UAWC Issues Emergency Alert for the West Bank: ‘Escalation of Israeli Aggression and Oppression’
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27 January 2025: The Union of Agricultural Work Committees (UAWC) urgently calls attention to the rapidly intensifying Israeli violence in the West Bank of Palestine. Following the ceasefire in Gaza, the Israeli occupation announced a shift in its military focus and resources to the West Bank. In turn, the Israeli Occupation Forces (IOF) declared plans to escalate the scope and intensity of its operations in the West Bank and redeploy its troops from Gaza, including the “Nahal Brigade.” These moves signal a clear intensification of systemic Israeli efforts to expand control over Palestinian land and dismantle Palestinian society.
The IOF military escalation is explicitly employing the same devastating tactics of war it used in Gaza, as seen in its large-scale invasion of Jenin city and refugee camp. Using airstrikes, missiles, and heavy machinery, the IOF has forcibly displaced over 2,000 families, caused dozens of Palestinian casualties, and deliberately destroyed roads and vital infrastructure. This includes targeting access to Jenin Governmental Hospital, trapping hundreds of civilians and medical staff inside.
This ongoing escalation is part of a systematic policy of ethnic cleansing aimed at erasing Palestinian existence and imposing a colonial reality on the ground. These actions, including forced displacement, home demolitions, and the targeting of vital infrastructure, constitute crimes against humanity under international law.
Settler Violence and Land Theft
Alongside the IOF’s escalation, Israeli settlers have intensified their violent attacks, openly calling for a “second Nakba” and the complete destruction of Palestinian towns and villages in the West Bank, modeling the IOF-inflicted devastation in Gaza. Israeli settler violence continues to surge at record levels, with coordinated attacks targeting Palestinian communities and occurring with full impunity and support from the Israeli government.
The West Bank Protection Consortium (WBPC) reports over 2,274 recorded incidents of settler violence, including physical assaults, arson, and property destruction. The scale of land theft in the West Bank has reached historic proportions, leaving thousands of Palestinians displaced, stripped of their livelihoods, and severed from their historical connection to the land in the past year alone.
Israeli land theft in the West Bank persists, with the Israeli occupation stealing more land in 2024 than the previous 20 years combined. Area C, which constitutes the majority of the West Bank and is its historic food basket, faces the gravest threat. WBPC identified 195 communities (58,000 Palestinians) in Area C as being at risk of forced displacement, with 39,000 of these individuals under imminent threat due to escalating settler violence, restricted access to land, and the continued demolition of Palestinian homes and infrastructure.
WBPC reports that forcible transfer from these 195 communities translates to 18% of Area C, or 11% of the West Bank, at risk of Israeli takeover for settlement expansion. Already, approximately 2,000 Palestinians have been forcibly displaced from their lands, which have been confiscated for settlement expansion. Without urgent international intervention, thousands more Palestinians will lose their homes and livelihoods.
Movement Restrictions and Isolation
Palestinians’ movement across the West Bank has been forced to a standstill due to the sudden expansion of checkpoints, roadblocks, and gates. The Colonization Wall and Resistance Commission reports 898 movement obstacles throughout the West Bank, restricting movement and access to basic services, especially for communities in Area C.
Vital roads and village entrances have been sealed, severely disrupting emergency healthcare, education, and livelihoods. The Palestinian Red Crescent Society (PRCS) reports delays of hours or outright denial of access to the wounded and the bodies of the dead. This deliberate isolation leaves Palestinian communities trapped, unable to access critical services or sustain their livelihoods. Meanwhile, Israeli settlers continue to move freely and unhindered.
Imminent Annexation and Further Threats
In the coming months, we anticipate that the Israeli occupation will attempt to annex large parts of the West Bank, starting with the annexation of approximately 30% of the territory, particularly in the central and northern Jordan Valley. This move is being encouraged by new U.S. President Donald Trump, whose early messages have incited the displacement of Palestinians.
We also foresee an exacerbation of movement restrictions, creating complete isolation of cities, villages, and refugee camps in the West Bank from one another, rendering movement between them nearly impossible and life-threatening for Palestinians. This will force Palestinians to live in isolated enclaves and ghettos, resembling the conditions imposed on Jewish populations during World War II.
Exclusion of Area C from International Funding
Another grave threat is that certain international donors have begun explicitly excluding Area C from their funding, aligning themselves with Israel’s settlement policies and succumbing to its pressures. We must emphasize that the entire agricultural sector in Palestine is rooted in Area C. Any agricultural interventions that exclude this vital region are meaningless and fail to address the heart of the challenges facing Palestinian farmers.
A Call for Urgent Action
The Israeli escalation in the West Bank reflects its coordinated strategy of violence, displacement, and colonization. The international community must act decisively to hold Israel accountable and protect Palestinian lives. States must abide by their legal obligations as determined by the decision of the International Court of Justice (ICJ) and United Nations General Assembly, which state that Israel must end its occupation of the West Bank.
UAWC calls for:
- Immediate international intervention: Demand the cessation of military operations and settler violence in the West Bank.
- Accountability measures: Enforce arms and trade embargoes, implement sanctions, and support international legal efforts, including ongoing cases at the International Court of Justice.
- Support for Palestinian steadfastness and food sovereignty: Provide direct financial and material support to Palestinian communities to counter displacement, destruction, and loss of livelihoods, and rebuild destroyed agricultural lands and infrastructure.
The situation in the West Bank is dire, and we anticipate further Israeli escalation each day. We urge global civil society, governments, and organizations to amplify their solidarity and demand justice for the Palestinian people. The cost of inaction is measured in lives lost, communities destroyed, and an ever-deepening humanitarian crisis.
Republished from UAWC website.
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