Pulitzer journalist Seymour Hersh says no more East Jerusalem in the coming weeks after Benjamin Netanyahu offered $5m for each freed hostage in Gaza
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s government intends to announce the formal annexation of the West Bank in the coming weeks, a source has told the Pulitzer Prize-winning journalist Seymour Hersh.
According to Hersh, Israel has been “fortified by bombs and funding” from Washington and is ramping up the expulsion of Palestinians from northern Gaza to the south of the enclave. Meanwhile, the religious parties that “dominate”Netanyahu’s cabinet are demanding full control over both occupied Palestinian territories.
“I was told this week by a well-informed Washington official that the Israeli leadership will formally annex the West Bank in the very near future – perhaps in two weeks – in the hope that the decisive step will end, once and for all, any talk of a two-state solution and will convince some in the skeptical Arab world to reconsider financing the planned reconstruction of Gaza,” Hersh wrote in an article on his Substack on Wednesday.
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu (C) visits the Netzarim Corridor in the Gaza Strip on November 19, 2024. © Maayan Toaf / Israel Gpo via Global Look Press
If true, the move would coincide with the last few weeks of US President Joe Biden’s administration and create a new “reality on the ground” by the time President-elect Donald Trump takes office in January. During his first term in the White House, Trump recognized Israel’s annexation of the Golan Heights and moved the US embassy to Jerusalem.
Israel declared war on Gaza-based Hamas last October, following a series of deadly raids by the Palestinian militants into Israeli territory. Around 1,100 Israelis died in the October 7 assault, while an estimated 250 were taken captive.
As of early November, Israeli intelligence reportedly assessed that up to 51 people were still alive and being held by the militants.
“I want to say to those who are holding our hostages: Whoever dares to harm our hostages will pay the price. We will pursue you and we will find you,” Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said at a press conference on Tuesday during a brief visit to Gaza.
“To those who want to leave this entanglement I say: Whoever brings us a hostage, will find a safe way out for himself and his family,” he added. “We will also give $5 million for every hostage.”
Two weeks ago, the Israeli media reported that Netanyahu intended to offer a ransom of several million dollars per hostage and safe passage out of Gaza to anyone willing to strike a bargain with his government. The Israeli leader is facing criticism at home for allegedly disregarding the lives of the hostages in favor of inflicting more damage on Hamas and the Palestinian enclave in general. US-backed Qatar-mediated talks on a possible ceasefire and release of the captives have been suspended, after Doha suggested that the parties were not negotiating in good faith.
Meanwhile, the prime minister’s office stands accused of leaking information to the press to promote his uncompromising position. Netanyahu has dismissed the allegations as a “witch hunt.”
A woman sits amongst damaged homes caused by Israeli air strikes, on January 18, 2024 in Rafah, Gaza. © Ahmad Hasaballah / Getty Images
Former Israeli Defense Minister Yoav Gallant, whom Netanyahu fired earlier this month, has reportedly told families of hostages that the military has “nothing left to do in Gaza.”
Almost 44,000 Palestinians have been killed in Gaza since the start of the Israeli military operation, while another 104,000 more have been injured, according to local authorities.
The Israeli military and police have also cracked down on Palestinians in the West Bank, which is run by Fatah, a Palestinian faction at odds with Hamas.
Source X/RT/AP