Palestinian presidency accuses Israel of "ethnic cleansing" in West Bank

RAMALLAH, Feb. 3 (Xinhua) -- The Palestinian presidency on Monday accused Israel of "ethnic cleansing" in the West Bank.

"The Israeli aggressive policies in the West Bank have led to the killing of 29 citizens, with hundreds wounded and arrested, in addition to the destruction of entire residential blocks in the Jenin and Tulkarm camps, the displacement of thousands, and the massive destruction of infrastructure," Nabil Abu Rudeineh, spokesperson for the Palestinian presidency, said in a press statement released by the official news agency WAFA.

Abu Rudeineh called on the U.S. administration to intervene immediately "to stop the ongoing Israeli aggression against Palestinian people and land, which will lead to an explosion of the situation."

Since January 21, the Israeli military has been conducting a large-scale campaign named "Iron Wall" in the West Bank's Jenin and Tulkarm to dismantle what they called "terrorist groups" and to maintain military control in the occupied territory.

On Sunday, the Israeli military said it had expanded the campaign into the northern occupied West Bank.

Meanwhile, Mohammed Jarrar, mayor of Jenin, told Xinhua that 15,000 citizens were displaced from the Jenin camp due to the ongoing Israeli military operation.

He described the Israeli attack on the city of Jenin and its camp as the "most dangerous" in the city's history.

For his part, Tulkarm Governor Abdullah Kamil told Xinhua that 48 percent of the residents of Tulkarm camp were displaced due to the operation.

Also on Monday, the Ramallah-based Palestinian Health Ministry said that 70 Palestinians have been killed by the Israeli army in the West Bank since January 2025.■