Israelis and Palestinians: Violence resumes in the West Bank

Violence in the West Bank continues after the riots on the Temple Mount. An Israeli security guard was shot dead in a settlement, and the search for the perpetrators is ongoing. In addition, a Palestinian was killed in a military action.

According to the Israeli military, Palestinian attackers shot dead a security guard at the entrance to an Israeli settlement in the West Bank. The military said the men fled to the Ariel settlement after Friday night’s attack. The armed forces had taken up the pursuit and were looking for the perpetrators.

The spokesman for the radical Islamist organization Hamas, Hasem Kassem, described the attack as a “heroic operation to mark the end of the holy month of Ramadan”. It is part of “our people’s response to the attacks on the Al-Aqsa Mosque”. Recently, there have been several clashes between Palestinians and Israeli security forces at the mosque on Jerusalem’s Temple Mount.

Palestinians shot

In a separate incident in the village of Asun near the town of Kalkilya, Israeli soldiers opened fire after suspects threw incendiary bombs in their direction, according to the military. According to the Palestinian Ministry of Health, a Palestinian was shot dead. It is not yet clear whether this incident was connected to the manhunt for the two perpetrators in Ariel.

Tensions had recently increased again

Tensions between Israel and the Palestinians increased in April. There were clashes between Palestinians and Israeli police officers on the grounds of the Al-Aqsa Mosque in Jerusalem – also on Friday. Palestinians threw stones, Israeli police used rubber bullets. More than 40 people were injured on Friday, according to the Palestinian Red Crescent. The Israeli police said they arrested three people.

It is feared that the tensions could further escalate the Middle East conflict. A year ago, unrest in Jerusalem had sparked an 11-day armed conflict between Gaza’s Hamas and the Israeli army, during which more than 250 people were killed.