Israel sends tanks to the West Bank for the first time in 20 years. Here’s why that’s significant
CNN
The Israeli military this weekend deployed tanks to the occupied West Bank for the first time in two decades.
The Israeli military this weekend deployed tanks to the occupied West Bank for the first time in two decades. In the background of a Gaza ceasefire, Israel has steadily escalated an intense military operation in Palestinian cities in the West Bank, killing dozens and displacing tens of thousands of residents. Since Hamas’ October 7 attack, Israel has regularly launched airstrikes on the West Bank, which was almost unheard of before. Its defense minister, Israel Katz, said on Sunday that he’d instructed the military to stay for a year and “to prevent the return of residents.” US President Donald Trump has come under withering criticism for his proposal to expel 2.1 million Palestinians from Gaza. And yet, as the left-leaning Israeli newspaper Haaretz alleged in an editorial Monday, “Israel is already doing in the West Bank what it threatens to do in Gaza.” Here’s what’s happening. The West Bank, a territory that lies west of the Jordan River between Israel and Jordan, has been occupied by the Israeli military since 1967. It is home to more than 3.3 million Palestinians.
Israel said Sunday it has stopped the entry of all humanitarian aid into Gaza after phase one of its ceasefire deal with Hamas expired, citing the militant group’s refusal of a US-backed extension.
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Fatima Tawfeeq, 63, has lived through numerous Israeli military operations in the occupied West Bank. She witnessed Israel’s takeover of the Palestinian territory in 1967 and lived through Israel’s crackdown during the first and second intifadas, the fierce Palestinian uprisings against Israeli control.