Israeli Defense Minister Katz spoke about the knife attack against an Israeli who usurped Palestinian lands in the Usarin region near Nablus. Katz stated that if it is determined that Palestinian Authority security forces or groups affiliated with them have launched or are preparing for an "October 7-like" attack, the army has been instructed to prepare for an all-out offensive in the West Bank. The Israeli Minister stated that the all-out attack plan is similar to the occupation zones established in Gaza and Lebanon and the army's previous attacks on the Jenin Refugee Camp and the north of the West Bank.
According to the plan outlined by Katz, Israel will launch attacks across the West Bank against senior officials of the Palestinian Authority, security units and targets it calls "terrorist infrastructure". The Israeli Defense Minister stated that these attacks could include assassinations, the "evacuation" of Palestinians from the cities and villages at the scene, and the "permanence" of the Israeli military presence in the "cleared areas". Katz stated that they "will not allow a return to the reality of an intifada that will last for years, as in the past."
Katz stated that the plan would be put into action if there was a serious deterioration in the security situation and definitive intelligence was obtained that the Palestinian Authority forces or affiliated groups were preparing for a large-scale attack. The Israeli Minister stated that the current West Bank policy is based on three priorities and listed them as "fighting terrorism originating from Palestine, expanding Jewish settlements and maintaining security stability."
ALL-OFF ATTACK PLAN
The plan announced by the Israeli Minister of Defense envisages an unprecedented breadth of military operations in the occupied West Bank. Katz compared the possible plan to the occupation zones established by Israel in Gaza and Lebanon, as well as the army's previous attacks in the Jenin Refugee Camp and the north of the West Bank.
Israeli Defense Minister Yisrael Katz
Katz stated that within the scope of the plan, the Israeli army will carry out operations against senior officials of the Palestinian Authority, security units and targets defined as "terrorist infrastructure".
According to Katz's plan, the attacks will include assassinations of Palestinian officials, the forced evacuation of Palestinians from the cities and villages at the scene, and the permanent Israeli military presence in areas of ethnic cleansing. The Israeli Minister claimed that these steps were necessary to ensure security in the West Bank.
Palestinian officials described the plan as an occupation move against international law.
RESCUE ATTACKS IN THE WEST BANK
The Israeli army announced that a knife attack occurred in the Usarin area near Nablus, and the person who organized the attack fled the scene and was later caught and killed in the Kabalan area.
"No terrorist can hide," Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said in a separate statement regarding the attack. Netanyahu said, "I congratulate our heroic warriors who clashed with the enemy to neutralize the terrorist who carried out the attack in Samaria. I wish a speedy recovery to the farm owner injured in the attack."
The Israeli Prime Minister also said, "We will continue to eliminate terrorists, hunt down those who send them, and destroy the terrorist infrastructure in Judea and Samaria. Anyone who tries to threaten the State of Israel and its citizens will pay a heavy price."
The Israeli army carried out an operation with Menashe Brigade troops in the village of Aqaba in northern Samaria on Sunday, following a series of foiled attacks in the West Bank in recent days. During the operation, a rocket, weapons, an M16 rifle and a large amount of explosives to be used in bomb making were seized.
On Friday, it was stated that a five-member group was arrested in the Kebatiye region, a rifle and ammunition were found in the group, and its members were preparing to carry out a major attack in the north of the West Bank. These operations by Israeli forces are considered as an indicator of increasing pressure on Palestinian groups in the region.
ISRAELI SOLDIERS TAKE ACTION
The Israel Defense Forces (IDF) has launched a series of exercises since Sunday to test military readiness on all fronts. These exercises include the surprise "Operation Dawn 2.0" and operations "Advance the Wall" and "South Wind" in the Eilat region and on Israel's western border. Officials stated that these exercises aimed to test combat readiness in the event of an attack similar to October 7.
It was observed that the situation in the West Bank was particularly unstable and the operations in recent days increased the tension. The Israeli army's simultaneous exercise on multiple fronts is interpreted as preparation for a possible large-scale conflict in the region. Palestinian sources warned that these drills were preparations for putting into practice the all-out attack plan announced by Katz.
HARD REACTION FROM PLO TO OCCUPATION POLICIES
The Separation (Shame) Wall and the Council for Combating Jewish Settlements, affiliated with the Palestine Liberation Organization, made a statement regarding the news that Israel will remove some of the illegal settlements established in areas A and B of the West Bank. In the statement, it was noted that the removal of the settlements could be a "direct" instruction or given as a result of international pressure, and in any case, it was stated that this did not reflect a real change in Israel's colonial policy, on the contrary, it was just "process management".
The statement also stated that it was Israel's "form" of removing the settlements, and that the Israelis would continue to build illegal settlements in these places once international pressure decreased. The statement emphasized that the Tel Aviv administration sees the expansion of settlements as "political gain" and thus imposes a de facto situation on the ground, and noted that the seriousness of the Israeli government on this issue is doubted.
INSTRUCTION CLAIM FROM NETANYADU
According to the news of the Israeli-based Yedioth Ahronoth newspaper, it was claimed that the USA put pressure on the Israeli government to evacuate the illegal settlements established in Area B of the West Bank, and Prime Minister Netanyahu instructed the security units to evacuate these settlements. The administrative and security control of "Area A", which constitutes approximately 18 percent of the West Bank, is left to the Palestinian Authority, and the administrative control of "Area B", which constitutes approximately 22 percent, is left to the Palestinian Authority, and its security is left to Israel.
