Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu reiterated his commitment to continuing military operations in the Gaza Strip on Wednesday, stressing that his government will not back down from its primary goal of "recovering the kidnapped soldiers and eliminating Hamas."

Netanyahu said in statements reported by Hebrew media that his government "will never give up on achieving victory in the war," adding, "We are determined to recover the detainees, and we will not allow the establishment of any Islamic caliphate, neither in the north nor in the south nor anywhere else."

Netanyahu pledged to continue military pressure on Hamas "until its complete elimination," stressing that the threat threatens not only Israel but the entire West.

"If the extremists defeat us, the Western world will be their next target," he said, believing that defeat by Iran would open the door to a direct threat to Western countries.

In a related context, Netanyahu pledged to continue working to prevent Iran from possessing a nuclear weapon, saying, "No country will prevent us from holding Iran accountable, and if necessary, we will stand alone."

Two citizens were killed and others were injured when the Israeli occupation forces targeted a group of civilians in Deir al-Balah, central Gaza Strip.

Medical sources announced that the death toll from the ongoing airstrikes on several areas in the Gaza Strip since dawn today has risen to 37.

After a heated session in which far-right Israeli ministers attacked the new army commander, Eyal Zamir, and threatened to dismiss him, the Israeli government's security cabinet decided to reconvene Thursday evening to approve a plan to intensify strikes on the Gaza Strip and prevent the entry of relief aid.

Political sources said the final session, held Tuesday evening, followed a phone call between Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and US President Donald Trump, in which it appeared that Netanyahu had been granted an additional deadline to end military operations in order to subdue Hamas and compel it to accept Israeli conditions for disarming.

According to Channel 11, the sources confirmed that Trump is asking Netanyahu to accelerate his military operations because the war has gone on too long. It is supposed to end with a long-term truce agreement that ensures Hamas's withdrawal from the battlefield.

However, in the absence of a clear plan for the day after, the military finds it difficult to accept the political leadership's view that a swift decision should be made. Yedioth Ahronoth reported that government ministers are pushing for "setting a deadline" for moving to the "decisive phase," while Netanyahu and his Defense Minister, Yisrael Katz, insist on demonstrating that "Israel is still exhausting the negotiating track" at this stage.

Kan 11 reported, citing an unnamed senior official, that Israel has decided to give the ongoing negotiations "another chance" before moving to expand military operations in the Gaza Strip. The official said that Tel Aviv has not received any new proposal from the mediators, noting that efforts are currently focused on pushing Hamas to accept the proposal of US envoy Steve Witkoff.

Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich is leading the push to move to the "decisive phase." He held three meetings with Netanyahu over the past week, during which his main message was that "Israel cannot remain in a state of war forever."

Smotrich warned of "the slow depletion of reserve forces, the worsening economic damage, and the distancing of the goals set for the war: toppling Hamas and recovering the hostages."

Yedioth Ahronoth quoted military sources as saying that "achieving both goals simultaneously is not possible," while the families of the prisoners warned of "the conflict between these goals," demanding that the return of their loved ones be prioritized. The newspaper also quoted cabinet ministers as saying that the prevailing belief is that "the chances of a deal succeeding in the current situation appear slim." They added, "If Hamas continues to reject the offers presented, there is no point in wasting any more time."

The newspaper's sources within the cabinet indicated that the next phase should include "a broad mobilization of reserve forces, the introduction of several military divisions into Gaza, and the use of heavier firearms than those used so far." They noted that "the impression of some cabinet members is that Netanyahu is still hesitant, but may agree, under pressure, to discuss setting a deadline (for the prisoner exchange negotiations) and expanding the offensive" on the Gaza Strip.

A disagreement emerged during the session with the army chief of staff, who rejected Smotrich's request to impose military rule over the Gaza Strip and assume responsibility for distributing aid to the population according to Israeli interests. When Zamir said that "the army will not undertake such tasks that make it a food distributor," Smotrich replied that "its duty is to silently carry out the government's orders, otherwise we are looking for someone who will accept this task." Smotrich threatened on Wednesday that he would bring down the government if this did not happen.

Political sources said that Smotrich prevented the cabinet from making any decision regarding the entry of humanitarian aid to the Gaza Strip, which has been halted for more than a month, and stated that "the continued lack of military progress and the entry of humanitarian aid to Hamas while our kidnapped people are there is not an option." He added, "The prime minister is the highest authority. A war must be waged to defeat Hamas, occupy Gaza and impose a temporary military rule until another solution is found, return the kidnapped people and implement the Trump plan (to displace Gazans), or this government has no right to exist."

The Defense Minister told the cabinet that within 10-15 days, Israel would be forced to bring humanitarian aid into the Gaza Strip, while Zamir stressed that "the Israeli army will not be the entity distributing it," according to the Ynet website.

Smotrich responded to Zamir, saying, “The army doesn’t choose its missions. We decided and said that you must prepare for this. We decide what you do and you decide how you will carry it out. If you can’t carry it out, we will bring someone else who can. If you don’t know how, we will find someone else who knows how to carry it out. We decide that aid that reaches Hamas will not enter, and I don’t care how you do it. If you don’t know how to carry it out, tell the political echelon, ‘I don’t know.’ The army doesn’t choose its missions in a democratic system.”

Ynet quoted cabinet ministers as saying that Smotrich's tone toward Zamir was "very firm." One minister said that Smotrich "actually exploded at Zamir," telling him, "You're not going to stand here and tell us you won't carry out the mission. That won't happen. Only the political echelon decides what the missions are."

military rule

Channel 12 reported on Wednesday that establishing military rule would entail "enormous costs," including employing thousands of soldiers in military-related duties for at least a year. "No army chief of staff, including Zamir, has approved of it, nor has the defense minister." The channel added that "Smotrich does not understand the depth of the problem he finds himself in," and that by attacking Zamir, he was "looking for a figure to climb on in order to attract votes in his favor, especially since Smotrich himself approved Zamir's appointment to his position, but he is suffering from a severe political crisis; polls indicate that he will lose in any upcoming elections."

Israeli occupation forces tightened their security measures at military checkpoints around Nablus on Wednesday evening.

According to local sources, the occupation forces tightened their security measures at checkpoints, closing some of them, including Awarta and Al-Murabba'a to the south, and Deir Sharaf and Surra to the west. They detained a number of citizens, checked their IDs, and searched their vehicles, causing traffic congestion.

Checkpoints are heavily manned by the military most of the time, impeding citizens' movement and access to their homes and workplaces in other West Bank cities.

The Qassam Brigades, the military wing of Hamas, released a video message on Wednesday from an Israeli prisoner in the Gaza Strip, calling on Israelis to demonstrate in front of Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's home to conclude a prisoner exchange deal.

Prisoner Omri Miran, 48, said: “I celebrated my second birthday here (in captivity), and I was unable to celebrate. I spent a year and a half in captivity, and there was no happiness.”

Tel Aviv estimates that there are 59 Israeli prisoners in the Gaza Strip, 24 of whom are still alive. Meanwhile, more than 9,500 Palestinians are languishing in its prisons, suffering torture, starvation, and medical neglect, many of whom have died, according to Palestinian and Israeli human rights and media reports.

Miran added: "We live in constant fear of (Israeli) bombardment, and a (prisoner exchange) deal must be reached as soon as possible so that we do not return to being in coffins."

With American support, Israel has been committing genocide in Gaza since October 7, 2023, leaving more than 168,000 Palestinians dead and wounded, most of them children and women, and more than 11,000 missing.

Miran addressed the Israelis, saying, "I want you to come out in a huge demonstration in front of Netanyahu's house." He expressed his hope that his daughters would participate in the demonstration "so he can see them on television."

In response to Netanyahu's intransigence and evasion of concluding an agreement, Hamas announced its readiness to immediately begin negotiations on a "comprehensive package" to release Israeli prisoners in one go in exchange for an end to the genocide, a full withdrawal from the Gaza Strip, and the release of Palestinian prisoners.

Miran also addressed the Israelis, saying: "Don't believe Netanyahu. Military pressure (the war of extermination) is killing us. Only a prisoner exchange deal will bring us back home."

He continued: "Do everything you can to return home as soon as possible. I really miss my daughters, my wife, and my friends. The situation is very difficult, and I thank everyone who is working to bring us back safely."

"Netanyahu's supporters don't care about us, they would rather see us die," he continued.

He added, "I ask the prisoners who left here (the Gaza Strip) to demonstrate and speak to the media so that the people understand how difficult our situation is."

He continued: "They turned to (US President Donald) Trump. He seems to be the only powerful person in the world who can pressure Netanyahu to agree to a deal that will return us to our homes in peace."

He added: "The crossings (in the Gaza Strip) are closed, and no food or supplies are entering, so we are getting less food."

Israel has been blockading Gaza for 18 years. Some 1.5 million Palestinians, out of a population of approximately 2.4 million, have been rendered homeless after the war of annihilation destroyed their homes. Gaza has entered a state of famine due to Tel Aviv's closure of the crossings to humanitarian aid.

Miran continued: "Netanyahu, (Minister of Strategic Affairs and head of the negotiating delegation Ron) Dermer, (Finance Minister Bezalel) Smotrich, and (National Security Minister Itamar) Ben-Gvir, you are the reason behind October 7 (2023). Because of you, I am here, and you will cause the collapse of the state."

On that day, Hamas attacked 11 military bases and 22 settlements adjacent to the Gaza Strip, killing and capturing Israelis, in response to "the daily crimes of the Israeli occupation against the Palestinian people and their holy sites, especially Al-Aqsa Mosque," according to the movement.

By the end of March 1, 2025, the first phase of a ceasefire and prisoner exchange agreement between Hamas and Israel had concluded. The agreement, which had entered into force on January 19, 2025, was brokered by Egypt and Qatar and supported by the United States, and the Palestinian movement had adhered to it.

But Netanyahu, who is wanted by international justice, evaded the start of the second phase and resumed the genocide in Gaza on March 18, responding to the most extreme wing of his right-wing government and advancing his own political interests, according to Hebrew media.

For decades, Israel has occupied territories in Palestine, Syria, and Lebanon, and refuses to withdraw from them and establish an independent Palestinian state with East Jerusalem as its capital, along the pre-1967 borders.

The Euro-Mediterranean Human Rights Monitor stated that the Israeli project in the Gaza Strip has reached its most revealing peak, as Israel no longer conceals its intentions regarding its plan to displace Palestinians from their homeland. Rather, it has begun to announce it openly and in official discourse at the highest levels, and is implementing it through a series of field and institutional measures that reframe the crime and present it as “voluntary migration.” It is exploiting the complete international silence that has provided it with a safe environment to continue committing the crime and achieve this level of impunity without deterrence or accountability.

The Euro-Mediterranean Human Rights Monitor stated in a press release today that Israel is moving forward with the final phase of its crime and original goal: the mass expulsion of Palestinians outside Palestine, specifically outside the Gaza Strip. This comes after spending a year and a half committing genocidal crimes, including the killing and wounding of hundreds of thousands, the obliteration of entire cities, the near-total destruction of the Strip, the systematic dismantling of living conditions there, and the forced and systematic displacement of its population within its borders, as part of a plan aimed at eliminating the Palestinian community as an entity and existence.

The Euro-Mediterranean Human Rights Monitor noted that the plans to forcibly displace Palestinians represent a direct extension of Israel's decades-long, systematic colonial-settler project, based on the erasure of Palestinian existence and the seizure of land. It warned that what distinguishes this phase from previous ones is that it is taking on a more dangerous and widespread character, targeting 2.3 million people who have been subjected to comprehensive genocide and deprived of the most basic rights, under systematic coercive conditions characterized by extreme cruelty and the complete deprivation of the minimum living conditions, in a deliberate attempt to push them towards departure as their only option for survival.

It pointed out that while Israel has succeeded in undermining the basic principles of international law and the rules of targeting and protection, it is now reimposing its narrative, relying on its excess power and the international community’s abandonment of its legal and moral obligations, to market the crime of mass expulsion of Palestinians as “voluntary migration,” in a blatant attempt to redefine ethnic cleansing and forced displacement using false terms such as “humanitarian considerations” and “individual choice,” despite its clear contradiction with the facts on the ground and the established legal provisions of international law that regulate this type of crime.

It stressed that forced displacement is a separate crime under international law, which involves the expulsion of persons from areas where they are lawfully present, using force or the threat thereof, or through other coercive means, without recognized legal justification.

It explained that coercion in this context is not limited to the use of direct military force, but also includes the creation of a coercive environment that makes remaining practically impossible or poses a real threat to life, dignity, or livelihood. This coercive environment includes multiple forms, such as fear of violence, persecution, detention, intimidation, starvation, or any other coercive circumstances that effectively strip individuals of their free will and force them to leave.

The Euro-Mediterranean Human Rights Monitor called on all states to hold accountable those complicit and complicit with Israel in committing these crimes, most notably the United States and other states that provide Israel with any form of support or assistance related to the commission of these crimes, including providing aid and engaging in contractual relations in the military, intelligence, political, legal, financial, media, economic, and other fields that contribute to the continuation of these crimes.

The Euro-Mediterranean Human Rights Monitor emphasized that the continuation of these crimes would not have occurred without Israel's illegal presence on Palestinian land, which constitutes the structural root of all cycles of violence, oppression, and destruction. It emphasized that any genuine response to the escalating crisis in the Gaza Strip cannot succeed unless it begins by removing this illegal colonial presence, as the original source of all violations, and guaranteeing the inalienable right of the Palestinian people to self-determination, freely and independently, on their entire national territory. It considered that this is the way to stop the ongoing crime of genocide, halt individual and collective forced displacement schemes, dismantle the apartheid system, and build a serious path towards justice, accountability, and the preservation of human dignity.

Since Wednesday morning, areas west of Jerusalem have been witnessing widespread forest fires that remain out of control, despite the efforts of dozens of firefighting teams supported by aircraft. These teams are struggling to contain the blazes, which have spread to several areas, particularly in the settlements of Beit Shemesh and Beit Meir.

Hebrew media reported that the fire, which broke out in forests near Jerusalem, quickly spread to the outskirts of settlements, forcing authorities to urgently evacuate residents and close major roads, most notably Highway 1, for fear of endangering residents.

In a significant development, the Israeli fire services declared a state of alert in six major areas, summoning all active firefighting crews.

The Jerusalem District Fire Chief confirmed that the fires are still burning in several areas, causing damage to homes in the town of Mesilat Zion, where the flames have reached the outskirts.

While firefighting operations are still underway, the Israeli Channel 10 reported that the Israeli occupation army has begun intervening with teams from the Home Front Command to provide field support, but the air force has not yet joined the firefighting efforts.

In the south, crews were able to achieve "relative control" over another fire that broke out in the interior plain near Tel Aviv, with cooling and extinguishing operations continuing.

Israeli special forces, "Musta'ribeen," stormed the Deheishe refugee camp, south of Bethlehem, on Wednesday evening.

According to local sources, Israeli special forces, accompanied by large forces from the Israeli occupation army, stormed the camp, took up positions in front of its main entrance on the Jerusalem-Hebron road, and deployed around it.

US President Donald Trump said they will not deal firmly with China on the issue of tariffs.

Trump added during an Oval Office event on Tuesday that China will eventually have to reach a customs agreement with the United States and that they are prepared for it.

He added, "We have a good relationship with China. I think we have a good relationship with almost every country. Everyone wants to establish relations and make trade deals with the United States."

He pointed out that talks with China are ongoing.

Asked about his approach to tariffs on China, Trump said, "I wouldn't say I'm going to be tough on China. We're going to be very nice. They're going to be very nice. We'll see what happens. But ultimately, they have to make a deal, or they can't deal with the United States."

Trump noted that the tariff rate applied to China will not remain at 145 percent, but it will not be zero either.

In early April, Trump announced the imposition of what he called "reciprocal" tariffs on all countries worldwide, with a minimum of 10 percent.

On April 9, Trump suspended the application of additional tariffs on trading partners—except China—for 90 days, while raising the "reciprocal" tariff rate on China, which responded with similar measures, to 125 percent.

On April 2, Trump imposed a 34 percent tariff on Chinese imports, in addition to the 20 percent tariff he had imposed two months earlier. Beijing responded by imposing the same 34 percent tariff on US exports.

It's worth noting that China was the first country to respond to the "reciprocal tariffs" announced by US President Donald Trump on April 2. As a result of the tariff confrontation between the two countries, the United States raised its tariffs on China to 145 percent, and Beijing raised them to 125 percent.

Israeli opposition leader Yair Lapid on Wednesday criticized Benjamin Netanyahu's government's failure to recover prisoners from the Gaza Strip, saying it "will not win the war."

"A government that cannot define its strategy for the day after Gaza will not achieve victory," Lapid said in a post on the X platform.

He added, "We must defeat Hamas in the next government. Now bring the hostages instead of blaming others all day for your failures."

Tel Aviv estimates that there are 59 Israeli prisoners in the Gaza Strip, while more than 9,900 Palestinians are languishing in its prisons, suffering torture, starvation, and medical neglect, many of whom have died, according to Palestinian and Israeli human rights and media reports.

Lapid was referring to Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich's attack on IDF Chief of Staff Eyal Zamir during a meeting of the Israeli Security Cabinet on Tuesday evening.

The Israeli newspaper Haaretz reported on Wednesday that Smotrich attacked Zamir during a cabinet meeting on Tuesday, following the latter's statement opposing Israeli soldiers distributing humanitarian aid in Gaza.

Smotrich was quoted as telling Zamir: "We define the army's tasks, and if you are unable to carry them out, we will bring in someone who can."

The newspaper added: "According to sources familiar with the details of the meeting, the confrontation with the Chief of Staff, led by Smotrich and Justice Minister Yariv Levin, began after Defense Minister Israel Katz stated that there was no need to provide aid to Gaza."

Katz stated during the meeting that "Gaza has sufficient supplies, and that he would oppose any future aid that Hamas might use to control the population and build a terrorist infrastructure," according to his own words.

The newspaper added: "Zamir said that soldiers would not provide aid and that the army would not starve the Gaza Strip, which raised questions among ministers about whether his policies differed from those of his predecessor, Herzi Halevi."

Smotrich later said in a statement that he did not mean Zamir, but rather the Israeli Prime Minister.

On Tuesday, Jens Laerke, spokesman for the United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA), said that the Gaza Strip is experiencing the "worst humanitarian situation" since the beginning of the war due to Israel's prevention of the entry of humanitarian aid.

Since March 2, Israel has closed the Gaza Strip's crossings to the entry of food, relief, medical aid, and goods, causing a significant deterioration in the humanitarian situation for Palestinians, according to government, human rights, and international reports.

"Now the government ministers are also attacking the new 'offensive chief of staff' they chose, creating conflicts within the security cabinet," Lapid said.

"It's time to acknowledge the facts: this government is incapable of winning the war," he added.

"They had a year and a half, they had full support from the Americans, full support from the opposition, and then they ran out of excuses," Lapid continued.

He added, "It's not (former US President Joe) Biden, nor (former Israeli Chief of Staff Halevy), nor (former Israeli Defense Minister Yoav) Galant, it's them," referring to the reason for their failure in the war on Gaza.

The Israeli government has been criticizing Biden, Halevi, and Galant for its failures in the war of extermination in Gaza.

With full American support, Israel has been committing genocide in Gaza since October 7, 2023, leaving more than 168,000 Palestinians dead and wounded, most of them children and women, and more than 11,000 missing.

In early March, the first phase of a ceasefire and prisoner exchange agreement between Hamas and Israel concluded. The agreement, which went into effect on January 19, 2025, was brokered by Egypt and Qatar and supported by the United States.

While Hamas has adhered to the terms of the first phase, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, who is wanted by the International Criminal Court, has reneged on the start of the second phase in deference to extremists in his ruling coalition, according to Hebrew media.

A young man was shot with live ammunition and is in critical condition during an Israeli raid on the Masaken al-Sha'abi area east of Nablus.

Local sources reported that a young man was shot in the chest with live ammunition, and his condition was described as critical, after Israeli occupation forces stormed the Masaken al-Sha'biya area, firing live ammunition, tear gas, and sound bombs, sparking clashes and injuring a young man.

A child was martyred after being shot by the Israeli occupation forces in the town of Yamoun, west of Jenin.

The Ministry of Health reported that the child Mahmoud Mithqal Ali Abu Al-Haija (12 years old) was killed by the occupation forces' bullets in the town of Al-Yamoun.

The Palestinian Red Crescent Society reported that its crews transferred a child martyred after being shot with live ammunition in the cheek and abdomen, from the Al-Hadaf Medical Center in Al-Yamoun, to Jenin Governmental Hospital.

Arab League Secretary-General Ahmed Aboul Gheit said it is no longer a secret to anyone in the world that Israel is waging a war of extermination against the people of Gaza. The choice is either death by murder or starvation, or the land will be left to be plundered by settlements and occupation. He stressed that the world's silence on this inhumane situation is shameful and disgraceful.

In his speech at the 163rd regular session of the Council of the League of Arab States at the level of Arab Foreign Ministers, chaired by Jordanian Foreign Minister Ayman Safadi, Aboul Gheit added that this brutal war on civilians continues daily with bombing, killing, home demolitions, siege, starvation, and the prevention of aid entry. This comes after a truce that lasted nearly two months, which witnessed a prisoner exchange, the return of hostages, and the alleviation of the impossible humanitarian situation in Gaza, where Israel resumed its war of extermination on March 18. The number of Palestinian martyrs killed by the occupation since that date is approaching two thousand, in addition to the complete closure of the Strip to aid, food, and health supplies, which has placed the Strip and its residents in the worst and most difficult situation since October 2023.

The Secretary-General explained that there is no longer any doubt that ethnic cleansing is the goal of this war. Unfortunately, the displacement scenario has helped give unprecedented impetus to the most extreme and brutal plans of the Israeli right, to reoccupy parts of the Gaza Strip and impose a total blockade on it, and impose a reality of daily killing on the Palestinians, and pushed the entire world to accept this situation as a normal matter. He referred to the positions of the late Pope Francis, who passed away three days ago. He was a unique voice of humanity and conscience at a time when many chose to turn their backs on these values, and until the last moment and hours before his death, he remained biased towards justice and humanity, calling for a ceasefire and providing assistance to the people of Gaza who are “starving and yearning for a future of peace,” as he said in his final sermon.

He said, “The Arab side has expressed its clear position calling for an immediate end to the ethnic cleansing war, rejecting the unrealistic and illegal displacement scenario, and presenting an alternative proposal at the Cairo Summit last March. This proposal is realistic, practical, and applicable for early recovery, reconstruction, and managing the Gaza Strip in a way that avoids the outbreak of confrontations in the future and paves the way for the implementation of the two-state solution, to which we see no alternative as a path to stability and peace in the region. We all look forward to the support of our friends and friends of peace across the world in order to save this vision and this solution from the plans of the extreme right with expansionist tendencies in Israel. We look forward to the conference that will be held next June at the United Nations under joint Saudi-French presidency, to represent a qualitative shift in dealing with the two-state solution in a way that pushes it from the realm of rhetorical support to practical application and actual implementation.”

Aboul Gheit added that the ambitions of the extremists in the Israeli government do not stop at the borders of Palestine. It has become clear what they seek to impose on the region: a reality of perpetual tension, daily violence, ongoing raids, and buffer zones that encroach on the sovereignty of Arab countries and seize land from their territories under false pretenses.

The Secretary-General concluded his speech by saying that Arab wounds are still open, the most dangerous of which is the bleeding wound of Palestine. However, the member states of this organization are still striving to confront challenges with the logic of collective action and the spirit of Arabism. I believe that the winds of accelerating global changes, which are almost uprooting the established rules and familiar standards, these violent winds push us to cling to this ceiling and take refuge behind that wall. In times like these, when vision is clouded and uncertainty is intense, collective action remains a refuge and a path, and Arabism remains a haven and support, and a source of confidence in the future, God willing.

For his part, Safadi stressed that this peace will not be achieved unless the brotherly Palestinian people obtain their full rights. An independent, sovereign Palestinian state with occupied Jerusalem as its capital must emerge, along the June 4, 1967 lines, living in security alongside Israel, in accordance with the Arab Peace Initiative and international legitimacy resolutions. This is the only way to achieve the just and comprehensive peace we all desire.

He also stressed that Jordan will continue to work with its brothers and the international community to achieve an immediate ceasefire and allow sufficient humanitarian aid into Gaza. He added that Jordan supports the efforts of the Arab Republic of Egypt, the sisterly State of Qatar, and the United States of America to achieve this goal.

Safadi stressed the necessity of implementing the exchange agreement, which was achieved through their efforts, in all its stages. He added that the Kingdom will continue to do everything in its power to halt the illegal Israeli escalation in the occupied West Bank, which is pushing the situation towards an explosion and undermining the two-state solution. He added that they will continue to devote all their capabilities to protecting the Islamic and Christian holy sites in Jerusalem, their identity, and the historical and legal status quo there, within the framework of the historic Hashemite custodianship over them.

He said that extremists in the Israeli government are promoting the idea that they are pursuing their wars to protect Israel's security from a threat that surrounds it from all sides, pointing out that the entire world knows the falsity of these claims. A just peace is the only guarantee for the security of the region and all its peoples, and we all want a just and comprehensive peace that fulfills rights and is accepted by the peoples, as the Arab Peace Initiative of 2002 affirmed in a clear and explicit Arab position that refutes all these claims.

Israeli Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich called on Wednesday for military rule to be imposed on the Gaza Strip, again threatening to topple the government if this is not done.

Although the Israeli political-security cabinet made no decision during its meeting yesterday regarding the entry of humanitarian aid into the Gaza Strip, which has been halted for more than a month, Smotrich stated that "the continued lack of military progress and the entry of humanitarian aid to Hamas while our kidnapped soldiers are there is not an option."

He added, "The prime minister is the highest authority. A war must be waged to defeat Hamas, occupy Gaza, impose a temporary military rule until another solution is found, return the kidnapped soldiers, and implement the Trump plan (to displace Gazans), or this government has no right to exist."

During the cabinet meeting, Smotrich attacked IDF Chief of Staff Eyal Zamir for refusing to allow the army to distribute humanitarian aid to the residents of the Gaza Strip. Smotrich said today, "I have no complaints against the IDF Chief of Staff."

My criticism is directed at the prime minister, who is not enforcing the political echelon's policy on the Israeli military. The delivery of logistical aid to Hamas is a step I will not be complicit in.

Defense Minister Yisrael Katz told the cabinet that within 10 to 15 days, Israel would be forced to bring humanitarian aid into the Gaza Strip, while Zamir stressed that "the Israeli army will not be the entity distributing it," according to the Ynet website.

Smotrich responded to Zamir, saying, "The army does not choose its missions. We decided and said that you must prepare for this matter. We decide what you do and you decide how you will carry it out. If you are unable to carry it out, we will bring someone else who is. If you do not know, we will find someone else who knows how to carry it out. We decide that aid that reaches Hamas will not enter, and I do not care how you do it. If you do not know how to carry it out, tell the political echelon 'I do not know.' The army does not choose its missions in a democratic system."

Ynet quoted cabinet ministers as saying that Smotrich's tone toward Zamir was "very firm." One minister said that Smotrich "actually exploded at Zamir," telling him, "You're not going to stand here and tell us you won't carry out the mission. That won't happen. Only the political echelon decides what the missions are."

Israel's public broadcaster, Kan 11, revealed today that last May, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu instructed then-IDF Chief of Staff Herzi Halevi not to impose Israeli military rule in the Gaza Strip, and that Netanyahu did not inform his far-right ministers of this.

Channel 12 reported today that establishing military rule would entail "enormous costs," including employing thousands of soldiers in military-related duties for at least a year. "No army chief of staff, including Zamir, has approved this," it added.

The channel added that "Smotrich does not understand the depth of the problem he is in," and that by attacking Zamir, he was "looking for a figure to climb on in order to attract voters to his side, especially since Smotrich himself approved Zamir's appointment to his position."

The White House on Tuesday released a letter President Trump sent to Congress on March 25, stating that he is ordering a bolster of US military forces in the Middle East to protect Israel and US assets in the region.

In the letter addressed to House Speaker Mike Johnson and Senate President Pro Tempore Chuck Grassley, Trump said he was writing to update them on the situation in Yemen and the broader Middle East. The president wrote, "First, I have directed the Department of Defense to deploy additional combat-ready forces to the Middle East to enhance the defensive capabilities available to U.S. forces and facilitate necessary military operations."

He added that the military reinforcements include "Israel's air and missile defense capabilities and sites hosting US forces, as well as fighter, support, and reconnaissance aircraft to enable strikes on Houthi targets." It is noteworthy that earlier this month, the Pentagon reported that the United States had sent a second battery of the Terminal High Altitude Area Defense (THAAD) missile defense system to Israel, along with Patriot air defense batteries. The United States has also sent an additional aircraft carrier to the Middle East, B-52 bombers to Diego Garcia, and other air assets to the region.

Trump also stated in the letter that, at his direction, US Central Command "has begun large-scale strikes in Houthi-controlled areas of Yemen to eliminate the capabilities they use to launch attacks on US forces and commercial shipping in the Red Sea and surrounding waters."

The United States launched its bombing campaign in Yemen on March 15, and more than a month later, the Houthis, officially known as Ansar Allah, remain steadfast and continue to launch attacks.

US officials claim that the airstrikes on Yemen are in retaliation for attacks on US ships, but the Houthis halted all operations in the region as soon as a ceasefire went into effect in Gaza on January 19. The US resumed its bombing campaign in Yemen in response to the Houthis' announcement that they would reimpose a blockade on Israeli shipping due to Israel's complete blockade of Gaza, a violation of the ceasefire agreement, but before they had launched any actual attacks. A senior member of the Ansar Allah politburo stated that the Houthis would halt their attacks on US warships if the US stopped bombing Yemen. US officials, including President Trump himself, have claimed that they would halt airstrikes if the Houthis announced they would stop targeting US ships, but there is no indication that the US is considering this offer, as it is effectively bombing Yemen on behalf of Israel.

Israel's far-right National Security Minister, Itamar Ben-Gvir, claimed on Wednesday that US Republicans support his call to bomb food and aid warehouses in the war-torn Gaza Strip.

The extremist minister had attended a dinner at US President Donald Trump's Mar-a-Lago resort in Florida on Tuesday evening, attended by Republicans and businessmen.

In a statement, Ben-Gvir claimed that senior Republicans at Mar-a-Lago supported his "clear position on how to act in Gaza, that food and aid warehouses should be bombed."

He claimed that this was the means to "put military and political pressure (on Hamas) to return our hostages safely."

There was no immediate comment from the Republican Party or the White House on Ben-Gvir's claim.

Ben-Gvir arrived in the United States on Monday for his first official visit to Washington since joining Benjamin Netanyahu's government in 2022.

Israel currently believes that 24 of the 59 detainees in Gaza are still alive. Meanwhile, more than 9,500 Palestinians are languishing in Israeli prisons, with numerous reports of torture, starvation, and medical neglect leading to the deaths of detainees.

Since March 22, Israel has completely closed Gaza's crossings, preventing essential supplies from entering the territory despite multiple reports of famine in the war-ravaged enclave.

The Israeli occupation army resumed its attack on Gaza on March 18, ending the ceasefire and prisoner exchange agreement reached on January 19.

Since the start of its war on Gaza in October 2023, Israel has killed more than 51,300 Palestinians in the Strip, the majority of whom were women and children, in what has been described as a war of genocide.

Last November, the International Criminal Court issued arrest warrants for Israeli Prime Minister Netanyahu and his former Defense Minister Yoav Gallant on charges of war crimes and crimes against humanity in Gaza.

Israel also faces a genocide case at the International Court of Justice over its war on the Gaza Strip.

Israeli occupation forces demolished a house in the town of Silwan, south of Al-Aqsa Mosque, on Wednesday.

Local sources reported that Israeli bulldozers stormed the town's Al-Bustan neighborhood and demolished a 50-square-meter home belonging to Kazem Abu Shafe', which housed four people.

The sources added that the occupation forces demolished a wall and smashed the gate of the Bashir family's home in the neighborhood.

It pointed out that occupation soldiers climbed onto the roofs of houses while the demolition process was underway.

A powerful earthquake shook buildings in Istanbul on Wednesday, and people were seen leaving the buildings as the quake struck.

The German Research Centre for Geosciences (GFZ) said a 6.2 magnitude earthquake struck Türkiye.

It added that the epicenter of the earthquake was at a depth of 10 kilometers.

The death toll from the Israeli occupation's aggression on the Gaza Strip since October 7, 2023, has risen to 51,305 dead and 117,096 wounded.

The Ministry of Health in Gaza reported that the death toll includes 1,928 dead and 5,055 wounded since March 18.

It said that 39 martyrs and 105 wounded people arrived at hospitals in the Gaza Strip during the past 24 hours.

It explained that a number of martyrs remain under the rubble of destroyed homes and facilities, and on the roads, and that ambulances and specialist teams are unable to reach them due to limited resources.

The Palestinian Prisoners' Affairs Commission and the Prisoners' Club confirmed that the occupation prison system continues its crimes and practices more brutality and cruelty against Gaza detainees.

The Commission and the Club said in a statement on Wednesday that, based on recent visits to a group of detainees, they revealed ongoing sexual assaults, severe beatings, heightened surveillance through cameras, and humiliation and subjugation by all means.

The statement added: "According to detainees' testimonies, the prison system has left no stone unturned in its attempts to strip them of their humanity and psychologically break them. Nineteen months after the genocide, the conditions and circumstances of detention remain unchanged and at the same level. In fact, they are worsening, as time is a determining factor in the fate of detainees, while this brutality continues at the same level."

Among the testimonies, according to the statement, are the continuation of rape and sexual assaults, as the Ofer camp administration deliberately immobilizes the detainee’s limbs, as the guard repeatedly inserts a stick into the detainee’s anus to the point of suffocation, according to one detainee’s description. The more the detainee’s pain and screaming increase, the more the guard moves the stick. They deliberately rape the detainee in front of other detainees, with the aim of breaking him in front of his comrades and spreading more terror against them. They also deliberately use cameras installed in the sections and rooms to turn the camera, which is the most prominent tool of surveillance and control inside the camps, into a tool for abuse. Any detainee who appears on camera to have pretended to smile or behave in any other way that the guard considers a challenge, then the repression units either assault him with severe beatings until he faints, or impose collective punishments on the detainees through brutal searches and extreme humiliation. This is in addition to the severe beatings that take place in the courtyards, and during the so-called security check (count), where they are forced to sleep on their stomachs. They are assaulted.

In the Negev prison, specifically in the tent section, conditions are no less tragic and difficult. The prison administration deliberately blackmails and humiliates detainees by making them use the bathroom. They are forced to use a bucket to relieve themselves. Furthermore, the utensils provided to detainees remain with them for long periods and are not replaced, resulting in an extremely unpleasant smell, yet detainees still use them. Furthermore, scabies is widespread among detainees due to the lack of hygiene and weak immune systems. Furthermore, blankets and mattresses have become essential means of transmitting the disease, as some detainees do not have mattresses to sleep on and have been forced to cut parts of other detainees' mattresses to sleep on. Since November 2024, the prison administration has not allowed detainees to change their clothes. All of this has contributed to the continued spread of scabies. Meanwhile, the prison administration refuses to provide them with any kind of treatment.

The prison administration also continues to use beatings and torture. Many detainees have sustained injuries as a result of this. Even when they were taken out for visits, they confirmed that they were subjected to beatings and torture, including the use of handcuffs. According to testimony from lawyers who have visited the detainees, all of them suffer from severe and obvious weight loss as a result of the ongoing starvation.

In this context, the Prisoners' Authority and the Prisoners' Club affirmed that the occupation continues its genocide and crimes in full view of the world, without any real change that contributes to stopping the genocide and comprehensive aggression against our people, one of the forms of which are the ongoing crimes against detainees. Indeed, the passage of more time in the continuation of the genocide means that the state of impotence suffered by human rights organizations has gone beyond this expression, and it has become our duty to question the feasibility of the existence of a human rights system, with the expansion of the concept of the state of exception that the Israeli occupation enjoys at the international level.

It is noteworthy that the number of Gaza detainees recognized by the prison system until the beginning of April 2025 was (1,747) detainees, and this number does not include detainees held in camps affiliated with the occupation army.

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Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas said, "Hamas is obligated to us and to our people to end its seizure of power and authority in the Gaza Strip."

President Abbas added: "He who considers himself one thing and his people another is not trustworthy with the future of our people."

“We are facing grave dangers, which are closer to a new Nakba that threatens our existence and portends the liquidation of our entire national cause, in implementation of the plans of those who created our people’s first Nakba, leading up to the Nakba of 1967, and then the Nakba of the sinful ‘coup’ in 2007, which our enemy used to tear apart our national fabric and prevent the establishment of our independent state,” he said in his speech at the opening of the 32nd session of the Palestinian Central Council, held in the Ahmad Shuqairy Hall at the presidential headquarters in Ramallah, on Wednesday afternoon.

He added, "Our efforts in various fields and at various levels, Arab, Islamic, and international, are focused on achieving four national priorities that represent the necessities of the current moment, in the face of the challenges facing our people and our cause."

He stressed that halting the Israeli war of extermination against the Gaza Strip, the complete withdrawal of the occupation forces from the territory of the Strip, stopping the repeated Israeli attacks on our cities, villages and camps in the West Bank, and preventing the violations against Islamic and Christian holy sites in Jerusalem, Hebron and all Palestinian areas are among the priorities we are working to achieve.

He emphasized that the goal of the "organized terrorism" practiced by the occupation in the West Bank governorates is the same as its goal in the aggression against the Gaza Strip: to liquidate the Palestinian national cause as a political issue for a people struggling for their freedom and national independence, and to impose its colonial dictates and policies on our people through brutal force of aggression.

He pointed out that the situation in Jerusalem, our eternal and sacred capital, is no different from the rest of the Palestinian homeland. The occupying state is attempting to impose a fait accompli on our people through a tight siege of the city, the destruction of Palestinian homes and facilities, the prevention of worshippers from reaching holy sites, and the fight against the Palestinian presence and identity with all means of aggression and terrorism.

The President stressed that the occupying state, with this barbaric aggression, is violating international law and legitimacy, acting as if it is above the law, reneging on the agreements it signed with the Palestine Liberation Organization, and unleashing extremism and terrorism, which have become the dominant feature of its policies toward our people. It is also besieging our people financially by stealing Palestinian clearance funds, which have so far exceeded two billion dollars that the occupying state is withholding, and by seizing citizens' lands and properties.

He said: Our vision for achieving a just and comprehensive peace and ensuring security and stability in Palestine and the region requires a political horizon based on ending the Israeli occupation and implementing international legitimacy resolutions, including the establishment of an independent, sovereign, contiguous, viable, and recognized Palestinian state, which would be a full member of the United Nations and live in security and peace alongside Israel.

President Abbas called for an international peace conference to end the conflict and halt the hostility.

Israeli occupation forces on Wednesday filled in a number of wells and springs and demolished water tanks in the town of Tarqumiya, west of Hebron.

According to local sources, the occupation forces, with military reinforcements, stormed the Jamroura area and began filling in springs and wells, and demolishing water collection tanks.

The Palestinian Red Crescent Society said on Wednesday that Israeli occupation forces committed a horrific war crime against its crews by targeting and killing paramedics in cold blood, in a flagrant violation of international humanitarian law.

The association explained that the occupation's narrative of the incident completely contradicts the facts documented by its crews on the ground. It noted that it repeatedly attempted to coordinate with the International Red Cross to remove the wounded from the targeted site, but the occupation rejected all such efforts and continued to fire on the paramedics, leading to their deaths on the ground.

According to the Red Crescent, the occupation forces did not stop there, but deliberately buried the bodies of the paramedics in a mass grave in Rafah after their martyrdom, in a scene that reflects the magnitude of the crime and disregard for international conventions.

The association confirmed that its relief centers were deliberately destroyed, noting that its crews are operating under extremely dangerous conditions, requiring urgent international intervention to protect paramedics and medical personnel working in the field.

The Red Crescent stressed the need to hold the occupation accountable for these violations, and for the international community to work diligently to ensure the safety of humanitarian personnel in conflict zones.

This comes as Haaretz newspaper revealed shocking information on Wednesday about the Rafah crime committed by the Israeli occupation army against paramedics and members of the Palestinian Civil Defense, based on material collected by the army itself from the crime scene.

According to the newspaper, the occupation soldiers opened random fire directly at ambulances and civil defense vehicles, despite the relief crews' attempts to identify themselves. Investigations revealed that the shooting continued for three and a half minutes, at point-blank range, resulting in the deaths of 12 relief workers.

The newspaper also reported that the soldiers replaced several ammunition magazines during the exchange of fire, indicating the intensity of the fire, despite the clear identities of the victims and their vehicles.

Investigations indicate that the Israeli force that carried out the attack had received prior notification of heavy ambulance traffic in the area. However, it ignored this notification and targeted vehicles traveling within an authorized route that did not require prior coordination.

These bloody details place further pressure on the occupation authorities amid growing international condemnation, and once again reveal the deliberate disregard for the lives of humanitarian personnel in the Gaza Strip.

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy suggested that Moscow may have "stolen" drone technology from China. He said that Chinese nationals are working at a drone production site in Russia.

The Ukrainian president made the remarks during a press conference in Kyiv on Tuesday, days after accusing China of supplying Russia with weapons and gunpowder.

Zelensky said he instructed officials to send information about the investigation's findings to the Chinese government through official channels.

He announced that "separately," he asked the Ukrainian Security Service to transfer broader information to the Chinese side regarding the Chinese citizens he said were working at the drone factory.

"We believe that Russia may have entered into an agreement with these citizens outside of the agreements with the Chinese leadership and stolen this technology," he added.

Zelensky appeared to soften his tone toward China by suggesting that Russia may have acquired drone technology from China without Beijing's knowledge, even though Beijing maintains its neutrality regarding the war in Ukraine.

Earlier this month, the Ukrainian president accused Chinese officials of being aware that Russia was recruiting Chinese citizens via social media to fight as soldiers. He added that Kyiv was trying to assess whether the recruits were receiving instructions from Beijing.

Kyiv's accusations set a precedent, as it was the first time the world's second-largest economy had been accused of providing direct military assistance to Moscow, a charge Beijing vehemently denies.

The Ukrainian Foreign Ministry announced that it had summoned Chinese Ambassador Ma Shengkun and expressed "Ukraine's grave concerns about his country's involvement in the war." It also expressed deep concern about "Chinese companies' involvement in the manufacture of military products in Russia."

For its part, China previously affirmed its support for peace efforts in Ukraine and said that relevant parties should avoid "irresponsible statements," in an apparent rebuke after Zelensky made comments about Chinese fighting for Russia.

There has been no comment from Russia or China on the Ukrainian president's new statements yet.

France 24/Reuters

The headline of the article bears no relation, whatsoever, to road accidents and the "flying coffin chauffeurs" who are not deterred by violations from repeatedly committing fatal errors on the roads.

However, there is a fine line between this reckless group of drivers and political leaders. While the mistakes committed by the former are harmful to themselves and to those unfortunate enough to be under their leadership, the mistakes of the latter affect their people and their homelands in ways that they cannot bear.

In addition to the important topics that top the agenda of the 32nd session of the Central Council, which convenes in Ramallah this morning, it would be useful for the session organizers, at this critical moment in the history of the Palestinian cause, to add a phrase to be plastered on the backs of attendees and absentees, loyalists and opponents alike. It's similar to the one that drivers of large corporate vehicles place on the backs of their cars: "How do you like my driving?" accompanied by the company's phone number, allowing everyone to call and assess the driver's driving competence.

I leave it to readers to imagine the answers that will flow to the number allocated to evaluate the performance of all political leaders, with traffic approaches!

Israeli occupation bulldozers began, on Wednesday morning, leveling citizens' lands between the towns of Kafr Haris and Haris, northwest of Salfit.

Omar Samara, head of the Haris village council, reported that the occupation forces have begun bulldozing large areas of agricultural land owned by residents of the town, as part of colonial expansion and the annexation of more land for the benefit of the area's settlements.

It is noteworthy that the town of Haris has witnessed several seizures and bulldozing operations in recent years, which have significantly impacted the agricultural and living conditions of the residents.

Israeli occupation forces launched an arrest campaign in the West Bank and occupied Jerusalem on Wednesday.

In Ramallah, occupation forces arrested a number of residents of the town of Kobar during a raid that lasted several hours. Dozens of young men were detained and interrogated, after the home of freed Palestinian activist Nael Barghouti was turned into a field interrogation center.

In Silwad, occupation forces arrested citizens Raslan Ahmed Raslan Al-Tawil and Baraa Jamil Marai Hamed after raiding their homes and ransacking their contents.

The occupation forces also arrested Hamza Limon after raiding and searching his family's home in the village of Al-Mazra'a Al-Sharqiya, east of Ramallah.

In Bethlehem, occupation forces stormed the town of Al-Khader and took up positions in several areas, most notably: the Old City, Al-Balou', the Great Mosque, Al-Bawaba, Abu Sura neighborhood, and Jabal Abu Ramdan. They raided and searched citizens' homes and arrested a number of children and young men after interrogating them on the spot.

The occupation forces also arrested the freed prisoner Saleh Mahmoud Shakarneh, after raiding and searching his father's home in the town of Nahalin, west of Bethlehem.

In Nablus, occupation forces stormed the town of Beit Furik at dawn, raided the home of freed prisoner Bashar Fares Nasasra, and arrested his son Laith (24 years old).

These forces also arrested the young man, Fouad Ziad Nasasra (18 years old), after raiding and searching his family’s home and ransacking its contents.

The occupation forces tightened their military measures at checkpoints around Nablus and conducted vehicle searches.

In occupied Jerusalem, occupation forces arrested young man Reda Obeid after raiding his home in the town of Issawiya.

Israeli occupation forces stormed the town of Al-Jib, northwest of occupied Jerusalem, on Wednesday.

Eyewitnesses reported that occupation forces stormed the town, accompanied by a bulldozer, in preparation for a demolition operation.

A number of civilians were killed and wounded on Wednesday, and others were injured, as a result of the ongoing Israeli airstrikes on various areas in the Gaza Strip.

In the latest developments: Civil defense crews in Gaza recovered 19 bodies from the bodies of dead following the occupation's bombing of the Yaffa School, which was sheltering displaced persons northeast of Gaza City.

Threedead and a number of injuries were recovered after the occupation forces bombed the Shaaban family's home on Old Gaza Street in Jabalia al-Balad, north of the Gaza Strip.

Since October 7, 2023, the Israeli occupation forces have launched an aggression against the Gaza Strip, resulting in the deaths of 51,266 citizens, the majority of whom were children and women, and the injury of 116,991 others. This is a preliminary toll, with a number of victims still under the rubble and on the streets, unable to be reached by ambulances and rescue teams.

Dr. Ali Jarbawi: It is clear that Netanyahu and his government used October 7, 2023, as a pretext to achieve goals that had, in reality, become dreams for the Zionist movement...

Political science researcher Dr. Ali Jarbawi warned of the dangers of the post-war period on Gaza, which portends the demise of the Palestinian national project. This is due to the convergence of a number of negative external factors, the Palestinians' loss of any effective source of external support, and their exposure to the challenge of imposing a "minimal" settlement on them, which would lead to the liquidation of their cause.

In an article titled "Palestinians at a Crossroads," published in the Journal of Palestine Studies, Dr. Al-Jarbawi pointed to the extremely complex and difficult reality facing Palestinians today, which imposes an exceptional challenge on them that is far more important than any they have previously experienced during their long history of struggle against the British Mandate and the colonial Israeli occupation. He pointed out that Palestinians today face an Israel that is completely different from what they experienced in the past, after the far right, followers of religious Zionism, whose biblical doctrine is centered around the necessity of fulfilling the prophecy of "Greater Israel," gained power. The political weight in Israel is no longer solely right-wing, but rather is rooted in a fanatical, extremist, and ferocious tendency toward the Palestinians. On the regional level, the author notes, we are witnessing a decline in the traditional supportive status the Palestinian cause previously enjoyed within official Arab circles. The successive conflicts plaguing the Arab world have not only led to the withdrawal of the Qatari state in pursuit of self-preservation and the pursuit of private interests, but also to the fragmentation of collective Arab solidarity and the loss of the Arab system's standing and influence in the region, to the benefit of non-Arab powers: Iran, Turkey, and Israel. Furthermore, he points out, Israel's interventions in the region following Operation Protective Edge, in addition to undermining the authoritarian Hamas movement and exhausting its military capabilities, have also led to the dismantling of the axis of resistance, upon which the movement relied to support its existence and confrontation with Israel. With the resulting shift in the regional balance of power, it has become easier to forge a new order in the region and to close the file on the Palestinian issue, in order to remove a "chronic obstacle" to this restructuring. Trump's return to the US presidency, in the author's opinion, is the most significant change on the international scene at present, and will have far-reaching implications for reshaping the region and permanently closing the Palestinian issue. 

In this regard, Arab48 interviewed Dr. Ali Al-Jarbawi to shed further light on this topic.

Arabs 48: You warned of what you called the fading of the Palestinian national project in light of the convergence of international, regional, and Israeli factors that have conspired against the Palestinians, and in light of the lack of national immunity resulting from calcification and division. How far do these dangers extend?

Dr. Al-Jarbawi: There are very serious dangers threatening the existence and future of the Palestinian national project in light of the challenges facing the Palestinian reality and the Palestinian cause. This is in light of the convergence of three main factors: the international factor represented by Trump's rise to power in America and its accompanying repercussions; the regional factor, primarily represented by the Arab world and its declining support for the Palestinians to its lowest level; and Israel and the internal changes occurring within it, which intensified after October 7, 2023.

These three external factors are accompanied by an internal factor, namely the Palestinian internal factor, which lacks the innate immunity that would enable it to confront these external factors affecting it. If we combine the external factors with the Palestinian internal factor, we find a very dangerous situation for the Palestinian future.

Arabs 48: The danger you speak of to the survival of the national project affects the Palestinian entity, which was formed through struggle. The Palestinian national liberation movement, which has endured for decades, and which, even if it was unable to liberate the land and build a state, its only major achievement has been the establishment of a Palestinian entity?

Dr. Al-Jarbawi: True. We were unable to bring this entity through the Oslo process to its desired end, which was the establishment of a state. In my opinion, continuing to talk about a two-state solution 30 years after Oslo is merely throwing sand in the eyes, because it is clear that the two-state solution, which in the traditional Palestinian concept meant dividing Palestine into two states and obtaining a small state comprising 20% of its area, today, as a result of the ongoing facts on the ground, means dividing the West Bank, not dividing Palestine. Hence, continuing to talk about a two-state solution is a self-defeating fallacy. In a sense, we are laughing at ourselves, because the most the two-state solution can offer today—if it ever does, especially after October 7, 2023—is a "remnant state." This remnant state will not be fully sovereign, but rather partially sovereign, and its center, in my opinion, will be in the Gaza Strip, joined by the remnants of the West Bank at best. Therefore, we must examine ourselves and stop clinging to slogans that are losing their meaning and validity on the ground day by day.

"Arabs 48": Perhaps you also mean the remnants of the Gaza Strip, from which they are seeking to extract whatever they can?

Dr. Al-Jarbawi: It is clear that Netanyahu and his government used October 7, 2023, as a pretext to achieve goals that had, in reality, become dreams for the Zionist movement. As is well known, attempts were made to empty the Gaza Strip of its Palestinian population, especially the refugees of 1952, 1956, and 1967, and resettle them in Sinai, the West Bank, or other Arab countries, but they failed.

They wanted to dismantle the refugee issue, but they did not succeed. The issue was over, becoming seemingly unachievable. Then came this war, which restored hope to the Zionist movement, led by the right-wing Netanyahu government, about the possibility of achieving this, especially after Trump legitimized and covered this approach and revived ideas of displacement and expulsion.

"Arabs 48": The issue is not limited to the Gaza Strip. Operations to dismantle the refugee issue are also underway, through the displacement of the camps in the northern West Bank and emptying them of their residents.

Dr. Al-Jarbawi: True. The ongoing dismantling and persecution of UNRWA is also taking place, because the continued existence of the refugee issue is a disturbing obsession for the Zionist movement, which it has always sought to eliminate. It believes that its opportunity has arisen to accomplish what it failed to achieve previously on this issue and other issues related to the Palestinian cause. Its ultimate goal is to destroy the Palestinian national project.

"Arabs 48": In the question "What should be done?", you suggested ways to confront it.

Dr. Al-Jarbawi: From a historical perspective, we note that the Palestinian political system has been calcified for a long time, and as a result of this calcification, the division occurred, not the other way around. In other words, the calcification led to the division, not the division itself.

"Arabs 48": Do you mean that the division is a result, not a cause?

Dr. Al-Jarbawi: True. This system, which was supposed to be effective, has lost its effectiveness, calcified, and become incapable of confronting various challenges. Its primary concern, after the division, on both sides of the West Bank and Gaza, has become preserving its survival and continuity, not fulfilling its duties and carrying out its functions. This means that each party, whether Hamas in Gaza or Fatah in the West Bank, has become concerned with preserving its political authority and preserving those in power. We know that there have been numerous warnings from many over the past years that the situation is deteriorating to the point that we will be unable to confront the challenges that lie in wait for us or carry out the functions that a political system is supposed to perform.

"Arabs 48": Given the different methods of struggle that are disputed between the two groups, is it difficult to achieve our goals without national unity?

Dr. Jarbawi: If you notice, the two groups no longer differ on the goal, because both sides advocate establishing a Palestinian state, which implicitly includes the borders of the West Bank and Gaza Strip. The difference is now about the method, not the goal.

"Arabs 48": You mean that this is not the difference that prevailed in the 1970s, 1980s, and even the early 1990s between those who wanted Palestine from the sea to the river, led by the Popular Front and the leftist factions, and later Hamas and Islamic Jihad?

Dr. Al-Jarbawi: The disagreement is no longer over the goal, but rather over the means, while both sides have forgotten that even the goal sought to be achieved by both means can no longer be achieved by either.

"Arabs 48": Do you mean that as long as the division persists, the goal cannot be achieved, or has the disagreement over the means undermined the goal?

Dr. Al-Jarbawi: The goal will not be achieved even if we combine both means. We must pay attention to the Palestinian reality, our goals, and the nature of this conflict. Is there an equivalence in the balance of power? Is there a possibility of that balance of power shifting in our favor in the near term? As long as external support no longer exists or has weakened dramatically with the collapse of the Eastern Bloc in 1989-1991 and with the decline of support from the Arab world due to internal and external shifts, all of this indicates that the balance of power will not change anytime soon. There is also a state of targeting by an enemy that is leaning toward the extreme right and seeking to uproot us. Meanwhile, the goal we claim to be achievable—the "two-state solution"—has not been achieved 30 years after Oslo. The entire year doesn't seek to resolve the conflict, but rather to manage it. Managing the conflict has always required raising the slogan of the two-state solution to maintain hope that we will achieve a state.

"Arabs 48": In other words, has the two-state solution become a misleading slogan and a facade under which the conflict is managed?

Dr. Jarbawi: Exactly. It is a means of managing the conflict. Therefore, we must stop continuing to disagree over the means—"negotiations" or "armed resistance"—and focus on the goal and define what we want at this stage. From my perspective, I believe we are facing a conflict that will continue for a long time, and that if it ends now, it will end with a "remnant state" stripped of its sovereignty and diminished. This is because the best that can be achieved, given the existing balance, is the reduced solution proposed by Trump during his first term in the framework of the "Deal of the Century," if he has not already been overthrown. Therefore, and in light of our awareness that the conflict is long-term, we must focus on the central Palestinian goal of remaining in our homeland and strengthening our steadfastness there.

"Arabs 48": In the article, you discussed the two options: accepting a deficient state or a one-state solution?

Dr. Al-Jarbawi: What I believe is that the political forces in the West Bank and Gaza—because both sides accept and speak of a Palestinian state—if they are satisfied with the two-state solution, they must be frank with the Palestinian people that the two-state solution will lead to a state diminished in geographic area and sovereignty.

They must be frank with the people so that they do not continue to hope that we will establish a state along the 1967 borders with Jerusalem or East Jerusalem as its capital. They must be frank with them that we want to achieve what we can, and that if they support the two-state solution, this is what they will achieve in the two-state solution.

"Arabs 48": Otherwise, we will return to the starting point, which is the one-state solution?

Dr. Al-Jarbawi: Otherwise, we must realize that we are facing a protracted conflict. In this context, I have no ideas or scenarios for a solution. Rather, I believe that we must establish our presence on this land. This means that the Palestinian entity based on it, instead of being preoccupied with negotiations or armed resistance, should be preoccupied with how to stabilize the people on their land and provide them with services to strengthen their presence and survival on this land. This is because the conflict will not be resolved now, nor will it happen in the next decade or two.