Palestinians injured in Israeli raid on West Bank camp

Palestinians have clashed with Israeli forces and settlers across the West Bank as violence continued to grip the occupied Palestinian territories and Israel.

Israeli settlers were extracted by the army in Nablus on Sunday after clashing with local Palestinian residents near the Joseph’s Tomb holy site, while Israeli soldiers clashed with armed Palestinians in the Qalandia refugee camp. 

Israeli forces entered the Qalandia camp, situated between occupied East Jerusalem and Ramallah, during the early hours of Sunday morning. Clashes broke out between the soldiers and armed residents of the camp, according to local media. 

At least three residents were injured by live ammunition and several were arrested. 

On Saturday, five Palestinians were shot dead by Israeli forces or settlers during alleged stabbing incidents. 

Triggered by Israeli incursions into the Al-Aqsa Mosque compound last month, protests against Israel’s occupation have increased in frequency across the West Bank, including East Jerusalem, and the Gaza Strip.

Israeli forces have responded with a crackdown on protesters, using tear gas, stun grenades, rubber-coated steel bullets and live ammunition.

At least 43 Palestinians – including suspected attackers, unarmed protesters and bystanders – have been killed by Israel since October 1. 

Seven Israelis have been killed in attacks by Palestinians this month. 

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In Qalandia, Israeli forces delivered a home demolition order to the family of Tareq al-Dweik, a 22-year-old Palestinian who was arrested after allegedly stabbing four Israelis last week.

Soldiers were forced to withdraw from the camp during confrontations with locals, who prevented them from delivering another demolition order to the home of another Palestinian who allegedly attacked Israelis earlier this month. 

An army spokesperson said they were “still looking into” the incident. 

Punitive measures

Last week, Israeli ministers approved a package of security measures, including home demolitions as a punitive move against the families of suspected Palestinian attackers. 

Since the latest wave of unrest broke out, Israel has delivered a slew of home demolition orders to Palestinian families. 

Rights groups have decried Israel’s recent measures. 

The uptick in punitive home demolitions is “a sort of collective punishment which, according to the Fourth Geneva Convention is strictly forbidden”, according to Al-Haq, a Ramallah-based human rights group. 

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Several Israeli leaders, including the mayor of Jerusalem, have urged Israeli citizens to carry guns. Last month, the government relaxed live fire rules against Palestinian protesters. 

Nur Arafeh, a research fellow at Al-Shabaka policy network, said that the harsh measures “lead to increased Palestinian resistance”. 

“Israeli measures to legalise the killing of Palestinians or quell their protests fail to suppress a population revolting against injustice,” Arafeh told Al Jazeera. 

Israeli Justice Minister Ayelet Shaked, a member of the ultra-nationalist Jewish Home party, announced last week that the government will also begin banishing alleged Palestinian attackers and their relatives from Jerusalem. 

With neither Israeli nor Palestinian citizenship, Palestinian Jerusalemites carry Israeli-issued residency papers. Shaked said that attackers and their families will be stripped of their residency rights and social security. 

Israeli troops have also been deployed across the city throughout the last week and have sealed off Palestinian neighbourhoods with additional road blocks and checkpoints. 

According to Rima Awwad, a member of the Coalition for Jerusalem, a Palestinian rights group, the ongoing crackdown “shows the level of desperation”. 

“Israeli leaders are trying to appease the Israeli public … by inciting against Palestinians,” she told Al Jazeera. “But it will only add to the frustrations of Palestinians living in Jerusalem.” 

– Additional reporting by Patrick Strickland