West Bank calms down as Gaza reheats

Although a rocket fired into Israel from the Gaza Strip on Tuesday threatened to ignite already heightened tensions between Palestinians and Israelis, Israeli military officials said the surge in violence throughout the West Bank over the death of a Palestinian prisoner was subsiding.

“We are closely following the situation on a daily basis, and have seen a decline in the volume of the events,” said IDF spokesman Major Arye Shalicur on Wednesday. In the meantime, “the IDF is exercising enormous restraint on the ground,” he said.

The death of the 30-year-old Palestinian prisoner, Arafat Jaradat, at the Israeli Megiddo jail on Saturday sparked confrontations across the West Bank. Two Israelis and seven Palestinians were injured as a result.

PA President Mahmoud Abbas blamed Israel for Jaradat’s death and condemned what he said was an “unprecedented Israeli escalation”. He also demanded a UN investigation into the case.