West Bank’s turn

Published January 25, 2025

MERE days after pausing the Gaza genocide, Israel has turned its guns on the occupied West Bank.

Though Israel had been conducting raids in the West Bank while simultaneously carrying out the slaughter in Gaza in the aftermath of Oct 7, 2023, with the ceasefire taking effect in the Strip on Sunday, Tel Aviv is now free to concentrate its attention on the rest of the occupied Palestinian territories.

Raids were stepped up earlier this week, with around a dozen people killed, while residents of the Jenin refugee camp have been forcibly evacuated.

As a UN official has noted, Israel is applying “war fighting” methods in the West Bank. While Tel Aviv had cited Hamas as the casus belli for the Gaza rampage, the West Bank is ruled by the Fatah-led Palestinian Authority. This shows that Israel has a problem with all Palestinians, regardless of their political affiliations.

Israel’s actions in the West Bank have very swiftly shattered the illusion that the Gaza ceasefire would bring peace to the occupied territories. The Zionist state — as it has shown over the decades — thrives on conflict, and peacemaking is not a priority for the Israeli ruling elite.

Couple this with the fact that the current occupant of the White House is surrounded by zealous Zionists, and the future for the Palestinians does not look good. It is highly likely that Israel will try and annex the West Bank, with the Trump administration egging it on. This will likely turbo-charge the Palestinian resistance, as Arabs in both Gaza and the West Bank fight for survival.

It is also a fact that the Lebanon ceasefire is due to expire in a few days, and Tel Aviv has no plans to withdraw from south Lebanon. While Hezbollah may be weakened, it can still put up a fight. Therefore, it may only be a matter of time before the ‘multifront’ war resumes in the region.

Published in Dawn, January 25th, 2025

Opinion

First line of defence

First line of defence

Pakistan’s foreign service has long needed reform to be able to adapt to global changes and leverage opportunities in a more multipolar world.

Editorial

Eid amidst crises
Updated 31 Mar, 2025

Eid amidst crises

Until the Muslim world takes practical steps to end these atrocities, these besieged populations will see no joy.
Women’s rights
Updated 01 Apr, 2025

Women’s rights

Such judgements, and others directly impacting women’s rights should be given more airtime in media.
Not helping
Updated 02 Apr, 2025

Not helping

If it's committed to peace in Balochistan, the state must draw a line between militancy and legitimate protest.
Hard habits
Updated 30 Mar, 2025

Hard habits

Their job is to ensure that social pressures do not build to the point where problems like militancy and terrorism become a national headache.
Dreams of gold
30 Mar, 2025

Dreams of gold

PROSPECTS of the Reko Diq project taking off soon seem to have brightened lately following the completion of the...
No invitation
30 Mar, 2025

No invitation

FOR all of Pakistan’s hockey struggles, including their failure to qualify for the Olympics and World Cup as well...