The inhabitants of the Palestinian town of Huwara, in the West Bank, woke up on Monday horrified to discover houses burned and cars charred by an attack by Israeli settlers in retaliation for the death of two of them.
The incident occurs in the midst of an escalation of tension, despite the fact that those responsible for each side had promised on Sunday to “avoid new acts of violence”, during a meeting in Jordan.
What happened and why was the attack unleashed? A B C.
What happened on Sunday?
Hundreds of settlers stormed the Palestinian towns of Huwara, Burin, Zatara, Odala and Asira al Qabaliyya on Sunday night, armed with knives, sticks, stones, and even firearms, to commit attacks against Palestinians in retaliation for the attack that occurred hours earlier in which a Palestinian shot two settlers dead.
The deceased were identified as Hilel and Yagel Yaniv, two brothers aged 22 and 20 respectively, who lived in the Jewish settlement of Har Bracha, a few kilometers from Huwara.
In retaliation, the attackers hurled stones at homes and set buildings and dozens of vehicles on fire in small towns in the northern occupied West Bank.
(You can read: Israeli-Palestinian meeting in Jordan after weeks of violence)
What balance did last night’s attack leave?
The violent attack, according to the authorities, left a Palestinian dead, more than 300 injured, and extensive material damage with at least 75 houses burned and more than a hundred cars.
Among the damage to homes, at least 35 were completely destroyed and some 40 partially damaged, according to Palestinian media counts.
More than 350 Palestinians were injured. Most of them were suffering from the effects of tear gas inhalation, according to the Palestinian Red Crescent.
Why so many attacks in the last days?
The episodes last night take place in the midst of a serious uptick in violence in the area, both from attacks by settlers and attacks by Palestinians, in addition to the intense, often violent, raids that the Israeli Army has been carrying out regularly for a year in the West Bank, especially in the north, in the area of Nablus and Jenin.
Last Wednesday eleven Palestinians died in clashes with Israeli troops as a result of a raid, the deadliest incident in the West Bank since 2005, when the UN began recording these data.
(You may be interested in: Ten Palestinians killed after the most violent attack in 18 years in the West Bank)
So far this year, 63 Palestinians have died in the context of the conflict in what is already the most violent start to the year since 2000, according to the Palestinian Ministry of Health, and after 2022 closed as the deadliest year in the West Bank since the end of the Second Intifada (the Palestinian uprising from 2000 to 2005).
According to a database compiled by AFP, the Israeli-Palestinian conflict claimed 235 lives in 2022, the vast majority Palestinian.
What does Israel say about the attack?
Israeli President Isaac Herzog expressed his “strong condemnation” of the attack by Israeli settlers on Palestinians in the northern occupied West Bank.
“Taking the law into your own hands, causing riots and committing acts of violence against innocents: this is not our way, and I express my strong condemnation,” the president said in a statement.
Herzog indicated that it should be the Israeli security forces that “arrest the despicable terrorist and restore order immediately.”
For his part, the Israeli Prime Minister, Benjamin Netanyahu, stated: “I ask that although the blood boils and the spirits are hot, that they do not take the law into their hands. I ask that they let the Army and the security forces do their job “.
(Also: Israel bombs Gaza and Palestinians fire rockets after ‘massacre’ in West Bank)
Don’t take the law into your hands. I ask that they let the Army and the security forces do their job
This Monday, the Israeli Army decided to increase its deployment in the north of the occupied West Bank by two battalions, after its troops failed to stop hundreds of Jewish settlers who attacked several Palestinian towns.
“If riots had not broken out, we would have been able to concentrate on locating the Palestinian attacker who killed the two Israelis, who is still on the run so far, a military official told international media, who went so far as to describe the attack by the settlers as ” terrorist act”.
On a tour of that area, Israeli Defense Minister Yoav Gallant warned that he anticipates “difficult days” both in the West Bank, Jerusalem and Gazafor which he ordered his troops to prepare to “face all threats, reinforce troops and activities on the ground.”
And what does Palestine say?
Palestinian President Mahmud Abbas accused Israel of “supporting terrorist acts perpetrated by settlers” in this area of the West Bank.
The Palestinian Foreign Minister, Riyad al Maliki, for his part, condemned before the UN Human Rights Council the recent attack by Israeli settlers, as well as international inaction in the face of these abuses.
“Last night, attacks by terrorist settlers with the protection of the Israeli armed forces claimed the lives of defenseless Palestinians,” Al Maliki said at the opening of the 52nd session of the Council in Geneva.
(Keep reading: Israel at risk of constitutional crisis over judicial reform discussion)
The prolongation of the conflict is the result of a chronic failure of the international community
“We call for greater international protection for the Palestinian people in the face of this violence that does not stop,” stressed the head of Palestinian diplomacy, who was very critical of the position of the international community regarding the conflict as well as that of the UN. , “that has a historical responsibility in the matter”.
The prolongation of the conflict for decades “is the result of a chronic failure of the international community, attached to mere rhetorical declarations that are not accompanied by actions,” he declared before foreign affairs officials from around the world.
How did the international community respond?
The UN special envoy for the Middle East peace process, Tor Wennesland, expressed his “deep concern” about the deteriorating security situation in the occupied West Bank, “particularly about the violence witnessed in the last 24 hours.”
“There can be no justification for terrorism, nor for arson and acts of revenge against civilians. All perpetrators of violence must be held accountable. Violence, provocations and incitement must cease immediately and be unequivocally condemned by all” said the UN envoy.
France, for its part, condemned the settler attack and called the “violence against Palestinian civilians” “unacceptable.”
The German government said in turn that it is “urgent” to work to “prevent the situation, already very tense, from inflaming even more.”
Are there possibilities of a de-escalation?
The attacks occurred just hours after Palestinian and Israeli representatives pledged on Sunday to “avoid further acts of violence.” and to look for ways to calm the situation after several bloody days, according to a joint statement published after a meeting in Jordan.
The meeting in Jordan was the first of its kind in several years, with Jordanian, Egyptian, Israeli, Palestinian and American officials attending.
After “deep and frank discussions,” the participants in the meeting in the city of Aqaba “reaffirmed the need to commit to detente on the ground and avoid further acts of violence,” the final eight-point document says.
The agreement includes a commitment by Israel to stop discussing the establishment of new settlements for 4 months and not to legalize “wild” settlements for 6 months, according to the text.
Israelis and Palestinians, as well as the mediating parties, agreed to hold a new meeting next month in the Egyptian spa town of Sharm el Sheikh, on the Sinai Peninsula. But the impact that the recent attacks will have on the discussions between the two parties is unknown.
ANGIE RUIZ HURTADO
INTERNATIONAL WRITING
TIME
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