Home PodcastJulie Alli Israel Escalates Violence Against Palestinians

Israel Escalates Violence Against Palestinians

by Thaabit Kamaar

Photo by [BBC]


Last week hundreds of Palestinians took part in vigils and demonstrations to condemn the massacre in Jenin.

On January 26, Israeli forces raided the refugee camp in the occupied West Bank to detain alleged Islamic Jihadists suspected of carrying out “major terror attacks”, as reported by Al Jazeera.

Israeli forces killed nine Palestinians in the camp during the raid and injured 20 more. Making it the deadliest attack on the refugee camp in the West Bank for nearly two decades.

The following day Israel launched multiple airstrikes on the Gaza Strip, which the Israeli army said was retaliation after two rockets were fired towards them.

Osama Nazzal said the situation in the Palestinian territories is quite dire. While speaking to Salaamedia’s Julie Alli, Nazzal received news of a youth murdered by Israeli forces in the Palestinian city of Hebron. Bringing the death toll of Palestinians in January 2023 to approximately 37 people.

Violence in Palestinian Territories

Since last year, Israel has intensified their aggressions towards the Palestinians. In addition to the killings, they have imposed more restrictions on Palestinian territories.

The Palestine Broadcast International Manager said the Israeli government is taking steps towards approving measures which would see the seizing and demolishing of the homes of individuals who resist in occupied Jerusalem as a form of collective punishment.

Nazzal adds apart from the policies and restrictive measures, Israeli settlers are becoming more dangerous to the Palestinians as they are being armed and backed by the Israeli army.

“Yesterday and last night, these settlers set fire to many Palestinian properties and to many Palestinian houses. The Israeli occupation army and the Israeli occupation police are just watching these arsonists and these attacks by the Israeli colonists against the Palestinians.”

Moreover, he said the Israeli army protects settlers whose sole mission is to wreak havoc, terrorise and make the lives of Palestinians difficult and uncomfortable.

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Escalating the Conflict

Nazzal said the Israeli government, which is made up of all right-wing parties, agrees with the Prime Minister, who calls for violence against Palestinians and the expansion of Jewish settlements in Palestinian territories.

And while all this is happening, the international community, apart from those who are in solidarity with the Palestinian people, remain silent.

“The international community had failed the Palestinians. And despite all the offers that were given by the Palestinian people in order to achieve peace and to live side by side with Israel accepting to have their statehood only on a 22% of the total area of historic Palestine. Despite all these offers and despite all these concessions, the United Nations and the international powers around the world did not pressure Israel to come to terms with this offer. The only thing that we receive from the United Nations and the world is lip service.”

The US Secretary of State, Antony Blinken, visited and had talks with the Israeli PM Benjamin Netanyahu, calling for calm as violence between Israel and Palestine escalated in recent days. However, Nazzal expects no significant changes as he is aware of the western nations’ trends and attitudes regarding the conflict.

“They are coming to put more pressure on Palestinian people not to act, not to defend themselves and not to take any step in response to the Israeli spiralling violence against the Palestinian children, the Palestinian women in the refugee camps and the different parts of Palestine.”

However, he does believe the Palestinians will continue to resist the aggression and will not raise a white flag or surrender. And despite the vast differences in military might, the Palestinians will continue to show courage as they have done in the two intifadas.

“When we are talking about the Palestinians’ defence of themselves, we are not talking about Palestinians having arms, rockets or warplanes. The Palestinians are facing the Israeli killing machine with their naked chest, with their flesh and with their blood. That is the reality of the disequilibrium of power.”

Nazzal calls for solidarity movements worldwide to raise their voices and pressure their governments to intervene in the conflict. To call on Israel to end the occupation and the massacres that are being carried out against the Palestinian people.

Watch the full discussion here.

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