New confrontations erupted in the Middle East over Easter. A 15-year-old Palestinian was killed today in an Israeli military operation near Jericho in the southern West Bank. A 48-year-old Israeli woman also succumbed to her injuries three days after an attack in the West Bank that killed two of her daughters. The family came from Great Britain. The Palestinian suspects are still at large.
Easter this year coincided with the Jewish festival of Passover and the month of fasting, Ramadan.
After new rocket attacks from Syria, the Israeli army attacked targets in the hostile neighboring country on Sunday night. According to the military, a total of six rockets were fired from Syrian territory at the Israeli-occupied Golan Heights. According to media reports, a Palestinian group claimed responsibility for the first of two attacks.
Regarding the incident in a refugee camp near Jericho, the army announced that soldiers had entered the camp to arrest a terrorist suspect there. Violent unrest broke out during the operation. A youth sustained gunshot wounds to the head, chest and abdomen in the incident, the Palestinian Ministry of Health said. According to media reports, two Israeli soldiers were injured by gunfire during a raid in Nablus.
The situation has been extremely tense for months
The situation in the occupied West Bank has been very tense for months. According to the Palestinian Ministry of Health, 93 Palestinians have been killed in confrontations with the Israeli army or in their own attacks since the beginning of the year. During that period, 17 Israelis, one Italian and one Ukrainian were killed in attacks.
An Italian tourist was killed and seven other vacationers injured in an attack near Tel Aviv’s beach promenade on Friday evening.
To show their solidarity with the settlers in the West Bank, thousands of Israelis, including far-right ministers and MPs, marched to the settlement outpost of Eviatar, south of the Palestinian city of Nablus. Eviatar was evacuated about two years ago after an agreement with the residents. However, members of Benjamin Netanyahu’s right-wing religious government are seeking legalization and resettlement of Eviatar. Palestinians from nearby towns claim the land as their property. According to media reports, Palestinians protested during the march. The Palestinian Red Crescent said around 100 people had been treated after tear gas was used.
Israel conquered the West Bank and East Jerusalem in 1967. More than 600,000 Israeli settlers live there today. The Palestinians claim the territories for their own state.
Protests against Netanyahu’s policies
Despite the intensified security situation in Israel, there were renewed protests against the policies of Benjamin Netanyahu’s right-wing religious government on Saturday evening. Tens of thousands demonstrated in the coastal city of Tel Aviv and other cities against the controversial judicial reform. They lit candles and observed a minute’s silence to commemorate the victims of the attacks.
Israel increased security measures during the Jewish Passover holiday in the face of the violent incidents. Acting Defense Minister Joav Galant ordered the military to reinforce the police force. He also extended an entry ban for Palestinians from the West Bank and Gaza Strip until Wednesday evening.
According to media reports, around 1,000 Jews again visited the Temple Mount (Al-Haram al-Scharif) in Jerusalem’s Old City today. The facility is under Muslim administration, while Israel is responsible for security. The Temple Mount with the Dome of the Rock and the Al-Aqsa Mosque is the third holiest site in Islam. However, it is also sacred to Jews because two Jewish temples used to stand there. Recently there had been violent clashes between the police and Palestinians.
