Palestinian state welcomed, despite Israeli expansion
The mayor of Jenin in the West Bank has welcomed the move from Western nations to formally recognise a Palestinian state, despite acknowledging that Israel will continue its occupation of more land, the BBC reported on September 21st.
Mayor Mohammed Jarrar said that around 40% of Jenin has been designated as a military area by Israel.
The Jenin refugee camp, is one of the largest and most significant camps in the West Bank, where Israel’s Supreme Court authorised the demolition of 90 buildings on June 17th.
On September 3rd, Bezalel Smotrich, the Israeli Finance Minister, unveiled plans to annex 82% of the West Bank.
This proposal would leave six isolated Palestinian enclaves – where cities like Jenin, Tulkarm, Nablus, Ramallah, Jericho, and Hebron are situated – outside of Israel’s jurisdiction.
Jenin has been controlled by the Palestinian Authority (PA) for the last 30 years, which Israel has placed under long-term economic siege, making it challenging to provide local services.
This has included withholding tax revenues that the Palestinian Authority requires to pay teachers and police in the Occupied West Bank.
Around a quarter of Jenin’s residents, including the entire refugee camp, have been displaced from their homes due to Israel’s military actions.
Jarrar said: “It was clear from the beginning this was a major political plan, not a security operation.”
He continued: “This Israeli government wants to annex the West Bank and, in preparation for that, it wants to prevent any [armed] opposition to its plan.”
Despite this understanding of Israel’s settlement plans, Jarrar believes that the recognition of a Palestinian state by Britain and other nations is important.
He said: “It confirms the fact that the Palestinian people possess a state, even if it is under occupation.”
The mayor continued: “I know that this recognition will lead to [greater] occupation of the West Bank. But even so, I believe recognition is more important, because it will shape the future of the Palestinian people, and the international community will be called on to defend their rights.”
On February 2nd, the Israeli military claimed it had killed at least 50 Palestinian militants in the Occupied West Bank, after it claimed that buildings in the Jenin refugee camp “were being used as terrorist infrastructure.”
An estimated 40,000 Palestinians were displaced from their homes following Israel’s military operation in the West Bank, which Israel claimed was targeting Palestinian militants.
On August 14th, Israel’s Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich announced plans to build 3,400 new settler homes homes.
The project, known as “E1”, would be situated east of Jerusalem and would essentially split the West Bank into two areas.
Smotrich stated that the expansion would undermine any hope of a Palestinian state “because there is nothing to recognise and no one to recognise.” He said: “this is Zionism at its best—building, settling and strengthening our sovereignty in the Land of Israel.”
Meanwhile, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu signed off plans to expand Israeli settlements in the Occupied West Bank.
BBC, Maghrebi.org
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