B. Netanyahu and Defense Minister Israel Katz announced a “series of steps,” including raids on Palestinian villages suspected of harboring militants, and “accelerated legalization of farm settlements and the creation of new (settlements).”
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Under international law, all these settlements are illegal.
Meanwhile, the Israeli army announced on Friday that it was preparing to launch a large-scale operation in the occupied West Bank following violence that killed an Israeli and four Palestinians.
The Palestinian Ministry of Health previously reported that during the clash in Telet, “four people were killed and four others were injured, three of whom are in critical condition.”
Israel’s ambulance service “Magen David Adom” reported that a man in his 30s was pronounced dead near the Havat Gilad settlement. Two other people, aged around 20, were evacuated by helicopter due to gunshot wounds; one of them is in serious condition.
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The Israeli army stated that it deployed troops after receiving reports of an attack on Israeli civilians walking near Havat Gilad.
According to the army, the attackers stole the weapon of a security force member who arrived at the scene and opened fire on the hikers.
B. Netanyahu earlier on Friday promised to “act with full force against terrorists and those who organize and support them.”
