The Palestinian Authority said it’s ending security ties with Israel after eight militants and one civilian were killed in a West Bank gunfight with Israeli soldiers in a major escalation in violence.
(Bloomberg) — The Palestinian Authority said it’s ending security ties with Israel after eight militants and one civilian were killed in a West Bank gunfight with Israeli soldiers in a major escalation in violence.
Mahmoud Abbas, president of the Palestinian government body, announced three days of mourning following the clashes in the city of Jenin. Hamas, the Islamic movement that rules the Gaza Strip, warned Israel would “pay the price for the massacre.”
The Israeli army said violence broke out as security forces entered the Jenin refugee camp to arrest members of the militant Islamic Jihad, who it said were planning multiple terror attacks including the shooting of soldiers and civilians.
The fighting came just a month after Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s coalition government was sworn in after pledging to implement policies such as loosening open-fire rules for some security forces. The new administration, which includes some far-right figures, has also proposed expanding or building more settlements in the West Bank, where Palestinians are seeking to establish an independent state.
Abbas has previously threatened to end security cooperation. It was not immediately clear what immediate changes the latest statement would bring if any.
Egypt, the United Nations, and Qatar are mediating in a bid to avoid an escalation, according to a statement from Islamic Jihad, another Gaza-based militant group. The violence also comes ahead of a planned visit to Israel by US Secretary of State Antony Blinken.
“I am deeply alarmed and saddened by the continuing cycle of violence in the occupied West Bank,” Tor Wennesland, UN Special Coordinator for the Middle East peace process said in an email. “It is crucial to reduce tensions immediately and prevent more loss of life.”
A tenth Palestinian was killed in a clash elsewhere in the West Bank, the Palestinian Health Ministry said.
Israeli Defense Minister Yoav Gallant instructed security forces to increase activity in the West Bank and along Israel’s borders, including the Gaza Strip. “Our security forces are prepared for any development,” he said in a statement from his office.
–With assistance from Saud Abu Ramadan.
(Recasts with Palestinians cutting security ties.)
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