May 5, 2024
JERUSALEM (AP) — Thousands of Israelis led by at least seven Cabinet ministers marched Monday to the evacuated West Bank settlement of Eviatar, in a signal that Israel's government is determined to accelerate settlement building on occupied lands. Eviatar, an unauthorized settlement outpost in the northern West Bank, was evacuated by the previous Israeli government in 2021,
Meanwhile, in new violence, Israeli troops killed a 15-year-old Palestinian boy during an arrest raid in the occupied West Bank, while a 48-year-old Israeli woman died of wounds sustained in an attack last week that killed two of her daughters.
Monday's march took place in the northern West Bank — the scene of repeated violence in recent months. Thousands of Israeli police and army forces were reportedly deployed to secure the march, which added to the already combustible atmosphere that has accompanied the overlap of major Jewish and Muslim holy days.
Daniella Weiss, another settler leader, told Kan public radio that the ministers' participation in the march could be a “therapy for the government to free yourselves from the dictates of the U.S. and Europe” concerning West Bank settlement.
Speaking at the march, National Security Minister Itamar Ben-Gvir said that “we are here to say that the Israeli nation is strong” and that “we are here and will remain here.”
Visits to Eviatar have been officially banned by the military since its evacuation, but that prohibition has been loosely enforced in recent months. Israeli army spokesman Lt. Col. Richard Hecht said the military approved Monday's march, saying it would be “highly monitored and highly protected.” Scores of families, nearly all of them Orthodox Jews, many of them pushing baby strollers, took part in the march.
Recent days have seen Palestinian attacks that killed two British-Israeli sisters and an Italian tourist. On Monday, Israel's Hadassah hospital announced the death of Lucy Dee, the mother of the two sisters. Lucy Dee, who was traveling with her daughters, had been hospitalized in critical condition since Friday's shooting in the West Bank.
The Israeli army said its troops were operating in the Aqabat Jaber refugee camp next to Jericho in the West Bank. The Palestinian Health Ministry said 15-year-old Mohammed Balhan was killed by army fire.
The army said it entered the camp to arrest a wanted Palestinian suspect. It said residents opened fire and hurled explosives at the troops, who responded with live fire and “hits were identified.” It said the wanted suspect was arrested, and there were no Israeli casualties.
Palestinian attacks have killed at least 19 people, including one soldier, since the start of the year. At least 92 Palestinians have been killed by Israeli fire so far this year, at least half of them affiliated with militant groups, according to a tally by The Associated Press.
