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Analysis

Israel's Netanyahu loses control as far-right ministers feed West Bank fires

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu is scrambling to rein in his far-right ministers as the violence in the region worsens by the day.
Netanyahu tours east Jerusalem with Ben Gvir

TEL AVIV — Twenty-two Israeli experts on international law addressed Attorney General Gali Baharav-Miara Monday, calling for an investigation into lawmakers expressing support for the settler riot in the Palestinian village of Huwara Sunday evening. They referred to what was perceived as inciting statements made before, during and after the riots by Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich and by Jewish Power Knesset members Zvi Fogel and Limor Son Har-Melekh.

The riots in Huwara came after the killing of two Israeli brothers — Hallel and Yagel Yaniv — by a Palestinian assailant when they drove through the village. The settlers set fire to dozens of Palestinian homes and cars, vandalized property, spread fear among the residents and resisted efforts by Israeli troops to restore calm. One Palestinian resident was killed in the rioting and many were injured. The small town looked like it had been through a pogrom.

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