‘If you try to defend yourself, you’re dead’: A West Bank village’s night of terror
On Tuesday morning, the streets of Wadi Rahal were littered with stones and bullet casings — evidence of an attack the night before. According to the Palestinian residents of the village, which is located south of Bethlehem in the occupied West Bank, about a dozen Israeli settlers had driven in, some of them armed. They threw stones at cars and houses, and when residents came out to defend themselves, the attackers opened fire.
One resident, 47-year-old Khalil Salem Ziadeh, who divided his time between Jerusalem and Wadi Rahal, was shot dead. Four others were wounded. Ziadeh’s family decided to bury him in the village, and hundreds of his relatives and local residents attended his funeral on Tuesday afternoon.
Ziadeh’s murder comes just two weeks after a pogrom in the village of Jit, where settlers set houses and cars on fire and shot dead another Palestinian man. Israeli political and security leaders, including Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and several members of his cabinet, were quick to condemn that attack — likely as a result of the heightened scrutiny resulting from international sanctions — and the head of the Shin Bet, Israel’s internal security service, penned a harsh letter condemning “Jewish terrorism.” But with only a handful of the more than 100 rioters arrested, their words rung hollow, and settler violence continues uninterrupted.
After the attack in Wadi Rahal, the IDF Spokesperson released a statement claiming that “Palestinians threw stones at an Israeli vehicle” and “at other Israeli citizens who arrived in the area,” before “mutual friction developed between the two sides.” But residents who saw the events unfold reject the claim that any violence from Palestinians preceded the settlers’ aggression. [Continue reading…]
On Wednesday, the Israel Defense Forces (IDF) said it launched its most expansive offensive in the occupied West Bank in the last year, launching raids and airstrikes in densely populated civilian areas in Jenin and Tulkarem that have killed at least 15 people so far.
The attacks are occurring amid a surge in Israeli settler violence across the West Bank and occupied East Jerusalem, where some settlers continue a campaign targeting Palestinian civilians and infrastructure.
Israel says its military operation in the West Bank is necessary to stem further terror attacks on its territory. Palestinian leaders say the violence will only lead to “dire and dangerous results.” United Nations Secretary-General Antonio Guterres called on Israel to immediately cease its operation, saying it was a “deeply concerning” development. [Continue reading…]