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West Bank Dispatch: Palestinians pay the price of internal Israeli politics

PALESTINIANS INSPECT THE DAMAGE TO A RESTAURANT FOLLOWING A REPORTED ATTACK BY ISRAELI SETTLERS ON THE WEST BANK TOWN OF HUWWARA ON MARCH 28, 2023. (PHOTO: MOHAMMED NASSER/APA IMAGES)
Netanyahu placates Ben-Gvir after postponing judicial overhaul by promising him the establishment of a “National Guard,” as settler violence continues spreading throughout the West Bank.

Editor’s Note: Due to escalations on the ground in Palestine in recent months, the Mondoweiss Palestine Bureau will start publishing the West Bank Dispatch twice a week, Mondays and Thursdays. Monday dispatches will have an added analysis section that goes deeper into a specific topic of importance.

Key Developments (March 28 – March 30)

Read more from the West Bank Dispatch here.
READ MORE FROM THE WEST BANK DISPATCH HERE.
  • The postponement of the Israeli judicial overhaul to the summer has meant that Palestinians will pay the price, as Prime Minister Netanyahu promises his far-right coalition partner, National Security Minister Itamar Ben-Gvir, the creation of a special “national guard” answerable to Ben-Gvir and his ministry. This effectively grants the far-right demagogue his own personal militia, which may very well outlast the current government.
  • On March 27, Israeli settlers assaulted an ambulance vehicle belonging to Tulkarem Public Hospital, causing damage near the Palestinian town of Beita.
  • In a separate attack, settlers also attacked another ambulance vehicle belonging to the Red Crescent, breaking the car’s windows as it transferred injured Palestinians.
  • The Palestinian Ministry of Health condemned these attacks and warned against escalating settler violence directed at medical providers, noting that these attacks have been fully documented.
  • It has been a week since the last Palestinian, 25-year-old Amir Abu Khadija, was killed in Tulkarem. Abu Khadija was the co-founder of the Fast Response – Tulkarem Battalion
  • Israeli forces have escalated their attacks on Palestinian journalists and the media, as two local media offices were closed by military decree this month.
  • Acting president of the Palestinian Authority, Mahmoud Abbas, amended the laws regarding the legally required age of the head of the General Intelligence Services (GIS), while giving the GIS Director the status of a Minister and extending judicial capacity to the position. The current GIS Director is Majed Faraj, widely considered to be a possible contender for succeeding the current acting PA President.