Alert for risk of "massive pogroms" after a night of unprecedented violence in the West Bank

Source Summary

The West Bank has experienced one of the most explosive days in recent months. A shooting in the village of Tell, southwest of Nablus, in the north, in which at least four Palestinians and two Israeli soldiers died, has triggered a massive wave of settler attacks against several Palestinian communities early this morning. Israeli settlers have attacked several Palestinian villages, including Urif, Surra, Far'ata, Jit, Imatin, Khirbet Imreiha, Iraq Burin, and the Masafer Yatta area, in the north and center of the West Bank. In Urif, a home was set on fire and at least one Palestinian was injured. In Far'ata, settlers burned agricultural land and shot a man in the chest, who is in critical condition. Other videos spread by residents from various towns show houses, businesses, and vehicles on fire, excavators uprooting olive trees , as well as the word revenge painted on walls. In some of the incidents, according to local sources, Israeli troops have dispersed Palestinian residents with tear gas.The incident that precipitated the escalation occurred after a group of Israeli settlers entered a restricted military zone without authorization or coordination with the army, according to the Israeli army. From here, the versions diverge. The army maintains that the settlers were on an unauthorized excursion when they were attacked and that a Palestinian snatched the weapon from one of the security members before opening fire. Palestinian witnesses, on the other hand, assure that it was the settlers, with the support of the soldiers present, who began to shoot at the inhabitants of the village.A video recorded during the events shows an armed settler trying to push aside two Palestinians by pushing them with his rifle. A struggle for the weapon then ensues, while cries of revenge in Hebrew are heard in the background. Moments later, one of the Palestinians appears holding the rifle and at least a dozen shots are heard coming from different points. Be that as it may, the result was four Palestinians and two Israeli soldiers dead, one of whom was also a settler, according to the EFE agency.A pretext to intensify the offensive After the events in Tell, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and Defense Minister Israel Katz announced that they would intensify military operations in villages that Israel considers "a hotbed of terrorism." They announced new military deployments, the demolition of homes of suspects who may have participated in the Tell incident, the confiscation of weapons, and the withdrawal of work permits for the inhabitants of this village.Netanyahu also ordered the acceleration of the construction of new settler outposts in the area where the events occurred and the legalization of those that already exist, despite the fact that settlements are considered illegal, according to international law and by the majority of the international community.