As Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu announced the delay of his plan to overhaul Israel’s judiciary, Israeli protest leader Shikma Bressler vowed that demonstrations would continue across the occupied territories.
On Monday night, far-right Israeli protesters supporting the government’s judicial overhaul attacked Palestinian passers-by amid nationwide strikes and protests.
Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu announced a delay in the contentious court system remake following 12 weeks of mass demonstrations.
Over 80,000 anti-government protesters assembled outside the Knesset, Israel’s parliament, where right-wing, pro-government demonstrators also gathered later in the day.
Videos circulated on social media showed right-wing protesters attacking Palestinian taxi drivers and vehicles, while chanting hostile slogans.
Opposition lawmakers blamed the violence on Ben-Gvir and his supporters.
Netanyahu’s promise of a ‘national guard’ to Ben-Gvir, which would be loyal to his national security ministry, is seen as a significant win for the far-right, with a core ideology centred on hostility towards Palestinian citizens of Israel.
Israel’s main labour union called off a nationwide strike following the delay in judicial reforms.
Meanwhile, Israel’s parliament has overturned part of a law that banned illegal settlements in an area of the occupied Palestinian territories.
The law has been in place since 2005, when Israeli settlers were moved out of the northern region of the occupied West Bank during Israel’s withdrawal from the Gaza Strip.
The move fulfils a long-held goal of the far-right politicians who dominate Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s coalition government.
It is the latest in a series of initiatives by the government to increase Israeli settlement across the West Bank.
Meanwhile, the situation in Palestine is rapidly escalating as a result of a complex interplay of factors, including attacks on healthcare, Israeli military detentions, economic challenges, and the establishment of new Israeli settlements.
These interconnected struggles have created a precarious environment that requires urgent attention from the international community in order to address the root causes of the conflict.
The World Health Organisation (WHO) has reported a significant increase in attacks on healthcare facilities and personnel in the West Bank.
In the first two months of 2023 alone, there have been 47 verified health attacks, resulting in injuries to 24 health workers and damaging 44 ambulances.
These attacks exacerbate the already fragile healthcare system in the region, putting the lives and well-being of countless Palestinians at risk.
As the health crisis deepens, tensions between Palestinians and the Israeli military have escalated, leading to further unrest in the region.
Israeli occupation forces have reportedly detained at least 13 Palestinians in raids at homes and checkpoints across the occupied territories.
These detentions have led to increased animosity between the Palestinian population and the Israeli military, contributing to the overall instability in the region.
Compounding these security concerns, the Palestinian Central Bureau of Statistics (PCBS) and the Palestine Monetary Authority (PMA) report a deficit of $905 million in the Palestinian Balance of Payments for the fourth quarter of 2022, primarily caused by deficits in the Trade Balance of Goods and the Services Balance.
Although the Current Transfers achieved a surplus value of $587 million, it has been insufficient to offset these deficits.
The resulting economic struggles further fuel resentment and unrest among the Palestinian population, creating an environment ripe for conflict.
In response to the escalating tensions, the Palestinian Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Expatriates has issued a stern warning against what they describe as the ‘unaccountable fascism, unrestrained power, and unabated criminality’ of Israel’s officials, which they claim is sustained by an undemocratic and social system of ‘Jewish supremacy, oppression, racism, and apartheid.’
The Ministry has called for the United Nations Secretary-General to provide immediate international protection for the Palestinian people and has urged the international community to take concrete actions against the reported militia of racial terror.
This call for international intervention underscores the severity of the situation and the urgent need for a resolution.
The establishment of new Israeli settlements in the northern Jordan Valley has further exacerbated tensions in the region.
Local official Motaz Bisharat claims that Israeli settlers have set up a new colonial outpost, effectively creating a new fact on the ground.
The settlers’ actions are believed to be a prelude to building a new illegal settlement, which could result in the seizure of an estimated 1,800 dunums of land.
The establishment of more than five new illegal settlement outposts in the northern Jordan Valley over the past decade has contributed to the ongoing land disputes and tensions in the area.
Meanwhile, a United Nations independent commission of inquiry recently conducted a second series of public hearings to investigate human rights violations in Israel and the occupied Palestinian territories.
Over five days in Geneva, the hearings focused on the diminishing space for civil society, as well as attacks against human rights defenders, activists, lawyers, and journalists.
Testimonies were given to the Commission of Inquiry on the Occupied Palestinian Territory, including East Jerusalem, and Israel by colleagues and family members of Shireen Abu Akleh, an Al Jazeera journalist who was killed by Israeli forces in May 2022 while covering a military raid in the occupied West Bank city of Jenin.
Independent investigations concluded that Israeli soldiers deliberately targeted Abu Akleh and other reporters, despite their clearly identifiable press vests.
Walid Omary, Al Jazeera Arabic’s Jerusalem bureau chief, declared in his deposition that the intentional targeting of journalists during conflict is a war crime.
Miloon Kothari, a member of the commission of inquiry, described the evidence presented as ‘very disturbing.’
The commission is currently compiling the information, which will be presented to the Human Rights Council in June 2023.
The Commission of Inquiry was established following the 11-day Israeli bombardment of the besieged Gaza Strip in May 2021, which resulted in the deaths of at least 250 Palestinians and 13 Israelis.
The commission has an open-ended mandate to report to the Human Rights Council and the General Assembly annually, starting from June 2022 and September 2022, respectively.
In November 2022, the commission held its first series of public hearings, focusing on the closure orders and ‘terrorism’ designation of several Palestinian human rights organisations, as well as the killing of Abu Akleh. Israel criticised the hearings as ‘sham trials’ and accused the inquiry of an ‘anti-Israel’ agenda.
Kothari stated that the evidence collected by the commission would be made available to all judicial bodies, adding that they submitted a report to the International Court of Justice (ICJ) last year and were awaiting a verdict on the legality of occupation.
The commission also requested the ICJ to outline the responsibilities of third states.
Navi Pillay, chair of the commission, identified the occupation as the ‘root cause’ of human rights violations and asserted that negotiations were merely a pretence.
Palestinian human rights defender Issa Amro, who testified in the hearings, emphasised the need for international support and protection for Palestinians seeking justice and equality.