Palestinian Forces Prevent Israeli Patrol From Entering Al-Khalil

Palestinian Forces Prevent Israeli Patrol From Entering Al-Khalil
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Palestinian Forces Prevent Israeli Patrol From Entering Al-Khalil

Palestinian Forces Prevent Israeli Patrol From Entering Al-Khalil

Palestinian and Israeli forces clashed on Friday in the first dispute between the two sides since the cessation of security coordination between them, sources said.

On Thursday, an Israeli patrol tried to enter the city center of Al-Khalil (known as Hebron), when Palestinian forces blocked their passage, preventing them from accessing the city.

The Israelis sent for an additional force but were met with a stringent Palestinian position.

Minutes later, and after consulting its leadership, the patrol decided to withdraw in order to avoid an escalation.

Observers considered the incident as the first sign of tension after the interruption of security coordination – one of the measures adopted by the Palestinian leadership to face Israeli plans to annex areas in the West Bank.

While Israeli authorities tried to reduce the significance of the incident, Fatah movement, which broadcast a video of the dispute, said that the situation on the ground would change in the wake of the cessation of the security coordination.

Palestinian sources stressed that its decision to halt coordination would not mean that the security in the West Bank would no longer be under control.

“The Palestinian leadership, instead, will focus on enforcing the rule of law in favor of the Palestinian state,” the sources emphasized.

In Israel, the former commander of the Israeli forces, General Gadi Shamni, warned of the consequences of stopping coordination.

In an interview with the Israeli army radio on Friday, he said that “cooperation with the Palestinian Authority is essential to thwart terrorism, and without it, there is a risk of escalation of armed operations and clashes.”

Meanwhile in Washington, a group of 18 Democratic senators addressed a letter to Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and Alternate Prime Minister and Defense Minister Benny Gantz, warning against the consequences of unilateral annexation of West Bank lands.

The senators expressed “grave concern” over the Israeli government’s agreement “to consider unilateral annexation of Palestinian territory as early as this July.”

They stated that such move would hinder a two-state solution to the Israeli-Palestinian conflict.



Two Million Syrians Returned Home Since Assad's Fall, Says UN

Syrian migrants wait at the Cilvegozu border gate to cross into Syria, after Syrian rebels announced that they ousted Syria's Bashar al-Assad, in the Turkish town of Reyhanli in Hatay province, Türkiye, - Reuters
Syrian migrants wait at the Cilvegozu border gate to cross into Syria, after Syrian rebels announced that they ousted Syria's Bashar al-Assad, in the Turkish town of Reyhanli in Hatay province, Türkiye, - Reuters
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Two Million Syrians Returned Home Since Assad's Fall, Says UN

Syrian migrants wait at the Cilvegozu border gate to cross into Syria, after Syrian rebels announced that they ousted Syria's Bashar al-Assad, in the Turkish town of Reyhanli in Hatay province, Türkiye, - Reuters
Syrian migrants wait at the Cilvegozu border gate to cross into Syria, after Syrian rebels announced that they ousted Syria's Bashar al-Assad, in the Turkish town of Reyhanli in Hatay province, Türkiye, - Reuters

Over two million Syrians who had fled their homes during their country's war have returned since the ouster of Bashar al-Assad, UN refugee agency chief Filippo Grandi said Thursday, ahead of a visit to Syria.

The Syrian civil war, which erupted in 2011 with Assad's brutal repression of anti-government protests, displaced half of the population internally or abroad.

But Assad's December 8 ouster at the hands of Islamist forces sparked hopes of return.

"Over two million Syrian refugees and displaced have returned home since December," Grandi wrote on X during a visit to neighboring Lebanon, which hosts about 1.5 million Syrian refugees, according to official estimates, AFP reported.

It is "a sign of hope amid rising regional tensions," he said.

"This proves that we need political solutions -- not another wave of instability and displacement."

After 14 years of war, many returnees face the reality of finding their homes and property badly damaged or destroyed.

But with the recent lifting of Western sanctions on Syria, new authorities hope for international support to launch reconstruction, which the UN estimates could cost more than $400 billion.

Earlier this month, UNHCR estimated that up to 1.5 million Syrians from abroad and two million internally displaced persons may return by the end of 2025.