Israeli military forces have surrounded the Palestinian village of Bani Naim, in the southern West Bank, after a teenage Israeli settler was stabbed to death by a 19-year-old Palestinian, who was reported from that village. Officials have vowed punitive demolitions in the village, and have revoked all permits from the alleged attacker’s relatives.
That appears to be just the first step in Israeli “retaliation” against people who weren’t involved in the attack, since the attacker was already slain. Agriculture Minister Uri Ariel is talking up broader revenge moves, including seizing more territory and expanding settlements.
Ariel, a pro-settler hawk at any rate, and reportedly a cousin of the slain girl, said that more seizures and settlements were “a fitting Zionist response,” and that it was Israel’s destiny to expand its sovereignty all the way from the Mediterranean to the Jordan River.
Israeli officials often present their revenge attacks as “deterrent” in nature, though in practice such moves tend to fuel larger public protests, which themselves fuel more military crackdowns, and so on. After decades, building settlements out of revenge seems an end unto itself, and the fact that it doesn’t do anything except ensure more escalation just means more pretexts for settlements.
“…destiny to expand its sovereignty all the way from the Mediterranean to the Jordan River.”
So, now they don’t even attempt to mask their intent.
Most Palestinians are against the 2-state solution & want Palestine from the River to the Sea.
The Arabs are expansionist. The Arab League has over 5 million square miles of land while Israel has about 8,000. The Arabs have 99.9 % of the land & Israel has 0.1% of the land. The Arabs are not satisfied with 99.9% of the land. They have been attacking Israel from the day she was reborn because the Arabs want 100% of the land.
Gary…stop with the hasbara…we know you love Zionist terror, and will fabricate fantasy to demean, and distort the Palestinian position. You should focus on why Zionism has no history in Palestine, no blood connection to Palestine, and finally no ties whatsoever to Judaism. If being illegitimate and looney are your vice then you are useful only to the idiots you represent.
What else is new? Did they vacate the settlements yet?
Too bad that the Palestinians do not have the military infrastructure to drive the terrorist squatters and IDF thugs from their land. The only thing that the Zionist entity understands is force.