government has its sights set on regional expansion towards Syria, especially after the decline of Iranian and Russian influence there.

Mousa expects that Israel aspires to obtain the “lion’s share” in any future political settlement regarding Syria, which will enhance its regional control and weaken any competing powers.

Musa points to the role of the US administration, specifically the Donald Trump administration, in controlling Netanyahu’s ambitions, as Washington may be forced to rein in Israel, especially in light of the major changes taking place in the Syrian situation, not all of which are in Israel’s interest.

Musa believes that the future of these transformations, and the new balances they may produce, will have a direct impact on Netanyahu's ability to implement his regional plans.

Force and violence to achieve Israel's strategic goals

Writer and political analyst Sari Samour believes that Israel relies mainly on the use of force and violence to achieve its strategic goals, explaining that the Israeli state has become “addicted” to military solutions, even if there are other means to achieve the same goals.

He points out that this approach was clear even before the October 7, 2023 war, as militarization became a major culture in Israel.

Samour explains that Israel often looks for a “new front” immediately after the end of any military confrontation, as happened after its withdrawal from southern Lebanon in 2000, when the Al-Aqsa Intifada broke out only five months later. He points out that the West Bank has become the most prominent front that Israel seeks to target as its aggression against Gaza draws to a close, given its strategic importance within the settlement project.

Samour believes that Israel is working to exaggerate the capabilities of the Palestinian resistance in the West Bank, especially Hamas, claiming that the latter possesses weapons that “break the balance,” which he described as “baseless and false,” as the resistance in the West Bank possesses cells armed with light weapons, and cannot in any way threaten the military balance, pointing out that the occupation often reaches the perpetrators of operations relatively quickly due to its absolute security control over the West Bank.

Samour believes that the occupation's exaggeration of these allegations does not have a purely security dimension, but rather comes in the context of finding pretexts to implement new settlement plans, pointing out that the next stage may include the introduction of tanks into the streets, cities, towns, and camps of the West Bank, as part of a broader military campaign.

Samour points out that the Israeli military campaign on the West Bank is not new, as it has been ongoing for a long time, but it may witness an expansion in the coming stage with an increase in the amount of weapons used.

Samour points out that the West Bank is already suffering from difficult conditions, including attacks by settlers supported by the occupation army, and geographical fragmentation due to checkpoints and repeated incursions, in addition to the stifling economic crisis that is striking cities, villages and camps, and if the targeting of the West Bank is expanded, the suffering will deepen.

Samour asserts that the future of the West Bank depends largely on the role of the new Trump administration, wondering whether this administration will push towards calming the situation in the West Bank, or will support the expansion of Israeli aggression against it, noting that Israel is subject to the American decision in many aspects.

Samour warns that Israel is exploiting international silence and Arab and Islamic impotence to implement its plans in the West Bank without deterrence, explaining that the absence of any effective international or Arab pressure encourages the occupation to continue, warning that the West Bank may face a major aggression, especially with the lack of support from any other resistance arena.

Large-scale invasions are likely to be focused on specific areas.

Writer and political analyst Samer Anabtawi asserts that the primary goal of the far-right Israeli government led by Benjamin Netanyahu is to extend full control over the West Bank, pointing out that this goal existed before the recent Israeli aggression on the Gaza Strip.

Anbatawi explains that the project to control the West Bank was part of the understandings between Netanyahu and his partners in the government, such as Itamar Ben-Gvir and Bezalel Smotrich, as their plans included eliminating the Palestinian resistance in the West Bank, supporting the settlers, and expanding their influence.

Anbatawi points out that the bloody war that Israel launched on Gaza after October 7 temporarily changed the priorities of the Israeli government, as the focus was on the Strip. However, despite this, the settlement ambitions and the settlement program in the West Bank did not stop, although they declined slightly.

Anbatawi explains that the occupation is now refocusing on the West Bank in several areas, the most important of which is targeting the resistance in the northern West Bank, especially after the resistance became more organized and effective, and succeeded in carrying out operations that inflicted tangible losses on the Israeli army and settlers. The occupation is also seeking to eradicate the resistance before it expands and becomes more influential on the ground.

Anbatawi explains that Israel sees the Palestinian camps as a symbol of the Nakba and the right of return, in addition to being a basic base for resistance. Therefore, Israel is trying to target the camps directly as part of its attempts to dismantle the social and symbolic structure of the resistance.

Anbatawi believes that Israel is promoting exaggerated claims about the capabilities of the resistance in the West Bank, and there is no clear evidence for some of these claims, as these propaganda campaigns aim to find a justification for accepting any future military operations under the pretext of fighting an alleged threat.

Regarding potential military operations, Anbatawi confirms that the occupation may resort to large-scale invasions, but these operations are likely to be focused on specific areas.

Anbatawi explains that the main goal will be to target the resistance’s infrastructure, in addition to its popular incubator, with the aim of undermining its ability to continue.

Anbatawi stresses that such military operations will have serious repercussions on the West Bank, especially economically, as they will lead to the closure of roads and the establishment of more military checkpoints, which will increase the difficulty of movement for citizens, especially employees, and complicate daily life.

Anbatawi points out that the repeated attacks by settlers supported by the occupation army on Palestinian villages and agricultural crops will increase as part of attempts to establish a "settler state" in the West Bank.

Anbatawi warns that Israel is working to annex 60% of the West Bank lands under the so-called “State of Judea and Samaria,” as this plan includes displacing Palestinians from their lands voluntarily or by force, through escalating economic and living pressures on them.

He stresses that these policies aim to implement the Israeli settlement project, which is in line with the expansionist ideology of the current government.

Anbatawi stresses that the next battle will be in the West Bank, where Israel seeks to impose a new fait accompli, including turning the West Bank into a center for complete Jewish settlement and declaring sovereignty over it.