PALESTINE

Tue 17 Oct 2023 11:01 pm - Jerusalem Time

Arab and international condemnations of Israeli massacre at the Baptist Hospital in Gaza

Countries and international organizations condemned the massacre committed by the Israeli occupation forces by bombing the Baptist Hospital in Gaza, while the Palestinian President declared three days of mourning and called on the Palestinian factions in the West Bank to escalate the confrontation with the occupation.


The Ministry of Health in Gaza announced that the number of victims of the Israeli bombing that targeted the courtyard of the Ahli Baptist Hospital in Gaza had risen to 500 martyrs, most of whom were women and children.


Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas declared three days of mourning, stressing that the occupation’s bombing of the Baptist Hospital was a crime of genocide and a humanitarian catastrophe.


The Associated Press quoted a Palestinian official as saying that President Abbas canceled his scheduled meeting with US President Joe Biden tomorrow, Wednesday, in Jordan.


Russia and the UAE also requested an urgent meeting of the Security Council tomorrow, Wednesday, after the Israeli air strike on a hospital in Gaza.


Prime Minister Al-Kandari, Justin Trudeau, described the attack as "horrific and completely unacceptable."


Trudeau said the news from Gaza is "catastrophic, it's terrible, it's unacceptable."


The World Health Organization also strongly condemned the attack on the National Arab Hospital in Gaza. Egypt condemned "in the strongest terms" the Israeli air strike, which resulted in the deaths of hundreds of Palestinians, saying that the international community must urgently intervene to stop such violations.


A statement by the Egyptian Ministry of Foreign Affairs said on Tuesday that Cairo “considered this deliberate bombing of civilian facilities and targets a serious violation of the provisions of international and humanitarian law, and of the most basic values of humanity. It calls on Israel to immediately stop its policies of collective punishment against the people of the Gaza Strip.”


Jordan "strongly condemned the Israeli attack on a hospital in Gaza, which led to the death of hundreds of injured and displaced civilians," according to a Foreign Ministry statement.


The Jordanian statement stressed the need to provide protection for the Palestinian people, and called for immediate concerted efforts to stop the raging war in Gaza.


At the same time, Palestinian Prime Minister Muhammad Shtayyeh condemned the attack and described it as a "horrific crime," saying that countries supporting Israel bear full responsibility "for this crime."


Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan said that the attack on a hospital in Gaza is "the latest example of Israeli attacks devoid of the most basic human values."


“I call on all of humanity to take action to stop this unprecedented brutality in Gaza,” Erdogan wrote on the social media platform X.


In a statement, the Qatari Ministry of Foreign Affairs denounced “in the strongest terms the Israeli bombing of Al-Ahly Baptist Hospital in Gaza, which killed hundreds of civilians.”


The Qatari statement said, "The expansion of Israeli attacks in the Gaza Strip to include... hospitals, schools, and population centers is considered a dangerous escalation in the course of the confrontations and portends dire consequences for the security and stability of the region."


Video clips showed ambulances transporting the dead and injured, in addition to a fire breaking out as a result of the bombing. A video clip captured the moment the hospital was bombed.


A correspondent for Al-Hurra TV confirmed that dozens of people were killed in an Israeli bombing, on Tuesday, that targeted a hospital in central Gaza City.


The correspondent said that the bombing targeted the Al-Ahli (Baptist) Hospital in the Al-Shuja’iya neighborhood in the center of Gaza City, noting that families had sought refuge in this hospital to seek shelter in it and its courtyards.


In another Israeli raid, at least six people who were displaced to a United Nations school in the Gaza Strip were killed on Tuesday, according to what the United Nations Relief and Works Agency (UNRWA) announced, which described this as “disgraceful.”


The agency said in a statement, “At least six people were killed this afternoon, when an UNRWA school was bombed in the Maghazi refugee camp” in the central Gaza Strip.


Source: Reuters and Al Hurra


PALESTINE

Tue 17 Oct 2023 10:01 pm - Jerusalem Time

Luis Ocampo: Killing of civilians in Gaza can be investigated as war crimes

The former Prosecutor of the International Criminal Court, Luis Moreno-Ocampo, confirmed that the killings committed by the Israeli army towards civilians in Gaza are sufficient to be investigated by the court, which is based in The Hague, Netherlands.


Ocampo said, through his official account on the X platform (formerly Twitter), that “the killing of civilians in Gaza can be investigated by the International Criminal Court as war crimes and crimes against humanity.”


He added that Israel is planning to kill thousands under the pretext of eliminating the leaders of the Hamas movement, noting that history shows that leaders are replaced by new leaders, and that Israel's response to what he described as Hamas' crimes should not be a massacre in Gaza.


The former International Criminal Prosecutor said that the massacres against Palestinian civilians will exacerbate the crisis, and that achieving justice is the way to control crimes, adding that Israel should not cause global chaos.


Ocampo noted that in March 2021, the International Criminal Court opened investigations into crimes committed in Gaza, the West Bank, and East Jerusalem.


Source: Al Jazeera

PALESTINE

Tue 17 Oct 2023 9:21 pm - Jerusalem Time

Whatever unfolds in Gaza war, judgment day looms for Netanyahu

One Israeli cabinet minister was barred from a hospital visitors' entrance. Another's bodyguards were drenched with coffee thrown by a bereaved man. A third had "traitor" and "imbecile" shouted at her as she came to comfort families evacuated during the horror.


The shock Oct. 7 massacre by Hamas gunmen has rallied Israelis to one another. But there is little love shown for a government being widely accused of dropping the country's guard and engulfing it in a Gaza war that is rattling the region.


Whatever ensues, a day of judgment looms for Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, after a record-long career of political comebacks.

Public fury over some 1,300 Israeli fatalities has been further fueled by Netanyahu's signature self-styling as a Churchillian strategist who foresaw national-security threats.


Another backdrop is social polarization this year over his religious-nationalist coalition's judicial overhaul drive, which triggered walkouts by some military reservists and raised doubts - now borne out in blood, some argue - about combat-readiness.


"October 2023 Debacle" read a headline in top-selling daily Yedioth Ahronoth, language meant to recall Israel's failure to anticipate a twin Egyptian and Syrian offensive in October 1973, which eventually led then-Prime Minister Golda Meir to resign.


That ouster put paid to the hegemony of Meir's centre-left Labour party. Amotz Asa-El, research fellow at the Shalom Hartman Institute in Jerusalem, predicted a similar fate for Netanyahu and his long-dominant, conservative Likud party.


"It doesn't matter if there's a commission of inquiry or not, or whether or not he admits fault. All that matters is what 'middle Israelis' think - which is that this is a fiasco and that the prime minister is responsible," Asa-El told Reuters.

"He will go, and his entire establishment along with him."


An opinion poll in Maariv newspaper found that 21% of Israelis want Netanyahu to remain prime minister after the war. Sixty-six percent said "someone else" and 13% were undecided.


Were an election held today, the poll found, Likud would lose a third of its seats while the centrist National Unity party of his main rival Benny Gantz would grow by a third - setting the latter up for top office.


ISRAEL FORMS EMERGENCY WAR CABINET

But Israelis do not now want a ballot. They want action, and as the counter-offensive builds into a potential ground invasion, Gantz, a former military chief, has set aside political differences to join Netanyahu in an emergency cabinet.


Busy with the top brass and foreign emissaries, Netanyahu has limited his encounters with the public. He met relatives of some 200 hostages taken to Gaza, without TV cameras present. Amid a mounting outcry, his wife visited one family in mourning.


Netanyahu has also yet to make any statements of personal accountability - even as his top general, defense minister, national security adviser, foreign minister, finance minister and intelligence chiefs acknowledged failure to anticipate and prevent the worst attack on civilians in Israel's history.


Israel has won vocal Western support for its counter-offensive. That may fade if a Gaza ground invasion bogs down with rising Palestinian casualties and military losses.


The war could also shred two planks of Netanyahu's foreign policy: peace with Saudi Arabia, which is now on ice, and restraining Iran, which is hailing the Hamas mini-invasion as a victory for a Middle East axis sworn to Israel's destruction


Military planners say the Gaza war, whose stated goal is Hamas' annihilation, could last months. Netanyahu would enjoy a political truce for the duration, Asa-El said. Whether the prime minister's health will endure is another question. In July he was fitted with a pacemaker as judicial protests surged. He will turn 74 on Saturday.


Some commentators have suggested that rifts within Israeli society, and the degree to which they sapped national security, should be attributed more broadly than to Netanyahu alone.


"We forgot to be brothers, and got a war," Amit Segal, political analyst for the top-rated Channel 12 TV, said on Telegram. "It's not too late to repair. Stop quarrelling - now."

Noting the scorn heaped on some cabinet ministers, Asa-El said fissures seemed already to be appearing within the government coalition.


"You hear people in the street who are natural Likud supporters speaking about them with unequivocal hostility," he said. "The wrath is only going to grow, and this apparent effort by Netanyahu to evade his own responsibility only makes people angrier. He just can't bring himself to say: 'We screwed up.'"

PALESTINE

Tue 17 Oct 2023 9:20 pm - Jerusalem Time

After the bombing of Baptist Hospital, Abbas withdraws from quadripartite summit with Biden

Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas decided to return to Ramallah and not participate in the quadripartite summit scheduled to be held in the Jordanian capital, Amman, on Wednesday, according to what Al-Sharq reported from the Palestinian President’s office.


Minister Hussein Al-Sheikh stated on the "X" website that "President Mahmoud Abbas has decided to return to the homeland tonight and is calling for an emergency leadership meeting tonight."


Abbas was scheduled to participate in a four-way summit in the presence of US President Joe Biden, King Abdullah II of Jordan and Egyptian President Abdel Fattah El-Sisi to discuss the situation in the Gaza Strip.


The Palestinian Presidency condemns the targeting of Baptist Hospital: a crime of genocide and a humanitarian disaster


The official presidential spokesman, Nabil Abu Rudeina, strongly condemned the heinous crime committed by the Israeli occupation by bombing the Arab National Hospital (Al-Baptist) in Gaza City, which led to the martyrdom and injury of hundreds of our people.


Abu Rudeina said that the fall of this large number of innocent civilian victims in a hospital that is supposed to have immunity, confirms that this Israeli government does not respect any international standards and recognized laws.


Abu Rudeina stressed that this crime is added to the series of crimes committed by the occupation against our people since the beginning of the recent aggression against our people, which left thousands of martyrs and wounded, the majority of whom are children and women.




ARAB AND WORLD

Tue 17 Oct 2023 8:49 pm - Jerusalem Time

Xi Jinping: the chief architect of the Belt and Road Initiative

All eyes are now on Xi Jinping as the Chinese president hosts state leaders, business executives and scholars from around the world for the third Belt and Road Forum for International Cooperation.

In just 10 years, the Belt and Road Initiative (BRI), Xi's signature vision for global development, has become one of the world's most popular public goods, bringing many developing countries chances for leapfrog development.

The gathering in Beijing offers a historic opportunity for all BRI partners to build on the initiative's remarkable achievements and progress toward common prosperity.

Why did Xi propose the BRI? What's behind the initiative's success? And what does Xi hope to achieve with it?


BOOST DEVELOPMENT FOR GLOBAL PROSPERITY

In the late 1960s, a teenager trudged into a small village hidden on China's Loess Plateau after three days of travel by train, truck and foot. He was among the "educated youth" sent to the countryside to be "re-educated" with the rustic virtues of China's farmer majority.

He was astonished by the stark challenges of life in Liangjiahe -- sleeping in flea-infested cave-houses, laboring for long hours and wrestling with hunger. He soldiered through the difficulties over seven years, leading his fellow villagers to a much better life.

That young man was Xi.

"There was no meat in our diet for months," Xi recalled decades later during a visit to the U.S. city of Seattle as Chinese president. "One thing I wished most at the time was to make it possible for the villagers to eat meat to their heart's content."

Xi Jinping visits Liangjiahe Village, Wen'anyi Township of Yanchuan County, Yan'an, northwest China's Shaanxi Province, Feb. 13, 2015. (Xinhua/Lan Hongguang)

The bitter taste of poverty reinforced Xi's conviction: Development holds the master key to solving poverty problems. But how?

Xi has chosen to put China's development on wheels. "Roads first, then prosperity." Xi often cites this popular Chinese saying to elaborate on how infrastructure construction can stimulate development. In his understanding, changing a cableway or repairing a section of road, in some impoverished areas in particular, can open the door to poverty alleviation and prosperity of the masses.

A villager from Liangjiahe, Wang Xianping, recollected how Xi, who then served as a village leader, repaired the road connecting the village with the outside. "It used to be a narrow and winding path that couldn't even accommodate a wheelbarrow and was then transformed into a broad road," Wang said. The road helped the village kickstart its development.

When Xi took over the helm of China, the country had just risen to become the world's second-largest economy and faced numerous challenges. Opening up has been considered an essential engine for China's miraculous economic rise over the past four decades. Xi has reaffirmed the nation's dedication to further opening up.

The BRI has become "a new top-level design for China's reform and opening-up, and it represents opening-up at a higher level and resonates with the pursuit of high-quality development," said Wang Yiwei, director of the Institute of International Affairs at Renmin University.

While the BRI aligns with Xi's commitment to greater openness, it has played a vital role in connecting the world's most urgent development needs with what China excels in -- building roads and bridges for greater connectivity. Xi has a good understanding of the needs of developing countries. He once told the Wall Street Journal in a written interview that from 2010 to 2020, the annual shortfall in funding for Asian infrastructural development was around 800 billion U.S. dollars. A report from the Asian Development Bank finds that developing Asia needs to invest 1.7 trillion dollars a year in infrastructure until 2030 to maintain its growth momentum.

This aerial photo taken on Sept. 30, 2023 shows a high-speed electric multiple unit (EMU) train of the Jakarta-Bandung High-Speed Railway running in Purwakarta, Indonesia. (Xinhua/Xu Qin)

The BRI "leverages China's unequaled experience and competitive advantages in constructing infrastructure: rail, roads, ports, airports, power plants, telecom," said Robert Kuhn, an American expert who authored the book "How China's Leaders Think."

However, the BRI goes beyond infrastructure. It is a Chinese solution to global development issues, said a White Paper on BRI development. The current deficit in peace, development and governance poses a daunting challenge to humankind, offering an opportunity for the BRI to step in.

For the Chinese leader, just as China cannot develop in isolation from the world, the world needs China for its development.

"Xi's proposal of the BRI was primarily driven by his eagerness to share China's development experiences with the rest of the world," said Wang.

As Xi put it, pursuing the BRI "is not meant to reinvent the wheel." Instead, it aims to complement the development strategies of the countries involved by leveraging their comparative strengths. "The BRI I put forward aims to achieve win-win and shared development," Xi said.


REINVIGORATE COMMUNICATION BETWEEN CIVILIZATIONS

Villagers in Liangjiahe still remember that Xi brought two suitcases full of books when he arrived in the village in 1969.

File photo taken in 1972 shows Xi Jinping, then an "educated youth" in countryside, returning to Beijing to visit his relatives. (Xinhua)

Xi loves reading -- a fixture in his daily life. He once walked 15 kilometers to borrow a copy of Faust, a masterpiece of Johann Wolfgang von Goethe.

"Reading invigorates my mind, inspires me and cultivates my moral force," Xi said. Even after assuming the top leadership post, he still keeps reading despite a busy schedule and has also encouraged government officials to read.

The reading habit has given Xi a rich knowledge of the histories and cultures of both the East and the West and a source of inspiration for his thinking about global development.

On Sept. 9, 2013, while visiting the Amir Timur Museum in Tashkent, Uzbekistan, during his first Central Asia tour as Chinese president, Xi was attracted by a map of the ancient Silk Road.

Xi pointed to a location on the map, identifying it as Xi'an, his hometown and the starting point of the Silk Road. The city, formerly known as Chang'an, is a significant birthplace of Chinese civilization and the Chinese nation.

More than 2,100 years ago, Zhang Qian, a royal emissary of the Han Dynasty, made a brave journey westward from Chang'an. His adventures pushed open the door to commercial and cultural exchanges between China and Central Asia and helped blaze the Silk Road linking the East and the West.

Sharing the story with the audience at Nazarbayev University in Kazakhstan in 2013, Xi said, "Today, as I stand here and look back at history, I seem to hear the camel bells echoing in the mountains and see the wisps of smoke rising from the desert."

Xi Jinping delivers a speech at Nazarbayev University in Kazakhstan, Sept. 7, 2013. Xi proposed the building of the Silk Road Economic Belt in the speech. (Xinhua/Wang Ye)

Spanning thousands of miles and years, the ancient silk routes were more than routes for trade. The circulation of goods spurred the communication of cultures. Waves of caravans, travelers, scholars and artisans traveled between the East and the West as cultural envoys. The bustling pathways connected the birthplaces of the Egyptian, Babylonian, Indian and Chinese civilizations and the lands of major religions.

Countless relics discovered along the ancient routes, including the millennia-old "gilt bronze silkworm" displayed at China's Shaanxi History Museum and the Belitung shipwreck discovered in Indonesia, are the embodiments of the Silk Road spirit, which promoted peace and cooperation, openness and inclusiveness, mutual learning and mutual benefit.

"History is the best teacher," Xi says, that reviving and carrying forward the Silk Road spirit and promoting cultural and people-to-people exchanges is integral to the BRI.

"We should establish a multi-tiered mechanism for cultural and people-to-people exchanges, build more cooperation platforms and open more cooperation channels," Xi said while addressing the first Belt and Road Forum for International Cooperation in 2017.

Xi can always combine theory, history and reality and draw inspiration from the nation's outstanding traditions, said Martin Albrow, a fellow of the British Academy of Social Sciences. For Xi, civilizations do not have to clash, and no civilization reigns supreme. "Civilizations only vary from each other, just as human beings are different only in terms of skin color and the language used," he said.

"In pursuing the Belt and Road Initiative, we should ensure that when it comes to different civilizations, exchange will replace estrangement, mutual learning will replace clashes, and coexistence will replace a sense of superiority. This will boost mutual understanding, mutual respect and mutual trust among different countries," Xi stated while addressing the first Belt and Road forum.

That is why he proposed to hold the Conference on Dialogue of Asian Civilizations and put forward the Global Civilization Initiative.

"We should keep our civilizations dynamic and create conditions for other civilizations to flourish," Xi said.

Xi's vision of civilization has been shared by many.

"The BRI has revived the Silk Road spirit. By activating the spirit, different civilizations can return to a harmonious state of mutual learning. That is how civilizations should get along," said Wang Yiwei.

Former Greek President Prokopis Pavlopoulos said, "Chinese President Xi Jinping is a great leader who knows well about civilizations, about the essence and mission of civilizations."


INSPIRE BUILDING OF A BETTER WORLD

"Mankind, by living in the same global village in the same era where history and reality meet, has increasingly emerged as a community of shared future in which everyone has in himself a little bit of others," Xi told a rapt, packed audience at Moscow State Institute of International Relations in 2013.

It was Xi's first overseas visit after he became Chinese president. During that trip, Xi first proposed building a community with a shared future for mankind. The idea has become a fundamental principle of China's foreign policy. Several months later, Xi introduced the Belt and Road Initiative, widely seen as a significant step towards realizing his vision of a better world.

Chinese President Xi Jinping talks with representatives of local staff members as he visits the Piraeus Port in Greece, Nov. 11, 2019. (Xinhua/Xie Huanchi)

Over the past decade, the world has witnessed rising anti-globalization sentiments, lackluster global economic growth, and widening wealth gaps between the rich world and the least-developed countries.

When some countries in the West are blustering about de-coupling in the name of so-called "de-risking," China, under Xi's leadership, insists on win-win cooperation and genuine multilateralism. He fully understands that "only when people all over the world live better lives can prosperity be sustained, security safeguarded and human rights solidly grounded."

Xi has made personal efforts to ensure that countries benefit from the opportunities the BRI provides. One example is the revival of Greece's Piraeus Port, which was once on the verge of bankruptcy but has now become one of the busiest shipping hubs in the world.

Starting in 2014, Xi repeatedly brought up this flagship Belt and Road project during his meetings with Greek leaders. When visiting Greece in 2019, he made a special tour of the port.

"Seeing is believing," Xi said feelingly when witnessing this port being given a new lease on life. "The BRI is not a slogan or tale, but a successful practice and brilliant reality."

Being fully aware of the mounting development needs of the Global South, the Chinese leader has always paid heavy attention to supporting the implementation of the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals. To that end, Xi proposed the Global Development Initiative in 2021. He called on the international community to ensure every country is included in global modernization.

In fact, Xi's emphasis on bridging the development gap in the world can be traced back to when he served as a local Chinese official.

Bathsheba Mchuza, founder and sales officer for Uyogaplus project, shows the growing of mushroom during a workshop on "Applications of Juncao Technology and its Contribution to the Achievement of Sustainable Agriculture and the Sustainable Development Goals in Tanzania" in Kinondoni District, outskirts of Dar es Salaam, Tanzania, on March 10, 2022. (Photo by Herman Emmanuel/Xinhua)

As governor of China's southeastern Fujian Province, Xi supported numerous anti-poverty initiatives. Among these, the Juncao program was a flagship project involving cultivating edible mushrooms that can be used to feed animals and minimize soil erosion.

Knowing that poverty remains a global challenge, Xi has consistently advocated the Juncao technology during his visits to the South Pacific, Africa and South America. "He has paid great attention to the project as he knows very well what this small plant can offer," recalled Lin Zhanxi, chief scientist for the Juncao technology.

Lin's team provided the technology and personnel training for Juncao, which has been introduced to 106 countries and included in UN development plans due to its ability to solve problems such as food shortages. Some residents have even adopted the Chinese name "Juncao" for themselves, while others call it "grass of happiness."

"Attention should be paid to some urgent projects that benefit local people." That is Xi's clear-cut demands for all BRI projects. European opinion-maker Modern Diplomacy commented in a recent opinion piece that the BRI has contributed significantly to transforming developing economies in Africa through developing infrastructure, reducing unemployment and improving trade, among other things.

"China does not aim to exploit Africa as the Western world imagines, because along with developing African infrastructure, the Belt and Road Initiative is helping Africa transform itself," it noted.

And the initiative's benefits are believed to reach even more corners of the world in the years ahead. According to a World Bank report, increased trade via Belt and Road cooperation "is expected to increase global real income by 0.7 to 2.9 percent," and BRI projects "could help lift 7.6 million people out of extreme poverty." Another report by global economic consultants Cebr estimated that the BRI, whose benefits "are widespread," "is likely to boost world GDP by 7.1 trillion U.S. dollars per annum by 2040."

This aerial photo taken on Oct. 5, 2023 shows China's Goldwind wind turbines in Chaiyaphum, Thailand. (Xinhua/Wang Teng)

For former Thai Deputy Prime Minister Phinij Jarusombat, the BRI "is a farsighted, world-class initiative," as it "brings peace, cooperation, development and sharing to the world. It reduces contradictions and conflicts, making people turn to seek exchanges and cooperation in the fields of culture, trade and travel."

"I have met leaders of many countries. In my eyes, Chinese President Xi Jinping is a broad-minded leader with poise and unswerving determination," he commented.

Panamanian economist Eddie Tapiero, author of the first systematic study of the BRI in Latin America, said, "The BRI inherits the spirit and essence of the ancient Silk Road, advocating peace and emphasizing seeking common development through dialogue and cooperation."

"My friends once asked me, 'What's the point of studying this?'" he said. "I told them: 'It's for a better world.'"  ■

PALESTINE

Tue 17 Oct 2023 8:30 pm - Jerusalem Time

Palestinian President meets US Secretary of State Anthony Blinken

Today, Tuesday, the President of the State of Palestine, Mahmoud Abbas, met in the Jordanian capital, Amman, with US Secretary of State Anthony Blinken.


During the meeting, they discussed the latest developments on the Palestinian scene, the latest developments in the ongoing efforts to stop the escalation, spare civilians the scourge of war, and the importance of introducing medical and food relief materials and providing water and electricity as quickly as possible.


Both the Palestinian and American sides stressed the rejection of the displacement of Palestinians from the Gaza Strip.

President Abbas stressed that peace and security are achieved through the implementation of the two-state solution based on international legitimacy resolutions, which includes the entire territory of the State of Palestine in the West Bank, including East Jerusalem and the Gaza Strip, and recognition of the State of Palestine.


It is worth noting that this meeting comes within the framework of preparation for the summit meeting that will be held tomorrow between the Palestinian and American presidents.


ARAB AND WORLD

Tue 17 Oct 2023 8:15 pm - Jerusalem Time

European countries restrict solidarity with Palestine and encourage it for Israel

Those in solidarity with Palestine in a number of European countries face restrictions, bans, and interference by security forces and authorities to prevent demonstrations and marches, reaching the point of arrests and suspensions.


While there are no restrictions or bans on pro-Israel demonstrations, pro-Palestine demonstrations were held under heavy police guard and violent intervention.


Police forces in a number of countries used tear gas, issuing warnings to anyone who deviates from designated routes to pretend that they will be stopped.


Britain

In London, tens of thousands gathered last Saturday in front of the headquarters of the British Broadcasting Corporation "BBC" to show solidarity with Palestine and to protest the British government's silent stance towards Palestinian rights.


The police announced, in a statement before the protest, that the demonstration would not be allowed to take place outside its designated route, and in the vicinity of the Israeli embassy in London, and arrests may be carried out if it deviates from this route.


The police took extensive security measures on the road, which is about 2.5 kilometers long, between the BBC building in London and Downing Street, where the Prime Minister's Office is located. They also closed the street where the Israeli embassy is located to traffic.


The police tightened security measures after some groups marched to Trafalgar Square and the vicinity of the embassy after the end of the march in support of Palestine. There was tension between the police and the demonstrators, as arrests occurred in the square.


The London Police later announced, in a statement following the demonstration, the arrest of 15 people in the solidarity march with Palestine.


Although British Home Secretary Suella Braverman announced on October 11 that waving the Palestinian flag may not be legal in some cases in the country, many demonstrators were seen carrying Palestinian flags.


France

In the early days of the Israeli-Palestinian escalation, pro-Israel demonstrations were allowed in the French cities of Paris and Strasbourg, while demonstrations of solidarity with Palestine were repeatedly banned by local authorities in Paris, Strasbourg, Lyon and Marseille for allegedly posing a risk of disturbing public order.


13 people were arrested in Strasbourg, 4 people in Marseille, and one person in Lyon, where demonstrations in solidarity with Palestine were held despite the imposed ban.


After pro-Palestinian demonstrations began to spread across the country, the French government decided to ban all pro-Palestinian demonstrations, claiming that they could disrupt public order.


Despite the ban, a demonstration was organized in support of Palestine in Paris on the day the decision was taken, and the police intervened with pepper gas and water against pro-Palestinian supporters during the demonstration.


In another demonstration organized two days later in the French capital, security forces stopped demonstrators who were carrying Palestinian flags and wearing keffiyehs around their necks, and imposed fines on a total of 752 people.


The Movement for Palestine Association operating in France responded to the government's decision to ban pro-Palestine demonstrations, escalating the matter and deciding to appeal the decision before the state court.


Germany

In the capital, Berlin, the scene was not much different, and with the start of the Israeli-Palestinian escalation, Berlin police have prevented demonstrations of solidarity with the Palestinians since October 11.


Despite the ban imposed by the police, a group, including Palestinians, gathered in front of the historic Brandenburg Gate in the city center last Saturday, demanding an end to the war and the imposition of peace.


The police asked the demonstrators to leave the square under the pretext that the demonstration was prohibited, while the activists stated that the decision to ban the demonstration was not published electronically, and they asked to see the written copy of the ban.


Meanwhile, the protesters told the police that they would hold a peaceful demonstration and that they just wanted their voices to be heard. The solidarity activists, who continued their demonstration until the written decision was issued, chanted several slogans, including “Stop the bombing” and “Freedom for Palestine.” The demonstrators also placed pictures of children killed in Gaza on the ground.

After a while, an announcement was made from the police car banning the demonstration, and that the demonstrators must leave the area. After that, the police arrested many of the demonstrators, and the rest left the area.

Another demonstration that was scheduled to be held on the same day in Berlin was also banned, at a time when about 750 people participated in a demonstration in Frankfurt, where the police briefly stopped 100 people under the pretext of verifying identity.


In the demonstration that took place in the city of Cologne, the police allowed it due to the small number of Palestinians who demonstrated against the Israelis. Members of the Turkish and Muslim communities also participated in the demonstration, and Palestinian flags were raised in it.


Last Sunday, about a thousand people gathered in Berlin were not allowed to express their solidarity with the Palestinians, and the police asked the demonstrators to leave the square under the pretext that the demonstrations were prohibited, while clashes occurred from time to time between the demonstrators and the police, who arrested many of the demonstrators who resisted them.


Holland

As for the Netherlands, the arrest of 3 people occurred during a pro-Palestine demonstration held in the Dutch capital, Amsterdam. Nearly 15,000 people participated in the demonstration, gathering in a square in Amsterdam and marching toward the west of the city.


During the demonstrations, 3 people were arrested, one of whom raised the flag of the Islamic Resistance Movement (Hamas), while the other two resisted the police by covering their faces.


The course of the demonstration was changed under pressure from the Dutch authorities, and officials from the Palestinian associations that organized the demonstration expressed their disappointment about changing its course.


The Prime Minister of the Dutch interim government, Mark Rutte, had previously announced, in a statement before the House of Representatives, that municipalities would intervene against the pro-Hamas demonstrations.


Rutte had stated that Palestinians have the right to demonstrate in the Netherlands, but statements in support of Hamas at the demonstration are unacceptable.


Switzerland: Demonstrations in support of Palestine took place amid tight security measures in the capital, Bern, and the city of Geneva, while pro-Palestinian demonstrations were not allowed in Basel and Zurich. For the eleventh day, the Israeli occupation army continues to target the Gaza Strip with intense air strikes that destroyed entire neighborhoods and left thousands of martyrs and wounded among Palestinian civilians. .

Source: Anadolu Agency

PALESTINE

Tue 17 Oct 2023 8:12 pm - Jerusalem Time

Israeli Walla: Israel postpones ground invasion until after Biden’s visit

Report on the postponement of a ground invasion that appears imminent by the occupation army in the Gaza Strip until after the visit of US President Biden, scheduled for tomorrow, Wednesday.


Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu decided to postpone the possible ground invasion of the besieged Gaza Strip for an “indefinite period,” according to what was reported by the Israeli Walla website, amid estimates that the Israeli political leadership will not take a decision to invade the Strip before the expected visit of the president. The American, Joe Biden, to Israel.


It was reported that Biden, who arrives in Israel tomorrow, Wednesday, will meet with the mini-Israeli “war cabinet,” while US Secretary of State, Anthony Blinken, indicated that Biden “will also hear from Israel what it needs to defend its people while we continue to work with Congress to meet the needs of Israel.” Those needs."


He continued, "(The president) will hear from Israel how it will manage its operations in a way that reduces civilian casualties and helps the flow of humanitarian aid to civilians in Gaza in a way that does not benefit Hamas." Washington is also trying to mobilize Arab countries to help avoid a broader regional war, after Iran pledged “preemptive action” from the “axis of resistance.”


According to Walla, the Israeli military leadership opposes this postponement, and claims that “every hour that passes without a ground maneuver plays a role against the Israeli army and allows Hamas to make a better assessment” of the situation. This comes amid escalating tensions and expanding clashes in the border region of southern Lebanon.


The Israeli military leadership believes that “postponing the ground invasion will harm the army and allow Hamas to prepare better in the Gaza Strip,” and they demanded that Hamas be held responsible for the residents of the Gaza Strip who refused to leave their homes, threatening a violent and widespread invasion of the Strip with retaliatory motives.


For his part, the Israeli National Security Advisor, Tzachi Hanegbi, said, “The Israeli Prime Minister, Benjamin Netanyahu, and the previous prime ministers, will have to bear responsibility for their role in the performance that led to the Hamas attack,” and he said, in a press conference, “The moment will come.” “In which they have to hold themselves accountable.”


This comes with mounting criticism directed at the Israeli Prime Minister, Benjamin Netanyahu, who has so far refrained from taking responsibility for the military, intelligence and political failures that preceded the Qassam Brigades attack on October 7th.


After visiting Israel, Biden is expected to travel to Jordan to meet with King Abdullah, Egyptian President Abdel Fattah El-Sisi, and Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas.



ARAB AND WORLD

Tue 17 Oct 2023 8:12 pm - Jerusalem Time

Putin meets Xi Jinping in Beijing while the Gaza war is present

On Tuesday, Chinese President Xi Jinping received in Beijing his Russian counterpart, Vladimir Putin, who is visiting China on the occasion of the “New Silk Roads” summit, which was overshadowed by the war launched by Israel on the Gaza Strip.


The Russian Foreign Ministry said, "President Xi Jinping received President Vladimir Putin upon his arrival, and the two presidents held a short conversation."


During a state banquet, Xi referred to recent geopolitical conflicts, but stressed that "the historical trend of peace... cannot be stopped."


Putin is scheduled to hold talks with Xi on the sidelines of the forum on Wednesday, according to the Kremlin, which stressed that special focus will be on international and regional issues.


China is Russia's largest trading partner, while the volume of trade exchange between the two countries reached a record amount of $190 billion last year, according to Beijing customs data.


Beijing has drawn criticism from Western countries because of its position on the Ukrainian war, which Beijing insists is neutral about.


The Belt and Road Initiative forum provides a new opportunity for Putin and Xi to demonstrate their alliance, as China values Russia's role as a bulwark against the West, while Moscow increasingly relies on Moscow's trade and geopolitical support.


The Gaza war is present

The war in Gaza is looming over the summit of Xi and Putin, who informed Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu yesterday, Monday, that the Kremlin wants to help prevent a humanitarian crisis in Gaza, in light of its involvement in discussing the Middle East crisis through a series of phone calls with concerned parties in the region.


Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov on Tuesday confirmed Putin's view that the explosion of violence between Israel and the Palestinians reflects the failure of American policy in the Middle East, and described the tragedy unfolding as a result of the conflict as a product of the countries' positions rejecting the problem.


He continued, "The main thing is to stop the raging war, and then deal with the settlement process in principle with new efforts. There is a need for an independent Palestinian state, and Israel needs security guarantees, and the Israelis should live in peace and feel safe."


The agencies quoted Peskov as saying that Putin does not yet have a peace plan for the conflict, adding that it needs to be formulated.

A Russian draft resolution submitted to the Security Council calling for a humanitarian truce in Gaza failed to pass yesterday, Monday.


In return, the United States asked China to use its influence to help reduce the escalation in the war waged by Israel on Gaza, which has so far left about 3,000 martyrs and more than 12,500 injured.


China is scheduled to send its Middle East envoy, Zhai Jun, to the troubled region this week in an effort to reach a ceasefire and hold peace talks.

PALESTINE

Tue 17 Oct 2023 7:57 pm - Jerusalem Time

Israel bombs Arab National Hospital in Gaza City, numerous death and injury of Palestinians

On Tuesday evening, Israeli occupation aircraft bombed Al-Ahly Al-Arabi Hospital (Al-Mamadani) in the Al-Zaytoun neighborhood in Gaza City, resulting in the death and injury of a large number of citizens.


Eyewitnesses reported that occupation aircraft launched a raid on the hospital while thousands of displaced citizens were present, who took refuge there after their homes were destroyed and were searching for a safe place.


Video clips showed ambulances transporting the martyrs and injured, in addition to a fire breaking out as a result of the bombing.


In a related context, the United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees (UNRWA) announced the death of at least 6 citizens in an Israeli raid on a school affiliated with it in the Maghazi refugee camp in central Gaza.

PALESTINE

Tue 17 Oct 2023 7:50 pm - Jerusalem Time

Israel escalates aggressions against detainees and their families in an unprecedented manner

The Palestinian Prisoners' Club said that the Israeli occupation forces, since October 7, have escalated, in an unprecedented manner, systematic abuse and crimes against detainees and their families, using all types of weapons and severe beatings, which led to the recording of injuries among the ranks. Detainees and their families, in addition to threats, intimidation, sabotage and destruction inside homes.


The Prisoner Club stated, in a statement on Tuesday, that the daily and digital data reflect not only the increase in the number of detainees, but also the increase in the level of crimes and violations against them, which have reached the point of threatening them with death.


The arrest campaigns included all groups, including children, the elderly, and women, and also targeted former prisoners, including those who spent years in occupation prisons.


The Prisoner's Club explained that in light of the escalation of arrest campaigns, as well as in light of the data that has begun to come from legal teams, a large portion of detainees are being held in detention in preparation for their transfer to administrative detention, or their detention is being extended against the backdrop of incitement on social media sites, especially in... Jerusalem.


The Prisoner's Club confirmed that the occupation authorities imposed measures that led to extreme difficulties in the work of legal teams in following up on detainees since October 7, specifically in knowing information about the newly detainees, their places of detention, and visiting them.


Among the most prominent measures imposed on legal teams, according to the Prisoner’s Club, Palestinian lawyers who represent Palestinian detainees before military courts were informed of the activation of Article (33) of Military Order No. (1651), which stipulates: arrest procedures “in a military campaign to confront terrorism.” Which allows a person to be detained for 8 days before being brought to court instead of 96 hours, and he is automatically prevented from meeting his lawyer for two days.


It added that there are difficulties in knowing where a detainee is being held, and it takes a lawyer 48 hours to find out where he is being held, or more. Lawyers also face restrictions and obstacles within the courts, with regard to procedural matters and dealing with them, in addition to great difficulties faced by specialized lawyers in visiting prisons.

PALESTINE

Tue 17 Oct 2023 7:40 pm - Jerusalem Time

Hanegbi: We informed Washington of our plan and the long-term Gaza war

The head of the Israeli National Security Council, Tzachi Hanegbi, confirmed that Tel Aviv has received a portion of American military aid, indicating that Israel will not be alone if it is attacked, and there will be American intervention to support it.


He added that American support for Israel pushes it to achieve the goals of the war and what he called “complete victory,” describing what he called Israel’s enemy as worse than ISIS, in reference to the Islamic Resistance Movement “Hamas.”


In the context of talking about American support, it was mentioned that US Secretary of State Anthony Blinken attended a meeting in which Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and army commanders in Tel Aviv presented the Israeli plan in detail in its war against Hamas.


Regarding the Iranian threats to Israel from the north, he explained that Israel is capable of withstanding the security threats from the north and south, stressing that the war on the southern front in Gaza will be long-term and strong, and Israel is prepared for the north.


He stated that the first goal of the war is to destroy the military and authoritarian capabilities of Hamas, stressing that Tel Aviv wants to eliminate Hamas as a force that threatens the citizens of Israel, as he described it.

He also said that Israel called on the residents of northern Gaza to leave the combat zones as quickly as possible and move toward the south to be able to identify safe areas where humanitarian aid would be provided to the residents.


As for the issue of the prisoners, he explained that Israel is making unremitting efforts to remove the fog from their situation, noting that Netanyahu met with representatives of the families of the prisoners and understood what he described as the nightmare that he said these families were experiencing. However, he stressed that Israel's priority is to achieve "the greatest victory," as he put it.


Source: Al Jazeera

PALESTINE

Tue 17 Oct 2023 6:07 pm - Jerusalem Time

Israeli war machine claimed the lives of 3,061 Palestinians in its aggression against Gaza

The Israeli occupation continues its bombing on various parts of the Gaza Strip, as Operation Al-Aqsa Flood enters its eleventh consecutive day.


The Al-Qassam Brigades, the military arm of the Hamas movement, was launched on Saturday, October 7, in response to the Israeli occupation’s violations in the occupied Palestinian territories.


On the other hand, the Israeli occupation launched a military operation called “Iron Swords” against the Gaza Strip, and launched a series of violent raids on several areas in the Strip, resulting in hundreds of killed and thousands of wounded, in addition to the destruction of large numbers of buildings, residential towers, institutions and infrastructure.


The Palestinian Ministry of Health announced in its latest statistics that the number of martyrs in the Gaza Strip had risen to 3,061martyrs and about 12,500 wounded in the occupation’s aggression, while the number of martyrs in the West Bank reached 59 martyrs and more than 1,250 wounded since the beginning of the Al-Aqsa flood.


According to the Hebrew Broadcasting Authority, the death toll among Israeli occupation soldiers and settlers reached more than 1,500, including 291 soldiers.

PALESTINE

Tue 17 Oct 2023 6:01 pm - Jerusalem Time

Netanyahu's chief advisor outlines the path to achieving peace

Regev added in an interview with Sky News Arabia:


  1. America sent the aircraft carrier to deter any other party from engaging in our battle with Hamas.
  2. re preparing for Biden's visit and look forward to further talks.
  3. We want peace and everyone must understand that Hamas is the enemy of all the Palestinian people, as was the case with ISIS.
  4. Hamas does not represent the Arabs or the Palestinian people.
  5. We have no confirmation of the number of Palestinian deaths announced by Hamas.
  6. We do not target civilians in Gaza, but rather demand that they leave.
  7. ISIS has been defeated in Syria and Iraq, and this is what we intend to do with Hamas.
  8. The Palestinian Authority has weakened itself, and Hamas is against any peace and any solution.
  9. If we can defeat Hamas, we can achieve peace.
  10. We are currently focusing on winning the war, and we will solve internal matters later.

PALESTINE

Tue 17 Oct 2023 5:54 pm - Jerusalem Time

Haaretz: Netanyahu knowingly led Israel to war

The Israeli newspaper Haaretz held Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu "responsible for failing to diagnose the danger into which he knowingly led Israel."


The newspaper said: “The person responsible for the catastrophe that struck Israel on the Feast of the Joy of the Torah is clear and well-known. The prime minister, who boasted of his great political experience and his irreplaceable acumen in security matters. Netanyahu completely failed to diagnose the danger into which he knowingly led Israel, when he He established the annexation government and plundered the Palestinian lands, and when he appointed Bezalel Smotrich and Itamar Ben Gvir to central positions in it, and also when he pursued a reckless foreign policy.”


Haaretz added: "Netanyahu will certainly try to evade his responsibility and lay the blame on the leaders of the army, the security of the Military Intelligence Division, and the Shin Bet, as they, like their predecessors in Likud, on the eve of the Yom Kippur War (the October War of 1973), expected a low probability of a war occurring, and their preparation for the Qassam Brigades attack was also faulty."


The newspaper continued: "They underestimated the enemy and its military capabilities. In the coming days and weeks, when the depth of the imbalance in the army and the intelligence level becomes clear, rightful demands will be raised to overthrow this group and put it on trial."


It continued: “Although the failure was intelligence and military, this does not absolve Netanyahu of his overall responsibility for the crisis, as he is the supreme rapporteur in Israel’s foreign and security affairs. Netanyahu formulated the policy that was adopted in the few days of the “government of change” headed by Naftali Bennett and Yair Lapid, which was A multi-dimensional effort to completely destroy the Palestinian national movement, in Gaza and the West Bank, at a price that seems insurmountable in the eyes of the Israeli masses.”


Haaretz  continued: "The warning that hovered over Israel in recent years has been fully fulfilled: the prime minister, accused of three corruption cases, cannot care about state affairs, because national interests will, of course, be harnessed to save him from conviction and imprisonment."


The newspaper concluded: “This is the reason for establishing a government of atrocities, and this is the reason for the coup against the people led by Netanyahu, and the weakening of the army and intelligence leaders, who were considered political opponents, and the price? The victims of the sweep of the Western Negev paid with their bodies.”

PALESTINE

Tue 17 Oct 2023 5:37 pm - Jerusalem Time

King Abdullah on Gaza: 'No refugees in Jordan, no refugees in Egypt'

Jordan's King Abdullah on Tuesday warned against trying to push Palestinian refugees into Egypt or Jordan, adding that the humanitarian situation must to be dealt with inside Gaza and the West Bank.


"That is a red line, because I think that is the plan by certain of the usual suspects to try and create de facto issues on the ground. No refugees in Jordan, no refugees in Egypt," King Abdullah said at a news conference following a meeting with German Chancellor Olaf Scholz in Berlin.

ARAB AND WORLD

Tue 17 Oct 2023 5:29 pm - Jerusalem Time

Renewed Israeli artillery bombardment on southern Lebanon

Renewed heavy Israeli artillery shelling on the towns of Kafr Kila, Aita al-Shaab, Taybeh, Ramiya, and Wadi Marwahin in southern Lebanon.


The occupation army also targeted with artillery a house in the border town of Blida.

PALESTINE

Tue 17 Oct 2023 5:21 pm - Jerusalem Time

Vigil by the Bahraini Parliament in solidarity with the Palestinian people

At the beginning of its session on Tuesday, in front of the Council building, the Bahraini Parliament organized a solidarity stand with the Palestinian people.


During the protest, the Speaker and members of the Council read Surat Al-Fatihah to the souls of the martyrs of our people in the Gaza Strip and the West Bank, and raised a banner reading “Jerusalem is the capital of Palestine.”


The Speaker and members of Parliament also wore the Palestinian keffiyeh throughout today’s parliamentary session, in a symbolic step of solidarity with our people.

PALESTINE

Tue 17 Oct 2023 5:10 pm - Jerusalem Time

US lawmakers introduce resolution urging ‘immediate’ Gaza ceasefire

Progressive legislators in the United States have introduced a congressional resolution urging “an immediate de-escalation and ceasefire in Israel and occupied Palestine”.

Monday’s measure — backed by more than a dozen Democratic members of the House of Representatives, including Cori Bush, Rashida Tlaib, Summer Lee, Ayanna Pressley, Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez and Ilhan Omar — highlighted growing calls in Washington for a ceasefire in Gaza.


“All human life is precious, and the targeting of civilians, no matter their faith or ethnicity, is a violation of international humanitarian law,” the proposed resolution reads.

Despite overwhelming support for Israel in Congress, Bush told reporters during an online briefing that the resolution is an urgent push Americans can rally around.

“Leaders lead from the front, and we move with the call of the people,” Bush said. “Our constituents around the country are going to begin calling our colleagues to join us.”


PALESTINE

Tue 17 Oct 2023 4:58 pm - Jerusalem Time

Jewish groups protest outside White House, demand cease-fire in Gaza

A demonstration organized by multiple Jewish groups was held outside the White House on Monday to advocate for a halt in hostilities in Gaza. 


In a series of posts on X which included photos and video footage, the Jewish activist group IfNotNow said "American Jews and allies have now blocked 4+ doors to the White House.”


"We’re prepared to put our bodies in the way of more slaughter — we’re ready to stay here until (President Joe) Biden forces a ceasefire," it added.


During the demonstration, police reportedly took more than 30 people into custody.

According to a local ABC News affiliated network in the US capital, Washington, D.C., the Secret Service verified the arrests.

The arrests reportedly resulted from protesters either breaching safety barriers or obstructing entrances in the vicinity of the White House complex.


Apart from the humanitarian catastrophe and mass killings in Gaza, the protestors also raised their voices over Israelis who were killed or kidnapped by the Palestinian Hamas group.


"We are also here raising our voices for our Israeli siblings — while burying their loved ones and awaiting news of those kidnapped — (and) are screaming at their government for the bombs to stop," said the group.


PALESTINE

Tue 17 Oct 2023 4:48 pm - Jerusalem Time

EU leaders to meet as bloc struggles for united message on Israel-Hamas war

European Union leaders are holding an emergency meeting - today, Tuesday, via video technology - in an attempt to send a coherent message regarding the ongoing confrontations between the Israeli army and Palestinian resistance factions, which are entering their 11th day.


Agence France-Presse quoted a European official as saying, “We felt the need to put things in order,” after a week of debate at the Union’s headquarters in Brussels.


European Council President Charles Michel called for the virtual summit at 17:30 local time (15:30 GMT).


In the days that followed the unprecedented military operation "Al-Aqsa Flood" launched by the Islamic Resistance Movement (Hamas) and the Palestinian resistance factions, the European Commission created an atmosphere of confusion regarding the assistance to the Palestinians, which the European Union is the main provider of.


Hungarian Commissioner Oliver Varhelyi announced the suspension of payments, sparking protests in some capitals, before the European executive corrected the situation by announcing an “emergency review” of development aid was underway, indicating that humanitarian aid was not concerned.


On Saturday, European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen announced that this humanitarian aid would be tripled to reach 75 million euros ($79.11 million).


Message and resentment

But during the previous day, the message - which von der Leyen sent during a visit to Israel - caused resentment from member states and the European Parliament.


Von der Leyen had defended - in front of Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu - Israel's right to self-defense, without mentioning that this response must comply with humanitarian and international law, which was stressed by European Union Foreign Minister Josep Borrell at the conclusion of a ministers' meeting. External.


French European Representative Nathalie Loiseau said on Saturday, "I do not understand what the Commission President has to do with the European Union's foreign policy, which she is not responsible for."


For his part, Commission spokesman Eric Mamer defended von der Leyen's right to "travel wherever she wants," saying, "I do not remember anyone criticizing the president when she went to Ukraine after the start of the war."

This controversy led to the call for an emergency European summit via video.


A diplomat said, "We must try to get things back on track so that the talks focus on the situation, and not on the way the European Union is talking," while acknowledging that there was a "problem."


Comment and messages

For his part, Vittorio Infante from the non-governmental organization Oxfam, which was forced to suspend its work in Gaza following Israel’s call on residents to evacuate their homes, said, “This is not the time for contradictory messages. What we need is decisive moral leadership focused on peace. And with every minute that passes, civilians are paying a price.” “Expensive.”


It is noteworthy that a joint declaration was adopted on Sunday to determine the position of the 27 countries before the meeting, which “strongly insist on Israel’s right to self-defense under humanitarian and international law in the face of violent and indiscriminate attacks” launched by Hamas.


They also stressed the importance of providing emergency humanitarian assistance, and expressed their "readiness" to continue supporting civilians who are in dire need of it in Gaza, while ensuring that this assistance is not subject to misuse by what they described as terrorist organizations.

PALESTINE

Tue 17 Oct 2023 4:46 pm - Jerusalem Time

One Palestinian child in Gaza killed every 15 minutes by Israeli forces

More than 1,000 Palestinian children in Gaza have been killed by Israeli forces since October 7 as surviving children suffer untold physical and emotional consequences as a result of intensive Israeli bombardment and unprecedented internal displacement. Israeli forces have killed a Palestinian child approximately every 15 minutes since the Israeli military unleashed a massive military offensive on the Gaza Strip on October 7 after Palestinian armed groups fired rockets toward Israel and breached the Israeli perimeter fence surrounding Gaza, launching attacks inside Israel. Israeli forces initiated a large-scale military operation dubbed Operation Iron Swords. 


"The repercussions of this war will not only affect the victims we have lost, some of which are still trapped under the rubble of their homes, and not only the residential areas that have been completely destroyed, including our own homes, but the psychological impact on us civilians and our children will be catastrophic,” said Mohammad Abu Rukbeh, senior Gaza field researcher at DCIP.


The fatality and injury numbers provided by the Ministry of Health in Gaza only account for people admitted to hospitals, so at least an estimated additional 1,000 Palestinians are missing under the rubble of destroyed buildings, according to the Ministry of Interior, indicating the actual death toll is much higher.


Palestinian children who have so far survived the Israeli military’s intense bombing across the Gaza Strip are suffering in an increasingly dire humanmade humanitarian crisis, compounding existing mental and emotional traumas sustained from 16 years of siege and Israeli military offensives.


An estimated one million Palestinians in Gaza are displaced, according to the UN, including more than 600,000 people hosted in the central and southern parts of Gaza, according to UN OCHA. Since October 11 at 2 p.m. Gaza has experienced a full electricity blackout after Israeli authorities cut the electricity and fuel supply on October 7 and the Gaza Power Plant depleted its reserves, according to UN OCHA. 


The lack of electricity has exacerbated the existing food crisis as refrigeration is not possible and irrigation and agricultural activity has ground to a halt. Fuel reserves and backup generators at hospitals are not expected to last more than 24 hours.


Israeli authorities cut water supply to Gaza on October 9, and since then, all three water desalination plants in Gaza have been forced to cease operations, according to UN OCHA. The vast majority of Palestinians in Gaza have no access to clean drinking water, and some have resorted to drinking dirty well water, raising concerns for waterborne diseases. 


Even though Israeli authorities claimed to resume water supply to southern Gaza yesterday, there is no electricity to operate water pumps, Israeli airstrikes have damaged many water lines, and very little water in Gaza is drinkable in the first place.

The psychological toll on Palestinian children in Gaza is further underscored by the pre-existing challenges they faced prior to the recent series of Israeli military attacks. 


The trauma experienced by Palestinian children in Gaza extends beyond personal suffering. Witnessing the deaths of other children compounds their distress, leaving indelible scars on their mental well-being. Entire families are being wiped out in the blink of an eye, shattering the very foundations of these households. Children, who once found comfort in the embrace of their families, are now left orphaned. 


The emotional repercussions for these children are profound, as they grapple not only with the pain of the current situation in their city but also with the daunting challenge of navigating life without the foundational support of their families.


Israeli airstrikes have destroyed two of the three main lines for mobile communication in the Gaza Strip, according to UN OCHA. The Palestinian Telecommunications Company (Paltel) is still able to provide minimal internet connectivity across Gaza, but fears connection will be completely lost if there is any additional damage to the lines.


“The State of Israel has no choice but to turn Gaza into a place that is temporarily or permanently impossible to live in,” reservist Major General Giora Eiland told Israeli media. “Creating a severe humanitarian crisis in Gaza is a necessary means to achieve the goal. Gaza will become a place where no human being can exist.”


“Human animals must be treated as such. There will be no electricity and no water [in Gaza], there will only be destruction. You wanted hell, you will get hell,” said Major General Ghassan Alian, head of Coordinator of Government Activities in the Territories (COGAT).


Under international law, genocide is prohibited and constitutes the deliberate killing of a large number of people from a particular nation or ethnic group with the aim of destroying that nation or group, in whole or in part. Genocide can result from killing or by creating conditions of life that are so unbearable it brings about the group’s destruction.


International humanitarian law prohibits indiscriminate and disproportionate attacks and requires all parties to an armed conflict to distinguish between military targets, civilians, and civilian objects. Deploying explosive weapons in densely-populated civilian areas constitutes indiscriminate attacks and carrying out direct attacks against civilians or civilian objects amounts to war crimes.


Israeli authorities have imposed a closure policy against the Gaza Strip since 2007 by strictly controlling and limiting the entry and exit of individuals; maintaining harsh restrictions on imports including food, construction materials, fuel, and other essential items; as well as prohibiting exports. Israel continues to maintain complete control over the Gaza Strip’s borders, airspace, and territorial waters.

PALESTINE

Tue 17 Oct 2023 4:09 pm - Jerusalem Time

Israel closes and isolates Al-Lubban Al-Sharqiya from its surroundings

Today, Tuesday, Israeli occupation forces closed three side roads in the village of Al-Laban Al-Sharqiya, south of Nablus, which were reclaimed by residents several days ago.


Local sources reported that by closing all the secondary roads surrounding the village, the occupation had completely isolated it from its surroundings that branched out to the cities of Nablus and Ramallah, while leaving only one road for entry and exit, which is the road that connects to the city of Salfit, which increases the suffering of citizens who are forced to travel a long distance. More than 10 kilometers out of the village.


The occupation forces closed the main entrance to the village ten days ago, in addition to closing seven side roads in the past days.

PALESTINE

Tue 17 Oct 2023 3:55 pm - Jerusalem Time

Israel launches a direct attack on Gigi Hadid

The Israeli government fiercely attacked Palestinian model Gigi Hadid on social media, after she shared a post in support of Palestine.


In detail, the official “State of Israel” account published a number of “stories” in which Hadid was accused of anti-Semitism, after she shared a post over the weekend that said: “The Israeli government’s treatment of the Palestinians has nothing to do with Judaism. Condemning the Israeli government is not considered anti-Semitic.” Supporting the Palestinians does not mean supporting Hamas.”

PALESTINE

Tue 17 Oct 2023 3:42 pm - Jerusalem Time

Palestine Premier to Norwegian envoy: The priority is stopping aggression against Gaza

Prime Minister Muhammad Shtayyeh said: “Our priority now is to stop the occupation’s aggression against our people in the Gaza Strip, ensure the delivery of medical, health and food supplies, restore the delivery of electricity and water, and operate water treatment plants and desalination plants, to confront the humanitarian and health catastrophe facing the Strip.”


This came during his meeting with the Norwegian envoy to the Middle East peace process, Hilda Haraldstad, today, Tuesday, in his office in Ramallah, in the presence of Norway’s representative to Palestine, Torne Veste.


The Prime Minister renewed his call to pressure Israel to stop its aggression and adhere to international humanitarian law, and the necessity of creating a political horizon and path based on international legitimacy and the Arab Peace Initiative to end the occupation and establish the Palestinian state with Jerusalem as its capital.


Shtayyeh expressed his rejection of all attempts by the occupation to displace our people from the north of the Gaza Strip towards the south, and also the attempt to displace them from the Gaza Strip abroad, as a new nakba that our people are experiencing.



PALESTINE

Tue 17 Oct 2023 3:12 pm - Jerusalem Time

Quartet summit in Amman tomorrow to discuss Gaza Crisis

The Jordanian Royal Court announced on Tuesday that King Abdullah II will hold a four-way summit in Amman tomorrow, Wednesday, with US President Joe Biden, his Egyptian counterpart Abdel Fattah al-Sisi, and Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas.


The Royal Court said in a brief statement that the summit will discuss “the dangerous developments in Gaza and their repercussions on the region and ensuring the entry of humanitarian and relief aid into the Strip.”


Earlier today, the White House announced that the US President will visit Israel tomorrow and then Jordan, where he will meet with King Abdullah, Sisi and Abbas. The White House said in a statement that Biden will discuss in Jordan the humanitarian needs of civilians in Gaza.


Yesterday, the White House said that Biden and Sisi discussed the need to maintain stability in the Middle East during a phone call. The White House added that the two leaders also discussed ongoing efforts to alleviate the worsening humanitarian crisis in the Gaza Strip.


At a time when the war entered the eleventh day, and stopping the escalation in the Gaza Strip seemed to be far away, after an American, British, and French “veto” thwarted attempts in the Security Council to pass a draft Russian resolution to establish a humanitarian truce, while Israel continued its bombing of the Strip to expect more than 50 dead in the early hours of Tuesday.


While hundreds of trucks were lined up inside the Egyptian border, not far from Gaza, waiting for a signal to transport tons of aid to hundreds of thousands of people besieged inside the Strip, the Palestinian death toll in the Israeli raids on Gaza reached more than 2,800 people, more than half of whom were women and children, and the Palestinian Ministry of Health said. The number of wounded exceeds 10 thousand. The Security Council failed to pass a Russian draft resolution that called for a humanitarian truce in the Gaza Strip.





PALESTINE

Tue 17 Oct 2023 2:57 pm - Jerusalem Time

An international summit in Egypt on the Palestinian issue on Saturday

Official Gulf news agencies reported that an international summit will be held in Egypt to discuss “developments in the Palestinian issue” next Saturday.


The Kuwaiti and Qatari news agencies reported the invitation sent by Egyptian President Abdel Fattah Al-Sisi to Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad Al Thani, Emir of Qatar, and Sheikh Nawaf Al-Ahmad Al-Jaber Al-Sabah, Emir of Kuwait, “to participate in a summit to discuss developments and the future of the Palestinian issue and the peace process, scheduled to be held in Cairo on the 21st.” This October.


On Sunday, Egypt called for holding a regional and international summit on “the Palestinian issue,” according to a statement published by the Egyptian presidency.


This call was issued at the conclusion of a meeting held by the Egyptian National Security Council headed by President Abdel Fattah El-Sisi.

PALESTINE

Tue 17 Oct 2023 2:31 pm - Jerusalem Time

Israel imposes a curfew on Bedouin communities east of Jerusalem

Today, Tuesday, the Israeli occupation forces imposed a curfew on residents of a number of Bedouin communities east of Jerusalem, after soldiers came to the Bedouin settlements in Khan al-Ahmar and verbally informed the residents of the decision.


According to local sources, the occupation forces informed residents of the Bedouin communities located east of the city of Jerusalem that they were prohibited from moving or roaming after five o’clock in the evening on a daily basis, in an effort to force them to emigrate and leave the area.

ARAB AND WORLD

Tue 17 Oct 2023 1:40 pm - Jerusalem Time

A human rights center threatens to sue British Labor Party for supporting war on Gaza

The International Center for Justice for Palestinians threatened to sue the leadership of the British Labor Party on charges of incitement to commit war crimes against the Palestinians, after issuing a similar warning to the government of Prime Minister Rishi Sunak.


Yesterday, Monday, this human rights center sent a notification in this regard to party leader Keir Starmer and the Ministers of Justice and Defense in the Labor shadow government, Emily Thornberry and David Lammy.


He said - in a statement - that Starmer, Thornberry and Lammy made statements justifying the collective punishment practiced by Israel against the residents of Gaza by cutting off food, water and electricity supplies, claiming that it was “self-defense.”


The center's statement added that those who are supposed to be human rights advocates must realize that the pretext of self-defense does not justify collective punishment of civilians, which is in violation of international law.


He also confirmed that Scotland Yard had made calls to obtain evidence related to possible war crimes in the context of the current war, describing this as a shift that could lead to the prosecution of senior politicians for committing war crimes.


The "For Justice for the Palestinians" statement indicated that the Center sent a letter to Thornberry calling on the leadership of the Labor Party to comply with international law or else be subject to prosecution, explaining that a notice to prosecute party officials had already been issued.


He stated that after threatening to sue him, the leader of the Labor Party withdrew his absolute support for the Israeli siege on Gaza, but he did not acknowledge or denounce the war crimes committed in this besieged sector.


This human rights center had sent a letter to Sunak in which he said that officials in his government would be pursued and tried for “aiding and abetting the commission of war crimes in Gaza.”


The ministers also called on the ministers to withdraw any statements that encourage committing war crimes in Gaza, and to work to secure civilians in this Palestinian sector, bring in relief supplies, and immediately cease fire.

PALESTINE

Tue 17 Oct 2023 1:29 pm - Jerusalem Time

Wednesday... Biden heads to Israel, meets leaders of Palestine, Jordan, and Egypt in Amman

The US administration confirmed President Joe Biden's visit to Israel on Wednesday, where he will meet the Israeli Prime Minister and Israeli officials in Tel Aviv, then leave for the Jordanian capital, Amman, on the same day, to meet with Jordanian King Abdullah II, Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas, and Egyptian President Abdel Fattah. Sisi.



US Secretary of State, Anthony Blinken, announced that President Biden will visit Israel on Wednesday. He told reporters at the US embassy in Jerusalem, at dawn on Tuesday, “The president, with this visit, will confirm the United States’ solidarity with Israel and our strict commitment to its security. He will confirm Israel’s right to pursue terrorists and obtain the greatest amount of information about the hostage situation so that we can develop political options.”


He added, "The president will confirm our clear message to any country or organization that tries to take advantage of this crisis to attack Israel, and to achieve this goal he has deployed two groups of aircraft carriers and other military assets to the region."