The Arab Parliament stressed that any vision calling for controlling the Gaza Strip, violating Palestinian sovereignty, and displacing the Palestinian people from the Strip to other countries is condemned and rejected in its entirety and in detail, and is a flagrant violation of all international laws, and a clear violation of international legitimacy resolutions, and the legitimate rights of the Palestinian people.

This came in the decision issued by the emergency session held today, Wednesday, under the slogan "Reconstructing Gaza is a duty... and displacing its people is a crime", headed by Parliament Speaker Mohammed Al-Yamahi, with the participation of the Vice-Chairman of the Palestine Committee, MP Nasser Abu Bakr, and MP Mai Al-Kaila.

The Arab Parliament affirmed its absolute rejection of any attempts aimed at liquidating the Palestinian cause or imposing unfair solutions, considering that any attempts to impose displacement in all its forms on the Palestinian people constitute a crime against humanity under international law and the Geneva Conventions, and that this unfair plan does not serve the efforts to achieve a just and comprehensive peace, but rather fuels the conflict and increases the intensity of tension in the region.

He expressed his complete rejection of any initiatives or attempts to displace the Palestinian people from the Gaza Strip and the West Bank, and his refusal to accept any attempts to change the equation and impose a new reality of displacement and liquidation of the legitimate rights of the Palestinian people and harm their historical rights in their homeland and liquidation of the Palestinian cause. He called on the international community, the Security Council and the United Nations to take a firm international position against any calls or plans aimed at displacing the Palestinians from their land.

The Arab Parliament also stressed that the Palestine Liberation Organization is the sole legitimate representative of the Palestinian people, and rejected any external attempts to circumvent it, and the necessity of strengthening its role, position, and various frameworks, and the position of the Palestinian National Council, the "Parliament of the Palestinian People". It also called on all Palestinians to engage in the Palestine Liberation Organization, and to make Palestinian national reconciliation a success through the upcoming rounds of dialogue, to achieve unity of the position of the Palestinian factions, and to enhance the ability of the Palestinian people to persevere and struggle nationally.

The Parliament called on the US administration to retract any positions or statements that contradict international legitimacy and the rights of the Palestinian people, and do not contribute to achieving the two-state solution, which is the only way to establish peace and security in the region, especially US President Trump’s statements regarding the displacement of Palestinians from the Gaza Strip.

He stressed his full support for the Palestinian people in their adherence to their land and their support for achieving all their inalienable rights, foremost among which are their right to return, self-determination and the establishment of their independent state with Jerusalem as its capital, and called on international and regional parliaments to urge their countries to protect these rights and support the steadfastness of the Palestinian people in the face of plans and initiatives aimed at liquidating the Palestinian cause.

The Arab Parliament called for the complete withdrawal of the Israeli occupation from the Gaza Strip, expressing its complete rejection of any attempts to divide the Strip. It also called for working to enable the Palestinian Authority to assume its duties in the Gaza Strip, as it is part of the occupied Palestinian territory, along with the West Bank, including Jerusalem, in a way that allows for addressing the humanitarian catastrophe that the Strip is currently facing due to the Israeli aggression.

He condemned the dangerous escalation of crimes and violations by the Israeli occupation and settlers, on a number of cities, villages and camps in the West Bank, including the city of Jerusalem, especially the brutal military attack on the cities of Jenin, Tulkarm, Nour Shams and Al-Far’a and their camps, and the martyrdom and injury of dozens of civilians, which the occupation began since the start of the implementation of the ceasefire in the Gaza Strip.

The Arab Parliament held the occupation government responsible for this escalation, which threatens to explode the security and humanitarian situation, and destroy all efforts aimed at peace, a ceasefire, and ending the war, calling for holding the occupation leaders and settlers accountable for their crimes against the Palestinian people.

He welcomed the announcement of reaching a ceasefire agreement in the Gaza Strip, considering this step an important development towards ending the war of extermination and military escalation, which claimed the lives of thousands of innocent people and caused great human suffering for the Palestinian people in the Gaza Strip, calling on all parties to fully adhere to the terms of the agreement and continue working towards calm to avoid any new escalation.

He stressed the need to respect international humanitarian laws, protect civilians and ensure the delivery of urgent humanitarian aid to those affected in the Gaza Strip.

The Arab Parliament praised the tireless and great efforts made by the Arab Republic of Egypt and the State of Qatar in reaching a ceasefire agreement in the Gaza Strip, highly appreciating their role in stopping the escalation and the war of genocide and alleviating the suffering of the Palestinian people.

He stressed that these efforts reflect the commitment of Arab countries to defending the Palestinian cause and their keenness to achieve security and stability in the region, calling for the continuation of these efforts to establish calm and a permanent and comprehensive ceasefire and to work to launch a just and comprehensive peace process that leads to ending the occupation and establishing an independent Palestinian state with Jerusalem as its capital.

He stressed the need to support efforts to ensure humanitarian support reaches all parts of the Gaza Strip, and to remove all obstacles to the entry of all humanitarian aid in an appropriate and safe manner.

The Arab Parliament also called for leading urgent international efforts to support the reconstruction process of the Gaza Strip, which was subjected to widespread destruction, and to ensure the provision of sufficient and sustainable funding to rebuild the infrastructure and provide the basic needs of the residents of the Strip as quickly as possible, in a manner that guarantees the Palestinians’ continued presence on their land.

He welcomed the Arab Republic of Egypt hosting an emergency Arab summit on March 4, 2025 in Cairo, at the request of the State of Palestine and in coordination with the Kingdom of Bahrain, which holds the presidency of the summit in its current session, to address the new and dangerous developments in the Palestinian issue, as well as its hosting of an emergency meeting of the Organization of Islamic Cooperation, to affirm the constants of the Palestinian, Arab and Islamic position on the Palestinian issue, and adherence to the inalienable rights of the Palestinian people, foremost of which is their right to self-determination and to live in their homeland and on their land.

He also welcomed the announcement of the establishment of the "Hague Group", which consists of nine countries: South Africa, Malaysia, Colombia, Bolivia, Cuba, Honduras, Namibia, Senegal, and Belize, to work towards achieving two main goals: supporting the Palestinian people and their right to establish their state, pursuing the occupation in international courts, ending the occupation of Palestinian territories, supporting the Palestinians' right to self-determination, and coordinating efforts to confront the occupation's violations of international law.

The Arab Parliament welcomed the outcomes of the Seventh Conference of the Arab Parliament and the Presidents of Arab Councils and Parliaments, in cooperation with the Arab Parliamentary Union, on February 22, 2025, which issued an Arab parliamentary action plan to support the steadfastness of the Palestinian people on their land and to thwart plans to liquidate the Palestinian cause.

He also welcomed the outcomes of the six-party Arab meeting held in Cairo at the invitation of the Arab Republic of Egypt, which stressed the need for the complete withdrawal of the Israeli occupation forces from the Gaza Strip, the complete rejection of any attempts to divide the Strip, and working to enable the Palestinian Authority to assume its duties in the Gaza Strip as part of the occupied Palestinian territory alongside the West Bank, including East Jerusalem, and rejecting any attempts to bypass UNRWA or limit its role, in a way that allows the international community to address the humanitarian catastrophe that the Strip has been exposed to due to the Israeli aggression.

The Parliament called on all countries to ban the export or transfer of arms and ammunition to the Israeli occupation, and urged countries to join the initiative proposed by the Republic of Turkey and the core group of 18 countries, which was signed by 52 countries, the Organization of Islamic Cooperation and the League of Arab States, and to send a joint letter to the UN Security Council, the President of the UN General Assembly and the Secretary-General, in order to stop providing arms to the occupation, and to call on all countries to sign it.

The Arab Parliament called for the establishment of an Arab fund to support Arab countries financially and morally, which are being pressured financially by the American administration to accept the displacement of Palestinians, and to support their steadfastness in the face of these threats.

He stressed his support for all efforts made by the Hashemite Kingdom of Jordan to protect Islamic and Christian holy sites in the occupied city of Jerusalem, and stressed the role of the Hashemite guardianship over Islamic and Christian holy sites in Jerusalem and its role in protecting its Arab, Islamic and Christian identity, and its role in preserving the historical and legal status quo in Jerusalem and its holy sites, and stressed that the Jordanian Jerusalem Endowments and Al-Aqsa Mosque Affairs Administration is the exclusive legitimate body with jurisdiction to manage the affairs of the blessed Al-Aqsa Mosque, maintain it and regulate entry to it.

The Arab Parliament also stressed the efforts of the Kingdom of Morocco, through the important role and continuous efforts of the Bayt Mal Al-Quds Agency, affiliated with the Al-Quds Committee, in order to preserve the identity of the city and its legal status and support the steadfastness of its people.

The Arab Parliament adopted a plan of action to support Palestinian rights, assist efforts to rebuild the Gaza Strip, and confront the displacement plan, through: the Arab Parliament addressing regional and international parliaments, urging their countries to participate effectively in the global coalition to implement the two-state solution, and supporting the Palestinian right in the international peace conference scheduled to be held at the United Nations in mid-June 2025, co-chaired by the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia and the Republic of France, which constitutes an opportunity to mobilize international efforts to recognize the State of Palestine, obtain full membership in the United Nations, and implement the two-state solution based on international legitimacy.

The action plan stressed that the Arab Parliament should address regional and international parliaments and the Inter-Parliamentary Union to push parliamentary diplomacy to confront any plans to displace the people of Palestine and liquidate the Palestinian cause, given the seriousness of this matter on the chances of peace in the region and on regional and international security, and to demand that they abide by the resolutions of international legitimacy, and to call on the parliaments of countries that have not recognized the State of Palestine to recognize it in support of the right, in support of peace, and in strengthening international security.

The plan called for assigning delegations from the Arab Parliament to visit similar parliaments, especially the African Parliament and the European Parliament, and a number of parliaments of active European countries, to hold meetings and mobilize the support of the international community to reject any plans that detract from Palestinian rights, including the right of return and self-determination, and to take practical steps to end the occupation and recognize the independent State of Palestine with Jerusalem as its capital, in accordance with international legitimacy resolutions, the Arab Peace Initiative, and the advisory opinion of the International Court of Justice, which stipulated the illegality of the occupation and the necessity of ending it within 12 months, in accordance with the resolution of the United Nations General Assembly.

The action plan also called for preparing a memorandum with the necessary legal grounds for the request to freeze the participation of the Israeli Knesset in the Inter-Parliamentary Union, due to its enactment of racist laws that contradict international laws and norms, and to support the efforts of the Arab group in New York to implement steps to freeze Israel’s participation in the United Nations General Assembly, due to its failure to adhere to the purposes and principles of the United Nations Charter, its threat to international peace and security, and its failure to fulfill its obligations that were a condition for accepting its membership in the United Nations.

She stressed the Arab Parliament's full support for all decisions of the Palestinian Authority, regarding confronting any decisions to displace the Palestinian people, and any attempts to undermine Palestinian sovereignty over its lands.

She called for writing to members of the US Congress who support and oppose the Palestinian and Arab positions and informing them of the Arab Parliament’s protest, denunciation and condemnation of any plans to displace Palestinians from the Gaza Strip, and its refusal to support the Israeli occupation’s war of genocide against the Palestinian people, and the necessity of supporting the popular boycott of the products of all companies that support the Israeli occupation and the countries that supply it with weapons.

The plan also called for the necessity of continuing the work of the parliamentary team formed by the Arab Parliament to file a complaint against the Israeli occupation before the International Criminal Court regarding its crimes against the Palestinian people throughout the 15-month genocidal war from October 7, 2023 until the ceasefire was declared in January 2025, taking into account the complaint that the Arab Parliament had previously filed with the International Criminal Court during the first three months of this war, and requesting the official Palestinian authorities to provide the team with the documents they have that support this serious move.

The action plan also called for assigning the Palestine Committee, headed by the President of the Arab Parliament, to implement the Arab Parliament’s action plan at all levels and in all forums, Arab, regional and international, to support Arab and Palestinian efforts, and to preserve the legitimate rights of the Palestinian people and their right to establish their independent state with Jerusalem as its capital, and to consider it a permanent item on its agenda.

As the ceasefire agreement in Gaza enters its 39th day, an agreement has been reached to resolve the issue of delaying the release of the 620 Palestinian prisoners who were supposed to be released in the seventh batch of the ceasefire agreement with the Israeli occupation government, provided that they are released simultaneously with the bodies of four Israeli detainees who were agreed to be handed over during the first phase, in addition to the equivalent number of Palestinian women and children.

Al-Qassam Brigades spokesman Abu Obeida announced on Wednesday that the Brigades will hand over the bodies of four Israeli prisoners tonight: Itzachi Idan, Itzik Al-Jarit, Ohad Yahlomi, and Shlomo Mansour, while Palestinian prisoners' institutions said that the occupation will release the Palestinian prisoners before midnight. For its part, Hebrew media reported that the occupation will release the prisoners gradually during the night of Wednesday to Thursday.

Hebrew media outlets, including the Ynet website and the Haaretz newspaper website, quoted an unnamed Israeli official on Wednesday confirming that an agreement had been reached on the problem of Israel delaying the release of Palestinian prisoners. Haaretz quoted the official as saying, "If there is no last-minute glitch, Hamas will return the bodies of four detainees on the night between Wednesday and Thursday, in conjunction with the release of the prisoners who were scheduled to be released last Saturday." Ynet added that the agreement also includes Hamas handing over the bodies of the four detainees agreed upon in the first phase to Egypt, without ceremony, so that the latter will hand them over to the Red Cross, and from there to Israel, which will simultaneously release Palestinian prisoners.

Meanwhile, Axios quoted US President Donald Trump's Middle East envoy Steve Witkoff as saying on Wednesday that an Israeli delegation will travel to Doha or Cairo in the coming days to negotiate a prisoner swap deal for Israelis and Palestinians and a ceasefire in Gaza. Witkoff added: "If all goes well, I may travel to the region (the Middle East) on Sunday" next.

On Tuesday, the Hebrew newspaper Yedioth Ahronoth quoted an Israeli official as saying that Witkov had postponed his visit to the region for several days after he was scheduled to begin his visit today, Wednesday, without specifying a new date for the visit. For its part, the Hebrew newspaper Haaretz reported that the reason for the postponement of Witkov's visit was Israel's failure to release Palestinian prisoners, as part of the seventh batch of the ceasefire agreement with Hamas.

Cairo announced on Wednesday its rejection of the circulating proposals regarding governance during the next phase in the Gaza Strip, the latest of which was the proposal for Egypt to take over the administration of the Gaza Strip for a period of time.

She stressed that these are "rejected and unacceptable proposals, as they are half-solutions that contribute to renewing the cycles of conflict instead of resolving it once and for all."

This came according to what was stated by the Egyptian Foreign Ministry spokesman, Tamim Khilaf, "in response to press inquiries about the circulating proposals regarding governance during the next phase in the Gaza Strip, the latest of which is the proposal for Egypt to take over the administration of the Gaza Strip for a period of time," according to what was reported by the official Egyptian news agency.

The Egyptian Foreign Ministry spokesman said, "Any proposals or arguments that circumvent the constants of the Egyptian and Arab position, and the sound foundations for dealing with the essence of the conflict, which relate to Israel's withdrawal from the occupied Palestinian territories and the establishment of an independent Palestinian state, are rejected and unacceptable, as they are half-solutions that contribute to renewing the cycles of the conflict instead of settling it once and for all."

He stressed the "organic connection between the Gaza Strip and the West Bank, including East Jerusalem, as Palestinian lands that represent the territory of the independent Palestinian state, and must be subject to full Palestinian sovereignty and administration."

On Tuesday, Israeli opposition leader Yair Lapid proposed that Egypt take over the administration of the neighboring Palestinian Gaza Strip for 15 years, in exchange for canceling its foreign debts.

Lapid announced his proposal in a speech he gave at the Foundation for Defense of Democracies (FDD) research center in Washington, according to the Hebrew newspaper Maariv, and then followed it with a post on the X platform.

The Israeli opposition leader wrote: “A short while ago, I presented in Washington a plan for the day after the war in Gaza. The core of the plan is that Egypt will take responsibility for Gaza for 15 years, and at the same time the international community will cancel its foreign debt of $155 billion.”

Lapid added that during the 15 years, "Gaza will be rebuilt and conditions will be prepared for self-rule, and Egypt will be the central player and will supervise the reconstruction, which will further strengthen its economy."

He believed that "this solution has a historical precedent: Egypt took control of Gaza in the past, and this was done with the support of the Arab League, with the understanding that this was a temporary situation (...) and this is what must happen again today."

Egypt was legally responsible for the Gaza Strip for most of the period between 1948 and 1967. This began when Israel was established on Palestinian lands occupied by armed Zionist gangs that committed massacres and displaced hundreds of thousands of Palestinians.

Hamas had previously announced its rejection of disarming the Palestinian factions or removing them from Gaza, stressing that any arrangements for the future of the Strip would be based on Palestinian "national consensus."

The young man, Abdul Rahman Khaled Nawas, died this evening, Wednesday, as a result of his injuries from an Israeli bombardment on the Nour Shams camp in Tulkarm two months ago.

Nawas was injured by shrapnel from a missile in the head and chest, launched by an Israeli drone in the middle of the camp, between the Al-Manshiya and Al-Shuhada neighborhoods, on the evening of December 24, while three other young men were injured at the time.

Nawas's death was announced from the Istishari Hospital in Ramallah, where he was receiving treatment.

US President Donald Trump is facing backlash on his Truth Social platform after sharing an AI-generated video of himself drinking cocktails with a shirtless Benjamin Netanyahu in Gaza, in a futuristic vision of the enclave that Israel has utterly destroyed, killing more than 48,000 people, the vast majority of them women and children, and wounding more than 110,000.

The video of the vision of the future Gaza is computer-generated for Trump's real estate development plan for Gaza, under which he said he wanted to "cleanse" Gaza of its more than two million residents.

The plan, dubbed the "Middle East Riviera," has been criticized as a scheme for ethnic cleansing.

The footage shows Trumpian Gaza transformed into a Dubai-style resort with skyscrapers and luxury yachts.

Children play on the beach as money rains down and scantily clad belly dancers twirl across the sand.

Trump, who says he wants the US to “own” Gaza, is presented as the dominant figure in the footage. A boy walks by carrying a gold balloon of the president’s head and a giant dictator-style statue of Trump overlooks a city street.

Elon Musk, the world's richest man and a Trump supporter, also appears several times in the video, eating flatbread and later dancing as dollar bills fall from the sky. Musk's electric Tesla cars cruise the gleaming streets.

After the 78-year-old president shared the footage — which includes the caption “Gaza 2025… what next?” — he faced a backlash on his social media platform.

“I couldn’t be a bigger supporter of President Trump but this particular video is in very bad taste. Very bad taste, really!” wrote one Truth Social user. “I hate this. I love our president but this is terrible,” wrote another.

It did not go down well with Trump's Christian supporters, with many comments referring to the worship of the golden statue, while others lamented a scene showing Trump in a nightclub alone with a woman dressed as a belly dancer as a crowd of people looked on.

“Only one is worthy of glory and honor, Mr. President,” another user wrote. “The statue is a symbol of the Antichrist, please humble yourself before God. Jesus is the King and He alone.”

Other users described the video as "sick" and "filthy."

It was not immediately clear who made the video, though it had been shared online previously by other accounts not affiliated with the White House. Trump shared it without comment.

The images were accompanied by words that appeared to be generated by artificial intelligence: “Donald is coming to set you free, bringing the light for all to see, No more tunnels, no more fear: Trump Gaza is finally here.

"Gaza Trump, a bright golden future, a whole new life. Celebrate and dance, the deal is done, Trump Gaza number one."

Israel is fighting allegations of genocide in Gaza, where it killed nearly 50,000 people, mostly civilians, in the war. The International Criminal Court has issued arrest warrants for Netanyahu and Hamas military leader Mohammed Deif on charges of war crimes. Netanyahu denies committing war crimes, while Deif may already be dead

Previous economic plans for Gaza have failed after they were strangled by Israel, which has besieged the Strip for 17 years.

It is worth noting that last month, there was international condemnation of Mr. Trump's plan for American control of war-torn Gaza and the creation of a "Riviera."

Trump said he envisions building a resort where international communities could live in harmony after more than 15 months of Israeli bombardment that has devastated the tiny coastal enclave, killing more than 48,000 people, according to Palestinian figures.

The informal proposal sent diplomatic shockwaves across the Middle East and the world. Countries including Russia, China, Spain, Ireland and the United Kingdom said they continued to support the two-state solution, which has been the basis of Washington’s policy in the region for decades.

Hamas described Trump's statement about seizing the Strip as "ridiculous."

The military spokesman for the Al-Qassam Brigades, the military wing of Hamas, Abu Obeida, confirmed that within the framework of the Al-Aqsa Flood prisoner exchange deal, the Al-Qassam Brigades decided to hand over the bodies of 4 detainees held by the occupation this evening, Wednesday.

He said the names of the detainees who will be handed over are:

I'm going to take your sticks

Itzik the Grit

Ohad Yehlomi

Channel 12 reported that the handover will take place simultaneously at 11 pm Palestine time, 12 pm Jordan time.

The office of Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu confirmed that an agreement had been reached with mediators to hand over the bodies of four Israeli detainees in the Gaza Strip.

The prime minister's spokesman said an agreement had been reached without providing further details. Two Palestinian sources had previously confirmed to Agence France-Presse that Hamas would hand over the bodies of four "Israeli" detainees in exchange for the release of more than 600 Palestinian prisoners by the Israeli occupation.

A young man was killed on Wednesday evening, after suffering a critical head injury from Israeli occupation forces in Qalqilya.

According to local sources, the child Hamed Fadl Muwafi (16 years old) from Qalqilya, was shot in the head with live bullets by the Israeli occupation army while he was near the racist separation and expansion wall. He was subsequently transferred to Qalqilya Hospital, and his injury was described as critical, before his death was announced.

Once again, Senator Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.) is introducing legislation aimed at halting U.S. arms sales to Israel.

The senator’s office says the four new joint resolutions of disapproval (JRDs) would block $8.56 billion in arms sales to Israel. The proposed package includes 2,166 small diameter bombs, 2,800 500-pound bombs, tens of thousands of detonators, thousands of Joint Direct Attack Munition (JDAM) guidance kits for use in bombs, 3,000 Hellfire missiles, and 10,000 155mm high-explosive artillery shells.

“Israel had the right to defend itself against Hamas and respond to the brutal terrorist attack on October 7, 2023, which killed 1,200 people and took over 240 hostages,” Sanders said in a statement seen by Al-Quds. “But instead, the extremist Netanyahu government waged an all-out war against the entire Palestinian people, killing over 48,000 and wounding over 111,000 — the vast majority of them women and children.”

“It is unfortunate that much of this carnage was carried out with American bombs and weapons, and Netanyahu used our bombs to destroy or damage nearly 70 percent of the buildings in Gaza, including hundreds of schools. All of this was done in clear violation of American and international law,” he continued.

“With Trump and Netanyahu talking openly about forcibly removing millions of Palestinians from Gaza — in other words, ethnic cleansing — it would be unconscionable to provide more of the bombs and weapons that Israel has used to kill so many civilians and make life unlivable in Gaza,” Sanders asserts.

Sanders points out that the Foreign Assistance Act of 1961 and the Arms Export Control Act require that such sales be consistent with internationally recognized human rights.

Sanders’ efforts come amid an increasingly fragile ceasefire. This week, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has been working to “sabotage” a negotiated ceasefire and prisoner swap, reneging on Israel’s pledge to release Palestinian prisoners last Saturday after Hamas freed six Israelis held in Gaza.

Sanders introduced a similar set of resolutions last fall. Although they were defeated, 18 Democrats voted in favor of at least one of them, including Dick Durbin (D-Ill.), Tim Kaine (D-Va.), Ed Markey (D-Mass.), Chris Murphy (D-Conn.), Chris Van Hollen (D-Md.) and Elizabeth Warren (D-Mass.). It’s unclear whether the legislation will gain more support now that Donald Trump is in office. There are also six new Democrats in the chamber, and of that group, only Sen. Adam Schiff (D-Calif.) has indicated he would oppose the move. So far, the new round of resolutions lack any cosponsors.

Some supporters, like Sen. Jon Ossoff, have been attacked by pro-Israel groups for supporting previous efforts. “Bernie Sanders is once again trying to block life-saving military aid to Israel. Will Senate Democrats like Ossoff join him again?” the Senate Republicans account tweeted this week.

Earlier this month, the State Department notified Congress that it planned to sell Israel another $7 billion in weapons. The announcement came just two days after Trump met with Benjamin Netanyahu at the White House and announced his plan to ethnically cleanse and take over Gaza. The Biden administration notified Congress of the sale shortly before he left office.

Settlers uprooted 100 olive trees from the lands of Jaba' Plain, northeast of occupied Jerusalem.

Last Saturday, settlers burned a house belonging to a family in the Bedouin community in the village of Jaba, and a vehicle belonging to a citizen, and fired heavy bullets.

These attacks are part of the systematic occupation policy that aims to displace Bedouin villages from their lands and seize them for the benefit of settlement expansion. The settlers also carry out these attacks under the protection of the occupation forces.

The General Authority for Civil Affairs, the Authority of Prisoners and Freed Prisoners Affairs, and the Palestinian Prisoners Club were informed of the death  of prisoner Raafat Adnan Abdul Aziz Abu Fanouneh (34 years old) from Gaza, today, Wednesday, in Ramla Prison.

Al-Haya and the club said that the martyr Abu Funouneh has been detained since October 7, along with his brother Shadi, and that he was injured during his detention. During this entire period, the occupation did not disclose details about his fate or allow visits to him.

According to available data, the detainee Abu Fanouneh remained in Ramla prison and was recently transferred to Assaf Harofeh Hospital, until his martyrdom was announced today. It is worth noting that before his arrest and injury he did not suffer from health problems. It is also noted that he is married and has a child.

They explained that with the death of the prisoner Abu Fanouneh, the number of martyrs among the prisoners and detainees in the occupation prisons since the beginning of the war of extermination has risen to 60 martyrs, and they are the only ones whose identities are known, and among them are at least 39 from Gaza, and this number is the highest historically, so that this stage is the bloodiest stage in the history of the prisoner movement since 1967, so that the number of dead of the prisoner movement whose identities are known since 1967 has risen to 297, noting that there are dozens of dead from the Gaza detainees who are subject to enforced disappearance.

She added that the case of the martyrdom of the detainee Abu Funouneh constitutes a new crime in the record of the Israeli system of brutality, which has reached its peak since the beginning of the war of extermination.

They continued, saying that the occupation is not satisfied with killing the detainees, but rather deliberately does not reveal their fate and manipulates the responses, and this has happened many times, so we confirm that all the responses related to the martyrs are responses from the occupation army and there is no other evidence of their martyrdom, since the occupation continues to detain their bodies, and in most of the responses it indicates that an investigation is underway in an attempt to evade any international accountability.

They also stressed that what is happening to the detainees is just another aspect of the war of extermination, and its goal is to carry out more executions and assassinations against prisoners and detainees.

The Commission and the Club stressed that the rate of increasing numbers of dead among prisoners and detainees will take a more dangerous turn as more time passes on the detention of thousands of prisoners and detainees in the occupation prisons, and their continued exposure to systematic crimes, most notably torture, starvation, assaults in all their forms, medical crimes, sexual assaults, and the deliberate imposition of conditions that lead to their contracting serious and contagious diseases, in addition to the policies of theft and deprivation - unprecedented in their level.

They held the occupation fully responsible for the death of the detainee Abu Funouneh, and renewed their demand for the international human rights system to move forward in taking effective decisions to hold the occupation leaders accountable for the war crimes they continue to commit against our people, and to impose sanctions on the occupation that would place it in a state of clear international isolation, and restore to the human rights system its fundamental role for which it was created, and put an end to the terrifying state of helplessness that it suffered during the war of extermination, and end the state of exceptional immunity that the old colonial states granted to the occupying state of Israel as it is above accountability, accountability and punishment.

The Palestinian Red Crescent Society announced today, Wednesday, that it had received dozens of distress calls from families stuck inside the Nour Shams camp, east of Tulkarm city.

The association said in a statement that it had received dozens of calls from families stuck in the Jabal al-Nasr area of the camp, and was facing difficulty in reaching them due to the dangerous situation and the area being besieged by the occupation forces.

She added, "We continue our coordination efforts with partners to ensure safe access for crews to evacuate these families and provide them with the necessary support."

Last night, the occupation forces notified the demolition of 11 homes in Nour Shams camp in the coming days, under the pretext of paving a road starting from the mosque neighborhood towards the Manshiyya neighborhood, and gave the owners of the homes a deadline to go to the camp from 8:00 am until 11:00 pm to evacuate their homes and take their belongings before they are demolished.

In the morning, dozens of citizens were seen heading into the camp, accompanied by relief teams from the Red Crescent, Civil Defense, and others, amidst a state of shock and sadness at the scenes of destruction that befell the camp in general and the property in particular.

The Palestinian Red Crescent Society crews evacuated a number of families who were still in their homes and ensured their safe exit.

Painful scenes showed families rushing out, racing against time, carrying whatever belongings they could from their partially destroyed homes, while the occupation forces surrounded the area and deployed their vehicles in large numbers around the camp, deliberately driving at high speed over the rubble and sewage water and throwing it at those present in the area, especially journalists.

Nour Shams camp has been witnessing a continuous escalation since the beginning of the occupation's aggression against it 18 days ago, coinciding with the ongoing aggression against the city of Tulkarm and its camp for 31 days, as the occupation forces carry out repeated raids on homes after blowing up their doors, expelling their residents from them at gunpoint, and turning them into military barracks.

The camp was also subjected to extensive and complete destruction of infrastructure and property, including homes and shops that were demolished, bombed and burned, which exacerbated the suffering of citizens who remained in their homes, under a tight siege and a shortage of basic materials such as food, water, medicine and baby milk.

During the past few days, the camp witnessed a large displacement movement among its residents, including women, children, the elderly and the sick, concentrated in the neighborhoods of Al-Maslakh, Al-Manshiya, and Jabal Al-Salihin and Al-Nasr, where their number exceeded 5,000 displaced persons.

Hamas spokesman Hazem Qassem confirmed that mechanisms have been put in place to solve the problem of exchanging prisoners and detainees "resulting from the occupation's procrastination."

He revealed in an interview with Al Arabiya TV that "all prisoners from the seventh batch, as well as child and female prisoners from Gaza, will be released."

While he saw that "the occupation is still evasive and has not adhered to the humanitarian protocol," Qassem stressed that the agreement is contingent on the extent of Israel's commitment tomorrow.

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's office confirmed that an agreement had been reached with mediators to hand over the bodies of four Israelis held in the Gaza Strip.

The prime minister's spokesman confirmed that an agreement had been reached, without providing further details. Another Israeli official confirmed the same reports.

A source in the Hamas movement revealed to Al-Arabiya TV that the resistance will hand over the bodies of 4 Israeli prisoners tomorrow, Thursday, under Egyptian supervision.

A Hamas source told Al Arabiya TV that the resistance will hand over the bodies of 4 Israeli prisoners tomorrow, Thursday, under Egyptian supervision.

A child died on Wednesday due to the severe cold in her family's tent in the Gaza Strip.

Local sources reported that the child was less than two months old and died in her family's tent in the Shuja'iyya neighborhood, east of Gaza City.

Yesterday, Tuesday, 6 children died due to the severe cold, while the condition of others was described as critical, according to what was confirmed by health sources in Gaza.

The people of the Gaza Strip suffer from a lack of shelter and medical treatment due to the occupation's aggression on the Strip, and the lack of heating methods due to the scarcity of fuel, in light of a severe polar cold wave.

Today, Wednesday, the Israeli occupation forces announced, by military order, the seizure and laying of hands on more than eight dunams of citizens’ land in Masafer Yatta, south of Hebron.

The official news agency (WAFA) reported that the occupation forces distributed a military order to seize 8,438 meters of citizens' land adjacent to the "Karmiel" settlement, which was forcibly established in Masafer Yatta.

Head of the village council in Masafer Yatta, Nidal Younis, told WAFA that the lands to be seized are located at the main entrance, if not the only one, to all the areas, villages and communities in Masafer Yatta and the Badia.

He added that the occupation's announcement of seizing this large area and in that specific location for security purposes, according to its claim, raises many fears among the residents about its intentions and its efforts to tighten its control over those entrances and dominate them, which will result in deepening their suffering and tightening the siege on them.

Today, Wednesday, settlers led by extremist Yehuda Glick stormed the blessed Al-Aqsa Mosque, under heavy guard from the Israeli occupation police.

Eyewitnesses reported that dozens of settlers stormed Al-Aqsa in separate groups, carried out provocative tours in its courtyards, and performed Talmudic rituals, led by the extremist Glick.

Today, Wednesday, the Israeli occupation forces demolished a house under construction in the village of Beit Ijza, northwest of occupied Jerusalem.

Eyewitnesses reported that the occupation forces, accompanied by a bulldozer, stormed the village and demolished a house under construction, belonging to the brothers Ibrahim and Abdul Munther Diwan, with an area of 265 square meters.

The report of the Wall and Settlement Resistance Commission monitored the implementation of 76 demolition operations by the occupation authorities last month, which affected 126 facilities, including 74 inhabited homes, 4 uninhabited ones, and 29 agricultural and other facilities. They were concentrated in the governorates of Jenin, with 47 facilities demolished, then Jerusalem 14, Qalqilya 11, and Bethlehem and Nablus 10 each.

The director general of the International Organization for Migration, Amy Pope, told AFP on Tuesday that the UN organization would not participate in "any kind of forced" evacuation of Palestinians from Gaza.

Any such displacement would be a "red line," Bob explained, after US President Donald Trump suggested his country take control of the devastated Gaza Strip and transfer more than two million of its Palestinian residents to other locations.

“We have made a commitment to the communities we serve that we will not engage in any kind of forced movement or eviction of people,” Pope added.

"We are a humanitarian actor, so we certainly do not engage in activities that would constitute red lines for key member states," she continued.

Trump's proposal to rebuild the Gaza Strip and turn it into a "Riviera of the Middle East" after displacing its population sparked widespread criticism when it was first floated in early February.

Facing fierce opposition in the Middle East and beyond, Trump said in an interview Friday that he was "not imposing" his plan.

The Civil Defense in Gaza announced on Tuesday that six newborn babies died in Gaza within a week due to the cold wave hitting the Strip.

The war, which broke out due to Hamas's attack on Israel on October 7, 2023, and lasted more than 15 months, displaced most of the Strip's population.

The United Nations estimates the cost of rebuilding the sector at more than $53 billion.

A fragile ceasefire that has been in effect since January 19 has allowed increased humanitarian aid to Gaza, although Hamas accuses Israel of blocking some basic supplies from entering.

The documentary, “No Other Land,” which tells the story of the besieged community (and citizens) of Masafer Yatta in the occupied West Bank where Israeli forces are demolishing residents’ homes and evicting families from land they have lived on for generations, claiming the area is needed for military training, is the subject of a heated debate like no other documentary in the history of Hollywood’s Oscars for Best Picture in 2024, due to its content about the tragedy of forced displacement of Palestinians.

It is noteworthy that "Masafer Yatta" is a cluster of 12 Palestinian villages located in the city of "Yatta" south of the Palestinian city of Hebron in the occupied West Bank. Its residents have been suffering from the threat of permanent forced displacement for decades due to the occupation authorities' establishment of 10 settlements, outposts and "firing zones (918)" for military training.

Palestinians in the area have suffered damage that continually threatens their security of livelihood, due to the encroachment of settlements in violation of international humanitarian law (according to Article 49 of the Fourth Geneva Convention), which prohibits the transfer of the civilian population under Israeli authority to the occupied territories.

Palestinians in these villages are beaten with sticks and stoned by settlers, their livestock is terrorized and scattered by riding horses or mountain vehicles to scare the herds, and dogs are released to attack shepherds and their sheep. They are also exposed to setting fire to their fields and cutting down their trees.

Directed by Palestinian filmmakers Basel Adra and Hamdan Bilal, alongside Israeli directors Yuval Abraham and Rachel Szur, No Other Land has been critically acclaimed and has garnered numerous accolades on the festival circuit. After winning Best Documentary at its Berlin International Film Festival premiere in February, the film has also picked up the same award at the Gotham Awards and from major critics groups in New York and Los Angeles. Just weeks ago, it received an Oscar nomination.

However, no American studio was willing to pick up the thriller, even though distributors usually spend this time of year excitedly bragging about their Oscar nomination totals.

“I still think it’s possible, but we’ll have to wait and see,” the directors told The New York Times last week. “There are clearly political reasons at play here that are affecting it. Hopefully, at some point, the demand for the film will be so clear and indisputable that there will be a distributor who is brave enough to pick it up and bring it to the public.”

Meanwhile, the filmmakers have embarked on a self-distribution plan that has put No Other Earth in 23 theaters in the United States; on the back of strong box office receipts, it will continue to be released in additional cities over the coming weeks.

Adra and Ibrahim are not just part of the film’s directing team, they are its main subjects. Adra, 28, grew up in Masafer Yatta and has been documenting forced displacement since he was a teenager. Over the course of the film, he builds a strong but tense relationship with Ibrahim, who lives in Jerusalem but travels frequently to Masafer Yatta to write about the situation there for an Israeli audience.

The two men spoke to The New York Times last week in a video call as they gathered at Adra’s home in Masafer Yatta. “I really want to say something very personal because even with the success of ‘No Other Land,’ things continued to get much worse,” said Adra, who detailed how his village was attacked again by armed settlers in the weeks leading up to the Oscar nominations being announced.

The filmmakers hope that the awards campaign will raise global awareness of the precarious situation in Masafer Yatta. To that end, they still dream of securing an American distributor who will help “No Other Land” reach a wider audience.

“We have been working on this for five years and Basil risked his life – I saw him get shot two or three times,” said Yugal Ibrahim. “It is just a small amount of courage to give it the status we think it deserves, and that the people of Masafer Yatta deserve. But we still hope that things will change,” the newspaper reported.

Asked about his ability to resist the feeling that things are getting worse, Basil Adra said: “When I reach a moment where I feel disappointed and hopeless, the people around me, especially those who keep losing their homes [support me]. For example, when I see or talk to someone who lost their home for the sixth time since 2018, and rebuilt it every time, this gives me some strength. Why should I give up when people want to stay on the land and fight for their land?!”

“The other thing is that I sincerely believe that this injustice cannot go on forever. Whatever force is against us, in the end if it is oppressing us in an immoral way, it will not last. I do not know what the end of this will be or how it could be, but I have faith that this cannot go on forever, so we have to keep fighting,” Adra added.

“There is obviously a strong sense of frustration, but I look at Basil who has a much harder life than I do, and as long as he continues to live his life, I feel like I have to continue as well,” Ibrahim said. “Even if reality is changing for the worse, it’s not like we know what would happen if there was no documentation – I think it’s fair to assume it would be even more terrible than it is. So I feel like the task of documentation is still very urgent.”

The Oscars will be held next Sunday, March 2, 2025, in Hollywood, Los Angeles.

The Israeli occupation forces notified, tonight, the demolition of 11 houses in the Nour Shams refugee camp, east of Tulkarm city.

Local sources told WAFA that the occupation forces intend to demolish these homes under the pretext of paving a road starting from the camp square towards the Manshiyya neighborhood, and they belong to the families of Yousef, Jabali, Mar’i, Abu Shalbaya, Irani, Shihab, Younis, and Ghanem.

The sources added that the occupation gave the owners of the targeted homes a deadline to go to the camp and evacuate their basic necessities between 8:00 and 11:00 am on Wednesday.

The occupation's aggression on Nour Shams camp entered its 18th day, as the occupation forces carried out repeated raids on homes after blowing up their doors, displacing their residents at gunpoint, and turning them into military barracks.

The camp was also subjected to extensive and complete destruction of infrastructure and property, including homes and shops that were demolished, bombed and burned, which exacerbated the suffering of citizens who remained in their homes, under a tight siege and a shortage of basic materials such as food, water, medicine and baby milk.

During the past few days, the camp witnessed a large displacement movement among its residents, including women, children, the elderly and the sick, concentrated in the neighborhoods of Al-Maslakh, Al-Manshiya, and Jabal Al-Salihin and Al-Nasr, where their number exceeded 5,000 displaced persons.

The Israeli occupation continues its aggression on the city of Tulkarm and the Tulkarm refugee camp for more than a month.

Everywhere, Israel continues its aggression and its army carries out field missions of assassinations, raids, arrests, and campaigns of abuse and displacement in the northern West Bank, expanding the scope of the war to new areas in the Jenin Governorate, and by force of arms it continues to carry out the process of expelling innocent citizens in the Palestinian camps, most notably Jenin, Tulkarm and Nur Shams, without mercy or consideration for the harsh weather conditions. Despite the approach of the holy month of Ramadan, Israeli military operations are becoming more fierce, claiming the lives of many innocent people, and targeting all aspects of life in the West Bank, which the occupation has turned into a large prison, violating international law, with regard to obstructing the lives of Palestinians, as stated in a report by the Center for the Defense of Liberties and Civil Rights (Huriyat), which indicated that the Israeli occupation has turned the West Bank into a large prison, adding that the occupation authorities continue to implement the policy of collective punishment by deploying 900 military checkpoints and iron gates in the West Bank, and that after the ceasefire was declared in Gaza, the occupation tightened restrictions on the West Bank, which increases the suffering of the Palestinians, as the military checkpoints have become a trap for killing, arresting, humiliating and abusing citizens, to the point that the occupation sometimes prevents ambulances from reaching patients in a timely manner, leading to deaths.

These barriers aim to tighten control over the West Bank and strangle the lives of citizens. They are used for political reasons rather than security, within the framework of a policy of collective punishment and humiliation, and within policies that aim to separate the West Bank and impose isolation on cities and regions. These policies disrupt the educational process, paralyze the economy, and restrict the movement of citizens.

While the Israeli army is implementing escalation and persecution measures in all its aspects, the Israeli political level is the one that continues to issue threatening statements regarding the West Bank and the Gaza Strip, most notably the threat of not returning the residents of the northern West Bank to their camps, as Netanyahu said, in addition to his threats regarding the Gaza Strip and preventing the release of Palestinian prisoners, as the army continues its preparations to resume the aggression on Gaza, eagerly awaiting any opportunity, not to mention the major goals set by Netanyahu and his government, which are to eliminate the resistance, end Hamas’ rule over the Strip, disarm the Palestinians, deport the leaders and displace the population.

Haaretz summarized the tragic situation in the West Bank and Gaza Strip by saying that Israel, as usual, instead of resolving the roots of the conflict, is proving that it only understands the language of force and thinks only in the short term. Twenty-three years after Operation Defensive Shield, Israel still faces the same predicament with no real solutions.

The newspaper asked, what will more violence, collective punishment, mistreatment of civilians and military operations bring without any political solution, other than a new cycle of blood and violence, and increasing Israel's isolation on the international scene?

We assert that thinking about isolating Israel internationally has become just a media publication that has become outdated, and there is no longer any hope or expectation for the Palestinians to direct more calls to the international community to condemn Israel’s policies and crimes, because it has proven throughout the war on Gaza and the raging war on the West Bank that it cannot take effective steps to stop it and force it to respect the rights of the Palestinians according to international law that Israel violates, with American support and a terrible global silence.

There is no doubt that the international dimension was and still is one of the most important aspects of influence on the Palestinian issue, as the Palestinian issue has been linked since its inception to the interests of the major powers for more than two centuries. Napoleon saw Palestine not only as a holy place, but also as having geopolitical and geoeconomic importance and as a means of achieving his project of obtaining a strategic foothold in the region, blocking Britain's path, and calling for the settlement of Jews in Palestine, while at the same time calling for the establishment of a national homeland for the Jews in Palestine as the legitimate heirs of Palestine. After Napoleon failed to do so, Britain had the upper hand since Sykes-Picot, through the Balfour Declaration in 1917 and the partition resolution of 1947, and ending with the declaration of the establishment of the occupying state on the largest part of the Palestinian lands, until its star (i.e. Britain) faded as a colonial power, with its exit as an influential player from the international stage and its withdrawal to its islands. The United States of America rose as a new superpower since the end of World War II. Before that, the extraordinary Zionist conference was held under the name of the Biltmore Conference in New York in May 1942, due to the inability to hold it in Europe during World War II. In his speech, Ben-Gurion confirmed that Britain was on the path of decline and that the United States was the rising power that would replace it.

The American strategy in various regions of the world, including the Arab region, is based on fundamental pillars that aim to achieve its national interests and implement its foreign policies. The Middle East, especially the Arab world, occupies a pivotal position in this strategy, due to its geopolitical importance and its strategic location within the American hegemony project, which extends to include the Caucasus and Central Asia. Therefore, the United States always relies in its foreign policy towards the Palestinian issue on the constants and variables in that policy, based on a specific mechanism through which it makes American foreign policy, or in other words, how American foreign policy is made and who makes it, and the role of various institutions in that, most notably the presidency, Congress with its two branches, the House of Representatives and the Senate, pressure groups, interests, and research centers... etc., in addition to the role of religion in shaping American foreign policy towards the Palestinian issue.

There are also a number of internal determinants of American foreign policy towards the Palestinian issue, including, for example, the influence of American public opinion and the role of pressure groups, with a special focus on Zionist pressure groups that exercise great influence in shaping US positions towards the issue. This is if we take into account the religious foundations of American foreign policy towards the Palestinian issue, which is perhaps the most important and prominent addition to this policy, which focuses on the religious dimension in foreign policy towards Palestine historically, and thus the extent of its influence on the Arab-Israeli conflict.

I believe that one of the most important reasons for the stability of American foreign policy towards the Palestinian issue is its reliance on religious principles and the spiritual dimensions of successive American administrations. In order to gain a deeper understanding of American foreign policy towards the Palestinian issue, we must go back to the beginnings, especially to the relationship that linked the United States with the Zionist movement since its first conference held in Basel, Switzerland in 1897, in addition to the position of the United States on the establishment of a national homeland for the Jews in Palestine, and the role it played in the establishment of the occupying state, whether in the United Nations (the partition resolution) or through the bilateral relationship between the two parties, and the development of the relationship between the two countries until they reached the strategic alliance between them during the era of President Ronald Reagan.

Nothing is more indicative of this than the powerful influence of the Zionist lobby in the United States, which is based on a political culture based on a close connection between religion and politics, where “Zionism” is portrayed in the American context as an extension of the word “God,” which gives Israel a sacred religious dimension, making it in the eyes of many political and religious movements a (divine) project that must be supported and protected. This deep perception in American political culture translates into foreign policies that are strongly biased toward Israel, where unconditional military, economic, and diplomatic aid is provided as part of an American “moral” commitment to Israel.

By exploiting this overlap between the religious and political dimensions, the Jewish community in the United States has succeeded in playing a pivotal role in influencing American policy, especially through its various institutions that operate in various political, economic, and media fields. Among these institutions, the AIPAC organization occupies a strategic position as the most important arm of the Zionist movement in the United States, as it exercises broad influence over decision-making circles in Congress and the US administration. At the same time, other evangelical groups such as Christians United for Israel (CUFI) work to consolidate popular and political support for Israel, and play a major role in directing US policy towards the Palestinian issue, and in granting “legitimacy” to US policies that support Israel, even if those policies contradict the principles of international law or cause human rights violations against the Palestinians. Any criticism of these policies is portrayed as anti-Semitic or undermining American democratic values, which limits any serious attempts to hold Israel accountable for its practices, exploiting religious narratives to advance their agendas.

Moreover, the structure of the American political system, based on lobbying groups and political funding, makes it easy for institutions such as AIPAC to influence foreign policy directions by supporting election campaigns for candidates who adopt pro-Israel positions, in exchange for pressuring those who criticize it, which creates a political environment that avoids proposing any policies that might harm Israeli interests.

In contrast, this intellectual and political system is used to justify American policies towards the Palestinian issue, where Israel is portrayed as the only democracy in the Middle East, while the image of the Palestinian resistance is distorted and linked to terrorism. In this way, American foreign policy becomes a reflection of a religious-political vision that legitimizes the occupation and diminishes the importance of Palestinian rights in international forums.

Accordingly, the relationship between the political and the religious in the American context is not limited to discourse only, but extends to being a tool used to direct foreign policy, which makes any move to change these policies extremely complex due to the deep overlap between faith and political interest.

Religion has played a prominent role in American politics, as religious groups, especially the Christian right with its various spectra of fundamentalists and Protestants, have contributed to directing US foreign policy, especially with regard to the Palestinian issue and Israel. There is a direct influence of religion on American foreign policy, as American foreign policy is based in some of its orientations on religious concepts that intersect with political and strategic interests. Religious groups, especially the Christian right or what is called Christian Zionism, have contributed to establishing specific policies and influencing the formulation of official political discourse, which enhances the religious nature of some political decisions, especially with regard to the Middle East. It promotes the idea of a close alliance with Israel based on biblical religious interpretations that consider the establishment of Israel to be part of a divine plan.

Christian Zionism combined myth and religion to form a launching pad for the colonial West, investing in it to pass its colonial settlement project and ideology in Palestine with weapons, of which capital was the main incubator.

The Christian right promotes the idea that support for Israel is a religious and political obligation, with Israel being a strategic partner for American religious groups that see their support for Israel as the fulfillment of religious prophecies. Christian Zionist leaders have seen the aggression on Gaza as part of God’s greater plan as a prelude to the coming of the Messiah to defeat evil and bring about a millennium of Christian peace.

The most famous Christian Zionist commentator is Hal Lindsey, author of the 1970s bestseller The Late Great Planet Earth, who described the Hamas attack of October 7, 2023, as follows: “I see it as a prelude to the war prophesied by Ezekiel, and that this event did not surprise God, and that it is the fulfillment of biblical prophecy, and that God’s plan continues.”

These groups also work continuously to raise funds for Israeli settlements and Jewish organizations that support settlement and expansion policies. American Christian religious institutions also cooperate with their Israeli counterparts to promote the pro-Israel agenda on the international stage. This has been reflected in the significant political, military and economic support provided by the United States to Israel. The Christian right also opposes any American pressure on Israel to make concessions within the framework of the (peace process), and pressures against any policies that might weaken Israel’s position in negotiations with the Palestinians.

Many American presidents are keen to gain the support of religious groups because of their wide electoral influence, which prompts them to adopt policies that are in line with their agendas. This relationship is evident in the statements of American presidents about Israel, as they commit to providing unconditional support for it. There is no better evidence of this than President Donald Trump’s decision in 2018 to move the US embassy from Tel Aviv to Jerusalem, a major demand of the Christian right.

Thus, religion, represented by the influence of religious groups and the Christian right, has played a pivotal role in shaping American foreign policy, as we mentioned earlier, especially with regard to the Palestinian issue and Israel. Through political pressure, media influence, and electoral funding, these groups have strengthened US support for Israel, which has had a direct impact on the positions of successive US administrations towards the Arab-Israeli conflict.

The United States was seen in Protestant thought as part of a comprehensive divine plan, with Puritans and Calvinists playing a role in shaping the religious belief that the Jews were the “chosen people” and had the right to establish “God’s kingdom on earth,” where they exterminated the indigenous population. Concepts of natural rights, American virtue, and divine providence were used to justify foreign policy, as Roosevelt did, who said that “Americanization of the world” was the inevitable destiny of the American nation, and Eisenhower, who described the American role as the implementation of God’s plan for creation. Millions of Protestants support Israel out of religious beliefs that see its political and spiritual survival as a condition for the return of Christ, according to biblical prophecies. The building of the Temple on the site of the Al-Aqsa Mosque is also necessary to fulfill this prophecy, and these conflicts are seen as a means of accelerating religious events. Thus, American policy in the Middle East cannot be separated from the profound influence of Protestant religious values.

In this article, we discuss the unlimited American support for the Israeli occupation state, which emerged in its thuggish image that contradicts all legislation, laws and international relations by US President Donald Trump, who is working to please the Zionist lobby at the expense of the just cause of the Palestinian people, which is still between the hammer of the Balfour Declaration in 1917, which displaced the Jews to Palestine, and the anvil of Trump's promises in 2025, which is represented by the displacement of the Palestinian people to Arab countries and others. The importance of the article stems from monitoring, following up and analyzing US foreign policy towards the Palestinian people, as we focus on the term of President Trump, who has become the iron sword with which Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu strikes.

The article sheds light on the policy of both parties (Republican and Democratic) towards the Palestinian issue, which is characterized by complete bias towards Israel, a common feature of all American presidents. The American position on the Palestinian issue is the same as the Israeli position, as the American vision stems from increasing pressure on the Palestinians to accept what Israel proposes. Based on the above, it is necessary to address the role of the Zionist settlement lobby and its influence on making American policy towards the Palestinian issue, which is a major player in shaping American policy. This is evident through the influence and nature of the work of the Zionist lobby and its means of influencing existing legislative institutions and American public opinion and convincing Congress to adopt a policy in support of Israel.

According to Noam Chomsky, American policy is based on preserving its interests by any means, and the Palestinian issue does not deviate from this approach. Israel is a faithful servant of American interests in the region, so the United States supports it by all military means and by covering up its crimes through the media and supporting it as a victim being attacked by "Palestinian terrorism." Chomsky believes that Israel's relationship with the United States is a relationship of mutual interest. Whenever Israel abandons its function as a servant of the ideological goals of the United States, the latter will simply abandon it.

The policy of successive US administrations towards the Palestinian issue is based on giving Israel more time to impose a reality on the ground, which is why the United States is considered a partner with Israel in the war on the Gaza Strip over the past fifteen months of genocide, starvation and destruction. Perhaps America's use of the veto right against any project to support the Palestinian cause or to condemn Israel for the war of genocide confirms that the American position supports Israeli crimes, as it has been used dozens of times over decades in order not to hold Israel accountable or punish it or even apply international laws and human rights. All successive administrations provide billions annually to Israel to support establishing facts on the ground and expanding settlements, in addition to the continuous military support and deals that Israel obtains, even those that are outside the approval of US legislative institutions, as happened with the current President Trump, who rushed to complete an arms deal for Israel worth $7.4 billion despite Congress's objection. In addition to the strategic support for it, which is what Netanyahu expressed by saying that my visit to Washington represents a "historical turning point for Israel." The American news outlet Axios said about the American arms deal with Israel that it includes about 18,000 bombs for aircraft, to be delivered starting in 2025, and that they arrived in Israel with the arrival of US Secretary of State Marco Rubio on February 15, 2025, on his first visit to the Middle East since taking office.

It is worth noting that Mike Huckabee, who was appointed by Trump as ambassador to Israel, said that Washington will make changes in the Middle East with “biblical dimensions.” Huckabee expressed his support for Trump’s plan to displace the people of Gaza to other countries, considering that Trump “took a bold step.” The former Arkansas governor said, “I believe that we will achieve change with biblical dimensions during the Trump administration in the Middle East,” adding, “There is Judea and Samaria (the name given by Jews to the West Bank), there is no such thing as the West Bank, there is no such thing as (illegal) settlement, there are communities, neighborhoods, and cities.” Channel 14 reported on January 3, 2024, that the US Congress is removing the name of the West Bank from all transactions of the new US administration, and calling it “Judea and Samaria,” based on its consideration as “the land of the Jewish people.” The channel confirmed that this step comes within the framework of ongoing efforts to consolidate Israeli control over the West Bank in 2025, and to strengthen American support for the Israeli position.

Accordingly, Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich considered that Trump's return to the White House would pave the way for the annexation of the occupied West Bank.

With Trump coming to power in his first and second terms, he did not hesitate to embody his threats to the Palestinians and his promises to the Israelis, especially with regard to moving the US embassy to Jerusalem, a decision that no US president had dared to implement before. Trump implemented measures towards the Palestinian issue that focused on removing the files of “final solution issues” that would liquidate the Palestinian issue, as Netanyahu stated in a speech he gave at the American Jewish communities conference held in Tel Aviv on November 24, 2018, “Israel must retain security responsibility for the West Bank.” He described the future Palestinian entity that he accepts as less than a state and more than self-rule.

There is no doubt that the United States, during the era of Joe Biden and the era of Trump, has gone beyond the stage of support and bias towards Israel, despite the administration’s announcement of its intention to resolve the ongoing conflict. American policies and measures against the Palestinian cause clearly show that the American administration is a partner with the occupation in the war and the implementation of the Israeli project to liquidate the Palestinian cause. The US State Department informed Congress of an $8 billion arms deal to Israel, which is committing genocide against the Palestinians in Gaza, in addition to the US House of Representatives’ approval to punish officials in the “International Criminal Court” for condemning Israel and issuing an arrest warrant against Netanyahu and dismissed Defense Minister Yoav Galant, through a bill imposing sanctions on officials of the International Criminal Court. The Prosecutor of the International Criminal Court, Karim Khan, announced in May 2024 that “Netanyahu and Galant bear responsibility for crimes against humanity in Gaza.”

The Israeli occupation army, supported by the United States and the West, has continued its aggression on Gaza for more than 500 consecutive days. The aggression has left more than 50,000 martyrs, more than 100,000 Palestinian wounded, most of them children and women, and more than 11,000 missing, amidst massive destruction and famine that has killed dozens of children and elderly people, in one of the worst major humanitarian crimes in the world.

Since January 25, 2025, President Trump has been promoting a plan to displace the Palestinians of Gaza to Egypt and Jordan and seize the Strip. In response, Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi suggested sending the Israelis to Greenland. In return, Netanyahu stated that President Trump is Israel’s greatest ally in the White House, and US Secretary of State Marco Rubio said, “I don’t think there is a better ally for Israel than Trump.” Trump announced that Washington would support Israel in any step it takes after the deadline for Hamas to hand over all its prisoners expired. He set Saturday, February 15, 2025, at twelve o’clock as a deadline for Hamas to hand over all the hostages at once, otherwise hell would befall Hamas. It is worth noting that the deadline expired and Trump left the ball in Israel’s court, which accepted the sixth batch of Israeli hostages without requiring the implementation of Trump’s threat.

Everything that Trump did in his first term and the beginning of his current term, from comprehensive aggression and unparalleled arrogance in international relations and unlimited support for Israel in its aggression against the Palestinian people, and his strange statements in the international political arena and even in international laws and legitimacy to displace the people of the West Bank and the people of Gaza and the threats and intimidation of hell and calamities against the Palestinian people in Gaza, confirms the saying of Homer, the most famous poet and writer of the Greeks, that “the sword incites violence.” Trump and his sword, “the great power,” are violence, injustice, chaos, and the war of extermination and destruction, and he is the one who pushes Israel to persist in its war against the Palestinian people. Netanyahu has become, at every turn, striking with Trump’s sword.

*Palestinian writer and researcher specializing in ideological movements.

Dr. Raed Abu Badawiya: The demands to investigate Biden and the symbols of his administration do not have any actual legal effect, but rather draw attention to the possibility of investigating them in the future

Noman Abed: Trump will not allow Biden to be prosecuted because it is a dangerous precedent that may be used against him or other presidents in the future

Dr. Hussein Al-Deek: The Trump administration, despite the political hostility with Biden, will not abandon him, but will continue to fight the court and impose sanctions on it

Dr. Hassan Ayoub: Talking about the possibility of investigating or issuing international arrest warrants is a great political and symbolic pressure on the US administration

Sulaiman Basharat: Trump will try to exploit the legal moves against Biden as a pressure card against the Democrats, but he will not allow them to develop into a trial

Dr. Saad Nimr: Legal moves, even if they do not lead to an immediate investigation, represent an important warning to major countries that the crimes committed will not go unpunished.

The call by the organization "Democracy for the Arab World Now" for the International Criminal Court to investigate former US President Joe Biden and senior officials of his administration, including Secretary of State Antony Blinken and Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin, against the backdrop of the genocidal war in the Gaza Strip, raises controversy over the possibility of holding them accountable in the future as war criminals.

In separate interviews with “I,” writers, political analysts, specialists, and university professors believe that these demands, although they do not have a direct legal effect, highlight Washington’s responsibility in enabling Israel to commit war crimes against the Palestinians.

They assert that providing the ICC prosecutor with legal information could help push the court to continue investigations into the situation in Palestine, increasing political pressure on the US administration.

While analysts, experts, and university professors rule out the possibility of prosecuting Biden or other American officials, these moves carry important symbolic and political implications, as they enhance efforts to hold Israel and its allies accountable before international public opinion.

While Republicans are attacking Biden's policies, writers, analysts, specialists, and university professors believe that Republicans do not support investigations into the Biden administration, fearing that they will lead to similar trials that may affect Republican officials in the future, including Trump.

Attention from the International Criminal Court

Dr. Raed Abu Badawi, Professor of International Law and International Relations at the Arab American University, confirms that the legal demands to investigate former US President Joe Biden, his Secretary of State Anthony Blinken, and Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin, regarding their military support for Israel during the war on Gaza, do not have any real legal effect, but rather fall within the framework of drawing the attention of the International Criminal Court to the possibility of investigating them in the future.

Abu Badawiya explains that the Prosecutor of the International Criminal Court, Karim Khan, announced on 17 November 2023 his readiness to receive any information related to the investigation he is conducting into the situation in Palestine, which opens the door for human rights organizations and individuals to submit relevant information, without this meaning filing official complaints against specific American figures, because the ones who file official complaints are the states.

Abu Badawiya stresses that the International Criminal Court only accepts official investigation requests from its member states, the UN Security Council, or the Prosecutor himself based on his own investigations. Therefore, the information provided by human rights organizations does not constitute an official investigation request, but may help guide the course of investigations.

Abu Badawiya points out that these legal claims in the United States will not lead to direct results, given that the American judiciary itself does not allow the trial of American citizens in foreign courts. The United States, as a dominant power, refuses to subject its officials or citizens to any international judiciary, while granting itself the right to pursue and arrest individuals outside its territory if they commit crimes against Americans.

Trump expected to escalate his attacks on the ICC

Abu Badawiya expects that US President Donald Trump will escalate his attack on the International Criminal Court, despite his political rivalry with Biden, as Trump's position does not stem from defending Biden, but rather from a principled American position that refuses to recognize the authority of the International Criminal Court over American officials.

Abu Badawiya believes that the United States has historically adopted a policy of protecting its officials and soldiers from any international trials, even in documented cases related to war crimes, as happened in Afghanistan and Iraq. Therefore, any legal action against American officials in relation to the war on Gaza will be met with strong opposition from various American political circles, whether Democratic or Republican.

Abu Badawiya believes that the United States bears direct responsibility for the crimes committed by Israel in the Gaza Strip, given its role in providing military support and full political cover to Israel.

Abu Badawiya explains that the International Court of Justice may be a more effective legal forum for holding the United States accountable, since it is concerned with resolving disputes between states, unlike the International Criminal Court, which tries individuals accused of international crimes.

But the most prominent challenge, according to Abu Badawiya, is the extent to which any country is prepared to file an official complaint against the United States before the International Court of Justice, given the political and economic pressure that Washington may exert against it.

Abu Badawiya asserts that human rights movements, despite their limited direct legal impact before the International Criminal Court, contribute to keeping the issue alive at the international level, which may increase political pressure on the US administration in the future.

The Biden administration is an actual partner in Israeli crimes

Writer, political analyst and international relations specialist, Noman Abed, explains that the previous US administration, headed by Joe Biden, bears direct responsibility for the genocide committed by Israel in the Gaza Strip, stressing that the United States is not just a political and military supporter of Israel, but an actual partner in these crimes.

Abed asserts that President Biden, his Secretary of State Anthony Blinken, his Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin, and the rest of the US administration, participated in various ways in supporting the Israeli aggression, whether through public statements that gave Israel full political cover, or by providing weapons and ammunition used by the occupation forces in their war on the Palestinians.

Abed points out that the Biden administration did not limit itself to military and financial support, but rather was directly involved in managing the war, as Biden visited Israel in the first days of the aggression, and Blinken repeated his visits to it, confirming each time the United States’ absolute commitment to supporting Israel.

Abed points out that Blinken played a pivotal role in justifying the Israeli aggression, both internationally and within the United States, as he sought to mislead public opinion by promoting the discourse of “Israel’s right to defend itself,” ignoring the crimes committed by Israel against the Palestinians.

Washington provided the occupation with a huge military airlift

Abed explains that Washington provided Israel with a huge military airlift, supplying it with bombs, missiles and military equipment that were directly used in bombing civilians in Gaza, pointing out the participation of American military experts in the Israeli operations rooms, which makes the United States a direct partner in planning and executing this aggression.

Abed points out that several international human rights organizations are seeking to push the International Criminal Court to investigate Biden, Blinken, and Austin on charges of committing war crimes and crimes against humanity, just as Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and senior Israeli military leaders are being prosecuted.

Abed believes that the United States has worked to obstruct any international efforts to hold Israel accountable, whether by using its veto in the Security Council, or by pressuring its European allies to prevent any legal moves against Tel Aviv.

Abed points out that the US administration has not only supported Israel externally, but has also suppressed any opposing voices within the United States itself. The past few months have witnessed an escalation in targeting student movements in American universities, and punishing human rights institutions and organizations that have criticized US support for Israel, which reflects a stark contradiction between US rhetoric about democracy and human rights, and its practices on the ground.

Despite the political animosity between President Donald Trump and the current Democratic administration, Abed rules out that Trump or the Republicans will allow Biden to be prosecuted, as the reason is not to defend Biden, but rather because opening an international criminal investigation against a previous US administration would set a dangerous precedent that could be used in the future against Trump himself or any other US president.

Trump could be subject to investigations if he allows them

Abed points out that Trump, despite his strong criticism of Biden’s policies, has always shown strong hostility to the International Criminal Court, attacking it on several occasions, and that his statements during his presidency have always included incitement to war crimes and unconditional support for Israel, which makes him vulnerable to such investigations if they are allowed against Biden.

Abed believes that the aggressive policies pursued by the United States in supporting wars and genocide may lead to the erosion of its global standing.

Abed points out that human rights organizations inside and outside America have begun to sense the danger of this trend, as Washington is no longer only an internationally dominant power, but is now viewed as a state that practices international “bullying” and abandons the values of democracy and human rights that it claims to defend.

An unprecedented development, both symbolically and legally.

The writer and political analyst specializing in American affairs, Dr. Hussein Al-Deek, confirms that the demand of the Democracy for the Arab World Now organization, an American non-governmental human rights organization, for the International Criminal Court to investigate former US President Joe Biden, his Secretary of State Anthony Blinken, and his Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin, is an unprecedented development from both the symbolic and legal aspects.

Al-Deek explains that this claim is based on the Rome Statute of 1998, which represents the legal framework for the court, and which allows human rights organizations to submit legal information to the public prosecutor, who decides whether there is a legal basis to open a formal investigation.

Al-Deek asserts that the political and military support provided by the Biden administration to Israel during the aggression on Gaza, which included continuous military supplies, may fall within the jurisdiction of the court, especially since the Rome Statute stipulates that anyone who incites, assists or supports international crimes may be subject to investigation and accountability.

He points out that these claims raise legal and procedural questions about the extent to which US officials can be prosecuted, especially given that the United States has not joined the International Criminal Court, and the challenges associated with proving crimes and directly linking US support to crimes committed on the ground.

Despite the importance of this step, Al-Deek believes that the sanctions and pressures imposed by the United States on the International Criminal Court may hinder the investigation, noting that the administration of President Donald Trump in his first term imposed sanctions on the court during the era of former Prosecutor Fatou Bensouda, which led to the suspension of the investigation into American crimes in Afghanistan.

Al-Deek explains that since the court entered into force in 2002, it has discussed 42 cases, 39 of which were against African leaders and countries, which reinforces the belief that it targets weak countries and avoids prosecuting major powers such as the United States and Israel.

Washington will refuse any cooperation with the "International Criminal Court"

Al-Deek believes that Washington will refuse any cooperation with the International Criminal Court, based on the fact that the United States is not a member of the court, that the crimes did not occur on its territory, and that its forces did not directly participate in the alleged crimes.

Al-Deek asserts that the Trump administration, despite the political hostility with Biden, will not abandon the protection of the previous administration, but will continue to fight the court and impose sanctions on it, based on its principled position rejecting the work of the court.

Al-Deek believes that these demands, despite their symbolic importance, will not turn into an actual trial, due to the legal and political obstacles, in addition to the pressure that the United States may exert on the court to prevent the investigation from proceeding.

Al-Deek confirms that the court had previously received complaints about crimes committed by the United States in Iraq and Afghanistan, as well as complaints related to the Palestinian issue since 2021, but it had not made any real progress due to political pressure, which reflects the difficulties the court faces in dealing with major powers.

Al-Deek believes that this demand from the human rights organization regarding the investigation into the Biden administration will remain more symbolic and moral in nature than a practical legal step, stressing that the court, despite having the legal basis to consider the investigation, will face major challenges in moving forward with the investigation procedures or issuing arrest warrants against American officials.

Complications that prevent holding the US administration accountable

Professor of Political Science and specialist in American affairs, Dr. Hassan Ayoub, explains that there are major legal and political complications that prevent the US administration from being held accountable, whether before the US judiciary or the International Criminal Court, for its military support for Israel during the recent war on Gaza, and what may result from that in terms of suspicions of committing war crimes and genocide.

Ayoub points out that a legal precedent occurred last year in the state of California, when a lawsuit was filed aiming to compel the Biden administration to stop supplying Israel with weapons or providing any support to it in the UN Security Council, but the American judiciary rejected the case on the grounds that the court lacked jurisdiction, although the judge who heard the case directed clear criticism at the American administration, stressing that it should have refrained from contributing to what the International Court of Justice described as a clear suspicion of committing genocide in the Gaza Strip.

Ayoub points out that the US administration circumvents local laws to avoid restrictions on arms sales, specifically the so-called “Leahy Law,” which requires countries receiving military aid from the United States to abide by international law.

Ayoub explains that former US Secretary of State Anthony Blinken is responsible for manipulating these laws, by exempting Israel from the application of the Leahy Law, which allows it to obtain military support without real legal restrictions.

Ayoub points out that this case, despite its legal dimension, also carries great political importance, as the parties currently demanding an investigation into the Biden administration are fully aware that the American establishment will never allow a former American president or American officials to be subject to an international investigation, but the mere fact that the case remains open before the International Criminal Court, and talk about the possibility of an investigation or issuing international arrest warrants, represents great political and symbolic pressure on the American administration.

He believes that the Republican Party, led by Trump, is exploiting these issues to undermine the “moral legitimacy” of the Democratic Party, by pointing out the contradictions in its foreign policies, especially with regard to human rights and military interventions.

Ayyoub points out that the decisions of the International Criminal Court and the International Court of Justice are not implemented automatically, but rather require continuous political and media pressure, and these international human rights organizations play a major role in keeping these issues alive, while Arab efforts are almost completely absent, allowing the American and Israeli administrations to bypass legal pressures without real consequences.

Regarding the possibility of this case leading to actual trials of American officials, Ayoub completely rules it out, pointing out that the American establishment, including the “deep state,” will never allow the creation of a legal precedent that might lead to the trial of high-ranking American officials in the future.

Ayub believes that the United States, which has fiercely fought any international investigations into war crimes committed by its soldiers and officers in Afghanistan, will take a tougher stance if it comes to prosecuting a former president or senior officials.

The investigation will not lead to arrest warrants.

Ayoub asserts that all that is happening now is merely a request for the International Criminal Court to open an investigation into the responsibility of Biden, Blinken and Austin for supporting Israel militarily, but this investigation, even if accepted, will not lead to arrest warrants. However, continuing to raise the issue at the legal level may cause long-term political damage to the Democratic Party, and may lead to a decline in the confidence of the American and international public in Biden’s foreign policies.

Ayoub sees this issue as reflecting the seriousness of the new trends of the US administration, which is moving towards more violence and disregard for international law, which could have disastrous effects on American democracy and global stability.

Genocide crimes will continue to haunt US officials

Writer and political analyst Suleiman Basharat asserts that the Israeli war on the Gaza Strip and the genocide it committed against defenceless civilians will continue to haunt all American officials who provided Israel with political cover, military support and legal justifications to launch this brutal aggression.

Basharat explains that the administration of former US President Joe Biden showed unprecedented impudence in its absolute support for the Israeli aggression, ignoring all the values and principles it claims to defend, which makes it directly responsible for the war crimes and serious violations that occurred in Gaza.

Basharat points out that these crimes will not be erased with the passage of time, but will remain a legal and moral issue that haunts American and Israeli leaders before the global conscience and international human rights institutions.

Basharat explains that the human rights movements to hold the Biden administration and the Israeli military and political leadership accountable are part of the responsibilities of international human rights institutions to protect humanitarian principles, noting that these movements are not the first and may not be the last, as he expects that the coming period will witness more pressure and legal demands against those responsible for the massacres committed in Gaza.

Basharat stresses that the absence of serious legal prosecution of these leaders will put international law and human justice to a real test, pointing out that the international community is at a crossroads: either to prove its commitment to the principles of human rights and international laws, or to remain hostage to the political interests of the major powers.

Basharat stresses that it is of utmost importance to issue official convictions against those responsible for these crimes, even if the penalties are not actually implemented, because the criminalization itself is a victory for human justice and a clear condemnation of American and Israeli criminality.

Basharat stresses that international law is based on the principle of cumulativeness, and that the crimes committed will not be subject to a statute of limitations, but will remain a legal threat that will pursue the leaders involved in them at any time.

He points out that the success of implementing the recent decisions of the International Criminal Court, which issued arrest warrants against Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and his Minister of Defense Yoav Galant, depends on the existence of an international political will to implement them, warning that these decisions may remain mere documents in drawers unless they are enforced by the force of law.

Basharat points out that one of the main challenges facing these legal moves is the lack of political pressure necessary to implement judicial decisions against Israel and its allies, especially the United States, which has extensive influence within international institutions.

Major shake-up of the images of the United States and Israel

Basharat asserts that these legal moves have contributed to a major shake-up of the images of the United States and Israel on the international level, as it has become clear that the international community no longer accepts the American and Israeli narrative that promotes them as symbols of democracy and human rights.

Basharat believes that this exposure is an important transformation that must be built upon politically and in the media, because it confirms that the world no longer accepts the biased Western narrative towards Israel, and that there is a growing awareness of the truth of the crimes it is committing against the Palestinians.

Despite the political hostility between Republicans and Democrats, Basharat rules out that the administration of US President Donald Trump will allow any serious legal prosecutions against Biden and his administration.

Basharat explains that this is not because Trump is defending Biden, but because any investigation against Biden could open the door to holding other American presidents accountable, including Trump himself, who strongly supported Israel during his previous and current term in office, and made decisions that were completely biased towards the occupation.

Basharat asserts that successive US administrations have been and continue to be complicit in the crimes of the Israeli occupation, and therefore Trump will try to exploit these legal moves against Biden as a political pressure card in his battle against the Democrats, but he will not allow it to develop into an actual trial.

Opening the door to questioning America and other allied countries

Dr. Saad Nimr, a professor of political science at Birzeit University, confirms that the Dawn organization’s demand that the International Criminal Court investigate former US President Joe Biden and his Secretary of State Anthony Blinken regarding their indirect support for the Israeli occupation army during the war of extermination on the Gaza Strip, is of great importance, and may open the door to holding the United States and other allied countries accountable before the International Court.

Nimr explains that American support for Israel during the war on Gaza was not limited to delivering weapons and ammunition, but also included obstructing Security Council resolutions calling for a ceasefire through the use of the veto, which made Washington a partner in the crimes committed against the Palestinians.

Nimr points to American reports that the munitions provided by the United States to Israel were used extensively in bombing operations that caused thousands of civilian casualties.

Developments put Washington in a very sensitive position

Nimr points out that these developments put the United States in a very sensitive position, as this legal pressure could lead to future political and judicial repercussions, especially if an official investigation is opened into this matter.

Nimr explains that the International Criminal Court may also consider holding accountable other countries, such as Britain, France and Germany, that provided military or political support to Israel during the war.

Despite the importance of these demands, Nimr believes that the United States will seek to prevent any international investigation against its officials, noting that Washington has always adopted a hostile stance towards the International Criminal Court, as it has previously imposed sanctions on its judges and prevented them from entering its territory in the context of preventing any legal accountability against its military or political officials.

Nimr stresses that the Biden administration is not the only one that will face these challenges, but rather the administration of President Donald Trump will take a more stringent stance in confronting any international judicial move against American officials.

Nimer explains that Trump, who is known for his unconditional support for Israel, may fear that such a legal precedent would lead to the recall of figures in his administration.

Nimr asserts that the United States believes that its military and political leaders enjoy complete immunity from any international trial, a position that Israel adopts, but the International Criminal Court’s indictment of Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and his former Defense Minister Yoav Galant for committing war crimes and genocide proves that any official, regardless of his position, may be subject to international legal accountability.

Nimr stresses that Washington will intensify its pressure on the International Criminal Court to prevent the opening of any official investigation, expecting it to resort to imposing more sanctions or using its political and economic influence to protect its officials.

Nimr expects that the United States will continue to support Israel diplomatically and militarily to prevent any legal repercussions that may affect the future of relations between the two countries.

Nimr stresses that these legal moves, even if they do not lead to an immediate investigation, represent an important warning to major powers that crimes committed during wars will not go unpunished, and that the International Criminal Court may in the future become an arena for holding even the most powerful countries accountable, including the United States and its allies.

In the darkness of the night, the sting of the cold, and the bitterness of living among the rubble, children and adults inside the tents groan from silent pain, which makes the trembling hearts tremble, and its pains gnaw at the fragile bones from the heavy loads that hundreds of families who have lost their support and the pillar of their tent are groaning under in the heat of the described genocide.

Temperatures have dropped below zero over the past few nights, exacerbating the suffering of the tent dwellers. They were shocked by the freezing of their tender bodies, unable to withstand the deadly cold, such as the sixty-day-old girl Sham, who died with five other children after the tents turned into refrigerators.

If it weren’t for the blankets and “bakaja” that UNRWA distributed to the residents in the refugee tents and brick houses after the 1948 Nakba, many children would have frozen to death. Our mothers and grandmothers would ward off the sting of the cold with the “oven sting” or the brazier that they would light until its fires intensified, distributing warmth throughout the house. Our faces would turn red like the embers of the stove, and our laughter would rise as we approached zero distance from its heat. We would sleep when drowsiness overcame us, with warm hearts, in the shadow of the mothers who would lean over us and rush to cover whoever was exposed among us, while we stretched out on the ground like a solid structure, sleeping with reassured breaths under the blankets and thin quilts laminated with whatever was available from the remains of the fabrics.

The Israeli occupation army launched raids targeting several sites in the Al-Kiswah area, south of Damascus, and in the countryside of Daraa late at night. Local sources also reported an incursion by Israeli forces into the administrative borders between the Daraa and Quneitra governorates in southern Syria.

The Israeli raids targeted Al-Kiswah in the Damascus countryside and the vicinity of the city of Izra in the Daraa countryside in southern Syria, and Israeli forces penetrated the village of Ain Al-Baida in the Quneitra countryside in southern Syria, according to what sources confirmed to Al Jazeera.

Sources said that the Israeli raids targeted a military site belonging to the Syrian Ministry of Defense in Tal al-Hara in the western countryside of Daraa. The sources explained that the Israeli bombing of the al-Kiswah area in the Damascus countryside targeted a military site belonging to the Syrian Ministry of Defense. The sources indicated to Al Jazeera that Israeli forces penetrated the administrative borders between the Daraa and Quneitra governorates in southern Syria and the Ain al-Baida area in the Quneitra countryside in southern Syria.

Reuters reported, citing correspondents and residents, the sound of explosions and low-flying planes in Damascus late Tuesday evening.

Al Jazeera reported that the Israeli army launched several raids on sites in Daraa, specifically in the Izraa area in the northern Daraa countryside, as well as the strategic Tal al-Hara, which was one of the military sites in the western Daraa countryside and is one of the highest hills in that area. The correspondent indicated that the raids coincided with intensive flights of reconnaissance aircraft in the western Daraa countryside as well as in the neighboring Quneitra governorate.

In return, the Israeli army announced that it had attacked military targets in southern Syria, including headquarters and facilities containing weapons. The occupation army said that the presence of military means and forces in the southern part of Syria poses a threat to Israel and that Tel Aviv will continue to work to eliminate any threat against its citizens, it claimed.

In the same context, Israeli Channel 14 said that the Israeli army is raiding military bases that previously served the Syrian army and destroying combat equipment in Damascus. For his part, Israeli Defense Minister Yisrael Katz said that Israel will not allow southern Syria to become like southern Lebanon, as he put it.

For his part, Israeli Defense Minister Yisrael Katz said that his government would not allow southern Syria to turn into something similar to southern Lebanon, as he put it.

He described the Israeli army's attacks in Syria as an attempt to stop what he called attempts by the Syrian regime forces and terrorist organizations to position themselves in the security zone in southern Syria.

Former Israeli peace negotiator Daniel Levy said Tuesday that a minute of silence to mourn the 18,000 Palestinian children killed by Israeli bombing in the Gaza Strip will last for more than 300 hours.

Levy stressed the need to achieve justice for all people according to the same human laws.

This came in a speech he delivered before the UN Security Council.

During his speech, he sent a strong message to international representatives, calling for justice for the Palestinian people and the application of international laws to protect them, stressing that human suffering should not be selective.

He stressed that "no human being should ever be subjected to horrific experiences," including the Israeli and Palestinian people, who "deserve to live in safety."

Although he referred to the suffering of Israelis after the October 7, 2023 attack, which resulted in the killing and capture of dozens, he stressed that thousands of Palestinians were killed, wounded, and starved, while schools, hospitals, shelters, and entire residential neighborhoods were destroyed during the Israeli war of extermination on Gaza.

He praised the steadfastness of the Palestinians despite the humanitarian catastrophe that befell them as a result of the Israeli genocide.

He recalled Dr. Hussam Abu Safia, director of Kamal Adwan Hospital, who "is still detained and being mistreated in Israeli prisons."

Levy stressed that the names of the child victims, whether Israeli or Palestinian, should not be forgotten.

In this regard, he said: "We must not forget the names of the Bibas family's children, Ariel and Kfir, and the circumstances of their deaths."

The Palestinian factions in Gaza confirm that they captured Sherry Bibas on October 7, 2023, and that she was allowed to take her two children with her out of mercy for them, and that this family was treated well according to the teachings of the true Islam, before their state bombed them with missiles, which led to their death and the killing of the captors.

“We should not forget the name of Laila al-Khatib, the two-year-old Palestinian girl who was killed a few days ago in her home in the occupied West Bank, while eating dinner with her family, or Hind Rajab, five years old, who was bombed and deprived of medical care, and died with her family” by Israeli fire during the war of extermination in Gaza, Levy added.

To show the disproportion between the suffering of Israelis and Palestinians, Levy said, “A minute of silence for the souls of Ariel and Kfir Bibas is appropriate.”

He added: "But if we stand for a minute of silence for the souls of 18,000 Palestinian children killed in Israeli bombing, the silence will last for more than 300 hours."

He stressed the need to "stop this conflict and human suffering," noting that it "results from political conflict, tragedies that can be prevented, and many other tragedies that await steps that have not been taken."

"We are all human beings, and we are all born equal," he said.

"We can and must use strong and influential language," Levy added. "After all, we have rules, laws, charters, agreements and rights that are supposed to be applied, not ignored."

The White House confirmed that the administration of US President Donald Trump remains deeply involved in the ceasefire process in Gaza.

In a new violation of the ceasefire agreement in the Gaza Strip, Israeli warplanes launched air strikes on several areas in the city of Rafah, south of the Gaza Strip, yesterday evening, Monday.

Gazans are facing a rapid deterioration in living conditions, with hundreds of thousands of displaced people suffering from a severe shortage of shelter and blankets, while children are suffering more from cold waves and the lack of fuel and heating.

The occupation's aggression led to the displacement of two million Palestinians, after destroying more than 70% of the homes in the Strip, leaving them homeless.

The UN Security Council held a session today, Tuesday, to discuss the situation in the Middle East.

The acting UN Special Coordinator for the Middle East Peace Process, Sigrid Kaag, said that the Middle East today is witnessing a rapid transformation, the scope and impact of which remain uncertain, “but which also presents a historic opportunity.”

In her briefing to the Council, Kaag, who also serves as the UN's Senior Humanitarian and Reconstruction Coordinator for Gaza, added, "The people of the region can emerge from this period with peace, security and dignity. However, this may be our last chance to achieve a two-state solution."

She noted that the first phase of the ceasefire agreement on the Gaza Strip "provided much-needed relief, but much more remains to be done to address more than fifteen months of deprivation of basic humanitarian necessities and, above all, the loss of human dignity."

She explained that since the first phase of the ceasefire came into effect on 19 January, the United Nations, non-governmental organizations and member states have rushed to increase life-saving humanitarian assistance to Gaza, and improved access and security conditions have allowed the delivery of aid and services.

She stressed that while addressing the immediate needs in Gaza, “we must also build a future that provides protection, recovery and reconstruction,” noting that initial estimates show that $53 billion will be required for recovery and reconstruction efforts in Gaza.

“Palestinians must be able to resume their lives, rebuild and build their future in Gaza. There can be no room for forced displacement,” Kaag said.

The UN official stressed that while there is participation in planning for the future of Gaza, a number of things must be ensured, including that "Gaza remains an integral part of the future Palestinian state. And that Gaza and the West Bank, including East Jerusalem, are united politically, economically and administratively."

Kaag also stressed that "it must be ensured that there is no long-term presence of the Israeli army in Gaza."

She presented the Council with four main requests: first, that continued support for the full implementation of the ceasefire agreement is of utmost importance. Second, that “it is of utmost importance not to lose sight of the dangerous dynamics in the West Bank, and that urgent calm is essential.”

"Thirdly, the international community must continue to support the Palestinian Authority in its reform efforts and in resuming its responsibilities in the Gaza Strip. Palestinian security forces must also be enabled to carry out their responsibilities in areas under their control," Kaag added.

The UN official also called, in the fourth request she submitted to the Security Council, for providing political and financial support for recovery and reconstruction efforts in Gaza.

The UN official expressed concern "about the Israeli military operations and the escalation of violence in the West Bank," adding that reports continue to indicate casualties, destruction and displacement, especially in the governorates of Jenin, Tubas and Tulkarm, where refugee camps and infrastructure are severely affected.

“I am appalled by the killing of a pregnant woman and young children during these operations,” Kaag said. “Such incidents must be thoroughly investigated and those responsible held to account.”

The UN official also warned that continued settlement activity, along with ongoing (Israeli) calls for annexation, "pose an existential threat to the prospects of an independent and viable Palestinian state and thus the two-state solution."

She touched on the Israeli legislation that would stop UNRWA's work in the occupied Palestinian territory, stressing that "UNRWA's work is still necessary, and must be allowed to continue without hindrance."

Israeli opposition leader Yair Lapid proposed on Tuesday that Egypt take over the administration of the neighboring Palestinian Gaza Strip for 15 years, in exchange for canceling its foreign debts.

Until 17:30 (GMT), Cairo, the Palestinian Authority, and the Palestinian factions have not commented on Lapid's proposal, which comes after his country waged a genocidal war against the Palestinians in Gaza.

Lapid announced his proposal in a speech he gave at the Foundation for Defense of Democracies (FDD) think tank in Washington, according to the Hebrew newspaper Maariv, and then followed it up with a post on the X platform.

"A short time ago in Washington I presented a plan for the day after the war in Gaza," Lapid wrote.

He added: "At the core of the plan: Egypt will take responsibility for Gaza for 15 years, and at the same time the international community will cancel its foreign debts amounting to $155 billion."

He continued: "After about a year and a half of fighting, the world was surprised that Hamas still controls Gaza. No one in the current Israeli government has offered a realistic alternative."

With American support, Israel committed genocide in Gaza between October 7, 2023 and January 19, 2025, leaving more than 160,000 Palestinians dead and wounded, most of them children and women, and more than 14,000 missing.

Lapid added: "For political and religious reasons (...) the government (of Israel, led by Benjamin) Netanyahu failed to take steps to establish an effective government in Gaza capable of expelling Hamas."

He said that on Israel's southern border with Gaza, "there are two major problems that threaten the security of Israel and the entire region."

He considered that "the first problem is that the world needs a new solution for Gaza: Israel cannot accept Hamas remaining in power, the Palestinian Authority is unable to manage Gaza, the Israeli occupation is undesirable, and the continuation of chaos poses a serious security threat to Israel."

He claimed that "the second problem is that the Egyptian economy is on the verge of collapse and threatens the stability of Egypt and the entire Middle East. The external debt of $155 billion does not allow Egypt to rebuild its economy and strengthen its army," he said.

He added: "Accordingly, we propose one solution to these two problems: that Egypt assumes responsibility for managing the Gaza Strip for 15 years, while at the same time the international community and its regional allies cover the external debts."

Israel has turned Gaza into the largest prison in the world, as it has been besieging it for the 18th year, and about 1.5 million of its citizens, who number about 2.4 million Palestinians, have become refugees after the war of extermination destroyed their homes.

Lapid added that during the 15 years, "Gaza will be rebuilt and conditions will be prepared for self-rule, and Egypt will be the central player and will supervise the reconstruction, which will further strengthen its economy."

He believed that "this solution has a historical precedent: Egypt took control of Gaza in the past, and this was done with the support of the Arab League, with the understanding that this was a temporary situation (...) and this is what must happen again today."

Egypt was legally responsible for the Gaza Strip for most of the period between 1948 and 1967. This began when Israel was established on Palestinian lands occupied by armed Zionist gangs that committed massacres and displaced hundreds of thousands of Palestinians.

Hamas had previously announced its rejection of disarming the resistance or removing it from Gaza, stressing that any arrangements for the future of the Strip would be based on Palestinian "national consensus."

On January 19, a ceasefire and prisoner exchange agreement between Hamas and Israel went into effect. It includes three stages, each lasting 42 days, with the condition that the next stage be negotiated before the end of the current stage.

Israel has occupied lands in Palestine, Syria and Lebanon for decades, and refuses to withdraw from them and establish an independent Palestinian state, with East Jerusalem as its capital, on the borders before the 1967 war.

Syria on Tuesday denounced the Israeli incursion into its territory and called on Israel to withdraw.

This came in the final statement of the National Dialogue Summit called for by the new administration in Syria to develop a political roadmap for Syria.

The statement condemned "the Israeli incursion into Syrian territory, considering it a flagrant violation of the sovereignty of the Syrian state and demanding its immediate and unconditional withdrawal." It rejected the provocative statements of the Israeli Prime Minister, and called on the international community and regional organizations to assume their responsibilities towards the Syrian people and pressure to stop the aggression and violations.

Israel moved its forces into a UN-monitored demilitarized zone inside Syria after the armed opposition led by Hayat Tahrir al-Sham ousted former President Bashar al-Assad in December.

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said on Sunday that Israel would not allow the presence of Hayat Tahrir al-Sham in southern Syria, nor any other forces affiliated with the country's new rulers, and demanded that the area be demilitarized.

The closing statement of the Syrian National Dialogue Conference also considered armed formations to be “outlaw groups.” In the statement, read by preparatory committee member Huda al-Atassi, the attendees called for “restricting weapons to the state, building a professional national army, and considering any armed formations outside official institutions as outlaw groups,” in an implicit reference to the Kurdish-led Syrian Democratic Forces and factions and groups that still have their weapons after the ouster of President Bashar al-Assad.

Criticism from the Kurdish administration of North and East Syria

For its part, the Kurdish Autonomous Administration of North and East Syria said that the National Dialogue Conference does not represent the Syrian people, and called for holding a “real national dialogue that does not exclude or marginalize anyone.”

The Kurdish administration, which controls northern and eastern Syria, added in a statement: “We have reservations about the Syrian National Dialogue Conference in form and content, and we will not be part of implementing its outcomes.”

The statement said that the preparatory committee for the National Dialogue Conference "did not represent the components of the Syrian people," adding that the committee's statements "are far from the language of dialogue and bringing viewpoints closer together."

She said that the steps taken by the caretaker administration in Syria regarding the issue of dialogue and partnership are “disappointing.”

Syrian President Ahmad al-Sharaa stressed before the conference that his country “does not accept division,” stressing the need not to “import” systems that are not compatible with the country’s situation.

Media outlets quoted the spokesman for the conference's preparatory committee, Hassan Al-Daghim, as saying that the Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF) were not invited "because the dialogue is societal and not with military organizations."

The Syrian Democratic Forces, affiliated with the autonomous administration, have been fighting fierce battles against armed factions supported by Turkey in northern and eastern Syria since the fall of President Bashar al-Assad's regime last December, resulting in dozens of deaths on both sides.