Israel's aim is territorial annexation and the ethnic displacement of Palestinians.
In his The Cradle article Robert Inlakesh explores the escalating Israeli settler campaign in the West Bank, backed by state resources, which aims at territorial annexation and the ethnic displacement of Palestinians. This initiative is described as a coordinated effort involving settler militias and the Israeli government to achieve de facto annexation, intensifying violence against Palestinian communities. The analysis ties these actions to broader geopolitical trends and domestic political shifts in Israel, underscoring their potential to destabilize the region further.
In an interview with Israel’s Channel 7 News, West Bank Settlement Council leader Israel Gantz commented on a meeting he had with Israeli Defence Minister Yoav Gallant: “We asked that the West Bank be treated as Jabalia, Rafah, and the villages of southern Lebanon were treated, which means displacing the residents, killing the terrorists in these villages, cleansing the terrorist infrastructure, confiscating the weapons and then returning them to their villages.”
The report highlights the increasingly overt collaboration between Israeli settlers and government forces, including army protection during violent acts against Palestinian civilians and their properties. This state-supported aggression reflects a long-term strategy to entrench Israeli control over the West Bank while undermining any prospects for a two-state solution. Inlakesh suggests that such policies serve ideological motives within Israel, particularly under right-wing leadership, while exacerbating humanitarian crises in the occupied territories.
With Donald Trump’s victory in the U.S. elections, Netanyahu sees the annexation of the West Bank as a suddenly viable option. Trump's sweeping electoral victory was bolstered by Miriam Adelson, America’s wealthiest Jewish woman, who contributed $100 million to his campaign. Her single request was that the Republican leader permit Israel to annex the West Bank.
The Adelsons previously financed Trump’s first presidential campaign in 2016, with a demand to move the U.S. embassy from Tel Aviv to Jerusalem and recognize the city as Israel’s undivided capital. Trump fulfilled this request in 2018.
Now, Miriam Adelson is reportedly advocating for the annexation of the West Bank. The surge in settler violence, the formation of Jewish militias, military training programs for settler civilians, and the distribution of 120,000 rifles reflect a calculated and deliberate strategy. This is a state-backed campaign with significant implications for the region.
For a deeper dive into this issue, you can read the full article: https://thecradle.co/articles/the-state-backed-settler-war-to-annex-the-west-bank