PALESTINE

Wed 06 Sep 2023 11:24 am - Jerusalem Time

Human Rights Commission: 196 deaths in abnormal circumstances in Palestine last year

The Independent Commission for Human Rights monitored (196) deaths in abnormal circumstances in the West Bank and Gaza Strip during 2022.


According to the Authority’s annual statistics, (46) cases are for females, (150) are for males, (37) are for children, (5) are for persons with disabilities, and (10) are for the elderly.


And it indicated that it had received 4 complaints about patients who died in hospitals, one case in the West Bank, and 3 cases in Gaza.


3 suicides were recorded in the West Bank, and 38 deaths were due to failure to follow public safety measures.


In the Gaza Strip, 15 deaths were due to suicide, 32 were the result of non-compliance with safety measures, and 12 deaths were due to family quarrels.


The total number of complaints about the right to physical integrity reached (542) complaints, (264) complaints in the West Bank and (278) complaints in the Gaza Strip, compared to (445) complaints in 2021.


Regarding personal freedom, (182) complaints about detention without presenting a legal warrant issued by the Public Prosecution or a judicial order issued by the competent courts were monitored, and in cases outside the law allowing people to be arrested without a legal warrant, and (73) complaints related to detention. Administrative detention and detention of some for several months before their release, (94) complaints related to the failure to implement court decisions to release them, and a number of those are still under administrative detention despite the passage of several months after the courts issued decisions to release them.


Concerning the right to freedom of opinion and expression, the commission received (58) complaints, which included (76) allegations of violating the right to freedom of opinion and expression, with (40) complaints in the West Bank and (18) complaints in the Gaza Strip.


Concerning the right to peaceful assembly, (26) complaints about the violation of the right to peaceful assembly were registered, including (20) complaints in the West Bank, and (6) complaints in the Gaza Strip, of a political nature and to a lesser extent of a living nature, usually represented in preventing a contract. Peaceful assemblies, their dispersal, assaulting, detaining or summoning participants.


Regarding the right to hold public office, (210) complaints related to violations of the right to hold public office were registered, (118) complaints in the West Bank, (92) complaints in the Gaza Strip, and the complaints were distributed in terms of gender to (48) private complaints. In terms of disability, the Commission received (19) complaints related to persons with disabilities, (10) complaints from the West Bank, (9) complaints from the Gaza Strip, (221) complaints related to administrative disputes (promotion, pension rights, financial rights , the right to leave, arbitrary transfer), including (123) complaints in the West Bank, and (98) complaints in the Gaza Strip. (65) complaints, including for females, and (11) complaints for persons with disabilities. Complaints for females and persons with disabilities increased, (23) complaints related to dismissal from public office (arbitrary dismissal), without adhering to the legal standards for arrest, dismissal, or dismissal of the public servant.


Regarding the right to movement, (13) complaints were registered by citizens stating that the Palestinian security services prevented them from traveling without a judicial order in both the West Bank and Gaza Strip, (42) complaints in the Gaza Strip, about the refusal of the Ministry of Interior in Ramallah, As for issuing or renewing passports, the Ministry of Interior in Ramallah has been refusing since 2007 to issue passports to citizens in the Gaza Strip or to renew them before the approval of the security services is issued. (8) Complaints in both the West Bank and Gaza Strip, related to the detention of identification cards ID and passports.


Concerning human rights defenders, the independent commission said: Human rights defenders are exposed to a number of violations and harassment committed by official bodies or other unofficial parties. It may lead to murder, kidnapping, arrest, torture, threats, harm to the family and defamation. Defenders of women's rights are subjected to various harassments by social movements and religious and political parties, who see their defense of women as a contradiction with religion and in line with the goals of the West and a denial of Arab values, customs and traditions.


Concerning the right to health, (52) complaints were registered, most of which are related to referrals of treatment outside the official treatment institutions, and the unavailability of some medicines. (34) complaints for males and (18) complaints for females, (17) complaints in the Gaza Strip and (35) complaints in the West Bank.


Concerning the right to education, (23) complaints were registered, including (24) allegations of the expiration of the right to education, with (18) complaints in the West Bank, and (5) complaints in the Gaza Strip, which focused on adaptation and provision of education, equality in educational opportunities without Discrimination or prejudice due to political affiliation. Violation of academic freedoms and freedom of student activities. Freedom of scientific research. Freedom to engage in student activities and free university education.


Regarding the right to work, (4) complaints related to violations of the right to freedom of trade union work were registered, (42) complaints, all in the Gaza Strip, related to the violation of workers' right to obtain end-of-service benefits. The authority monitored (10) cases of death of citizens resulting from Failure to follow occupational safety and health standards in the work environment, of which (8) were in the West Bank, and two cases were in the Gaza Strip.


Regarding the right to adequate housing and reconstruction in the Gaza Strip, (40) complaints related to violations of the right to adequate housing, (2) complaints in the West Bank, (38) complaints in the Gaza Strip, the increase in complaints in Gaza due to the destruction of thousands of residential buildings by the occupation During its repeated attacks on the Gaza Strip, the slowdown in the reconstruction process, and the increase in the citizens' need for housing as a result of the high population density rate, and the worsening economic and social conditions.




ECONOMY

Wed 06 Sep 2023 10:28 am - Jerusalem Time

UN World Food Program: Japan provide 1.5 m $ to support Palestinian food needs

According to WFP website: The United Nations World Food Program (WFP) welcomed a vital and timely contribution of JPY 200 million (US$1.5 million) from the Government of Japan which will enable WFP to provide much-needed food assistance to the most vulnerable Palestinian families in Gaza.


Amid a severe funding shortfall, deteriorating humanitarian conditions, economic fragility, and surging prices of food commodities, this contribution will enable WFP to sustain the provision of nutritious in-kind food sustenance to 27,000 food-insecure Palestinians in Gaza for a period of three months. Each family will receive fortified wheat flour, pulses, vegetable oil and iodized salt, which are essential for families to prepare daily nourishing meals.   

Mr. NAKASHIMA Yoichi, H.E. Ambassador for Palestinian Affairs and Representative of Japan to Palestine, said: “This support embodies Japan's commitment to continue its contribution to supporting Palestinian food security and its keenness on the future of the two-state solution.”  


In the Gaza Strip, soaring unemployment and high poverty combined with movement and access restrictions impede people's chances of bettering their lives and erode their purchasing power. Already exacerbated by the impact of the Ukraine crisis, more than 63% of Gaza's population is food insecure, struggling to make ends meet. WFP food basket represents their sole means of providing meals for their families. This includes those furthest below the poverty line in Gaza.  


The Minister of Social Development, Dr. Ahmed Majdalani, said that the Ministry of Social Development is seeking with all Arab and international partners to urge them to contribute to bridging the financial gap that the World Food Program suffers from, as a result of the decline in funding in favor of the program, in addition to the outbreak of many economic crises in the region, which reduced the amount of assistance for the program.


"Japan's steadfast partnership has been instrumental in our mission to provide vital assistance to tens of thousands of struggling families every year," said Samer Abdel Jaber, WFP Representative and Country Director to Palestine. "Especially during these challenging times where suffering is most acute, WFP food assistance remains a lifeline for vulnerable Palestinians in Gaza and the West Bank. We extend our heartfelt gratitude to Japan for their unwavering support for WFP during a sensitive era of funding shortfall.” 


As we welcome contributions from the Government of Japan with profound appreciation, we are raising the alarm for the severe funding shortfall that persists to hinder WFP's capacity to continue providing vital assistance to the most vulnerable families in Palestine. If no funding emerges, WFP operations in Palestine will be forced to halt by November this year. 


PALESTINE

Wed 06 Sep 2023 10:27 am - Jerusalem Time

Detainees movement: scheduled strike will be carried out if the occupation does not back down

The Supreme National Committee of the National Captive Movement confirmed, on Wednesday, that the hunger strike will start next Thursday, the fourteenth of this month, unless the occupation and its tools back down from this decision and everything it threatens, and commit not to harming their rights that were taken away with their blood and suffering.


This came in a statement, on the second anniversary of Operation "Tunnel of Freedom", during which 6 prisoners were stripped of their freedom before being re-arrested.

She indicated that after that incident, the occupation tried to impose sanctions and measures against all prisoners, so the captive national movement overcame all differences, united and succeeded in repelling this aggression, and after that it fought challenges and battles that exceeded 6 rounds, and succeeded each time in strengthening unity and victory.


She indicated that the new strike aims to confront measures that affect the essence of their lives and the reality of their detention.

And she said: The renewed unity in the castles of families among the heirs of the martyrs must be embodied in reality in all arenas and institutions of Palestinian national action, and that your support for us is the key to our victory - God willing -, so be, as we have always promised you, our strong pillar and our impenetrable bulwark. As stated in its statement.

PALESTINE

Wed 06 Sep 2023 9:50 am - Jerusalem Time

Occupation forces arrested a member of the resistance after storming Jenin

On Wednesday morning, the Israeli occupation forces arrested a leader of the Palestinian resistance in Jenin camp, after storming his house on the outskirts of the camp.


A special Israeli force infiltrated the outskirts of the camp, near the Mahmoud Tawalbeh Mosque, and stormed a house belonging to Ibrahim Naghniga, before arresting his son Muhammad.


Muhammad, a liberated prisoner, is considered one of the leaders of the Al-Aqsa Martyrs Brigades, and the Resistance, in the Jenin camp, and he is the brother of two martyrs.


Violent clashes took place between the resistance groups and the Israeli occupation forces, which occupied several houses and deployed snipers in their vicinity.

PALESTINE

Wed 06 Sep 2023 9:48 am - Jerusalem Time

Occupation forces searches students' bags at Al-Aqsa Mosque

For the second day in a row, the Israeli occupation forces continue to search students' school bags at the entrances to Al-Aqsa Mosque, looking for books from the Palestinian curriculum in Jerusalem.


Two days ago, the occupation police confiscated a number of textbooks from the Palestinian curriculum from students' bags while they were on their way to the Sharia school and the "Riyad Al-Aqsa" kindergarten, which are located inside the courtyards of Al-Aqsa Mosque, under the pretext that they are from the Palestinian curriculum and the flag of Palestine is on them.


At the time, the Jerusalem Governorate considered that the seizure of books by the occupying forces was a new racist attack on Palestinian schools and our national curricula that implement the Palestinian curriculum.


The Israeli "Ministry of Education" and the occupation municipality in Jerusalem forced the school owners to sign a pledge that they had received books devoid of the Palestinian curriculum, otherwise those schools would be subject to the revocation of their license.

OPINIONS

Wed 06 Sep 2023 9:45 am - Jerusalem Time

237 martyrs since the beginning of the year: what crime is worse than this?!

Al Quds op-ed

Al Quds op-ed

Opinion Writer

Palestinian sources confirmed that 237 martyrs have fallen since the beginning of this year, i.e. in approximately eight months, and no less than 28 martyrs per month, or an average of one martyr per day, and these waterfalls of blood continue to fill the Palestinian land in all its aspects and at different times, in addition to this. Of course, to the wounded and detainees, as well as the confiscation of land and the demolition of homes.


What country is this that is committing these crimes, and where is the silent global conscience towards all of this, and where are we going and how is the solution and salvation from this extremely dangerous and despicable human predicament?!


The president received a phone call from US Secretary of State Anthony Blinken, and it was an occasion for Abu Mazen to ask Minister Blinken and the United States to intervene and compel Israel to stop its aggression and unilateral measures against our people and land.. But Blinken, as usual, heard the words and ignored the matter and did not ask, as expected. Except for the Palestinians to reduce their “aggression against Israel”!!


The Israeli District Planning and Building Committee has completed the preparation of a structural plan for building a new settlement on the lands of Sharafat and Beit Safafa, and the establishment of 593 settlement units on an area of about forty dunums, in addition to building public institutions and 120 settlement units for rent.


Talk about settlement has become repetitive and almost daily, because plans for expansion and Judaization never stop in all parts of the West Bank, and in the Jerusalem area in particular.


The occupation has devoured large parts of the West Bank, especially in the Jordan Valley and sparsely populated areas, because it fears nothing but the population presence and the relatively large increase among our people.


And Israel heard a lot of speech, but it is “a voice to a deaf” and the arrogance of power makes it not think about anything other than what sit sees as in its favor, and if we really want to resist this hateful occupation, the first thing we have to do is restore national unity and end this division between Gaza and the West Bank, which is greater point of our weaknesses, and work together to confront this occupation that understands nothing but strength and unity.

OPINIONS

Wed 06 Sep 2023 9:33 am - Jerusalem Time

Sadat's theory and America... and the Palestinian solution

Nabil Amr

Nabil Amr

Opinion Writer

  1. Whether you loved the late President Anwar Sadat, or you did not like him, you can only agree that he was the owner of a political school that differed from everything that preceded it, whether in his dealings with the Egyptian internal situation, or in his approach, which was at the time new in all directions, especially with regard to settlement with Israel.

    Sadat’s theory was based on a principle he declared boldly and frankly: “99 percent of the solution cards are in the hands of America.” So, according to the principle of the closest distance between two points is the straight line, and given his deep awareness of the organic bond between America and Israel, the principle of the straight line included a thunderbolt visit to Jerusalem, and to deliver a speech before the “Knesset” in the presence of all of Israel, government and opposition, headed by its most extreme right-wing leader, Menachem Begin.

    At the same time, he developed his relationship with the American administration, and among the preparations for his new relationship, he expelled the Soviet experts, fought the October War, achieved a remarkable achievement in it, and began work.

    The 99 percent theory was tested in the arduous talks that Sadat held at the “first” Camp David, and despite Begin’s desperate attempts to compress Egyptian claims within limits that suit Israel’s political and security strategy, what finally happened was that the 99 prevailed over the one, and Begin acquiesced in the settlement of President Jimmy Carter. The Egyptian-Israeli treaty was signed, implemented, and continues to this day.

    Over the long and busy years that have passed since that “Camp David”, great transformations took place, which would not have happened had it not been for what Sadat did: the wars of the Arab armies with Israel ended, the Israeli control over the Suez Canal ended, the Sinai was liberated, and after that the Jordanian treaty was signed. Israel, after the Palestinians recognized Israel's right to exist within secure and recognized borders, in exchange for Israel's recognition of the "Palestine Liberation Organization" to begin the Oslo process, as the beginning of the most important news, which is a final settlement of the Arab-Israeli conflict, in a bet that the Middle East will enter a state of calm and stability. , in return for the "pariah" Israel being a natural part of it.

    The Jordanian-Israeli treaty was stabilized by virtue of the stability of the regime in Jordan, but the matter seemed completely different when the incursion into the Palestinian-Israeli file took place, and complications began to follow during the phase of implementing the agreements and understandings produced by Oslo, until it faltered and then retreated... Here it is worth paying attention to the American role since that historic handshake in the gardens of the White House, between Arafat and Rabin, to this day, and on this day, if Oslo is not dead, it is in a dying state.

    The American march to save the project, without specifying its many facts, was deteriorating from one failure to another, sometimes or often the Palestinians were blamed, and sometimes some blame appeared on the Israelis, until the radical coup that President Trump carried out with full participation with Benjamin Netanyahu, when he announced his deal, which the Arabs and the world - as well as the American Democrats - unanimously rejected, and emphasized its futility.

    The American march to address the failures of Oslo, the latest of which was Secretary of State John Kerry’s admission that Israel thwarted his efforts, which took him a whole year, in which he devoted himself to the task of saving the peace process, proved that the cards that were 99 percent in the hands of America moved to the hands of Israel, and it became the owner of the right to “veto” everything that it does not like about the American stances towards the Palestinians, which resulted in an equation that I do not see absent from the awareness and calculations of influencers in the Arab decision-making, which is that Israel is a partner in the American global policy, in varying proportions, but it is the decision-maker in the Palestinian issue. As if it is an Israeli internal affair, and herein lies the intractable knot.

PALESTINE

Wed 06 Sep 2023 9:25 am - Jerusalem Time

Israel: official claims Saudi priority for normalization is US security guarantee not Palestine

According to Middle East Monitor website, a senior Israeli official has said that further progress in normalizing ties between Saudi Arabia and the occupation state hinges on the kingdom securing defense guarantees from the US. The unnamed official is involved deeply in diplomatic efforts, and said that the Saudis are focused foremost on getting a defense pact with the US. Riyadh views Washington’s security assurances as pivotal to advance the normalization process with the apartheid state.


The official is reported as saying that another “four to five” unresolved issues remain but are less complex. American and Palestinian delegations are traveling to Saudi Arabia this week to continue US-brokered negotiations on a potential normalization agreement.


Israeli concessions to the Palestinians are not, it is claimed, the chief Saudi focus, but the Saudi-US defense pact is. Israel’s far-right government is expected to fall in line if a deal with the Saudis can be struck.


Critics who have slammed the parameters of the reported deal argue that US-led efforts are misguided, especially as it requires an American pledge that is likely to see US soldiers killed in defence of Saudi Arabia. Moreover, the plan rewards Israel despite its appalling human rights abuses and illegal occupation while abandoning legitimate Palestinian rights and self-determination. True progress, says the deal’s critics, requires accountability and an end to Israel’s practice of apartheid, not just further support.


Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu believes he can rally his hardline coalition behind any concessions needed, the official said, despite partners opposing Palestinian statehood or sovereignty.


Netanyahu himself has reportedly vowed not to take any steps with the Palestinians that senior Israeli officials would be uncomfortable with. Despite his assurances, just like the far-right members of his coalition the Israeli Prime Minister is himself ideologically opposed to a Palestinian state and has proposed solutions that denies the right of self-determination to millions of non-Jews.


The Israeli leader is seeking to meet US President Joe Biden in Washington but has yet to visit since returning to office last December. The two leaders are expected to meet at the UN General Assembly in New York this month, although details remain unclear.

PALESTINE

Wed 06 Sep 2023 9:21 am - Jerusalem Time

Occupation forces arrest two Palestinians in Jerusalem

Today, Wednesday morning, the Israeli occupation forces arrested two Jerusalemites, after raiding their homes in Jabal Mukaber, south of occupied Jerusalem.


According to local sources, the occupation forces arrested two Jerusalemites, Karam Raed Owaisat and Osama Abu Hilal, after storming their homes.


Clashes erupted, after the arrest, with the occupation forces, who fired poison gas and sound bombs at the citizens.

PALESTINE

Wed 06 Sep 2023 8:45 am - Jerusalem Time

Netanyahu's trial resumed after a month and a half hiatus

Hearings in the trial of Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu are set to resume on Wednesday.


According to the Hebrew newspaper Haaretz, with the end of the court recess after a month and a half, Netanyahu's trial sessions will resume, by continuing to hear testimonies in File 4000.


She indicated that the Public Prosecutor's Office insists on the existence of suspicions of bribery in File 4000, known as Bezeq-Wala, despite the fact that the panel of judges recommended that the Office withdraw the charge.


The judges refused to add a fourth day of hearings each week, and agreed to add sessions starting next January if necessary.



PALESTINE

Wed 06 Sep 2023 8:09 am - Jerusalem Time

Two dead in a new crime inside the occupied

On Wednesday, two people were killed in a new shooting crime inside the occupied territories.


According to the Hebrew website Ynet, the bodies of two people who were shot were found inside a vehicle they were traveling in in an olive grove near the town of Abu Sinan in Western Galilee.


The Israeli police opened an investigation into the circumstances of the incident.


ARAB AND WORLD

Wed 06 Sep 2023 7:51 am - Jerusalem Time

Disclosure of secret talks between Israel and Indonesia on normalization

The Hebrew newspaper Yedioth Ahronoth revealed, on Wednesday morning, secret negotiations taking place behind the scenes between Israel and Indonesia, the largest Islamic country in the world.


According to the Hebrew newspaper, the elections that will be held in Indonesia during February 2024, the results of which will decide whether it will normalize its relations with Israel.


Israel does not have any official diplomatic relations with Indonesia, but it has direct channels of communication with a number of parties in the country, and there are trade, tourism and security cooperation relations. As reported by the newspaper.


She noted that the US administration is working behind the scenes to persuade the Indonesians to normalize relations.


According to the newspaper, there is a disagreement within Israel about whether Indonesia will normalize its relations with Israel before Saudi Arabia, or whether it would prefer to follow suit.


In recent months, Indonesia has prevented an Israeli team from entering its territory, causing it to lose hosting the World Youth Cup and other international tournaments.


A senior Israeli official said that Indonesia fears demonstrations and protests that the population may stage, so it is expected that Saudi Arabia will wait.

PALESTINE

Wed 06 Sep 2023 7:49 am - Jerusalem Time

Human rights organizations call for boycott Israeli water and agriculture companies

Human rights organizations have called for a boycott of Israeli companies specialized in the field of water and agriculture, prior to their participation in the United Nations Climate Summit (COP 28) scheduled for the end of next November in the UAE.


These companies work to improve their image in front of the world in light of their theft of Palestinian rights to water and the destruction of the Palestinian environment through toxic agricultural pesticides.


The companies (Mekorot, Netafim, Haifa Chemicals, and Adama) seek to present themselves during the summit with their ability to achieve sustainable solutions regarding the environment around the world, at a time when these companies steal Palestinian resources and direct them towards illegal Israeli settlements according to international law.


Human rights organizations are working to reveal the true face of these Israeli companies, and to defend Palestinian rights against climate colonialism.

PALESTINE

Wed 06 Sep 2023 7:46 am - Jerusalem Time

Israel army demolishes homes and facilities in occupied Jerusalem

The Israeli occupation bulldozers demolished, at dawn today, Wednesday, houses and facilities in the Al-Buqaan neighborhood in the town of Anata, east of occupied Jerusalem.


Local sources in the town said that bulldozers, accompanied by the occupation forces, stormed the village at five in the morning, and proceeded to demolish industrial facilities, a car parts store, and some buildings, including residential ones.

PALESTINE

Wed 06 Sep 2023 7:43 am - Jerusalem Time

Israel launched a campaign of arrests in the West Bank

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


The campaign of arrests focused on the Arroub camp, north of Hebron, from which 6 young men were arrested, after raids on several homes, amid violent confrontations with the young men.


The detainees are: Nader Al-Sharif, Mahmoud Madi, Omar Al-Badawi, Thaer Awadat, Adam Mahfouz, and Baha Jawabreh.


While Omar Shafiq Al-Rimawi was arrested from the town of Beit Rima, west of Ramallah.


Ishaq Mahameed was arrested after storming his house on the outskirts of Nour Shams camp, Tulkarm.

PALESTINE

Wed 06 Sep 2023 7:23 am - Jerusalem Time

Young Palestinian killed in crossfire with Israeli army in Jordan Valley

The 17-year-old Muhammad Yusef Zubaidat was killed on Tuesday evening, as a result of being shot by an Israeli military police force in the Jordan Valley area in Jericho.


The so-called "Border Guard" of the Israeli police said that a Palestinian approached a force stationed at the Argaman intersection on Road 90 in the Jordan Valley, and the source of fire was responded to, and he was chased and killed nearby.


The statement stated that a female soldier affiliated with the force was lightly and moderately wounded, after an exchange of fire at the scene.


The Dawn Brigade, one of the resistance brigades in the West Bank, claimed responsibility for the operation, and published a picture of the martyr Zubaidat.

ARAB AND WORLD

Wed 06 Sep 2023 7:09 am - Jerusalem Time

Thomas Friedman to Biden: Don’t be Netanyahu’s ‘useful idiot’ with Saudi normalization

Thomas Friedman, chief commentator for the New York Times, who is close to US President Joe Biden, the latter, and Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman, warned against pushing for an agreement to normalize relations between Israel and Saudi Arabia, and to announce their rejection of the proposed deal.


Friedman said in an article in the American newspaper, addressing Biden and Bin Salman: "Do not let Netanyahu turn you into his useful idiots... It is impossible to normalize with an abnormal Israeli government... and it will never be a stable ally of the United States or a partner of Saudi Arabia."He added: Netanyahu will not make any concessions to the Palestinians, and therefore the United States and Saudi Arabia should demand real measures such as transferring part of Area C to the Palestinians, freezing construction in the settlements, and stopping the legalization of settlement outposts and the establishment of other outposts, and that the goal of this deal is that a solution must be implemented. two states later.


And he continued: Insisting on such conditions will lead to the disintegration of the Netanyahu government, which is led by a group of racist extremist Yemeni Jews, whose likes have not enjoyed security authorities in Israel before, and this will put the Israeli public before the choice: “annexation or normalization”, with the most important Islamic country, Which is the gateway to other large Islamic countries such as Indonesia and Malaysia.


He referred to the meeting that brought together the Israeli ambassador to Romania with the leader of the far-right party in Bucharest, at the behest of Israeli Foreign Minister Eli Cohen, and with the participation of the settler leader in the West Bank, Yossi Dagan, noting that Israel boycotted this right-wing party for many years because of its denial of the Holocaust and others.


And that this meeting was held against the background of Dagan's attempts to strengthen Israel's relations with the extreme right-wing European parties in order to convince them to support the settlements in the West Bank.


"Netanyahu and his allies are trying to build an alternative to US diplomatic support with xenophobic and extremist parties in Europe that don't care about the settlements," Friedman says.


He believed that the role currently required of American diplomats, the American army, and Jewish organizations in the United States is to save Israel from the internal Jewish threat that is evident in the Netanyahu government, considering that the current government is no longer a reliable ally for the United States.


He warned of the potential deal getting out of control, through which Netanyahu seeks not to make any concessions to the Palestinians and tries to exploit them to annex the West Bank and fulfill the dream of his allies.


He said: This Israeli ruling coalition must be stopped, and more importantly, this bad deal that could enable Netanyahu to crush the Israeli Supreme Court, win normalization with Saudi Arabia, and pay a small price for the Palestinians, so that the right-wing extremists in his government can continue to push Israel to what is Further, to the abyss.


He added: It must stop. This is not a deal that Biden should be part of his legacy, and it is not a deal that would form a stable basis for the Saudi-Israeli strategic partnership.


He continued: “No” should be said to this deal, and to do otherwise would be a shame.

PALESTINE

Tue 05 Sep 2023 10:32 pm - Jerusalem Time

Injuries during clashes with occupation forces in Beit Furik, east of Nablus

Two civilians were shot and others suffocated, this evening, Tuesday, during clashes with the Israeli occupation forces in the town of Beit Furik, east of Nablus.


According to local and medical sources, the clashes erupted after the occupation forces stormed the Quneitra area, west of the town, during which the occupation soldiers fired bullets, stun grenades, and tear gas. A medical center in the town.

The sources pointed out that the gas bombs fired by the occupation caused a fire to break out in the area, and it was brought under control.

PALESTINE

Tue 05 Sep 2023 9:49 pm - Jerusalem Time

Occupation forces arrest three young Palestinians amongst a girl in Jerusalem

On Tuesday evening, the Israeli occupation forces arrested two young men and a girl, near the village of Al-Jib, northwest of occupied Jerusalem.


Eyewitnesses reported that the occupation forces set up a military checkpoint at the roundabout of the village of Al-Jib, and stopped a vehicle carrying two young men and a girl, before arresting them and confiscating the vehicle, and the identity of the detainees has not yet been known.

PALESTINE

Tue 05 Sep 2023 7:12 pm - Jerusalem Time

US issues two different statements about Blinken's talks with Abbas and Netanyahu

On Tuesday, the official spokesman for the US State Department, Matthew Miller, issued two different statements about the call of US Secretary of State, Anthony Blinken, with the President of the Palestinian Authority, Mahmoud Abbas, and with the Prime Minister of Israel, Benjamin Netanyahu.


Regarding Blinken's call with Abbas, the statement released by the Office of the Spokesperson Miller said: "Secretary of State Anthony Blinken spoke with Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas. Secretary Blinken expressed continuing concern about the ongoing violence in the West Bank. He reaffirmed US support for the measures to enhance freedom and security and improve the quality of life for the Palestinian people.


According to the statement: "The minister and President Abbas discussed their support for the two-state solution and their opposition to measures that threaten the survival of this solution."


In the statement regarding Blinken's call with Netanyahu, the statement read: "Secretary of State Anthony Blinken spoke with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu today. Secretary Blinken reaffirmed the strength of the bilateral partnership and the commitment of the United States to Israel's security. The Secretary and the Prime Minister discussed common interests, including expanding regional integration for Israel and confronting the threats posed by Iran.


"Secretary (Blinken) affirmed the United States' continued support for policies that guarantee freedom, security, and prosperity for Israelis and Palestinians alike," he added.


Jerusalem received a copy of the two successive statements.

PALESTINE

Tue 05 Sep 2023 5:08 pm - Jerusalem Time

The New York Times: Palestinians seek leverage from Saudi-Israel talks

The New York Times published a report on Tuesday, under the headline “While the Saudis Consider an Agreement with Israel, the Palestinians Seek to Gain Influence on the Talks,” in which it was stated that “when a group of three Arab countries established historic diplomatic relations with Israel in 2020, the leadership considered Practical Palestinian betrayal: the accords ended a decades-old Arab practice of renouncing Israel until a Palestinian state was created, but three years later, and in the midst of US efforts to broker a similar agreement between Israel and Saudi Arabia, Palestinian leaders are embracing a different path of communication.


The report explains: “As three senior Palestinian envoys arrive in Riyadh, the Saudi capital, on Tuesday, for discussions about the demands that Saudi Arabia can make on behalf of the Palestinians in return for establishing relations with Israel, this approach reflects the dynamic that occurred in 2020, when Bahrain established And Morocco and the United Arab Emirates have relations with Israel without consulting the Palestinians, let alone winning permanent concessions for them, and at that time, the Palestinians were only condemning the process.


The report adds: "While Palestinian enthusiasm for the normalization process remains negligible, this shift embodies how the Palestinian leadership now feels it has more to gain by participating in negotiations, at least at this early stage. Since assuming power last December, the right-wing government has strengthened Extremists in Israel have gained control of the occupied West Bank and announced massive expansions in Israeli settlements, which makes the possibility of establishing a Palestinian state more remote, and engagement with Saudi Arabia provides an opportunity for the Palestinians to maintain regional support for their cause at a time when its momentum is waning.


The report quotes Ibrahim Dalalsheh, an analyst based in Ramallah, in the West Bank, as saying that they have “basically internalized their past mistake.” In 2020, they “really felt that their reaction came at a great cost to them,” and now they have “rethought the whole process.” "There is no other alternative for the Palestinians," he added.


For their part, the Saudis are also seeking greater concessions than those offered in 2020 to their Emirati neighbors: "In exchange for normalization, Riyadh wants greater military cooperation with the United States, as well as US support for a civilian nuclear program; but it also wants concessions from Israel." meaningful to the Palestinians and considering what to demand, according to diplomats familiar with the negotiations, and in 2020 the Emirati leadership got only a symbolic gesture: the temporary delay of Israel's plans to annex the West Bank.Analysts believe the Saudis, aware of their powerful role in the Middle East, want Winning something more important for the Palestinians."


The report attributes to Ghassan al-Khatib, a former Palestinian minister and analyst based in Ramallah, as saying that "Saudi Arabia considers itself the leader on the Islamic level, and therefore it is trying to act in this way."


The report quotes Majdi al-Khalidi, one of the three senior Palestinian officials who traveled to Riyadh, as saying in a telephone interview that "there is only one demand, which is the implementation of the Arab Peace Initiative," referring to a Saudi-sponsored plan published in 2002 that called for the establishment of a Palestinian state. Khalidi, a foreign policy adviser to Mahmoud Abbas, denied that his government had made any proposals on a smaller scale, “but privately, Palestinian officials have discussed pushing for more modest concessions, though they are still not fundamentally possible, according to six informed diplomats.” On the discussions, they requested anonymity in order to speak more freely. A list of Palestinian talking points was seen by the newspaper.


According to the report, "These demands include restoring Saudi financial support to the Palestinians, which was gradually canceled in the past years after a prominent Saudi official expressed his frustration with the perceived Palestinian ingratitude. The Palestinian demands also include US support for full Palestinian membership in the United Nations, and the transfer of more From territories to Palestinian administrative control in the West Bank, the resumption of Saudi financial support may be a possible outcome of the Palestinian outreach, but other demands seem overly ambitious.

PALESTINE

Tue 05 Sep 2023 4:45 pm - Jerusalem Time

PM Shtayyeh condemns occupation's violations against women in Hebron

Prime Minister Muhammad Shtayyeh condemned, on Tuesday, what was revealed by Israeli human rights organizations that the occupation soldiers committed terrible violations against our women in the city of Hebron, describing these violations as disgraceful, which reflects the level of gendarmerie to which the criminal practices of the occupation have descended against our people, without the slightest regard for international laws


Shtayyeh said: "Violating the sanctity of our homes and harming our women is a provocative, disgraceful, and horrible act, which is practiced only by those who have been stripped of morals and human values." Shtayyeh called on the countries of the world to condemn these horrible violations and bring the perpetrators to international justice.

PALESTINE

Tue 05 Sep 2023 4:38 pm - Jerusalem Time

Economy Minister calls international community to intervene to stop Israeli embargo on Gaza exports

Today, Tuesday, Minister of National Economy Khaled Osaily called on the international community to put pressure on the Israeli occupation government to cancel the collective punishment decision banning the marketing of Gaza Strip products in the West Bank after it closed the Kerem Shalom commercial crossing, the only outlet for the Strip.


Minister Osaily described the Israeli decision as unfair, and added to the policy of collective punishment pursued by the Israeli occupation government since 2007, as the Israeli blockade on the Strip caused a deep humanitarian and economic crisis.


He blamed the occupation government for the repercussions of this decision, which incurs heavy losses to the private sector and its various components, and deprives merchants, farmers and manufacturers of marketing their products, which disrupts the movement of production and employment.

PALESTINE

Tue 05 Sep 2023 4:33 pm - Jerusalem Time

Shtayyeh: Israel financial deductions are systematic piracy

Today, Tuesday, Prime Minister Muhammad Shtayyeh considered the deduction by the Israeli occupation authorities of additional amounts from the clearing funds, in exchange for debts owed by the Jerusalem Electricity Company, as a systematic piracy and robbery of our money, as it is a private company that is not affiliated with the National Authority.


Shtayyeh also considered these deductions to be associated with committing crimes, violating sanctities, and desecrating Islamic and Christian sanctities, in light of the closed political horizon, as a recipe for explosion, and declaring a financial war that integrates with the ongoing political war against our people, behind which the occupation authorities aim to undermine the dream of our people in gaining his rights and establishing his independent state with Jerusalem as its capital.


Shtayyeh called on the United States and European Union countries to intervene to stop all these policies, warning of their dangerous repercussions.

PALESTINE

Tue 05 Sep 2023 4:28 pm - Jerusalem Time

Occupation army closes checkpoints northern Jordan Valley

Today, Tuesday, the Israeli occupation forces closed the Tayaseer and Hamra military checkpoints in the northern Jordan Valley, from all directions.


Local sources said that the occupation forces closed the two checkpoints and prevented citizens from passing through them, which caused a suffocating crisis.

PALESTINE

Tue 05 Sep 2023 2:28 pm - Jerusalem Time

Israeli army arrests 3 young men from Jerusalem

Today, Tuesday, the Israeli occupation forces arrested 3 Jerusalemites from the Old City and from the town of Al-Isawiya, northeast of occupied Jerusalem, and renewed the house arrest of the head of the Jerusalemite Commission for Combating Judaization, Nasser Hadami.


The Commission for Detainees and Ex-Detainees Affairs in Jerusalem reported that the occupation forces arrested the two young men, Amir Majid al-Rishq and Firas Faris al-Rishq, from the Old City of occupied Jerusalem, after brutally assaulting them.


The occupation authorities postponed the trial of the boy, Saleh Al-Fakhouri, until next Tuesday, and also extended the detention of the young man, Mustafa Abu Sneina, until the eleventh of this month, and postponed the trial of the young Jerusalemite, Youssef Al-Rishq, until the 12th of this month.



PALESTINE

Tue 05 Sep 2023 1:58 pm - Jerusalem Time

4 detainees continue their hunger strike

Today, Monday, four detainees in the Israeli occupation prisons continue their open hunger strike, in refusal of their detention, including three administrators.


The detainees on strike are: Kayed Al-Fasfous from Dura in Hebron (34 years old), he has been on strike for 33 days, and he has been detained since May 2. He is a former prisoner who spent about 7 years in the occupation prisons. He went on a hunger strike at the end of May and the beginning of last June for a period of time. 9 days, knowing that he is married and has a daughter.


He also went on strike in 2021 against his administrative detention, which lasted for 131 days, and he is being held in the cells of the Negev.


The prisoner Sultan Khalouf (42 years) from the town of Burqin has been on strike for 33 days, since the moment of his arrest early last month, and an administrative detention order has been issued against him for a period of four months, noting that he is a former prisoner who spent years in the occupation prisons, and went on a hunger strike in 2019. He continued for 67 days, refusing his administrative detention, and the occupation continues to detain him in the cells of Al-Jalama Detention Center.


The administrative prisoner, Abd al-Rahman Iyad Baraka (24 years), from Aqabat Jabr camp in Jericho, has been on strike for 26 days. He has been detained since April 30 and is being held in Raymond prison.


The prisoner, Maher al-Akhras, 52, from the town of Silat al-Dhahr in Jenin, has been on strike for 13 days. He is a former prisoner who spent five years in the occupation prisons, the last of which was in 2020, during which he embarked on an open hunger strike in rejection of his administrative detention, which lasted for 103 days. He is married and a father of six. Sons, noting that he is being held in the cells of "Al-Jalama" detention center.


It is noteworthy that since 2011, the number of individual strikes has exceeded 440, most of which are against administrative detention, while the number of administrative detainees in the occupation prisons has reached more than 1,200, and this percentage is the highest in years.

PALESTINE

Tue 05 Sep 2023 1:36 pm - Jerusalem Time

Israel pursues medical crime against prisoner Walid Daqqa

Today, Tuesday, the Commission of Detainees and Ex-Detainees Affairs said, "The health condition of the cancer-stricken detainee Walid Daqqa, who is being held in the Ramleh Prison Clinic, has stabilized slightly, but the danger still exists."


The authority stated, in a statement, that the prisoner, Daqqa, suffers from spinal cord cancer, and has recently suffered several serious and successive health setbacks, including severe pneumonia, acute renal failure, and a drop in blood levels.


The commission demanded that the prisoner, Daqqa, be immediately transferred to a civilian hospital, which would provide him with the necessary medical treatments, warning of the dangers of transferring him to the "Ramla clinic", due to the lack of medical equipment necessary for his health condition.


The authority indicated that the prisoner, Daqqa, formed from his small cell a national and intellectual beacon for humanity, and over the course of 37 years of captivity, he faced the prison system with all its tools, including the crime of medical negligence (slow killing), which brought him to this dangerous health stage, along with hundreds of prisoners. Patients in occupation prisons who face this crime around the clock.

PALESTINE

Tue 05 Sep 2023 11:58 am - Jerusalem Time

Injuries during occupation army attack on a school north of Hebron

Dozens of female students suffocated today, Tuesday, when the Israeli occupation forces attacked Zahrat al-Madaen Basic School, in the town of Beit Ummar, north of Hebron.


According to local sources, these forces fired tear gas canisters at the students while they were in the school, which led to dozens of them and the teachers suffocating.


As a result, clashes broke out between citizens and the occupation forces.

PALESTINE

Tue 05 Sep 2023 11:34 am - Jerusalem Time

Occupation forces deliver 50 demolition notices south of Nablus

Today, Tuesday, the Israeli occupation forces delivered 50 notices of demolition and "returning the land to what it was", in Duma village, south of Nablus.


According to local sources, those forces stormed the eastern and southern areas of the village, and distributed 50 notices, including one for the demolition of an agricultural room and another for bulldozing a newly opened street, while the rest of the notices stipulated that the lands reclaimed by their owners be returned to what they were.


The sources pointed out that the occupation authorities claim that these lands are state property and are located in Area C, according to the Oslo Accords, stressing that all the lands that were notified are privately owned and that citizens have identity papers in them.