Military operations in the West Bank: what is Israel planning?
Israel has launched a major military operation in the West Bank; at least nine Palestinians have been killed so far, apparently including a Hamas fighter. The UN sharply criticised the operation for causing unnecessary loss of life and called for the protection of civilians. Israel has declared that it is looking for those behind an attempted suicide bombing on 18 August and has accused Iran of trying to establish a terrorist network in the West Bank.
Spiral of violence continues
There are enough interested parties to cause an escalation in the West Bank, writes Süddeutsche Zeitung's Israel correspondent, Peter Münch:
“Hamas, which is under pressure in Gaza, has the greatest interest in shifting the combat zone. It is calling for an uprising in the West Bank and, as it proudly announced last week, is trying to smuggle suicide bombers into Israel. ... On the other hand, radical settlers and their backers in the Israeli government are seizing the opportunity to push forward with their dream of a Greater Israel on two Palestinian fronts. The Israeli army is only able to keep the situation in the West Bank under control with increasingly large-scale deployments - and in the process it is fuelling new resistance. ... The violence is spiralling.”
Getting ahead of Iran
The attack has a preventive function explains La Stampa:
“The Israeli government launched a series of counter-terrorism operations in the northern West Bank back in March 2022 because new Palestinian military organisations, such as the Jenin Brigades or Lion's Den, had sprung up: organisations with a local and military character based on the Iraqi model and with links to Iran, which supplies them with weapons. A new, insidious galaxy of entities is thus emerging, which have no established operational links with Hamas and Islamic Jihad, and which pose an additional threat to Israel. The latest military actions are preemptive attacks against these groups, and against Hamas and [Islamic] Jihad in the West Bank.”
Netanyahu not interested in peace
Diário de Notícias writes:
“The Israeli government is not interested in peace: neither in an agreement to release the hostages and end the war in Gaza, nor in de-escalating the conflict there or with Hezbollah in the north. For decades, Netanyahu and his radical Jewish allies have been working towards the elimination of Fatah and have aided the creation of the Hamas monster by focusing on the radicalisation and polarisation of the 'Palestinian question'. Netanyahu and his radical government, who consider a two-state solution an anathema, are using the 7 October massacre to promote a war aiming for total victory.”