Two Palestinians died on Tuesday, including a teenager, in separate incidents in the occupied West Bank as Israel’s new far-right government intensified its deadly raids in the territories.
Since the start of the year, 50 Palestinians have been killed by Israel, including 11 children and one woman.
Mahmoud Majed Mohammad al-Ayedi, 17, was shot and killed during an Israeli army raid on the Far’a refugee camp in the governorate of Tubas.
The Palestinian Ministry of Health reported that al-Ayedi was shot in the head during the raid.
In a separate incident, 25-year-old Haroun Abu Aram succumbed to injuries sustained in January 2021 from an Israeli army gunshot in the Hebron area.
The United Nations Security Council condemned Israeli plans to expand illegal settlements on occupied Palestinian territories, warning that such measures would ‘impede peace’ and inhibit the two-state solution.
Since the far-right Israeli government was sworn in last year, raids and killings of Palestinians have intensified.
The international community views the settlements as illegal under international law and the Geneva Conventions.
The United Nations Security Council has repeatedly condemned Israel’s settlement activities in the occupied territories and passed several resolutions in this regard.
Last week, the UNSC appeared set to vote on a draft resolution that would have demanded Israel ‘immediately and completely cease all settlement activities in the occupied Palestinian territory’.
However, the Palestinian Authority agreed to drop its pursuit of the vote amid pressure from the US government.
The Hamas resistance movement has criticised the UN Security Council for its watered-down statement in place of a draft resolution to explicitly condemn Israeli illegal settlement expansion plans, slamming the world body’s weakness and frailty vis-à-vis Tel Aviv’s crimes and plots.
Hamas called on the international community, the Security Council in particular, to adopt deterrents and tough measures against the occupying Tel Aviv regime and its settlement expansion policies, and not simply voice worries and condemnations.
The United Nations had previously called 2022 the deadliest year for Palestinians in the West Bank in 16 years.
Here are some of the most significant events that occurred during the year.
In August, the blockaded Gaza Strip was attacked by Israeli warplanes for three days, killing at least 49 Palestinians, including 17 children.
The attack followed the arrest of a Palestinian Islamic Jihad (PIJ) leader in the West Bank by Israeli forces, raising fears of an escalation.
Israel reinforced its military presence on the border between Israel and Gaza and launched a wave of air attacks on Gaza.
The PIJ responded by firing rockets at Israel.
While there was a real fear that the outbreak of fighting would lead to a prolonged conflict, the conflict ultimately stopped after three days, after an Egyptian-mediated truce came into effect.
One of the main reasons why the conflict did not escalate was the decision by Hamas, which has governed Gaza for 15 years, to stay out of the fighting.
Despite that, there was considerable damage in Gaza, which has barely been rebuilt since the 11-day conflict of 2021.
The threat of another outbreak of prolonged violence has not gone away, leaving Palestinians in Gaza constantly fearful of what many feel is the inevitable next war.
One of the main changes in the West Bank in 2022 was the growth of small armed resistance groups centred in the northern cities of Jenin and Nablus.
The phenomenon started back in September 2021 with the formation of the first group, the Jenin Brigades, in the city’s refugee camp following Israel’s killing of fighter Jamil al-Amouri in June.
This was followed in 2022 with the creation of the Nablus Brigades, the Lions’ Den, the Balata Brigades, the Tubas Brigades, and the Yabad Brigades.
While the groups are made up of members of various traditional Palestinian parties, the new groups refuse to align themselves with any specific party or movement.
While the groups are limited in terms of their capabilities, they have been focused on clashing with Israeli forces in response to the latter’s near-daily raids and have also carried out shooting at Israeli military checkpoints.
They have also taken responsibility for attacks that have killed Israeli soldiers and settlers.
The emergence of these groups is the first time since the second Intifada (2000-05) that organised groups have fought Israeli forces in the West Bank.
At the end of that Intifada, or uprising, most weapons in the territory came under the Palestinian Authority’s (PA) possession.
Following a string of individual attacks in Israel that began in March, Israel launched a military campaign called ‘Break the Wave’ that included near-daily raids, mass arrests, and killings in the West Bank, with a focus on Jenin and Nablus.
Several of the killings have caused particular outrage among Palestinians, including recently on December 12, when a 16-year-old in Jenin was shot dead while standing on the roof of her home watching an army raid.
A 23-year-old Palestinian was also killed by an Israeli soldier in public on December 2.
The frequent raids, mass arrests and killings by Israeli forces have also been met with concern by the international community, with human rights groups, diplomats and observers calling out Israel’s use of excessive lethal force in the West Bank.
According to the Palestinian Ministry of Health, at least 170 Palestinians were killed in the West Bank and occupied East Jerusalem in 2022, including more than 30 children, and at least 9,000 others have been injured.
The UN High Commissioner for Human Rights has previously criticised Israeli forces for using firearms against Palestinians on mere suspicion or as a precautionary measure, which is a violation of international standards.
One of the most significant events of the year was the killing of Al Jazeera journalist Shireen Abu Akleh by Israeli forces while she was covering a military raid on the Jenin refugee camp in May.
Abu Akleh, a 51-year-old Palestinian-American TV correspondent who had covered the Israeli occupation of the Palestinian territories for more than 25 years, was shot dead by Israeli forces.
The killing led to an international outcry and sent shockwaves throughout the world.
Investigations have found Israel responsible for her death, and Al Jazeera submitted a formal request to the International Criminal Court (ICC) in December to investigate and prosecute those responsible for her killing.
The year also saw an increase in attacks by Israeli settlers against Palestinians in the West Bank, which became more brazen and coordinated.
At least three Palestinians were killed by settlers, and some of these attacks have been carried out in the presence of Israeli military forces.
According to UN officials, evidence shows that Israeli forces frequently facilitate, support and participate in settler attacks, making it difficult to discern between Israeli settler and state violence.
Between 600,000 and 750,000 Israeli settlers live in at least 250 illegal settlements scattered across the West Bank and East Jerusalem.
The fifth Israeli parliamentary elections in less than four years were held in 2022, resulting in the creation of the most far-right government in the country’s history.
Prime Minister-designate Benjamin Netanyahu and his Likud party formed an alliance with religious Zionist and ultraorthodox parties, winning a 64-majority in the 120-member Knesset.
The third largest bloc in the election results was the Religious Zionist alliance, which is led by Bezalel Smotrich and Itamar Ben-Gvir.
Both figures are known for their frequent incitement of violence against Palestinians and have publicly stated their intentions to deepen illegal Israeli settlement building in the West Bank.
The policies and views of these politicians, who are set to be given roles responsible for security in the West Bank, are set to further ignite the already-tense situation on the ground.
