UN rapporteur warns Israel may repeat Gaza scenario in West Bank
January 23, 2025 MEMO
Palestinian families forced to flee their homes moving to other areas, on January 22, 2025 in Jenin, West Bank [Issam Rimawi/Anadolu Agency]
The UN Rapporteur on Human Rights in Palestine, Francesca Albanese, has warned that Israel may commit genocide in the occupied West Bank similar to the Gaza Strip.
“As the long awaited ceasefire in Gaza took place, Israel’s death machinery escalated its firing in the West Bank, killing 10 people in Jenin today. If it is not forced to stop, Israel’s genocide of Palestinians will not be confined to Gaza. Mark my words” Albanese posted on X.
The Palestinian Ministry of Health announced on Tuesday evening that ten Palestinians were killed by Israeli forces and 40 others were injured in the vicinity of the city of Jenin and its refugee camp in the northern occupied West Bank.
Earlier on Tuesday, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu announced that a widescale military assault against Jenin had been launched, under the pretext of “enhancing security”.
Israel’s Channel 12 said Netanyahu was merely fulfilling his promise to extremist Minister Bezalel Smotrich in return for agreeing to the ceasefire deal in Gaza.
January 23, 2025 MEMO
Palestinian families forced to flee their homes moving to other areas, on January 22, 2025 in Jenin, West Bank [Issam Rimawi/Anadolu Agency]
The UN Rapporteur on Human Rights in Palestine, Francesca Albanese, has warned that Israel may commit genocide in the occupied West Bank similar to the Gaza Strip.
“As the long awaited ceasefire in Gaza took place, Israel’s death machinery escalated its firing in the West Bank, killing 10 people in Jenin today. If it is not forced to stop, Israel’s genocide of Palestinians will not be confined to Gaza. Mark my words” Albanese posted on X.
The Palestinian Ministry of Health announced on Tuesday evening that ten Palestinians were killed by Israeli forces and 40 others were injured in the vicinity of the city of Jenin and its refugee camp in the northern occupied West Bank.
Earlier on Tuesday, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu announced that a widescale military assault against Jenin had been launched, under the pretext of “enhancing security”.
Israel’s Channel 12 said Netanyahu was merely fulfilling his promise to extremist Minister Bezalel Smotrich in return for agreeing to the ceasefire deal in Gaza.
JESUS WAS PALESTINIAN
January 23, 2025
Congresswoman Elise Stefanik, nominee for Ambassador to the United Nations, speaks at a confirmation hearing in front of the Foreign Relation’s Committee of the Senate in Washington, DC on January 21, 2025. [Nathan Posner – Anadolu Agency]
Donald Trump’s nominee for UN ambassador, Rep Elise Stefanik, has endorsed the controversial view that Israel has a “biblical right” to the illegally Occupied West Bank, aligning herself with Israel’s far-right ministers and contradicting long-standing US policy and international law.
During her confirmation hearing on Tuesday, Stefanik openly supported the position held by far-right Israeli ministers such as Bezalel Smotrich and Itamar Ben-Gvir, who advocate for Israeli sovereignty over the Occupied West Bank based on biblical claims. There is expectation in Israel that President Trump will give the Occupation state the green light to annex the West Bank in contravention of international law.
During his first term, Trump moved away from the two-state solution and sided with Israel in a more obvious manner. It recognised Jerusalem as the undivided capital of Israel and moved its embassy from Tel Aviv to the Occupied city. It also recognised Israel’s sovereignty over the Occupied Syrian Golan Heights. It also softened its stance on illegal Israeli settlements in the Occupied West Bank, abandoning its four-decade position that the settlements were “inconsistent with international law”.
When pressed by Senator Chris Van Hollen about sharing the views of Israel’s Finance Minister, Smotrich, regarding biblical rights to the entire West Bank and if she believed that Israel has been granted the territory by God, Stefanik explicitly confirmed her position with a “yes”. Van Hollen noted that such views were not even shared by Israel’s founders, who were “secular Zionists, not religious Zionists.”
Stefanik’s position aligns with Israel’s far-right political faction, which seeks to recreate what they view as ancient biblical boundaries, effectively dismissing two thousand years of history and current international law. This interpretation is used to justify the illegal expansion of settlements in the Occupied Territories.
During the hearing, Stefanik notably avoided directly acknowledging Palestinians’ right to self-determination, despite repeated questioning. While stating that “Palestinian people deserve human rights”, she deflected questions about their right to self-determination by focusing, instead, on criticism of Hamas.
Her appointment follows a pattern in Trump’s administration of selecting officials who endorse far-right Israeli positions. This includes the appointment of Mike Huckabee as US ambassador to Israel, who has previously claimed that Israeli Occupation does not exist, and that Israel holds the “deeds” to the entire West Bank.
Critics argue that such appointments signal a dramatic shift away from traditional US policy on the Israeli-Palestinian question and could further complicate peace efforts in the region. Van Hollen warned, during the hearing, that such positions would make it “very difficult” to achieve peace and stability in the Middle East.
Hamas slams PA’s security aggression against resistance in Jenin
January 23, 2025
January 23, 2025
MEMO
Palestinian Authority security forces deploy in the Jenin camp for Palestinian refugees in the occupied West Bank on January 18, 2025 [JAAFAR ASHTIYEH/AFP via Getty Images]
Hamas yesterday condemned in the strongest terms the continued shedding of Palestinian blood at the hands of the Palestinian Authority (PA)’s Security Service, saying its practices in the occupied West Bank have “crossed all the red lines and national norms”, Quds Press reported.
In a statement, Hamas accused the PA’s security forces of persisting in attacking citizens in Jenin, saying scenes of the PA’s security besieging Al-Razi Hospital in the city seeking resistance fighters wanted by Israel “have crossed all red lines and constitute a crime against our people and a denial of the blood of the martyrs”.
These actions, the movement added, leaves no room for doubt that the security coordination between the PA and the occupation “reached catastrophic levels.”
The movement called on the Palestinian factions and national and community figures in the West Bank to unite and put an end to the PA’s serious violations and confront the Israeli occupation’s aggression and targeting of the resistance fighters in Jenin.
It also called for coordinating national efforts to confront the targeting of the resistance fighters and the Israeli aggression against the occupied West Bank.
On 14 December, the PA security forces launched a “military operation” in the Jenin refugee camp, under the pretext of pursuing “outlaws”, however Palestinian resistance factions accused the PA of collaborating with Israeli occupation in targeting resistance.
The Palestinian Security Service withdrew earlier this week to allow for occupation forces to launch a military campaign in it. Around 2,000 Palestinian families were displaced from the Jenin Refugee Camp by the second day of the Israeli military offensive, Bashir Matahin, the municipality’s public relations officer, said.
Palestinian Authority security forces deploy in the Jenin camp for Palestinian refugees in the occupied West Bank on January 18, 2025 [JAAFAR ASHTIYEH/AFP via Getty Images]
Hamas yesterday condemned in the strongest terms the continued shedding of Palestinian blood at the hands of the Palestinian Authority (PA)’s Security Service, saying its practices in the occupied West Bank have “crossed all the red lines and national norms”, Quds Press reported.
In a statement, Hamas accused the PA’s security forces of persisting in attacking citizens in Jenin, saying scenes of the PA’s security besieging Al-Razi Hospital in the city seeking resistance fighters wanted by Israel “have crossed all red lines and constitute a crime against our people and a denial of the blood of the martyrs”.
These actions, the movement added, leaves no room for doubt that the security coordination between the PA and the occupation “reached catastrophic levels.”
The movement called on the Palestinian factions and national and community figures in the West Bank to unite and put an end to the PA’s serious violations and confront the Israeli occupation’s aggression and targeting of the resistance fighters in Jenin.
It also called for coordinating national efforts to confront the targeting of the resistance fighters and the Israeli aggression against the occupied West Bank.
On 14 December, the PA security forces launched a “military operation” in the Jenin refugee camp, under the pretext of pursuing “outlaws”, however Palestinian resistance factions accused the PA of collaborating with Israeli occupation in targeting resistance.
The Palestinian Security Service withdrew earlier this week to allow for occupation forces to launch a military campaign in it. Around 2,000 Palestinian families were displaced from the Jenin Refugee Camp by the second day of the Israeli military offensive, Bashir Matahin, the municipality’s public relations officer, said.
West Bank: Hundreds of Palestinians flee Jenin as Israel presses raid
Palestinians in their hundreds are forced to flee Jenin as Israel's military operation in the West Bank city intensifies.
The New Arab Staff & Agencies
24 January, 2025
Residents in Jenin are being forced to leave their homes due to fears concerning their safety [Getty/file photo]
A Palestinian official said hundreds of people began leaving their homes in the flashpoint area of Jenin the occupied West Bank on Thursday as Israeli forces pressed a deadly operation there.
The Israeli military this week launched a raid in the Jenin area days into a ceasefire was approved in the Gaza Strip.
"Hundreds of camp residents have begun leaving after the Israeli army, using loudspeakers on drones and military vehicles, ordered them to evacuate the camp," Jenin governor Kamal Abu al-Rub told AFP.
On Thursday evening the military claimed it had not asked residents to evacuate from the area.
"We emphasise that in order to maintain the safety of residents in the area, the IDF [Israeli army] is enabling any resident who chooses to exit from the area to do so via secure and organized routes," it said in a statement to AFP.
Since it began on Tuesday, the violent operation has killed at least 12 Palestinians and injured 40 more around Jenin, according to the Palestinian health ministry.
"There are dozens of camp residents who have begun to leave," Jenin resident Salim Saadi said.
"The army is in front of my house. They could enter at any moment."
Israeli forces have also detained several Palestinians from the Jenin area, with an AFP photographer seeing a row of blindfolded men in white jumpsuits being transported out of the West Bank.
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has said the objective of the operation, dubbed "Iron Wall", was to "eradicate terrorism" in the area, linking the operation to a broader strategy of countering Iran and the "Axis of Resistance".
Drones
Israeli army chief Lieutenant General Herzi Halevi said it was the right call to launch the assault on Jenin.
"I believe that once we recognised that the Jenin camp had become a hub for those planning terror attacks or looking for a safe haven after committing terror attacks, it was absolutely the right decision to go in forcefully against it," he said in a statement.
Palestinians had already begun fleeing the Jenin area on foot on Wednesday, with AFPTV images showing a group of men, women and children making their way down a muddy road, the sound of drones buzzing above them clearly audible.
The Israeli military said on Thursday that it killed two Palestinian men near Jenin during the night.
"After an exchange of fire, they were eliminated by the forces," it said, adding one soldier was wounded in the gunfight.
Violence has surged throughout the occupied West Bank since the Gaza war erupted on 7 October, 2023, which has killed more than 47,000 Palestinians.
Israeli troops or settlers have killed at least 850 Palestinians in the West Bank since Israel's military onslaught in Gaza began.
The Jenin raid began days after a truce took effect in Gaza on Sunday, after 15 months of war in the Palestinian enclave.
Palestinians in their hundreds are forced to flee Jenin as Israel's military operation in the West Bank city intensifies.
The New Arab Staff & Agencies
24 January, 2025
Residents in Jenin are being forced to leave their homes due to fears concerning their safety [Getty/file photo]
A Palestinian official said hundreds of people began leaving their homes in the flashpoint area of Jenin the occupied West Bank on Thursday as Israeli forces pressed a deadly operation there.
The Israeli military this week launched a raid in the Jenin area days into a ceasefire was approved in the Gaza Strip.
"Hundreds of camp residents have begun leaving after the Israeli army, using loudspeakers on drones and military vehicles, ordered them to evacuate the camp," Jenin governor Kamal Abu al-Rub told AFP.
On Thursday evening the military claimed it had not asked residents to evacuate from the area.
"We emphasise that in order to maintain the safety of residents in the area, the IDF [Israeli army] is enabling any resident who chooses to exit from the area to do so via secure and organized routes," it said in a statement to AFP.
Since it began on Tuesday, the violent operation has killed at least 12 Palestinians and injured 40 more around Jenin, according to the Palestinian health ministry.
"There are dozens of camp residents who have begun to leave," Jenin resident Salim Saadi said.
"The army is in front of my house. They could enter at any moment."
Israeli forces have also detained several Palestinians from the Jenin area, with an AFP photographer seeing a row of blindfolded men in white jumpsuits being transported out of the West Bank.
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has said the objective of the operation, dubbed "Iron Wall", was to "eradicate terrorism" in the area, linking the operation to a broader strategy of countering Iran and the "Axis of Resistance".
Drones
Israeli army chief Lieutenant General Herzi Halevi said it was the right call to launch the assault on Jenin.
"I believe that once we recognised that the Jenin camp had become a hub for those planning terror attacks or looking for a safe haven after committing terror attacks, it was absolutely the right decision to go in forcefully against it," he said in a statement.
Palestinians had already begun fleeing the Jenin area on foot on Wednesday, with AFPTV images showing a group of men, women and children making their way down a muddy road, the sound of drones buzzing above them clearly audible.
The Israeli military said on Thursday that it killed two Palestinian men near Jenin during the night.
"After an exchange of fire, they were eliminated by the forces," it said, adding one soldier was wounded in the gunfight.
Violence has surged throughout the occupied West Bank since the Gaza war erupted on 7 October, 2023, which has killed more than 47,000 Palestinians.
Israeli troops or settlers have killed at least 850 Palestinians in the West Bank since Israel's military onslaught in Gaza began.
The Jenin raid began days after a truce took effect in Gaza on Sunday, after 15 months of war in the Palestinian enclave.
Israel DM: Jenin is just the beginning, West Bank raids will expand
January 23, 2025
January 23, 2025
MEMO
Israeli military vehicles and construction equipment patrol the streets and alleys in the area as Israeli occupied army continues its attacks in West Bank city of Jenin on the 2nd day, on January 22, 2025 [İssam Rimawi/Anadolu Agency]
Israeli Defence Minister Yisrael Katz yesterday vowed to expand military raids in the occupied West Bank, stating that Jenin serves as a model and the starting point.
According to Sky News Arabia, Katz said: “Jenin is the beginning and the model that will be applied across the West Bank.” He added, “Other areas in the West Bank will witness military operations.”
Earlier, Katz noted that “the operation launched by Israeli military forces in Jenin on Tuesday is expected to mark a shift in the army’s strategy in the West Bank.”
The Israeli occupation army began its assault on Jenin and its refugee camp on Tuesday, resulting in the deaths of ten Palestinians and injuries to over 40 others so far.
On Tuesday night, Israeli occupation forces deployed additional military reinforcements to Jenin and its camp.
Several military vehicles entered the city from the Jalameh checkpoint, while bulldozers destroyed streets near Ibn Sina Hospital, the entrance to Jenin Governmental Hospital, and the area around Al-Hosan roundabout at the camp’s entrance.
Additionally, an Israeli military force stationed itself in the Jabal Abu Thahir neighbourhood, accompanied by a bulldozer.
Israeli military vehicles and construction equipment patrol the streets and alleys in the area as Israeli occupied army continues its attacks in West Bank city of Jenin on the 2nd day, on January 22, 2025 [İssam Rimawi/Anadolu Agency]
Israeli Defence Minister Yisrael Katz yesterday vowed to expand military raids in the occupied West Bank, stating that Jenin serves as a model and the starting point.
According to Sky News Arabia, Katz said: “Jenin is the beginning and the model that will be applied across the West Bank.” He added, “Other areas in the West Bank will witness military operations.”
Earlier, Katz noted that “the operation launched by Israeli military forces in Jenin on Tuesday is expected to mark a shift in the army’s strategy in the West Bank.”
The Israeli occupation army began its assault on Jenin and its refugee camp on Tuesday, resulting in the deaths of ten Palestinians and injuries to over 40 others so far.
On Tuesday night, Israeli occupation forces deployed additional military reinforcements to Jenin and its camp.
Several military vehicles entered the city from the Jalameh checkpoint, while bulldozers destroyed streets near Ibn Sina Hospital, the entrance to Jenin Governmental Hospital, and the area around Al-Hosan roundabout at the camp’s entrance.
Additionally, an Israeli military force stationed itself in the Jabal Abu Thahir neighbourhood, accompanied by a bulldozer.
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