Israel is 'dismantling Palestinian life' says Israeli human rights group

One of the country's leading human rights organizations says Israel is dismantling all aspects of Palestinian life at a breakneck rate. The group has extensively documented what it says are the mechanisms Israel has used to "ethnically cleanse" the West Bank of Palestinians.

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JUANA SUMMERS, HOST:

Criticism of Israel's conduct toward Palestinians in the occupied West Bank is growing. An Israeli human rights group charges Israel with systematically destroying all elements of Palestinian life. More than 1,100 Palestinians have been killed in the West Bank in the last three years. The report comes after the United Kingdom accused Israel of, quote, "ethnic cleansing" in the West Bank. Israel denies such claims. NPR's Carrie Kahn reports.

CARRIE KAHN, BYLINE: The Israeli human rights group B'Tselem has long reported on killings, daily assaults and displacement of Palestinians living under occupation in the West Bank. But Director Yuli Novak says this report examines Israel's overall intent, which she says is a plan to, quote, "eliminate Palestinian society."

YULI NOVAK: The direction, the logic behind this violence is about breaking apart society and about dismantling the basic elements that society needs in order to sustain itself.

KAHN: Israel is doing that through multiple means, including land seizures, movement restrictions and economic strangulation, she says. And that plan has intensified, she says, since the Hamas-led October 7, 2023, attack that killed and took hostage more than 1,200 Israelis. According to the U.N., more than 41 soldiers and Israeli citizens have been killed by Palestinians in the West Bank during that same period. B'Tselem also says hundreds of new checkpoints and gates have gone up, closing off villages without notice. Unemployment tops 30% and collected tax revenues have been withheld from the Palestinian government. Dr. Hazem Mohammad Saladeh heads a struggling hospital in Hebron. He says he can't fully pay his employees.

HAZEM MOHAMMAD SALADEH: (Speaking Arabic).

KAHN: "Our heart center needs stents and medical devices," he says. He says he used to pick up supplies in Tel Aviv but now permits are routinely delayed or denied.

SALADEH: (Speaking Arabic).

KAHN: "The health sector in Palestine is going to collapse," he says. International condemnation of the situation in the West Bank is rising too. Last week, the U.K. and other Western allies announced sanctions on Israeli settlers there. Foreign Minister Gideon Sa'ar has called claims of ethnic cleansing, quote, "outrageous lies."

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GIDEON SA'AR: We did not return to our ancient land after 2,000 years only to lose it under pressure from jihadists, Islamists, antisemites, far leftists and wolves.

KAHN: He says those who believe they can force Israel to act against its security interests are mistaken. Israelis go to the polls next month to elect a new government. Long-serving Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu is facing his toughest reelection bid. Latest polls show the race is too close to call. Carrie Kahn, NPR News, Tel Aviv.

SUMMERS: In a late response to NPR's request for comment, the Israeli military called the B'Tselem report, quote, "false, baseless and blatantly detached from reality."

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