Christmas Day Attack in Occupied West Bank Leads to Dozens of Arrests
Christmas day in the occupied West Bank began with an attack on the Jenin refugee camp and several arrests. The raid on Monday morning followed several others across the territory, which saw dozens of arrests and the shooting of a 17-year-old boy. Towns such as Bethlehem were also hit by the raid. Jenin, often seen as a symbol of Palestinian resistance to occupation, has been repeatedly targeted by Israeli forces since its war with Hamas in Gaza began on October 7.
The Jenin-based Freedom Theatre, which has been a symbol of peace and hope, described how Israeli forces lit up the sky with flare bombs while raiding the camp. Reporting from the Jenin refugee camp, Al Jazeera’s Imran Khan stated that the Israeli army raided at least 10 houses but made no detentions. According to Khan, residents of the camp view the raids as a campaign of harassment and a destruction of symbols of resistance or nationalism.
While the raids in the camp and Jenin region have reportedly ended, at least nine young men were arrested in the al-Jalama village, northeast of Jenin. Other regions in Nablus, Jericho, Ramallah, and Bethlehem were also raided overnight by Israeli forces.
The West Bank has seen increased violence and arrests in parallel to Israel’s war on the Gaza Strip, which has killed more than 20,000 Palestinians. The violence in the West Bank is taking place despite Hamas having limited presence in the territory. Israeli incursions into the West Bank have resulted in the deaths of at least 303 Palestinians since October 7.
In addition to military activities, attacks by Israeli settlers have also increased. These attacks include shootings, stabbings, rock throwing, and beatings, as well as arson and damage to homes, vehicles, and agricultural land. The United Nations has noted that Israeli forces were actively supporting the attackers in nearly half of all incidents. Rights groups and Palestinians, along with some in the international community, have criticized Israel for not doing enough to stop settler violence.
Earlier this month, countries like Belgium and the United States announced they would impose visa restrictions on “extremist” Israeli settlers involved in undermining peace, security, or stability in the occupied West Bank. Despite the criticism, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s government ratified a decision to assign $21m to support new settlements in the occupied West Bank.