Major General Muhammad Ali Al-Samadi: The occupation continues its annexation and Judaization policies... and the aggression on Jenin camp may be part of the preparations

Nehru audience: Religious Zionism seeks to resolve the conflict on the basis of expelling the Palestinian people and establishing a new Nakba

Aziz Al-Assa: A political decision to humiliate the Palestinians coincides with settler attacks as a test of the possibility of annexation

Adel Shadid: Doubling the gates and barriers that strangle the West Bank and turn it into disconnected islands, and this is how the Israeli project is implemented

Dr. Amjad Shehab: Israeli attempts to prepare the West Bank to annex large parts of it as part of the implementation of the “Gaza for the West Bank” plan

Lawyer Bassam Bahr: The coming days may witness a tightening of the siege on the West Bank and a dangerous escalation in the attacks of settler militias

The past few days have witnessed an escalation in settler attacks in a number of villages and towns in the West Bank, while the occupation forces continue their aggression and tighten their siege on all governorates of the West Bank, which indicates that the far-right Israeli government is continuing its policies aimed at annexation and Judaization.

Writers, analysts and observers warn in separate interviews with Al-Masdar Online that the occupation forces’ imposition of gates to close the entrances to Palestinian villages and towns and restricting the movement of citizens aims to obstruct the movement of citizens and abuse them, and turn the West Bank into small, scattered islands that are not connected to each other, as part of an Israeli political decision to work to humiliate the Palestinians, in conjunction with settlers’ attacks, in order to prepare the West Bank for the annexation of large parts of it.

They pointed out that the invasion of Jenin and its camp yesterday may be part of the Israeli preparations to carry out more acts of destruction and bulldozing, and to dry up sources of income in the camp areas, with the aim of making Palestinian citizens despair and pushing them towards forced displacement.

Israeli plans to control the West Bank

Major General Mohammad Ali Al-Samadi, the Jordanian military and strategic expert, confirmed that the temporary ceasefire in the Gaza Strip could erupt again at any time, referring to the statements of the American President the day before yesterday, which confirmed the difficulty of maintaining this situation.

Al-Samadi added that the Israeli far-right government continues to pursue its policies based on annexation and Judaization, with the aim of liquidating the Palestinian cause.

He explained that the settlers carry out organized attacks, and can be described as organized militias working jointly with the occupation army forces, as the latter surround Palestinian villages and close roads using cement blocks and iron gates, paving the way for settler attacks.

He continued: The settlers are launching raids on Palestinian villages in several governorates, such as Nablus, Qalqilya and northern Ramallah, where citizens are severely beaten and homes and cars are burned.

He stressed that the occupation army prevents citizens from helping each other, and is shooting and throwing tear gas bombs at them.

Al-Samadi pointed out that these attacks are not confined to a specific area, but rather are widespread. He cited examples of this: the villages of Al-Funduq and Jinsafut in Qalqilya, Beit Furik in Nablus, and the town of Idhna in Hebron. He also spoke about the special forces storming an area east of Qalqilya yesterday.

The aggression on Jenin camp may be part of the preparations

He pointed out that the invasion of Jenin and its camp yesterday may be part of these preparations, which aim to control the pockets of resistance, in addition to carrying out more acts of destruction and bulldozing, and drying up sources of income in the camp areas, with the aim of making the Palestinian citizen despair.

The Jordanian military expert confirmed that these actions are proceeding according to a joint plan between the occupation army and the settlers.

He added that the Israeli Knesset's approval of the decision to reject the establishment of a Palestinian state, in addition to the Security Cabinet's decision regarding the expansion of settlements and the legalization of new settlements, encourages the settlers to escalate their attacks.

Al-Samadi pointed out that the plans led by the extremist Israeli Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich aim to control the West Bank, considering that these plans may be the most dangerous since 1948.

Seizing thousands of dunams for settlement

He explained that there is the seizure of thousands of dunams of Palestinian land to build thousands of new settlement units, in addition to decisions to demolish homes and prevent construction in areas classified as "B".

He also pointed out that the Israeli police have been closing investigation files related to settler attacks against Palestinians since 2005 until now, which reinforces the state of impunity.

A clear plan to force the Palestinians to leave

Al-Samadi stressed that there is a clear plan to make the Palestinians despair and push them to displacement, as the far-right government seeks to implement what he described as “population displacement,” with the aim of emptying the outskirts of the camps and cities of their residents, considering that this step may be preemptive for future goals.

He pointed out that the far-right government is now betting on the new administration in the United States, and there may be a trend to legitimize the annexation of lands in the West Bank and the Jordan Valley. This government and the occupation army claim that they are carrying out these military operations as preemptive measures under the pretext of the existence of resistance, but resistance is a legitimate right of the owners of the land and the Palestinian people, not the occupation.

Jordanian military expert Al-Samadi added that these military operations may be a prelude to large-scale operations in the West Bank.

The power and influence of religious Zionism

Israeli affairs expert Nehru Jamhour said that what happened the night before last reveals the power and influence of religious Zionism, which has a settlement agenda based on the idea of resolving the conflict on the basis of expelling the Palestinian people and establishing a new Nakba.

He explained that Israeli Finance Minister Smotrich is the true representation of this ideology that leads the battle to impose new facts and establish them in a way that makes it impossible to change them in the future.

He said that these moves represent a message of defiance and a show of force before the entity's traditional institutions, as well as an explicit message that this settlement project will not accept any concession or retreat from achieving its goals, and that continuing with any deal or solution means burning all Palestinian territories.

The audience pointed out that this trend, despite the small number of its followers, has a great influence on the Israeli scene and within the army, which faces the risk of division in light of this trend’s efforts to religiousize it and transform it from the “People’s Army” into the “Lord’s Army.”

Settler terrorism is a method of action, not an emergency or anomalous situation

In light of this scene, he said: What happened in the villages of Al-Funduq, Jinsafut, and other villages will not be an emergency or anomalous situation, but will constitute a working method for these gangs that have organized themselves for a long time and were waiting for the opportunity to lead a new catastrophe.

He stressed that the Israeli government and the ruling coalition provide full cover for these movements, as they represent the other side of the coin in the scene of terrorism and violence.

He pointed out that the occupation army minister released the settler terrorists, while President Trump canceled the decision to classify them as terrorists and the sanctions imposed on them during the Biden era.

Al-Jumhour added that the deteriorating Palestinian situation, whether officially or popularly, constitutes an additional factor that weakens the Palestinian position, which gives the settlement project more strength and boldness to complete the catastrophe that it seeks to achieve.

Unleashing the settlers and legitimizing their terrorism

Aziz Al-Assa, a researcher and writer interested in Jerusalem affairs, said: “What is happening to our people in terms of harassment and travel bans between cities and villages came as a political decision from the occupation government, ordering those in charge of security, in all its branches and specializations, to humiliate the Palestinians, violate their dignity, frustrate them, and destroy their economy on the one hand, and on the other hand, pave the way for the settlers to escape their control and practice their rampage against the neighboring Arab villages, and legitimize everything they do, without any deterrent or punishment in the future.”

He stressed that all of this comes as a process of testing the waters of the possibility of annexing the West Bank, if this plan succeeds, to move to other more painful steps such as raids on camps, cities and villages, and the arrests that accompany that, and what it includes of humiliating the detainees and violating their human dignity, and killing and destroying the infrastructure, buildings and homes, in a smaller form - to some extent - of what happened in the Gaza Strip. And what may follow that of declaring vast areas and spaces to become within the Green Line.

On the other hand, Al-Assa stated that it was leaked through various media outlets that these closures aim to thwart operations by Palestinian youth, especially after the operation takes place; as the closures and the crowding of the streets with cars will hinder the movement of the perpetrator of the operation and his withdrawal from the site, which makes it easier for the security forces to pursue and control him.

This is a security hypothesis in which the occupation imagines that there is a potential wave of operations coming, which means that this situation will continue for the longest possible period of time.

He added: "All of this, and other things we cannot expect, resulted in the multiplication of cement, iron and earthen gates and flying barriers, all of which are suffocating barriers that impede movement and travel."

Al-Assa concluded by saying: “This tragic situation that our people are experiencing requires official diplomatic action, and a popular movement that complements and harmonizes with it, and working as one man to curb the attacks on our camps, cities and villages, resulting from the occupation authorities’ unbridled control of the settlers, and to protect the borders of the Palestinian state that enjoys clear and explicit recognition from many countries in the world, especially the countries of the European Union, and from the United Nations with all its organizations and arms.”

Closing the gates of areas "A" and "B".. cages and camps

The analyst specializing in Israeli affairs, Adel Shadid, pointed out the doubling of gates and barriers that strangle cities, villages, camps and towns in the West Bank, turning them into small, scattered islands that are not connected to each other, in the middle of a large sea of security, military and settlement control, and thus the Israeli project is implemented in the West Bank.

He explained that the Israeli tightening at this time is due to a number of reasons, the most important of which are: the ceasefire in Gaza and the release of hundreds of prisoners with long sentences, i.e. life sentences, who are described in Israel as “those with hands stained with Jewish blood.”

He said: Israel believes that releasing these prisoners, especially in the West Bank, means spreading the culture of resistance again and forming an important and strong lever for it, because these prisoners can only be freed by force and by capturing soldiers.

He added: This strengthens the ideology, culture and environment of resistance. From the Israeli point of view, this would send a message to tens of thousands of young people who intend to carry out operations, that these older prisoners, who are a model and example for them, are being released.

Shadid said: In light of this miserable and desperate atmosphere from the Israeli side, and joyful from the Palestinian side, Israel fears that the region will head towards a major escalation.

He pointed out that the ceasefire and the great steadfastness experienced by the Gaza Strip and the Palestinian people there, in addition to the sacrifices made, led, on the one hand, to fueling the state of tension and anger in the West Bank, and on the other hand, the steadfastness, struggle and operations that took place there constituted a lever and an example for the Palestinians in the West Bank.

Shadid believed that Israel believes that a ceasefire, in light of its failure to achieve its goals and its recognition that the resistance and Hamas will not be broken, and that its prisoners will not be restored by force or security will be achieved, but rather the war will end while Hamas’s operations continue, will lead to an increase in the pace of operations in the West Bank.

He explained that this matter is accompanied by the major closure that the West Bank is experiencing and the difficult economic reality that has increased the complexity of the scene, and has strengthened the state of congestion, anger, and opportunities for response and revenge.

As for the other and most important reason, Shadid believes that it is related to the issue of annexation, displacement, and the remaining Palestinians in Area C.

“Closing the gates of Areas A and B is a prelude to convincing the Palestinians in the West Bank that their borders begin and end inside these cages and camps, and therefore they must adapt to a new reality in which they will not be able to leave these yellow gates, and they must adapt to a reality that prevents them from entering Area C, or even entering areas within the Green Line,” Shadid said.

Changing the reality and imposing a system of apartheid and racial discrimination

For his part, political analyst Dr. Amjad Shehab confirmed that the goal of doubling the number of gates and barriers, which number in the hundreds, is to prepare the West Bank for the official annexation of large parts of the West Bank within the implementation of the (Gaza Strip versus the West Bank) plan project.

He pointed out that iron gates were placed at the entrances to cities and towns and at the entrances to shared roads (bypass roads) that are shared roads with the Israelis and Palestinians in the West Bank.

He said: These iron gates and military barriers are used to close off Palestinian cities and towns, and to impose a policy of punishment and closure in preparation for a large-scale military operation in the West Bank in the coming days, as well as to impose preemptive collective punishment on Palestinian citizens while they are moving between their cities and towns to facilitate the large-scale military operation in the northern West Bank as a first stage.

Shehab stressed that these gates and barriers also aim to change the reality and impose a system of racial segregation and discrimination that turns the occupied West Bank into cantons to facilitate greater control over the cities and camps, and push the villagers to migrate to the cities because of the availability of better services to continue living, despite the transformation of these cities into cantons.

Dr. Shehab believes that the most dangerous thing that the occupation will impose is opening these gates only at specific hours, with the presence of a military checkpoint that impedes the movement of citizens and turns their lives into a real hell.

He said: The construction of the gates also aims to divide the time of the work of the barriers and to divide the spatial settlement expansion to devour more lands in the West Bank, and to enable the settlers to control vast areas of the West Bank in order to deepen and expand the settlement.

Shehab added: This control will expose the lives of the landowners to serious risks and force them to follow rough roads that are not suitable for their vehicles and will take up most of their day, while the settlers use the main streets that the Palestinians are deprived of.

Tightening the siege and strengthening settlements

For his part, lawyer Bassam Bahr, who specializes in settlement affairs, confirmed that the Israeli measures in the West Bank come within the framework of the occupation’s strengthening of settlement and control over all cities and villages in the West Bank, especially in areas “B” and “C.”

He explained that the occupation seeks to gain complete control over these areas by establishing gates and imposing a comprehensive siege, while cancelling the so-called "Civil Administration" and declaring Israeli control over all areas of the West Bank.

Bahr pointed out that the current situation in the West Bank is like a "closed prison," where every city and village suffers from very limited outlets, and often there is only one outlet for residents to exit, which leads to the isolation of Palestinians in their areas.

He added: "The occupation seeks to prevent Palestinians from leaving their areas or cities, by tightening measures at military checkpoints."

Lawyer Bahar explained that these gates come within the Israeli policy aimed at complete control over the cities of the West Bank, by imposing Israeli law on these areas, according to a plan announced by the occupation government.

He added that this policy aims to displace the Palestinian population from the West Bank, and comes as part of a plan similar to what happened in the Gaza Strip, but in a different manner.

He said: The occupation uses various means to pressure citizens and push them to leave their lands, including preventing farmers from working on their lands, and tightening restrictions on the movement of Palestinians between cities due to strict Israeli measures, such as setting up gates, the spread of settlers on external roads, and their continuous attacks on citizens, as happened in Qalqilya and other areas.

Bahr stressed that the settlers' attacks are planned and supported by the occupation government, which is working to arm the settlers in the West Bank.

He said: These attacks come at the same time as the new US administration lifted sanctions on extremist settlers, which Bahar considers a clear message to encourage settlers to continue their attacks on Palestinians.

Bahr expected that the coming days would witness a dangerous escalation in settler attacks, which would make the lives of citizens in the West Bank more difficult, stressing that this escalation is reflected on the ground on a daily basis.