Violence is growing in the West Bank, and the head of the secret service expressed concern

At least four more Palestinians died today in raids by the Israeli army in the Israeli-occupied West Bank. This was reported by the AFP agency with reference to the Palestinian authorities.

According to them, more than 150 Palestinians have been killed in this area since the start of Israel’s war with the Palestinian movement Hamas on October 7, some in clashes with Jewish settlers. Israeli NGO https://twitter.com/Yesh_Din/status/1720418083502772254 records over 170 incidents of violence by Jewish settlers against Palestinians in the West Bank since October 7.

Concern about the situation in the West Bank, where Palestinians live and where there are many Jewish settlements, including illegally built ones, was also expressed on Friday by the head of the Shin Bet secret service, Ronen Bar. According to Channel 12, he also warned members of the Israeli war cabinet because of this. National Security Minister Itamar Ben Gvir, who leads the far-right Jewish Power party, played down the warning. He asked why so much attention was paid to the “graffitti” that Israeli youth paint on Palestinian property. Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu rejected Ben Gvir’s disparagement, according to Channel 12.

Due to the violence in the West Bank, the Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights (OHCHR) expressed concern last week, according to which at least eight Palestinians were killed by Jewish settlers. American Secretary of State Antony Blinken, who visited the area and met with the head of the Palestinian Authority, Mahmoud Abbas, called for an end to “extremist violence” against the Palestinians in the West Bank on Sunday.

The Times of Israel server reported today that Israeli Finance Minister Becalel Smotrič proposed that so-called no-go zones be created in the West Bank near Jewish settlements, into which Palestinians would be prohibited from entering. Smotrič, who heads the extreme right-wing Religious Zionism party, also proposes to ban Palestinians from harvesting olives near Jewish settlements in this area. According to earlier reports, settlers have also been attacking Palestinians in olive groves in recent weeks.

According to a Palestinian NGO that defends the rights of Palestinians in Israeli prisons, the Israeli army arrested 70 Palestinians in the West Bank overnight. Since October 7, 2150 have been detained there. The BBC server also reported today that the well-known 22-year-old Palestinian activist Ahid Tamimi is among the latest detainees. According to the Israeli military, she was arrested for “inciting violence and terrorist actions” on social media, where she called for the killing of Jewish settlers, according to Israeli media.

But her mother denied that her daughter made the hateful post on Instagram. “There are dozens of pages on social media using my daughter’s name and photos,” she told AFP. According to her, the Israeli army raided their home and confiscated mobile phones and other items. The father of Tamimi, who became famous for criticizing the Israeli occupation as a 14-year-old, was arrested last week.

The Israeli military significantly stepped up raids in the West Bank on October 7 following a brutal and unprecedented attack on Israel by the Hamas movement. In it, Palestinian militants killed 1,400 people and kidnapped over 240 people to the Gaza Strip. In retaliation, the Israeli military launched a massive bombardment of the Hamas-ruled Gaza Strip. According to Hamas-controlled authorities, this has already claimed over 10,000 lives. (ČTK)