Humiliation and Mass Arrests: Israel’s Assault in West Bank Escalates

While Gaza remains under relentless bombardment, Israel’s repression has deepened across the occupied West Bank.

On 11 and 12 September, the northern city of Tulkarem became the latest target of sweeping raids, curfews, and mass arrests, underscoring that the violence is not confined to Gaza alone.

A City Under Siege

Israeli forces sealed off all entrances to Tulkarem after two soldiers were reportedly injured by an explosive device near a checkpoint. In response, troops stormed homes, cafes, and even garages, rounding up Palestinians at random. Footage shared by residents showed hundreds marching through the streets in long lines.

Screengrab of Video by @/raghd.salama, Instagram

Governor Abdullah Kamil condemned the campaign, calling on the United Nations to intervene against what he described as “crimes” against nearly 100,000 residents. He accused Israeli troops of “arbitrarily and unjustly” arresting people, terrorising families, and destroying property.

Reports stated that videos revealed soldiers “dragging hundreds and hundreds of Palestinians from their homes … in a show of humiliation.” Journalist Nida Ibrahim added, “They’re trying to remind everyone that if there is any incident in any place in the occupied West Bank that they do not like … they’re going to crack down, not just on the perpetrators … but on everyone in that vicinity.”

Collective Punishment Normalised

More than 1,500 Palestinians were reportedly arrested in Tulkarem alone, with curfews imposed across the city. Amnesty International warned earlier this year that such “unlawful transfer of protected persons” constitutes a war crime under international law. Yet Israel continues to rely on collective punishment, from sealing off villages to demolishing family homes of suspected attackers.

The double standard remains stark: while settlers who torch Palestinian fields often face no accountability, even children caught throwing rocks can be jailed for years. The raids, residents say, are meant less to pursue suspects than to enforce control through fear.

Ghost Towns and Displacement

The crackdown has emptied neighbourhoods. Refugee camps near Tulkarem, once crowded with families, now resemble ghost towns. Shops have been ransacked, homes seized and converted into military outposts, and entrances to surrounding villages shut down. In Deir Jarir, five Palestinians were shot by soldiers; one of them was arrested before receiving medical treatment.

“These operations are part of a broader policy to displace Palestinians and remind them who has the upper hand,” Ibrahim explained.

Netanyahu’s Expansion Agenda

Even as military raids intensify, Israel is advancing settlement expansion that critics say will make a Palestinian state impossible. Benjamin Netanyahu signed off on construction of 3,400 new homes in the so-called E1 area linking East Jerusalem to Maale Adumim.

“We are going to fulfil our promise that there will be no Palestinian state. This place belongs to us,” Netanyahu declared. “We are going to double the city’s population.”

The plan would effectively cut the West Bank in half, isolating Palestinian communities and annexing land under international law deemed illegal.

Never Just Gaza

While Gaza’s devastation dominates headlines, the raids in Tulkarem reveal how the machinery of occupation operates across the entire Palestinian territory. From mass detentions to settlement growth, the strategy is clear: dismantle Palestinian presence, whether through bombs, curfews, or walls.

As Kamil appealed for urgent international action, the silence of world powers continues to embolden Israel’s campaign. For Palestinians, the message is consistent — punishment is collective, resistance criminalised, and even survival treated as a threat.

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