Israeli security forces killed 146 Palestinians in the West Bank and predominantly Palestinian East Jerusalem through Dec. 19 of this year, compared with 75 in 2021, according to figures provided by the U.N. Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs, or OCHA.In a statement to The Washington Post, Israel’s military said that “the vast majority of those killed by [Israel Defense Forces] fire … were involved in terrorist activity that posed a direct threat to human life.”Israeli soldiers used live fire “when necessary” during “counterterrorism activities,” the statement continued, in response to “violent riots, which often include explosive devices, molotov cocktails and rocks hurled at IDF soldiers and Israeli civilians.”Attacks by Palestinians, including knife, bomb and shooting attacks in central Tel Aviv, downtown Jerusalem and West Bank settlements, killed 29 Israelis in 2022 — including soldiers and civilians — according to the country’s Foreign Affairs Ministry.“We have a new dynamic in the West Bank and around Jerusalem” with a “new generation” of Israelis and Palestinians in conflict, Tor Wennesland, the U.N. special coordinator for the Middle East peace process, told The Post.In September, Israel announced the results of its inquiry into the death of Abu Akleh, who was shot in the head while covering a military raid near Jenin in May.“There is no one demanding accountability.”Far-right politician Itamar Ben Gvir, slated to become Israel’s next national security minister, has proposed giving police and soldiers wider latitude to use live ammunition and shielding them from criminal prosecution for killing or injuring Palestinians."