The Biden administration is reportedly planning to impose travel bans on Israeli settlers accused of carrying out attacks on Palestinians in the West Bank. Secretary of State Antony Blinken conveyed this message to Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, stating that the administration wants to hold settlers accountable for their actions. The travel bans, which could be announced as early as next week, would exclude affected settlers from the Visa Waiver Program. The move comes as the Israeli Defense Forces enter the "next stage of the war" following the collapse of a cease-fire deal, and Pakistan condemns Israeli airstrikes in Gaza, calling for a renewed cease-fire for humanitarian aid delivery.
Israeli settlers in the West Bank are taking advantage of the chaos caused by the conflict between Israel and Hamas in Gaza to attack and expel Palestinians from their villages. At least 51 Palestinians have been killed by settlers and soldiers since Saturday, with some villages being entirely depopulated. Settlers have been seen armed around Palestinian villages, establishing new checkpoints, and tightening movement restrictions. The violence includes shootings, arson, and destruction of property. The Israeli military is investigating the incidents, but settlers have reportedly received M-16 rifles for self-defense.
Airlines have been forced to cancel and divert flights to Israel after Palestinian militants launched a surprise attack, firing thousands of rockets from Gaza into nearby Israeli towns. As of Saturday afternoon, about 16% of flights were canceled and 23% were delayed to Ben Gurion International Airport. United Airlines, Delta Air Lines, American Airlines, Lufthansa, Swiss Air, Austrian Airlines, and Turkish Airlines have all canceled or reduced flights to Tel Aviv due to safety concerns. Israel's national airline, El Al, is allowing customers to suspend or cancel flights without charge.
Israeli forces killed two Palestinians, including a 16-year-old, in a raid in the occupied West Bank, while an Israeli court released a Jewish settler charged in the shooting death of a Palestinian. Israel has been conducting nightly raids in response to Palestinian attacks, fueling tensions in the region. The release of the settler highlights concerns about Israel treating radical Jewish settlers with impunity. The ongoing violence has resulted in over 170 Palestinians killed by Israeli fire since the start of 2023, with both militants and civilians among the casualties.
Three Jewish Israeli men in their 20s had their remand extended for three days, while a fourth suspect, a 19-year-old man, was detained on suspicion of carrying out a premeditated act of violence. The suspects were not publicly identified, but according to Channel 12 news they were friends with at least one of the four victims in the Tuesday terror attack. The settler reprisal attacks this week appeared to be a grim repeat of an incident in Huwara some termed a “pogrom” earlier this year, after another deadly Palestinian shooting attack in February.
Three Jewish Israeli settlers have been arrested by the Shin Bet in connection with a series of reprisal attacks against Palestinians in the West Bank following a deadly terror shooting on Tuesday. The arrests come amid a grim repeat of an incident in Huwara earlier this year, which some termed a “pogrom”. The Shin Bet has recorded 147 “significant” terror attacks in Israel and the West Bank this year, including 120 shootings.
The US State Department has expressed concern over a "rising trend of extremist settler violence" in the West Bank, following several clashes between settlers and Palestinians. Four Palestinians were recently wounded by settler gunfire, and videos showed fields and vehicles set on fire. The State Department also condemned a recent attempted stabbing of an Israeli settler by a Palestinian. Tensions between Israel and the Palestinians have been high, with the Israeli military conducting near-nightly raids in the West Bank amid a series of deadly Palestinian terror attacks.
A Palestinian man was shot dead by an Israeli settler in the occupied West Bank after allegedly attempting to stab a resident in the Tene Omarim settlement. The incident occurred as people in the settlement were gathering for prayers for the Jewish Shavuot festival. Israeli settlements in the occupied territory are illegal under international law. Violence has surged in the Israeli-Palestinian conflict for more than a year, with frequent Israeli military raids and settler violence in the occupied West Bank amid a spate of Palestinian attacks on Israelis.
