In a major attack in East Jerusalem, Israeli forces shoot and kill 2 Palestinians at a gate to the Old City after the 2 allegedly carry out a stabbing attack on a group of Israelis, killing 1 and injuring another (a 2d Israeli civilian is killed by Israeli crossfire). Meanwhile, Israeli forces shoot and injure 4 Palestinian students n. of the city on the pretext that they were throwing stones; assault and arrest 3 Palestinians in a nearby village; arrest 4 Palestinians on raids in Jabal Mukabir and the Old City. In the West Bank, IDF troops arrest a Palestinian in c. Hebron when they allegedly find her carrying a knife through a checkpoint. They also raid 2 villages nr. Ramallah and ‘Askar r.c. nr. Nablus, sparking minor clashes with stone-throwers and injuring 14 Palestinians. The IDF conducts further house searches and raids in 1 village nr. Jenin, Tubas, Tulkarm, in and around Hebron, and in 2 villages nr. Nablus, arresting 16 Palestinians; patrols in Tulkarm, as well as 4 villages, al-Fawar r.c., and al-‘Arub r.c. nr. Hebron. Israeli forces reopen a street leading to Ramallah, having kept it closed for mos. Along Gaza’s border, Israeli forces conduct a limited incursion e. of al-Bureij r.c. to level land. Off the coast nr. Gaza City, Israeli naval forces confront a group of Palestinian fishermen, arresting 9 and confiscating their 2 boats. (HA, JP, MNA, NYT, TOI 12/23; HA, MNA 12/24; PCHR 12/31)
The Israeli Knesset passes into law, 53–48, a new measure formalizing the role of the World Zionist Organization’s Settlement Division, giving the Israeli govt. more control over certain policies in West Bank settlements. (+972 12/29)