Ben-Gvir calls for West Bank destruction mirroring Gaza

Israeli far-right minister Itamar Ben-Gvir has called for the complete destruction of Palestinian towns and villages in the West Bank, drawing a parallel to the devastation in Gaza's Beit Hanoun. Ben-Gvir announced on social media that he would attend a security meeting to urge Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and military officials to "level" Palestinian homes using air power and D9 bulldozers.

"This is the language spoken in the Middle East, and it is time we spoke it in the West Bank just as we spoke it in Gaza," Ben-Gvir stated, advocating for the replication of destruction seen in Gaza.

Meanwhile, Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich, another far-right figure, asserted that illegal settlements in occupied Palestinian territories serve as Israel's "protective wall" and called for harsh Israeli military actions against Palestinians. Prime Minister Netanyahu's office announced he would convene a security meeting following an incident in the northern West Bank involving settlers, which resulted in the deaths of four Palestinians and one Israeli.

The meeting is expected to address the "response" to the incident near the illegal settlement of Havat Gilad. The clashes, which occurred near the Tel village, saw Israeli forces and settlers open fire, killing four Palestinians and wounding four others, one of whom later died. Since Israel's offensive in Gaza began in October 2023, the West Bank and East Jerusalem have seen a surge in detentions, raids, and attacks against Palestinians, leading to over 1,182 Palestinian deaths, thousands injured, and tens of thousands detained or displaced.

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This is the language spoken in the Middle East, and it is time we spoke it in the West Bank just as we spoke it in Gaza.