US rejects idea of mass displacements of Palestinians in occupied West Bank

WASHINGTON

The US on Wednesday rejected the idea of mass displacements of Palestinians in the occupied West Bank after Israeli Foreign Minister Israel Katz called for the "temporary evacuation" of Palestinian civilians to carry out an operation.

"We reject the idea of mass displacements of Palestinians in the West Bank, while we recognize that localized evacuation orders may be necessary in certain instances to protect civilian lives during sensitive counter-terrorism operations," a State Department spokesperson, speaking on condition of anonymity, said in response to a question by Anadolu.

On Israel's military offensive in the occupied West Bank, the spokesperson said the US recognizes Israel’s "very real security needs, which includes countering terrorist activity in the West Bank."

"At the same time, we continue to insist that Israeli authorities take measures to protect all civilians from harm," the spokesperson said.

"We also remain deeply concerned about maintaining stability in the West Bank and continue to urge Israel to take all feasible measures to protect civilian lives in the West Bank – just as we urge them to do in Gaza," the spokesperson added.

The Israeli army is conducting one of its largest military offensives on the occupied West Bank in two decades. The operation includes raids, airstrikes and the destruction of Palestinian roads and buildings in Jenin and the refugee camps of Tulkarem and Tubas in the north of the territory. At least 10 Palestinians have been killed so far after the offensive began overnight Tuesday.

The occupied West Bank has seen increasingly frequent and oftentimes deadly raids by the Israeli military amid its ongoing war in the besieged Gaza Strip.

The new deaths that have so far resulted from the operation bring the toll in the West Bank to at least 662 Palestinians since Oct. 7 last year, according to official figures from the Palestinian Health Ministry. Nearly 5,400 others have been injured by Israeli military fire.

Katz called for the "temporary evacuation" of Palestinian civilians as well as "whatever steps are required" to carry out the operation.

Subsequently, a Palestinian activist told Anadolu that residents of the Nour Shams refugee camp were given four hours to evacuate on Wednesday. Suleiman al-Zuheiri said the Israeli army erected several military checkpoints at the entry points to the refugee camp, allowing residents to leave the area from a specific exit point.

Al-Zuheiri said Israeli military bulldozers were destroying infrastructure within the Tulkarem and Nour Shams camps, backed by drones flying overhead.

Ahmed al-Deek, an assistant to the Palestinian foreign minister, told Anadolu that “Israel is replicating its Gaza eviction tactics in the West Bank, creating an environment that forces residents to leave.”

In a landmark opinion on July 19, the International Court of Justice declared Israel's decades-long occupation of Palestinian land unlawful and demanded the evacuation of all settlements in the West Bank and East Jerusalem.