"They Want Palestine Empty": Artist in Jenin Blasts U.S. Support for Israel Amid West Bank Assault

this is democracy Now democracynow.org the Warren peace report I'm Amy Goodman with nuring Shay we turn now from Gaza to the occupied West Bank where Israel has launched its largest military operation in over two decades raiding four cities and refugee camps in the north simultaneously with hundreds of soldiers backed by armored vehicles bulldozers fighter jets and drones at least 18 Palestinians have been killed and 30 wounded on Wednesday un Secretary General Antonio gutterz called on Israel to immediately its military operation and strongly condemned the loss of lives including that of children meanwhile three leading Palestinian human rights groups issued a joint statement warning quote of even more escalated violence in the West Bank with the employment of tactics that mirror those used in Israel's genocidal campaign in Gaza particularly attacks on hospitals and health care facilities and the use of excessive and indiscriminate force in Janine Israeli forces have surrounded the city blocking exit and entry points and access to hospitals and ripping up infrastructure in the Janine refugee camp Janine's been the target of frequent raids by Israeli forces but this latest military operation is the largest since the second anapat two decades ago when Janine witnessed some of the worst violence of that period after Israeli forces invaded it in 2002 laid Siege to the refugee camp killing dozens of civilians destroying hundreds of homes leaving a quarter of the population homeless we go now to Janine where we're joined by Ahmed tasi artistic director at the freedom theater in the Janine refugee camp welcome to democracy Now Ahmed describe the scene in Janine right now uh thank you Amy for having me I mean uh the scene it's the same again and again but as I said before the Israelis keeping surprising us even the way they do the in agend uh to be honest I am calling my sisters around some friends and they are very scared we all of us very scared uh we know there is something different in this Invasion the way they start The Invasion the way they doing it now it's really scary people don't know what's going to happen it look like H it's going to be a bit more longer inv vaging than others we are surprised of the number of the soldiers the vehicles that keep coming to the city the camp now having sometime electricity sometime not for sure the internet is not there we try to use the 3Gs and not not totally always good but yeah it's a fear atmosphere where everybody is waiting and you know the scenes from Gaza what happened to Gaza the people in the camp are really afraid that gonna happen to them because it's obvious the Israelis punishing the people punishing the civilians H in the camp all Camp is surrounded with the Army all the entrances are closed H they already bulldozed all the streets all the Alleyways in the camp and even the bulldozing is really deep that mean no cars no ambulances can go inside many people try to evacuate the camp but for sure it's very dangerous because if you are a man above 15 or 14 you could be shot if you are moving or trying to sticking out from the camp only maybe a kids or some women if they are courage enough to leave to know what's going on uh outside the house to leave the the camp but no one allow us to move um people are afraid of having no food now for a one week because you know uh uh they didn't prepare themselves for the invasion they don't know which kind of the invasion is this and you know the Israelis Do not announce what they're going to do exactly so many people are really afraid for the kids they having no food so yes you hear the drones very close the vehicles all around the boming by time to time it's again the scene repeating itself again and again and don't and we don't know like what is the end how long what we should do a and is obviously the the the is Israelis want to tell the communities the civilians of these areas you have only two choices you die here or you leave or dis place to other country and that's what is we we still waiting what's going to happen in the next days so Ahmed if you could put this latest military operation in the context of the ongoing assault on Gaza on the one hand and also the situation that's been developing in the West Bank both with the increasing violence over the last 10 months since the uh Israeli assault on Gaza as well as the exponential increase in the number of Israeli settlements there yes I mean also at the same time I hope American language and American let's say journalism start using the definition in a right way it is not violence it's a genocide from the Israeli Army against the Palestinian people it's not a conflict it's a genocide a War ethnic cleansing from the Israeli military to the Palestinian civilians and yes it's it's it's a to be honest from 100,000 of settlers to a 850,000 in West Bank West Bank is not anymore a West Bank it's a little fragment from Palestinian communities living there and there and all the connection all the network the streets all all controlled by the settlers I promise you I experience a death threat one time I went trying to go back from ramala to Janine it's not even late it's the evening and suddenly we find ourselves surrounded by settlers who really clearly went to kill you and we in the last second we just run with the car and if we just stopped that it's they are ready to kill you they are attacking everywhere they are putting fire in the houses of the people they shooting now they have guns officially permitted guns from the Israeli government being giving to the settlers to shoot Palestinians in very easy Cold Blood so we not facing only Army we're facing a crazy settlers groups of uh crazy people who just want to kill more and more and the idea is clear they want to empty West Bank from Palestinians guys what is happening in Gaza what is happening in West Bank we say it again and again this was planned from 80 years and the Israelis have the time to work on it slowly to the displace Palestinians in Palestine they want Palestine empty from Palestinians and that's the only plan and they will not relax they will not stop until this happened or inallah it will be victory for B Ians and they will get defeated ahed tasi um there have been more than 10,000 Palestinians on the West Bank arrested since October 7th we have uh brought out reports from CNN to Human Rights Watch to harats to adir of uh prisoners who haven't been charged being sexually abused being tortured I'm wondering if you can talk about the effect of this level of imprisonment and particular L this past December the Israeli forces raided the offices of your theater of the Janine Freedom theater producer Mustafa shetha was detained and sentenced to six months have you heard from him has he seen a lawyer has he been [Music] accused exactly that's what I'm talking about Emy I had an interview with your program in December last December and it's the same and even more crazy mosta still in prison no information not allowed even for lawyers to to to to visit or have any information as we said before even kids in the in the freedom theater being shot where they were playing so for me it's like is really American people American governments know what is going on are they really following we have been saying this years and years again and again tons tons of report United Nation tons of report and what what is next we still I mean that's why Israeli is going on in there that's why they're getting and I'm sure the Israelis could not do this if they do not have the green light from the US government we will I am saying from your window from your program I'm calling to the American people to the American Artist to the American activist to the American people please you are the one who have to move now and stop this craziness you have to stop supporting sending bombs to Israel enough Military Support this Military Support goes for killing artist children destroying theaters killing people killing women they do nothing more than this and the beace that Israel looking for is not to have a beace in Palestine is to control all the world is to occupy the whole Middle East and use it for for the political situation that us Tred to fight China and Iran and Russia in Palestine that's I mean we need to do something is not only Palestinian left alone to deal with the Israeli incubation that is defending West and Europe us it's really in a very difficult situation if the US do not follow the time and do something before this will be out of time I think American people have to explain to the Next Generation American people have to explain to the new generation in America what they did to the Palestinians what they did to save and to finish this genocide and War guys you will have a big responsibility in the future to to to to to Define what happened to the Palestinians from the American Support to the Israeli military terrorism people am tasi we want to thank you for being with us artistic director at the freedom theater in Janine refugee camp speaking to us from Janine