Israel challenged by West Bank 'Lion’s Den' assailants
Prime Minister Yair Lapid struggles now with Palestinian unrest in the West Bank and east Jerusalem, fueled by provocations on the part of ultranationalist legislator Itamar Ben-Gvir and opposition head Benjamin Netanyahu.
The unrest began in the spring of 2022 in Jenin, the town once dubbed the West Bank’s “suicide” capital, spilled over to Nablus, passed briefly through Ramallah, the seat of the Palestinian Authority (PA), and is now setting east Jerusalem ablaze. All signs indicate that the growing tensions of recent months between Israel and the Palestinians seem to be a precursor to a third intifada.
As of this writing, pitched battles are being waged between special Israeli military forces and armed Palestinian militants in the Jenin refugee camp. Reports say two Palestinians have been killed, one of them Red Crescent doctor Abdullah Abu Tin, apparently hit by a volley fired at the ambulance in which he was sitting. Israel insists the shooters were Palestinians, arguing that its own forces are highly trained and deploy sharpshooters against their targets, rarely using automatic fire.
Either way, the coming days do not augur well for east Jerusalem tensions, with two Muslim prayer days at the holy Haram al-Sharif Mosque compound, followed by two Jewish pilgrimage days at the same site, which Jews revere as the Temple Mount.
The first challenge to Israel’s attempts to restore calm to the area will occur today, Oct. 14, after the traditional Muslim prayers at Al-Aqsa Mosque. The event has all the makings of a violent eruption reminiscent of bloody clashes in years gone by.
