In the West Bank, Israeli forces shot and injured 1 Palestinian, using live ammunition, during a late-night raid in Tubas. Israeli forces also shot and injured 1 Palestinian as Israeli settlers toured Joseph’s Tomb in Nablus; others suffered tear-gas related injuries. Elsewhere, Israeli forces confiscated 30,000 NIS ($9,126) from a family in Dura during a house raid. 3 Palestinians were arrested during raids in Bayt Umar, Yatta, and Tubas. In East Jerusalem, Israeli forces prevented a Palestinian family from celebrating the release of a family member who had spent 11 years in Israeli prison and arrested the former detainee’s brother. In Gaza, Israeli forces opened fire at agricultural lands east of Khuza‘a; no injuries were reported. (WAFA, WAFA 4/1; PCHR 4/8)
A Palestinian man arrested last year by Hamas for participating in a Zoom meeting with Israeli peace activists told AP that he had been tortured and forced to divorce his wife, the daughter of an exiled Hamas official. The man was released in October of 2020, after 6 months in prison. (AP 4/1)
The possible kingmaker in the Israeli elections, Ra’am (United Arab List) chairman Mansour Abbas held a press conference, where he told Jewish-Israelis and Palestinian-Israelis to find common ground rather than focusing on the 2 groups’ differences. Benjamin Netanyahu ally and chairman of the Otzma Yehudit (Jewish Power) party Itamar Ben-Gvir said Abbas was trying to portray himself as a “cute bear,” but that he sanctifies infant killers. Abbas did not say who he intends to support in forming a government. (HA, REU 4/1; ALM, TOI 4/2)
Jordan sent a letter of complaint to the Israeli foreign ministry condemning the Israeli violation of the status quo of the Jerusalem holy sites. Jordan particularly pointed out that Israel continues to allow Jewish worshipers on the Haram al-Sharif compound, which violates the status quo agreement. It was reported that 1,200 Jewish worshipers visited the compound during the recent Israeli Passover holiday. (TOI, WAFA 4/1; JP 4/3)
Saudi foreign minister Faisal bin Farhan Al Saud said during an interview that “the normalization of Israel’s status within the region would bring tremendous benefits to the region as a whole,” but that Saudi normalization of Israel depends on the creation of a Palestinian state. (AJ 4/2)
France, Germany, and the World Bank signed financing agreements, worth $52 million, to help local municipalities in the West Bank respond to the COVID-19 pandemic. (WAFA 4/1)