Israel News for 2-27-2023
News Update
On Sunday, 2 brothers from the settlement of Har Bracha were murdered by a terrorist who shot them as they were sitting in traffic while driving through the village of Hurawa on highway 60. Hillel (22) and Yagel (20) Yaniv were laid to rest earlier today, escorted by thousands of mourners. Both of the men were yeshiva students. Hillel had completed his IDF service in the navy and Yagel was training to join an elite IDF combat unit.
After the terror attack, hundreds of settlers converged on the village of Hurawa and burned down 35 houses and close to 100 cars. Palestinian sources say that around 75 homes in total were damaged. One Palestinian man was killed and close to 100 injured, most from smoke inhalation. Hundreds of IDF troops entered Hurawa to stop the violence and help rescue residents from their burning homes. Internal Security Minister Ben Gvir visited the scene and said that while he understands the settler’s anger, citizens must not take the law into their own hands. Only the government can deal with terrorism. Finance Minister Smotrich echoed Ben Gvir’s words. The IDF added several additional combat battalions to existing forces in Judea and Samaria.
The Ministerial Committee for Legislation approved a bill yesterday that would allow courts to impose the death penalty on terrorists. The bill will now head to the Knesset. Attorney General Gali Baharav-Miara opposed the bill, claiming it contained serious constitutional problems.
Officials from Israel, Jordan, Egypt, the Palestinian Authority and the U.S. met in the Jordanian city of Aqaba yesterday to discuss ways to reduce tensions. The Jordanians claim that Israel agreed to halt new settlement approvals in the West Bank for four to six months and that both sides agreed to support “confidence-building steps” and to meet again next month in Egypt. But Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich and Internal Security Minister Ben Gvir denied that Israel agreed to any settlement freeze. National Security Advisor Tzachi Hanegbi, the prime minister’s envoy to the meeting, also said that Israel had not agreed to any policy changes regarding settlements.
