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WORLD NEWS Monday 20 March 2023

West Bank attack casts shadow over Israel-Palestinian talks

By SAMY MAGDY and TIA
GOLDENBERG
Associated Press
CAIRO (AP) — A Palestinian
gunman opened fire at an
Israeli vehicle in the occu-
pied West Bank on Sunday,
wounding two people, Is-
raeli officials said. The at-
tack cast a shadow over
Egyptian-mediated efforts
to lower tensions ahead of
a sensitive holiday period
beginning this week.
The shooting came as Israe-
li and Palestinian officials
were meeting in the Egyp-
tian resort town of Sharm
el-Sheikh in a bid to rein in
a spiral of violence as the
Muslim holy of month of Ra-
madan begins this week.
The shooting immediately
raised questions about the Smoke from fires fills the air as Palestinians clash with Israeli forces in the West Bank city of Nablus,
prospects for the new talks. Wednesday, Feb. 22, 2023.
The meeting was the sec- Associated Press
ond attempt by the sides,
shepherded by regional Hawara lies on a busy road the parties agree on, but Hamas, which rules the
allies Egypt and Jordan as in the northern part of the provided no additional de- Gaza Strip.
well as the United States, West Bank that is used by tails. While the latest violence
to end a year-long spasm Israeli residents of nearby The talks are part of efforts began under the previous
of violence that has seen Jewish settlements. Many to support “dialogue be- Israeli government, it has
more than 200 Palestin- settlers carry guns. tween the Palestinian and intensified in the first two
ians killed by Israeli fire and Bloodshed has been surg- Israeli sides to work towards months of the new gov-
more than 40 Israelis or for- ing since last month’s ceasing unilateral mea- ernment, headed by Ne-
eigners killed in Palestinian meeting in Jordan, making sures and escalation, and tanyahu and his coalition
attacks. expectations for Sunday’s to break the existing cycle — the country’s most right-
Whatever progress second installment low. of violence and achieve wing administration ever.
emerged out of the previ- The killing of an Islamic Ji- calm,” he said. The government is domi-
ous meeting in Jordan late had militant in neighboring Israeli Prime Minister Benja- nated by hard-line settle-
last month, which ended Syria added to the tensions min Netanyahu made no ment supporters. Itamar
with pledges to de-esca- Sunday. The militant group, mention of the summit in his Ben-Gvir, the minister who
late tensions, was quickly which is active in the north- weekly Cabinet meeting. oversees the police, is an
derailed when a new burst ern West Bank, accused Palestinian official Hussein extremist once relegated
of violence erupted on Israel of assassinating the al-Sheikh tweeted that the to the fringes of Israeli poli-
the same day. A Palestin- commander. Israel had no meeting was meant to tics, with past convictions
ian gunman shot and killed comment. “demand an end to this for incitement to violence
two Israelis in the occupied Still, mediators want to continuous Israeli aggres- and support of a Jewish ter-
West Bank and Jewish set- ease tensions ahead of sion against us.” ror group.
tlers in response rampaged Ramadan, which start this Israeli media said senior se- Finance Minister Bezalel
in a Palestinian town, de- week and which will coin- curity officials were set to Smotrich called for Hawara
stroying property and lead- cide next month with the attend. to be “erased” after last
ing to the death of one Pal- weeklong Jewish holiday of The upcoming period is month’s settler rampage,
estinian. Passover. sensitive because large apologizing after an inter-
As Sunday’s talks were Ahmed Abu Zaid, a spokes- numbers of Jewish and national outcry.
underway, a Palestinian man for the Egyptian for- Muslim faithful pour into The violence is one of the
gunman opened fire on eign ministry, said Sunday’s Jerusalem’s Old City, the worst rounds between Is-
an Israeli car in the same meeting would be attend- emotional heart of the rael and the Palestinians in
town — Hawara — as last ed by “high-level political conflict and a flashpoint the West Bank and east Je-
month’s violence, the Is- and security officials” from for violence, increasing fric- rusalem in years.
raeli military said. each side, as well as from tion points. Large numbers Following a spate of Pal-
Israeli medics said a man Egypt, Jordan and the U.S. of Jews are also expected estinian attacks against
was shot in the upper body He wrote on Twitter that the to visit a key Jerusalem Israelis last spring, Israel
and was seriously wound- talks are part of efforts to holy site, known to Muslims launched near-nightly raids
ed while his wife was lightly achieve and support calm as the Noble Sanctuary in the West Bank in what
hurt. between Israel and the Pal- and to Jews as the Temple it says is a bid to stem the
The Israeli army said the sus- estinians. Mount, which the Palestin- attacks and dismantle mili-
pect was shot — either by Abu Zaid said regional and ians view as a provocation. tant networks. But the raids
the wounded man or by international participation Clashes at the site in 2021 did not appear to slow
soldiers — and arrested. His in the meeting aims at es- helped trigger an 11-day the violence and attacks
condition was not immedi- tablishing “mechanisms” to war between Israel and the against Israelis have con-
ately known. follow and activate what militant Palestinian group tinued, killing 44 people.q