Middle East Conflict
Three Palestinians killed in Israeli drone strike
Numerous cars went up in flames during the riots. photo
© Ilia Yefimovich/dpa
The situation in the West Bank continues to heat up. After the deadly attack by two Palestinians, settlers wreak havoc on the area. And Israel’s army specifically attacks a car from the air.
According to media reports, at least three Palestinians were killed in the first targeted airstrike in the West Bank for years on Wednesday evening. Their bodies were recovered by rescue workers, the Palestinian news agency Wafa reported. The Israeli army said a vehicle carrying armed Palestinians was fired on by a drone near Jenin.
The men in the car previously fired shots at an Israeli border crossing near the Palestinian West Bank city of Jenin. According to army information, the group is also responsible for several recent attacks on Israelis in the West Bank.
Both sides said it was the first targeted airstrike of this kind in the West Bank since the second Palestinian uprising, the Intifada, around two decades ago.
Israeli Defense Minister Joav Galant welcomed the airstrike on the vehicle. “In the fight against terror, we will rely on attack and initiative, we will use all means at our disposal,” Galant wrote on Twitter. “Any terrorist or terror mastermind will pay the ultimate price.”
Riots by Israeli settlers
After a deadly attack on Israelis in the West Bank, angry Israeli settlers rioted against Palestinians there on Wednesday. Hundreds of Israelis set fire to dozens of vehicles and buildings in the Palestinian town of Turmus Aya alone, the Israeli army confirmed. According to the Palestinian Ministry of Health, a young Palestinian was shot dead there afterwards during confrontations with security forces. Other people were injured, some seriously, by live ammunition.
Police said initial investigations revealed that dozens of Palestinians were attacked with stones and firecrackers and fired on during the incident. As a result, a police officer, who saw himself in mortal danger, shot and hit one of the rioters. The incident will be investigated.
According to media reports, around 200 Israeli settlers then invaded another Palestinian town in the evening. They had fought confrontations with residents in Urif, south of Nablus. Two Palestinian assassins who shot dead four Israelis in the West Bank on Tuesday came from the town. Right-wing politicians have recently called for a broader military operation in the northern West Bank.
The Israeli army condemned the settlers’ actions. Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu also emphasized that Israel is a state governed by the rule of law. All citizens are obliged to obey the law and further riots will not be tolerated.
Dozens of settlers had previously returned to the Eviatar settlement outpost in the West Bank, which was vacated two years ago. The situation in the region had deteriorated again in the past few days. On Tuesday, two Palestinian attackers killed four Israelis near a West Bank settlement. Both attackers, members of the Islamist Hamas organization, were killed.
Jenin – stronghold of militant Palestinians
A total of seven Palestinians were killed in an Israeli military operation in the city of Jenin on Monday, including at least two militant fighters and two youths. Jenin is considered a stronghold of militant Palestinians.
The security situation in Israel and the Palestinian territories has long been tense. Since the beginning of the year, 24 people have died in attacks. During the same period, 137 Palestinians were shot dead during Israeli military operations, confrontations or after their own attacks. Israel captured the West Bank and East Jerusalem during the 1967 Six Day War. The Palestinians claim the areas for their own state.