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Palestinian Gunman Kills an Israeli in West Bank

Israeli soldiers secure the area around a damaged car following an attack in the Kedumim settlement, north of Nablus, in the occupied West Bank on July 6, 2023. (Photo by AHMAD GHARABLI / AFP)
Israeli soldiers secure the area around a damaged car following an attack in the Kedumim settlement, north of Nablus, in the occupied West Bank on July 6, 2023. (Photo by AHMAD GHARABLI / AFP)
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Palestinian Gunman Kills an Israeli in West Bank

Israeli soldiers secure the area around a damaged car following an attack in the Kedumim settlement, north of Nablus, in the occupied West Bank on July 6, 2023. (Photo by AHMAD GHARABLI / AFP)
Israeli soldiers secure the area around a damaged car following an attack in the Kedumim settlement, north of Nablus, in the occupied West Bank on July 6, 2023. (Photo by AHMAD GHARABLI / AFP)

A Palestinian man on Thursday opened fire near an Israeli settlement in the occupied West Bank, killing one Israeli, a day after Israeli forces withdrew from the largest military operation in the West Bank in two decades. The attacker was shot and killed by Israeli forces, the army said.

The shooting came on the heels of the Israeli withdrawal from the nearby Jenin refugee camp after a two-day offensive meant to crack down on Palestinian militants. The operation destroyed the camp’s narrow roads and alleyways, sent thousands of people fleeing their homes and killed 12 Palestinians. One Israeli soldier also was killed.

Thursday's shooting near the West Bank settlement of Kedumim raised questions about the effectiveness of the Israeli raid, which came after nearly a year and a half of Israeli-Palestinian bloodshed in the West Bank. It also could prompt calls from members of Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's far-right government for additional military incursions.

Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich, a firebrand settler leader, lives in the area of the shooting. Smotrich also oversees planning of settlements in the West Bank.

The army said that the shooter opened fire on Israeli forces that had stopped his vehicle for an inspection. The man drove away and was shot dead after a brief chase.

A spokesperson for the Palestinian militant group Hamas praised the shooting as a “heroic act” and a “natural response” to the Israeli raid on Jenin.

The West Bank has seen a more than yearlong spike in violence that has created a challenge for Netanyahu’s far-right government, which is dominated by ultranationalists who have called for tougher action against Palestinian militants only to see the fighting worsen.

Over 140 Palestinians have been killed this year in the West Bank, and Palestinian attacks targeting Israelis have killed at least 25 people.

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Arab World

West Bank Facing 'Most Dangerous Olive Season Ever': UN Experts

Olive harvests are central to Palestinian life and culture, said the independent experts - AFP
Olive harvests are central to Palestinian life and culture, said the independent experts - AFP
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West Bank Facing 'Most Dangerous Olive Season Ever': UN Experts

Olive harvests are central to Palestinian life and culture, said the independent experts - AFP
Olive harvests are central to Palestinian life and culture, said the independent experts - AFP

Palestinian farmers in the occupied West Bank are facing "the most dangerous olive season ever", UN experts said Wednesday, urging Israeli settlers and forces not to interfere with the harvest.

They also recommended a "foreign presence" to act as a buffer between the two sides.

A dozen United Nations experts said farmers were facing intimidation, restriction of access to lands, severe harassment and attacks by armed Israeli settlers and Israeli security forces.

"In 2023, the harvest was marred by a sharp increase in movement restrictions and violence by Israeli forces and settlers," the independent experts said in a statement, AFP reported.

Last year, they said, "Palestinians in the occupied West Bank, including East Jerusalem, faced the highest level of Israeli settler violence."

Settlers had assaulted Palestinians, set fire to or damaged their crops, stolen sheep and blocked them from getting to their land, water and grazing areas, the statement added.

"Last year, Israel also seized more Palestinian land than in any year in the past 30 years," they said, adding that the situation was "expected to worsen".

- 'Challenges, threats, harassment' -

Olive harvests are central to Palestinian life and culture, said the independent experts, who are mandated by the Human Rights Council but do not speak for the United Nations.

"Restricting olive harvests, destroying orchards and banning access to water sources is an attempt by Israel to expand its illegal settlements," they argued.

Francesca Albanese, the UN special rapporteur on human rights in the Palestinian territories, was among the signatories.

The experts, also including those on the right to food, to safe drinking water and sanitation and to adequate housing, said Palestinian farmers were facing "enormous challenges, threats and harassment" in accessing their olive trees.

In 2023, more than 9,600 hectares (24,000 acres) of olive-cultivated land across the occupied West Bank was not harvested due to Israeli-imposed restrictions, they said.

That had meant the loss of 1,200 metric tons of olive oil, worth $10 million, they added. "This situation is expected to worsen," they warned, as the Israeli authorities had revoked or failed to issue permits allowing farmers to access their lands.

They urged Israeli forces to refrain from interfering with this year's olive harvest, and "concentrate their efforts on withdrawing the occupation and dismantling the colonies".

The experts said they would "continue to call for protection, including through a foreign presence acting as a buffer between the Palestinians and their aggressors, and to protect Palestinian farmers and their families".

Violence has soared in the West Bank since Hamas launched its unprecedented attack on Israel in October last year.

Israeli troops or settlers have killed more than 705 Palestinians in the West Bank since, the Ramallah-based health ministry said earlier this month.

Israeli officials say at least 24 Israelis, civilians or members of the security forces, have been killed in attacks carried out by Palestinian militants or in Israeli military operations over the same period in the West Bank.