Israeli settlers assault Palestinian man in Hebron: Report
In the village of at-Tuwana, the occupied West Bank, south of Hebron, Israeli settlers assaulted a Palestinian resident, Wafa news agency reports. Farmer Hafez Bilal al-Arini was grazing his sheep when he was attacked, it said.
The assault came amid a surge in Israeli military and settler violence against Palestinians in the West Bank, which has unfolded in the shadow of Israel’s war on the Gaza Strip. More than 700 people have been killed in the occupied territory either by the Israeli military or Israelis from illegal settlements since October 2023.
Palestinian shot, in serious condition, in occupied West Bank
Israeli forces in a watchtower shot the man with live rounds near the entrance of Bethlehem as raids and violence continue against Palestinians in the occupied territory. The wounded man was taken to a nearby hospital for treatment, the Palestinian news agency Wafa reported, citing local medical sources.
US worried Israel’s finance minister will cut off Palestinian banks
Concern is growing with the administration of President Biden that Israel’s finance minister will sever Palestinian banks from Israel’s financial network, according to a report by US media outlet Axios.
Such a move, which the US administration fears could happen next month, would cause tumult in the occupied West Bank, where the Palestinian Authority depends on Israeli banks to process shekel transfers.
Israel’s far-right finance minister, Bezalel Smotrich, who lives in an illegal settlement, has called for Israel to annex the occupied West Bank and taken steps to weaken the territory.
