According to the arriving reports, the unrest was triggered by Israeli settlers, who forcibly seized two homes belonging to Palestinian Arabs.
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The rare move is yet another Israeli attempt to stem the almost four-month wave of Palestinian attacks against Israeli civilians and security forces, many of which were carried out by east Jerusalem residents.
“International law requires that intentional lethal force only be used when absolutely unavoidable to protect life, and only when lesser means would be insufficient to apprehend a criminal suspect”, Parker said. Israeli Defense Minister Moshe Yaalon, who authorized the removal and like Netanyahu is a member of the Likud party, said the settlers had not received IDF authorization to enter the buildings and were there illegally.
“The moment that the purchase process [for the confiscated homes] is authorized, we will allow the [settlers to take possession] of the two houses in Hebron”, he added.
At the same time, 155 Palestinians have been killed by Israeli forces, most while carrying out attacks and others during clashes and demonstrations.
Netanyahu said the procedure to determine the ownership of the buildings started on Sunday and would occur “as quickly as possible”, likely within a week.
The buildings stand near a religious site known to Jews as the Cave of the Patriarchs and to Muslims as the Ibrahimi Mosque.
That year saw Israel occupying and then annexing the Palestinian territories of the West Bank and East al-Quds during the Six-Day War in a move that has never been recognized by the global community.
The troops peacefully removed around 80 Jewish people from the property and then welded the doors shut, an AFP photographer on the scene said Friday. “Settlement activities are a violation of global law and run counter to the public pronouncements of the Government of Israel supporting a two-state solution to the conflict”.
The death of the 36-year-old mother in the Otneil settlement brought condemnation from Israeli leadership and United Nations officials, who called on Palestinian and Israeli leadership to stop incitement. Israeli construction in the area would split the West Bank, cutting Palestinians off from East Jerusalem, the city they seek to make their capital.
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The eviction angered some parliamentarians on the right and some said the move threatens Netanyahu’s narrow government.
