Israeli Forces Kill Palestinian Gunman in West Bank Clash

People inspect the site where three Palestinians were killed by Israeli forces near the West Bank city of Jenin, 06 August 2023. (EPA)
People inspect the site where three Palestinians were killed by Israeli forces near the West Bank city of Jenin, 06 August 2023. (EPA)
TT

Israeli Forces Kill Palestinian Gunman in West Bank Clash

People inspect the site where three Palestinians were killed by Israeli forces near the West Bank city of Jenin, 06 August 2023. (EPA)
People inspect the site where three Palestinians were killed by Israeli forces near the West Bank city of Jenin, 06 August 2023. (EPA)

Israeli forces shot and killed a Palestinian gunman during clashes that followed a military arrest raid in the occupied West Bank on Tuesday, the Islamic Jihad armed group said. 

The Israeli military said its forces came under fire from suspects who threw explosives at soldiers in the confrontations near the flashpoint city of Jenin and that the soldiers "responded with live fire and identified a hit." 

The Palestinian Health Ministry confirmed the death of a 17-year-old there. Islamic Jihad said he was a member of the group and gave his age as 18. 

In the Palestinian city Hebron, Israeli security forces arrested two Palestinians who they said had carried out a drive-by shooting that killed an Israeli woman on Monday while a search for another gunman who killed two Israelis in the village Huwara further north on Saturday was still going on. 

The military said it arrested a total of 32 Palestinian suspects overnight between Monday and Tuesday. 

Violence in the West Bank has worsened over the past 15 months with frequent Israeli raids, Palestinian street attacks and retribution assaults by Jewish settlers. 

Prospects of reviving US-brokered peace talks that aimed to establish a Palestinian state in the West Bank, Gaza and East Jerusalem, remain dim almost a decade after their collapse. 

Israel captured the West Bank in a 1967 war and has since built dozens of settlements there that are considered illegal by most countries, a view Israel disputes, with its military in control of more than half the territory. 

The Palestinians have limited self-rule in the West Bank and remain split between a Western-backed administration and armed Hamas movement that rejects coexistence with Israel, while many in Israel's current government reject Palestinian statehood.  



Trump’s Return: Jubilation in Tel Aviv, Worries in Ramallah

A Palestinian in Bureij Camp asks Trump to end war on Gaza (AFP)
A Palestinian in Bureij Camp asks Trump to end war on Gaza (AFP)
TT

Trump’s Return: Jubilation in Tel Aviv, Worries in Ramallah

A Palestinian in Bureij Camp asks Trump to end war on Gaza (AFP)
A Palestinian in Bureij Camp asks Trump to end war on Gaza (AFP)

The excitement among Israel’s ruling coalition leaders over Donald Trump’s victory in the US presidential election matches the joy of his supporters in the US.
In contrast, the rest of the world, especially the Palestinians, remains cautious and worried, waiting to see how he will act.
Their only response is hope—hope that he might end wars and shift his known “hostile” policies.
Trump sent a clear message when he declared after his win, “I will not start wars, I will end them.” Both Palestinians and Israelis took note of this, each interpreting it through their own lens.
However, both sides must wait two months for Trump to take office and even longer to see how he will approach foreign policy.
In Israel, the ruling coalition is celebrating with the expectation that Trump will offer strong military, security, and political support—not just in their conflicts with Iran, Lebanon, and Gaza, but also in their broader goals, including ending the Palestinian dream of statehood, expelling them, and annexing the West Bank, Golan Heights, and possibly parts of Lebanon.
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu was almost the first leader to congratulate Trump, followed by far-right Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich.
While Israelis eagerly await Trump’s arrival, Palestinian leaders in Ramallah are worried he won’t change his previous policies.
A research paper from a London-based monitoring center for political and strategic studies highlighted that Trump’s previous decisions harmed Palestinians, including moving the US embassy to Jerusalem, recognizing it as Israel’s capital, and cutting funding to the UN agency for Palestinian refugees (UNRWA).
These actions helped isolate the Palestinian Authority and weaken its political demands.
The paper expressed concerns that Trump might continue or intensify these policies, such as reducing international support for Palestinians or backing more settlement expansion.
For Palestinians, this could worsen political, economic, and humanitarian challenges.
Trump is also known for his strong stance against resistance factions.
After the death of Hamas leader Yehya Sinwar, Trump called it a crucial step toward regional stability.
For now, Palestinians are left waiting.
Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas congratulated Trump, saying he looks forward to working with him for peace and security in the region.