The Israeli occupation government's Finance Minister, Bezalel Smotrich, stormed the town of Ni'lin, located west of Ramallah in the occupied West Bank, this Monday morning. The raid took place amidst intense security reinforcements imposed by army forces, which closed the main entrances and roads leading to the area to secure the extremist minister's tour.
Smotrich was accompanied on this provocative tour by several Knesset members and groups of settlers, who roamed the town's lands under the protection of military vehicles. The minister made sharp political statements, affirming the Israeli government's pursuit of full field control over the West Bank lands, emphasizing efforts to undermine any attempts aimed at establishing a Palestinian state in the region.
Coinciding with this raid, occupation bulldozers carried out demolition operations targeting agricultural facilities in the town, including an agricultural room owned by citizen Raed Surour. Youssef Al-Khawaja, head of Ni'lin Municipality, explained that these measures come in the context of tightening the noose on Palestinian farmers and preventing them from accessing their lands, which are threatened with confiscation for settlement projects.
A state of extreme tension and popular anger prevailed among the residents of Ni'lin, who confronted the raid, amidst the ongoing systematic attacks they are subjected to. The town is considered one of the most prominent points of popular confrontation against the separation wall and settlement expansion that devours vast areas of its agricultural lands surrounding the settlements.
This step reflects the tendencies of the far-right in the current Israeli government towards accelerating the pace of settlement and effectively annexing lands. Observers believe that Smotrich's statements from the heart of Palestinian towns represent a dangerous escalation aimed at imposing a new reality that ends any future opportunities for political settlement or the establishment of an independent Palestinian entity.
We are strengthening control over the land, and eliminating the idea of establishing an Arab terror state in the heart of the country.
שתף את דעתך
Smotrich storms Ni'lin and vows to prevent the establishment of a Palestinian state