West Bank and Jerusalem Violence Escalates, Resulting in 30 Deaths

The recent violence in the Israeli-occupied West Bank and Jerusalem has left more than 20 people dead. A Palestinian man, Karam Salman, was shot outside an Israeli settlement and was found to be armed with a handgun. The circumstances of his death are unclear.

The violence began with a military raid in the West Bank on Thursday, which resulted in the deaths of 10 people. A man who was wounded in the raid later died of his injuries. The raid was aimed at apprehending members of the Islamic Jihad group involved in attacks on Israel.

On Friday night, a Palestinian gunman killed seven people outside a synagogue in a Jewish settlement in East Jerusalem. On Saturday, a 13-year-old shot and injured two Israelis near another Jewish settlement. The Israeli police arrested the relatives of the Friday night attacker and evicted and emptied the attacker's family home, which will be demolished as per Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's statement.

The recent Palestinian attacks have targeted Israeli settlements and settlers in the West Bank and East Jerusalem. The Israeli government has announced measures to exact a price on Palestinian attackers and those who support them. The Prime Minister wants to expedite the issuing of gun permits to thousands of Israeli citizens, including members of ZAKA, a search-and-rescue and paramedic organization. The recent violence marks a bloody and deadly beginning to 2023, with at least 30 Palestinians and seven Israelis killed.