Netanyahu Orders Hebron Demolitions Ahead of National Vote
Bulldozers are clearing homes in Hebron following a checkpoint firefight that killed two soldiers, as Israel prepares for an election on October 27.
By Lina Lewis ·
Israeli forces began demolishing homes in Hebron on Friday afternoon. The military action follows a firefight at a nearby checkpoint that killed two soldiers and wounded three others. Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu announced the start of the operation from the site of the attack.
Netanyahu described the planned military campaign as being on a scale not seen since the Six Day War in 1967. He stated, "We will act to demolish this place, to change it completely." The Prime Minister compared the upcoming operation to Israel's assault on Palestinian refugee camps in the northern West Bank last year, an event that displaced tens of thousands of people.
The immediate trigger for the destruction was an attack on a checkpoint near Hebron. Soldiers positioned behind concrete barriers engaged two gunmen who opened fire. The conflict lasted approximately 20 minutes until the attackers were killed. In response, bulldozers moved into the neighborhood to flatten structures near the shooting location.
The violence occurs amid a surge in settler activity and land seizures across the West Bank. The United Nations Human Rights Office has labeled the current situation a new level of dehumanization for Palestinians. Israel has imposed widespread closures in Hebron, the most populous city in the territory. The area is currently controlled by 925 checkpoints, roadblocks, and earth mounds that restrict movement.
Analysts link the intensity of the response to the national elections scheduled for October 27. Polls indicate that Netanyahu and his rival, Gadi Eisenkot, are running neck and neck. Neither leader currently has enough support to form a government. Danny Citrinowicz, a senior researcher at the Institute for National Security Studies in Tel Aviv, argues that Netanyahu is using the crisis to project strength. He noted, "For Netanyahu, his ticket before the election is, 'I'm Mr. Security.'"
Citrinowicz described the eviction of families from the attackers' neighborhood as collective punishment, citing a lack of evidence linking them to the gunmen. He suggested that authorities should focus on arresting specific attackers and stabilizing the economy rather than punishing entire communities. The Israeli human rights group B'Tselem has urged foreign governments to intervene to prevent what it calls another wave of ethnic cleansing.
