Ben-Gvir Claims Entire West Bank Belongs to Israel, Vows to Dismantle Palestinian Authority
Israel’s national security minister told Channel 14 there is “no difference” between West Bank areas and threatened to dismantle the Palestinian Authority, Anadolu reports.
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File photo: Israeli National Security Minister Itamar Ben-Gvir speaks at a podium (November 2021). Photo: Alexander Khanin, CC BY-SA 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons
Israeli National Security Minister Itamar Ben-Gvir has claimed that the entire occupied West Bank belongs to Israel and threatened to dismantle the Palestinian Authority if he becomes defence minister, according to Anadolu Agency.
“There is no difference between Areas A, B and C. The entire land is ours. This is our country,” Ben-Gvir said in an interview with Israel’s right-wing Channel 14 on Thursday, according to Anadolu Agency.
Remarks challenge Oslo divisions
The comments run counter to the arrangements set out in the Oslo Accords between Israel and the Palestine Liberation Organization. Under the 1995 Oslo II Accord, the West Bank was divided into three administrative zones. Area A is under full Palestinian control, while Area B is under Palestinian civilian and Israeli security control. Area C, which accounts for around 60 percent of the territory, is under full Israeli control.
Ben-Gvir has voiced a similar position before. On 29 September, the Jerusalem Post reported that he said during a tour of farms and settlement sites in the West Bank that he would make no distinction between the three areas if appointed defence minister. “Areas A and B will be treated exactly like Area C,” he said at the time, according to the Jerusalem Post.
The Candor Post could not independently confirm the full Channel 14 interview. The remarks below are reported according to Anadolu.
Threat to dismantle the Palestinian Authority
According to Anadolu, Ben-Gvir said that as defence minister he would move to dismantle the Palestinian Authority and push for the displacement of Palestinians from the West Bank and the Gaza Strip.
He claimed that 60 percent of Palestinians want to “emigrate”. Anadolu noted that the claim was made despite reports to the contrary.
“I will dedicate time to this, and I will manage the process continuously. Every week, I will hold a discussion involving all relevant parties,” Ben-Gvir said, according to Anadolu Agency.
Call to loosen rules of engagement
Asked how Israel could provide additional forces for the West Bank and Gaza, Ben-Gvir said: “It is very simple: The more you allow soldiers to shoot and use force, the less manpower you need.”
“I will remove the restrictions on our soldiers. Today, the police rules of engagement are much more lenient than those of the army,” he added, according to Anadolu, which said he was pointing to police use of gunfire against Palestinians.
Criticism of Netanyahu
Ben-Gvir also turned on Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu. Although Netanyahu has spoken about Palestinian displacement on several occasions, Ben-Gvir claimed the prime minister “did not want it enough” and blamed him for failing to advance such a policy, Anadolu reported.
Election backdrop
The comments come as campaigning intensifies ahead of Israel’s Knesset election on 27 October. According to Anadolu, opinion polls indicate declining support for the governing coalition and gains for the opposition.
Anadolu reported that Ben-Gvir has recently intensified threats against Palestinians amid heightened competition among Israeli parties. It said he has also made repeated visits to Al-Aqsa Mosque in occupied East Jerusalem and performed Talmudic rituals at the Western Wall.
