Mary Belle Quesenberry March 12, 2022
JERUSALEM
Israeli troops on Saturday raided the hometown of a Palestinian who carried out a deadly shooting in Tel Aviv, sparking a gunbattle in the occupied West Bank that left at least one Palestinian militant dead, according to Israeli and Palestinian accounts.
The arrest raid was the latest in a series of events that have escalated tensions during the Muslim holy month of Ramadan. Clashes and protests in Jerusalem last year helped spark an 11-day war with Hamas militants in the Gaza Strip.
In Saturday’s raid, the Israeli military said it conducted what it described as a counterterrorism operation in and around the city of Jenin — the area in the northern West Bank where the gunman in Thursday’s attack had lived. It said troops were surveying the attacker’s home “to examine the potential demolition of the house.” Israel often demolishes the homes of Palestinian attackers in a controversial practice that it says deters future attackers but which critics dismiss as collective punishment.
The army said it also conducted an arrest operation on people suspected of militant activity.
During the raids, it said soldiers came under fire. Troops fired back, killing one militant. The Islamic Jihad militant group identified the man as a member. The army said a second gunman was shot and wounded and taken away for medical treatment. It said the man’s weapon was confiscated.
Jenin is considered a stronghold of Palestinian militants. Israeli forces often come under fire when operating in the area. Even the Palestinian Authority, which administers parts of the occupied West Bank and coordinates with Israel on security matters, appears to have little control.
In Thursday’s shooting, a Palestinian gunman opened fire in central Tel Aviv, killing three people. The attacker, identified as Raad Hazem, 28, of Jenin, was later killed by Israeli forces.
It was the fourth deadly attack in Israel by Palestinians in three weeks and came at a time of heightened tensions around the start of the Muslim holy month of Ramadan. Two of those attacks were carried out by men from Jenin.
Despite the violence, Israel has been taking steps to ease tensions, including the granting of thousands of work permits to residents of the Hamascontrolled Gaza Strip and allowing thousands of Palestinians to enter Jerusalem for Ramadan prayers on Friday.
But on Saturday, Israel announced further restrictions on Jenin and its residents. The measures included banning Arab residents of Israel from entering the city for shopping, halting entry permits to Israel held by Jenin’s senior businessmen, and depriving Jenin residents from visiting relatives in Israel as part of Ramadan’s goodwill gestures granted to West Bank Palestinians.
Coral Gables, Florida - Mary Belle Quesenberry (neé) Gardner, passed away peacefully on March 12, 2022. She was 98 years old and had a full rich life by any standard. Born in Virginia, she attended Wesleyan College and graduated with a degree in music 1945. She married William F. Quesenberry Jr. and the couple settled in Coral Gables, Fla.
Mary Belle, an accomplished pianist, was active in the Coral Gables Music Club and was a frequent recitalist. She devoted many hours for many years to Recording For the Blind as a volunteer. She was an avid golfer. The couple were intrepid travelers, particularly after Bill’s retirement and his interest in scuba diving. Their travels took them to all manner of exotic locales.
Mary Belle and Bill moved to Virginia Beach, Virginia to Westminster Canterbury 28 years ago, which is where Bill passed away. She became a much loved and active member of the community, and the unofficial welcoming committee for all new arrivals, organizing dinners and poker games. At the age of 92 she became the oldest person to go hang gliding in the state.
She never lost her sense of fun and upbeat personality. Her mantra became “I just go with the flow.”
She is survived by her children Belle McIntyre of New York, and William Quesenberry III of Coral Gables, and grandson, Wes Quesenberry, Atlanta.