Israel is preparing for mass displacement of Palestinians in the West Bank

The Israeli government is preparing to launch the largest military operation in the West Bank of the Jordan River not seen since the 1967 "Six-Day War" and to carry out a mass forced displacement of Palestinians. This was reported by the influential British newspaper The Guardian.

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has revealed plans for a strict blockade of entire residential neighborhoods in the cities of Hebron and Halhul, as well as the forced displacement of their populations. He emphasized that the Israeli army is being put on standby for the largest-scale operation in the region in nearly 60 years.

What caused the escalation?

These sharp statements followed reports of the deaths of two Israeli servicemen near the city of Hebron:

• Mass demolition of homes: On the very day the attack occurred, official structures began large-scale demolitions of residential properties belonging to Palestinians;

• Break by court order: After considering complaints from local business owners and property owners, the Israeli Supreme Court issued a decision to temporarily suspend the demolition ("dismantling") work;

• Systematic pressure: While the demolition of Palestinian homes under the pretext of lacking permits has previously affected several thousand people a year, the next plan envisions the complete evacuation of entire settlements.

  Will the tragedy of 1967 repeat?

  Netanyahu directly compared the scale of the upcoming operation to the events of 1967:

  • Historical parallel: During the war in 1967, more than 300,000 Palestinians were forced to leave their homes ("evacuated");

  • Scale and risk: The upcoming actions could trigger a similarly unprecedented humanitarian crisis, causing serious concern among international observers;

  • Unknown timeframe: The exact date for the start of this large-scale military operation by the Israeli army has not yet been disclosed.