Netanyahu Promises Sweeping West Bank Operation, Citing 1967 Scale

Israeli forces have begun tearing down structures in a Hebron neighborhood and moving hundreds of Palestinian residents out, following a shootout at a nearby checkpoint that left two soldiers dead and three others wounded. Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu addressed reporters from the scene near Hebron and pledged a West Bank operation carried out "on a scale not seen since the Six Day War," referring to the 1967 conflict after which Israel took control of the territory. He also said, "We will act to demolish this place, to change it completely."

According to the Israeli military, soldiers had positioned themselves behind concrete barriers when two gunmen opened fire. The exchange of gunfire lasted roughly 20 minutes and ended when troops killed the attackers. By Friday afternoon, bulldozers were already leveling homes close to where the shooting occurred. The Israeli human rights organization B'Tselem called on foreign governments to intervene to avert "another wave of ethnic cleansing and war crimes."

Netanyahu linked the planned campaign to Israel's assault last year on two Palestinian refugee camps in the northern West Bank, a move that forced tens of thousands from their homes. Human Rights Watch characterized those expulsions as war crimes, while Israel rejected that assessment.

The violence occurs amid a rise in settler actions against Palestinians in the West Bank. The United Nations Human Rights Office covering the occupied Palestinian territory has labeled the current conditions a "new level of dehumanization of Palestinians." Movement in and around Hebron, the West Bank's largest city, has been further hampered by widespread closures imposed by Israel. The territory contains roughly 925 checkpoints, roadblocks, earth mounds, and other barriers that Israel operates.

Analysts connect the timing of Netanyahu's pledge to the national elections set for October 27. Danny Citrinowicz, a senior researcher at the Institute for National Security Studies in Tel Aviv, said the prime minister needs to project strength ahead of the vote. "For Netanyahu, his ticket before the election is, 'I'm Mr. Security,'" Citrinowicz said, adding that Netanyahu "will take harsh measures in order to show the Israeli public that he supports them and he's defending them." Polls place Netanyahu and rival Gadi Eisenkot in a statistical dead heat, with neither commanding enough support to build a governing coalition.

Citrinowicz described the removal of families from the attackers' neighborhood, which has not been shown to have links to the gunmen, as "collective punishment." He argued that security comes from providing economic stability and opportunity rather than such measures, stating, "The way to prevent [more attacks by Palestinians] is not collective punishment. It's by giving hope." He advocated arresting those planning attacks while supporting those seeking a normal life.

The United Nations Human Rights Office for the occupied Palestinian territory has recorded a surge of violence and land seizures by Israeli settlers against Palestinians in the West Bank. Israel has also imposed widespread closures in Hebron, making movement in and around it difficult.