Tehran - (AFP) - Iran reiterated on Saturday, through its foreign minister, its denial of supplying weapons to Russia "for use in the Ukraine war", stressing its position not to support one party against another.

Kiev and a number of its Western allies have recently accused Moscow of using Iranian-made drones to target Ukrainian regions.

The issue is expected to be discussed at a meeting of EU foreign ministers on Monday.

During a call with his Portuguese counterpart, João Gomes Cravinho, Iranian Foreign Minister Hossein Amir-Abdollahian said, "The Islamic Republic has not and will not provide any weapons to be used in the Ukraine war," according to the Tehran Foreign Ministry on Saturday.

And he considered that "arming any of the parties to the crisis will lead to prolonging the war... We did not and will not consider war the right path, whether in Ukraine, Afghanistan, Syria or Yemen."

In a call with European Union Foreign Minister Josep Borrell on Friday, the Iranian minister stressed that the "defense" cooperation between Moscow and Tehran is not linked to the Russian invasion of Ukraine that began on February 24.

"We have defense cooperation with Russia, but our policy towards the war in Ukraine is not to send weapons to both sides of the conflict, to stop the war and to end the displacement of people," he said.

Ukraine accused Moscow on October 10 of using Iranian-made drones as part of several deadly strikes by Russian forces across Ukraine.

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky also said that Russia used such drones to target energy facilities on the same day.

In September, Ukraine reduced the Iranian diplomatic presence in Kiev against the backdrop of the marches issue, in a move that Tehran regretted and considered based on "baseless" reports.

And last month, the United States announced imposing sanctions on an Iranian company over the transfer of drones to Russia.

Washington - "Al Quds" dot com - (AFP) - The United States condemned Russia's plan to accelerate the naturalization of residents of Ukrainian regions, and saw the move as a new attempt to subjugate the population.

US State Department spokesman Ned Paris said that the plan is part of "Russia's attempt to subjugate the Ukrainian people and impose its will by force... This is something we strongly express our rejection of."

Kiev (Ukraine) - (AFP) - The conflict in Ukraine, where mystery still surrounds the fate of the last soldiers holed up in the Azovstal plant in Mariupol, will be strongly present during Thursday's meeting between the US President and the leaders of Sweden and Finland, which seek to join NATO to meet from Moscow.

NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg is also holding talks with Danish Prime Minister Mette Frederiksen, whose country joined the alliance in 1949.

On the other hand, Sweden and Finland have just started the procedures for joining NATO with their formal candidacy on Wednesday.
US President Joe Biden "strongly welcomed the historic nominations of Finland and Sweden to join NATO."

White House spokeswoman Karen Jean-Pierre said that Biden will receive Swedish Prime Minister Magdalena Andersson and Finnish President Sauli Niinisto on Thursday in Washington.

The two countries are historically non-aligned, but they have radically changed their position since the Russian invasion of Ukraine on February 24, which led to a radical change in public opinion, which was reluctant to join NATO.

Finland shares a border of more than 1,300 km with Russia.
Pending the completion of the accession process, which may take months and requires unanimous alliance members, the White House said in a statement, "While their application to join the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) is being considered, the United States will work with Finland and Sweden to prepare for any threat to our common security and confront any aggression or aggression." threat of aggression."
While Western countries close ranks in an attempt to contain the ambitions of Russian President Vladimir Putin in other countries, battles continue in Ukraine, especially at the Azovstal Steel Plant in the strategic coastal city of Mariupol in the southeast of the country.
And the Russian Defense Ministry confirmed on Wednesday that "959 (Ukrainian) fighters, including 80 wounded, surrendered and were captured" since Monday. Ukraine declined to comment on this information.
Denis Pushilin, a pro-Russian separatist leader, said that "the leaders and fighters of the Azov (battalion) have not yet left" from this complex, stressing that about a thousand members of this paramilitary unit involved in the Ukrainian army are still in the factory.
And Ukraine confirmed last week that more than a thousand Ukrainian soldiers, including 600 wounded, are in this huge complex, which is considered the last bastion of resistance to the Russian forces in the city, which was destroyed by the battles.
The Ukrainian General Staff said on Wednesday morning that the Russian army was focusing its efforts "on surrounding our units near Azovstal" with artillery and air strikes.
And on the streets of Kiev, residents saluted the "supermen" who are fighting at this factory. Andrei, 37, said they had "achieved the impossible".
Full control of Mariupol, on the Sea of Azov, would be a major advance for Russia. It allows it to link by land between the Crimea peninsula in the south, which was annexed by Moscow in 2014, and parts of the Donbass region in the east controlled by loyalists to Russia.
However, the head of the town of Mariupol, Vadim Boychenko, confirmed in early April that the city was destroyed by "90 percent," while 40 percent of its facilities could not be repaired.
"The Russians are stealing in Mariupol. The occupiers are now trying to put the port into service again to export millions of dollars worth of grain and steel products," the city's municipality said on Wednesday evening via Telegram.
A US official, who asked not to be named, said on Wednesday that "Russian officials admit that Russian forces are committing dangerous practices in the city, including beating and electrocuting officials in the city while looting homes," while confirming that they "liberated Russian-speaking Mariupol."
He added, "Russian officials are concerned that these practices may encourage the people of Mariupol to resist the Russian occupation even more."
The Ukrainian authorities and foreign bodies are conducting investigations regarding several accusations of war crimes and practices by Russian forces. The International Criminal Court has sent 42 investigators and experts to Ukraine on its largest field mission.
Ukraine's Prosecutor General Irina Venediktova said at the end of April that "more than 800" alleged war crimes had been identified in Ukraine.
Almost three months after the start of the Russian invasion of Ukraine, the trial of a 21-year-old Russian soldier, accused of killing an unarmed 62-year-old civilian at the end of February, began in Kiev.
This is the first trial of a Russian soldier on charges of committing a war crime since Moscow's forces entered Ukrainian territory on Wednesday in Kiev. The soldier accused of killing a civilian pleaded guilty, admitting all the facts attributed to him.
The soldier faces up to life in prison.
For its part, the Kremlin said that it had no "information" about this trial, nor about the accused, stressing that the numerous accusations of war crimes against the Russian army were "false or fabricated."
Venediktova said that the appearance of the soldier is "a clear indication (...) that no executioner will escape justice," stressing that more than 11,000 investigations into war crimes have been opened.
The war continues on Earth. In eastern Ukraine, "the occupiers bombed 43 towns in the Donetsk and Lugansk regions," killing "at least 15 civilians," according to what the Ukrainian army announced on Wednesday evening.
The Russians are trying to record a breakthrough near Popasna towards Severodonetsk, one of the large cities that the Ukrainians still control in this region, according to a local official.
The Ukrainian General Staff said Thursday morning that the "occupiers" launched an offensive near Severodonetsk "without success" in their endeavor.
A spokesman for the Ukrainian Ministry of Defense, Alexander Mutuzyanak, said on Wednesday that the Russian army is trying to "encircle and defeat the Ukrainian armed forces in order to fully control Donetsk, Luhansk and Kherson."
Eastern Ukraine has been the main target of the Russian forces since their withdrawal from the vicinity of the Ukrainian capital at the end of March.
In Russia, one person was killed and others injured in the southwest of the country after an attack on a village on the border with Ukraine, the governor of the Kursk region said Thursday.
"Another enemy attack on Teutkino took place at dawn, which unfortunately ended in tragedy. So far, there is at least one civilian dead," Governor Roman Starovoit said on Telegram, adding that others were injured and receiving medical care.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky sought reassurance in his daily video message on Tuesday evening, "The Armed Forces of Ukraine (...) will liberate our land step by step. How long will it take? Only the actual situation on the battlefield will answer this question. We are trying to achieve this as quickly as possible." ".
In this atmosphere, the talks between Moscow and Kiev are not making any "progress", as confirmed by the Kremlin on Wednesday, accusing the Ukrainian negotiators of a "total lack of will" to reach a political settlement.
The day before, the Ukrainian presidency said the talks had been suspended because of Russia.
On the diplomatic front, the United States reopened its embassy in Kiev, which it closed before the start of the Russian attack.
Simultaneously, the Kremlin announced the expulsion of 34 French, 24 Italian and 27 Spanish diplomats in response to the expulsion of Russian diplomats shortly after the start of the Russian invasion.
Paris condemned the Russian decision "strongly", while Rome considered it "hostile", and Madrid rejected it.
However, these response measures do not undermine the determination of Western countries to help Ukraine by providing it with weapons and financial aid.
Zelensky expressed his "gratitude" for the "new exceptional financial assistance" proposed by the European Union, amounting to "nine billion euros in 2022."
Brussels offered a plan worth 210 billion so that the European Union can abandon "as soon as possible" the imports of Russian gas.
The finance ministers of the Group of Seven will hold meetings on Thursday and Friday in Germany, and will study, in particular, ways to support the Ukrainian budget during the current season, as well as combating the rise in food prices.
UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres called on Moscow not to obstruct Ukrainian grain exports and Western countries to allow Russian fertilizers to reach world markets.

Jerusalem - Pal Sport Agency / Under the special royal patronage of King Abdul Bin Al Hussein, and with the support of His Highness Crown Prince Al Hussein Bin Abdullah, Jerusalem divers from Al Quds Al Sharif will head early next month to Aqaba, with the support of Jerusalemite youth, carrying a message of loyalty and belonging to brotherly Jordan and His Majesty .

The divers appreciated the patronage of His Majesty, who loves diving and its fans in Aqaba, where, under the guidance of King Abdullah, divers will enter the Aqaba crossing by land.

Jerusalem - The Ambassador of the State of Palestine to Turkey, Dr. Fayed Mustafa visited the Palestinian delegation participating in the World Cake Championship held in Istanbul. He was received by the head of the delegation, a member of the Executive Dump of the Palestinian Olympic Committee, Dr. Nizar Talib, members of the participating delegation, and the head of the Turkish Kickboxing Federation. The ambassador praised the honorable results of the Palestinian delegation and the remarkable presence of the delegation in terms of sports and administration.

For his part, the President of the Turkish Federation stressed the continuation of joint cooperation between the Turkish and Palestinian federations through the Palestinian embassy.

At the end of the meeting, Nizar Talib for the Palestinian ambassador, the shield of the Olympic Committee, on behalf of Lieutenant General Jibril Rajoub, Chairman of the Palestinian Olympic Committee.

A translation of "Jerusalem" dot com - Chief of Staff of the Israeli Army , Aviv Kochavi , said Monday evening that his forces have arrested 1,500 wanted men since the start of Operation "breakwater", which began in recent months, and that they have thwarted hundreds of attacks.

Kochavi said in a speech to a special conference of the Israeli General Staff, following the conclusion of the "Chariots of Fire / Month of War" maneuver, that one of the reasons for the increase in attacks in the West Bank stems from the Palestinian Authority's loss of control and rule over some areas of the northern West Bank mainly, which have turned into fertile ground. for the growth of "terrorism".

He stressed that his forces, in light of the current situation, will continue their operations in order to protect the Israelis and thwart any attacks, saying: "We will reach every city, neighborhood, alley, house or basement in order to achieve this and restore security. Our activity will continue and we are ready to increase it as needed."

AMMAN - (Xinhua) - The snow storm paralyzed traffic in Jordan between the governorates as a result of the snowfall in the high mountainous areas, with a thickness of 20 centimeters.

And the heights of the governorates of Ajloun and Jerash in northern Jordan, in addition to the governorates of Tafila, Karak, and Maan in southern Jordan, were covered with a white blanket of snow, as a result of the Kingdom being affected by a snow storm associated with a deep depression affecting the region, which led to snowfall at intervals from yesterday (Tuesday) until this morning (Wednesday). ) was 20 cm thick.

As for the capital, Amman, it witnessed snowfall, but in quantities that amounted to 8 centimeters, and it soon began to melt due to the heavy rains.

And local media reported that snow and rain are still falling throughout the Kingdom, especially the northern, central and southern regions, accompanied by very fast winds and thick fog, especially in the high areas.

The accumulated snow led to the closure of some of the main roads between the governorates and the link with the capital, Amman, as the mechanisms of the Ministry of Public Works and Municipalities have been working since last night to open them, according to a statement by the Public Security Directorate, which stated that most of the roads are passable with caution, except for the Asfour Gap road in Jerash Governorate and the Safout road. In Balqa Governorate, work is currently underway to open them.

And the Jordanian Prime Minister, Bishr Al-Khasawneh, decided to delay the start of working hours for all ministries, official departments, institutions, public bodies, official universities, municipalities, joint services councils, the Greater Amman Municipality, and companies wholly owned by the government today, due to the prevailing weather conditions.

While the Ministry of Education announced the suspension of studies in public and private schools, and Jordanian universities announced the transfer of distance studies.

The Meteorological Department said that the weather today is very cold, cloudy and rainy from time to time in the north and center of the Kingdom and parts of the southern and eastern regions.

And the meteorologists added in a report that with the dawn hours of today, it was heavy rain at intervals in the western parts of the Kingdom, accompanied by thunder and hail, with showers of snow falling from time to time over mountain heights that reach a height of 900 meters above sea level and more, with accumulations occurring. Unevenly according to the height, and the winds are active westerly speed, causing dust in the desert areas, and with the evening and night hours, the effect of the depression gradually recedes, as precipitation rates weaken and the wind speed decreases.

In its report, the Meteorological Department warned of the danger of torrential rains and a rise in water levels in valleys and low-lying areas in the western parts of the Kingdom, including the Dead Sea region, and the danger of snow accumulation on mountain heights that witness snowfalls, and the danger of slipping on roads in areas that witness precipitation of all kinds. And from the risk of low horizontal visibility due to clouds touching the earth’s surface over the mountain heights, and from the risk of low horizontal visibility due to dust in the desert areas, and from the risk of frost formation and the occurrence of freezing in the late night hours over the high mountain heights and parts of the desert regions.

Tomorrow (Thursday) the weather will be very cold and partly to cloudy at times with a chance of light showers of rain in the north and center of the kingdom, and the wind will be westerly moderate.

The Ministry of Water and Irrigation announced that the stock of dams rose to 105 million cubic meters, or 38%.

The ministry said in a statement today that the amounts of rain that entered the dams, during the past 24 hours, amounted to 15 million cubic meters, concentrated as follows: King Talal Dam 8.6 million cubic meters, and Al-Wala 3 million cubic meters, while the rest of the amount was distributed to various Dams except for Al-Tannour Dam.

A translation by Al-Quds.com - The US Ambassador to Israel, Tom Nedis, expressed his hope that he will be able to work towards advancing the two-state solution with the new Israeli government.

Nidis said in an interview with the Hebrew newspaper Yedioth Ahronoth, that he has great confidence in the new Israeli prime minister, Benjamin Netanyahu , noting that the latter assured him that he has control and is the one who leads the wheel in the new government, and therefore we will work with him and I hope we will succeed.

And he indicated that his country still supports the two-state solution and its goal is to protect the Palestinians and Israelis, and that Israel's security is not endangered.

Neidas said: "Our vision is very simple .. We want to preserve the two-state solution to keep it alive .. This solution is beneficial to Israel's security and we will not do anything to harm it."

He renewed Washington's position on its refusal to annex any Palestinian lands or expand settlements, expressing confidence in Netanyahu's ability to control his government.

Nidis denied that he boycotted any minister in the new Israeli government, including Itamar Ben Gvir, noting that he had spoken with some of them and would speak later with others.

And he indicated that his country's government is concerned with the continuation of the current situation in Al-Aqsa Mosque, with the aim of preserving the Abraham Accords and expanding them to include Saudi Arabia and other countries.

Ramallah - "Jerusalem" dot com - The Governor of the Monetary Authority , Dr. Firas Melhem, today in Ramallah, with the Egyptian Ambassador to the State of Palestine, Mr. Ihab Suleiman, in the presence of the Deputy Governor, Mr. Muhammad Manasra.

During the meeting, the Governor reviewed the latest developments in the Palestinian banking sector, the efforts made by the Monetary Authority to maintain its stability, develop and develop its business, and the strategic plans that are being worked on to enhance the necessary infrastructure in the digital transformation process in the banking sector, referring to the role of financial technology in moving the wheel of the Palestinian economy. and promoting sustainable development.

The Governor congratulated Mr. Suleiman on assuming the position of Ambassador of the Republic of Egypt to the State of Palestine, stressing the depth of the historical brotherly relationship between the two peoples.

Istanbul - (AFP) - Ankara on Saturday warned its citizens against traveling to the United States and Europe, apparently in response to similar warnings against travel to Turkey .

The United States and major European countries have advised their citizens not to attend mass events and to avoid crowded tourist places in Turkey.

These warnings came against the backdrop of escalating diplomatic tensions related to Turkey's refusal to allow Sweden and Finland to join the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO).

Ankara recently expressed its anger at anti-Islam protests organized by a right-wing extremist who was allowed to burn copies of the Koran in front of its embassies in Stockholm and Copenhagen.

The Turkish Foreign Ministry warned of "dangerous levels of religious intolerance and hatred in Europe".

"There have been recent verbal and physical attacks against aliens and acts of racism across the United States," it said in a separate statement.

Finland and Sweden broke decades of military non-alignment and applied to join NATO in response to Russia's invasion of Ukraine.

But an application for membership must be approved by all thirty members of the alliance.

Turkey and Hungary are the only two countries that have not yet ratified the two applications.

The Hungarian Parliament is expected to ratify the two requests next month.

But Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan still refuses to accept the two requests, accusing the two countries of harboring Kurdish activists and sympathizers of the PKK and its allies in northern Syria and Iraq, whom it describes as "terrorists".

Jerusalem - "Jerusalem" dot com - A group of settlers attacked, on Sunday evening, citizens in the Sheikh Jarrah neighborhood, east of occupied Jerusalem.

The settlers attacked the citizens' homes and properties, smashed the windows of the vehicles, threw stones at the houses, and set fire to the rubbish bins.

Meanwhile, the Hebrew Channel 7 claimed that a settler was wounded by stones thrown at him in the same neighborhood.

Kabul (AFP) - The Islamic State group claimed responsibility for an attack on the Pakistani embassy in Kabul on Saturday, which Islamabad described as an "assassination attempt".

A security guard was wounded by gunfire on Friday at the Pakistani embassy in the Afghan capital, Kabul.

In a statement carried by the SITE website, which specializes in monitoring jihadist groups, the Khorasan branch of the Islamic State said that it had "attacked the apostate Pakistani ambassador and his guards."

Pakistani Prime Minister Shabaz Sharif condemned what he described as an "assassination attempt" targeting the head of the Pakistani mission, calling for an investigation into the incident.

A Kabul police spokesman said that a suspect had been arrested and two light weapons had been confiscated after security forces raided a nearby building.

Although Pakistan did not officially recognize the Taliban government, it kept its embassy open after the Islamists returned to power in August 2021.

An official at the Pakistani embassy told AFP that shots were fired in the afternoon from the embassy's outer wall, noting that "the ambassador and all other members of the mission are safe."

A spokesman for the Afghan Foreign Ministry strongly condemned this "failed attack."

"The Islamic Emirate will never allow malicious elements to threaten the security of diplomatic missions in Kabul," he said in a statement.

He added, "The security agencies will conduct a serious investigation into this incident. After discovering the perpetrators, they will be punished according to the law."

The Taliban took over the rule of Afghanistan again in August 2021, in parallel with the withdrawal of American and foreign forces from the country.

Pakistan receives more than a million Afghan refugees on its soil. The porous borders between the two countries have been home to several armed groups for a long time, which, since the return of the Taliban, have become a growing source of tension.

In November, a Pakistani guard was shot dead at the Chaman-Spin Boldak crossing, which had been closed for a week.

Pakistan accuses its neighbor Afghanistan of facilitating the activity of the Pakistani Taliban and of allowing it to plan its attacks from Afghan soil, which Kabul continues to deny.

Ramallah - "Jerusalem" dot com - The US Ambassador to Israel, Tom Nedis, said today, Thursday, that the Palestinian Authority should do more to prevent the escalation of "violence".

He added in radio statements - as reported by the Arabic-speaking Israeli Public Broadcasting Corporation - that despite the US administration's request in Washington to the Palestinians to prevent violence, Israel must also prevent the killing of innocent people.

In response to what was published about the possibility of imposing a cordon on cities in the West Bank , Nedis said that Washington does not tell the Israeli army what to do, pointing out that the US administration wants the Palestinians to enjoy freedom of movement and live in safety.

Governorates - "Jerusalem" dot com - A citizen was killed and two others were injured last night, as a result of two fights in two separate areas of occupied Jerusalem and the West Bank.

According to the police spokesman, Colonel Louay Arziqat, the dead man is 28 years old and was killed in the town of Qatna, northwest of Jerusalem, after he was stabbed with a knife during a family quarrel.

He indicated that the police arrested the suspect, and that the security services went to the place to enforce security and public order.

Two young men were injured, one seriously and the other moderately, as a result of a family quarrel in the town of Shuqba, west of Ramallah.

BEIRUT - (Xinhua) China and Lebanon signed (Tuesday) an agreement to exempt holders of diplomatic, private, service and public affairs travel passports from visa requirements, according to a statement from the Chinese Embassy in Beirut.

The statement stated that the Chinese Ambassador to Beirut, Qian Minjian, and the Minister of Foreign Affairs in the Lebanese caretaker government, Abdullah Bou Habib, signed the agreement.

He stated that the ambassador presented, during his meeting with the Lebanese minister, a presentation of the achievements and importance of the 20th National Congress of the Chinese Communist Party.

"China will continue to adhere to the country's basic policy of opening up to the outside world, safeguarding world peace and resolutely promoting common development," Ambassador Qian said.

He added that China's high-quality development and opening up to the outside will provide new opportunities for the development of bilateral relations between China and Lebanon.

Qian stressed that China is "ready to enhance practical cooperation with Lebanon within the framework of jointly building the Belt and Road, raise the level of exchanges in various fields, and advance the construction of a community with a shared future for mankind."

In turn, the Lebanese minister affirmed that his country highly appreciates China's important role in the international community, and looks forward to maintaining friendly cooperation and close exchanges with China in various fields, and pushing forward bilateral practical cooperation to achieve more results.

A translation of Al-Quds.com - The so-called "Counter-Terrorism" office in the Israeli National Security Council issued, on Monday evening, a strict warning against traveling to Turkey due to Iranian threats.

According to the Hebrew website, Ynet, the level of warning against travel to Turkey, especially Istanbul, has been raised to the highest level of "4", with an explicit call not to travel to it and an invitation to those who are there to leave it immediately.

Prior to that announcement, he said, Israeli Foreign Minister Yair Lapid called on the Israelis to leave Turkey and not travel to it, after revealing that an attempt to kidnap Israelis by Iran in Istanbul had been thwarted.

According to the Hebrew site, Lapid's statements were coordinated with the Mossad and the National Security Agency.

A translation of "Jerusalem" dot com - The so-called Israeli National Security Council warned today, Monday, the Israelis against traveling to Turkey in the presence of a real danger to them.

According to the Hebrew website Ynet, this comes against the backdrop of the Israeli security establishment's fear of Iranian attempts to harm Israeli targets around the world, after accusing Tel Aviv of being responsible for the killing of a senior Iranian Revolutionary Guard officer last week.

Israeli security sources said that the increased level of threat to Israelis is also being felt in other countries close to the border with Iran.

Berlin - (AFP) - Germany called on its citizens, Saturday, to avoid unnecessary travel to China , which is witnessing a wave of Covid infections unprecedented in three years.

"We are currently advising to avoid non-essential travel to China. The reason is the sharp rise in COVID-19 cases and the overwhelmed health system," the State Department's Rapid Response Center said in a tweet.

China is facing an unprecedented wave of infections in three years, and the European Union this week urged member states to impose a Covid test in China before leaving, and urged these countries to complete this step by conducting "random checks" upon arrival on European soil.

As a precautionary measure, several countries including the United States, Japan, France and Germany have already issued similar measures.

Despite the resurgence of the epidemic, the Chinese authorities intend to cancel the mandatory quarantine upon arrival in China on Sunday and will again allow Chinese to travel abroad, after three years of ban.

Beijing on Tuesday denounced the imposition of Covid testing by certain countries, considering it "unacceptable" and threatening "retaliatory measures".

The World Health Organization, for its part, has criticized Beijing's controversial methods of counting Covid deaths.

Despite overcrowded Chinese medical facilities and crematoriums, the country has reported few Covid-related deaths.

Jordan - "Al-Quds" dot com - The Ambassador of the Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques to Jordan, Nayef bin Bandar Al-Sudairy, met in his office today, Wednesday, His Excellency the former Minister Sakhr Dudin, Khaled Muhammad Shaheen, and Abdul Qadir Khaled Shaheen.

During the meeting, the depth and strength of the relationship between the two brotherly kingdoms was emphasized.

Ramallah - "Jerusalem" dot com - Akram Sbitany & Sons Company celebrates the 6th anniversary of the establishment and opening of its "Sbitany iStore" branch, which is the first branch of its kind in Palestine, unique in selling all international "Apple" devices. . The branch located in the center of Ramallah - Rakab Street

On this occasion, the company launched a set of special offers and discounts for electronic devices in the "iStore" branch.

The company's management also stated that these special offers are offered to their customers as a simple sign of appreciation and loyalty to them, and to give everyone the opportunity to get the latest electronic devices at the best prices.

She added, as a continuation of the success achieved by the Sbitany iStore branch in the sixth year of its opening and the great turnout witnessed by the branch from citizens to distinguish it from other branches, in terms of the modern devices it displays, and in terms of the mechanism and method of displaying it, in addition to that the company has achieved a step Great in the field of preparing exhibitions, focusing on providing the best services to its customers
The branch displays a distinguished group of "Apple" devices, including "iPhone" phones of all kinds, "iPad" devices, laptops such as "MacBook" and "MacBook Air", and computer monitors. iMac”, and original “Apple” accessories, such as protective covers, computer mice, control panels, in addition to various other devices.

(AFP) - The Special Court for Kosovo in The Hague on Friday issued its first verdict on charges of war crimes, after it sentenced former rebel leader Salih Mustafa to 26 years in prison.

Addressing Mustafa, Judge Mabe Felt-Follia said that the court "imprisoned you for 26 years" after convicting him, especially of the charges of murder and torture.

Mustafa was sentenced after his conviction on charges of torturing detainees in a detention center that was supervised by Albanian separatists during the war of independence with Serbia between 1988 and 1999.

The ruling came at a time when Kosovo is witnessing new ethnic tensions, almost a quarter of a century after the war. During the past weekend, an exchange of fire with the police was recorded, while the European Union's law enforcement forces were also targeted.

Mustafa was convicted of several war crimes, including arbitrary arrest, torture and murder. He was acquitted of the charge of brutal treatment because it included the charge of torture, according to the judges.

Seoul - (AFP) - North Korea fired an unidentified ballistic missile Friday towards the sea, Yonhap news agency quoted the South Korean army as saying.

This new ballistic experiment comes a day after Pyongyang announced that it had launched two long-range strategic cruise missiles, in an experiment personally supervised by leader Kim Jong Un.

Pyongyang described its recent missile tests as tactical nuclear exercises simulating control of airports and military facilities in South Korea.

Yonhap quoted the South Korean Joint Chiefs of Staff as saying that it detected the missile launch from the Sunan area in Pyongyang in the early hours of Friday morning.

The Chiefs of Staff did not mention other details about the missile, noting, on the other hand, that "our army maintains a state of complete readiness in close cooperation with the United States."

About two hours before monitoring the ballistic missile launch, Yonhap reported, quoting the Chief of Staff, that about 12 North Korean warplanes flew close to the border with South Korea, which prompted Seoul to send fighters to intercept them, including F-35A fighters.

This is the second incident between the two countries within one week involving fighter jets.

These developments come amid escalating military tensions on the peninsula following a series of weapons tests conducted by Pyongyang.

And the Yonhap news agency quoted the Chief of the Joint Staff of South Korea as saying that 10 fighters were detected while flying 25 km north of the border between the two Koreas, between 22:30 Thursday night and 00:20 Friday morning local time, crossing the line that is automatically activated in response from the South.

Seoul has sent military aircraft, including the F-35A fighter jet, Yonhap quoted the Joint Chiefs of Staff as saying.

For its part, North Korea accused Seoul on Friday (local time) of carrying out a "provocative act" near their common border and said that the South Korean army was "provoking military tension", according to state media.

A North Korean army spokesman said in a statement that the South Korean army Thursday fired "artillery fire for about ten hours near the advanced defense area of the Fifth Corps of the Korean People's Army."

He added that the North Korean army "took strong military countermeasures" in response to the "provocative act".

According to the official information agency in Pyongyang, the Korean People's Army "is issuing a stern warning to the South Korean army, which is recklessly stirring up military tension in the frontline area."

In Washington, the US State Department condemned the new North Korean ballistic missile test.

A spokesman for the ministry said, "This experiment, along with others that took place over the past month, violates many UN Security Council resolutions" and "threatens peace and stability in the region."

The US State Department spokesman regretted that North Korea "refuses to respond" to the offers of dialogue sent to it by the United States.

Earlier this week, Kim rejected the idea of resuming talks on banned weapons programmes, saying his country "doesn't feel the need to do so".

In turn, the French Foreign Ministry said in a statement that "France deals with grave concern with North Korea's statements on October 13, in which it confirmed that it had launched long-range strategic missiles that could carry tactical nuclear weapons."

"These statements, coupled with the North Korean military provocations in the north of the Demilitarized Zone, contribute to an alarming growth in tension on the peninsula," the State Department added.

Paris urged "North Korea once again to fulfill without delay its international obligations, return to the negotiating table and put an immediate end to its destabilizing steps."

Khartoum - (AFP) - The US ambassador to Sudan , John Godfrey, called on the Sudanese political factions that did not participate in a preliminary political agreement reached more than a year after a military coup that toppled civilians from power in Sudan, to join the agreement in an effort to restore the transitional authority. back on track in the country.

Last month, Sudanese military leaders and civilian factions agreed on the first component of a two-stage political process to end the political turmoil that has gripped the country since Sudanese army chief Abdel Fattah al-Burhan led a military coup in October 2021.

"It is important to note that they (non-participants) still have the opportunity to join the (political) process," Godfrey, who last year took over as the first US ambassador to Sudan in nearly 25 years, told AFP.

At the end of the first round of talks on the final stage of the political process, he added, "We understand that there are ongoing efforts to find a way through which (the opponents of the agreement) feel that they can join," to the agreement.

The coup, which disrupted the transition to civilian rule after the overthrow of former President Omar al-Bashir in April 2019, sparked almost weekly anti-government protests amid the country's deep economic crisis and an escalation in ethnic clashes in some states.

The December agreement included Al-Burhan, his deputy, and the leader of the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces, Muhammad Hamdan Dagalo, known as "Hemedti", as well as several civilian groups, headed by the Coalition of the Forces for Freedom and Change, which is the main civilian faction whose members were overthrown in the 2021 coup.

While internal opponents view the agreement with suspicion, as its critics see that it lacks details and timetables, on the other hand, it received some international acclaim.

Among the critics of the agreement are the leaders of the former armed rebellion groups who signed a peace agreement with the transitional government that was overthrown by the coup, as they described the political process as "exclusionary".

The talks between the signatories to the agreement focused mainly on dismantling the Bashir regime.

Further talks are expected in the coming weeks on the main points of contention related to transitional justice, accountability, and security sector reforms.

The United Nations praised the start of the talks, saying it "represents another important step forward towards realizing the aspirations of the Sudanese people for democracy, peace and sustainable development."

Godfrey expressed his high hopes for the ongoing talks, saying it was "very clear" that the Sudanese factions were working towards the goal of restoring the transitional phase in Sudan.

Al-Burhan had previously pledged to remove the army from the political scene once a civilian government was formed, expressing his hope for the return of international aid, which has been suspended since the coup.

Relations between the United States and Sudan were severely strained under Al-Bashir's three-decade rule, as Washington imposed economic sanctions to tighten the screws on Khartoum since 1993, until relations witnessed a breakthrough under the overthrown transitional government, led by former Prime Minister Abdullah Hamdok.

Since the military coup, Washington has suspended $700 million in aid until the transitional period is restored to its track.

Godfrey said the United States continued to provide "humanitarian assistance" and "some development assistance."

"We have made clear that unless a new civilian government is formed in Sudan, we will not be in a position to restore other aid," he added.

Madrid (AFP) - Real Madrid, crowned with the title, shook off the dust of its derby loss against its neighbor and host, Atletico Madrid, by honoring it and benefiting its last-placed guest, Levante, with half a dozen clean goals, including a hat-trick for its Brazilian striker Vinicius Junior, Thursday, at the end of the thirty-sixth stage of the Spanish Championship. The Royal Club decided the outcome of the match in its first half by scoring a quadruple, which was alternately scored by the French Ferland Mendy (13), Karim Benzema (19), the Brazilians Rodrigo (34) and Vinicius (45).

Vinicius strengthened Real Madrid's lead with a double in the second half (68 and 83), achieving the first hat-trick in his career with Real Madrid, raising his tally to 17 goals, in third place on the scorers' list. Vinicius said, "This is my first hat-trick in my career with Real Madrid and after this wonderful season that I present With my colleagues who help me a lot, I am very happy.” He added, “The master (Italian coach Carlo Ancelotti) wanted to replace me, so I asked him to stay in order to score a hat-trick, and I succeeded in that.” He added, “I think this is good to prepare for the final match of the Champions League competition.” .

Real Madrid presented a great match, and despite not needing points, as it clinched the title four stages before the end of the season, it paid most of its main players and achieved a great victory, which strengthened its position in the lead with 84 points, while Levante’s balance froze at 29 points in last place and became the first to be relegated to Second degree.

Real Madrid issued a warning to Liverpool, its competitor for the title of the prestigious continental competition, on May 28 in Paris, and erased its loss to Atletico Madrid 0-1 in the last stage when Ancelotti pushed his squad backed by the German main trio Toni Kroos and the Brazilians Casemiro and Eder Militao. The Croatian Luka Modric, Vinicius, Benzema and the Belgian Thibaut Courtois returned to the royal squad, while Casemiro and his compatriot Eder Militao and Kroos sat on the bench, and Marco Asensio, Dani Carvajal and Dani Ceballos were absent. The area before he shot it with his left to the right of goalkeeper Danny Cardenas (13).

And Benzema strengthened a second goal with a header from close range after a cross pass to Vinicius (19). And just Benzema, the legend of the royal club, Raul Gonzalez, as the second best scorer in the history of Meringue, with 323 goals. It is the 27th goal for Benzema in the League this season, reinforcing the top scorer list with 11 assists. And the 44th in various competitions this season with 14 assists. Rodrigo added the third goal when he penetrated into the area and passed a ball to Modric, who set it up for him in front of the goal, so he followed it up effortlessly, scoring the third goal (34).

Vinicius strengthened the fourth goal after a joint game with Modric, so he entered the area and played it with his left hand inside the goal (45). Benzema, who received a wonderful ball from Modric behind the defense, responded to the gift to Vinicius and passed him a ball on a plate of gold from close range, which he followed into the empty goal (68). Vinicius concluded the festival with the sixth goal, after receiving a ball from substitute Kroos, who penetrated and manipulated the defense and the goalkeeper before he followed it into the goal (83).

Real Sociedad regained its winning streak and revived its hopes of competing for the Europa League card next season, when it beat its guest Cadiz 3-0. (36 years old) by making the first goal scored by the Norwegian Alexander Sorloth (19), and seizing a penalty kick, from which the Belgian Adnan Januzaj scored the second goal (53), in addition to passing it to substitute Porto, after which he got a penalty kick that the latter scored the third goal (90). +8). Real Sociedad, which achieved its tenth victory at home this season, strengthened its position in the sixth place that qualifies for the Conference League competition, with 59 points, two points behind Real Betis, who ranked fifth, qualifying for the European League competition "Europa League".

On the other hand, Cadiz received a painful blow in its quest to avoid relegation, as it fell to the seventeenth place, the last remaining position in the first division, after its balance froze at 35 points, two points behind Granada, the winner of Athletic Bilbao 1-0 on Tuesday at the opening of the stage, with the same difference. Against Real Mallorca, who ranks eighteenth, the last of the places leading to the second division, which was tied negatively with Sevilla on Wednesday.

Villarreal, in turn, maintained its hopes of competing for the Europa League and Conference League cards, by defeating Rayo Vallecano 5-1. Villarreal strengthened its position in seventh place with 56 points, five points behind Real Betis and three points behind Real Sociedad, while Rayo Vallecano's balance froze at 42 points in twelfth place.

Ramallah - "Jerusalem" dot com - Today, Wednesday, the Ramallah City Council of Churches received the Jordanian Ambassador, Issam Al-Budour, at the Monastery of Our Lady of the Annunciation Church of the Melkite Roman Catholics.

The role was received by Father Issa Abu Saadi, pastor of the Catholic Church, Archimandrite Elias Awwad, spiritual head of the Greek Orthodox Church, Father Yacoub Al-Rafidi, pastor of the Latin Church, Father Arsanius of Jerusalem, pastor of the Coptic Church, Rev. Rodney Saeed, pastor of the Lutheran Church, and representatives of the pastoral councils in the city.

Father Issa, on behalf of the Council of Churches, presented a souvenir that included Palestinian embroidery of the Ramallah region.

In turn, the ambassador expressed his happiness for being with his family in Palestine, and he greeted the priests on the occasion of Christmas.

Al-Budour touched on the fraternal relations that bind the Jordanian and Palestinian peoples and His Majesty King Abdullah II's full support for the right of the churches of Jerusalem to preserve their sanctities and property and to freely practice their rites. .

Washington (AFP) - Firearm deaths have overtaken road traffic deaths and become the leading cause of death among young Americans, with official data showing a rise in gun-related homicides such as the killing of 19 children at a Texas school Tuesday.

In total, 4,368 children and adolescents died from injuries caused by firearms in 2020, or a rate of 5.4 deaths per 100,000, according to figures from the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC).

Homicides accounted for nearly two-thirds of firearm deaths.

For comparison, 4,036 deaths were recorded in car accidents, which is the leading cause of death in this age group.

The gap began to narrow as safety measures improved over decades and gun-related deaths rose.
The CDC data also showed that about 30 percent of child and adolescent deaths are suicides, just over 3 percent are unintentional, and 2 percent are from unspecified causes.

A small number of firearm deaths were classified as "lawful intervention" or self-defence.
The deaths disproportionately affected black children and adolescents, who were four times more likely to die than white children, for whom traffic accidents continued to be a greater threat.
The second group most affected by firearms are American Indians.
Males are six times more likely to die from firearms than females.
The rate of firearm-related deaths is highest in Washington, D.C., followed by Louisiana and Alaska.
These figures serve to underscore that while mass shootings like the one in Leuvalde are horrific, they make up only a small percentage of the overall child gun deaths.
Holden Thorpe, editor-in-chief of the leading Science magazine, published an article Thursday calling for intensified research on the effects of firearm ownership on public health, with the aim of pushing for a change in gun ownership policy.
"Scientists should not sit on the sidelines and watch others fight this," he said.
"Further research on the effects of gun ownership on public health will provide more evidence of its deadly consequences," he said, noting that severe mental illness to which mass shootings are often attributed is prevalent at similar levels in other countries where mass shootings do not occur regularly. .

Jenin - "Jerusalem" dot com - Ali Samoudi - Today, Saturday, the Israeli occupation authorities prevented the editor, Ashraf Muhammad Saeed Natour (45 years), from the Jenin camp, from traveling to Jordan.

Natour told Al-Quds.com that the Israeli intelligence detained him at the Al-Nabi crossing for 5 hours, then informed him of the decision to prevent him from crossing and traveling to Jordan without giving reasons.

It is noteworthy that Al-Natour is an officer in the Preventive Security Agency, and he was prosecuted during the Al-Aqsa Intifada. He was arrested in 2002 and sentenced to actual imprisonment for (12 years), which he spent entirely in the occupation prisons.

Mingora - (AFP) Thousands of people living near flooded riverbeds in northern Pakistan received government orders Saturday to evacuate their homes after torrential monsoon rains left nearly 1,000 people dead.

Valleys in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province have flooded, destroying dozens of buildings, including a 150-room hotel that was washed away.

Junaid Khan, 23, owner of two fish farms in Charsadda, told AFP, "The house we spent two years of hard work building has disappeared before our eyes... We sat on the side of the road watching our dream house collapse."

The annual monsoon rains, which usually extend from June to September, are important for irrigating crops and replenishing lakes and dams across the Indian subcontinent, but they also bring with them a wave of destruction and tragedies every year.

The government revealed that the floods affected more than 33 million people and destroyed about a million homes completely or seriously.

On Saturday, the authorities ordered thousands of residents of Swat district to evacuate their homes before the rivers overflowed.

"At first, some people refused to leave, but as the water level rose, they accepted," emergency services spokesman Bilal Faizi told AFP.

Authorities say this year's floods are comparable to 2010 -- the worst on record -- when more than 2,000 people were killed and about a fifth of the country's population was trapped.

Farmer Shah Faisal, his wife and two daughters took refuge at the edge of the road and he too watched the strong torrents swallow his house.

Nearby the rivers Swat, Jundi and Kabul pass through narrow city gorges before joining the Indus River.

"We ran away from death," the farmer told AFP.

The Pakistani authorities estimate that the cause of the massive and devastating rains is climate change, stressing that the country is unfairly affected by the repercussions of environmentally irresponsible practices around the world.

Pakistan ranks eighth in the Global Climate Hazards Index, a list compiled by environmental NGO German Watch of countries considered most vulnerable to extreme weather events caused by climate change.

However, residents bear part of the responsibility for the damage caused.

Corruption and construction projects that do not take into account safety have contributed to the construction of thousands of buildings in areas threatened by torrents and floods.

On Friday, the government declared a state of emergency and harnessed the army to face "this catastrophe, which has reached a rare scale" occurrence.
According to the National Disaster Management Authority, since June the monsoon rains have damaged more than 80,000 hectares of cultivated land, destroyed 3,100 km of roads and washed away 149 bridges.

In Sukkur, more than 1,000 km south of Swat, farmland has been flooded and tens of thousands of people have taken refuge on highways and elevated roads.

The floods coincide with the worst period that Pakistan is going through, and its economy has collapsed due to a deep political crisis after the removal of former Prime Minister Imran Khan from power following a motion of no confidence.

San Francisco - (AFP) - The Wall Street Journal reported that the Meta Group, the parent company of Facebook and Instagram, intends to lay off thousands of employees starting this week, following the example of several companies in the field of technology in the context of the economic crisis.

Meta has about 87,000 employees worldwide, according to September 30 figures.

While publishing the most recent disappointing quarterly results recently, Group Chairman Mark Zuckerberg indicated that the company's headcount should not increase by the end of 2023, it should even decline slightly.

According to the newspaper's sources, it is expected that this will be announced on Wednesday and that thousands of employees will be affected in the first such measure in the history of the social media giant.

And last Thursday, two Silicon Valley groups, Stripe and Lyft, announced the layoffs of a large number of their employees, while the Amazon group froze hiring.

And as soon as Elon Musk, the president of Tesla and the richest man in the world, acquired the Twitter platform, he laid off about half of its 7,500 employees.

Online platforms, whose economic model is based on advertising, suffer especially from advertisers reducing their spending due to global inflation and high interest rates.

Net profit of the Metta Group fell to $4.4 billion in the third quarter of the year (-52% year-on-year).

Zuckerberg noted in late October that "we are facing a volatile macro economy, increasing competition, losing advertising, and increasing costs for our long-term investments," stressing that "our product prospects seem, from what I see, to be better off than some comments indicate."

However, the group's shares declined the next day by 24.56% on the Wall Street Stock Exchange.

Ramallah - specific to "Jerusalem" - today, Monday, several institutions called for the need to make amendments to the draft draft law by the Council of Ministers and to recommend it to President Mahmoud Abbas for signature and ratification, noting that this draft law would interfere with the authority The judicial system violates the basic rights of citizens, including the “ travel ban ” and “ disclosure of banking secrecy ” to citizens.

The institutions expressed their fear of approving a draft decree of the value-added tax law for the year 2022 with the same articles that were mentioned in its last circulated version, as it carries an explicit attack on the competences of the Palestinian judicial authority by granting the Minister of Finance the authority to prevent movement “travel” in violation of the provisions of Article Eleven of the law. The basic rule that requires obtaining a judicial order in any of the cases of ban on movement, which means that the executive authority carries out judicial tasks that affect the basic rights of the Palestinian citizen.

The Executive Director of the National Authority for the Independence of the Judiciary and the Rule of Law "Istiqlal", Majed Aruri, told Al-Quds.com: "This draft law was not signed by President Mahmoud Abbas, and there is an opportunity to review it and remove any provisions that would harm human rights." citizens.”

Arouri stressed that the Basic Law prohibits harming citizens’ travel or disclosing banking secrecy and seizing matters, except by virtue of a judicial order, which is the jurisdiction of the courts and not the jurisdiction of the Minister of Finance or the executive authority, referring to attempts made in the past to impose a travel ban on citizens years ago, But it was confronted and retracted.

Aruri believes that the enforcement of this decision by law would be used for political purposes, as every Palestinian citizen has a tax file, which may open the door to interference with citizens, and the principle is that those who have crimes should be brought to trial, and not impose procedures against citizens.

Arouri stressed that the aim of this decree by law is to weaken the judiciary, by infringing on basic human rights issues for the Palestinian people, and thus affecting the public and private rights and freedoms of the Palestinian citizen.

The National Commission for the Independence of the Judiciary and the Rule of Law, "Istiklal", stressed in a statement the need to remove any materials that would constitute an infringement of the citizen's rights, such as a ban on movement and travel or seizing his money without a judicial decision.

Istiklal called for a review of the text related to the information request in a manner that takes into account the preservation of banking secrecy and in line with national and international legislation. It also called for the need for the Supreme Judicial Council to address any infringement related to the jurisdiction of the courts and the judiciary, including restricting citizens' movement and travel or seizing their property.

For his part, Ibrahim Al-Barghouti, responsible for political and legal affairs at the Palestinian Center for the Independence of the Legal Profession and the Judiciary, “Musawah,” told Al-Quds.com: “The principle in any decision is that it be issued by the competent authority, and not that travel bans and precautionary detention be granted to the minister. This is contrary to the Basic Law and the separation of powers."

Al-Barghouti continues, "Freedom of movement is one of the rights of citizens, and this decision withdraws jurisdiction from the administrative courts and entrusts them to the regular courts, in contradiction to what justified the issuance of the Administrative Courts Law, and this decision by law contains provisions that contradict the jurisdiction and separation of powers."

According to Barghouti, this draft law requires the party that wants to approve it to cancel such texts in a way that removes the character of unconstitutionality, except that the law is unconstitutional and there are legal texts confirming that “there is no tax except by law.” What is meant is the law issued by the legislative authority. Also, "there is no tax except by implementation", as it bears obligations on citizens and requires the preparation of the purpose and justifications for which the tax was imposed and the aspects of its expenditure by the representatives of the people.

Barghouti stresses that this decree-law, if approved, will generate a real crisis, and will brand the current government as a collection government, instead of being the government charged with protecting people's rights, which deviates from the necessity of respecting the social covenant, and negatively affects citizens' confidence in the government.

In turn, the head of the Bar Association, Suhail Ashour, told Al-Quds.com: “We, as a bar association, were not informed of this draft law related to value-added tax, and we will have a position on it, but what is stated in it is totally and completely unacceptable, and it is not permissible to Granting the executive authority these matters, and in principle the judiciary is a competent authority.

The National Commission for the Independence of the Judiciary and the Rule of Law "Istiqlal", confirmed in a statement that Article (95) and in the section of precautionary measures in (paragraph 1) stipulated, "Despite what is stated in any other law, the Commissioner General of Revenues may issue a decision to place a provisional seizure on Movable and immovable property belonging to any taxpayer or taxpayer, and preventing him from traveling with the approval of the Minister, if the department is asking him to pay the tax or any other sums in excess of ten thousand dinars that are due under the provisions of this law and there is sufficient evidence with the department that this taxpayer may smuggle his money or Dispose of it with the intention of preventing execution against it in any way, or if there is sufficient evidence indicating that the taxpayer intends to leave the country.

It also stipulated in (paragraph 2) “The Commissioner General of Revenues may lift the indication of preventive seizure or travel ban if the taxpayer submits sufficient guarantees that he accepts.”

And according to “Istiqlal”, “The text of Article 94 of the draft law, which grants the Commissioner General of Revenues all the powers vested in the administrative governor and any committees charged with collection, in accordance with the provisions of the Law on the Collection of Emiri Funds No. 6 of 1952 by conducting the precautionary quarantine on the money of taxpayers, the provisions of Article 21 The basic law to protect people's money, and that no private property may be confiscated except by a court ruling.

“Istiklal” considered that what was stated in the text of Article 102 of the draft law “1. The Commissioner General of Revenues may request the information necessary to implement the provisions of this law and related to any taxpayer or obligated to tax in writing from any party whatsoever, including public institutions, private and financial institutions, and local bodies, and it is not considered This is like disclosing information, provided that it is kept confidential and dealt with in accordance with the provisions of this law upon receipt.

2. The Commissioner General of Revenues may request the banking information of any taxpayer or tax liabilities suspected of committing a tax crime contrary to the provisions of this law, by virtue of a written request addressed to the Financial Follow-up Unit according to the approved form for that. “It represents a serious violation of banking secrecy and what was stated in the Palestinian Banking Law and the Law of money laundering.