Israeli troops were in the Qalandiya refugee camp to demolish the homes of the families of two Palestinians – Issa Assaf and Annan Hammed – who stabbed and killed an Israeli near Jerusalem’s Old City on December 23. Humeid, in a Facebook post, said that he did not have any “business in Israel” so this would not affect him.
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Responding to the report of Levy’s project, Saleh Haniyeh, head of the Palestinian Society for Consumer Protection, said his group, in partnership with a number of institutions, is “ready to reveal the names of any partners of “the settler” businessman Rami Levy, put them on the blacklist and boycott their commercial interests”.
Armed with knives, the two assailants had stabbed two passers-by, killing Rabbi Reuven Birmajer and wounding another person, the spokesperson said, adding that the second victim, Ofer Ben Ari, was killed by a stray bullet from security forces.
Hebron has been a major flashpoint in a nine-month wave of auto ramming and knife attacks on Israelis.
At least 214 Palestinians, 34 Israelis, two Americans, an Eritrean and a Sudanese have been killed since October.
Israel said it welcomed the Quartet’s recognition of Palestinian incitement and violence but it was not happy with the criticism of settlement building.
Four Israelis were killed in the attack and others were wounded.
Punitive home demolitions are a form of collective punishment which are illegal under global law, said UNRWA Spokesperson Chris Gunness. The settlements are a source of tension with Palestinians.
Among the measures announced was blocking the Hebron governorate with over 700,000 residents, where the attacker’s native town of Bani Naim is located, and withdrawing work permits from all of its residents.
The clash came after a few days of increased violence.
A day later, Sarah Tarayra, 27, was shot dead after drawing a knife on Israeli forces in Hebron.
Levy said he is seeking out Palestinian business owners to rent space in the shopping center, and hopes to attract customers from the big West Bank city.
Nickolay Mladenov issued the warning after a report released on Friday by the Quartet of peace mediators – the United States, European Union, United Nations and Russian Federation – which called on Israel to stop its policy of building settlements and restricting Palestinian development.
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The surge in violence also prompted Israel to send hundreds of troops to the area over the weekend and impose a closure on the Hebron district, where numerous recent attacks originated. The shrine is revered by both Muslims and Jews.
