Two Israeli and Palestinian delegations have committed this Sunday to reduce the escalation of violence after meeting in the Jordanian city of Aqaba. The participants in the meeting have issued a joint statement according to which Israel has affirmed that there will be no new decisions to establish settlements in the West Bank for four months. The meeting, which brought together delegations from the two sides for the first time in several years, was also attended by representatives of the US, Jordan and Egypt. But while, on the ground, the escalation has not stopped with two young Israelis murdered by a Palestinian this Sunday, and several Palestinian villages attacked in retaliation by Israeli settlers, summoned to “razed” the town where the first deaths had occurred, with the result of one death, a hundred injured and more than 70 houses set on fire.
The Israeli and Palestinian parties state in their communiqué that will work closely together to prevent “more violence” and “reaffirmed the need to commit to de-escalation on the ground.” Jordan, along with its allies Egypt and the United States, said for its part that the agreements mark “great progress towards restoring and deepening relations between the two parties.”
Hamas stands out
Underlining existing difficulties, the Palestinian militant group Hamas, which rules the Gaza Strip, called the meeting “useless” and condemned the West Bank-based Palestinian Authority for participating. The meeting came as anxiety mounts over an escalation of violence in the run-up to the Muslim holy month of Ramadan that begins in late March.
Israel and the Palestinian Authority “confirmed their joint readiness and commitment to work immediately to end the unilateral measures for a period of 3 to 6 months,” the statement said. “This includes an Israeli commitment to stop discussion of any new settlement unit for four months and stop the authorization of any outpost for six months.”
Internal dissensions in the Israeli government
That could cause problems in the coalition government of Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu, one of the most right-wing in the history of Israel. Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich, who also has responsibilities for Jewish settlements in the West Bank, was quick to say that he would not abide by any such deal. “I have no idea what they did or didn’t talk about in Jordan,” Smotrich wrote on Twitter. “But one thing I do know: the construction and development of the settlements will not be frozen, not even for one day (it is under my authority).”
On February 12, Israel granted retroactive authorization to nine Jewish settler outposts in the West Bank and announced the massive construction of new housing within the established settlements. A senior Israeli official said there would be no change to the earlier decision regarding the authorization of those outposts and 9,500 housing units. Netanyahu appeared to downplay any commitment, saying Israel would continue to build settlements according to previous plans and saying “there will be no freeze.”
The UN Security Council issued a formal statement on February 20 denouncing Israel’s plan to expand settlements in the occupied Palestinian territory, the first action the United States has allowed the body to take against its ally Israel in six years.
Biden welcomes Jordanian mediation
US President Joe Biden has thanked King Abdullah of Jordan for “convening this historic meeting,” US National Security Adviser Jake Sullivan said in a statement. “We recognize that this meeting was a starting point and that there is much work to be done in the coming weeks and months to build a stable and prosperous future for Israelis and Palestinians alike. The implementation will be essential & rdquor ;, he said.
The participants will meet again in March in Sharm el-Sheikh, Egypt. They agreed to “maintain positive momentum and expand this agreement into a broader political process leading to a just and lasting peace,” their statement said. Hamas official Sami Abu Zuhri said the meeting “would not change anything.” “It will not succeed in stopping our people from defending themselves and confronting the crimes committed by the occupation government,” he told Reuters.
The violence continues
This Sunday, A Palestinian gunman killed two Jewish settlers in his car in the West Bank on Sunday. There was no immediate attribution of responsibility. Hamas said it was “a natural response to the crimes committed by the occupation, the latest of which was the massacre in Nablus” where 11 Palestinians, six gunmen and five civilians, were killed in an Israeli raid on February 23.
At the same time, Israeli settlers killed a Palestinian during an assault on several Palestinian villages in the occupied West Bank, where they attacked residents, burned homes and destroyed vehicles, in response to the earlier attack. Settlers demand revenge for the shooting deaths of two young Israelis.
The Palestinian Ministry of Health has confirmed the death of a man shot during clashes in the town of Zatara, south of Huwara and near the Kfar Tapuach settlement, reports the Palestinian news agency WAFA. The victim has been identified as Sameh Aqtash, 37, according to the Palestinian Authority, which denounces the presence of Israeli forces in the place. The settlers demanded that the security forces attack the “nests of terrorism” in this area.
Palestinian media have published images of homes and vehicles on fire and have reported that several Palestinians have had to be treated by medical personnel for inhaling tear gas. One man is seriously injured by a stone impact on the head and another has been hit with a metal bar. The Palestinian Red Crescent has confirmed that it has treated 98 people injured in the clashes and has denounced that three ambulances have been attacked.
The ‘number two’ of the Samaria Regional Council that brings together the Israeli colonies, Davidi Ben Zion, has called for the “razing” of Huwara in retaliation for the attack. “Here in Huwara the blood of our sons has been shed. Huwara has to be razed today. Enough talk about building and reinforcing settlements. We have to regain the deterrence that has been lost. There is no room for mercy,” he said. stated in a message posted on Twitter.
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Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has mourned the death of the two Israeli settlers, but He has called for containment. “The Army and the security forces are looking for the murderer. We are going to find him. We are going to capture him and justice will be done,” he assured.
“I ask you that although the blood boils and there is agitation, you do not take justice into your own hands. I ask you to allow the Army and the security forces to do their job,” he added.