Nablus: The occupied West Bank is experiencing its most perilous period since 1948, signaling a new Nakba, warned Palestinian politician Mustafa Barghouti in an interview with Anadolu. Barghouti, who serves as the secretary-general of the Palestinian National Initiative Movement, declared that the Oslo Accords, once signed between the Palestine Liberation Organization and Israel, are effectively obsolete. According to TRTworld.com, Barghouti accused Israel of deploying illegal settlers as a strategic tool to annex the occupied West Bank, aiming to force Palestinians off their land. He contextualized the current situation by referring to the Nakba, a term Palestinians use to describe the 1948 displacement of approximately 800,000 Palestinians during the establishment of Israel. Barghouti highlighted the siege in Qusra, a town south of Nablus, as an example of the cooperation between Israeli forces and settlers. The situation in Qusra has grown increasingly tense, with Israeli forces and settlers besieging th ree Palestinian homes in the Jabal Ras al-Ain area for the 11th consecutive day. Last Thursday, Israeli forces took over 16 Palestinian homes in the town, converting them into military positions and displacing some residents. Barghouti described these events as a repeat of the ethnic cleansing witnessed in 1948, drawing parallels with the tactics used by Zionist armed groups like the Irgun and Stern Gang. Barghouti criticized the lack of regional response and international silence, which he believes has emboldened Israel's actions. He expressed concern over the announcement by Israeli Defence Minister Israel Katz that security powers in illegal settlements would be transferred to the Israeli police, a move he equates with handing control of the West Bank over to Israeli national security minister Itamar Ben-Gvir. Barghouti further condemned the United States for its failure to issue a robust condemnation of Israel, despite claiming a commitment to peace. He emphasized that the issue extends beyond individua l cases, such as that of an American citizen reportedly granted access to his home in Qusra, to the broader rights of all Palestinians. In his critique of Western nations, Barghouti argued that their continued rhetoric about a two-state solution, without imposing measures against Israel, amounts to hypocrisy. He urged for support of Palestinian resilience and called for punitive actions against a government that flouts international laws. On the Palestinian domestic front, Barghouti called for national unity and a reassessment of the political path. He urged the leadership and political factions to move beyond the Oslo Accords and work towards a unified national strategy to confront what he described as an unprecedented threat.
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