In the West Bank, Israeli settlers vandalized trees and 1 house under construction, and stole construction equipment in Jalud. 1 Palestinian was arrested at a checkpoint in Sa‘ir. In East Jerusalem, Israeli forces prevented, for the 2d day in a row, iftar meals to be delivered to Palestinian worshipers at the Haram al-Sharif compound. 8 Palestinians were arrested in the Old City, including at the Haram al-Sharif compound. (PCHR, WAFA 4/15)
Israel closed all crossings to Gaza and the West Bank for Israeli Independence Day. (PCHR 4/15)
UN-appointed human rights experts said that the 1st quarter of 2021 had seen a rise in settler violence compared to 2020 and that the settler violence was aimed at making Palestinian life “untenable.” The UN has recorded 210 incidents of Israeli settler violence against Palestinians in the 1st 3 months of 2021, including 1 leading to the death of a Palestinian. (AJ, ALM, WAFA 4/14)
HaMoked filed a petition, on behalf of Palestinians in Issawiyya, at the Israeli high court of justice to have the main road leading to the East Jerusalem neighborhood reopened after 20 years. The presiding judge gave the Israeli state until 5/13 to respond. (HA 4/14)
PA president Mahmoud Abbas spoke to German chancellor Angela Merkel, discussing the upcoming Palestinian elections and the participation of Palestinians in East Jerusalem. (WAFA 4/14)
Gregory Meeks (D-NY), the chairman of the U.S. House of Representatives Foreign Affairs Committee said that he and some of his colleagues were concerned after Reuters reported that the Biden administration had approved the sale of weapons to the UAE by the Trump administration. The sale process had been paused since Biden took office, but Reuters reported that Biden had approved the sale on 4/13. Rep. Meeks said he and the foreign affairs committee would review the sale. (REU 3/13; AJ, AP, HA 4/14; HA 4/15)