US-Israeli citizen injured in West Bank as parties meet in Egypt to de-escalate
A second Israeli-Palestinian-American-Egyptian-Jordanian meeting took place on Sunday, with all parties pledging to take measures to de-escalate tensions in Jerusalem and the West Bank, ahead of Ramadan and Passover.
Israeli-American David Stern, a former US Marine, was shot and seriously injured Sunday evening when driving by the Palestinian village of Huwara in the West Bank. According to news reports, Stern shot back at the gunman, injuring him. The assailant was then apprehended by Israeli security forces.
Shortly after the incident, US Ambassador to Israel Tom Nides confirmed that an American citizen was injured in a shooting attack near Huwara. US President Joe Biden and Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu spoke on the phone on Sunday, mainly about the judicial overhaul plan advanced by the Israeli government.
Still, the office of Netanyahu said he also updated Biden on the Huwara incident. Netanyahu’s office issued a statement after the phone call. “The prime minister told President Biden that Israel would continue to take action everywhere against terrorists and the architects of terrorism. Netanyahu thanked President Biden for his commitment to Israel’s security,” it read.
The shooting in Huwara took place as Israeli, Palestinian, American, Egyptian and Jordanian senior officials were meeting in Sharm el-Sheikh, Egypt, in a bid to calm tensions in the West bank and in Jerusalem ahead of the fasting month of Ramadan that starts later this week. At the meeting, Israel reconfirmed its commitment to stop for a few months any new initiative for settlement construction.
