A Palestinian Youth killed in Nablus, Smotrich proposes plan to end 'Oslo' divisions and expand settlements

Tensions escalated in the occupied West Bank early Friday morning, following the martyrdom of a Palestinian youth by Israeli occupation forces' bullets in Nablus Governorate. The Palestinian Ministry of Health announced the death of 15-year-old Fahd Zidan Oweis, who was shot by occupation forces in the town of Al-Lubban Al-Sharqiya, noting that Israeli authorities detained his body and prevented medical teams from receiving it.

For its part, the Israeli occupation army attempted to justify the crime with claims made by a spokesperson, who alleged that the youth was participating in throwing stones at settlers' cars on a main road. This incident comes amid an escalation in the pursuit and direct targeting of Palestinian youth and children in various cities and villages of the West Bank under flimsy security pretexts.

In another attack reflecting the escalation of settler terrorism, extremist groups set fire to a mosque and several Palestinian vehicles in the village of Jibiya, northwest of Ramallah. Local sources reported that settlers infiltrated the village under the cover of darkness, set fire to the prayer hall, and spray-painted racist slogans in Hebrew on its walls before fleeing.

The Palestinian Ministry of Endowments and Religious Affairs condemned this attack, considering that the burning of the mosque and targeting of citizens' property is not merely a fleeting individual act. The ministry affirmed in an official statement that these attacks fall within a systematic policy that enjoys cover and incitement from the current Israeli government, with the aim of intimidating Palestinians and erasing their religious identity and presence on their land.

On the political front, Israeli Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich revealed dangerous government directives aimed at changing the legal and geographical reality in the West Bank. Smotrich announced the government's approval to build approximately 60,000 new settlement units over the next three years, in a move aimed at solidifying the settlement project and blocking any future political solutions.

Smotrich, who leads the extremist 'Religious Zionism' party, called on Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu to adopt a plan aimed at the 'final erasure' of the dividing lines between Areas (A), (B), and (C). The Israeli minister considered that the divisions approved by the Oslo Agreement are no longer relevant, demanding the imposition of full and unified Israeli control over all West Bank territories without discrimination.

These statements came during a celebration for settlers marking the anniversary of the occupation of East Jerusalem, where Smotrich boasted about his government's achievements in 'legalizing' settlement outposts. He indicated that work is underway to organize more than 100 new settlement clusters, including the revival of previously evacuated settlements such as Homesh, Sa-Nur, Ganim, and Kadim.

Smotrich's plan, presented to the Israeli cabinet, seeks to undermine the limited powers of the Palestinian Authority in Areas (A) and (B). This move aims to abolish administrative and security distinctions, paving the way for effective and widespread annexation of Palestinian lands under the guise of 'settlement regulation' and preventing Palestinian urban expansion.

It is worth noting that the Oslo Agreement divided the West Bank into three administrative areas, with Area (C) under full Israeli control and constituting the largest area at 60%. However, the current trends of the far-right seek to bypass these divisions in favor of extending absolute Israeli sovereignty, which observers see as the final bullet for what remains of the signed agreements.

These field and political developments reflect a new phase of comprehensive Israeli escalation against the Palestinian presence in the West Bank. While field killings and settler attacks on holy sites continue, the Israeli government is proceeding with legislating laws and settlement plans aimed at resolving the conflict demographically and geographically on the ground.

It is time to finally erase the borders separating Areas (A), (B), and (C). I have presented a detailed plan to the cabinet and call for its adoption.