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Israeli soldiers shot and killed a Palestinian on Tuesday during clashes in the West Bank as a wave of unrest is gripped the country, prompting thoughts of a fresh Palestinian uprising.
A 22-year-old Palestinian was killed near Hebron as soldiers and around 150 Palestinians clashed near the Kiryat Arba. Since the new round of violence began five months ago, at least 17 Palestinians have been killed in West Bank, the AFP said.
Tuesday’s clashes erupted as Israeli police tightened security after months of unrest in Jerusalem, as security forces and Palestinians clashed almost every day. The unrest spread to the pre-dominantly Arab areas of Israel last week when Israeli police shot and killed an Arab-Israeli during an arrest operation.
As Israeli commentators speculate if the fresh violence may lead to a new Palestinian uprising, Israeli Defense Minister Moshe Yaalon said it is too early to label recent events.
“We don’t see the masses going out onto the streets (in the West Bank). What we do see in certain places is youths who are participating in popular terror, and principally, we are seeing lone attackers. So what do we call it? It’s clear there is an escalation, an increase in violence but what shall we call it? Let’s wait and see”, he said.
He also urged the Israeli people to prepare for “the possibility of a further escalation”.
Israeli commentators have stated that the current Palestinian resistance has evoked memories of the Palestinian uprising that began in 2000. Israel has increased police presence in recent months, but has only caused more clashes with the Palestinian people, most of them in Jerusalem.
The unrest began in east Jerusalem in July after the killing of a Palestinian teen at the hands of Jewish extremists. It has been fueled further by tensions at Al-Aqsa mosque and Israeli plans to build more settlement blocs in the occupied eastern sector of Jerusalem.
