The Settlement Pincer Plan: Suffocating the Palestinian Authority Between Collapse and Displacement

The discourse emanating from Israeli settler right-wing circles, associated with Bezalel Smotrich's faction, is no longer merely an extreme ideological expression or inflammatory material directed at the internal Israeli public. Instead, it has become a comprehensive political and strategic action plan aimed at reshaping the entire Palestinian reality, by dismantling the political, economic, and legal foundations upon which the political process has been built since the Oslo Accords, leading to the weakening of the Palestinian National Authority and pushing Palestinian society towards chaos or emigration.The report published on a website affiliated with the settler right-wing reveals with unprecedented clarity the essence of the current vision of the most extreme Israeli government in Israel's history, which no longer views the Palestinian Authority as a political partner—even formally—but rather considers it an "enemy entity" that must be dismantled and stripped of any political, economic, or security capabilities.The danger in the report is not only its hostile tone but also its clarity in discussing the use of economics as a strategic weapon to de facto annul Oslo. When there is explicit talk of "cutting off the Authority's financial oxygen tube," targeting clearance funds and correspondent banks, and pushing for the collapse of public services, education, and employee salaries, we are not facing transient financial measures, but rather an organized policy of collective punishment and political and economic starvation.This approach reflects the transition of the settlement project from the stage of "conflict management" to the stage of "re-engineering Palestinian reality," by creating an economic and social environment hostile to life, thereby pushing segments of Palestinians towards silent forced migration under the pressure of poverty, despair, and a closed horizon. Therefore, the discussion in the report about the possibility of "pushing the population towards emigration" is not just an analysis, but clearly reveals the demographic dimension of the settlement project, based on reducing the Palestinian presence in the West Bank without an official declaration of expulsion.From a legal perspective, these policies represent a blatant violation of the rules of international humanitarian law, especially the provisions of the Fourth Geneva Convention, which prohibit collective punishment, targeting civilian populations, and depriving them of basic necessities of life. Furthermore, the use of economic tools to dismantle the Palestinian social structure falls within the framework of illicit pressures exerted on a people under occupation.Even more dangerous, the report reveals a qualitative shift within Israeli political thought; the settler right-wing is no longer content with rejecting the two-state solution or politically attacking Oslo, but is now actively seeking to end any possibility of a Palestinian political or administrative entity, even if limited in powers. Therefore, targeting the Palestinian Authority today is not only related to its political positions but also to its representation of a symbol of Palestinian national identity and a legal and political cornerstone for the idea of a future Palestinian state.The statements of some figures mentioned in the report also reflect a complete disregard for signed agreements and international legitimacy, by claiming that Israel alone remains committed to Oslo, while the Palestinians have "canceled it" by resorting to international institutions and the International Criminal Court. This, in essence, is nothing more than an attempt to delegitimize any Palestinian legal or diplomatic move that seeks to hold the occupation accountable for its crimes and violations.What is happening today goes beyond financial pressure or political bickering; it is an organized attempt to reshape the Palestinian issue according to an exclusionary settlement vision, by dismantling the Authority, weakening society, and imposing new demographic and geographical realities that make permanent occupation normal and acceptable.In the face of this project, what is required from the Palestinian side is no longer merely crisis management or waiting for international changes, but rather rebuilding elements of national steadfastness on the foundations of political unity, strengthening the national economy, protecting public institutions, and expanding political, legal, and diplomatic engagement with the occupation, considering that the battle is no longer only on the ground, but on the very Palestinian national existence.