Ashraf Al-Ajrami: The Israeli government has taken a decision to resolve the situation in the West Bank in favor of implementing broad annexation operations, drawing encouragement from Trump’s position

Dr. Ammar Dweik: The West Bank faces great danger not only because of the annexation plans but also because of the excessive force used by the occupation army in the camps

Imad Abu Awad: Developments herald a more dangerous phase, and the religious Zionist right is leading an intensive media campaign that pushes for a military resolution of the situation in the West Bank

Dr. Omar Rahhal: The occupation’s continued escalation of its violations of freedom of movement and travel may lead to forced internal migration from the countryside and Area C towards city centers

Amir Makhoul: Netanyahu's main project aims to prevent the establishment of a Palestinian state, hence his refusal to link Gaza to the West Bank and his efforts to undermine the Palestinian Authority

The Israeli far-right government is escalating its aggression against the West Bank, based on racist colonial plans and visions, as it has given its army free rein to wreak havoc, destruction and demolition, in addition to imposing restrictions on movement, in a war on all the elements of survival for the Palestinian people on their land, while the settler militias have been given free rein to run riot after intensive armament campaigns against them.

Observers and analysts warned in interviews with “I” that field developments indicate that the West Bank is facing a great danger, not only because of the annexation plans, but also because of the excessive force used by the occupation army in the camps, especially since the religious Zionist right is leading an intensive media campaign that pushes for a military resolution of the situation in the West Bank.

They considered that the continuous round-the-clock restrictions in all cities and areas of the West Bank, which have become disjointed and surrounded by military barriers, aim to turn life in the West Bank into hell, and thus push citizens towards forced displacement.

They also warned that the Israeli Prime Minister's main project is more dangerous than the annexation project led by his extremist Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich. In terms of the political dimension, Netanyahu aims to prevent the establishment of a Palestinian state, and this is evident from his refusal to link Gaza to the West Bank and his efforts to undermine the Palestinian Authority or make it very limited.

Turning life in the West Bank into hell

Writer and political analyst Ashraf Al-Ajrami said that the Israeli government has taken a decision to resolve the situation in the West Bank in favor of implementing broad annexation operations, drawing encouragement from the position of US President Donald Trump, who stated that Israel's area is very small, and that it can consider expanding its area.

Al-Ajrami added that Israel sees what happened in the Gaza Strip, where it carried out a comprehensive destruction and war of extermination, as giving it, from its point of view, the opportunity to impose its policy in the West Bank.

He pointed out that the continuous round-the-clock restrictions in all cities and areas of the West Bank, which have become disjointed and surrounded by military checkpoints, represent an attempt to push Palestinians to leave the West Bank and turn their lives into hell, as is the case in the Gaza Strip.

He continued, saying: Israel is destroying Palestinian camps and restricting freedom of movement, in an attempt to make life unbearable, especially on the economic and living levels.

He pointed out that this policy is linked to the position that Israel expects to obtain from the United States, with regard to supporting the expansion of its area by annexing additional areas in the southern West Bank.

Al-Ajrami explained that if we go back, the “deal of the century” announced by Trump spoke of annexing 30% of the West Bank, which is equivalent to half the area of Area C, and today many believe that the idea of deporting Palestinians to Jordan and Egypt has become a golden opportunity, in light of the US administration’s position supporting the annexation project, with the aim of forcing Palestinians to leave their lands, or at least remaining silent about the implementation of this policy and accepting it as a fait accompli.

The displacement plan is partially feasible.

Regarding the possibility of implementing the forced displacement plan, Al-Ajrami said that this scenario is partially feasible, explaining that many young Palestinians have already begun looking for job opportunities in other areas, in pursuit of a better life.

He added: There has been a gradual displacement process that has occurred over the past years, whether in the Gaza Strip before and after the war, or even in the West Bank, as a result of the difficult living conditions.

However, Al-Ajrami stressed that the Palestinian people will not leave their homeland, and that the majority of citizens will not leave their land, which will ultimately lead to the failure of the project based on mass displacement.

Analyst Al-Ajrami stressed that the migration of some individuals will not affect the demographic reality or national identity, and that this plan will not succeed in the end, because there is no security or stability in Palestine without achieving the legitimate rights of the Palestinian people.

Fearing that the barriers would become permanent under the different colors of the gates

Director of the Independent Commission for Human Rights, Dr. Ammar Dweik, told AA: “We note that the West Bank has been subjected to a continuous Israeli attack since 1967, but after October 7, 2023, the attack increased significantly. This was evident in the sharp increase in the number of martyrs, as the number exceeded 900 martyrs in the West Bank, in addition to 14,000 detainees. Restrictions on military checkpoints and movement were also tightened, but now these measures have increased in an unprecedented manner since the announcement of the truce. The number of checkpoints and iron gates that were installed at the entrances to cities, intersections and villages reached about 900.”

Duwaik expressed his fear that these barriers would become permanent, especially since the gates are of different colors, and each color indicates a specific type of barrier.

He said: "We are talking about a new system for controlling and dominating the movement of citizens, which is much more difficult than previous levels, even more difficult than the days of the Second Intifada."

He pointed to fears that this situation could turn into a permanent structure aimed at dismembering the West Bank, in preparation for the annexation project, expanding settlements, and suffocating Palestinians in geographical enclaves separate from each other, which prevents any geographical continuity, and thus hinders the possibility of establishing a Palestinian state.

Regarding the behavior of the occupation soldiers, Duwaik stressed that the West Bank faces great danger, not only because of the annexation plans, but also because of the excessive force used by the occupation army in the Palestinian camps, through the operations of bulldozing and destroying the infrastructure, and displacing its residents, as part of an ethnic cleansing operation currently being carried out in the Jenin, Tulkarm, Al-Far’a, and Tammun camps.

He added: "We also see the danger of settler violence supported by the occupation army, as there are no longer clear distinctions between the soldier and the settler. Many soldiers are settlers, and many settlers are soldiers, and when they carry out attacks, they wear soldiers' uniforms or receive their protection."

Scenarios in the West Bank seem difficult

Duwaik explained that the upcoming scenarios in the West Bank seem difficult, warning of the possibility of massacres occurring at any time, especially in light of the great incitement practiced by settlers against the Palestinians, and the intensive arming of them, as more than 100 thousand weapons were distributed to settlers in the West Bank and within the territories occupied in 1948.

At the end of his talk to "I", Duwaik stressed the necessity of not normalizing relations with the occupation in light of the crimes it is committing, calling for international intervention to protect the Palestinians, and to conduct investigations into the crimes that have recently occurred, especially in the camps in the northern West Bank, which included killing, destruction, and forced displacement.

Duwaik also called on Arab and Islamic countries that have relations with the occupation to use their influence to pressure Israel to stop its unbridled crimes against the Palestinians.

Unprecedented escalation of aggression and number of checkpoints

The Israeli affairs expert, Imad Abu Awad, said that the West Bank is witnessing an unprecedented increase in the number of military checkpoints, in addition to the increase in cases of random shooting by Israeli soldiers returning from the war of extermination in Gaza, pointing out that these developments portend a more dangerous phase that may witness more violence and escalation.

Abu Awad said: There is an intensive media campaign led by the religious Zionist right, pushing towards resolving the situation in the West Bank militarily, which intersects with the fact that a large portion of the soldiers working in the West Bank belong to religious Zionism.

He added that this makes the rabbis' orders more influential than the military command's orders, which leads to the Israeli army in the West Bank becoming the "army of God" instead of the "army of the state."

Armed settlers have become part of the military establishment.

He pointed out that armed settlers have become part of the military establishment, as they serve in the army on the one hand, and at the same time work as militias within the settlements, which increases the risk of escalating violence against Palestinians.

Abu Awad spoke about a pivotal point in the Israeli army’s approach, which goes back to the case of the soldier Azaria, who executed a Palestinian in Hebron and was tried for his actions, explaining that this event sparked widespread controversy in Israel, and led to an escalation of demands not to hold soldiers accountable for killing Palestinians.

He added that this development gave the soldiers "absolute immunity" within Israeli society, which encouraged them to escalate the killings without fear of prosecution.

Israeli army admits it turned its soldiers in Gaza into 'human monsters'

Abu Awad pointed out that the Israeli media itself acknowledged that the Israeli army had turned its soldiers in Gaza into "human monsters," as the Strip witnessed systematic killings and dismemberment of Palestinians, especially children. He explained that this brutality has become part of the behavior of soldiers returning from Gaza, who now see shooting Palestinians in the West Bank as normal, even "simple compared to what happened in Gaza."

Abu Awad warned that these policies could lead to an explosion of the situation in the West Bank, and could also extend to the Israeli interior.

Collective punishment in violation of international law

In turn, Dr. Omar Rahhal, writer, political analyst and director of the Shams Center for Human Rights, warned that the continued escalation of the Israeli occupation’s violations of the Palestinians’ right to freedom of movement and travel could lead to forced internal migration from rural areas and areas classified as “C” towards city centers.

He pointed out that the occupation seeks, through these measures, to undermine the lives of Palestinians and push them to leave.

Dr. Rahhal believes that these barriers do not only hinder movement, but also represent a tool of collective punishment, as Palestinians are subjected to humiliating searches, arbitrary detention, and systematic humiliation, which constitutes a flagrant violation of human rights.

He considered these violations a clear violation of international humanitarian law and international agreements, and said: After October 7, 2023, the occupation forces significantly intensified their arbitrary and punitive measures against citizens by tightening military checkpoints around Palestinian cities, villages and camps.

He pointed out that according to reports from international and Palestinian human rights organizations, the number of checkpoints and iron gates in the West Bank has reached (898) military checkpoints and iron gates, including (18) iron gates installed by the occupation since the beginning of 2025, and (146) iron gates installed by the occupation after October 7, 2023. There are also (26) checkpoints separating the West Bank from occupied Jerusalem and the 1948 territories.

Imposing restrictions as a primary tool for deportation

Dr. Rahhal considered that the restrictions imposed by Israel, as an occupying power, on the freedom of movement and travel of Palestinians are one of its basic tools to empty the land of its indigenous inhabitants.

He believed that these practices stem from a condescending and racist approach towards the Palestinians, as the objectives of the military checkpoints set up by the occupation army are not limited to obstructing the passage of civilians and increasing their suffering, but rather extend to humiliating and provoking them in a systematic manner, regardless of their age or gender.

He stressed that these barriers have turned Palestinian cities, villages and camps into isolated pockets, forcing thousands of citizens in the West Bank to use rough side roads to bypass the military barriers. However, they were not spared the pursuit of the occupation forces, as many of them were shot and chased, or forced to return from where they came, while others were killed, wounded, or arrested. He described these barriers as a form of collective punishment prohibited by the Fourth Geneva Convention, explaining that the danger of barriers is not limited to being a violation of the Palestinians’ right to movement, but rather one of the worst manifestations of human rights violations.

Rahhal said that these barriers are linked to a number of practices that directly affect the lives and dignity of Palestinians, as their role is not limited to restricting movement, but rather includes arbitrary measures such as detention, humiliating searches, humiliation, physical violence, verbal and physical harassment, the use of police dogs, screaming, firing sound and gas bombs, and abusing citizens.

He added: These barriers also disrupt service and educational institutions, and delay employees and students from their work and studies, which negatively affects economic and social life. They also hinder farmers from reaching their lands, especially during harvest seasons such as olive picking, which directly affects their livelihoods and food security.

Dr. Rahhal said: The checkpoints show us a shocking picture of Palestinian men, women and children waiting for a signal from a soldier to advance, and sometimes the checkpoints open and close at specific hours.

The current aggression on the West Bank is an eradication aggression.

For his part, Amir Makhoul, a researcher at the Progress Center for Policy, said: “If we rely only on Israeli intentions, it seeks to displace the residents of the West Bank, annex it, expand settlements, and practically end the Palestinian issue for Netanyahu, by ending the possibility of establishing a Palestinian state.”

He added: "I believe that the main project is not only annexation, but Netanyahu's project is more important than Smotrich's project in terms of the political dimension, as it aims to prevent the establishment of a Palestinian state, and hence his refusal to connect Gaza to the West Bank, as well as his persistent efforts to undermine the Palestinian Authority or make it very limited."

“The aggression on the West Bank now is an eradication aggression in every sense of the word, as Israel is trying to delude the world that the West Bank constitutes an army and a real fighting front, and represents an existential threat to Israel. All of this aims to exaggerate and intimidate in order to create a public opinion that supports the invasion. Of course, this situation puts the Palestinian Authority under great pressure, and it seems that the Israeli escalation in the West Bank will expand and deepen, threatening any existing Palestinian entity,” Makhoul added.

“I think that the continuation of the Israeli approach in this way poses a great danger, but the questions that arise are: Can Israel implement this? Will it get an American green light? Will Trump agree to annex the West Bank in exchange for giving up peace or normalization with Saudi Arabia? These are fundamental and serious questions, and I do not think the answer to them is settled yet. On the other hand, the Palestinian effort to mobilize world public opinion remains a matter of utmost importance,” he continued.

The importance of holding the Saudi-French conference in June

He stressed the importance of the effort to hold the Saudi-French conference next June, which is supposed to lead to strengthening the idea of a Palestinian state. It seems that the Israeli right is not in the best phase, but rather in a phase of decline in the face of recognizing the limits of power.

Makhoul said: "If the right-wing project a few months ago was to settle Gaza and Lebanon, today it has somewhat backed away from that, while the West Bank remains the most important region for it."

Makhoul continued: “If we ask whether Israel can implement this project, the answer ultimately depends on what Trump will say, and whether he will agree to the annexation or not. Even if he agrees, this will not be the end of history. The settlement project and annexation began in 1948, and no matter what happens, the Palestinian issue will not be erased.”