Key Developments (March 21 – 27)
- Israeli forces raided the Aqbat Jaber refugee camp in the West Bank city of Jericho on Monday afternoon, March 27, shooting and injuring at least six Palestinians. According to local reports, Israeli forces surrounded a home in the camp, detaining the father of two young Palestinian men who Israeli forces had killed in a previous raid on the camp. In addition, to live ammunition, forces used tear gas and rubber bullets against local residents who took to the streets to confront soldiers during the invasion. Israeli forces have killed six Palestinian residents of the Aqbat Jaber camp this year, primarily in relation to growing armed resistance activity in the camp.
- Israeli forces shot and killed Amir Imad Abu Khadija, 25 on March 23, the first day of the Muslim holy month of Ramadan, during a raid south of Tulkarem, in the northwestern West Bank. According to Middle East Eye, Israeli border police forces killed Abu Khadijeh as part of their search for a man who was allegedly involved in “several shooting attacks.” Abu Khadijeh was reported to be a member of the “Tulkarem Brigade,” a new resistance group that has emerged in the city, indicating that grassroots armed resistance groups continue to emerge and spread across the West Bank, outside of the typical hubs of Nablus and Jenin.
- Several Palestinians were injured on March 27 as Israeli settlers launched attacks on the town of Huwwara, south of Nablus. Settlers were documented beating and pepper spraying Palestinian civilians in the town, attacking medics and ambulances, and setting fire to a truck belonging to one of the town’s residents. The settler attacks on Huwwara have been ongoing for weeks as Israeli settlers, with the backing of government officials and the army, attempt to seize control of the strategically located town, and drive out the Palestinian residents there. On Saturday, March 25, two Israeli soldiers were wounded during a shooting operation in Huwwara. The leftist Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine (PFLP) movement claimed responsibility for the shooting, indicating an uptick in the participation of armed resistance across all political factions and the solidification of Huwwara as the latest battleground against Israeli colonialism in the West Bank.
- In the early predawn hours of Sunday, March 26, Israeli settlers set fire to a Palestinian home in the town of Sinjil outside Ramallah, with a Palestinian family inside. The family, which reportedly consisted of young children, narrowly escaped, but their house was completely damaged in the blaze. The arson attack sent tremors across the West Bank, as Palestinians warned of increasing settler violence.
- With the beginning of the holy month of Ramadan, Israeli forces have stepped up a number of violent measures targeting Palestinians, particularly in occupied East Jerusalem and the Al Aqsa Mosque Compound. In addition to massive raids across Palestinian cities the night before Ramadan began, Israeli forces have violently raided the areas in and around the Al Aqsa Mosque, arrested Palestinians, closed the mosque to worshipers, conducted arbitrary searches of Palestinians, and escorted groups of Israeli settlers into the compound.
Important figures
- 1 Palestinian was killed this week, raising the number of Palestinians killed to 90 since the start of the year, including 15 children and minors.
- Jenin and Nablus comprise more than 60% of all killings at the hands of Israeli military and settlers.
Mondoweiss Highlights
- Why the main players behind the Israeli protest movement are bringing the confrontation to a head by Razi Nabulse
- On The Brink: Jenin’s Rising Resistance a Mondoweiss documentary
