UN denounces Israeli governmnet statement on 70% Gaza takeover

United Nations, New York City

Sphinx News: Ahmed Ali

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said Thursday that he has directed Israel’s military to take over 70% of Gaza’s territory, a statement with wider implications for the continued undermining of a Palestinian state.

While Israel has continued its vast military operations, violent attacks, and siege of the Palestinian enclave despite a reported “ceasefire” being agreed to, the latest announcements signal greater peril for the Palestinian people.

An agreed-upon 20-point peace plan has outlined a faulty yet internationally supported framework for Gaza, suggesting the periodic withdrawal of Israeli forces into internationally monitored demarcated lines, the establishment of a Board of Peace, the need for unimpeded distribution of humanitarian aid to the withered Palestinian population, and many other circumstantial yet ambiguous points ultimately intended to pave the way for a Palestinian state.

While the lackluster arrangement has gained support from some while being met with inhibition by others, Israel’s expansionist intentions further circumvent international law and shrink the possibility of a liberated Palestine.

During an interview at a conference in the occupied West Bank, Netanyahu said that Israel is “tightening” its grip on Hamas. “We are now in 60% of the territory of the Gaza Strip. We were at 50%. We moved to 60%,” he said. “My directive is to move to — take it step by step — first of all, 70. Let’s start with that.” As Netanyahu spoke, the audience called for him to take over all of Gaza’s territory.

On Tuesday, Hamas accused Israel of moving the line, saying this “constitutes an explicit and ongoing undermining of the ceasefire agreement, a serious violation of its provisions, and an exposed attempt to impose new facts on the ground by force, to entrench military control over the Strip and undermine any real chance of stabilizing the situation or making de-escalation efforts succeed.”

Despite the “ceasefire’s” fragility and ambiguity, the United Nations has repeatedly affirmed its position in the perpetual conflict, where the Spokesperson for the Secretary-General, Stéphane Dujarric, told reporters, “100% of Gaza should be for the Palestinian people. That is what we want to see, and we continue to call on Israel to pull back from its occupation of the so-called yellow line.”