A tense situation unfolded in the West Bank on Sunday when an Israeli driver’s car was set ablaze after he mistakenly entered the Palestinian town of Qalandiya, located between Jerusalem and Ramallah. The driver’s accidental entry sparked aggression from local residents, leading to a violent confrontation. Videos circulating online show a mob of Palestinians chasing the Israeli car and hurling stones at it. In an attempt to escape, the driver lost control and crashed into concrete blocks at the Qalandiya checkpoint, sustaining minor injuries. He was subsequently rescued and admitted to Jerusalem’s Shaare Zedek hospital.
The Palestinian attackers later set the driver’s car on fire, as seen in another video. The incident highlights the escalating violence in the West Bank, which has been under Israeli occupation since 1967. Last week, in Jenin, a known hotbed of Israeli military operations, a soldier was killed and another seriously injured during a raid. Jenin and its adjacent camps are frequent targets for Israeli military operations.
Since the inception of the Israel-Palestine conflict, numerous mob killings have been reported from the West Bank. On June 22nd, an Israeli citizen in his 60s was shot dead by local residents in Kalkilya after entering the town in his car. In response, the Israeli Defence Forces (IDF) closed the entrances to Kalkilya, implementing vehicle checks and arrests.
On another occasion, following the killing of three young Palestinians by Israeli forces in Kalkilya, a Palestinian retaliated by setting fire to a settler’s car, killing the driver, identified as Amnon Mokhtar from Petach Tikva. Numerous other incidents have been reported in Kalkilya, reflecting the ongoing tension and violence in the region.
The escalation of violent clashes in the West Bank has been particularly pronounced since the outbreak of the Israel-Hamas war in Gaza on October 7, 2023. Palestinian officials report that 553 Palestinians have been killed by Israeli forces or settlers in the West Bank since the beginning of the conflict. Conversely, Palestinian attacks have resulted in the deaths of 15 Israelis, including soldiers, during the same period, according to the AFP news agency.
