US Seeks to Halt Escalation in West Bank

Arab World

October 27th, 9:48am

Ramallah - Kifah Zboun

Israeli soldiers arrest a Palestinian youth during clashes in Hebron in the occupied West Bank (AFP)

The US administration has launched talks with the Palestinian Authority (PA) and Israel in an effort to contain the escalation in the West Bank. The US urged officials from both sides to de-escalate. Channel 12 reported that American, Israeli, and Palestinian security officials held talks to reach a de-escalation in the northern West Bank. The Palestinians responded that Israel should first stop its raids against the cities to give them a chance to negotiate with the armed men and reach an agreement. They confirmed that they are seeking to de-escalate but the Israelis are hindering their work, the Israeli report added. Eleven armed men were arrested including Palestinian security officers who had links with the “Lion’s Den” group in Nablus. Israel's Channel 12 said that the PA negotiated with the Lions' Den group and other armed men in Nablus and Jenin, with the aim of disarming them in return for a pardon. This measure had been previously used by the PA with the Fatah party's Al-Aqsa Martyrs' Brigade at the end of the 2nd intifada. This was a success back then and the armed men were integrated in the Palestinian security bodies. Palestinian sources told Asharq Al-Awsat that there are intensive talks to stop security from deteriorating in the West Bank. Egypt, Jordan, and the UN take part in them. The PA also demanded that Israel halt its accusations of the authority being weak. Israel killed five Palestinians in Nablus on Tuesday including the leader of the group. Yedioth Ahronoth newspaper reported that Israel aims to dismantle the Lion’s Den after it killed a soldier in Nablus in the past weeks and carried out other operations. “Despite the organization’s relatively low membership, any claim as to its elimination heard in the near future will sound unreliable, as there is no actual organizational background or clear-cut hierarchy,” said Amos Harel, in his Op-ed for Haaretz. “The Lions’ Den is more of an idea than an organizational structure, and as such it is harder to stop it from spreading,” he added. Israeli forces stormed the city of Nablus on Wednesday and arrested activists of ties with the group including the brother of Ibrahim al-Nabulsi, whom Israel assassinated. Meanwhile, an Israeli military drone crashed in Nablus Old City on Wednesday morning, the army said. The drone crashed due to a technical malfunction, it added. There did not appear to be a risk that classified information could have been retrieved from the fallen device, the army said.

from Asharq AL-awsat https://english.aawsat.com/home/article/3954401/us-seeks-halt-escalation-west-bank