Ex-PM Olmert admits Israel committing ‘ethnic cleansing’ in West Bank

Former Israeli prime minister Ehud Olmert has admitted that the Israeli regime is carrying out ethnic cleansing against Palestinians in the occupied West Bank.

“In the West Bank, there is a violent and criminal attempt at ethnic cleansing,” Olmert said in an article published on Haaretz on Thursday.

Groups of “armed and violent” settlers pursue, attack, injure, and kill Palestinians living in the occupied territories, he said.

They also burn olive fields, Palestinian-owned houses, and cars, storming homes and physically assaulting the residents, according to the article.

Even flocks of sheep are attacked by settlers who attempt to scatter them and steal them, the article read.

The settler violence is aimed to forcibly displace Palestinians from their homes, Olmert said.

“All of this in the hope that the land will then be prepared for Jewish settlement, paving the way for the dream of annexing all the areas,” he added.

The ex-premier noted that Israeli police officers and soldiers turn a blind eye to the attacks, stressing that “militias operate with indirect and direct support from officials" in the Zionist regime.

The article, titled: "Police, Army, and Shabak: Partners in the Ethnic Cleansing Being Perpetrated by Jewish Rioters in the Territories", showed that the Israeli police adopts a “deliberate policy” of assisting the assailants, refraining from preventing settlers’ attacks or arresting the perpetrators.

“In many instances, the victims of criminal acts become targets for law enforcement by the police. Palestinians are arrested, not Jewish terrorists,” Olmert said.

He added that the Shabak also “does not utilize the means it effectively applies against ‘Palestinian terrorism’ against Jewish terrorists”, adding “It does not work diligently to thwart Jewish terrorism before it occurs, or to identify the rioters and find the leaders of these gangs and arrest them.”

Olmert described the Israeli ministry of military affairs as another “partner” in these crimes.

Recalling remarks made by the minister of military affairs Israel Katz in which he announced an end to so-called administrative detention orders for settlers, Olmert stressed that it was “a clear hint to the rioters that the only obstacle that could have deterred them has been removed from their path.”

“The Israeli army forces in the territories not only do not take steps to prevent acts of rioting, but in many cases, they cooperate with the rioters or are present near the events, watching and doing nothing,” he added.

UNRWA: Israel carrying out 'silent war' in occupied West Bank

The UN agency for Palestinian refugees has warned that Israeli violence in the occupied West Bank has reached record levels.

According to the article, extremist settlers “operate in a supportive and encouraging environment”, where they are provided “defensive cover and support and protection” by leaders of the religious community, heads of the settlers' movement, and heads of regional councils in the West Bank and other settlers living in the occupied territories.

The former prime minister called on the international community to take measures that compel the Israeli cabinet to “stop the crimes against humanity being committed with its sponsorship, protection, support, and endorsement.”

He noted that prime minister Benjamin Netanyahu and his cabinet are responsible for war crimes committed in the West Bank.

“Silence and refraining from a firm and appropriate response, cover-up and support, all fall on the shoulders of the regime and its leadership.”

Violence has soared in the occupied West Bank since the Israeli genocidal war in Gaza began in October 2023.

At least 1,112 Palestinians have since been killed in the West Bank, and nearly 11,500 others have been injured in attacks by the military and Israeli settlers in the occupied territory.

More than 21,000 people have also been abducted by the occupying regime’s forces.

For months, rights organizations have been warning that Palestinians in the West Bank face a growing threat of ethnic cleansing amid the continuing violence.

In July 2024, the International Court of Justice (ICJ) ruled that Israel’s prolonged occupation of historic Palestine was unlawful and called for the removal of all settlements currently in the West Bank and East al-Quds.

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