Top Palestinian Official, Head Of Israeli Security Agency Meet In Bid To Reduce West Bank Tensions

Amid an uptick in violence in the West Bank, Palestinian official Hussein al-Sheikh met with Nadav Argaman, head of Israel’s internal security agency (Shin Bet), in order to examine ways to reduce tensions. A spate of terrorist attacks in the West Bank last week resulted in the deaths of two Israeli soldiers and a three-day-old baby delivered prematurely after a pregnant woman was wounded in a drive-by shooting. In response, the Israel Defense Forces upped its presence in the Palestinian territories and conducted multiple raids, including a rare daytime foray into Ramallah where troops confiscated security cameras at the official news site Wafa. The IDF also tracked down and killed the terrorist responsible for last Sunday’s attack outside the Jewish community of Ofra, which injured seven Israelis including the deceased infant’s mother. Israeli soldiers likewise killed in a stand-off Ashraf Na’alowa, who had been on the run for over two months since murdering Kim Levengrond Yehezkel and Ziv Hajbi at a joint Israeli-Palestinian factory. According to Sheikh, both Jordan and Egypt are exerting pressure on Israel to stop “the dangerous escalation” in the West Bank, a matter that will be further discussed on Tuesday when King Abdullah II hosts Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas in Amman. Despite the developments, the Palestinian chief reportedly has instructed his security services to continue coordination with their Israeli counterparts.