Israel expands West Bank offensive, says troops to remain ‘for next year’

Israel claims that it is expanding its military presence in the occupied West Bank and is “preparing for troops to stay in some refugee camps for the following year.”

Defence Minister Israel Katz on Sunday said the army had “evacuated” three refugee camps in the northern West Bank and had been ordered to remain there “to prevent the return of]Palestinian] residents”.

“So far, 40, 000 Palestinians have evacuated from the refugee camps of Jenin, Tulkarem and Nur Shams, which are now empty of residents”, he said in a statement.

“I have instructed]soldiers] to prepare for a prolonged presence in the cleared camps for the next year and to prevent the return of residents and the resurgence of terrorism”, he added.

Israeli forces have been destroying critical infrastructure by razing Palestinian homes and using bulldozers for more than a month. Jenin and Tulkarem have been the main targets of the assaults.

According to the Israeli army, tanks have been stationed in Jenin for the first time since the end of the second Intifada, or uprising, in 2005.

The decision to station tanks in the northern West Bank was criticized by Nabil Abu Rudeineh, the president’s spokesman.

We warn of this dangerous escalation because it will not bring stability or calm, he said.

At least 27 Palestinians have been killed in Jenin and its neighboring refugee camp since the Israel-Hamas ceasefire was in effect on January 19 in the Gaza Strip.

After explosions on Thursday on empty buses near Tel Aviv in what Netanyahu’s office described as an attempted mass attack, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu gave an instruction to the military to carry out an “intensive” operation in the West Bank.

No casualties were reported in the explosions, and no group has claimed responsibility.

Meanwhile, Israeli army and settler attacks across the West Bank continued on Sunday, according to the Palestinian news agency Wafa.

At least eight people were detained in Nablus during Israeli raids, and two more were detained in the Beit Hanina neighborhood in northern East Jerusalem.

According to Wafa, Israeli bulldozers also razed electrical lines and waterlines in the town of Qabatiya, south of Jenin. Additionally, Israeli soldiers once more established a military checkpoint at the entrance to al-Issawiya, an additional occupied East Jerusalem neighborhood.