Pentagon chief Lloyd Austin held talks in Israel on Thursday amid violence that killed three suspected Palestinian militants and renewed protests against Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s government.
Thousands of Israelis protesting the government’s controversial law reform plan blocked roads in and around Israel’s Ben Gurion airport, forcing an 11th-hour shift to the Austin talks, drawing international attention to Israel’s domestic divisions.
Just a few hours before Austin’s arrival, three suspected Palestinian militants were shot dead by secret agents of the Israeli border police in the occupied West Bank despite UN calls for restraint to end the “cycle of violence” that gripped the region this year.
Austin’s meeting with Israeli counterpart Yoav Gallant was moved from the defense ministry in Tel Aviv to near Ben Gurion airport in the face of large protests at the airport and near the ministry.
Netanyahu also met the head of the Pentagon at the same venue, his office said.
The talks came ahead of Netanyahu’s planned departure for Rome on Thursday, where protesters are trying to block the use of vehicles to block road access to the airport.
One of them, 18-year-old Ori Gal, said he was protesting against the “dictatorship emerging from the sewers” and “threatening Israeli democracy”.
Near the defense ministry in Tel Aviv, marching protesters blocked a highway, an AFP photographer reported.
Smaller demonstrations took place in various locations across the country, forcing Netanyahu to travel to the airport by helicopter rather than by car.
Nine consecutive weeks of protests have been held by opponents of the reform plan, which would give politicians greater power in the courts. They have drawn tens of thousands of protesters who see the proposal as a threat to democracy.
Israel’s National Security Minister Itamar Ben-Gvir said he had instructed the police to keep the protesters from blocking the road.
“Show it, shout it, this is democracy,” he said. “But anarchy will not be tolerated.
“I will not destroy the lives of 70,000 people,” he said, referring to the number of passengers booked to depart the airport on Thursday.
Dozens of travelers were seen making their way to the departure area on foot with suitcases, crossing the stationary line of protesters’ cars.
Increasing West Bank violence
The escalating violence in the West Bank has coincided with the tenure of Netanyahu’s coalition government, which took office in December and is considered the most right-wing in Israel’s history.
On Thursday morning, the Palestinian health ministry announced the “martyrdom” of three people shot by Israeli forces in Jaba, near the flash point of the northern city of Jenin.
The health ministry identified the dead as Sufyan Fakhoury, 26, Ahmed Fashafsha, 22, and Nayef Malaysha, 25. It did not provide further details.
Israeli police said special forces accompanied by soldiers were in Jaba to arrest suspects involved in shooting attacks on soldiers in the area, including Fakhoury and Fashafsha. He said the pair were members of the Islamic Jihad militant group.
“During the operation, shots were fired at the undercover border police from the wanted man’s car. Border police officers responded with fire, and killed three gunmen in the car,” the police said, adding that Malaysha was also suspected of being a militant.
“Several guns and explosive devices were found in the vehicle,” police said.
In a statement, Islamic Jihad condemned Israel for the “horrific killings” in Java.
Tuesday’s attack by the Israeli military in Jenin left seven Palestinians dead, including a Hamas member accused of killing two Israeli settlers last month.
UN Middle East peace envoy Tor Wennesland called on Israelis and Palestinians on Wednesday “to remain calm and restrained”, saying that “the cycle of violence … must stop immediately.”
The Palestinian health ministry identified the seventh death from Tuesday’s attack as 14-year-old Walid Nassar.
Some observers fear more violence especially around Jerusalem’s holy sites during the Muslim fasting month of Ramadan, which begins in late March, and the Jewish Passover holiday in April.
Since the beginning of the year, the conflict has claimed the lives of 75 Palestinian adults and children, including militants and civilians.
Thirteen Israeli adults and children, including members of the security forces and civilians, and one Ukrainian civilian have been killed in the same period, according to an AFP tally based on official sources from both sides.