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Eastern Jerusalem was once again rocked by rioting and violence Wednesday night as local Arabs, angered at the continued closure of the Shuafat refugee camp in northeastern Jerusalem, confronted Israeli security forces with rocks, Molotov cocktails, fireworks and improvised explosive devices.
The area has been closed since Saturday night, when a Palestinian gunman opened fire on a checkpoint outside the camp, killing an 18-year-old soldier and seriously wounding a civilian guard.
Israeli security forces are still searching for the assailant, who is believed to have escaped into the Shuafat camp after the attack.
The rioting has spread from Shuafat to other eastern Jerusalem neighborhoods, including Issawiyah, Sheik Jarrah, Silwan, Kafr Aqab and A-Tur.
Along with the rioting, there were also a number of recent attacks against Jews in eastern Jerusalem, including the stoning of a Jewish family’s car in Beit Hanina, the shooting of fireworks at Jewish houses in Ras al-Amud and the stoning of the mayor of Jerusalem’s car.
According to local Israeli news, there are plans to reinforce the police in the Israeli capital.
After meeting with local and national police officials, the Israel Public Security Minister, Omer Barlev released a statement saying “We have no intention of allowing this violence to continue and we are determined to act harshly against anyone who disturbs the peace and endangers residents or police.”
Israeli security forces are responding to numerous riots in East Jerusalem tonight.
Palestinians are throwing Molotov cocktails, stones, and fireworks. Two police officers have reportedly been injured.pic.twitter.com/CZ2t0TympS
— Aviva Klompas (@AvivaKlompas) October 13, 2022
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Following the Israeli cabinet’s approval of the US-brokered maritime deal between Israel and Lebanon, Israeli Prime Minister Yair Lapid held a press conference Wednesday night in order to elucidate his support for the plan.
The agreement is meant to resolve a decade-long maritime dispute between Israel and Lebanon that has been heating up over the past few months, with the threat of war hanging over the negotiations. Officially, Lebanon and the Jewish state have no relations and are considered to be in a state of war.
Responding to criticism that this deal will bolster Hezbollah, the Iran-backed terror group that controls southern Lebanon, Lapid told reporters that “This agreement staves off the possibility of a military clash with Hezbollah.”
In addition, Lapid said that “If we went out to battle, we would deal them a heavy blow. That being said, if it is possible to prevent war, it is the job of a responsible government to do so.”
Israeli Defense Minister Benny Gantz also spoke at the press conference, saying that the agreement “has the potential to reduce Iran’s influence on Lebanon.”
Yair Lapid is serving as Israel’s interim prime minister until the upcoming national election, which is due to take place on November 1, 2022.
5 things you should know about the Israel-Lebanon maritime agreement: pic.twitter.com/P9acdwAXND
— Prime Minister of Israel (@IsraeliPM) October 12, 2022
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Israel has been passing “basic intelligence” to Ukraine on the Iranian drones that Russia has used during its invasion, according to a report in the New York Times.
Speaking anonymously, an Israeli official is said to have told the publication that there is some intelligence sharing and also gave details about a private Israeli firm that has been handing the Ukrainian army satellite imagery of Russian troop positions.
Moscow has deployed several types of unmanned aerial vehicles (UAV) made by the Islamic Republic in its military offensive in Ukraine, particularly the Shahed-136 suicide drone, although it has been used with limited success.
“These UAVs are slow and fly at low altitudes, making lone aircraft easy to target using conventional air defenses,” said the United Kingdom Defense Ministry on Wednesday. However, the same official said they could be improved in warfare situations by “attacking with several UAVs at the same time.”
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The Shin Bet (Israel’s security agency) revealed on Wednesday that it has arrested four Palestinians who plotted a series of shooting attacks on Israelis under the direction of Hamas in the Gaza Strip.
Belal Basharat, a Hamas militant who was released from an Israeli jail in 2011 as part of the Gilad Shalit prisoner swap, was reportedly guiding the men and played a role in Hamas’ so-called “West Bank headquarters,” which the US-designated terror group uses to launch attacks from the West Bank.
Two of the “main” suspects who were arrested have been named as Anas Maraeva, 25, from the town of Ras Atiya near the West Bank city of Qalqilya, and Aslam Tubasi, 26, from Tamun in the northern West Bank, who is reportedly Basharat’s brother-in-law.
“In recent years, many directives by terrorist organizations in the Gaza Strip have been identified, exploiting Palestinians living in [the West Bank] to advance terrorist activities. Hamas operatives from the Gaza Strip transfer funds and armaments to operatives in the Gaza Strip in order to carry out attacks against Israeli targets,” the Shin Bet said in a statement.
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Featured Image: AFP via Getty Images
