A Palestinian checks his burnt out car
(Photo Credit : Jaafar Ashtiyeh/AFP/Getty Images)
Israeli settlers unleashed a wave of attacks targeting Palestinians and their properties in the occupied West Bank on the morning of 29 January, according to reports.
According to WAFA news agency, the Palestinian official Ghassan Daghlas spoke of 144 registered attacks in the occupied West Bank.
Settlers threw stones, damaged vehicles, and set fire to at least six vehicles in the occupied West Bank and Jerusalem.
Now in East #Jerusalem right wing protesters block the entrance to Shuafat and trying to attack Palestinian drivers pic.twitter.com/aNHUDgNgL6
— Oren Ziv (@OrenZiv_) January 28, 2023
According to the report, the attacks occurred in the towns and villages of Madama, Qusra, Jorish, Majdal Bani Fadel, and Huwwara, where at least 22 Palestinian shops were targeted.
Israel’s government under Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu made true on its promise to intensify state violence and harassment of Palestinians, killing 32 in 2023 alone.
Meanwhile, the Palestinian Authority (PA) held Israel responsible for the growing tensions and violence in the streets, which reached its peak when Israeli forces entered Jenin and massacred at least 10 Palestinians.
In addition to the violent acts carried out by Israeli settlers on Sunday, occupation bulldozers began with the demolition of Palestinian homes in the Jabal al-Mukabber neighborhood in occupied Jerusalem, according to various videos shared on social media.
Israeli occupation bulldozers demolish a Palestinian home owned by Ratib Mattar in the Jabal Al-Mukabber in occupied Jerusalem. pic.twitter.com/gzAWwg2sht
— PALESTINE ONLINE 🇵🇸 (@OnlinePalEng) January 29, 2023
In response, the prime minister also announced that his administration would look into plans to make it easier for Israelis to acquire weapons. Additionally, his office said they are looking into ways to “strengthen” illegal settlements in the occupied West Bank. According to Israeli media, there are discussions about distributing “thousands of weapons” to settlers.
Meanwhile, on 28 January, the Israeli army announced that it was deploying three additional battalions to the West Bank due to heightened tensions between the Israeli army and the Palestinian resistance, which left over two dozen dead this week.
Moreover, Netanyahu is expected to put forward a law to deport the families of Palestinian resistance fighters, and the cabinet will discuss arresting the relatives and close associates of the perpetrators of the recent attacks.
In retaliation to the massacre in Jenin, Palestinians have so far carried out two shooting operations on settlers in occupied Jerusalem that left at least 12 dead, dealing a heavy blow to Israel’s security situation.