Israel's finance minister threatened to eradicate neighborhoods and Palestinian camps in the occupied West Bank, while the country's army said it would give more machine guns to the illegal settlers in the area, in yet another grave violation of international law.
"Our message to the residents of Tulkarem, the Shuweikha neighborhood, and (refugee camp) Nour al-Shams, and the city of Qalqilya, we will turn you into destroyed cities as happened in the Gaza Strip if ... terrorism" is practiced against the settlements, Bezalel Smotrich, the leader of the far-right Religious Zionism wrote on X.
He threatened to "continue to control Judea and Samaria," the biblical term for the occupied West Bank.
Addressing Israeli citizens, he claimed that "if a Palestinian state is allowed to be established, settlements in the West Bank could be subjected to a similar attack" to one launched by Palestinian factions on Israeli military bases and settlements adjacent to Gaza on Oct. 7.
The extremist minister emphasized his rejection of the establishment of a Palestinian state, adament that "it will not happen."
The Religious Zionism party supports illegal settlements in Palestinian territories.
The Israeli human rights group, B'Tselem, revealed a plan by the government of Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu to displace Palestinian shepherds from their lands in the occupied West Bank.
It said the plan is being executed in collaboration with illegal Israeli settlers and is part of the "Israeli apartheid regime."
"In February and March 2024, B'Tselem documented some 20 incidents in which Israeli settlers and soldiers drove Palestinian shepherds out of pastureland in the South Hebron Hills," it said in a statement.
Tensions have been running high across the West Bank since Israel launched a deadly military offensive against Gaza killing tens of thousands of Palestinians, mainly women and children, following an attack by the Palestinian resistance group Hamas on Oct. 7.
At least 519 Palestinians have since been killed and over 4,900 others injured by Israeli army fire in the occupied West Bank, according to the Health Ministry, while in Gaza Israel has killed over 36,000 people so far, mostly women and children.
The Israeli army will give more machine guns to the illegal settlers in the West Bank, an Israeli media outlet reported Thursday.
"The Israeli army announced that it will distribute additional long guns (machine guns) in the West Bank,” Israeli Channel 7 reported.
The plan follows reports of firing at illegal settlements near Tulkarm in the northern West Bank and the killing of two Israeli soldiers who were run over near Nablus in the northern West Bank.
"A representative of the Central Command in the Israeli army (not named) announced in a meeting of the Knesset's Judea and Samaria (West Bank) Committee that long guns will also be distributed to residents who are not members of the reserve unit to enhance security,” added the channel.
At the end of last year, Israeli National Security Minister Itamar Ben-Gvir launched a campaign to arm Israelis, including illegal settlers in the West Bank, claiming it was to provide protection against Palestinian attacks.
Weapons were distributed among illegal settlers and reserve soldiers in the Israeli army, without specifying the quantity of weapons distributed.
Meanwhile, the chairperson of the Judea and Samaria Committee and Knesset member from the far-right Religious Zionism Party, Tzvi Sukkot, claimed: "The decision to distribute more weapons in the settlements of Judea and Samaria is significant and will strengthen the sense of security."
In a statement to Channel 7, he called on settlers who wish to participate in the defense of their place of residence to submit applications for carrying weapons, according to the channel.
It is estimated that there are about 720,000 illegal Israeli settlers in the West Bank, including East Jerusalem.
