PRC Panel Discussion Highlights Escalation of Israeli Violence in the West Bank

PRC Panel Discussion Highlights Escalation of Israeli Violence in the West Bank

The Palestinian Return Centre (PRC) held an online panel discussion titled “The West Bank: Accelerating Annexation and Ethnic Cleansing.” The event delved into the alarming developments in the West Bank, which have been overshadowed by the ongoing genocide in Gaza. The panel featured Palestinian activists, scholars, and former diplomats, who provided in-depth analyses of the intensifying Israeli settler violence, land annexation, and the worsening plight of Palestinian political prisoners.

 

The discussion was opened by Palestinian activist Arab Bargouti, who leads the campaign for the release of his father, Marwan Bargouti. Arab delivered a powerful speech about the increasing suffering experienced by Palestinians over the past year. He highlighted the humanitarian crisis in Gaza and its effects on the West Bank, noting that the war on Gaza has been used by Israel as a cover to intensify its oppressive actions in the West Bank, both through military raids and expanding settlements, as well as increasing settler violence.

 

Bargouti emphasized how the repressive Israeli regime has increasingly targeted Palestinians through administrative detentions, which keep over 11,000 Palestinians imprisoned without trial. He also shed light on the severe conditions inside Israeli prisons, where torture, hunger, and inhumane treatment are rampant, alongside sham trials in military courts that boast a 99.7% conviction rate.

 

Kholoud Al-Ajarma, a Palestinian anthropologist, lecturer at the University of Edinburgh, and activist for farmers' rights, focused on the struggles faced by Palestinian farmers in the West Bank. She highlighted the violent and increasing attacks by Israeli settlers, particularly on olive trees, which are a core part of Palestinian heritage and livelihood. Al-Ajarma noted that the olive harvest season, once a time of celebration, has become a period of fear due to settler violence aimed at displacing Palestinians from their lands.

 

Al-Ajarma detailed how settlers not only destroy olive trees but also steal harvests and sabotage agricultural lands as part of a systematic strategy to force Palestinians off their lands. She explained that such acts have long-term consequences, as replacing an uprooted olive tree can take years before it bears fruit, deepening the economic and psychological hardships faced by Palestinian farmers. Over 800,000 olive trees have been uprooted since 1967, which Al-Ajarma stressed is not just economic sabotage but part of Israel’s ethnic cleansing efforts, as these acts target the deep cultural and historical ties Palestinians have to their land.

 

Saeb Shaath, a former diplomat, author, and expert on Middle Eastern affairs, provided an in-depth analysis of Israel’s long-term colonial strategy in the West Bank and Jerusalem. Shaath pointed out that the Israeli government continuously works to solidify its control over Palestinian lands through settlement expansion and settler violence. He emphasized how armed settler gangs, such as the so-called "Hilltop Youth," terrorize Palestinian communities with the support of the Israeli government and military. These gangs not only seize land but also commit violent acts against Palestinians, including burning homes and destroying crops, with the goal of forcibly displacing Palestinians.

 

Shaath also discussed the dual legal system in the West Bank, where Israeli settlers live under civil law, while Palestinians are subjected to Israeli military law. He explained that this legal apartheid further entrenches Israel’s control over Palestinians, reinforcing a system of racial segregation and oppression. Shaath concluded by highlighting how Western countries, particularly the United States, provide Israel with impunity, shielding it from accountability for its crimes and enabling it to continue its expansionist plans without consequence.

 

Daoud Kuttab, a prominent Palestinian journalist, former professor at Princeton University, and Director of Community Media Network and Radio Al-Balad in Amman, focused his remarks on the unique challenges faced by Palestinians in Jerusalem. He highlighted the systemic discrimination practiced against Palestinian residents, including house demolitions and restrictions on education. Kuttab explained that Israel's policies are designed to target both Muslim and Christian communities alike. He emphasized that any future peace solution cannot ignore the pivotal role of Jerusalem and the legitimate rights of Palestinians to the city.

 

Kuttab also addressed the educational restrictions imposed by Israeli authorities on Palestinian schools in Jerusalem. He explained that the Israeli government is trying to impose Israeli curricula on Palestinian schools to erase Palestinian national identity. These educational policies are aimed at undermining the national consciousness of new generations and tightening Israeli control over the city's education system. Kuttab also shed light on the discriminatory policies that limit the movement of Palestinian Christians and Muslims, who are often denied access to their holy sites except with special permits, violating their right to freedom of worship.

 

Kuttab further noted that Palestinians in Jerusalem live under precarious legal status, as they hold only "permanent residency" rather than full citizenship, allowing the Israeli government to revoke their residency at any time if Jerusalem is no longer their "center of life." As a result, many Palestinians have lost their right to live in their own city, effectively becoming refugees in their own homeland.

 

Ramzy Baroud, a prominent journalist, author, and Chief Editor of Palestine Chronicle, delivered a pre-recorded message in which he discussed the accelerating Israeli annexation of the West Bank. He noted that Israel’s primary goal is the complete annexation of the West Bank and the expulsion of its Palestinian population. Baroud explained that the ongoing war on Gaza is being used as a cover to advance these settler-colonial ambitions in the West Bank, with Israel taking advantage of the global focus on Gaza to push forward its plans for annexation without drawing attention.

 

Baroud emphasized that the de facto annexation of the West Bank has been underway for years, but Israel is now seeking to formalize this annexation. Despite international pressure halting formal annexation plans in 2020, Israel has continued to expand its settlements relentlessly. Baroud stressed that Israel's goal is to reshape the demographic and geographic reality of the West Bank by expanding settlements and displacing Palestinians.

 

He further explained that the war on Gaza is not an isolated event but part of a broader strategy to subjugate all Palestinian territories. Baroud argued that Israel aims to use the war as a pretext to accelerate its settlement expansion and annexation in the West Bank. He also discussed the challenges Palestinians face in maintaining their land and identity in the face of these colonial plans.

 

In his conclusion, Baroud called for greater international solidarity with the Palestinian people, emphasizing the need to resist Israel’s plans for ethnic cleansing and annexation. He urged the global community to take action to confront this grave threat facing Palestinians in the West Bank, warning that silence on these policies would lead to an even greater humanitarian catastrophe.

 

In conclusion, the speakers collectively underscored the gravity of the escalating situation in the West Bank and Jerusalem. They stressed that Israel's settler-colonial project is part of a broader strategy aimed at erasing the Palestinian presence in these areas. The panelists called on the international community to assume its moral and legal responsibility towards Palestinians, emphasizing the need to impose sanctions on Israel for its ongoing violations of international law and human rights. They also urged people worldwide to pressure their governments to end complicity with Israeli policies and to support Palestinians in their struggle for freedom.

 

Watch the discussion here

https://www.youtube.com/live/mZ0lY83eEpU 

Short Link : https://prc.org.uk/en/post/4820