Sunday, February 12, 2023

In the West Bank, Israeli forces shot and killed 1 Palestinian minor and injured 2 others with live ammunition during a raid in Jenin. Israeli forces also violently dispersed Palestinian protesters in Abu Dis, injuring 4 with baton rounds and 71 with tear gas. Elsewhere, Israeli forces issued stop work orders for agricultural projects and seized 3 trucks near Jericho and issued stop-work orders for 2 agricultural structures in Jayyus. In East Jerusalem, Israeli settlers toured the Haram al-Sharif compound. Israeli forces sealed the family home in al-Tur of 1 Palestinian man who rammed a car into 3 Israeli settlers on 2/10. (ABC, ALM, AP, HA, HA, MDW, MEE, REU, WAFA, WAFA, WAFA, WAFA, WAFA, WAFA, WAFA, WAFA, WAFA 2/12; PCHR 2/13; PCHR 2/16; UNOCHA 2/21)

The Israeli security cabinet approved the legalization of the 9 settlement outposts Avigail, Asael, Shacharit, Givat Arnon, Givat Harel, Givat Haro’eh, Malachei Hashalom, Mitzpe Yehuda, Beit Hogla, and Sde Boaz. The security cabinet also approved the connection of other settlement outposts to Israeli infrastructure. In addition, finance minister Bezalel Smotrich said that the cabinet approved building permits for nearly 10,000 new Israeli settlement units, with the final number to be decided by the civil administration planning and zoning committee. The PA condemned the decisions and called on the international community to intervene. U.S. secretary of state Antony Blinken called the decisions “deeply troubling.” (AX, MEE, REU, WAFA, WAFA 2/12; AJ, AN, AP, BBC, GDN, HA, HA, TOI, WAFA, WAFA 2/13; WAFA 2/14; AX, HA, REU, WAFA 2/15; WAFA, WAFA 2/16; WAFA 2/17)

Israel’s ministerial committee for legislative affairs voted to repeal parts of the 2005 Disengagement Law, allowing Israeli settlers to enter settlement outposts evacuated in 2005, including the Homesh settlement outpost. The bill to repeal parts of the law will have to pass 3 readings in the Knesset. (HA, WAFA 2/12)

The Israeli Civil Administration issued a new directive prohibiting Palestinians from the West Bank under the age of 22 from participating in organized peace-building activities in Israel. Married Palestinians over the age of 22 will be allowed to participate as will single Palestinians over the age of 27. The civil administration also limited the number of permits for peace-building activities to 500. (HA 2/12)

Arab leaders met at the Arab League Conference in Support of Jerusalem in Cairo. The conference was attended by Egyptian president Abdel Fattah al-Sisi, PA president Mahmoud Abbas, Jordanian king Abdullah II, and foreign ministers from other Arab League members. The final communique condemned Israeli actions at the Haram al-Sharif compound and urged the ICC to investigate Israeli war crimes. (AJ, AJ, AP, F24, HA, TOI, TOI, WAFA, WAFA 2/12)

Israeli president Isaac Herzog gave a televised address urging the Benjamin Netanyahu-led government not to continue with its plans to change the balance of powers by overhauling the judicial system and proposed a compromise instead. Justice minister Yariv Levin said that he and the government coalition will not delay its plans. (AP, AX, HA, HA, REU 2/12; HA 2/13)