Secretary of Defense Lloyd J. Austin III during a press conference at NATO headquarters, Brussels, Belgium, Feb. 14, 2023. (Credit: DoD photo by Chad J. McNeeley)

By  Gary   Raynaldo      –  DIPLOMATIC  TIMES

WASHINGTON   DC   –  Secretary of Defense Lloyd J. Austin spoke with Israeli Minister of Defense Yoav Gallant to urge a de-escalation in the recent deadly violence that has erupted in the West Bank. Israeli troops on Friday killed 11 Palestinians,  and four civilians, and wounded more than 100 people during a raid on a city in the occupied West Bank.  The top U.S. and Israeli defense officials had a phone conversation regarding the violence.  Austin “encouraged the de-escalation” of tensions in the West Bank following the military raid that resulted in civilian casualties and discussed with his Israeli counterpart regional security issues, according to  Pentagon statement.  The U.S. defense secretary also underscored his “steadfast” commitment to Israel’s security and “Israel’s right to defend its citizens from terrorism.” However, violence continues to escalate this week.  On Sunday, a group of Israeli settlers went on a violent rampage hours after a Palestinian gunman shot and killed two Israeli settlers in Hawara, the West Bank.  The settlers violence resulted in the killing of one Palestinian, injuring of several hundreds of Palestinians and burning of houses and shops, causing the destruction of Palestinian property. 

Palestinians Accuse Israeli Far-Right Government Of Inflaming Tensions in West Bank 

Israeli police officers in Lod, Israel during  escalation of the Israeli–Palestinian conflict  11 May 2021 (Wikipedia Commons)

Israel’s Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu called on the settlers  “not to take the law into their own hands.”  But some critics of Netanyahu claimed it is his far-right policies that are encouraging violence among the settlers.   Netanyahu has assembled the most far-right cabinet in Israel’s history, with crucial positions given to ultranationalists: Itamar Ben-Gvir, who is the new minister of national security who oversees the police, and Bezalel Smotrich, who has power over Israeli settlements in addition to his role as finance minister.  Both are well known for inciting violence against Palestinians.  Before the recent spate of violence,  Palestinians feared Netanyahu’s hardline coalition would trample on democracy and enflame tensions in the West Bank.