Dr. Jamal Harfoush: The Tamoun massacre is not a passing event, but rather comes within the context of a deliberate policy aimed at expanding the scope of massacres in the West Bank

Nabhan Khreisha: The nature of the aggression in Jenin, Tulkarm and Tubas shows the state of Israeli brutality as in its war on the Gaza Strip

Dr. Raed Nairat: Israel is implementing the annexation plan in the West Bank with security and military cover, amid the absence of Palestinian action to confront it

Imad Musa: What is happening in the West Bank is not just scattered military operations, but rather a war of extermination being carried out in stages to impose new demographic facts.

Dr. Raed Abu Badawiya: Israel realizes that annexation cannot be achieved without eliminating manifestations of armed resistance in the West Bank to create a safe environment for settlers

Hani Abu Al-Sabaa: The occupation practices bloody repression and soft pressure within the framework of a broader strategy to push Palestinians towards forced migration

The escalation of Israeli aggression in the West Bank reflects a dangerous shift in the occupation's policies, as the Israeli massacres, the latest of which was the massacre in the town of Tamoun, south of Tubas, which resulted in the martyrdom of ten citizens, now indicate the occupation's intention to carry out other massacres, in a development that reflects the escalation of systematic genocide operations aimed at annexation and displacement.

In separate interviews with “I”, writers, political analysts, specialists and university professors believe that the Israeli occupation is working on a comprehensive strategy aimed at weakening the Palestinian resistance and breaking the will of the Palestinian people through organized massacres, continuous restrictions, home demolitions, and widespread arrests, in addition to escalating settlement in different areas, which puts the West Bank at risk of actual annexation under a security and military cover.

They believe that Palestinian movements at the political and diplomatic levels are still insufficient to create real pressure on the occupation, which necessitates putting the internal house in order, intensifying legal, media and diplomatic efforts to reveal the extent of Israeli massacres and violations, and working to hold the occupation accountable before international courts.

Continuation of the crime of genocide

Professor Dr. Jamal Harfoush, Professor of Scientific Research Methods and Political Studies at the University of the Academic Research Center in Brazil, said that what the Palestinian people are being subjected to in the West Bank and Gaza Strip is a continuation of the crime of genocide committed by Israel, in clear defiance of all international laws and conventions.

Harfoush explains that the ongoing Israeli aggression on Gaza for more than 15 months, which has led to the martyrdom and injury of tens of thousands, coincides with a dangerous escalation in the West Bank, especially after Israeli Defense Minister Yisrael Katz declared an "open war" against the West Bank.

Harfoush believes that these statements by Katz are not just empty threats, but rather reflect an official political approach adopted by the occupation to escalate violence and mass killing, and impose a new reality by military force.

Harfoush points out that the main goal of these crimes is to try to extinguish the flame of Palestinian resistance and strike the steadfastness of the Palestinian people, through systematic massacres supervised by the extremist occupation government.

Harfoush asserts that the recent Tamoun massacre is not a passing event, but rather comes within the context of a deliberate policy aimed at expanding the scope of massacres in the West Bank, under the official cover of the occupation government.

Harfoush asserts that the link between Katz’s statements and the execution of the massacre within hours reveals that these operations are not merely “security measures,” but rather part of a strategy aimed at genocide against the Palestinians, targeting their existence and identity.

Harfoush points out that Israel is betting on breaking the will of the Palestinians through excessive violence, but it fails to realize that these massacres have not led in the past, and will not lead in the future, to achieving its goals, but rather increase the Palestinians’ adherence to their right to resist and persevere in their land.

He warns that the continuation of Israeli massacres in the West Bank could lead to the outbreak of comprehensive confrontations, especially with the escalation of field executions, house demolitions, night raids, and the siege imposed on Palestinian towns and camps.

Harfoush explains that the extremist Israeli discourse, supported by America and Europe, reflects the occupation's intention to escalate violence in an unprecedented manner, which may result in a large number of martyrs in the coming period.

Harfoush points out that this escalation may redraw the map of regional and international alliances and positions towards the occupation, especially if the international community continues to turn a blind eye to Israeli crimes.

Harfoush believes that the world, despite its double standards, may be forced to reconsider its positions if the occupation continues to commit public massacres, which have become difficult to justify.

Harfoush stresses that confronting this Israeli escalation requires action on several levels, including political, diplomatic, legal, media, popular, Arab and Islamic.

Harfoush points to the necessity of intensifying Palestinian, Arab and international diplomatic efforts to document Israeli crimes, file legal cases against the occupation before the International Criminal Court, and work to impose political and economic sanctions on Israel, stressing the importance of mobilizing international support to restore the Palestinian cause and stop attempts to marginalize it from international agendas.

The importance of systematically documenting Israeli crimes

Harfoush stresses the importance of documenting Israeli crimes systematically, exposing the occupation’s policies through international media, and the need to benefit from social media networks to reveal the truth of what is happening.

Harfoush calls for strengthening the legal role in prosecuting Israeli war criminals, and demanding that countries abide by international law in holding human rights violators accountable.

Harfoush stressed that the Palestinian people in the West Bank are required to strengthen their steadfastness and intensify popular activism through all forms of legitimate resistance guaranteed by international law. He also stressed that national unity is an absolute necessity to confront the Israeli aggression, as there is no room for division and disunity in light of the policy of genocide that targets everyone without exception.

Harfoush criticizes the fact that Arab and Islamic positions are limited to statements of condemnation, calling for Arab and Islamic countries to move to the circle of effective political and economic action, by imposing real pressure on Israel, reactivating the weapon of economic boycott, and taking practical steps to stop the aggression and prevent the occupation from isolating the Palestinian people.

Harfoush asserts that what is happening in the West Bank is not just a passing military campaign, but rather part of the ongoing war of extermination that Israel is waging against the Palestinians, with the aim of liquidating their cause and imposing a new reality that serves the settlement project.

Harfoush believes that the continued silence of the international community and its failure to take serious measures against the occupation will make it a partner in these crimes, which history will not forgive and will not be forgotten by future Palestinian generations.

A systematic military campaign aimed at destroying the foundations of life

Journalist Nabhan Khreisha asserts that the nature of the ongoing Israeli attacks in Jenin, Tulkarm and their camps, and what happened in the town of Tamoun, south of Tubas, which reached its peak with the assassination of ten Palestinians in the town of Tamoun, reflects the state of brutality practiced by Israel, similar to what it did and is doing in its war on Gaza.

Khreisha points out that these operations come in response to pressure from the extreme right on Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu to continue the war on the Palestinians, especially after reaching a ceasefire agreement and prisoner exchange with Hamas.

Khreisha points out that the Israeli statements, whether from Netanyahu or Defense Minister Yisrael Katz, that the military operations in the West Bank aim to "defeat the militants funded by Iran" are nothing but flimsy justifications aimed at concealing the truth.

He explains that the reality on the ground reveals a systematic military campaign aimed at destroying the foundations of Palestinian life. The current aggression has also resulted in dozens of martyrs and wounded, the arrest of large numbers of Palestinians, the displacement of families from their homes, and the demolition and burning of many houses, which reflects the occupation’s efforts to empty cities and camps of their residents.

Khreisha confirms that these attacks coincide with the entry into force of the Israeli Knesset law banning the activities of the United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees (UNRWA), which stipulates the confiscation of its properties and real estate in Jerusalem, and preventing it from operating in the West Bank and Gaza Strip.

Khreisha believes that this step reinforces the belief that Israel is targeting Palestinian camps in the West Bank as part of a systematic plan to eliminate the right of return, by emptying these areas of refugees and turning them into areas unfit for habitation, which contributes to ending the legal status of refugees.

Khreisha confirms that the scope of the Israeli aggression will not be limited to the northern West Bank, but will extend to its center, south, and the Jordan Valley region, within the framework of strengthening settlements and implementing annexation plans, which may receive American approval, which may receive the approval of the Trump administration.

Khreisha believes that the scenes documented by the Israeli attacks in Tulkarm and Jenin are not much different from those occurring in Gaza, where families flee from sniper fire, and the Israeli army relies on a policy of destroying and burning homes, and bulldozing roads and infrastructure.

Khreisha points out that the occupation, instead of carrying out quick operations and withdrawing, as was the case in the past, has adopted a new strategy that relies on long-term field control, by occupying Palestinian homes after expelling their residents, which indicates the occupation’s intention to prolong the duration of military operations, which means an increase in the death toll and the continuation of destruction for longer periods.

Khreisha calls on the Authority to reconsider its policies towards the occupation, stressing the need to stop security coordination, which is no longer logical in light of the ongoing Israeli escalation, which is rolling like an increasing snowball from the top of the mountain.

He stresses that the Israeli aggression does not only target the Palestinians, but also aims to undermine the national project and transform the authority from a political entity seeking to establish an independent state into a mere administrative body with limited functions similar to municipalities.

He warns against continuing to rely on a balanced American position towards the Palestinian-Israeli conflict, considering that US President Donald Trump’s statements about displacing Palestinians from Gaza to Egypt and Jordan, which may later include the West Bank, in addition to the repeated statements about legitimizing the annexation of parts of the West Bank to Israel, confirm that any illusions about a fair American role in resolving the conflict must be dispelled.

Khreisha points out that the rapid developments in the West Bank, from military escalation and displacement operations, confirm that Israel is continuing to implement its settlement and Judaization projects, without any regard for international law, which requires a unified Palestinian position capable of confronting these plans and resisting them by all possible means.

Imposing new facts on the ground in preparation for annexation

The writer, political analyst and professor of political science, Dr. Raed Nairat, confirms that all the measures implemented by Israel in the West Bank have a security and military dimension on the surface, but in essence they are linked to strategic political orientations that aim to impose new facts on the ground in preparation for the full annexation plan, pointing out that this is taking place amid the absence of Palestinian action to confront it.

Nairat explains that the occupation uses the security and military envelope as a tool to market its political steps, citing the recent Knesset decision that allows settlers to own land in Area C of the West Bank, which is a political decision par excellence, reflecting Israel’s treatment of the West Bank as if it were part of its state.

Nairat refers to the statements of the Israeli Minister of War, Yisrael Katz, regarding the continuation of the Israeli military presence in the "Harsh al-Saada" area after the end of the military campaign on the Jenin camp, and the establishment of a permanent camp there, which proves that the military operations are only a prelude to imposing a new political reality.

Nairat points out that calling the current military operation “Iron Wall” is reminiscent of Operation “Defensive Shield” in 2002, which launched a new phase of Israeli control over the West Bank, and this current operation has its own meaning in the new reality.

Nairat stresses that there is a connection between the two processes, as each separates two different political stages, during which policies of control, annexation and settlement are formulated.

Nairat stresses that the occupation's intentions towards the West Bank are clear, as all its movements are directed towards actual annexation, and these are policies that began even before October 7, 2023.

Nairat expressed his fears that the next phase will be more bloody, as Israel may resort to carrying out larger massacres, such that the number of martyrs becomes mere numbers, which aims to normalize the massacres and continue them without any noteworthy international reactions, which threatens greater massacres in the future.

Nairat stresses that confronting the policies of genocide in the West Bank and Gaza Strip requires achieving national unity and developing a clear national political program that defines the features of the next stage.

Nairat explains that this program must be based on strengthening the steadfastness of the Palestinian citizen in his land, increasing societal cohesion, in addition to unifying the Palestinian media discourse to confront Israeli propaganda, and working to convey the Palestinian point of view to international institutions and world public opinion.

Nairat points out that there is a complete absence of the required Palestinian action on all levels, which requires holding everyone accountable.

Katz seeks to achieve two main goals through escalation

Writer and political analyst Imad Musa asserts that the Tamoun massacre, which resulted in the martyrdom of ten citizens, comes within the context of the policy of genocide, ethnic cleansing and war crimes practiced by Israel, amid American political cover in international forums.

Musa stresses that this massacre in Tamoun is part of a comprehensive plan targeting the West Bank, through escalating killings and destruction to undermine the Palestinian National Authority, which enjoys international recognition and had succeeded in bringing Palestine to the United Nations.

Mousa points out that the Israeli Minister of War, Yisrael Katz, is seeking through this escalation to achieve two main goals; the first is to present himself to Israeli and international public opinion as a victor over unarmed civilians, in an attempt to promote the idea that his army is engaged in a confrontation with organized forces, while the truth indicates a systematic targeting of the civilian population and Palestinian infrastructure.

Mousa points out that Katz's second goal is to gain the support of the extreme right-wing movement and the settlers, by presenting his credentials as a political official capable of implementing more stringent policies against the Palestinians, in light of the competition within the extremist Israeli government coalition.

Musa asserts that Benjamin Netanyahu's government is still betting on implementing a strategy of genocide and forced displacement, as a means to achieve its ultimate goal of making Palestine free of its indigenous population, considering that what is happening in the West Bank is not just scattered military operations, but rather a war of extermination carried out in stages, with the aim of imposing new demographic facts.

Musa believes that the continuation of the aggression with such brutality may lead to dangerous regional repercussions, as neighboring countries will find themselves facing new waves of forced displacement of Palestinians, as happened in the 1948 Nakba and the 1967 Setback.

Musa points out that what is required at this stage is to achieve true national unity among the various Palestinian factions, and to unite under the slogan of thwarting the Israeli plan, through escalating the political and field confrontation, and working to mobilize international positions to stop the ongoing Israeli crimes.

Security preparations for essential political decisions

Dr. Raed Abu Badawi, professor of international law and international relations at the Arab American University, believes that the escalating Israeli military campaign in the northern West Bank, especially in Jenin, is no longer just a political response to appease the Israeli right led by Bezalel Smotrich, but has become part of comprehensive Israeli security preparations aimed at implementing fundamental political decisions, most notably the annexation plan.

Abu Badawiya points out that there are clear indications that the Israeli moves come in the context of completing the Israeli right's vision for the West Bank, amid American indications from President Donald Trump, hinting at Washington's readiness to offer a "political price" that satisfies the right-wing movement in Israel, including support for measures to annex the West Bank.

Abu Badawiya asserts that Israel realizes that annexation cannot be achieved without eliminating the manifestations of armed resistance in the West Bank, as the occupation government seeks to end all forms of Palestinian armament, with the aim of creating a safe environment for settlers, at a time when these measures coincide with giving settlers a green light to carry out their attacks against Palestinians, and lifting the restrictions imposed on them in the United States, especially after the Trump administration’s decisions to cancel some sanctions on settlers involved in violations.

Abu Badawiya believes that the escalation of Israeli military repression in the West Bank reflects a multi-dimensional strategy, including security pressure and repressive practices, with the aim of pushing Palestinians to emigrate. He pointed out that the Israeli army’s declaration of the West Bank as an open military confrontation zone, as well as the declaration of Israeli Defense Minister Yisrael Katz, in which he spoke of an “open war” in the West Bank, translate into massacres against Palestinians, not only in Jenin, but also in other areas, as the army moves from one camp to another within the framework of the “preemptive deterrence” policy, which aims to terrorize citizens and deter them from even thinking about resistance.

Abu Badawiya points out that the next stage may witness additional restrictive policies, such as besieging Palestinians in major city centers, as a preliminary step to imposing annexation.

Abu Badawiya confirms that the Palestinian Authority is facing an internal crisis and Israeli pressures, warning against betting on the American or European positions, because Israel does not want a Palestinian political entity, but rather just an administrative entity to manage the affairs of the Palestinians in some areas.

Abu Badawiya stresses that the only way out for the Palestinians is to strengthen internal national unity, reorganize the Palestinian house, and review relations and agreements with Israel, in light of the clear intentions of the occupation seeking to impose a new reality on the ground.

Division weakens the ability to confront the occupation's plans

The writer and political analyst specializing in Israeli affairs, Hani Abu Al-Sabaa, believes that the Israeli escalation in the northern West Bank, the latest of which was the Tamoun massacre in which warplanes were used, falls within a systematic policy aimed at eliminating the resistance and weakening the popular incubator, within the framework of a broader strategy to pressure the Palestinians and push them toward forced migration.

Abu Al-Sabaa points out that this escalation coincided with Katz’s announcement that the occupation forces would remain in the northern West Bank even after the end of the military operations in Jenin. These statements were quickly translated into a bloody massacre in Tamoun, where the occupation forces launched an intensive air attack that led to a large number of martyrs and wounded.

Abu Al-Sabaa explains that the occupation seeks to achieve several main goals, including eliminating the resistance in the northern West Bank, punishing the Palestinians with collective punishment to deprive them of hope for steadfastness, and preventing the recurrence of what Israel calls the “October 7 scenario” in the West Bank, due to its proximity to the settlements. Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu also relies on an escalation strategy, doubling the use of force with every military failure, which has not yet led to ending the resistance, but rather has strengthened it.

Abu Al-Sabaa confirms that the Shin Bet and the occupation army acknowledged that the resistance in Jenin is still active despite the military strikes, pointing out that an attempt to carry out a shooting operation in Afula was thwarted, despite the strict security campaign on Jenin.

Abu Al-Sabaa believes that the Israeli campaign in the West Bank came immediately after the end of the truce in Gaza, as Israel fears that the resistance in the West Bank will draw inspiration from the momentum of the battle there. The West Bank also represents a soft underbelly for the occupation and a strategic threat to the settlements, which is pushing Netanyahu’s government, with the support of Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich, to seek to impose complete control over it in preparation for annexation.

Abu Al-Sabaa points out that the occupation is pursuing a dual policy: on the one hand, it practices brutal military repression, and on the other hand, it uses “soft pressure” to push Palestinians to voluntarily emigrate, through economic and living restrictions. Testimonies from Israeli soldiers also revealed that they shot Palestinians when there was no real threat, which reflects that killing has become a “hobby” for some of them.

Abu Al-Sabaa warns that the number of martyrs in the West Bank will continue to rise as the occupation continues to use warplanes and target residential areas, amidst suspicious Arab and international silence. Netanyahu is also exploiting the return of former US President Donald Trump to the political scene, as he seeks to meet with him on February 4 to secure American support for his plans, especially since Trump holds a dangerous vision for the Palestinian cause, which he previously expressed by saying that "Israel is small and must be expanded," which means support for forced displacement projects.

Abu Al-Sabaa points out that the occupation was disturbed by scenes of the return of the residents of southern Gaza to the north after the truce, which showed the Palestinians’ adherence to their land despite the massacres, which is what is pushing Israel to escalate military pressure in the West Bank as a preliminary step to impose soft displacement policies in the future.

In light of these developments, Abu Al-Sabaa calls for urgent Arab and international action to curb the Israeli aggression and expose its crimes, calling on the Arab League to activate international efforts against the occupation. He also urges the Palestinian Authority to support the steadfastness of citizens by alleviating the economic and social burdens, and enhancing support for affected families in Jenin, Tulkarm and other areas.

Abu Al-Sabaa stresses that national unity is the only way to confront the ongoing Israeli aggression, warning that the continuation of division serves the occupation and weakens the ability to confront settlement projects and forced displacement. He confirms that the occupation will continue to impose a fait accompli by force, unless it is confronted with real Palestinian, Arab and international action.