Israeli Minister Bezalel Smotrich calls for war in occupied West Bank | News from the occupied West Bank

Smotrich’s comments come as Israeli authorities announce a full week-long military closure across the occupied West Bank, citing the Jewish holiday of Sukkot.

Far-right Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich said the Israeli army should “wage war” in the occupied West Bank and repeat what it “did in Gaza”.

Using a biblical term for the occupied West Bank, the minister told Ynet News in an interview published Sunday that Israel must “wage war in Judea and Samaria, do there what we did in Gaza, dismantle the Palestinian Authority, which is a terrorist authority.”

Smotrich was responding to a question about how Israel should combat growing “security tensions” in the occupied West Bank, where Israeli violence against Palestinians has steadily increased since the outbreak of Israel’s genocidal war on Gaza in October 2023, but attacks have significantly intensified this year.

“We must say” to Israeli forces, he said: “Just as you dismantled Hamas in Gaza, there will be no terrorist infrastructure in Judea and Samaria.” “No terrorists, no weapons, no tunnels.”

The United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) recorded more than 1,330 settler-related attacks against Palestinians in the West Bank from January to the end of July, an average of six per day, the highest rate in about 20 years.

Various settler groups, often supported or protected by Israeli soldiers, have attacked Palestinians in several ways, including shooting, besieging homes and engaging in other forms of communal violence that experts have described as “pogroms.”

Rights groups warn that settlers are increasingly armed with military weapons and wear military uniforms during attacks, blurring the line between settler and soldier.

In a statement released later Sunday, the Palestinian Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Expatriates said Smotrich’s comments came in the context of Israeli government policies that involve the killing and displacement of Palestinians, as well as the expansion of illegal settlements, land confiscation and attempts to impose annexation by force.

He also warned that continued international silence over Israel’s inflammatory statements and policies emboldens the Israeli government to pursue its plans and risks worsening regional tensions and instability.

Military closure

The comments come as Israeli authorities announced a complete military closure of the occupied West Bank, citing the Jewish holiday of Sukkot. Tightened restrictions on Palestinian movement are expected to remain in effect until October 3.

Meanwhile, in occupied East Jerusalem, hundreds of Israelis stormed the courtyards of the Al-Aqsa Mosque on Sunday under the heavy protection of Israeli police.

The Palestinian Wafa news agency reported that Israelis entered the compound through the Moroccan gate and performed Talmudic rituals, as Israeli forces increased restrictions around the mosque and in Jerusalem’s Old City.