(1/5)A European diplomat checks a Palestinian house that was burned down by Israeli settlers, during a visit to Turmus Ayya, near Ramallah, in the Israeli-occupied West Bank June 23, 2023. REUTERS/Ammar Awad
JERUSALEM, June 23 (Reuters) – Israel’s National Security Minister on Friday called for tougher military action against Palestinian militants in the occupied West Bank and urged Israeli settlers to expand their presence there despite increased violence and attacks. international calls to stop new construction.
Itamar Ben-Gvir, a far-right member of Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s government, was speaking at a settler post, one of several the Israeli military said had been discovered in the West Bank since Thursday but were unauthorized.
They would be dismantled “according to enforcement priorities,” a military statement said without elaborating.
The events followed some of the worst violence in years involving Palestinians, Israeli forces and Jewish settlers in the West Bank last week.
“We have your back, run to the tops of the hills, colonize the land,” National Security Minister Itamar Ben-Gvir said during his visit.
The United Nations human rights chief in Geneva on Friday said the situation “risks getting out of hand” and urged Israel to “conform its actions to international law.”
But Ben-Gvir called for tougher action.
“We must launch a military operation, demolish buildings, eliminate terrorists, not one or two but tens and hundreds and if necessary thousands,” he said.
“Because, ultimately, it’s the only way we’re going to take this place, strengthen our control and restore the safety of the residents.”
Most countries consider Jewish settlements built on land Israel seized in the 1967 Middle East war to be illegal. Their expansion has for decades been one of the most contentious issues between Israel, the international community and the Palestinians, who say undermine a future viable Palestinian state.
The Yedioth Ahronoth daily reported that at least seven new outposts have been built in the West Bank since Thursday with the knowledge of the government.
The new construction follows an announcement on Wednesday by Netanyahu of plans for 1,000 new homes in the Eli settlement in response to a Palestinian weapon attack in the area the day before that killed four Israelis.
According to the Israeli watchdog Peace Now, Eli was built in 1984 and some 4,600 settlers reside there. Palestinians in the area say they were stripped of their land to allow for the expansion of the settlement over the years.
Tuesday’s shooting came a day after a The Israeli raid is Jenin that led to an hour-long firefight between Palestinian fighters and Israeli forces backed by helicopter gunships. Seven Palestinians were killed and more than 90 were injured and seven Israeli personnel were also injured.
In retaliation for that attack, hundreds of Israeli settlers razed Palestinian cities in the West Bank as Turmus Ayya, killing a 25-year-old Palestinian father and burning dozens of houses and cars.
Military spokesman Daniel Hagari said police had arrested three people on suspicion of involvement in the attacks. The army had not been adequately prepared for the outbreak of settler violence, he said.
“What happened in Turmus Ayya, the nationalist crime, is a serious event that we must prevent. We could not prevent it,” he told a press conference.
“We will learn our lessons and investigate ourselves as well to prevent these types of events from happening,” he said.
The Palestinian Foreign Ministry condemned Israel’s new settlement projects, which it said were part of its plan to annex the West Bank de facto.
Israel is “permanently closing the door on any opportunity for a political solution to the conflict,” he said.
Israel cites biblical, historical and political ties to the West Bank as justification for claiming the land, saying construction there follows a building permit process.
Since taking office in January, Netanyahu’s religious-nationalist coalition has approved the development of more than 7,000 new housing units, mostly in the West Bank. He also amended a law to clear the way for settlers to return to four settlements that had been previously evacuated.
According to the United Nations, some 700,000 settlers live in 279 settlements in the West Bank and East Jerusalem, up from 520,000 in 2012.
Reporting by Henriette Chacar; Edited by Angus MacSwan
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