Palestinians pay the price of internal Israeli politics
Photo: Palestinians inspect the damage to a restaurant following a reported attack by Israeli settlers on the West Bank town of Huwwara on March 28, 2023. (Photo: Mohammed Nasser/APA Images)
Netanyahu placates Ben-Gvir after postponing judicial overhaul by promising him the establishment of a "National Guard" as settler violence continues spreading throughout the West Bank.
Editor’s Note: Due to escalations on the ground in Palestine in recent months, the Mondoweiss Palestine Bureau will start publishing the West Bank Dispatch twice a week on Mondays and Thursdays. Monday dispatches will have an added analysis section that goes deeper into a specific topic of importance.
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Key Developments (March 28 – March 30)
The postponement of the Israeli judicial overhaul to the summer has meant that Palestinians will pay the price,
as Prime Minister Netanyahu promises his far-right coalition partner,
National Security Minister Itamar Ben-Gvir, the creation of a special
“national guard” answerable to Ben-Gvir and his ministry. This
effectively grants the far-right demagogue his own personal militia,
which may very well outlast the current government.
On March 27, Israeli settlers assaulted an ambulance vehicle
belonging to Tulkarem Public Hospital, causing damage near the
Palestinian town of Beita.
In a separate attack, settlers also attacked another ambulance
vehicle belonging to the Red Crescent, breaking the car’s windows as it
transferred injured Palestinians.
The Palestinian Ministry of Health condemned these attacks and
warned against escalating settler violence directed at medical
providers, noting that these attacks have been fully documented.
It has been a week since the last Palestinian, 25-year-old Amir Abu
Khadija, was killed in Tulkarem. Abu Khadija was the co-founder of the
Fast Response – Tulkarem Battalion
Israeli forces have escalated their attacks on Palestinian
journalists and the media, as two local media offices were closed by
military decree this month.
Acting president of the Palestinian Authority, Mahmoud Abbas, amended
the laws regarding the legally required age of the head of the General
Intelligence Services (GIS), while giving the GIS Director the status of
a Minister and extending judicial capacity to the position. The current
GIS Director is Majed Faraj, widely considered to be a possible contender for succeeding the current acting PA President.
Important figures
Since the start of the year, 90 Palestinians have been killed by
Israeli settlers and the Israeli army, 15 of whom were children and
minors (17% of deaths).
Jenin and Nablus comprise 62 % of all killings at the hands of settlers and the military.
Since the beginning of the year, Israeli forces and settlers displaced 401 Palestinians, amounting to almost half the number of Palestinians displaced during the entirety of 2022.