King: What is happening in Gaza and the West Bank are two sides of the same Israeli strategy
Amman2 min read
Share
King Abdullah II affirmed that what is happening in the Gaza Strip and the West Bank are not two separate stories, but "two sides of the same Israeli strategy", warning that the goal is to make the establishment of a viable Palestinian state impossible.
In a speech before the 81st session of the United Nations General Assembly, His Majesty said that Palestinians are being killed on both fronts, while work is being done to impose a new reality on the ground "through destruction in Gaza, and through the de facto annexation of land in the West Bank".
The King pointed out that what is happening in Gaza can no longer be considered temporary military measures or consequences of war, saying that "accountability begins when we call things by their real names: an attempt to erase the Palestinian presence and impose a new reality in Gaza".
In the West Bank, His Majesty said that what is happening is not just an escalation, but a "radical transformation", amid the widening scope of settler violence, land seizures, settlement expansion, and the displacement of Palestinian families from their lands.
The King described the demolition of Palestinian homes to expand illegal settlements as "forced relocation", and the seizure of occupied land as "de facto annexation", stressing that the interconnected practices in the West Bank form part of a policy aimed at forcing an entire people to leave their land.
His Majesty said that there is a clear term to describe this policy, which is "forced displacement", affirming that it is a war crime.
