Israel arrests dozens of Palestinians in West Bank amid warnings of escalation
DAMASCUS, Syria (North Press) – Israeli forces on Monday arrested dozens of Palestinians during a wide-ranging campaign of raids and incursions across several cities and towns in the occupied West Bank, as Israeli security officials warned that the situation had reached an “explosive and extremely dangerous” stage.
The escalation came hours after settlers reportedly attacked two mosques, setting fire to the buildings and writing racist slogans on their exterior walls, according to media reports.
Israeli forces carried out raids in areas around Ramallah, Nablus, Hebron, Qalqilya and Jenin, as well as towns northeast of Jerusalem, searching homes and arresting dozens of residents, Palestinian sources said.
Northern and central parts of the West Bank witnessed an increase in Israeli military raids in recent days, alongside growing attacks on Palestinian villages and towns.
Meanwhile, Israel’s security establishment warned that the situation in the West Bank had become “explosive and extremely dangerous.”
Israeli news website Walla reported that the military had deployed additional reinforcements to the West Bank, bringing the number of battalions stationed there to 26.
According to the report, security assessments indicate that the situation is developing into an escalating “snowball” that could become difficult to contain if the escalation continues.
Walla cited a senior security official as saying Israel is likely to postpone a large-scale military operation targeting what it describes as “terror infrastructure” and its supporters until after Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s expected visit to the United States.
The latest developments come amid heightened tensions across the West Bank, where Israeli military operations and settler violence have intensified in recent days.