‘Mafak’: Former inmate navigates ‘normal’ life in the West Bank

Tensions escalate between Palestinians in the West Bank village of Burqa and Israeli settlers after Palestinian gunmen killed an Israeli man in the area on December 16, and settlers were accused of attacking Arab villages in the aftermath.

On June 24, 2021, Palestinian political activist Nizar Banat died after being violently beaten by Palestinian security forces. Banat was a fierce critic of corruption in the Palestinian Authority. His killing had an immediate effect: Thousands took to the streets in the Palestinian Territories to protest against the ruling Fatah party and Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas.

Tensions between Israelis and Palestinians have been running high in recent days. Israeli forces have carried out fresh raids in the West Bank after a spate of recent deadly attacks.

Gunmen have killed an Israeli guard at a West Bank settlement, prompting several arrests by Israeli security forces. Al-Aqsa Martyrs Brigade has claimed responsibility for the attack.

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Despite criticism from US President Joe Biden's administration, Israel has given the go-ahead for the construction of 3,000 new settler homes in the occupied West Bank. They are the first to be approved by the new Israeli coalition.

Israeli authorities are pushing to impose new restrictions on foreigners who wish to visit or live in the West Bank. Human rights groups say the measures will have serious consequences for thousands of people who are married to or in relationships with Palestinians. The regulations, which were due to come into effect this week, have now been amended and their implementation delayed until October after being challenged in the courts.

For several months, tensions have been rising in the West Bank. Following a wave of anti-Israeli attacks that killed 19 people in the spring, the Israeli government launched a vast military operation in the area. More than 2,000 people have been arrested and 130 Palestinians killed in raids and clashes, the heaviest toll since the Second Intifada.

Following the killing of two Israelis at the weekend, angered Israeli settlers attacked the Palestinian city of Hawara in the occupied West Bank, posing a further escalation of tensions and violence in the region.

In February, dozens of young Israeli settlers in the West Bank led a punitive expedition to the Palestinian town of Huwara in the north, near Nablus, following the murder of two of their own. They burned several buildings in the town and threw stones, injuring several residents and killing one, according to Palestinian authorities. One Israeli general described the violence as a "pogrom". FRANCE 24's Gwendoline Debono returned to Huwara to find out why the northern West Bank is now one of the most violent areas in the Palestinian Territories.

An Israeli raid in the West Bank city of Jenin killed three Palestinians and wounded at least 29 others. Israeli helicopters opened fire on gunmen in a rare Israeli Air Force operation in the area.

The third day of tit-for-tat attacks in the occupied West Bank has led to the death of at least one Palestinian. Israel has said it will build 1,000 more settlement homes despite international calls to halt the plans.