West Bank 'Counter-Terrorism' Operation: Annexation by Other Means
Israel’s recent 'counter-terrorism operation' in the West Bank, as Al-Monitor notes, aims to dismantle 'terrorist strongholds.' Yet, this language consistently sidesteps the fact that the West Bank is occupied territory, where Palestinian resistance is often born from daily oppression, illegal settlements, and military incursions. Since the Oslo Accords, which designated Areas A, B, and C, Israel
has systematically expanded settlements, effectively strangling Palestinian communities; even the US State Department has stated these settlements destabilize the region. Calling these actions 'counter-terrorism' when they pave the way for further land confiscation and displacement in violation of international law feels less like security and more like statecraft by bombardment. One might ask,
how many 'operations' does it take to simply annex the territory they've long coveted, while the world watches with furrowed brows and continued aid packages?