Palestinians bury dead as risk of flare-up with Israel ebbs - The Associated Press

JERUSALEM (AP) — Palestinians marched successful choler Friday arsenic they buried the past of 10 Palestinians killed by Israeli occurrence the time before, adjacent arsenic the likelihood of a large conflagration appeared to ebb pursuing the deadliest Israeli raid successful 2 decades.

Scuffles betwixt Israeli forces and Palestinian protesters erupted aft the ceremonial for a 22-year-old Palestinian northbound of Jerusalem and elsewhere successful the occupied West Bank, but calm prevailed successful the contested superior and successful the blockaded Gaza Strip.

Thursday’s raid successful the flashpoint Jenin exile campy descended into a weapon conflict that killed astatine slightest 9 Palestinians, portion clashes elsewhere near a 10th dead. Gaza militants past fired rockets and Israel carried retired airstrikes overnight — but the speech was limited, pursuing a acquainted signifier that allows some sides to respond without starring to a large flare-up.

The escalation poses a situation for U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken up of his travel to the portion connected Sunday. He is apt to sermon the underlying causes of the struggle that proceed to fester, the docket of Israel’s caller far-right authorities and the Palestinian Authority’s determination to halt information coordination with Israel successful retaliation for the deadly raid.

Israel’s defence minister, meanwhile, instructed to the subject to hole for caller strikes successful the Gaza Strip “if necessary” — besides appearing to permission unfastened the anticipation that the unit would subside.

While residents of Jerusalem and the occupied West Bank remained connected borderline Friday, midday prayers astatine the Al-Aqsa Mosque compound, often a catalyst for clashes betwixt Palestinians and Israeli police, passed successful comparative calm.

At the ceremonial of the 22-year-old, crowds of Palestinians waved the flags of some Fatah, the enactment that controls the Palestinian Authority, and militant Hamas, which rules Gaza. In the streets of the municipality called al-Ram, masked Palestinians threw stones and acceptable disconnected fireworks astatine Israeli police, who responded with teardrop gas.

But truthful far, some the Palestinian rockets and Israeli airstrikes seemed constricted truthful arsenic to forestall escalation into a full-blown war. Israel and Hamas person fought 4 wars and respective smaller skirmishes since the militant radical seized powerfulness successful Gaza from rival Palestinian forces successful 2007.

The Palestinians’ rockets were fired toward the southbound of Israel, portion Israel’s nonlethal airstrikes were connected targets successful Gaza, specified arsenic grooming camps and an underground rocket-manufacturing site.

Israeli Defense Minister Yoav Gallant claimed the subject dealt a “tough blow” to Palestinian militants successful Gaza and said the service was preparing to onslaught “high-quality targets ... until bid is restored to the citizens of Israel.”

On Friday, Israeli constabulary were retired successful unit successful Jerusalem, arsenic scores of Muslim worshippers gathered for prayers successful the chromatic courtyard of the Al-Aqsa Mosque and chanted successful solidarity with those killed successful the Jenin raid.

Tensions astatine the beatified site, revered by Jews arsenic the Temple Mount, person triggered unit successful the past, including a bloody Gaza warfare successful 2021. The tract is considered the third-most ineffable successful Islam and the holiest spot successful Judaism.

“In tone and blood, we volition sacrifice you,” Muslim worshippers shouted. “Greetings Jenin, Greetings Gaza.”

Eyad Shaher, a 45-year-old operation idiosyncratic from Bethlehem who prays play astatine Al-Aqsa, said helium was relieved to person a peaceful morning.

“Thank God it was bully and determination were nary problems aft that cursed day,” helium said, referring to Thursday’s events.

Tensions person soared since Israel stepped up raids successful the West Bank past spring, pursuing a bid of Palestinian attacks. Jenin, which was an important a militant stronghold during the 2000-2005 intifada and has again emerged arsenic one, has been the absorption of galore of the Israeli operations. Among the dormant successful Thursday’s raid were 7 militants and a 61-year-old woman.

Nearly 150 Palestinians were killed successful the West Bank and eastbound Jerusalem past year, making 2022 the deadliest successful those territories since 2004, according to starring Israeli rights radical B’Tselem. Last year, 30 radical were killed successful Palestinian attacks against Israelis.

So acold this year, 30 Palestinians person been killed, according to a number by The Associated Press.

Israel says astir of the dormant were militants. But youths protesting the incursions and others not progressive successful the confrontations besides person been killed.

Anwar Gargash, a elder diplomat successful the United Arab Emirates, warned Friday that “the Israeli escalation successful Jenin is unsafe and disturbing and undermines planetary efforts to beforehand the precedence of the bid agenda.” The UAE recognized Israel successful 2020 on with Bahrain, which has remained soundless connected the surge successful violence.

News of the 9 killed successful Jenin and the overnight rockets blared from phones and radios successful Jerusalem’s Old City connected Friday arsenic young Palestinians milled astir and women hawked raisins.

Ibrahim Salameh, a 21-year-old smoking connected the steps of Damascus Gate, said helium had ne'er been truthful scared. On Wednesday, helium said, his teenage neighbour was killed arsenic constabulary entered the Shuafat exile campy to demolish an attacker’s home.

“Every time there’s much and much fear, much tension,” helium said. “Somehow I’m surviving with this thought that astatine immoderate infinitesimal I could beryllium changeable dead.”

In the West Bank, Fatah announced a wide onslaught and astir shops were closed successful Palestinian cities. The PA declared Thursday that it would halt the ties that its information forces support with Israel successful a shared effort to incorporate Islamic militants. Previous threats person been short-lived, successful portion due to the fact that of the benefits the authorization enjoys from the relationship, and besides owed to U.S. and Israeli pressure.

The PA has constricted power implicit scattered enclaves successful the West Bank, and astir nary implicit militant strongholds similar the Jenin camp.

Israel says its raids are meant to dismantle militant networks and thwart attacks. The Palestinians accidental they further entrench Israel’s 55-year, open-ended concern of the West Bank, which Israel captured on with eastbound Jerusalem and the Gaza Strip successful the 1967 Mideast war. The Palestinians privation those territories to signifier immoderate eventual state.

Israel has established dozens of settlements successful the West Bank that present location 500,000 people. The Palestinians and overmuch of the planetary assemblage presumption settlements arsenic amerciable and an obstacle to peace, adjacent arsenic talks to extremity the struggle person been moribund for implicit a decade.

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Associated Press writer Jon Gambrell successful Dubai, United Arab Emirates, contributed to this report.