JERUSALEM: Three Israeli soldiers were detained on Monday, the military said, after allegedly hurling an improvised bomb at Palestinians near the West Bank city of Bethlehem as revenge for the seizing of the body of a teenager last week.
On Wednesday, in the occupied West Bank, which has seen an intensification of violence since March, Palestinian gunmen seized the body of an Israeli Druze high-schooler from a hospital in the town of Jenin where he had been taken after a car accident, according to the Israeli Defense Forces.
The incident fueled expectations that the military could launch an assault to recover the teenager’s body. But it was quietly returned after some 30 hours following negotiations that, according to a diplomat, had involved the United Nations.
The gunmen did not announce their motivation, but Palestinians demonstrated in Jenin the same day, demanding the release of remains of their relatives which they said Israel was holding. The Druze are an Arab community in Israel whose members serve in its armed forces.
The Israeli military said in a statement that it had launched an investigation into the attack on Palestinians near Bethlehem on Monday by Israeli Druze soldiers but could not provide further details.
Israel’s defense minister Benny Gantz said if it came to light that the incident was an act of revenge, the military is dealing with a “severe incident which requires accountability.”
“Israeli soldiers don’t take the law into their hands and exact revenge,” Gantz tweeted.
Three Israeli soldiers detained for suspected revenge attack on Palestinians
https://arab.news/g6m6e
Three Israeli soldiers detained for suspected revenge attack on Palestinians
- Palestinian gunmen seized the body of an Israeli Druze high-schooler from a hospital in Jenin
- The incident fueled expectations that the military could launch an assault
Iranian FM slams WEF’s ‘double standards’ after revoking his invite, but keeping Israeli president’s
Iranian FM slams WEF’s ‘double standards’ after revoking his invite, but keeping Israeli president’s
- Araghchi rejected the decision, claiming his appearance was cancelled “on the basis of lies and political pressure”
DUBAI: Iran’s Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi has criticized the World Economic Forum for rescinding his invitation to the annual meeting in Davos amid international scrutiny of his country’s crackdown on recent nationwide protests, accusing the forum of applying “blatant double standards” and succumbing to Western pressure.
The WEF confirmed that Araghchi will not attend this year’s summit, running until Jan. 23, saying that “although he was invited last fall, the tragic loss of lives of civilians in Iran over the past few weeks means that it is not right for the Iranian government to be represented at Davos this year.”
In a post on X, Araghchi rejected the decision, claiming his appearance was cancelled “on the basis of lies and political pressure from Israel and its US‑based proxies and apologists.”
The Iranian minister criticized what he called the WEF’s “blatant double standards” for keeping an invitation open to Israel’s President Isaac Herzog despite international accusations of genocide of the Palestinians in Gaza.
He also referenced Herzog’s participation in Davos in January 2024 despite legal complaints filed against him in Switzerland over his country’s conduct during its war in Gaza, which killed around 71,000 people.
“If WEF wants to feign a supposedly ‘moral’ stance, that is its prerogative. But it should at least be consistent about it,” Araghchi wrote, arguing that the decision exposed a “moral depravity and intellectual bankruptcy.”
Israel’s Herzog is scheduled to participate in a moderated discussion at WEF on Thursday.
