Alwaght- Recently, Katibat Tubas, an armed group affiliated with the military wing of the Palestinian Islamic Jihad movement Al-Quds Brigades, announced its existence in the West Bank. The group clashed with the Israeli forces raiding Tubas city in northern West Bank and grounded their armored vehicles. In a statement, the armed group announced this operation as the beginning of the anti-occupation struggle and promised that "resistance against the enemy will continue until the victory and liberation of [Palestinian] land." The announcement of the foundation of this armed group, along with the intensification of armed resistance in the West Bank in recent months and suicide operations, promises the beginning of a new chapter of the Palestinian anti-occupation fight in the West Bank and critical days for the Israelis.
Until recently, Gaza was the only source of threats to the Israeli regime from Palestine but with the formation of this group, now it is threatened from two Palestinian fronts. The activity of armed fighters in the West Bank will reinforce Gaza resistance and should a new war breaks out, they can attack their enemy from two sides. In recent decades, Israel intensified its settlement projects in the West Bank, usurping many lands belonging to the Palestinians. Therefore, presence of the new group can increase the security troubles for Tel Aviv and challenge its territorial expansionism.
With Hamas and Islamic Jihad showing a brilliant record of resistance to the Israeli aggression in Gaza, rise of a new resistance wing in the West Bank can repeat their victories this time. Since the foundation of the Israeli regime in 1948, the West Bank's resistance revolved around "stone intifadas", but now the occupied territory has decided to take up arms. This is a wakeup call for Israelis to face the Palestinians more conservatively and make no uncalculated moves as they regularly raid the West Bank and Al-Quds (Jerusalem). From now on, the Israelis know that there is always an armed group that is ready to act to defend the Palestinians and make them regret their actions.
Resorting to settlers to safeguard the occupied territories
Heavily afraid of armed West Bank, the Israelis recently said they plan to form an armed group to protect the settlers against Palestinian threats. This decision is coming as all security measures taken by Mossad, Shin Bet, and army intelligence have so far failed to check the Palestinian resistance. Actually, Tel Aviv is resorting to settlers who fast hide in the shelters upon hearing gunshots and many of whom migrate for the fear of war.
So far, settlers have been attacking the West Bank and Palestinian sanctities in Al-Quds because they were sure there are no fighters to clash with them but from now on, equations will change and everything will be different for them. In other words, Tel Aviv’s resort to armed settlers for security is indicative of the fact that from now on every Israeli should self-protect and the security conditions will worsen. Moreover, from now on, a six-million Israeli army will form in the occupied territories and all day long they should live a life of intimidation in expectation of Palestinian clashes. This comes as Israeli officials claim they have the strongest army and intelligence in the region.
Mobilization under the excuse of security protection allows the Israelis to step up their crackdowns in West Bank under the ruse of security concerns to block mushroom-style growth of armed groups. Tel Aviv knows that if West Bank is armed, it cannot advance its territorial expansion with settlement projects.
Also, through mobilization, Tel Aviv tries to cover the West Bank with an atmosphere of terror to push the Palestinians to the conclude that they should not take up arms for their security and persuade some Palestinians like the Palestinian Authority leaders to condemn armed struggle to de-escalate the tensions.
Also, there are covert goals behind this mobilization, including bringing the Palestinians face to face to weaken the resistance to Israeli occupation. This is while the Palestinians have been living with Israeli brutality for decades, without weapons and with clenched fists, and now that they have weapons, they will have no fear of the Israelis and will continue their struggle to liberate their occupied lands. Therefore, with the formation of the new resistance front in the West Bank, fear and terror will increase in the Israeli, not Palestinian, territories.
Recent clashes in Jenin refugee camp between Palestinians and Israeli soldiers, in which Palestinians took up arms, showed that the West Bank is pregnant with new events. Gaza resistance leaders have repeatedly stated that the only way to fight the occupation is armed actions, and the Israelis only understand the language of force. They have said that they will support them with all their might if the West Bank is armed. Even in the "Sword of Al-Quds" operation against the Israeli army last year, Hamas and Islamic Jihad went to war against Tel Aviv in support of Al-Quds and the West Bank, and with the presence of the new branch of resistance, they will shoulder part of responsibility for security.
With formation of the resistance branch in the West Bank, security will be a dream for the Israelis from now on, and should clashes erupt, the Israelis find themselves encircled from two fronts— something raising their costs and preventing decisions for war against Palestinians.
