Israeli settlers ignite fires after Palestinian gunman shoots, kills 2
JERUSALEM — Scores of Israeli settlers set dozens of cars and homes on fire late Sunday in the northern West Bank after two settlers were killed by a Palestinian gunman.
Palestinian medics said one man was killed and four others were badly wounded in the outburst of settler violence.
A Palestinian gunman Sunday had opened fire on a car in the northern West Bank, killing two Israeli brothers in an attack that came as Israeli and Palestinian officials pledged to calm a yearlong wave of violence.
Palestinian media said some 30 homes and cars were torched.
Photos and video on social media showed large fires burning throughout the town of Hawara — scene of the deadly shooting earlier in the day — and lighting up the sky.
In one video, a crowd of Jewish settlers stood in prayer as they stared at a building in flames. Earlier, a prominent Israeli Cabinet minister and settler leader had called for Israel to strike “without mercy.”
Late Sunday, the Palestinian Health Ministry said a 37-year-old man was shot and killed by Israeli fire. The Palestinian Red Crescent medical service said two other people were shot and wounded, a third person was stabbed, and a fourth was beaten with an iron bar.
Some 95 others were being treated for tear gas inhalation.
Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas condemned what he called “the terrorist acts carried out by settlers under the protection of the occupation forces tonight.”
“We hold the Israeli government fully responsible,” he said.
The European Union said it was “alarmed by today’s violence” in Huwara, and said “authorities on all sides must intervene now to stop this endless cycle of violence.”
The U.K.’s ambassador to Israel, Neil Wigan, said that “Israel should tackle settler violence, with those responsible brought to justice.”
As videos of the violence appeared on evening news shows, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu appealed for calm and urged against vigilante violence.
“I ask that when blood is boiling and the spirit is hot, don’t take the law into your hands,” Netanyahu said in a video statement.
The Israeli military said its chief of staff, Lt. Gen. Herzl Halevi, rushed to scene. It said troops were being reinforced in the area as they worked to restore order and search for the shooter.
Lawmakers defend Chu:
The leaders of a new House select committee on China defended Democratic Rep. Judy Chu on Sunday, saying it was abhorrent and unacceptable for a GOP lawmaker to question her loyalty to the United States based on her Chinese heritage.
“One of my colleagues, unfortunately, attacked Judy Chu, the first Chinese American congresswoman in the United States Congress, saying that somehow she’s not loyal to the United States. I find that offensive as an Asian American myself,” said Rep. Raja Krishnamoorthi, the ranking Democrat on the panel, about the comments last week from Rep. Lance Gooden, R-Texas.
Wisconsin Rep. Mike Gallagher, the Republican chair of the China panel who appeared Sunday with Krishnamoorthi on CBS’ “Face the Nation,” said Gooden was out of line.
“We should not question
anybody’s loyalty to the United States,” Gallagher said. “That is out of bounds. It’s beyond the pale.”
In a Fox News interview last week, Gooden criticized Chu for her defense of Biden economic appointee Dominic Ng, who the president named to the business advisory council of the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation.
Gooden questioned either Chu’s “loyalty or competence.” He also suggested that Chu, a California Democrat, should not have a security clearance or access to classified briefings.
A suspect has been arrested in connection with a crash that killed two bicyclists and injured 11 others in a Phoenix suburb, authorities said Sunday.
G o o d y e a r p o l i c e announced that Pedro Quintana-Lujan, 26, is jailed on suspicion of two counts of manslaughter, three counts of aggravated assault, 18 counts of endangerment
Crash suspect arrested:
and two counts of causing serious injury or death by a moving violation.
Police said the suspect was driving a pickup truck hauling a trailer when the vehicle crashed into a group of bicyclists about 8 a.m. Saturday on the Cotton Lane Bridge, a busy highway in Goodyear, 19 miles west of Phoenix.
Quintana-Lujan stayed at the scene of the crash and was cooperating with authorities in their investigation, according to police spokeswoman Lisa Berry.
Berry said a woman bicyclist died at the scene and another victim died at a hospital.
Brutal weather: Some Michigan residents faced a fourth straight day in the dark Sunday as crews continued working to restore power to more than 175,000 homes and businesses in the Detroit metropolitan area following last week’s ice storm.
Leah Thomas, whose home north of Detroit in the suburb of Beverly Hills lost
power Wednesday night, was still waiting Sunday for the power to come back on.
Thomas said she feels lucky because while her husband is away traveling, she and their 17-year-old son have been able to stay at her parents’ nearby home, which still has power.
Iran’s currency falls: Iran’s currency fell to a new record low Sunday, plunging to 600,000 to the dollar for the first time as the effects of nationwide anti-government protests and the breakdown of the 2015 nuclear deal continued to roil the economy.
Iranians have formed long lines in front of exchange offices in recent days, hoping to acquire scarce dollars. Many have seen their life savings evaporate as the local currency has deteriorated.
Inflation reached 53.4% in January, up from 41.4% two years ago, according to Iran’s statistics center.
The dire economic conditions
have contributed to widespread anger at the government, but have also forced many Iranians to focus on putting food on the table rather than engaging in political activism amid a crackdown on dissent.
Pakistan bombing: A bombing at a crowded bazaar in southwestern Pakistan on Sunday killed at least five people and wounded 16, authorities said amid a surge in violence in the South Asian nation.
No one immediately claimed responsibility for the attack in Barkhan, about 360 miles northeast of Quetta, the provincial capital.
Sajjad Afzal, the local police chief, said the bomb was apparently rigged to a motorcycle and was detonated by remote control.
Apart from inflicting casualties, the bombing also left several shops at the market badly damaged. Rescuers took the wounded to hospital, Afzal said.