PFLP: Katz's incitement an excuse for escalation against West Bank

By Al Mayadeen English
Source: Agencies
11 Aug 2024 14:13

The Department of Refugee Affairs and the Right of Return in the Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine strongly denounces recent comments made by Israeli Foreign Minister Israel Katz over Jenin Camp.

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Israeli foreign minister Israel Katz waits for the start of a meeting of EU foreign ministers at the European Council building in Brussels, on Monday, January 22, 2024. (AP)

The Department of Refugee Affairs and the Right of Return in the Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine strongly condemned Israeli Foreign Minister Israel Katz's statements made on Sunday, which labeled Palestinian refugee camps in the West Bank as "hotbeds of evil under Iranian influence."

The department argued that Katz's remarks were an attempt to justify ongoing Israeli aggression, particularly targeting the Jenin camp.

Katz stated after meeting with Israeli authorities in the occupied West Bank on Sunday, "We must address a terrorist hub like the Jenin refugee camp by temporarily evacuating its residents to a secure location and thoroughly dismantling the terrorist infrastructure within the camp, as was done in Gaza."

In a statement, the department criticized Katz's call to "evacuate the Jenin camp and handle it similarly to Gaza," describing this stance as reflective of a "deeply ingrained colonial mentality within the Zionist agenda," obsessed with committing massacres, genocide, and ethnic cleansing. The department asserted that such rhetoric seeks to legitimize the Israeli occupation's persistent crimes against the Palestinian people, especially in the refugee camps.

The statement further accused Katz of revealing an intent to escalate attacks on Palestinian camps in the West Bank, especially Jenin, drawing a parallel to the extensive destruction witnessed in Gaza.

PFLP: Attacks on West Bank part of ethnic cleansing effort

The department emphasized that these attacks are not random but part of a long-standing Zionist strategy to dismantle these strongholds of Resistance as part of a broader effort to complete ethnic cleansing and undermine the right of return for Palestinian refugees.

It underscored that the camps are not merely population centers but vital bastions of Palestinian resilience. The freedom fighters who have emerged from these camps have stood firm against the occupation and defended Palestinian rights, as per the statement.

The department denounced Katz's "criminal and audacious" comments as clear evidence of misconduct and called for his referral to international courts to ensure accountability for Israeli war crimes and crimes against humanity.

Concluding its statement, the department expressed confidence that all Zionist efforts to target Palestinian camps would fail. The camps, particularly Jenin, will continue to be at the forefront of Resistance in the West Bank and remain symbols of Palestinian steadfastness and determination. The occupation, it asserted, will not succeed in eradicating the right of return that Palestinians are committed to achieving.

Killing, displacement, destruction in West Bank continue unabated: UN

Palestinians continue to be killed and displaced by Israeli occupation troops in the West Bank, the UN said on Friday.

Farhan Haq, the spokesperson for the secretary-general of the United Nations, clarified in a press release that the latest report released by UN organizations in the occupied region revealed that the destruction of Palestinian homes, infrastructure, and lives continues unabated in the West Bank.

Demolitions in the eastern part of occupied al-Quds reached a record high back in 2023, with 229 Palestinian structures destroyed by occupation forces. As of August 2, "Israel" has demolished 128 Palestinian structures, including 61 homes, and displaced 330 people since the beginning of 2024.

Israeli occupation soldiers, according to Haq, killed 16 Palestinians between July 30 and August 5, including two children, and injured 56 others in the occupied West Bank.

He emphasized that over the same time period, "Israel" also launched over 20 attacks on Palestinians, resulting in injuries and property damage.

At least 604 Palestinians have been killed and about 5,400 others wounded at the hands of the Israeli occupation forces and Israeli settlers in various cities and camps of the West Bank since the start of the war on Gaza on October 7.

Meanwhile, according to the UN spokesperson, "mass losses" are being caused by the continuous Israeli bombardment of Gaza, which makes it more difficult for relief agencies to respond to crises.

He further pointed out that the Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs report made it clear that "repeated evacuation orders in Gaza lead to an endless cycle of displacement."

Haq emphasized that the current situation makes it "increasingly difficult" for Palestinians to receive the humanitarian aid they desperately need, warning against the growth of epidemic diseases in Gaza as a result of contaminated water, overcrowding, and poor hygienic conditions.