Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has rejected the return of Palestinians displaced from refugee camps in the northern occupied West Bank, vowing that Israeli military forces will maintain permanent occupation over the area.
His remarks came during a visit near Tulkarm refugee camp alongside Defence Minister Israel Katz and senior commanders, according to video footage released by his office.
Directly addressing a recent Israeli Supreme Court ruling regarding the displaced population, Netanyahu stated: "These are not residents, these are terrorists."
He ruled out any Arab military deployment west of the Jordan River, reaffirming that the Israeli army will remain in control.
On Sunday, Israel’s Supreme Court instructed the government to submit a formal timetable for measures enabling displaced Palestinians to return to Jenin, Tulkarm, and Nur Shams refugee camps, whilst examining mechanisms to expedite the process.
Israeli forces have barred thousands of displaced residents from returning since early 2025.
Occupied West Bank raids
Netanyahu also warned of potential confrontations with Palestinian Authority (PA) security personnel, alleging they could turn their weapons against Israeli troops ahead of elections.
Claiming the military had prepared plans for such a contingency, he threatened those who might “test Israeli forces”.
Meanwhile, four Palestinians were injured in separate incidents involving Israeli forces across the occupied West Bank on Tuesday, according to the Palestinian Red Crescent Society.
Medical crews transferred a Palestinian man to hospital after he was shot in the head with a rubber bullet during an Israeli army raid on Kharbatha Bani Harith village, west of Ramallah.
In a separate incident in Al-Yamun, northwest of Jenin, three Palestinians were hospitalised after being struck by an Israeli military jeep.
Israeli troops also raided eastern Jenin, entering a local bakery, assaulting several young men, and detaining residents for questioning, according to official Palestinian broadcasters.
Further south in Masafer Yatta, Israeli police arrested a foreign pro-Palestinian activist in Khirbet Aqawis, whilst detaining five Israeli activists for several hours in Khirbet al-Halawa and seizing their vehicle for entering "Firing Zone 918".
Military raids and assaults against Palestinians and their property have intensified across the occupied West Bank and occupied East Jerusalem since October 2023.
