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Op-Ed video: Palestinians in the West Bank watch with horror as Israel pummels Gaza

In the occupied West Bank, horror mixes with a fear of what’s to come as settler violence spikes, says Palestinian-American researcher and commentator Mariam Barghouti

Palestinians in the occupied West Bank have been watching the violence and destruction of Gaza in helpless grief and unending fear, as Israeli air strikes relentlessly pummel the besieged Palestinian enclave.

Mariam Barghouti, a Palestinian-American researcher and commentator, told Middle East Eye that residents of the occupied territories were horrified as they watched Gaza "ethnically cleansed" by occupying Israeli forces.

Since 7 October, many in the West Bank have feared what could come next as settler violence and deadly Israeli raids reach record levels.

Palestinian rights groups have repeatedly warned that the radical settler movement, emboldened by ultranationalist Israeli politicians, seeks to further entrench their presence across the occupied territories.

"The feeling right now for Palestinians that aren't being carpet bombed is to have to watch the slaughter [in Gaza] and then watch a second slaughter by the international community [with its] coverage of what is happening to the Palestinians."

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"Then [we] wait to see what is about to befall the West Bank in terms of military invasion and settlers being heavily armed and given the green light to simply commit massacres," she added.

Hailing from Ramallah, Mariam Barghouti is a Palestinian writer and commentator. Her writing has appeared in the New York Times, Al-Jazeera English, Huffington Post, Middle East Monitor, Mondoweiss, International Business Times and more.
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