In the West Bank, the IDF conducts house searches and arrest raids in 1 village nr. Jenin, Tulkarm r.c. nr. Tulkarm and in Hebron at night; patrols in 1 village nr. Qalqilya and Tulkarm in the morning, in 1 village and al- ‘Arub r.c. nr. Hebron in the afternoon, and in 2 villages and al-Fawar and al-Kharub r.c nr. Hebron, 2 villages nr. Tulkarm and in Nablus at night. Palestinians throw a Molotov cocktail at an Israeli car nr. Tuqu‘ village in the Bethlehem region, causing no injuries. Jewish settlers uproot more than 180 olive saplings nr. Qalqilya. Meanwhile, a Palestinian man dies of injuries sustained after being hit by a Jewish settler-driven car nr. Ramallah. (MNA, WAFA 3/2; PCHR 3/6)
Israeli PM Benjamin Netanyahu departs for a 6-day visit to the U.S., telling reporters at Ben Gurion Airport that he will continue to reject “pressures” with regard to Iran and the peace negotiations with the Palestinians. Bloomberg publishes an interview with U.S. Pres. Obama in which he criticizes Israel’s “aggressive settlement construction,” comments on the difficult choices facing Netanyahu, and warns that without a viable Palestinian state, the U.S.’s “ability to manage the international fallout is going to be limited.” Meanwhile, Asst. Secy.-Gen. on Palestinian Affairs at the Arab League Mohammad Sbeih says that the extension of negotiations will be dependent on upcoming discussions between Abbas and Obama. Sbeih adds that any deal would need to be based on the 2002 Arab Peace Initiative. (AFP, Bloomberg, MNA 3/2)