250,000 Residents Face Siege as Israel Targets Hebron

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu ordered a siege on Hebron and the neighboring town of Halhul, mandating the forced displacement of residents from specific neighborhoods and the demolition of homes. This response follows the killing of two Israeli soldiers and the wounding of three others by gunmen near a checkpoint outside the city. Hebron, the largest Palestinian city in the occupied West Bank, is home to approximately 250,000 people.

The timeline of the escalation began with a 20-minute gunfight at a temporary checkpoint. Two men armed with an assault rifle and a handgun, driving a car with Israeli number plates, opened fire after being stopped. Both gunmen were killed in the exchange. Within hours of the attack, Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich posted a video showing a bulldozer tearing down a nearby home. He stated the action was intended to "create deterrence and exact a price," noting the structure had been built without permits. No link was claimed between the building owners and the attackers.

The immediate reaction from the legal and political spheres was swift. Shortly after the first demolition began, Israel's high court issued a temporary order halting the work. The order stemmed from an urgent petition filed by human rights lawyer Mohammed Dahleh on behalf of two factory owners. Dahleh argued the actions breached international law regarding collective punishment. He described the scene as an attempt to copy practices used in Gaza, stating, "What we saw today was an attempt to copy the illegal practices used in Gaza, in the heart of the West Bank."

Defence Minister Israel Katz amplified the government's stance by promising further mass demolitions and forced displacement. He explicitly compared the planned treatment of Hebron to the Jenin refugee camp, where nearly 20,000 people have been displaced. Katz declared that every clan neighborhood from which the attackers emerged would be evacuated. Michael Sfard, an Israeli lawyer, called Smotrich's video a "direct admission" that the demolitions constituted collective punishment, a justification for such measures that has been used since antiquity.

The events unfolded against a backdrop of rising tension ahead of Tuesday's elections. Ministers, including National Security Minister Itamar Ben-Gvir, rushed to the scene. Ben-Gvir demanded the dismantling of the Palestinian Authority and tighter limits on Palestinian movement. Netanyahu stated that plans were drawn up for the largest military operation in the West Bank since 1967, adding that while no date was set, the operation is "on the way."

A secondary controversy emerged when prominent Israelis, including a candidate for the far-right Amcha Yisrael party, shared unverified theories linking an AFP photographer who witnessed the shooting to the gunmen. The Foreign Press Association described the claims as "dangerous and defamatory." This incident occurred one week after settlers severely injured photographer Heidi Levine while she documented attacks on Palestinians harvesting olives.

Since the attacks of 7 October 2023, the West Bank has experienced a surge in settlement expansion and violence. More than 1,100 Palestinians have been killed by Israeli forces or settlers during this period. Violence has intensified since the olive harvest began in late September. Polls suggest the governing far-right coalition, which backs settlers, may lose its majority in the upcoming Tuesday elections.