🚨 JUST IN: WEST BANK BOILING | FEARS OF UPRISING AS SETTLER VIOLENCE DOUBLES
- Violence in the Israeli-occupied West Bank has reached 15+ year high, with a surge in incidents following the recent conflict in Gaza.
- Israeli settler attacks on Palestinians have escalated, with an increase in shootings.
- Support for Hamas has grown among Palestinians in the West Bank.
- Israel's government has responded by ordering the purchase of 10,000 rifles to arm Israeli civilians, including settlers.
- Vigilante-style settler attacks have resulted in 29 deaths this year, with at least eight occurring since October 7.
- Washington has condemned settler attacks, and the EU has denounced "settler terrorism" as a dangerous escalation of the conflict.
- Daily settler attacks have more than doubled according to U.N. figures since the recent conflict with Hamas.
- The West Bank is a complex patchwork of hillside cities, Israeli settlements, and army checkpoints.
- Hamas cited Israeli actions in the West Bank in justifying its actions.
- After settlers shot dead three Palestinians near Qusra on October 11, Wadi's father and brother were killed while participating in a funeral procession for the victims.
- Settlers blocked the cortege, and witnesses believe that gunfire from settlers caused the deaths.
- The Israeli military stated that it tried to disperse clashes between Israelis and Palestinians and is investigating the incident.
- Settler-related violence is becoming harder to control, partly due to the ongoing Gaza conflict and the influence of far-right politicians.
- There's a growing danger from extreme right-wing activists in the West Bank.
- Settlers have taken advantage of the deployment of soldiers to Gaza and northern Israel to carry out attacks.
- The Israeli defense ministry ordered the administrative detention of a prominent settler activist on state security grounds, reflecting concerns within the security establishment.
- Settler violence could provoke a new generation of Palestinian militants in the West Bank.
Source: Reuters