The victims of the shooting in the northern West Bank village of Huwara are two young settlers, brothers aged 20 and 21. According to Palestinian sources, the assassin belongs to the Den of Lions group, which has been the target of Israeli raids in recent weeks, our correspondent in Jerusalem reports. MichaelPaul.
Several Israeli government ministers immediately called for an end to political security talks held today in the Jordanian Red Sea resort town of Aqaba, which aimed precisely at promoting a return to calm in the region during Ramadan and Passover.
Our response to terrorism, says Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu, is to fight back with violence and strengthen our roots in our country. For its part, the Israeli extreme right proclaims that no dialogue is possible in the face of terrorism, proposing a merciless struggle.
On this Sunday evening, the situation in Huwara was very tense. The village has been under attack from settlers for months, recalls our permanent special envoy for Jerusalem, Sami Boukhelifa. After the death of the two young brothers who were driving through the village and their killer fled, dozens of settlers launched a punitive expedition against the villagers. Houses and cars were set on fire.
The issue of the death penalty
Currently, there is talk, particularly in the ranks of the Israeli right, of applying a death penalty law to perpetrators of attacks. A project that has already been passed by the government, but which still has to get the green light from parliament, the Knesset.
Today’s meeting in Jordan took place in an already explosive context, as a record number of Palestinians have been killed since the beginning of the year – 62 victims, according to the Palestinian Health Ministry – while more than a dozen Israelis have died in attacks.
A few days ago, an Israeli raid in Nablus in the northern West Bank proved particularly deadly. Several Palestinian groups have condemned the Palestinian Authority’s participation in the talks, despite earlier reports in Israel that the Palestinians had been promised a range of pacification measures.
The city of Aqaba in Jordan, Arab Revolt flag in the spotlight, in 2021. AFP – AHMAD GHARABLI
Moratorium in the settlements?
Today’s meeting in Aqaba nonetheless led to a press release from the Israeli participants and their colleagues from the Palestinian Authority. The two parties pledge to “prevent any further violence” after “open” talks and work towards “de-escalation”.
The meeting was organized by Jordan in the presence of American and Egyptian representatives to discuss confidence-building measures. According to the organizers, the aim was to put an end to the unilateral Israeli measures in the West Bank and East Jerusalem: army incursions, construction in the settlements.
The meeting eventually ended with a four-month moratorium on construction in the settlements, according to a Jordanian source quoted by our correspondent Michel Paul. The Israeli extreme right, such as Minister Itamar Ben Gvir, does not agree, as we have seen, especially after the Huwara attack. Some are calling for the game to be beefed up.
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