Palestinian authorities condemned the “dangerous escalation” after the Israeli defence minister said troops would stay in parts of the territory for a year and that tens of thousands of displaced Palestinians would not be allowed to return.
Israeli defence minister Israel Katz said he and prime minister Netanyahu had ordered the military to “increase the intensity of the activity to thwart terrorism” across all West Bank refugee camps.
On Sunday, Mr Netanyahu said his troops would stay in the West Bank “as long as needed” and that the deployment of tanks for the first time in 20 years signified one clear message: “We are fighting terrorism with all means and everywhere.”.
Israel has expanded its military operation in the occupied West Bank, deploying tanks in the north of the Palestinian territory for the first time in 20 years.
The Palestinian foreign ministry condemned the latest Israeli military action as “a dangerous escalation of the situation in the West Bank” and called on the international community to step in against what it described as illegal “aggression”.
