Key Developments (March 14 – March 20)
- Israeli special forces from the Duvdevan unit in civilian clothing raided Jenin on March 16, killing 28-year-old Nidal Khazem from the Palestinian Islamic Jihad (PIJ) and 29-year-old Yousef Shreim from the Hamas-affiliated Izz al-Din al-Qassam Brigades. A 14-year-old boy in the line of fire, Omar Awadin, was also killed during the raid, while 37-year-old Luai Zughayyar was fatally wounded and 20 others injured by the retreating Israeli force when a crowd of Palestinians attempted to rush the escaping vehicle carrying the assassins.
- Palestinian, Jordanian, Egyptian, American, and Israeli representatives held the second political-security meeting in the Egyptian town of Sharm El-Sheikh on March 19, reaffirming the commitment to put a halt to the rising tide of Palestinian resistance that had been set forth in the Aqaba Summit of February 26. The summits have formalized the war launched on Palestinians from within and from without — by Israel and the PA.
- On the same day as the Sharm El-Sheikh meeting, a shooting attack took place in Huwwara that injured two Israeli settlers, mimicking the events of the previous month when Abdelfattah Kharrousha shot and killed two settlers in Huwwara on the same day as the Aqaba Summit. This has solidified Huwwara’s place as the graveyard for summit agreements and diplomatic efforts at calming rising tensions.
- In Tulkarem, Israeli forces have renewed the practice of court-ordered takeovers of Palestinian homes and turning them into military bases.
Important figures
- 5 Palestinians were killed this week, raising the number of Palestinians killed to 89 since the start of the year, including 15 children and minors.
- Jenin and Nablus comprise 63% of all killings at the hands of Israeli military and settlers.
Mondoweiss Highlights
Nidal Khazem: profile of a slain resistance fighter, by Mariam Barghouti
Following summits at Aqaba and Sharm El-Sheikh, Palestinians are fighting on two fronts, by Mariam Barghouti
