A 13-year-old Palestinian shot and injured at least two people in East Jerusalem less than a day after another shooter killed seven Israelis outside a synagogue, fueling concern about further attacks in one of the bloodiest months in years in Israel and the occupied West Bank.
(Bloomberg) —
A 13-year-old Palestinian shot and injured at least two people in East Jerusalem less than a day after another shooter killed seven Israelis outside a synagogue, fueling concern about further attacks in one of the bloodiest months in years in Israel and the occupied West Bank.
The latest shooting carried out Saturday, in the Palestinian neighborhood of Silwan near the Old City, wounded a 47-year-old man and his son, the Associated Press reported, citing paramedics. Police shot the attacker, the AP said. The two incidents followed Thursday’s killing of nine Palestinians by Israeli security officials in the West Bank.
Police shot and killed the Friday assailant, a 21-year-old from East Jerusalem who had no history of political violence, Israeli media reported. The teenager in the Saturday shooting was being treated in a Jerusalem hospital, the AP said.
The Friday attack sparked exceptional outrage since the dead were worshipers leaving Sabbath prayers. While no group claimed responsibility, in the Gaza Strip, the Islamic Hamas movement celebrated by firing into the air, and in the West Bank cars honked and fireworks were set off.
Fatah, the main branch of the Palestine Liberation Movement, said in a statement that the Palestinian people “are not helpless” and called the attack the “inevitable result” of the Israeli occupation’s latest actions.
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Security forces had launched a crackdown on Saturday and arrested 42 family members of the synagogue shooter along with some neighbors and people close to him, the AP reported, citing the police.
US President Joe Biden spoke with Netanyahu late on Friday and offered his support to the government and people of Israel.
“The President made clear that this was an attack against the civilized world,” the White House said in a readout of the call.
The deteriorating situation will likely dominate Secretary of State Antony Blinken’s trip to the country next week.
The Palestinian health ministry reported late Friday that an Israeli car approached the West Bank village of Bita, near Nablus, and shot three Palestinians, who were taken to hospital, one in serious condition.
The Thursday gunfight with Israeli soldiers in the city of Jenin left eight militants and one civilian dead. It was one of the highest daily death tolls in the West Bank in years and sparked retaliatory attacks from both sides.
“The international community and the US are watching Israel because of the new government,” said Gayil Talshir, a political scientist at Hebrew University, speaking of Netanyahu’s recently sworn-in cabinet. “It’s a more extremist right-wing government than Israel has ever had.”
Netanyahu’s coalition took office a month ago after pledging to implement policies such as loosening open-fire rules for some security forces. The new administration, which includes far-right figures, has also proposed expanding or building more settlements in the West Bank, where Palestinians are seeking to establish an independent state.
Hamas, which runs Gaza, had warned that Israel would “pay the price for the massacre” in Jenin. Mahmoud Abbas, president of the Palestinian government body, cut security ties with Israel, something he’s done in the past for brief periods.
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“The situation is headed for a wider confrontation,” said Jehad Harb, a researcher at the Palestinian Center for Policy and Survey Research. End of security ties “will push the youth into more confrontation with the Israeli side.”
After the clash in Jenin, Palestinian militants fired a number of rockets — one hit an open area, one was intercepted and another fell inside Gaza. No one claimed responsibility. The Israeli air force hit back with strikes on rocket manufacturing sites in Gaza.
“The Palestinians hope that pressure will be exerted on the Israelis also by Blinken,” Harb said.
For Netanyahu’s government, the tension with Palestinians adds to social unrest. Tens of thousands of Israelis are expected to rally on Saturday to protest an overhaul of the justice system that opponents view as undemocratic and a potential blow to the economy.
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The Israeli army said the violence on Thursday broke out as security forces entered the Jenin refugee camp to arrest members of Islamic Jihad, a Gaza-based militant group, who it said were planning multiple terror attacks including the shooting of soldiers and civilians.
Egypt, the United Nations, and Qatar are mediating in a bid to prevent an escalation, according to a statement from Islamic Jihad. The United Arab Emirates, which established diplomatic ties with Israel in 2020, condemned the Israeli raid.
Israeli fighter jets early Friday carried out a series of airstrikes on facilities belonging to militant groups in the Gaza Strip in response, including a Hamas underground manufacturing facility, according to the Israel Defense Forces. Overnight, the Israeli army said three rockets fired from Gaza were intercepted by air defenses, while another fell in a unpopulated area in southern Israel.
–With assistance from Fadwa Hodali.
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