Ajit Karn
Tel Aviv, Israel: The Pentagon chief, Lloyd Austin, conducted talks in Israel on Thursday, as escalating violence resulted in the deaths of three suspected Palestinian militants and demonstrators again rallied against Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s far-right government.
Thousands of Israelis opposed to the government’s controversial legal reform plans blocked roads around Israel’s Ben Gurion airport, forcing a last-minute venue change for Austin’s talks and drawing international attention to Israel’s internal divisions.
Three suspected Palestinian terrorists were killed by undercover agents of Israel’s border police in the occupied West Bank just hours before Austin’s arrival, despite a United Nations appeal for restraint to end the “cycle of violence” that has seized the territory this year.
The meeting between Austin and his Israeli counterpart Yoav Gallant was relocated from the defence ministry in Tel Aviv to a location near Ben Gurion airport due to significant protests at the airport and in the area surrounding the ministry.
According to his office, President Benjamin Netanyahu also conferred with the Pentagon chief at the same location.
Their discussions occurred before Benjamin Netanyahu’s scheduled departure for Rome on Thursday evening, which demonstrators had attempted to obstruct by blocking airport access roads with their vehicles.
One of them, 18-year-old Ori Gal, stated that he was protesting against “the dictatorship arising from the sewers” and “the menace to Israeli democracy.”
An AFP photographer reported that demonstrators on foot blocked a major thoroughfare in Tel Aviv near the defence ministry.
Smaller demonstrations were occurring in various locations across the country, prompting Benjamin Netanyahu to take a helicopter to the airport rather than a car.
Opponents of the reform plans, which would grant politicians more authority over the courts, have staged protests for nine consecutive weeks. The proposals have attracted tens of thousands of demonstrators who view them as a menace to democracy.
Israel’s extreme right Itamar Ben-Gvir, minister of national security, stated that he had ordered police to prevent demonstrators from obstructing roads.
“Demonstrate and shout, this is a democracy,” he said. “However, pandemonium will not be tolerated.
“I will not let 70,000 people’s lives be devastated,” he said, referring to the estimated number of passengers scheduled to depart the airport on Thursday.
Dozens of travellers with their luggage were seen making their way to the departures area on foot, weaving through the stationary lines of demonstrators’ vehicles.
– Mounting violence in the West Bank –
The escalating violence in the West Bank has coincided with the tenure of Benjamin Netanyahu’s coalition government, the most right-wing in Israeli history, which assumed office in December.
On Thursday morning, the Palestinian ministry of health reported the “martyrdom” of three men shot by Israeli forces in Jaba, a town located near the volatile northern city of Jenin.
The males were identified as Sufyan Fakhoury, 26, Ahmed Fashafsha, 22, and Nayef Malaysha, 25 by the health ministry. It did not provide additional information.
Israeli police reported that special forces accompanied by soldiers had been dispatched to Jaba to apprehend suspects responsible for gunfire attacks against Israeli soldiers in the area, including Fakhoury and Fashafsha. It stated that the two were members of the terrorist organisation Islamic Jihad.
“During the operation, the sought men’s car discharged shots at undercover border patrol officers. “Undercover agents of the border patrol opened fire and executed the three armed men in the vehicle,” police said, adding that Malaysha was also a suspected terrorist.
A number of firearms and explosive devices were discovered in the vehicle, according to the police statement.
Islamic Jihad issued a statement condemning Israel for the “heinous assassination” in Jaba.
Tuesday’s Israeli military operation in Jenin resulted in the deaths of seven Palestinians, including a Hamas member accused of murdering two Israeli settlers last month.
Wednesday, UN Middle East peace envoy Tor Wennesland urged both Israel and the Palestinians to “exercise restraint and serenity,” stating that the “cycle of violence must be stopped immediately.”
The Palestinian health ministry identified 14-year-old Walid Nassar as the seventh victim of Tuesday’s attack.
During the Muslim fasting month of Ramadan, which begins in late March, and the Jewish holiday of Passover, which takes place in April, some observers anticipate further violence, particularly around Jerusalem’s sacred sites.
Also read: “Honour And Pride”: Bhutan Is No Longer One Of The World’s Poorest Countries
Since the beginning of the year, 75 Palestinian adults and children, including terrorists and civilians, have been killed in the conflict.
According to an AFP tally based on official sources from both parties, thirteen Israeli adults and children, including members of the security forces and civilians, and one Ukrainian civilian have been slain during the same time period.
