This Desecration of the West Bank

The occupation army and Israeli rulers are exploiting the world's preoccupation with the repercussions of the explosion in the region, which resulted from the Israeli-American aggression against Iran, to escalate their oppression of the Palestinian people in the West Bank and Jerusalem... Since Israel began its aggression on the morning of the 28th of last month (February), the occupation forces have closed approximately one thousand one hundred military checkpoints and more than two hundred gates, turning the villages, towns, and cities of the West Bank into isolated prisons. More than a week after the aggression began, the majority of checkpoints and gates remained closed. For example, all entrances and gates to the city of Jericho were closed, making it completely isolated from the outside world, and this is the situation for dozens of villages and towns.The occupation army is not content with closures; its forces raid dozens of towns, villages, and refugee camps daily and nightly, wreaking havoc, abuse, and arresting their residents in unprecedented campaigns in terms of their scale. As for Al-Aqsa Mosque and the Ibrahimi Mosque in Hebron, they have never been closed during Ramadan throughout history. During this aggression, the occupation continued not only to prevent all West Bank residents from reaching Jerusalem and Al-Aqsa Mosque but also deliberately prevented residents of Jerusalem and the interior from reaching the mosque and prevented worshippers from entering and performing prayers there, a dangerous precedent that portends many plans. As for the Ibrahimi Mosque in Hebron, Muslims were denied entry and prevented from performing prayers there, making it completely monopolized by Jewish worshippers.The closure of checkpoints and crossings has deepened the escalating economic crisis in the West Bank, paralyzing health and educational services, as well as commercial operations and most economic activities. These are severely suffering due to Israel's dismissal of approximately 220,000 workers who entered the unemployment market since "October 7" (2023), and due to the piracy of Finance Minister Smotrich, who confiscated most of the Palestinian tax revenues, which constitute more than 55% of the Palestinian Authority's income. The amount of money withheld by the Israeli government has exceeded three billion dollars, rendering the Palestinian Authority (whose powers have been largely confiscated) unable to pay its employees' full salaries or to fulfill its health, educational, and social obligations towards the Palestinian population.The general economic deterioration is leading to severe hardship and bankruptcies in many private sector projects and institutions. Residents of Jerusalem are subjected to further pressure, suffering from excessive taxes imposed by Israel, the scarcity of exorbitantly priced building permits, and a sharp increase in the cost of living. Due to exorbitant taxes, a large portion of shops in Jerusalem and the Old City of Hebron are forced to close their doors.However, the most dangerous phenomena are the unrestrained settler terrorist gangs that pursue residents of Palestinian villages and the desert, continuing their terrorist attacks under the protection and patronage of the occupation army. Many villages and towns, such as Qasra, Beita, Al-Mughayyir, Abu Falah, Sinjil, Turmus Ayya, Masafer Yatta, and many others, are subjected to repeated attacks, reaching the point of killing by gunfire, beating and abuse, and forced displacement of residents, as happened to more than 70 communities, most of which are Bedouin communities in the Jordan Valley, Hebron, and Ramallah. The audacity reached a point, days ago, where the occupation army stopped citizens at the checkpoint leading to the town of Al-Mughayyir, then allowed terrorist settlers to attack them, including the village doctor.It is the duty of all sympathizers and supporters of the Palestinian people to escalate their solidarity movement with them, and expose the ongoing crime of desecration.There is no real distinction between the settler terrorists who carry weapons provided by the Israeli government and the army itself, as a large number of them serve in the army, which recently made a decision to allow soldiers to keep their weapons when they are discharged from the army, or go on leave, or when they are not on official duty.Some communities, such as the Bedouin community in the Ein Samiya area, have been displaced several times from one place to another. The occupation understands that the heroic steadfastness of the Palestinian people, despite all forms of terrorism, abuse, and unjust oppression, is what thwarts the ethnic cleansing plan, and therefore it exploits events such as the ongoing aggression to escalate attacks and abuse against Palestinians. There is no doubt that the inaction of most of what is called the international community in imposing sanctions on Israel for committing the crime of genocide in Gaza encourages settlers to commit more crimes in the West Bank.What is happening in the West Bank, including Jerusalem, is nothing less than a brutal desecration of its civilian population, without deterrence, and without any respect for any local or international law. While Palestinians bravely endure and perform feats in the face of oppression, it is the duty of all sympathizers and supporters of the Palestinian people to escalate their solidarity movement with them, expose and uncover the ongoing crime of desecration, and not allow media preoccupation with the ongoing war in Iran and the Gulf region to cast a dark and gloomy veil over the suffering, struggle, and steadfastness of the Palestinian people, whether in the West Bank or the Gaza Strip, especially since silence on the ongoing desecration carries within it the risks of serious crimes whose consequences and repercussions no one will be able to escape.