Israel Strengthens Control Over the West Bank, Hamas: Israel Seeks to Eliminate Palestine

On February 8 local time, the Israeli cabinet approved several measures to strengthen control over the West Bank; the Palestinian Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Hamas strongly condemned this move as "colonialism" and "war crimes."

Currently, the number of Palestinian displaced persons in the West Bank has surged, and they continue to face attacks from the Israeli military and Jewish settlers, with local conflicts escalating.

Israel approves measures to strengthen control over the West Bank

On the 8th, the Israeli cabinet approved a series of important measures concerning Palestinian land, planning, and administrative authority in the West Bank, including the cancellation of a previous law that prohibited Jews from purchasing land in the West Bank, transferring building permit authority for Israeli settlements in Hebron to the Israeli Civil Administration, and expanding the Israeli government's so-called law enforcement actions to Area A of the West Bank.

The related measures "significantly" change the policy regarding the West Bank, thereby strengthening Israel's control over the region and paving the way for further expansion of Jewish settlements.

Palestinian Ministry of Foreign Affairs: Israel's decisions regarding the West Bank constitute complete war crimes

On the 8th, the Palestinian Ministry of Foreign Affairs issued a statement rejecting and condemning the Israeli cabinet's series of decisions regarding the West Bank, stating that these decisions have a "criminal nature."

The statement emphasized that Israel has no sovereignty over any Palestinian city or land. As the occupying power, Israel has no right to cancel or modify any laws, including Jordanian laws and legislation that continue to be valid as part of the Palestinian legal system.

The Palestinian Ministry of Foreign Affairs stated that these decisions constitute complete war crimes. The statement called on countries and international organizations to reject and condemn this crime and to conduct criminal investigations into the war crimes committed by relevant Israeli institutions.

Hamas: Israel seeks to escalate the war and eliminate Palestinian existence

On the 8th, a spokesperson for the Palestinian Islamic Resistance Movement (Hamas), Qassem, stated that the current extreme right-wing Israeli government is seeking to escalate genocidal wars and eliminate Palestinian existence in various regions of Palestinian geographical space. The statement pointed out that the Israeli cabinet's decisions regarding the Palestinian West Bank that day confirmed the Israeli government's "colonial path," aimed at annexing Palestinian land and expelling its indigenous residents.

Hamas also issued a statement that day, emphasizing that the Palestinian people will not succumb to these Israeli occupation policies and will continue to uphold their historical rights, not deviating from the path of resistance and liberation from occupation. The statement called on the United Nations and international community organizations to exert real and effective pressure on Israel, demanding it stop its violations and aggression, and hold it accountable for its ongoing crimes against Palestinian land and people.

West Bank continues to face attacks from the Israeli military

On the 8th, multiple attacks by the Israel Defense Forces and Israeli Jewish settlers occurred in various locations in the Palestinian West Bank, resulting in injuries to several Palestinian residents.

On that day, the Israel Defense Forces conducted operations in several areas:

In northern Jerusalem, two Palestinian youths were shot by live ammunition near the Qalandiya military checkpoint, and the Palestinian Red Crescent reported that the two injured individuals were sent to the hospital.

The Israeli military launched raids in Nablus and Hebron, arresting eight people and beating a 70-year-old man, causing him to be hospitalized.

In the northern Jordan Valley, the Israeli military demolished several residential homes and agricultural facilities.

In southern Jenin, to rebuild a military camp that was removed in 2005, the Israeli military demanded that several Palestinian families in the area evacuate by the 10th at the latest, or they would be arrested.

In southern Bethlehem, the Israeli military fired stun grenades and tear gas, resulting in injuries to several residents.

In a village south of Nablus, the Israeli military blocked all entrances, closed shops, prevented residents' vehicles from entering, and set up four military checkpoints within and around the village, imposing a curfew on residents.

Meanwhile, Israeli Jewish settlers carried out attacks and acts of destruction in multiple areas. In the northern Jordan Valley, settlers tore open dozens of bags of livestock feed belonging to local residents. In eastern Nablus, settlers prevented Palestinian workers from repairing a well and simultaneously blocked roads to nearby Palestinian villages, attempting to damage property.

United Nations: The number of displaced persons in the West Bank has surged

The United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs reported on the 5th that in January, violence and harassment by Israeli Jewish settlers in the West Bank led to nearly 700 Palestinians being displaced, marking the highest record since the outbreak of the latest round of Israeli-Palestinian conflict in October 2023.

The office pointed out that the violence of Jewish settlers has become a major driver of forced displacement in the West Bank, with 130 Palestinian families currently having been forced to permanently leave their homes due to continuous harassment from Jewish settlers.

Jordan strongly condemns Israel's illegal decisions

On the 8th, the Jordanian Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Expatriates issued a statement condemning in the strongest terms the series of illegal decisions and measures passed and implemented by the Israeli government, pointing out that they aim to forcibly impose the so-called "Israeli sovereignty," consolidate settlement construction, and impose new legal and administrative realities in the West Bank. These actions openly violate international law and severely undermine the "two-state solution." The statement emphasized that Israel has no sovereignty over Palestinian land.

The issue of Jewish settlements is one of the main obstacles to Israeli-Palestinian negotiations. Israel occupied parts of East Jerusalem and the West Bank during the Third Middle East War in 1967 and built Jewish settlements, which has drawn strong opposition from the Palestinian side. A population data report released by the Israeli government in December 2024 shows that approximately 510,000 Israelis live in Jewish settlements built in violation of international law in the West Bank.

Reporter丨Zhao Bing, Zhu Yunxiang