Israeli tanks rolled into the West Bank on Sunday as part of an effort to curb terrorist activity amid the war in the Gaza Strip. This marks the first time this has happened in about two decades.
This comes as Israel is currently engaged in a ceasefire agreement with the terrorist group Hamas as the two parties exchange prisoners and hostages.
Israeli troops are expected to remain in the West Bank for at least one year, according to NBC News. The Israeli Defense Forces (IDF) indicated that Palestinians who have fled the area amid the fighting will not be allowed to return to their homes.
Israel is deepening its crackdown on the Palestinian territory and has said it is determined to stamp out militancy amid a rise in attacks. It launched the offensive in the northern West Bank on Jan. 21 — two days after the current ceasefire in Gaza took hold — and expanded it to nearby areas.
Palestinians view the deadly raids as part of an effort to cement Israeli control over the territory, where 3 million Palestinians live under military rule.
Israeli Defense Minister Israel Katz said he and Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu ordered the military to “increase the intensity of the activity to thwart terrorism” in all refugee camps in the West Bank.
“We will not allow the return of residents, and we will not allow terrorism to return and grow,” he said.
The IDF has routinely launched airstrikes on the West Bank since Hamas attacked from the Gaza Strip on October 7, 2023. While most of the aggression against Israel has come from Gaza, there have been several incidents involving Palestinian terrorists in the West Bank.
Palestinian militants from the West Bank have killed and injured several Israelis since the war began. Between October 7, 2023, and January 7, 2024, terrorists have wounded at least nine members of Israeli security personnel, along with several civilians.
Retired Gen. Wesley Clark told NewsNation that the new development reflects the larger issue, namely the future of Israel and the Palestinians. He indicated that this could signal that the two-state solution is no longer an option.
They haven't previously used tanks in the West Bank. There is unrest in the West Bank, but all of this is associated with the larger issue of what's the future of Israel and how does it go about? We still got troops in Lebanon. Hamas has not been defeated. Hamas still has hostages. There's a phase two to be done. Iran is weak. President Trump is a strong supporter of Bibi Netanyahu. So what is the future? And there are strong forces in Israel that said, ‘get rid of the Palestinians, go for a one-state solution.’ And so this has to be viewed as a step in that direction.
President Donald Trump is currently working on a plan to have the United States take over the Gaza Strip after the war is concluded. He suggested that Palestinians living in the region would be relocated to other countries such as Egypt and Jordan and would not be allowed to return when Gaza is rebuilt.
Both Egypt and Jordan have balked at the idea. However, King Abdullah II of Jordan indicated he would be willing to accept 2,000 Palestinian children into the country. Trump has threatened to cut off aid to these countries if they do not cooperate with his plan.
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