OPINIONS

Mon 19 Jun 2023 10:50 am - Jerusalem Time

The earth is calling.. Is there any answer?

Jerusalem Hadith

Jerusalem Hadith

Opinion Writer

The decision of the Israeli government to facilitate settlement construction in the West Bank, including Jerusalem, without its approval, as is the case until yesterday, except for it being a challenge to international resolutions, including UN Security Council Resolution 2334, which condemned settlement construction and considered it illegal and called not only for its cessation. And even removing it, it also carries with it several goals, most notably the preparation for the annexation of the West Bank to the occupying state.


Settlement expansion, which will be headed by the extremist Minister of Finance, means confiscating more Palestinian lands to expand settlements as well as construct settlement roads. More than 750,000 settlers are present in the settlements built on Palestinian land.


And if we take into account the crimes committed by herds of settlers against our people, their land, property and sanctities, then this increase in the number of settlers means a doubling of these crimes, within the framework of the attempts of the occupying power to force our people to leave their land, which was announced by more than one Israeli minister and official that Ethnic cleansing is coming and it is only a matter of time and when the circumstances become clear.


Those who bear responsibility for what is happening in the West Bank, in addition to Jerusalem, are not only the occupying state, the United States, and Western countries with a colonial past and present, but also the Palestinian, Arab and Islamic side, which does not move a finger except for statements of denunciation and denunciation that have become meaningless to the occupying state.


America and many Western countries are known for their support for the occupying state, and their shy criticism of the occupying state is nothing but ashes in the eyes to give the occupying state more time to implement the policy of annexation, expansion and ethnic cleansing.
Continuing to bet on America and other European countries is a losing bet by all standards and criteria. The bet must first be on our steadfast people, who face the bullets of the occupation and herds of settlers with the bare chests of their children, and refuse to surrender, submit and raise the white flag.


The time has come for the Palestinian side to take practical steps on the ground to confront the persistence of the occupation, which sees the current weak and divided Palestinian situation as an opportunity in attempts to pass its plans.
We have lost or are on the way to lose Jerusalem permanently, and now it is the turn of the rest of the West Bank, without moving a finger on the ground, so how long will we remain in this situation and the long-standing pattern?!!
Inaction in confrontation will increase the occupation's ferocity, and history will not be merciful to anyone who does not prioritize the supreme national interest over partisan and personal interests.

PALESTINE

Mon 19 Jun 2023 9:27 am - Jerusalem Time

Jenin: 5 Israeli soldiers were injured, and air strikes were launched for the first time

At least 5 Israeli soldiers were injured, Monday morning, when an explosive device exploded in a military vehicle in the Jabriyat neighborhood on the outskirts of Jenin camp, in the northern West Bank.


According to the Hebrew channel Reshet Kan, the injuries are to soldiers from the "Border Guards", and that they are in good and stable condition.


Video clips showed at least one vehicle being damaged by resistance groups in Jenin.


For the first time in more than 20 years, the occupation forces are using a helicopter to carry out an air attack against a target in the West Bank.


Those planes fired one missile at an empty area in the vicinity of Al-Jabriyat Mosque.

PALESTINE

Mon 19 Jun 2023 9:01 am - Jerusalem Time

The occupation launched a campaign of arrests in the West Bank

The Israeli occupation forces launched, at dawn and Monday morning, a campaign of arrests in separate areas of the West Bank.


According to local sources, these forces arrested the editor, Mahdi Al-Sarsour, and his brother, Raed, from Hebron.


Meanwhile, the young man, Obeida Ziyad, and the boy, Obeida Ghawanmeh, from Al-Jalazoun camp, north of Ramallah, and the citizen Kamal Al-Na’asan, and his son, the boy Abdullah, were arrested from Al-Mughair, east of Ramallah.


In Nablus, the editor, Ammar Asaad, was arrested from the town of Beita, while Raed Sobh was arrested from Al-Fara'a refugee camp in Tubas.

PALESTINE

Mon 19 Jun 2023 8:58 am - Jerusalem Time

Netanyahu: The Israeli army is training to fight "Israeli Arabs"

On Monday morning, the Hebrew Kan radio station revealed some of the deliberations that took place a few days ago before the Foreign Affairs and Security Committee in the Israeli Knesset, in which Benjamin Netanyahu attended to answer the questions of the committee members about some security issues.


According to Hebrew Radio, a question was asked to Netanyahu about the Israeli army’s preparations for a comprehensive war on several fronts, which also includes an expected intervention by “Israeli Arabs” (Palestinians of the interior). also".


Netanyahu added: "The Israeli army is preparing for this. There are 10 military battalions training for this thing. Although this is not enough, they are preparing for this very day."

PALESTINE

Mon 19 Jun 2023 8:41 am - Jerusalem Time

Washington is disturbed by the Israeli settlement decisions

On Monday, the US State Department expressed its deep annoyance with the Israeli government's new settlement decisions, which include building 4,500 units in the West Bank, and approving a change in its construction management by speeding up and approving plans.


Ministry spokesman Matthew Miller called on the Israeli government to fulfill its commitments made in Aqaba in Jordan and Sharm el-Sheikh in Egypt, and to conduct a dialogue aimed at preventing escalation.


Miller said: The United States opposes these unilateral measures, which are steps that constitute an obstacle to peace and make achieving two states more difficult.

PALESTINE

Mon 19 Jun 2023 8:12 am - Jerusalem Time

Haniyeh Arrives in Tehran Heading a Delegation from Hamas

At dawn on Monday, a leading delegation from the "Hamas" movement, headed by the head of its political bureau, Ismail Haniyeh, arrived in the Iranian capital, "Tehran", coinciding with the presence of a delegation from the Islamic Jihad movement, headed by its Secretary General, Ziyad al-Nakhala.


The Hamas delegation includes Saleh Al-Arouri, Khalil Al-Haya, Nizar Awadallah, and Muhammad Nasr.


Hamas said in a statement that this visit comes at the invitation of the Iranian leadership, noting that Haniyeh and the leadership of the movement will meet with Iranian officials to discuss many political and field issues related to the Palestinian cause.

PALESTINE

Mon 19 Jun 2023 7:56 am - Jerusalem Time

Five Palestinians killed, dozens wounded in Israeli raid on Jenin

Jenin – Five Palestinians, including one child, were killed and dozens wounded in a 10-hour long Israeli raid in the city of Jenin in the occupied West Bank on Monday, according to the Palestinian Ministry of Health.


29-year-old Qassam Abu Siryie, 21-year-old Khaled Asa'sah, 21-year-old Kais Jabareen, and 15-year-old Ahmad Saqer and Ahmed Daraghmeh were identified as the victims.


Twenty-three of those injured are in a serious to critical condition, according to the Health Ministry. 


Hazem Emad Nasser, a journalist, was among those injured from live fire. 


Israeli special forces stormed the Jabriyat neighborhood, on the outskirts of Jenin refugee camp camp, before they were detected and called in military reinforcements. 


Armed resistance fighters used firearms and explosive devices against the occupation forces. 


Six Israeli soldiers were injured in the clashes. 


On top of deploying snipers, Israel used a helicopter in the West Bank for the first time in years to attack the Jabriyat neighborhood. The missile fell in an empty area near a local mosque. 


The Israeli army arrested several Palestinians during the raid, including the released Hamas prisoner Asim Abu Al-Haija. 

PALESTINE

Sun 18 Jun 2023 9:37 pm - Jerusalem Time

Washington punishes Tel Aviv by postponing the "Negev Forum" after its settlement decisions

In an unusual move, US President Joe Biden's administration informed, on Sunday evening, the far-right government in Israel, led by Benjamin Netanyahu, of a new postponement of the so-called "Negev Forum", which was to be held in Morocco at the beginning of next month.


According to the Hebrew website, Ynet, this step was taken against the background of the approval of plans to build more than 4,500 settlement units in the West Bank.


The meeting was scheduled to take place in Morocco at the beginning of next July, after it was postponed days ago from the date previously set at the end of this month, due to the Eid al-Adha holiday, as it was postponed last March. Because of the security tensions in the Palestinian territories.

PALESTINE

Sun 18 Jun 2023 9:28 pm - Jerusalem Time

An Israeli political source: Hamas will not benefit from the gas field

An Israeli political source said, on Sunday evening, that the Gaza Strip, which is controlled by Hamas, will not benefit from the decision to develop the gas field off the coast of the Strip.


The website of the Hebrew newspaper Israel Hayom quoted the source as saying that as long as there is no tangible progress in the issue of the Israeli prisoners and missing persons, Hamas and the Gaza Strip will not benefit from the development of the gas field.


The source pointed out that all the Israeli security services gave their approval to develop the field 23 years after its discovery, without clarifying how the profits will be prevented from being converted into payments as salaries for those carrying out the operations that the Palestinian Authority continues to pay the money to.


The office of Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu announced this afternoon that it had instructed the competent authorities to start developing the gas field, in coordination with Egypt and the Palestinian Authority.

PALESTINE

Sun 18 Jun 2023 5:16 pm - Jerusalem Time

From Jenin Gate.. Israel is preparing to market the economy in exchange for security

The Israeli government is trying to search for options of economy in exchange for security in order to buy calm or at least reduce the attacks and security threats emanating from Jenin.


According to the Hebrew Channel 12, in a report published on its website, the unit of the Coordinator of Government Activities in the Palestinian Territories is currently trying to increase the number of Palestinians allowed to enter Jenin to shop, especially since the city is considered a shopping empire for them.


She pointed out that about 10,000 vehicles of internal Palestinians entered Jenin during the weekend (Friday-Saturday), amid expectations of an increase in numbers with the advent of Eid al-Adha, which Israel will seek to exploit.


According to the channel, the Israeli Government Action Coordinator Unit is studying options to encourage a series of economic relief for Jenin, which may contribute to stability, and work to promote civil activities for this, including the direct transfer of goods from the governorate to Israel, as is happening with some governorates in the West Bank. .

PALESTINE

Sun 18 Jun 2023 5:07 pm - Jerusalem Time

Screaming and insults in the session of the extremist Netanyahu government

While Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu was trying to appear before his cabinet ministers with a strong stance and talking about his intention to move forward with judicial reforms, the weekly session of his government witnessed a campaign of shouting and insults among a group of ministers.


According to the Hebrew website Ynet, the Minister of Education, Galit Distel Atbarian, entered into a heated discussion with the Minister of Intelligence, Gila Gamliel, before he moved into a state of shouting and insults.


Gamliel said that the coalition agreements kept the Likud busy from important issues, while Atbarian called on her not to interfere and remain silent, describing her as a "backward" that no one in the Likud likes, and that she is just a "stone in the coalition's shoe."


Later, Atbarian wrote via Twitter, that Gamliel had arrived late for the government meeting as usual, and started telling everyone to show that she is a person and she is the only one who has solutions. "A stone in the shoes of the coalition," and because of that she screamed again, and then leaked what happened in the meeting to reporters, and I stand behind every word I said that she was "a stone in the shoes of the coalition and her behavior is embarrassing and disturbing."


Later, Netanyahu said he spoke to the two ministers and made it clear to them that he was not ready to accept such behavior.


The explosive session also witnessed an exchange of accusations in loud voices between the ministers of the Jewish Power Party, led by Itamar Ben Gvir, and Shas, against the backdrop of postponing the rabbinical elections.

PALESTINE

Sun 18 Jun 2023 4:48 pm - Jerusalem Time

The Independent calls for the release of detainees held by the security services

The Independent Commission for Human Rights, the Board of Grievances, said today, Sunday, that it is following up on the security services' summoning and arresting dozens of citizens affiliated with the Hamas movement.


In a statement, the commission indicated that most of them were released while more than 30 citizens are still detained by the security services. It is contrary to reality and that most of them are covered by unfounded criminal charges, but rather directed as a pretext for continuing detention. As stated in its statement.


And she considered that the continued summons and arrests on the basis of political affiliation, the delay in implementing court decisions and the mistreatment of detainees constitutes a violation of citizen rights and a crime punishable by law, and requires the relevant authorities, led by the Public Prosecution, to intervene immediately to stop these violations and immediately release detainees from the security services. .


The Independent Commission for Human Rights called for the immediate release of detainees against whom release decisions have been issued by the courts, and for the cessation of summons and arrests on the background of political orientations.


The authority called on the Public Prosecution to issue directives to the relevant authorities to immediately release and take the necessary measures to punish the violators.

  • And she demanded to be allowed to play her role in visiting the detainees without restrictions or delay to see their conditions.
  • And she stressed the need for judicial authorities not to extend detention except in necessary cases, and for detention to be a last resort, and to seriously investigate allegations of torture and ill-treatment.

PALESTINE

Sun 18 Jun 2023 4:20 pm - Jerusalem Time

Presidency: We will pursue Israel legally in international courts

On Sunday, the spokesman for the Palestinian presidency, Nabil Abu Rudeineh, said that the leadership will study its options to define the relationship with Israel, hold it accountable, and prosecute it legally in international courts.


In an interview with the official "Voice of Palestine" radio station, Abu Rudeineh stressed, commenting on the Israeli government's decision to accelerate the stages of settlement growth in the West Bank, that settlements are illegal and contrary to international law.


He added: "Settlement construction and failure to meet the rights of the Palestinian people will not bring security, peace and stability to the region."


The spokesman for the Palestinian Presidency warned that these new settlement decisions are tantamount to playing with fire and increase tension and escalate the situation on the ground, noting that this matter is no longer acceptable under any circumstances.


He called on the US administration to assume its responsibilities and take urgent action to stop such settlement decisions, which threaten to explode and escalate the situation.

PALESTINE

Sun 18 Jun 2023 2:51 pm - Jerusalem Time

The Israeli court postpones a decision on the eligibility of the appearance of the prisoner, Walid Daqqa


Today, Sunday, the Israeli court in Ramle postponed deciding on the decision of the prisoner Daqqa’s eligibility to appear before the “Early Release Committee,” provided that the court judge issues his decision within a week of its date.

It is noteworthy that the prisoner, Daqqa, has completed his 37-year "life" sentence since March 24, 2023, but he is still arbitrarily detained after adding two years to his sentence in 2018, on the pretext of his attempt to help the prisoners by contacting their families.

PALESTINE

Sun 18 Jun 2023 12:41 pm - Jerusalem Time

Netanyahu decides to implement the Gaza gas field development project

On Sunday, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu decided to implement the gas field development project off the coast of the Gaza Strip, known as (Gaza Marine).


According to what was stated in a statement by Netanyahu's office - as reported on the seventh Hebrew channel - this comes within the framework of the ongoing negotiations between Israel and Egypt and in cooperation with the Palestinian Authority.


He pointed out that the implementation of the decision will be subject to coordination between the Israeli security services, through conducting direct negotiations with Egypt, and coordination with the authority, in a way that guarantees the security and political interests of Israel.

PALESTINE

Sun 18 Jun 2023 12:05 pm - Jerusalem Time

The authority decides to boycott a meeting with the occupation because of the settlement plans

Today, Sunday, the Secretary of the Executive Committee of the PLO, Hussein Al-Sheikh, announced the boycott of the meeting of the Higher Economic Committee with the Israeli occupation, which was scheduled to be held tomorrow.


Al-Sheikh said, through his Twitter account, that this decision came after the Israeli government decided to accelerate the stages of settlement growth in the West Bank and authorized its Finance Minister Smotrich to ratify this.



He added that the Palestinian leadership will study a number of other measures and decisions for implementation related to the relationship with Israel.

PALESTINE

Sun 18 Jun 2023 11:20 am - Jerusalem Time

The occupation sentences a young man from the occupied interior to prison

Today, Sunday, an Israeli court issued an 8-year prison sentence against the young man, Mustafa Awwad, from Tamra, in the occupied territories.


The ruling was issued by the Israeli court, under the pretext of the participation of the young man, Awwad, in the events of the Gift of Dignity in May 2021.

PALESTINE

Sun 18 Jun 2023 11:10 am - Jerusalem Time

The Netanyahu government is in the process of approving the most dangerous settlement decision to annex the West Bank

The Israeli government is scheduled to approve, on Sunday, a dramatic decision aimed at shortening and abbreviating the process of obtaining building permits in settlements in the West Bank and East Jerusalem, allowing the construction of more settlement units there.


This step, if approved, aims to reverse the situation that has existed for more than 25 years, through which construction will be strengthened without the approval of the political level, basically, at every stage of it.


And according to the Hebrew channel Reshet Kan, the approval of the political level will no longer be required to submit construction plans to the Supreme Council for Planning and Building, neither at the filing stage nor at the project verification stage.


Instead of the approval of the Israeli prime minister and his army minister, on each of the planned steps, which include 4 or more different approvals and years of discussions, the initial approval of the planning permit will be under the authority of the minister in the Ministry of Defense in Bezalel Smotrich, and this was within the coalition agreement when forming the government. Between the Likud and the religious Zionist party.


The channel says that since Smotrich entered the Ministry of the Army, as its second minister, more housing units have been approved than in any full year so far.


During this week, the construction of 4,570 settlement units will be approved, of which 1,332 units are in the final stages, amid expectations that thousands of additional units will be approved by the end of this year, especially since it was decided to convene the Supreme Planning Council once every 3 months with the aim of approving housing units.

Yesh Din, an Israeli human rights organization, said, "This decision is dramatic and destructive, and aims to allow settlement construction without recognition in the West Bank, and to make any opposition to this construction irrelevant. The decision, if accepted, will leave Smotrich's supporters the ability to promote expansion and settlement establishment without any Oversight, and we call on every party opposing the annexation of the West Bank to intervene immediately to thwart the decision that will allow full annexation in the near future.

ARAB AND WORLD

Sun 18 Jun 2023 10:43 am - Jerusalem Time

A new truce enters into force in Sudan on the eve of an aid conference

A new 72-hour truce entered into force in Sudan on Sunday morning, on the eve of a conference to coordinate the humanitarian aid needed by about half of the country's population.


The army, led by Abdel Fattah al-Burhan, and the Rapid Support Forces, led by Muhammad Hamdan Dagalo, had previously concluded, most of the time with Saudi-American mediation, more than one truce since the outbreak of the conflict between them on April 15, but it was not fully adhered to on the ground.


However, the two sides have largely adhered to the recent 24-hour truce, which took place at the end of last week. Witnesses confirmed to AFP at the time that the truce provided a calm that they had not experienced since the start of the fighting, but that the battles resumed immediately after the end of the cease-fire agreement.


The new truce took effect at 6:00 local time (0400 GMT). An hour after it began, witnesses in Khartoum told AFP that the situation was still "calm".


And residents in the capital expressed their desire for the cease-fire agreements to be longer.


Hanaa Hussein, who lives in central Khartoum, said, "Our problem is that the days following the armistice are very harsh, as if the fighters want to compensate for the days of the armistice."


For his part, said Sami Omar, who lives in the suburb of Omdurman, north of the capital, "We want a comprehensive cease-fire."


He added, "The truce is not enough for us to return to life. They may stop fighting, but the Rapid Support Forces will not leave the houses (which its members have taken control of), just as passing through the checkpoints is difficult during the fighting days."


On Saturday night, Saudi Arabia and the United States announced "the agreement of representatives of the Sudanese Armed Forces and the Rapid Support Forces to cease fire in all parts of Sudan for a period of 72 hours, starting from June 18-21."


The statement confirmed that the two parties pledged that they would "refrain from movements, attacks, the use of warplanes, drones, artillery bombardment, reinforcement of positions, or resupply of forces," and they would allow "freedom of movement and the delivery of humanitarian aid throughout Sudan."


The army confirmed its approval of the armistice, but indicated that "we will deal with a decisive response to any violations committed by the rebels during its validity period."


The support forces affirmed their commitment to "what serves the purposes of the humanitarian truce, especially facilitating the delivery of aid (...) and opening safe passages for citizens."


Riyadh and Washington called on the two parties to the conflict to "consider the great suffering of the Sudanese people, and the need for full commitment to the ceasefire and the cessation of violence."

The declared truce coincides with a conference to coordinate the humanitarian response, which will start Monday in Geneva.


According to United Nations estimates, 25 million people, more than half of the estimated population of 45 million, need assistance in a country that was considered one of the poorest countries in the world even before the conflict.


The fighting caused a shortage of food and basic services. Medical sources confirm that three-quarters of the hospitals located in combat zones are out of service.


Saudi Arabia, which chairs the conference in partnership with other countries and parties, announced that the conference aims to "announce pledges to support the humanitarian response to Sudan and the region."


The United Nations indicated earlier this month that its humanitarian response plan had received only 16 percent of the required funding.


"Out of the total $2.6 billion needed for the humanitarian response this year, we have received only 400 million," said spokesman for the Secretary-General Stephane Dujarric.


The announcement of the new truce came on a day that witnessed an escalation in air and artillery bombardment of various areas in Khartoum, while violence in the Darfur region in the west of the country prompted an increasing number of people to flee to Chad.


The Resistance Committees, which are popular groups that have been active in providing support since the start of the conflict, reported that neighborhoods in southern Khartoum, including Mayo and Yarmouk, were bombed by the army on Saturday.


In a statement, it announced "the death of 17 civilian victims, including five children," and the injury of others, and "the destruction of 25 homes."


The Rapid Support Forces accused the army of attacking "a number of residential neighborhoods" in the south of the capital with air strikes, which led to "dozens killed and injured."


Witnesses in Khartoum confirmed to AFP on Saturday that the intensity of the aerial bombardment had increased in the past two days.


The conflict has killed more than 2,000 people, according to the latest figures from the Armed Conflict Location and Event Data Project (ACLED). However, the actual numbers may be much higher, according to relief agencies and international organizations.


Likewise, the battles caused the displacement of more than 2.2 million people, more than 528 thousand of whom sought refuge in neighboring countries, according to the International Organization for Migration.


More than 149,000 people crossed into Chad on the border with the Darfur region, where the situation is of growing concern, especially in El Geneina, the center of West Darfur state, one of the five states of the region.


Earlier this week, the United Nations warned that what the region is witnessing may amount to "crimes against humanity."

ARAB AND WORLD

Sun 18 Jun 2023 10:43 am - Jerusalem Time

Blinken arrives in Beijing, hoping to ease tensions

US Secretary of State Anthony Blinken arrived Sunday morning in Beijing, on a visit that is the highest by an American diplomat since 2018 and aims to try to ease bilateral tensions.


And at a time when much progress is not expected due to the many points of contention, the goal remains to work to start a diplomatic thaw and maintain a dialogue to "responsibly manage Sino-American relations," according to the US State Department.


Time is running out because next year is the deadline for holding elections in both the United States and Taiwan, which China considers one of its provinces that it wants to re-annex by force if necessary.


Blinken is spending two days in the Chinese capital as part of this visit, which was originally scheduled for February, but was suddenly canceled at the time, after a Chinese balloon flew over American territory, which Washington considered to be for "espionage" purposes, while Beijing confirmed that it was a meteorological vehicle that deviated from its course.


While Blinken was heading to China, US President Joe Biden downplayed the balloon incident, saying, "I don't think the (Chinese) leaders knew where it was, what was inside it, or what was going on." "I think it was more embarrassing" for Beijing, he told reporters on Saturday, "than it was intentional."


Biden hopes to meet again with President Xi Jinping "in the coming months" with the aim of "talking about our legitimate differences, but also about areas where we can agree." The two presidents had a long and friendly meeting in November 2022 on the sidelines of the G20 summit in Bali.


The two leaders are likely to attend the next G20 summit in September in New Delhi. Xi is invited to San Francisco in November when the United States hosts the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation Forum.


Speaking in Washington before his departure, Blinken wanted to sound somewhat optimistic. He said this two-day visit should "open direct lines of communication so that our two countries can responsibly manage our relationship, including by addressing some challenges and bad perceptions and in order to avoid miscalculations."


He added that "intense competition requires continuous diplomacy to ensure that it does not turn into a confrontation or conflict" because "the world expects the cooperation of the United States and China."


Blinken was speaking at a news conference alongside his Singaporean counterpart, Vivian Balakrishnan. The latter described the Sino-American relationship as a "challenge of the century," saying, "The rest of the world will watch you. We hope, and I believe, that you will be able to manage your differences."


Taiwan represents the most thorny issue between the two powers. Beijing carried out historic military maneuvers around the island in August in response to a visit to Taiwan by then-US House Speaker Nancy Pelosi as part of an Asian tour.


Before Blinken's visit, Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesman Wang Wenbin said the United States should "respect China's core concerns" and cooperate with Beijing.


"The United States should abandon the illusion of dealing with China from a position of strength. China and the United States should develop relations based on mutual respect and equality, and respect their differences," he added.


Blinken's visit is the first by a US Secretary of State to China since a visit in October 2018 by his predecessor, Mike Pompeo, who later pursued a strategy of confrontation with Beijing in the last years of Donald Trump's presidency.


Since then, the Biden administration has maintained this hard line and gone further in some areas, including by imposing export controls aimed at limiting Beijing's purchase and manufacture of advanced chips "for military applications".


But the US administration wants to cooperate with China on key issues such as climate. Blinken's visit also comes at a time when part of China is experiencing a heat wave, with a new record temperature recorded in mid-June.


For Danny Russell, a former senior State Department official, each side has an interest in this visit: China hopes to avoid new US restrictions on technology and any new support for Taiwan. The United States, for its part, wants to prevent any incident that could lead to a military confrontation.


"Blinken's short visit will not solve any of the big problems in the US-China relationship, and not necessarily the small ones either. Nor will it prevent either side from pursuing their competitive agendas," Russell said.


"But his visit could revive much-needed direct dialogue and send a signal that the two countries are moving from rhetoric of anger in front of the media to more sober talks behind closed doors," he added.

OPINIONS

Sun 18 Jun 2023 10:21 am - Jerusalem Time

Threats of a military operation do not frighten our people

Jerusalem Hadith

Jerusalem Hadith

Opinion Writer


The threats of the occupation to launch a large-scale military operation in the northern West Bank to uproot the resistance operations carried out by the Palestinian groups, especially in Nablus, the Balata and Askar camps, and in Jenin and its camp, where these operations are worrying not only the occupation authorities represented by the Ministry of the Army, but also the flocks of settlers, as they targeted many Among the operations of the Palestinian groups are the flocks of settlers in response to their attacks on the citizens and their committing war crimes in Hawara, where the burning of houses, cars and other crimes that affected people, trees, stones and sanctities.


In the belief of the occupying state, the threat of this operation, which it announces on every occasion, is to stop this phenomenon, that is, the phenomenon of the resistance groups. On the contrary, any operation of this kind will be confronted by these groups, and if the occupying state succeeds in this goal This is unlikely, as many young men will join these groups as a tribute to the martyrs and to tell the occupation that our people will continue to struggle until they fully achieve their national goals of return, self-determination, and the establishment of an independent Palestinian state with Jerusalem as its capital.


In fact, this occupation threat and intimidation carries with it other goals, which is to embarrass the Palestinian Authority, and even weaken it and pressure it to take serious action against these groups on the grounds that they, or most of them, are in the areas under the control of the Palestinian Authority, without any consideration that the occupation forces violate these areas on a daily basis. By ignoring all the agreements that prevent the occupation forces from invading and storming these areas.


Also, among the objectives of this threat and intimidation is to satisfy the settlers who are pressuring the government and the army to carry out this operation, in the belief that such an operation can end the resistance in the West Bank so that they can multiply their attacks and crimes against our people, their land and property, and the expansion of settlements and the establishment of other settlements on the ground. Palestinians as a prelude to annexing it after it is done according to their mistaken belief that our people will surrender and leave their land, as in the years of the Nakba and Naksa.
If such a process takes place, things will become more complicated and exacerbate the already growing state of hostility as a result of the daily crimes committed by the occupation forces and herds of settlers, who are responsible for what is happening in the West Bank, including East Jerusalem.


The occupation must think a million times before taking this step, which will threaten the security of the region and may lead to war, especially since the region is on the crater of a volcano as a result of the occupation violations that threaten an explosion whose extent cannot be predicted and the conditions that may result from it that will affect the occupation side as well.
And our people, in any case, must not rule this out by the occupation, and confront that by continuing steadfastness, because steadfastness is what worries the occupation and prevents the implementation of its liquidation plans, although such threats do not frighten our people.

OPINIONS

Sun 18 Jun 2023 10:15 am - Jerusalem Time

China: The first non-Arab country to host the PLO in 1965, Sunday 6-18-2023

Dr.. Dalal Saeb Erekat

Dr.. Dalal Saeb Erekat

Opinion Writer

China is the first foreign country to send an official invitation to the PLO and to host Ahmed Al-Shugairi. China recognized the organization as the sole and legitimate representative of the Palestinian people and granted its office in Beijing all the diplomatic privileges granted to foreign embassies, which helped strengthen the organization's standing internationally.


The history of Palestinian-Chinese relations dates back to 1965, when China was the first non-Arab country to recognize the Palestine Liberation Organization, preceded by its declaration of support for the legitimate rights of the Palestinian people to liberation and return. As a reward for the liberation movements in the world and their support for the Palestinian armed struggle against colonialism. On March 17, 1965, a Palestinian delegation headed by the late Ahmed Al-Shugairi made an official visit to Beijing and held talks with Xuan Lai, then Chinese Prime Minister. He announced the establishment of a representative office for the Palestine Liberation Organization in Beijing. On November 20, 1988, following the declaration of independence, the People's Republic of China announced the recognition of the State of Palestine and the establishment of diplomatic relations with it.


In its infancy, the PLO paid more attention to military and political issues than diplomatic ones; In 1968, the Political Department of the Palestine Liberation Organization became the central department for foreign diplomatic work. The establishment of the Palestine Liberation Organization dates back to 1959, when Egypt submitted a proposal to the Council of the League of Arab States, but the decision to establish the PLO by the League of Arab States came out in 1963. In 1964, a general Palestinian conference in Jerusalem announced the establishment of the Palestine Liberation Organization. Ahmed Al-Shugairi was elected president of the organization. In 1969, Yasser Arafat, leader of the Fatah movement, was elected Chairman of the Executive Committee of the Palestine Liberation Organization. In 1974, the Arab Summit recognized the Palestine Liberation Organization as the "sole and legitimate representative of the Palestinian people" in all places of its presence, and the United Nations subsequently granted it observer status under a resolution of the United Nations General Assembly. The year 1974 witnessed a milestone for Palestinian diplomacy at the United Nations, as dozens of resolutions were adopted, including Resolutions 3237 and 3210, which affirmed the status of the Palestine Liberation Organization as the sole representative of the Palestinian people. February 1989 The PLO obtained recognition from 94 countries, and during the session of the UN Security Council in 1989, Palestine was granted the right to raise a point of order and speak on its behalf in an issue related to the Palestinian situation or the Middle East.


Between 1974-1982 the organization was engaged in diplomacy centered on gaining international recognition as the sole legitimate representative of the Palestinian people, and this period witnessed an increasing reliance on diplomatic work as a major direct tool for the political struggle. The Non-Aligned Movement accepted the PLO as a full member in 1976. The Organization of African Unity granted the PLO observer status. In 1977, the PLO established the Department of National and International Relations, charged with working with human rights organizations, non-ruling political parties, and all NGOs working for peace.


China was the first foreign country to host the head of the Palestine Liberation Organization (1965). It agreed to establish a diplomatic mission for the Palestine Liberation Organization in Beijing. After 6 years, the head of the Palestine Liberation Organization, Yasser Arafat, made his first public visit to the Soviet Union in 1971. The Palestine Liberation Organization also resorted to the United Nations to improve the legal status of the organization, and succeeded in 1970 by participating in the discussion of the "Palestine issue" in the Political Committee of the General Assembly. to the United Nations, followed by the adoption of two resolutions by the United Nations General Assembly affirming the right of the Palestinian people to self-determination, namely Resolutions No. (2672 and 2628). The United Nations then recognized the Palestine Liberation Organization as the sole legitimate representative of the Palestinian people in 1974.


In light of the alliances that we are witnessing in the region, and the public reconciliation between the historically hostile regimes, and after the convening of the Riyadh-Chinese Arab Summit for Cooperation and Development in December 2022, and after China’s sponsorship of restoring relations between the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia and the Islamic Republic of Iran, and the return of Syria to the Arab League.


The visit of President Mahmoud Abbas comes to strengthen and sustain the strategic historical relations between Palestine and China. This is the fifth visit of President Mahmoud Abbas to Beijing since 2005, as the first visit was in 2005, then 2010 to the Shanghai Organization, and two visits at the state level in 2013 and 2017. The visit of the President comes To Beijing on the occasion of the 35th anniversary of the recognition of the State of Palestine and the establishment of diplomatic relations between the two friendly countries, and within the framework of the Palestinian and Chinese leaderships' keenness to promote and consolidate strong bilateral relations in all fields.


Regardless of the main purpose of the visit, whether to obtain financial or political support or to organize an international peace conference, China is a superpower and a permanent member of the UN Security Council. It is wise for the Palestinian decision-maker to plan diplomatically strategically, continue to build alliances, and expand representation in all arenas. Palestinian diplomacy must draw networking maps at the level of foreign policy and find interests and attractiveness in its relations. We live in a rapidly changing, pragmatic world that cannot afford to miss opportunities, especially in the field of foreign relations and United Nations diplomacy, regardless of the internal affairs of states and the accusing fingers they face from a unipolar system.
Dalal Erekat: Professor of Diplomacy and Strategic Planning, Faculty of Graduate Studies, Arab American University.

OPINIONS

Sun 18 Jun 2023 9:59 am - Jerusalem Time

Settlement... Can a closed file be reopened?

Nabil Amr

Nabil Amr

Opinion Writer

Every conflict issue, no matter how big it is, even if it reaches a state of large-scale conventional war, finds with its outbreak someone to intervene to stop it and find political solutions for it.

Even the Russian-Ukrainian war, whose highly flammable fire touches the limits of the nuclear threat, and which is a global war with direct participation in it and direct impact on its storms, found from its inception those who invest in proposing solutions to it, even if that seems impossible, for this is the law that governs the relationship of states to wars. .

The issue of conflict, which has produced wars and settlements, but is still continuing until it was described as chronic, is the Palestinian issue, which applies to it and the efforts that are being made to solve it, the saying; As soon as it takes one step forward, it takes two steps back, and once its fires are extinguished for a season or for several seasons, the fire resumes, multiplying in a way that makes it impossible to extinguish it.

And if we look at all the conflict issues that have produced wars, we will find that the Palestinian cause is the most serious effort to solve it, but it failed, and the last of which was when the whole universe agreed to solve it, starting from Madrid, passing through Oslo, and not ending with Camp David, despite Not only did the global attempt fail, but it returned the conflict to a fiercer and more complex state than it was in all its previous eras.

And now, while the whole world is preoccupied with the Ukrainian-Russian war, and the small wars scattered around it in the Middle East (Israel, Palestine, Lebanon, Syria, and others), there is no room left to address the chronic “Palestinian” issue, except through narrow and side margins, that might put out a fire. For several days, however, it does not prevent a wider fire.

The failure of global attempts to solve this issue generated an implicitly agreed-upon international desperation to close the political solution file with an agreed-upon reliance on relieving the permanent state of tension, through partial arrangements that take the form of a temporary calm, i.e. removing the detonator from the bomb for days, weeks, or even months, no more.

In the course of the Palestinian-Israeli conflict, the law of state rule emerged, which is whenever the political file continues to be closed... files of mutual violence open up, because everything that happens between the two parties is governed by the "bomb and detonator" theory. How close their combination is to causing an explosion, and here is the case in Gaza and the West Bank confirming this. There is siege and war in Gaza, and in the West Bank, occupation, settlement and resistance... And between the two arenas the ball of fire moves.

The closed file... and the case of the "detonator and the bomb", their action is not limited to the narrow strip, where the geography of Palestine and Israel is. Rather, it extends to the wider ocean. Here, Israel warns of many fronts, active and latent. In the absence of opening the political file, pouring fuel on the fire is the always ready alternative.

The contractor to whom the solution process between Palestine and Israel was entrusted is the American. Who is currently frozen between a lack of desire and a lack of initiative, and in this case he has his own explanations and justifications, until he became a dilemma parallel to the original dilemma, and this produced what we are in now, “a wildfire waiting for a match to ignite.”

And the question; Is there really an impossibility to open the political file to the point of despair, or does necessity dictate opening it at the time when files were opened that were more difficult and dangerous, and then they are heading towards a solution? Objective observers see an opportunity, produced by the conciliatory developments that have accelerated in the region, in terms of effective cooling of the boiling boilers, in terms of the Arab consensus that was established at the Jeddah Summit on the Saudi-Arab-Islamic initiative for peace.

The only impediment to opening the political file is the American adaptation to Israel's unwillingness to accept the idea of ​​a political settlement with the Palestinians, as it moves forward in turning over the cards of violence and conflagration and squeezing time to impose a permanent fait accompli, in which a political settlement would be impossible.

And if the American adaptation led to the closure that led to it, reaching the point of despair, then what the region needs, and what the American interest is supposed to need, requires America in particular to leave the region of wavering between lack of desire and lack of initiative, to cooperate with the countries of the region in the only matter that is unanimously agreed upon. , which is the Arab peace initiative.

Opening the closed file has become necessary, not for the sake of the Palestinians and the Arabs, but for the sake of the region and its stability.

PALESTINE

Sun 18 Jun 2023 9:57 am - Jerusalem Time

Today.. the occupation publishes bids to build more than 4,500 settlement units

It was decided to convene the Israeli Supreme Council for Planning and Building, to publish bids for the construction of 4,560 settlement units in several West Bank settlements.


According to the Hebrew Channel 7, the council will publish today, Sunday, the construction bids that will reach this number out of 10,000 units, which were approved in a meeting of the Ministry of Housing in preparation for their construction.


According to the channel, this is the result of great efforts by the Israeli Finance Minister, Bezalel Smotrich.


Smotrich said: "The construction boom in the West Bank and throughout the country continues, exactly as we promised, and today we are taking another step to build thousands of units in the West Bank... The residents of West Bank settlements are no longer second-class citizens," offering his thanks to Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, and his army minister, Yoav Gallant, for their cooperation.


He added, "We will continue to develop settlements and strengthen Israeli control over the West Bank."

PALESTINE

Sun 18 Jun 2023 8:49 am - Jerusalem Time

Abu Bakr: Postponing the prisoners' strike until the beginning of next month


The head of the Commission for Detainees and Ex-Detainees Affairs, Major General Qadri Abu Bakr, revealed that the prisoners in Israeli prisons decided to postpone the Sunday strike, until the first of next July.

Abu Bakr said, in a statement distributed by the Commission, that a session brought together the prisoners with the Prisons Administration and the Israeli intelligence, and they presented their demands, which are to stop the administrative detention, and to prevent the detainees from being extended more than once or twice.

Abu Bakr explained that "the administrative detainees in the occupation prisons have reached more than 1,000 prisoners and detainees at the present time, noting that this number did not exceed 500 a year ago from now, which confirms the targeting and extremism of the new Israeli government, and its intentional increase in the number of Palestinian detainees."

Abu Bakr confirmed that many of the administratively sentenced prisoners are automatically renewed, and some of them have been in detention centers for 7 or 8 years, in addition to the re-arrest of those released after a week or two of their release by the occupation.

Abu Bakr indicated that the demands also included a review of administrative prisoners, including children and the elderly, to which the prison administration was somewhat responsive during the last session, prompting the prisoners to suspend their hunger strike, which was scheduled for today.

The postponement, according to Abu Bakr, comes in order to provide an opportunity to present their demands to Israeli officials and decide on them.

Regarding the possibility of the Israeli government responding to them in light of its recent measures against the prisoners, he said that the deadline is not long, and everyone seeks to avoid the hunger strike option, including the prisoners themselves, but if they are forced to do so, there is no other option.

PALESTINE

Sun 18 Jun 2023 8:30 am - Jerusalem Time

The occupation arrests two young men on the Gaza border

On Sunday morning, the Israeli army announced that it had arrested two young Palestinians from the Gaza Strip, as they tried to bypass the security obstacle.


According to a statement by the Israeli army, the two young men were not carrying any weapons, and they were taken for investigation.

PALESTINE

Sun 18 Jun 2023 8:28 am - Jerusalem Time

An Irish flight attendant angers the Israelis over Palestine

A flight attendant for the Irish Airlines (Ryanair) angered the Israelis who were on board a plane heading to Lod "Ben Gurion" airport in Tel Aviv.


According to the Hebrew Channel 7, the flight attendant said, during a flight coming from Italy, towards the airport, that "the plane will land soon in Palestine."


According to passengers on the plane, the flight attendant repeated her words in English and Italian, and the passengers asked her to apologize for that, but she refused and repeated it several times, and said again: "All passengers must return to their seats because the plane is about to land in Tel Aviv, occupied Palestine."


The CEO of the company, Eddie Wilson, announced his apology later in a statement published by the company about what happened.


PALESTINE

Sun 18 Jun 2023 8:10 am - Jerusalem Time

Blinkin's help arrives today and holds meetings in the area

Today, Sunday, the US Assistant Secretary of State for Middle East Affairs, Barrera Leaf, is scheduled to arrive in Tel Aviv on a diplomatic visit that includes several countries in the region.


According to the Hebrew website Ynet, Lev will meet with senior Israeli political and military officials, and will focus in her discussions on Iran's behavior in the region and deepening Israel's integration into the Middle East.


Lev will meet with senior officials in the Palestinian Authority to discuss issues related to US-Palestinian relations, including US efforts to support the Palestinian people, and will also meet with figures from Israeli and Palestinian civil society.


Liv will also travel to Jordan to meet senior officials in the Hashemite Kingdom.




PALESTINE

Sun 18 Jun 2023 8:01 am - Jerusalem Time

Formation of an Israeli ministerial committee specialized in internal Palestinian affairs

On Sunday, the Israeli government is scheduled to approve the formation of the Ministerial Committee for Arab Society Affairs (Palestinians of the Interior), which will be one of its first tasks to develop a mechanism to address the widespread crime.


According to the Arabic-speaking Israeli Public Broadcasting Authority, the ministerial committee will not include any Arab minister, and the only representative of the Palestinians in the interior will be the head of the Economic Development Authority, Hassan Tawara, as a permanent member.


It is expected that this committee, which will include 15 ministers, will be chaired by Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, and among its members will be the Minister of the so-called National Security Itamar Ben Gvir, Minister of Finance Bezalel Smotrich, Minister of Settlements Orit Strok, Minister of Development of the Negev and the Galilee Yitzhak Fislarov, and another number of Ministers.


The committee's discussions will be coordinated by a representative of the National Security Council who will participate regularly in the discussions.

PALESTINE

Sun 18 Jun 2023 7:54 am - Jerusalem Time

Injuries and arrests in the occupation raids in the West Bank

A number of citizens were injured, at dawn on Sunday, during the occupation forces' raid into several areas of the West Bank.


According to local sources, a young man was wounded in the foot with a rubber bullet, during clashes that broke out in the town of Beita, south of Nablus, after it was stormed by an Israeli force.


These forces raided many houses and shops, although they were closed, and confiscated camera recordings, amid confrontations with young men who threw stones and Molotov cocktails at these forces.


In the context, the occupation forces arrested Ibrahim Mustafa Abed, a student at the Faculty of Engineering, from Tal village in Nablus, when he was passing through a flying military checkpoint.


The occupation forces also stormed several areas in Jenin, and clashes broke out, wounding a young man with a rubber bullet in the hand.


In Nour Shams camp in Tulkarm, a special force, followed by military reinforcements, infiltrated before it was detected by the resistance fighters, with whom they engaged in armed clashes.