Tel aviv: Former Israeli Defense Minister Moshe Ya'alon stated on Wednesday that the acts of violence and dispossession perpetrated by Israeli occupiers against Palestinians in the occupied West Bank amount to "ethnic cleansing."

According to Anadolu Agency, Ya'alon emphasized that Israel cannot deflect international sanctions by labeling other countries as 'antisemitic.' He highlighted that the decision by several countries to impose sanctions on Israel, due to Jewish riots and terrorist activities in the West Bank and the Jordan Valley, necessitates a response beyond accusations of antisemitism.

Ya'alon called for the next Israeli government to take responsibility for the happenings in the occupied territories and halt what he termed as the funding and encouragement of Israelis who violently dispossess Palestinians. He described these actions, which include severe violence and property theft, as ethnic cleansing.

He further urged the appointment of a defense minister who would enable the Israeli army to act against 'Jewish terrorism.' Ya'alon called for the restoration of coordination among the Civil Administration, Israeli police, Shin Bet internal security agency, and the army under the regional military command, and the reinstatement of administrative detention for 'Jewish terrorists.'

Ya'alon noted that even some leaders within the illegal settlement movement acknowledge the threat posed by violent 'Jewish rioters and their acts of terrorism' to the broader settlement enterprise, though few publicly address it. He demanded the removal of Netanyahu's government, accusing it of jeopardizing Israel and the illegal settlements.

His comments followed the announcement by France, the UK, Denmark, Spain, Finland, Ireland, Iceland, Norway, Poland, Portugal, Sweden, and Canada to impose trade restrictions on goods originating from Israeli settlements. Britain announced its own import ban on goods from illegal settlements and additional sanctions against extremist occupiers accused of inciting violence against Palestinians. British Foreign Secretary Ed Miliband endorsed the view that 'ethnic cleansing of Palestinians' is occurring in the West Bank by Israeli 'settler terrorists.'

These sanctions coincide with escalating attacks by the Israeli army and occupiers in the West Bank since the onset of the conflict in Gaza in October 2023. Palestinian authorities have documented a series of human rights violations, including killings, arrests, home demolitions, and forced displacements.

Currently, around 750,000 Israeli occupiers reside in 156 illegal settlements and 360 outposts in the West Bank, including East Jerusalem, based on Palestinian data. Palestinians warn that Israeli actions are leading toward the annexation of the West Bank, threatening the establishment of a Palestinian state as envisioned by UN resolutions.