Source: TheLastAmericanVagabond.com
The latest string of settler terrorist acts against Palestinian communities, coupled with the advancements shown by the West Bank resistance forces, is leading towards a dramatic escalation inside of the occupied territory. As the current Palestinian political scene remains divided, with no sign of national elections in sight, the hunger for a unified leadership is growing and the Palestinian Authority (PA) is now faced with a crucial set of decisions.
“Today I have come bearing an olive branch and a freedom-fighter’s gun. Do not let the olive branch fall from my hand. I repeat: do not let the olive branch fall from my hand.” These were the words of former Palestine Liberation Organisation (PLO) leader, Yasser Arafat, during his speech to the United Nations in 1974. In contrast, PA President Mahmoud Abbas’s latest UN Speech was punctuated with the following highlight quote:
“We are being beaten up every day. Protect us, protect us. Why aren’t you protecting us? Aren’t we human beings? Even animals are protected. If you have an animal, you won’t protect it? Apparently, you don’t protect animals.”
In contrast to the tone of the Palestinian Authority President, Mahmoud Abbas, Israeli politicians have not been attempting to beg for help, instead they are saying the quiet part out loud when it comes to their approach towards the Palestinians. Israeli security minister, Itamar Ben Gvir, gave a speech this Friday morning, stating the following:
“We need to have a full and whole settlement here, not only here, but in all the hills around us. We should settle the Land of Israel, and at the same time, launch a military operation, take down buildings and eliminate terrorists. Not just one or two, but dozens and hundreds and if needed, thousands.”
This statement from Ben Gvir this morning is worth translating because it encapsulates the leading agenda of the current Israeli government: killing Palestinians and building settlements on behalf of a great ideological mission. pic.twitter.com/3k3zrytvt9
— Nimrod Flaschenberg (@Nimrod_Flash) June 23, 2023
Itamar Ben Gvir is himself an illegal settler who lives in one of the most radical settlements in the West Bank, located on stolen Palestinian lands inside the city of al-Khalil (Hebron). The speech was delivered upon the security ministers arrival to the Israeli settler outpost of Evyatar, which even violates Israeli law at this current time, as it has not been approved by the government as of yet.
Whereas the Palestinian Fatah Party-aligned youth, belonging to The Aqsa Martyrs Brigades armed resistance groups, have adopted the position that Arafat’s olive branch has long fallen, leaving only the freedom-fighter’s gun left, the leadership of the Palestinian Authority remain adamant on hoisting it up. Despite announcing it five times, the PA has refused to actually cancel its security coordination with the Zionist regime’s occupation forces, drawing the ire of Palestinian society. According to a recent poll, conducted by the Palestinian Center for Policy and Survey Research, roughly 80% of Palestinians want PA President Mahmoud Abbas to resign. The West Bank leader, who has seized control of all the key components of the PA during his reign, has blocked all national elections since 2005 when he was voted in for a four year term.
On Monday, the West Bank began to explode with violence once again. However, this time, the chain of violent events that transpired had stemmed from a successful ambush, carried out by Jenin Brigades fighters, against invading Israeli armored vehicles. Officially, the Israeli occupation army admitted that 7 of its soldiers were injured, 1 in serious condition, when explosive devices were detonated directly under their vehicles. This triggered a disproportionate military response by the Zionist forces, who used Apache helicopter gunships to fire a missile towards Palestinian fighters for the first time since the Second Intifada in the early 2000’s.
Overall, the events in Jenin resulted in 7 Palestinians being killed, two of which were active fighters and the rest civilians. A teenage girl and boy were included among the dead in Jenin. Nevertheless, the ambush had proven successful and the military wing of Palestinian Islamic Jihad (PIJ), the Quds Brigades, announced that the Israelis were covering up their true casualty numbers. This event signaled that the armed groups inside the West Bank are evolving, not only in their explosive manufacturing abilities but also in their tactics, which are becoming more sophisticated. This has led to former Israeli minister of war, Avigdor Leiberman, announcing in the Knesset that “it won’t be long before Qassam rockets” are launched from Jenin. The rhetoric of Zionist politicians reflects the anxiety felt by Israeli settlers in the West Bank at this time.
On Tuesday, two operatives that belonged to the Hamas-affiliated Qassam Brigades of the West Bank, successfully carried out a resistance attack against illegal Israeli settlers, near to the entrance of “Eli” settlement. Four settlers were killed, with four others left injured. Both of the Palestinian resistance fighters were murdered. The attack managed to shake the settlers and reinforce the idea that Palestinian resistance fighters could potentially kill them anywhere.
In a fit of rage, racist Israeli settler fanatics went on a rampage through nearby Palestinian villages, committing a pogrom against the people of Turmusaya. Roughly 400 armed Jewish settlers raided the village, protected by the occupation forces, torching 30 houses and 60 vehicles; over 100 Palestinians were injured, 12 by live bullets, and a 27-year-old man was shot dead. When PA Prime Minister, Mohammed Shtayyeh, visited Turmusaya, the following day, a local resident stated to the media that “I place the responsibility for the attack, first of all, on the Palestinian government [PA]”. The local man, who had his home burned down by settlers, went on to say that “you have 70 thousand forces, distribute them to the villages”, urging the PA to use its forces to protect Palestinians.
On Wednesday night, Israeli occupation forces then carried out their first missile strike assassination attack inside the West Bank since 2005. Three Palestinian resistance fighters were struck by a number of missiles that were fired from a drone, while they were located inside a car near the Jalama checkpoint. The occupation army announced that the rules of the game had changed, to which the resistance groups released statements that threatened a proportionate response….