Wednesday, June 28, 2023

In the West Bank, Israeli settlers with a military escort assaulted Palestinians in Umm al-Akhouas in the Masafer Yatta area, injuring 10. Israeli settlers also assaulted 1 Palestinian man with a riffle in Umm Laikhous in the Masafer Yatta area when the man and others in the community confronted armed settlers who had set up tents on their land; 4 Palestinians were arrested when Israeli forces arrived. In East Jerusalem, Israeli forces raided the Haram al-Sharif compound after the morning Eid al-Adha prayer, arresting 18 Palestinians. Around 100,000 worshippers attended the prayer. (WAFA, WAFA, WAFA 6/28; PCHR 7/6; HA 7/8; UNOCHA 7/8)

Israeli defense minister Yoav Gallant signed 4 administrative detention orders for Israeli settlers accused of attacking Palestinians in the West Bank. More than 1,000 Palestinians are imprisoned on administrative detention. (HA, TOI 6/28)

Axios reported that Somalia and Comoros will send officials to attend the next Negev Forum normalization summit as observers. (AX 6/28)

U.S. secretary of state Antony Blinken told the Council of Foreign Relations that rising violence in the West Bank is making it “a lot tougher, if not impossible” to make a normalization deal between Israel and Saudi Arabia. Blinken referred to the West Bank as Israel’s “backyard.” (AJ, ALM, HA, MEE, REU 6/28; HA 6/29)