Dozens of left-wing activists demonstrated near the U.S. Civil-Military Coordination Center in Kiryat Gat on Friday, calling on President Trump to halt what they termed “Israeli terror” in the occupied West Bank.
The demonstration was organized in response to a call from “Looking the Occupation in the Eye,” an Israeli leftist movement opposed to the occupation and settlement activity.
Protesters held signs reading, “Trump, Stop Israeli Terror in the West Bank,” “Palestinian Lives Matter,” “Stop Annexation and Occupation,” and “End Israeli Impunity.”
The West Bank has witnessed a marked increase in attacks by settlers and the Israeli army against Palestinian civilians in recent weeks, coinciding with an accelerated pace of settlement construction during the Israeli war on the Gaza Strip. This comes amidst official Israeli statements regarding plans to annex the West Bank.
The United Nations maintains that settlement activity in the occupied Palestinian territories is illegal and undermines the prospects for a two-state solution, calling for its cessation for decades without success.
More than 700,000 settlers reside in settlements built on West Bank land, carrying out almost daily attacks against Palestinians with the aim of forcibly displacing them.
The U.S. Central Command (CENTCOM) established the Civil-Military Coordination Center in Kiryat Gat in October to monitor the implementation of President Trump’s plan to end the Israeli war on Gaza.
This development follows the implementation of a ceasefire and prisoner exchange agreement between Israel and Hamas on October 10th, following a two-year war on the Gaza Strip.
