Asia Pacific Report
Israeli forces have been ramping up operations in the occupied West Bank– mainly the Jenin refugee camp – to “distract” from the Gaza ceasefire deal, says political analyst Dr Mohamad Elmasry.
The Qatari professor said the ceasefire was being viewed domestically as a “spectacular failure” for Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu.
“The ceasefire in Gaza was kind of a defeat for Netanyahu. Israeli media reports are calling it an embarrassment for him to have Hamas, after all these months, still very much alive and well and operational in Gaza,” Dr Elmasry, professor of media studies at the Doha Institute for Graduate Studies, told Al Jazeera in an interview.
- READ MORE: Occupied West Bank’s Jenin being ‘Gazafied’ by Israel’s army
- ‘Spectacular failure’ over Hamas an embarrassment for Netanyahu
- Palestinians return home to Gaza ashes – if we want peace, face the truth
- Other Israel’s war on Gaza reports
“Now what the Israeli government is doing is trying to distract from that and sort of overcompensate by escalating in the West Bank.”
Elmasry highlighted that since the ceasefire began on Sunday, Israel had made dozens of arrests in the West Bank, — offsetting the release of 90 prisoners under the agreement so far.
“This is a way for the Israeli government to show its ardent supporters and especially those on the right wing that this is only temporary in Gaza and [Israel is] still able to do whatever we wants in the West Bank,” he said.
Dr Elmasry also said indications were growing that Israel was not taking the terms of the ceasefire seriously and was planning to restart fighting in Gaza before phase two of the agreement comes into effect.
“What we have to keep our eye on is violations,” Dr Elmasry said.
“Yesterday, there was video circulating of [Israeli forces] shooting a Palestinian [in Gaza]. It’s a clear violation, but we didn’t hear any sort of condemnation from the US, [which] is supposed to be sort of ensuring that the ceasefire continues.
“The other thing we have to keep an eye on,” Dr Elmasry added, “is what happens after phase one.
“There are increasing indications that Israel has every intention of continuing the war. They’ve apparently said as much. And then we’ve got US President Donald Trump after his inauguration saying: ‘Look, it’s their war’.
“I read that as a statement that the US is kind of washing its hands — it’s not going to intervene.”
‘Starting lives from scratch’
Meanwhile, one of several Palestinian journalists reporting on the ground for Al Jazeera, Hind Khoudary, said from Nuseirat, central Gaza:
“You can’t imagine how destroyed the infrastructure across the Gaza Strip is. Sewage is filling the streets.
“In some places, there’s a lack of water. Desalination plants are not working any more. The infrastructure has completely collapsed.
“Yesterday was the first day Israel let in heavy machinery. But civil defence teams, engineers and others working [on recovery efforts] do not know where to start.
“In every single street, neighbourhood, city infrastructure is destroyed. Palestinians are going to have to start their lives from scratch.”
