U.S. president Donald Trump signed a presidential proclamation recognizing Israeli sovereignty over occupied Golan Heights on March 25th. Experts believe that this decision could facilitate easier land grabs, even including Israeli annexation of the West Bank.
In 2018 RedCrow’s system recorded more than 500 incidents of settler-related “nationalist crimes” against Palestinians in the West Bank. Such incidents include vandalism, violence, and destruction of olive trees. Until mid-Dec 2018, there were 482 incidents of politically motivated crimes committed by Israeli settlers in the West Bank (including East Jerusalem) compared to 140 in 2017. It’s the highest number of incidents in four years.
Executive Summary
On Sunday, Dec. 9, 2018, seven Israeli settlers were wounded near the settlement of Ofra NE Ramallah in a drive-by shooting. A footage of the shooting showed a moving vehicle slowing down and targeting settlers on the junction near the entrance of the settlement. After shots were fired from the vehicle, Israeli soldiers fired back at the car, which then fled and continued north on Route 60. This incident triggered a massive manhunt in search of the gunmen in nearby villages and even in Ramallah.
On Monday, May 14th Palestinians took to the streets in protest to the move of the U.S. Embassy from Tel Aviv to Jerusalem, a move blocked for 23 years by every United States president since the Jerusalem Embassy Act passed Congress in 1995.
In the 2 months that followed the announcement by US President Donald Trump regarding the move of the US embassy to Jerusalem, tensions have escalated in the region to its highest since August. The following is a breakdown of what has transpired, and where it has transpired to.
On April 17th 2017, about 1500 Palestinian prisoners started an open-ended hunger strike, while the Israeli Prison Service conscated the belongings of all prisoners on hunger strike including clothes, electronic devices, and salt which is essential to prisoners on hunger strike as it raises the blood pressure, prevents their stomachs from rotting and helps keep them balanced.
What is Oslo Agreement? What are the outcomes of the Second Intifada? How has Palestinian security been developing since 2015?
Tension that started in the Occupied Palestinian Territories in mid-September 2015, intensified in October and was portrayed by pervasive clashes with ISF, along with almost daily attacks on Israelis. As the graph indicates, in comparison with October 2016, Palestinian death toll was significantly higher in October 2015. 64 Palestinians were killed, while in 2016, 9 Palestinians were killed. The Israeli death toll in 2015 was also higher as 10 Israelis were killed as opposed to 3 in 2016.
After the latest wave of violence witnessed in Nablus, on August 18th, between PA security forces and unknown gunmen resulted in the death of two PA security members and two Palestinian gunmen, it has become essential to evaluate the issue of lawlessness and its effects on the Palestinian community, and the overall security situation.
