Israeli forces launched a brutal assault on Jenin refugee camp that killed 9 Palestinians and a tenth later in the day during clashes in al-Ram, making it the deadliest day of 2023, and one of the single deadliest raids in the West Bank in years.
The martyrs of Palestine speak to one another in their final acts, emulating the examples of those that came before them, and turning into icons for those that will come after them.
Israel assassinated two Palestinian resistance fighters in Jenin today, and a third martyr succumbed to wounds sustained two weeks ago, bringing the total number of Palestinian martyrs in 2023 to 12.
Udai Tamimi, the Palestinian resistance fighter responsible for killing an Israeli soldier at Shu’fat military checkpoint, conducted yet another shooting operation against Israeli troops before being shot and killed at the entrance of the illegal Israeli settlement of Ma’ale Adumim, after ten days on the run and evading capture by Israeli forces.
The West Bank and Jerusalem are “on fire.”
It’s a term we’re seeing used more and more across social media, the news, and opinion pieces talking about the current events in the occupied Palestinian territory. But what exactly is unfolding in the occupied West Bank and Jerusalem right now, and why? What makes it different from what we’ve seen in recent history, and what does it mean for the future of Palestinian resistance to Israeli occupation and settler-colonialism?
We are currently seeing an unprecedented moment of Palestinian resistance across the West Bank. It’s too early to tell where events will lead — whether it’s the historic turning point or the last gasp of protest before something even worse — but what’s certain is that Palestinians are on the precipice of returning to a state of refusal, if not full-fledged resistance, to the settler-colonial reality some would have them ignore. The current moment will ultimately be decided by militant mass support and the expansion of resistance activity to the rest of the West Bank.
Israel has revived its decades-old policy of “liquidation” in an attempt to quell the rising tide of armed Palestinian resistance, adopting extra-judicial assassination.
Shu’fat refugee camp and neighboring towns are under siege as the Israeli military launches a manhunt following a drive-by shooting operation against Shu’fat military checkpoint.
The West Bank town of Silwad has long been considered one of the most intense points of confrontation with the Israeli military, even in periods of relative calm. The town’s unbroken tradition of resistance has recently intensified under Israeli siege since the beginning of August, as Silwad’s youth remains determined to defend the village against the army whether by rifle or stone.
Those mourning at the funerals of the Nablus and Tubas martyrs are calling for resistance.