Netanyahu announces siege of Hebron and Halhul after attack — The Guardian
In Palestine, in the occupied West Bank, Benjamin Netanyahu announced a siege of the Palestinian city of Hebron and neighboring Halhul after a shooting near a checkpoint. According to The Guardian, two Israeli soldiers were killed in the attack and three others were wounded.
The Israeli military said that two armed men traveling in a car with Israeli license plates opened fire after they were stopped at a temporary checkpoint near Hebron. After an approximately 20-minute gunfight, the attackers were killed. An AFP photographer who witnessed the incident said he saw two Palestinians with a pistol and an automatic rifle exchanging fire with Israeli forces.
Demolitions and evictions
Netanyahu said that residents of the areas from which the attackers came would be evicted and that homes would be demolished on a large scale. He also announced preparations for the largest military operation in the West Bank since 1967, without naming a start date.
The first demolitions began within hours of the shooting. Israeli Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich published a video beside a bulldozer demolishing a Palestinian home near the site of the gunfight. He said the building, which had been constructed without permits, was demolished to “create deterrence” and “make [them] pay the price.” No connection between the homeowners and the attackers was alleged.
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Israeli Defense Minister Israel Katz promised further mass demolitions and the forced displacement of residents. He compared the planned actions in Hebron to operations in the Jenin refugee camp, from which, according to the publication, nearly 20,000 people were forced to leave their homes.
Temporary court injunction
Shortly after the demolitions began, Israel’s High Court issued a temporary injunction to halt them. Human rights lawyer Mohammed Daleh filed an urgent petition on behalf of two nearby business owners. He said the demolitions violate international law on collective punishment and Israeli administrative law.
Israeli lawyer Michael Sfard called Smotrich’s video a “direct admission” that the demolitions constitute collective punishment. Hebron is the largest Palestinian city in the occupied West Bank, with a population of around 250,000.
