Netanyahu Orders Hebron Evictions and Vows Historic West Bank Strike
Bulldozers began flattening homes in Hebron on Friday after two soldiers were killed at a checkpoint, setting the stage for an operation ahead of October 27 elections.
By Adewale Fletcher ·
Two Israeli soldiers died and three were wounded in a 20-minute firefight at a checkpoint near Hebron, an event that triggered an immediate and forceful response from the government. The attack occurred on a Friday when soldiers behind concrete barriers engaged two gunmen until the attackers were killed. The incident has now led to the demolition of homes and the forced displacement of hundreds of Palestinians from the neighborhood.
Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu addressed the nation from the site of the shooting, promising a military operation in the occupied West Bank on a scale not seen since the Six Day War. That war ended nearly 60 years ago and resulted in Israel's first occupation of the territory. In his televised remarks, Netanyahu stated that Israel would act to demolish the area and change it completely. He compared the planned action to last year's assault on two Palestinian refugee camps in the northern West Bank, which displaced tens of thousands of residents.
Human Rights Watch described those previous expulsions as war crimes, a charge Israel has rejected. Following Friday's attack, the Israeli human rights group B'Tselem urged foreign governments to intervene. The organization warned that the current situation risks becoming another wave of ethnic cleansing and war crimes as bulldozers continue to flatten structures near the shooting site.
The military operation unfolds against a backdrop of increased violence and land seizures by Israeli settlers. The United Nations Human Rights Office has described the current conditions as a new level of dehumanization for Palestinians. Israel has also imposed widespread closures in Hebron, the most populous city in the West Bank, making movement difficult. The territory currently operates with approximately 925 checkpoints, roadblocks, earth mounds, and other barriers that restrict transit.
Political analysts link the scale of the response to the national elections scheduled for October 27. Polls indicate that Netanyahu and his main rival, Gadi Eisenkot, are running neck and neck, with neither candidate currently holding enough support to form a government. Danny Citrinowicz, a senior researcher at the Institute for National Security Studies in Tel Aviv, argued that Netanyahu is positioning himself as the security leader to win votes. He noted that the prime minister will likely take harsh measures to demonstrate to the public that he is defending the state.
Citrinowicz characterized the eviction of families from the attackers' neighborhood as collective punishment, noting there is no evidence linking them to the gunmen. He suggested that preventing future attacks requires giving hope rather than punishing communities. His recommendation involves arresting those who plan attacks while supporting the rest of the population with a working economy and the stability needed for daily life.
