Algeria - "Al Quds" dot com - The Algerian National Liberation Front and the National Building Movement condemned today, Saturday, the Israeli aggression on the Gaza Strip, and called for international action to stop it.

The party held the Israeli occupation state fully responsible for this escalation, expressing its condemnation of the brutal and cowardly attacks on the Gaza Strip, in a flagrant violation of the lives of safe people.

The party pointed out that these serious attacks, which have become periodic, constitute a clear violation of international human rights covenants, civil rights, international resolutions, and the United Nations.

He called on the international community and the Security Council to intervene urgently to stop this cowardly and criminal aggression against the defenseless Palestinian people, and to impose respect for international legitimacy and the right of the Palestinian people, which does not fall under statute of limitations, to establish their independent state with Al-Quds Al-Sharif as its capital.

He also affirmed his firm position on the justice of the Palestinian cause and the legitimate rights of the Palestinian people, just like other peoples who enjoy freedom and independence.

For its part, Al-Binaa Al-Watani condemned this aggression, strongly denouncing the Israeli calls for large-scale storming of Al-Aqsa tomorrow, in conjunction with the continuation of this cowardly military operation against the Palestinian people in Gaza.

The head of the party, Abd al-Qadir bin Qurainah, considered this attack a new crime added to the repeated crimes of the occupying state against innocent Palestinians, in light of the failure of some Arab countries to assume their responsibilities and deal with the grave violations committed by the Israeli occupation forces against the Palestinians, especially in Al-Aqsa Mosque.

He called on the international community to clearly and explicitly condemn this aggression, and to take swift action to stop it.

He said: In view of this escalation in aggression against a dear part of our beloved Palestine, we express our full solidarity with the Palestinian brothers, and affirm the legitimate right of the Palestinian people to self-defense.

He pointed out that brotherly Palestine will always find the Algerian nation as a people and an authority at its side, and it is the one that has never failed in supporting the legitimate rights of the Palestinian people, and in striving to establish their independent state, with Al-Quds Al-Sharif as its capital, and it is continuing, in word and deed, to strengthen the Palestinian cohesion.

MOSCOW, (Xinhua) -- Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov said that the West's policy of containing Russia is a very serious issue fraught with the risk of a direct armed clash between the nuclear powers.

Lavrov said in an interview with Russia's Tass news agency on Tuesday that "irresponsible speculation" that Russia is about to use nuclear weapons against Ukraine is constantly unfolding in the West.

"We are talking about something completely different: the comprehensive containment policy pursued by the West against our country is very dangerous, as it risks sliding into a direct armed clash between the nuclear powers," the Russian foreign minister continued.

Lavrov explained that Moscow has repeatedly expressed that there can be no winners in the event of a nuclear war, which should never be unleashed.

Lavrov noted that Western politicians are increasing their rhetoric on the issue of a nuclear war, saying that they are the ones who should be asked whether this issue will continue in 2023.

The Russian Foreign Minister expressed his "deep concern about the loud propaganda" in the United States and Western countries in general about nuclear weapons.

JOHANNESBURG (AFP) - Six lions have been killed after escaping from a hunting reserve in South Africa and terrorizing residents living nearby, wildlife authorities said Monday.

The authorities said that guards in the eastern province of KwaZulu-Natal killed the lions on Friday after residents protested their inability to walk safely at night.

"Anger was building as there were fears that lions were no longer afraid of humans," Musa Mntambo, spokesman for the Izimvelo KZN wildlife sanctuary, said in a statement.

He added that the lions had killed at least six cows and no longer ran away when they saw humans, instead walking towards them.
Globally, the number of lions living in the wild is decreasing, but in South Africa its numbers are growing and have reached 3,500 lions, according to wildlife associations.

Tehran - (dpa) - Iranian Foreign Minister Hossein Amir Abdollahian said, in a phone call to his Emirati counterpart, Abdullah bin Zayed, that Israel's presence in the region "causes insecurity and stability."

And the Islamic Republic of Iran News Agency (IRNA) reported today, Sunday, that the Emirati minister stressed that his country will not allow any subversive acts from its lands against its neighboring countries, and always takes into account the security of its neighbors.

The Iranian Foreign Minister stressed the importance of increasing bilateral meetings and consultations between the officials of the two countries, and considered it a ground for developing and expanding relations between them.

Amir Abdullahian added, "The Islamic Republic of Iran wants to maintain security and progress for its neighbors and the region, and it believes that the intervention and presence of foreigners harms the security of the region."

The Iranian foreign minister invited his Emirati counterpart to visit Tehran.

Jenin - "Jerusalem" dot com - Ali Samoudi - Last night, Jewish extremists attacked worker Ahmed Muhammad Qabha, a resident of the village of Tura in Jenin, while he was in Haifa , northern occupied Palestine.

And family sources told Al-Quds.com that the young man, Qabha, was critically injured, as a result of this attack, and was transferred to Jenin Governmental Hospital for treatment.

And she indicated that Qabha was surprised by a group of masked Jews blocking his way from his workplace in Haifa, and pepper gas was sprayed on his face, then they attacked him with knives and injured him.

Ramallah - "Jerusalem" dot com - "Al-Haq" Foundation confirmed this evening, Saturday, that the decisions by laws that were issued in the judicial matter seriously affected the guarantees of a fair trial, and the presumption of innocence attached to the human being.

In a position paper issued by Al-Haq, Al-Haq affirmed that these decrees by laws transferred detention procedures from precautionary measures that have their origins and philosophy in international law and standards to a prior punishment for the accused through the possibility of extending the detention for a period that reaches the sentence prescribed for the crime, and leads to depriving citizens of Their right to appear before their natural judge expeditiously by allowing the extension of detention without being brought to court under vague headings represented in force majeure, which lead to prejudice the principle of two-level litigation and public trial on which our judicial system is based by examining appeals carefully.

And she continued, “It also vests the accused with the authority to bring defense witnesses, which is the responsibility of law enforcement officials, and considers him incapable of providing evidence in the event that the witness does not appear to testify before the court, and requires prior written permission from the Attorney General or one of his assistants for the possibility of prosecuting the public employee or members of the police force.” This may lead to immunization from prosecution and punishment, imposing fines on lawyers and citizens in unjustified cases, and violating notification procedures in a way that threatens legal rights and guarantees, in addition to raising court fees exponentially in a manner that constitutes a gross violation of the principle of free litigation and the right to access justice. Leads to a threat to civil peace.

Al-Haq confirmed that the demands announced by the Palestinian Bar Association , and the ongoing activities led by the association, calling for halting the enforcement of decisions by laws affecting judicial affairs and canceling their effects; Legitimate and consistent with the principle of the rule of law and international standards, and based on the inherent role of the Bar Association in defending public rights and freedoms, and requires support from civil society institutions.

Al-Haq stresses the need to rescind decisions by laws affecting judicial affairs, without delay, due to the absence of the necessity that does not tolerate delay in issuing them contrary to the provisions of the Constitution, and because they involve grave violations of constitutional principles and values, guarantees of a fair trial, and others.

Al-Haq said: "The continuous deterioration in the judicial affairs is due to unconstitutional interference that violates international conventions and standards in the judiciary and justice affairs, and not the judicial legislation itself, which has led to a decline in citizens' confidence in the judiciary, and wasted the principle of the rule of law and the separation of powers, including It warns of the reluctance of citizens to resort to the judiciary, and to fulfill the right in particular, which threatens civil and societal peace, which requires an immediate cessation of interference in the judicial matter, especially the legislation regulating it.

Al-Haq stressed the need to unite and intensify all efforts towards holding general legislative and presidential elections as a suitable ground for unifying and reforming the judiciary in the West Bank and Gaza Strip, in a way that restores respect for the institutions of the Palestinian political system, and respect for the principle of separation of powers and the principle of the rule of law as a basis for good and rational governance.

Al-Haq called for organizing a general conference in the West Bank and Gaza Strip to follow up on the state of deterioration and continuous bleeding in the Palestinian judiciary, in order to unify the societal effort on effective methodology and tools to unify and reform the judiciary and maintain the principle of the rule of law and the pillars of good governance, on the basis of respect for the Basic Law. Amendment (constitution) and agreements to which the State of Palestine has joined.

SHIJIAZHUANG (Xinhua) -- Chinese Vice Premier Sun Chunlan said the country's latest COVID-19 response protocols require higher precision in implementing prevention and control measures and fixing loopholes, not complacency and laxity.

Sun, also a member of the Political Bureau of the CPC Central Committee, made the remarks when she was visiting Hebei Province from Monday to Tuesday to check on the province's epidemic prevention and control measures.

Sun reaffirmed China's firm adherence to the dynamic "zero-COVID" policy, and stressed rapid response to deal with outbreaks in the shortest time and at the lowest cost, to ensure epidemic control, economic stability and safe development.

She spoke highly of Hebei Province's achievement of being completely infection-free at the community level for a relatively long time, and asked local authorities to remain vigilant and eliminate any outbreaks at the community level in a timely and resolute manner.

Written by: Hamdi Farrag
The news said that three Hamas jihadist leadership meetings were held in Gaza, Beirut and Tehran prior to the launch of the latest aggression on Gaza. The news did not say what happened between the two communities, but the events said. This is a hypothetical scenario:

Hamas for Jihad: Israel has informed Egypt and Egypt has told us that it cannot wait any longer than today (Saturday 6-8) imposing a movement ban on the residents of the settlements around the periphery. They began to clamor and demonstrate and leave for Tel Aviv.

Jihad: We will not change our position to release Al-Saadi and Awadeh.

Hamas: Awadeh will not be renewed for him again, and Al-Saadi is fine and was not injured in gunfire or anything else. There is no need for us to fight a war that is imposed on us and on the entire people in an ordinary and daily issue.

Jihad: We consider this to be two fundamental issues, and we will not give them up.

Hamas: There are issues that are more principled than what you say and remember. Apart from sparing Gaza and its people the scourge of destruction and war, we are not adequately prepared for it.

Jihad: We are ready, and we insist, even if we are forced to fight it without you.

Hamas: We will not prevent you, but we will not participate with you, and we will inform the Egyptians to raise our hand (withdraw our hand) on this issue.

Jihad: We appreciate your position that you will not try to prevent us.

Hamas: We hope that you will also appreciate that we, through the Egyptian mediator, have opened advanced discussions on a number of thorny and intractable files, and we have made some progress.

Jihad: You mean the exchange file?

Hamas: exchange and non-exchange. Crossings, workers and goods. Here you see that the crossings were closed, and workers were prevented from going to their work, and the electricity was about to be cut off.

Jihad: Israel has been manipulating us for the past 15 years, and has been manipulating the Palestinian Authority for 30 years.

Hamas: That's right. Today, however, we possess an arsenal of weapons and missiles that make it compelled to reconsider its calculations and priorities, and it has discovered that the path of war and confrontation does not lead it anywhere, and that there must be another path.

Jihad: It is clear that you are betting on that.

Hamas: It is clear that you reduce the struggle and jihad to the surviving faction or to the sons of the tribe. Saadi and Awadeh.

The hypothetical dialogue ended, the confrontation ended, and about fifty Palestinians were killed between a leader, a resistance fighter, a citizen, a child and a woman, and a real, non-hypothetical dialogue began between Hamas and the Jihad and the rest of the components of the people, through a difficult and humiliating path that the PLO followed 30 years ago, fearing that Hamas will worship it with the Jihad or without it again.

***********'**
As for the writer of "Haaretz", who said that the Israeli channels talked extensively about the dog that was killed in Jenin and did not mention the five-year-old Alaa, who was killed in the bombing, we should ask him about the age of the dog.

نابلس- “القدس” دوت كوم- عماد سعادة– مساء التاسع من حزيران 2006، كان الشاب حمزة صالح الطقطوق (22 عاماً) من بلدة نابلس القديمة واحداً من بين ملايين البشر الذين شاهدوا عبر الفضائيات تلك الفتاة الغَزِّيَّة المفجوعة هدى غالية، ابنة العشر سنوات التي كانت تبكي، وأبكت معها حتى بحر غزة، وهي تتفقد أشلاء وجثامين أفراد عائلتها السبعة الذين قتلتهم قذائف بوارج الاحتلال بينما كانوا يلهون عند شاطئ غزة.

ملايين البشر الذين شاهدوا الجريمة وتأثروا بها، ذهب كل منهم في اليوم التالي إلى عمله أو انشغل بهمومه، لكن الأمر كان مختلفاً بالنسبة للفتى الطقطوق، الذي كانت هذه الحادثة كفيلة بتغيير مسار حياته، إذ إنه تأثر حد النخاع، وسرت الحميَّةُ في عروقه، فقرر الانتصار لابنة شعبه هدى غالية، ولعائلتها على طريقته الخاصة.

القصة الكاملة للطقطوق، الذي انتهى به المطاف أسيراً خلف قضبان سجون الاحتلال ومحكوماً بالسجن المؤبد مرتين، يرويها والده صالح الطقطوق (أبو العبد) من محله الصغير المتواضع في نهاية زقاق يطل على “خان التجار” الشهير في قلب نابلس القديمة.

ويقول (أبو العبد) إن نجله حمزة كان فتى في السادسة عشر من عمره عندما اندلعت الانتفاضة الثانية (انتفاضة الأقصى).

ولمّا كانت بلدة نابلس القديمة، من أهم المسارح في هذه الانتفاضة، فقد انخرط نجله حمزة في الأنشطة النضالية والوطنية التي تناسب عمره وارتبط بعلاقات وثيقة مع المقاومين والمطلوبين في البلدة القديمة، وكان يقدم المساعدة لهم.

وخلال فترة الاجتياح الكبير لبلدة نابلس القديمة في نيسان 2002، أُصيب الأخ الأكبر لحمزة بإحدى قذائف الاحتلال، ما أدى إلى بتر يده، وهذه الحادثة كانت بمثابة الحافز النضالي الإضافي لحمزة كي ينخرط أكثر في العمل الوطني حتى بات أصغر مطلوب في نابلس للاحتلال بعمر (18 عاماً).

ويضيف (أبو العبد): إن حمزة ظل مطلوباً للاحتلال عدة سنوات دون أن يتمكن جيش الاحتلال من اعتقاله. وعندما برزت معالم تسوية بين الحكومة الفلسطينية والجانب الإسرائيلي بخصوص إنهاء ملف المطلوبين لقوات الاحتلال، تم تفريغ حمزة للعمل في أحد الأجهزة الأمنية الفلسطينية، وانتقل إلى مقر أمني في مدينة رام الله، وظل مدة طويلة هناك، وكان من المحظور عليه أن يخرج خارج المقر خوفاً من اعتقاله من قبل قوات الاحتلال.

الانتقام لعائلة غالية
وبالعودة إلى جريمة شاطئ غزة بحق عائلة غالية، فقد بدأ حمزة التخطيط للانتقام لهذه الجريمة بينما كان موجوداً في المقر الأمني الذي كان يعمل فيه في مدينة رام الله، ووضع مع زميلين له في المقر، وهما أيهم الكممجي من قرية كفر دان في محافظة جنين، وبسام اكتيع من قطاع غزة، المحكومين حالياً بمثل حكم حمزة، بنود وتفاصيل عملية الانتقام التي أطلقوا عليها اسم “غضب الفرسان”.

وتشير التفاصيل، التي اتضحت لاحقاً وتم نشرها، إلى أنه في الخامس والعشرين من حزيران 2006، أي بعد نحو أُسبوعين من جريمة شاطئ غزة، خرج حمزة مع زميليه في سيارة تحمل لوحة صفراء (إسرائيلية)، وتمكنوا من خطف المستوطن “إلياهو اشيري” وهو من مستوطنة “ايتمار” جنوب نابلس بينما كان يوجد في منطقة غرب رام الله، ومن ثم قاموا بتصفيته ودفنه في أحد الحقول بالقرب من بلدة بيتونيا في رام الله.

سارع منفذو العملية إلى إرسال (فاكس) إلى لجان المقاومة الشعبية/ ألوية الناصر صلاح الدين في غزة، يعلنون فيه عن عملية خطف المستوطن، وتضمن (الفاكس) المُرسَل صورة هوية المستوطن المخطوف. وبدورها أعلنت لجان المقاومة الشعبية بتاريخ 28/ 6/ 2007 عن هذه العملية، وقامت بعرض صورة هوية المستوطن على وسائل الإعلام، مهددة في الوقت ذاته بقتل المستوطن في حال لم يوقف الاحتلال عمليته العسكرية في غزة التي كان قد أطلقها منذ أيام في غزة رداً على خطف الجندي الإسرائيلي “جلعاد شاليط”.

واتضح فيما بعد أن مخابرات الاحتلال تمكنت من تتبع مكان إرسال الفاكس من مدينة رام الله، وبالتالي التعرف على منفذي العملية، وتمكنت فجر اليوم التالي من الوصول إلى جثة المستوطن “اشيري” المدفونة في رام الله.

وبعد عدة أيام، وتحديداً بتاريخ 4/ 7/ 2004، تمكنت قوات الاحتلال من أسر المقاومين الثلاثة الطقطوق وكممجي واكتيع بعد محاصرتهم في مقر للشرطة الفلسطينية في رام الله، ومن ثم جرى تقديمهم للمحاكمة والحكم عليهم بالمؤبد.

إلى هنا أُغلق ملف خطف المستوطن باعتقال منفذي العملية ومحاكمتهم، ولكن بالنسبة لوالد حمزة (أبو العبد) فقد بدأت مرحلة مظلمة في حياة العائلة.

بعد 9 سنوات من اعتقاله، تمكن (أبو العبد) للمرة الأولى من زيارة نجله حمزة في سجنه، وكان ذلك في 2015، مشيراً إلى أنه وجده في معنويات تطال السماء وأنه مؤمن بما فعل، ومن ثم توالت الزيارات له، وتمكن حمزة الذي كان قد ترك مدرسته من الصف التاسع من الحصول على شهادة التوجيهي وهو في الأسر، ثم التحق بجامعة القدس المفتوحة، وحصل منها على درجة البكالوريوس في العلوم السياسية.

ويقول الوالد: إن حمزة قد تعرض للتعذيب النفسي والجسدي خلال سنوات اعتقاله، وتعرض للعزل المنفرد، وخاض الإضراب الشهير عن الطعام الذي قاده الأسير القائد مروان البرغوثي.

ومع احتمالات الإعلان عن صفقات تبادل أسرى بين المقاومة وسلطات الاحتلال، يوجه والد حمزة الطقطوق رسالة للمقاومة بأن أصحاب المؤبدات يجب أن يكونوا في مقدمة من يتم الإفراج عنهم في الصفقة، فهذه فرصتهم التي قد يصعب أن تتكرر، ومن دونها سيقضون ما تبقى من حياتهم خلف القضبان. كما يوجه رسالته لأبناء الشعب الفلسطيني وللقيادة وللفصائل وعموم المؤسسات بأن يضعوا قضية الأسرى فوق كل اعتبار، وأن لا يتركوهم وحدهم في معركتهم.

Jerusalem - "Al Quds" dot com - Samir Awni Harbi Aslan (41 years old) was killed, at dawn Thursday, as a result of being shot by the Israeli occupation forces during their storming of the Qalandia refugee camp, north of occupied Jerusalem.

According to the Ministry of Health, the martyr Aslan was hit by a bullet that penetrated his chest and he died as a result.

According to Jerusalemite sources, Aslan was targeted by the occupation soldiers after he tried to defend his son Ramzi during his barbaric arrest during a massive campaign of arrests and raids that took place in the camp.

She pointed out that the occupation forces detained Aslan for a while while he was bleeding, and prevented the people from giving him first aid.

He announced a comprehensive strike in the camp to mourn the martyr's soul.

During the massive storming of the camp, the occupation forces arrested about 14 citizens, including freed prisoners, who are: the editor Osama Hamad, the editor Shafiq Awwad and his brother Moatasem, the freedmen Karim and Ihab Abu Latifa, the boy Adam Badran, Adham Awwad, Ramzi Aslan, Iyad Mutair, Ahmed Mutair, And Kamal Abu Ghuwaila, Ali Zayed, Mustafa Al-Juri and his brother Muhammad.

Moscow - (AFP) - Russian President Vladimir Putin on Sunday accused the West of seeking to "divide" what he described as "historic Russia" that includes Ukraine, more than ten months after the Kremlin's military offensive against the neighboring country.

"Everything is based on the policy of our geopolitical opponents who aim to divide Russia, historical Russia," Putin said in an interview broadcast on Russian television, stressing that Moscow's "goal is completely different, which is to unite the Russian people."

Putin used the concept of "historical Russia" to say that Ukrainians and Russians are one people, which undermines Kiev's sovereignty and justifies his ten-month-old attack on Ukraine.

"We are acting in the right direction, we are protecting our national interests, the interests of our citizens and our people," Putin said.
The Russian president repeated his statements that Moscow is "ready to negotiate with all participants in this process (to find) an acceptable solution" to the conflict.

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky, on his first trip outside Ukraine since the offensive began in February, had strong pledges of support from US President Joe Biden, including the Pentagon's most advanced air defense system.
Referring to the Patriot missile systems that Zelensky had promised, Putin said, "Of course, we will destroy them 100 percent."

Ramallah - "Jerusalem" dot com - Prime Minister Muhammad Shtayyeh announced, on Monday morning, the date for announcing the results of the high school diploma in Palestine.

Shtayyeh made it clear, in a statement at the start of his government's weekly session, that the results will be next Saturday.

Habash (Iraq) - (AFP) - In the Iraqi dialect, the word "mako" means "nothing". Issa repeats it a lot by saying, "There is no electricity, there is no house." Eight years after the fierce battles with the Islamic State, the reconstruction process is still stagnating in his village in northern Iraq.
Issa Al-Zamzoum lives in the agricultural village of Habash, 180 km north of the capital, Baghdad. The man, his wife Umm Warda, and their five children live in a house made of cement, part of which collapsed during the war in 2014, but it was not separated from the other parts of the building.
In one room, a hen watches her chicks, and in another, she has piled old sleeping mats against a wall.
Issa's main home was destroyed and the place he now resides in has been given to him. "There is nothing here, no electricity, no work, nothing," says the 42-year-old, adding, "Since the war until now, we have not seen construction or services."
An advisor in Salah al-Din governorate, to which the village of Habash belongs, who preferred not to reveal his identity, justifies the delay in reconstruction work due to the extent of the governorate's "wideness". "We cannot yet arrange things 100 percent," he told AFP.
In the village of Habash, the destroyed or semi-destroyed houses are in the dozens, as if the war had just ended. The village is paying the heavy price of the siege imposed by the Islamic State in the summer of 2014 on the city of Amerli, located about 10 kilometers from the village of Habash.
At the time, the jihadists controlled the city of Mosul and other lands in northern Iraq. They advanced south and besieged Amerli. In late August of the same year, the Iraqi army, the Popular Mobilization Forces, and the Kurdish Peshmerga forces broke the siege of Amerli, the village of Habash, and the neighboring villages that the jihadists used as bases.
In late 2017, the Iraqi government and the Iraqi army, with the support of the international coalition, declared "victory" over the organization.
But the story did not end with the end of the battles.
According to Human Rights Watch, after the 2014 siege, and during the raids, "militias, volunteer fighters and members of the Iraqi security forces looted the property of civilians who fled the fighting during the attack on Amerli."
"They burned the homes and shops of the Sunnis who lived in the villages and used explosives and heavy equipment to destroy buildings owned by individuals or entire villages," she added.
Today, "the humanitarian needs are enormous" in the Tuz Khurmato district where Habash is located, according to the Norwegian Refugee Council. The non-governmental organization added, in a statement to Agence France-Presse, that about "20,000 displaced people live" in the district, speaking of "urgent" needs for water and electricity.
Some people also lack identity papers, according to the organization, as to obtain them, some residents face "problems in clearing their profile of any security suspicions" due to suspicions of their affiliation with the Islamic State.
Like Issa al-Zamzoum and his neighbor Abd al-Karim Nuri, the majority of Habash's residents are Sunni Arabs.
"This life of ours is not life. I have no job. I have five sheep to live on," says Nuri. He added, addressing one of the region's deputies, "He said he would carry out reconstruction, but he did nothing."
Nouri, however, does not talk about his sectarian affiliation, nor about sectarianism, which has become a sensitive issue in Iraq, in which tens of thousands of people were killed during the sectarian conflict between 2006 and 2008.
However, four and a half years after the fall of the self-proclaimed "caliphate" of the Islamic State, some Sunnis say they are still subject to harassment and discrimination.
A report by the US State Department published in 2021 stated that Sunni officials denounced the "forced displacement of Sunnis" at the hands of the Popular Mobilization Forces, and the "arbitrary arrests" of members of their sect "suspected of being linked to the Islamic State."
Without mentioning the Islamic State, the official in Salah al-Din governorate spoke of "security concerns" that are also delaying reconstruction work.
While Habash got rid of the Islamic State, the ghost of its cells still roams about 15 kilometers in the areas to the north.
Along the road leading to the village of Bir Ahmed, the Popular Mobilization Forces, an alliance of Shiite armed factions that have become integrated into the Iraqi official forces, deployed security barriers and raised the alert level.
"The situation in Bir Ahmed is out of our control and that of the army," said one of the officers.
"If you want, go in, but I can't guarantee whether you will come back," he added.

Translation of "Jerusalem" dot com - Last night, Iranian hackers published new documents and photos of the head of the Israeli Mossad , David Barnea, after his phone was hacked.

According to the Hebrew website Ynet, one of the photos was taken of Barnea during his presence in the European Youth Judo Championship that was held in Tel Aviv in 2016, and documents of comprehensive medical examinations that he apparently conducted that year, confirming that all the photos and documents are old years before he assumed the presidency of the apparatus.

Israel believes that the materials published on Barnea since last March were obtained by hacking his wife's phone.

The publication of the new photos comes hours before the head of the Mossad heads to the United States to hold important meetings on the Iranian nuclear file.

Jerusalem - Media of the Olympic Committee/ The Diaspora Athletes Committee recently held a meeting at the Olympic Committee headquarters in Sidon, to discuss preparations for reviving the activities of the National Olympic Week, which will be held during the period from 23 to 30 June.

The meeting was attended by a member of the Executive Office of the Olympic Committee, Dr. Nizar Talib, and representatives of federations in the diaspora, where the importance of the event, which is held on the occasion of the Olympic Day and includes many national sporting events, was emphasized.

During the meeting, a program of events for the various sports federations was set for the Olympic week, which will be held in conjunction with its organization at home in the northern and southern governorates. Dr. thanked He asked the representatives of the sports federations for their cooperation in making this central event a success, which aims to spread the Olympic culture and its values in society through sports and academic activities targeting various groups of society.

Ciudad Juarez - (AFP) - Migrants stranded in Ciudad Juarez, a city in northern Mexico bordering the United States, condemned the construction of a new barrier of containers on the border with the US state of Texas, days after announcing the dismantling of a similar facility in Arizona.

These containers were placed on the American bank of the Rio Grande River, which forms the border separating the United States and Mexico and is known as the Rio Bravo to the Mexicans, according to AFP correspondents at the site.

A similar barrier consisting of 915 containers was erected along the border by the decision of the Arizona authorities, distorting the Coronado National Forest, which is a natural area protected at the federal level, but the judiciary ordered its dismantling before the fourth of January.

"The situation at the border is getting more complicated every day, with fences, soldiers and now containers," said Moses Carrillo, a 31-year-old Venezuelan who arrived in Ciudad Juarez after a four-month journey.

Joseph Diaz, another 24-year-old Venezuelan, declared, "It is racism. There is no equality. They think they are superior to us, but we are all human beings in the eyes of God."

The number of undocumented migrants arriving at the US-Mexico border is now at record levels, with more than 200,000 people arrested in November alone.

The US Supreme Court ruled this week to uphold a measure taken during the Covid-19 pandemic that allows for the expulsion of immigrants at the border.

And in March 2020, the government of former President Donald Trump activated this health mechanism in order to be able to immediately expel immigrants without official residence papers in their possession and who were arrested at the land borders, including potential asylum seekers.

This measure, known as "Article 42", is immediate in effect and does not allow any judicial appeal or automatic return to the country of origin.

Since the activation of the mechanism in March 2020 until last September, the US authorities at the country's southern borders have returned 2.3 million asylum seekers and immigrants from Latin America and the Caribbean, according to official data.

Beirut - (AFP) - Unidentified planes targeted, on Sunday night, refrigerated trucks in eastern Syria , upon entering from neighboring Iraq , which led to their destruction, according to the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights, pointing out that they were transporting Iranian weapons.

The Observatory stated that "six refrigeration trucks were targeted by unknown aircraft in the countryside of the border city of Al-Bukamal, after crossing from Iraq," without being able to identify the party that targeted them.
According to the Observatory, the strikes destroyed the trucks and killed and injured those inside, without specifying the number of victims.

"The trucks were transporting Iranian weapons," Observatory director Rami Abdel Rahman told AFP.

He reported that at least two similar convoys entered this week from Iraq. They unloaded their cargo in the city of Al-Mayadeen, and it is likely that they transported "advanced weapons" to groups loyal to Tehran.

The region is exposed from time to time to similar blows, specifically affecting the movements of pro-Tehran groups.

The province of Deir ez-Zor is divided between several parties, as the regime forces and Iranian fighters and groups loyal to them control the area west of the Euphrates River, which divides the province into two parts, while the Syrian Democratic Forces, which are Kurdish and Arab factions supported by the international coalition led by Washington, control the areas located at its eastern banks.

Iranian and Iraqi forces and pro-Tehran groups, including the Lebanese Hezbollah, are deployed in a wide area in the eastern countryside of Deir ez-Zor, especially between the cities of Al-Bukamal and Al-Mayadeen. The Observatory estimates the number of members of these groups to be about 15,000 fighters.

The international coalition has repeatedly acknowledged carrying out strikes in the region, targeting pro-Tehran fighters.

Pro-regime fighters were repeatedly targeted in the region, as 55 of them, Syrians and Iraqis, were killed in June 2018 in strikes that an American official said was behind Israel, but the latter refused to comment.

Since 2011, Syria has been witnessing a bloody conflict with many sides, which, since its outbreak in 2011, has caused the death of about half a million people, massive destruction of infrastructure, and the displacement of more than half of the population inside and outside the country.

Governorates - "Jerusalem" dot com - Spontaneous marches were launched in various governorates of the West Bank , on Wednesday evening, in appreciation and tribute to the spirit of the martyr Uday al-Tamimi , who was martyred this evening when he carried out a shooting attack at the entrance to the "Ma'ale Adumim" settlement in occupied Jerusalem.

Dozens of young men took to the center of Ramallah, coinciding with similar marches in several other areas of the governorate, including Silwad, Kober, and others, to salute the spirit of the martyr Tamimi.

A march also took place in Jenin camp with the participation of a group of resistance fighters who raised their guns and chanted slogans saluting the martyr Tamimi.

Dheisheh refugee camp in Bethlehem witnessed a similar march.

The participants chanted slogans praising the march of the martyr Al-Tamimi, the perpetrator of the Shuafat operation, which led to the killing of a female soldier, before he was martyred tonight after 10 days of persecution.

Moscow - (AFP) - The Turkish and Syrian defense ministers met Wednesday, within the framework of a meeting in Moscow with their Russian counterpart, in the first official meeting of this level between Ankara and Damascus since the outbreak of the conflict in Syria in 2011.

The Russian Ministry of Defense indicated in a statement that "trilateral talks took place in Moscow between the defense ministers of the Russian Federation, the Syrian Arab Republic and the Republic of Turkey ."

The ministry stated that the talks between Russian Defense Ministers Sergei Shoigu, Turkish Defense Minister Hulusi Akar, and Syrian Ali Mahmoud Abbas dealt with "ways to solve the Syrian crisis and the refugee issue," as well as "joint efforts to combat extremist groups."

The ministry added that "the parties stressed the constructive nature of the dialogue in the form in which it was held and the need to continue it in order to establish stability" in Syria.

And the Syrian Arab News Agency "SANA" reported that "a tripartite session of talks was held today (Wednesday) in Moscow between the defense ministers of Syria, Russia and Turkey, in which they discussed means of a solution in Syria, the issue of refugees and efforts to combat terrorism."

The agency pointed out that "the importance and necessity of continuing dialogue was stressed in order to stabilize the situation in the region."

Later, the Syrian Ministry of Defense said in a statement, "Today, a meeting took place between the Syrian Minister of Defense and the Major General, Director of the Syrian General Intelligence Department, with their counterparts, the Turkish Minister of Defense and the head of the Turkish Intelligence Service, in the Russian capital, Moscow, with the participation of the Russian party. The two sides discussed many files, and the meeting was positive."

In turn, the Turkish Minister of Defense indicated that the meeting was held in a "positive atmosphere."

The meeting is the first official at the ministerial level between Turkey and Syria since the outbreak of the Syrian crisis in 2011 and the resulting tension in relations between Ankara and Damascus.

The foreign ministers of the two countries had held a brief informal conversation on the sidelines of a regional summit held in 2021, and Ankara had previously acknowledged communication at the level of the intelligence services.

According to Turkish media, the director of the Turkish intelligence services, Hakan Fidan, was present in Moscow on Wednesday.

The meeting between Akar and Abbas comes at a time when Erdogan has been threatening for weeks to launch a military attack in northern Syria against Kurdish groups.

Last week, Akar indicated that Ankara is in contact with Moscow in order to "open the Syrian airspace" to Turkish fighters.

At the beginning of 2011, Syria witnessed demonstrations against the government, which quickly turned into an armed conflict, which greatly strained relations between Damascus and Ankara.

With the start of the conflict, Turkey strongly opposed the regime of Syrian President Bashar Al-Ashd, supported Syrian opposition factions, and received about four million Syrian refugees.

The conflict in Syria has killed about half a million people, caused massive damage to infrastructure and productive sectors, and led to the displacement of millions of people inside and outside the country.

However, Turkey, which is currently deploying troops in Syria, has recently changed its stance towards Damascus in the midst of Ankara's efforts to strengthen its relations with Arab countries.

In recent years, Erdogan has repeatedly described Assad as a "murderer", but last month he indicated the "possibility" of holding a meeting with him.

In mid-December, Erdogan indicated the possibility of meeting Assad after meetings at the level of the defense and foreign ministers.

Paris - (AFP) - At least 100 Iranians arrested during more than 100 days of protests in their country face charges that carry the death penalty, the Oslo-based non-governmental organization Human Rights in Iran said Tuesday.

Iran is rocked by protests that erupted after the death on September 16 of Mahsa Amini, a 22-year-old Iranian Kurdish woman, who was arrested by the morality police for violating the Islamic Republic's dress code.

Tehran this month executed two youths linked to the protests, in an escalating crackdown by the authorities that activists say is aimed at spreading fear among the population.

In a report published on Tuesday, the organization revealed that 100 prisoners are at risk of the death penalty, including 13 who have been sentenced to death. He noted that many of them do not have access to a lawyer.

"By issuing death sentences and executing some of them against demonstrators, (the authorities) want people to get out of the street," said Mahmoud Amiri Moqaddam, head of the organization.

"This had a certain effect, but what we noticed in general was an increase in resentment against the authorities," he told AFP, adding that "their strategy of spreading fear with executions failed."

In an updated toll published on Tuesday, the organization said that 476 demonstrators had been killed since mid-September.

The United Nations said in November that at least 14,000 people had been arrested since the protests began in Iran.

On December 12, Majid Reza Rahnavard, 23, was hanged in a public place after a court in Mashhad (northeast) convicted him of killing two members of the security forces.

Four days earlier, Mohsen Shakari (23 years old) was executed for injuring a security officer.

The judiciary announced that nine other people had been sentenced to death in connection with the protests, and two of them were allowed to be retried.

The father of a death row convict, Mohamed Qabadlo, called on social networks for his son's release.

"Mohammed has no criminal record yet," the father said in a video clip published this week, stressing that he suffers from a mental disorder.

The 22-year-old was accused of "corruption on earth" after he "attacked two policemen with a car, killing one of them."

The judiciary's Mizan Online website reported that Qabadlo underwent a psychiatric evaluation, which concluded he "was aware of the nature of the crime he had committed".

Ramallah - "Jerusalem" dot com - 3 citizens were killed, last night, and 4 in the morning, and 17 others were injured, as a result of traffic accidents that occurred in separate areas of the West Bank.

Colonel Louay Irzeigat, the police spokesman, stated that a 42-year-old citizen was killed in a traffic accident that occurred this morning on Oyoun al-Haramiyeh Road, on the road between Nablus and Ramallah.

Erzeigat had previously stated that the traffic accident that occurred tonight on the Ramallah-Nablus road near the town of Turmusaya, northeast of Ramallah, was caused by a collision of three vehicles, two of them carrying Palestinian license plates and a vehicle carrying a yellow registration plate, resulting in the injury of 6 citizens. Palestine Medical Complex in Ramallah, H Clinic Hospital, and Rafidia Hospital in Nablus. Doctors at Palestine Medical Complex announced the death of two people, and the death of another in Rafidia Hospital, describing one serious injury and two minor injuries.

In another accident, 14 citizens were slightly or moderately injured as a result of a traffic accident involving four vehicles on the main road connecting the governorates of Nablus and Qalqilya near the town of Nabi Elias in Qalqilya Governorate.

Arziqat confirmed that the Public Prosecution Office was informed and the traffic police investigated the two accidents to find out their circumstances.

Bethlehem - "Jerusalem" dot com - The Palestinian police seized, on Friday evening, 82 seedlings suspected of being narcotic marijuana in the town of Za'tara, south of Bethlehem.

The Public Relations and Media Department of the Police stated that after receiving information to the police that people were suspected of planting marijuana seedlings in the town of Za’tara, south of Bethlehem, a force from the Anti-Narcotics Branch, backed by a police force from the governorate, immediately moved to the place and seized 82 seedlings suspected of being narcotic marijuana. Its length is from 15-40 cm and it has been investigated.

She added that the police are still conducting research and investigation procedures about the people who were taking care of these seedlings to bring them to justice.

The police appeal to citizens to communicate with the competent authorities or to call (100) in case of suspicion of any person cultivating this scourge that is destroying society.

Paris (AFP) - Iran carried out its first public execution in more than two years on Saturday by hanging a man convicted of killing a policeman, a non-governmental organization reported, amid growing concern over growing repression in the country.

The Norway-based Iranian non-governmental human rights organization said, based on information reported by official Iranian media, that the worker, Eman Sabzkar, who was convicted of killing a policeman in February 2022 in the southern Iranian city of Shiraz, was hanged early in the morning at the crime scene.

In early July, the Supreme Court publicly confirmed his death sentence.

"The resumption of this brutal punishment in public places aims to frighten and intimidate people so that they do not demonstrate," said the director of the organization, Mahmoud Amiri Moghadam, calling on the international community to respond firmly and protest against this "medieval" practice.

Pictures spread on social media, allegedly of the execution, showed a man dressed as a prisoner hanging several meters from the ground with a rope attached to a truck crane.

Executions in Iran are usually carried out inside prisons.

The organization said that public executions are used as a deterrent, especially when it comes to killing a member of the security forces, noting that the last public execution in Iran was on June 11, 2020.

The organization expressed its concern that four men who were sentenced to death for killing police officers in separate but similar cases would face the same fate, noting that the number of executions in the Islamic Republic doubled in the first half of the year compared to the same period in 2021.

Activists have expressed in recent weeks their concern about an increasing crackdown in Iran, which is witnessing unusual protests due to the economic crisis. Well-known intellectuals and film directors have been arrested.

Moscow - (AFP) - President Vladimir Putin gifted eight gold rings to the leaders of former Soviet republics allied to Moscow, sparking ridicule and comparisons likening him to the character of Sauron, the tyrant and power-hungry in the novel "The Lord of the Rings".

The leaders of the Commonwealth of Independent States received golden rings engraved with the CIS logo and the words " Russia " and "Happy New Year 2023" during their summit with Putin in St. Petersburg on Monday and Tuesday.

And Putin kept a ninth ring for himself.

Belarusian President Alexander Lukashenko appeared alone in one of the pictures, putting the ring on his finger.

Some commentators, including the prominent political scientist Ekaterina Shulman, considered that the indirect reference to the "Lord of the Rings" trilogy by British writer J.R.R. Tolkien was intended.

In Tolkien's epic novel, Sauron gives rings to nine kings in order to force them to bend to his will.

Since Putin sent his forces to Ukraine in February, the Ukrainian authorities have compared Russia to "Mordor", the kingdom of Sauron, and the Russian forces to his "Orcs".

Tolkien expert Shulman writes that gifting rings seems at first like a "daydream".
"Of course this is intentional," she added on Instagram.

Another political commentator, Yulia Latynina, described the gifts as "weakness rings," an apparent reference to Putin's growing international isolation over his attack on Ukraine.

"Every country whose ruler wears this ring will turn into a dark state ruled by a madman," Latynina said sarcastically, adding, "I think only Putin will wear the ring. Not for long."

"Putin got bored of being the Hitler of the 21st century, so he decided to play the Lord of the Rings," wrote Ukrainian lawmaker Oleksiy Goncharenko.

Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said there was no need to analyze too much about the meaning of the gifts.

"It is just a souvenir for the New Year, and there is nothing special about it," he said, adding that "Putin will not wear his ring."

Vienna - (AFP) - Three migrants were killed and others injured Saturday when the truck carrying them attempted to flee from Austrian border police, the Interior Ministry and the Austrian News Agency (APA) said.

The Interior Ministry said the accident occurred in Burganland, the border crossing with Slovakia.

Twenty people, including children and women, were found inside the back of the truck, two men and a woman died, and the driver was arrested, according to the Austrian agency.

"The tragic death of three people today (...) once again demonstrates the brutality and unscrupulousness of the people-smuggling mafias," Interior Minister Gerhard Karner said in a statement.

Communication with the police has not yet been available.

Last May, the Austrian Ministry of the Interior announced the dismantling of a network of smugglers that smuggled tens of thousands of displaced people, especially Syrians, from Hungary to Austria.
In 2015, 71 bodies, including children, were found in a truck. It is likely that they suffocated during their transfer to Hungary.

Juba (AFP) - South Sudan will send 750 soldiers to eastern Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) to join a regional force engaged in countering a rebel attack, a military spokesman said Wednesday.

For months, fierce battles have been taking place between the Congolese forces and the rebel "M23" faction, prompting the "East African Group" to deploy a joint force to curb the violence, and Kenya and Uganda have sent troops to the Democratic Republic of the Congo.

During a military graduation ceremony in the capital, Juba, General Lul Ruai Koang, speaking on behalf of the South Sudan People's Defense Forces, said that the South Sudanese soldiers "will go to the Democratic Republic of the Congo as soon as possible."

He explained that the battalion, which includes 750 soldiers, has been undergoing training for more than six months, in preparation for its deployment in the Democratic Republic of the Congo.

At the military graduation ceremony held in Juba, President Salva Kiir instructed the military to "maintain order" and urged them to "protect civilians and their property from any harm."

The military graduation ceremony was held about four months after thousands of fighters, including former rebels loyal to Kiir and others loyal to his opponent, Vice President Riek Machar, were absorbed into the South Sudanese army, in implementation of a basic clause stipulated in the peace agreement that put an end to a brutal civil war.

In the conflict (2013-2018), about 400,000 people died.

On Wednesday, Kiir said, "You are one army," and you are "going as soldiers to southern Sudan."

The renewed fighting in the Democratic Republic of the Congo fueled regional tensions, as Kinshasa accuses its neighbor Rwanda of supporting the "M23" faction, a conclusion supported by UN experts, the United States, France and Belgium, and Kigali denies its validity.

The "M23" is a former Tutsi rebellion movement that was defeated in 2013, and returned to take up arms at the end of 2021 and took control of areas throughout North Kivu province and advanced towards Goma, the main city in the province.

Last week, M23 handed over the strategic town of Kibumba to a regional military force, following major international pressure, describing the matter as a "goodwill initiative taken in the name of peace."

But the Congolese army described the withdrawal as a "sham" and said it was aimed at strengthening the movement's positions elsewhere.

The "East African Group" force is scheduled to include soldiers from Kenya, Burundi, Uganda and South Sudan, but its actual number is not yet clear.
Kenyan soldiers arrived in the country on November 12, and the Ugandan army later announced that it planned to deploy 1,000 soldiers at the end of November.

Translation by "Jerusalem" dot com - The Israeli Magistrate's Court in occupied Jerusalem extended, this evening, Wednesday, the perpetrator of the stabbing attack yesterday in the city, which led to the moderate injury of a settler.

According to the Hebrew website, Ynet, the extension took place for a period of 5 days, indicating that the investigation will continue with it.

It is noteworthy that the porter is a resident of Ramallah, and he is 44 years old.

Cairo - "Al Quds" dot com - The Minister of National Economy, Khaled Osaily , and his Libyan counterpart, Mohamed Al-Hawij, agreed to enhance the volume of trade exchange between the two parties, and work to implement the memorandum of understanding signed between the two parties to enhance economic cooperation.

This came during a joint meeting held on the sidelines of the work of the Economic and Social Council in its 111th regular session at the ministerial level, which was held at the headquarters of the General Secretariat of the Arab League in Cairo.

Osaily confirmed the readiness of all preparations and arrangements, in order to receive a delegation of Libyan businessmen in the next few days, on a visit to Palestine, and to see the available investment opportunities, whether in the food and pharmaceutical industries, or agriculture and industrial zones, in addition to tourism.

In turn, the Libyan Minister of Economy, Muhammad Al-Huwaij, expressed his aspiration to carry out a visit to Palestine in the near future, which would develop and strengthen economic and trade cooperation relations between the two countries.

Nablus - "Jerusalem" dot com - The young man, Ahmed Amer Abu Junaid, 21 years old, was killed on Wednesday evening, as a result of his critical wounds, which he sustained at dawn, when the occupation forces shot him in Balata camp, east of Nablus.

According to the Ministry of Health, Abu Junaid was shot in the head and was critically wounded.

The occupation forces stormed Balata camp in an attempt to arrest a group of resistance fighters, but they failed amid armed clashes.

Dubai - "Jerusalem" dot com - It was announced at the GITEX International Exhibition that Palestine won three awards in the Arab Challenge for the Internet of Things and Artificial Intelligence for the year 2022.

The results were as follows: The "Smart Air Mattress" project won the first place in the graduation projects category for its owners, Moamen Al-Sammak, Ali Obaid and Walaa Murtaja from the Gaza Strip, and the "Zamakan" project won the best presentation award in the emerging projects category for its owners, Hamza Siraj and Ahmed Salhab. And Issa Kouba from the city of Jerusalem. In addition, the "Gaz Sensor" project for its owner, Spinning the Camel from the suburbs of Jerusalem, won third place in the schools category.

The three projects reaped this victory and deserved success amid strong competition with a large number of nominated projects and startups from eleven Arab countries, namely: Egypt, Jordan, Palestine, the Emirates, Tunisia, Bahrain, Algeria, Morocco, Lebanon, Qatar and Oman.

Engineer Aref Al-Husseini, founder and CEO of Al-Nayzak Foundation for Supportive Education and Scientific Creativity, expressed his pride in the successive achievements of Palestinian youth in various scientific and technological fields, stressing that Palestinian youth each time demonstrates its ability to compete and challenge in regional and international competitions, and presents high scientific levels of excellence. creativity and innovation.

Al-Husseini praised their pioneering role in advancing the Palestinian creative process and putting Palestine's footprint in the projects of the Fourth Industrial Revolution, pointing to the remarkable progress and development in terms of quantity and quality in all projects.

It is noteworthy that this achievement is a continuation of the success achieved by the Palestine Challenge for the Internet of Things and Artificial Intelligence for the year 2022, which was organized by Al-Nayzak Foundation last month, in partnership with the Ministry of Communications and Information Technology, the Ministry of Higher Education and Scientific Research, the Supreme Council for Creativity, the Swedish Diakonia Foundation and Bank of Palestine, and in coordination with eleven universities. Six accelerators and business incubators.

Through it, seven Palestinian technological projects specialized in the field of Internet of Things and artificial intelligence qualified to represent Palestine in the finals of the Arab Challenge in Dubai.