A Palestinian was killed by settlers' bullets in the West Bank, and regional violence escalated

A Palestinian was killed and two others were injured during an attack by Israeli settlers on Sunday night, Monday, on the village of Hajjah in the occupied West Bank, according to the Palestinian Ministry of Health and the Palestinian Red Crescent Society.

The Ministry announced “the martyrdom of the young man, Omar Muhammad Tubasi (20 years old), by settlers’ bullets in the village of Hajjah, Qalqilya district,” in the northern occupied West Bank.

The Palestinian Red Crescent Society reported that its crews dealt with three casualties “during the settlers’ attack” on the village of Hajjah.

She explained that one of the injuries to the head, another to the chest, and an injury to the thigh were to a 17-year-old boy. They were taken to a hospital in the city of Qalqilya, describing the injuries as “very serious,” before doctors announced Tubasi’s death as a result of his injury, according to what Agence France-Presse reported.

The Hajjah Village Council announced the funeral of Tubasi’s body (Monday) after the noon prayer in the old village mosque.

Excluding East Jerusalem, about three million Palestinians live in the West Bank, which Israel has occupied since 1967, in addition to more than 500,000 Israelis residing in illegal settlements under international law.

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu ordered the evacuation of settlements in the occupied West Bank that Israeli law considers illegal, according to what Israeli Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich announced on Sunday.

Smotrich said, “As far as I know, Netanyahu issued instructions to evacuate” some settlements, indicating that he did not agree to this procedure.

Smotrich pointed out that the evacuation process concerns settlement outposts built in areas under the control of the Palestinian Authority and without an official license from the Israeli authorities.

Settler violence against Palestinians in the West Bank has witnessed an escalation in recent months, after its perpetrators remained largely immune from legal prosecution for years.

The US ambassador to Israel, Mike Huckabee, called on Saturday for measures to be taken against acts of violence committed by settlers, adding that they were “the work of a small minority” of settlers.

Huckabee, known for his strong support for Israel and the settlers, said during his meeting with Palestinian Americans in the town of Turmus Ayya near Ramallah: “Our clear message is that crime is crime, and terrorism is terrorism.” “When people commit these acts, they should expect to face serious consequences.”

The West Bank has witnessed an escalation in violence since the outbreak of war in the Gaza Strip following the unprecedented Hamas attack on Israel on October 7, 2023.

At least 1,107 Palestinians, including a number of gunmen, were killed by Israeli soldiers or settlers, according to an Agence France-Presse tally based on Palestinian Authority data.

On the other hand, official Israeli data show that at least 48 Israelis, both civilians and soldiers, were killed in attacks carried out by Palestinians or during confrontations with Israeli forces.

Israel expanded its raids and bombing in southern Lebanon in conjunction with its unveiling of a plan to withdraw from most of the occupied Lebanese territories, and be content with remaining at a distance of between two and four kilometers, within a line called the “gray line,” instead of the currently occupied “yellow line.”

On the ground, Israel violated the undeclared rules established by the ceasefire agreement last June. It resumed evacuation warnings in southern Lebanon, and launched air strikes targeting vital facilities in the city of Nabatieh, which led to the death of 4 people, which the Lebanese state denounced. Its President, Joseph Aoun, considered what happened a “dangerous escalation,” while Parliament Speaker Nabih Berri confirmed that Israel is turning the south into a “ballot box with blood.”

In Tel Aviv, military sources said, according to Kan 11, that following its announcement of “operational control and clearing of tunnels and underground infrastructure in Ali al-Tahir Hill in southern Lebanon,” the Israeli army is preparing to reduce its forces, redeploy them, and withdraw back, within a new “security belt” area close to the Israeli-Lebanese border.

The “State Administration Coalition,” which represents the Shiite, Sunni, and Kurdish components in Iraq, ignored the issue of “arms control,” and warned of the potential repercussions on Iraq as a result of the US sanctions imposed on Iran, without naming them explicitly.

The "coalition" held a meeting in the late hours of Saturday-Sunday night at the government palace, at the request of Prime Minister Ali al-Zaidi. He called, in a statement, for “the completion of the government formation and the draft oil and gas law,” and described the Iraqi financial situation as “difficult,” noting that the country is going through a circumstance that “cannot bear any risk.”

An informed source told Asharq Al-Awsat that ignoring the issue of “weapon control” reflects “the extent of the political differences between the parties (of the state administration), especially the forces of the (Shiite framework).”

The source explained, “In light of these differences within the Shiite forces, the space in which the Kurds and Sunnis can move remains limited, as long as some issues appear thorny and interconnected, especially at the level of ministerial positions and the issue of arms control.”