The Israeli General Security Service, the Shin Bet, claimed on Sunday that it had arrested two young Palestinians from the village of Jalboun near Jenin, claiming that they were behind a series of shootings.

According to the Shin Bet's statement, Youssef Abu Al-Rub (36 years old) was arrested after he carried out a shooting attack last April towards the Ma'ale Gilboa settlements, which damaged a settler's house.

According to the agency's investigations, it was found that Abu Al-Rub used a weapon belonging to the young Muhammad Abu Al-Rub (35 years old), one of his relatives, who was previously arrested on the grounds of belonging to ISIS.

He pointed out that Muhammad Abu Al-Rub also carried out shooting operations against Israeli forces during their missions in and around Jenin.

1. On Sunday evening, the Israeli occupation forces arrested a young man at Hatta Gate, one of the gates of Al-Aqsa Mosque.

According to local sources, these forces arrested the young man, Musab Abu Ghazaleh, and transferred him to the Al-Qishla investigation center, in the Old City of occupied Jerusalem.

Today, Sunday, the Emergency Committee of the Detainees National Movement decided to start an open-ended hunger strike on Thursday 09/14/2023.

The committee demanded the cessation of all decisions and policies taken to restrict the prisoners and their conditions of life, as well as the return of all that was robbed of their rights during the last period.

She added: "Our rights, under which we live, were snatched with our blood, and thousands of tons of meat in the strikes that we waged, and we did not get them either as a favor, or as a favor, or as a commitment to international laws and laws, and therefore they are not subject to negotiation or waiver."

And I demanded that the prisoners and the Palestinian people stand up to this aggression and prepare for this real confrontation with an enemy lurking in circles.

She added that the current month of September is a title and a month that brings together the two holiest issues, a scene for which our people rose up twenty-three years ago, and prisoners whose people will rise up with them this year until the freedom of our prisoners and captives is achieved.

And she continued: The unity embodied by the captive movement during the last two years was the guarantee - after God's success - in repelling the aggression against us, which the captives seek to consolidate more and more day after day, and which they hope will extend to all Palestinian arenas of action, and embody it through the support of our people for us in this battle. .

The committee concluded, "Our battle with this occupier is an open battle. We can hardly turn a page until we open another. Readiness and mobilization are our firm choices as long as the occupation is based on our land and our chests."

The Israeli occupation forces and settlers committed 851 attacks, ranging from direct assault on citizens, vandalizing and leveling lands, storming villages, uprooting trees, and seizing property, during the month of August.

The head of the Colonization and Wall Resistance Commission, Muayad Shaaban, said in the monthly violations report that the violations concentrated in the Jerusalem governorate with 148 attacks, followed by the Nablus governorate with 140 attacks, then the Hebron governorate with 113 attacks.

142 attacks carried out by settlers:

He pointed out that the number of attacks carried out by settlers during the monitored period amounted to 142, including organized and serious attacks in Wadi Al-Sik, east of Ramallah, and in the Nablus governorate in Burin and Qaryut, while in the Hebron governorate they concentrated in Masafer Yatta.

Demolition of 41 homes and commercial establishments:

Shaaban pointed out that the occupation forces carried out 36 demolitions, which resulted in the demolition of 41 homes and commercial establishments, concentrated in the governorates of Hebron, Jerusalem and Ramallah.

He said: In August, the occupation authorities issued 106 notices of demolition, halting construction, and eviction of Palestinian facilities, which threatens the implementation of major demolitions in the next stage. Most of the notices were concentrated in the governorates of Jericho with 23 notices, Nablus and Jerusalem with 22 notices, and Salfit with 15 notices.

A decision granting authority to “regulate” outposts:

Shaaban added: Last month, the occupation government took a dangerous decision represented in approving the granting of powers to allocate land use to the Settlement Division, and thus granting it the power to organize settlement outposts and enhance their illegal presence on citizens' lands, by approving the allocation of vast areas of land for outposts such as the "Amichai" outpost. between the governorates of Ramallah and Nablus, and "Mevo Yericho" in the governorate of Jericho last year.

And he continued: The occupation state is moving forward with the issue of devouring more Palestinian lands, and imposing complete annexation plans despite its opposition to the most basic rules of international law, and the occupation has organized the presence of two new settlement outposts in the Hebron Governorate, which are the “Ashiel” and “Avigal” outposts, from By adjusting the borders of these two outposts, and giving them hundreds of dunams this month for their future expansion.

Uprooting 260 trees:

The report monitored the uprooting of 260 trees. Most of these operations were concentrated in the Hebron governorate, with 110 trees uprooted, followed by the Bethlehem governorate, with 70 trees uprooted.

Approving the construction of 98 settlement units:

The report pointed out that the occupation authorities approved the construction of 98 settlement units in the "Givat Ze'ev" settlement, northwest of Jerusalem, and the seizure of about 588 dunums of citizens' lands in several areas was studied.

The Authority of Prisoners and Ex-Prisoners and the Palestinian Prisoner’s Club said that the occupation prisons administration, on Sunday morning, began transferring 120 prisoners, with high sentences and leaders of the captive movement, from “Nafha” prison, to a collective isolation section that it set up specifically for prisoners whom it classifies as “security dangerous”.

The authority and the club clarified that this transfer process comes within the framework of the continuous aggression against the prisoners, and the prison administration’s attempt to harm the organizational structures, as well as strike any stability that the prisoner tries to create in the context of confronting the abuses they are subjected to, as well as to confront the policies and procedures of the prison administration.

The authority and the club indicated that this transfer targeted the same prisoners who were transferred at the beginning of this year from Hadarim prison to Nafha prison.

In a joint statement, the authority and the club pointed out that the mass transfers come within the framework of a systematic policy, which the prison administration sought, specifically in light of the state of unified confrontation that the prisoners are trying to establish, to repel the aggression sought by the fascist occupation government led by the fascist minister "Ben Ghafir". This transfer also comes shortly after the visit carried out by Ben Gvir to the Negev and Ofer prisons.

It is noteworthy that "Ofer" prison, which is the only prison built on the lands occupied in 1967, and for the first time since the signing of the Oslo Accords, prisoners with high sentences and life sentences, and the leaders of the captive movement are being held.

The committee and the club said that the Israeli extreme right-wing government led by Benjamin Netanyahu and the membership of "Ben Gvir" and others like him know with certainty that harming prisoners in Israeli prisons will lead to an explosion and escalation of the state of confrontation in prisons.

The committee and the club called for the broadest popular and official line-up, and not to leave the prisoners alone in this battle, which will not be limited to prisons.

The Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Expatriates called on the international community to apply real international pressure to compel the Israeli government to stop all its illegal unilateral measures, to curb and dismantle settler militias and terrorist organizations, and to dry up their funding sources.

In a press statement today, Sunday, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs condemned the escalation in the attacks and crimes of the occupation forces, settler militias, and their terrorist elements against Palestinian citizens, their land, property, homes, and sanctities, the latest of which was the settlers’ terrorist attacks, under the protection of the occupation forces, on unarmed civilians in the town of Qusra, south of Nablus, and their attacks on shepherds in Al-Mughayer village, east of Ramallah, in addition to cutting down and uprooting 74 olive trees in the town of Nilin, west of Ramallah.

It held the Israeli government headed by Benjamin Netanyahu fully and directly responsible for the attacks and attacks of settler militias and their dangerous consequences on the conflict arena.

The Foreign Ministry pointed out that the weak and low international responses and attitudes towards settler crimes and orgies, and the failure to implement United Nations resolutions on the Palestinian issue perpetuate the occupation and deepen the episodes of the apartheid regime, and encourage extremist settlers and their terrorist organizations to commit more attacks on Palestinian citizens.

It emphasized that the protection and immunity provided by some major countries to the occupying state secures its continued impunity, deepens the injustice and persecution of the Palestinian people, and steals more of its land in favor of settlements to complete the annexation of the West Bank, and also undermines any opportunity to embody the Palestinian state on the ground with East Jerusalem as its capital, Which leads to resolving the future of the negotiated final solution issues unilaterally and by the occupation force and in accordance with the map of its colonial interests.

It seems that there is a war on the horizon as a result of the Israeli aggressive escalation targeting the West Bank, including Jerusalem, and the threats of the Prime Minister of the occupation government, Netanyahu, to assassinate the deputy head of the political bureau of Hamas, Saleh Al-Arouri, and the Israeli military exercises on war on three fronts: the Gaza Strip, Lebanon, and Iran-backed Syria. Israeli officials accuse Iran of being behind arming Hezbollah, providing military and material support to Islamic Jihad and Hamas, and supporting resistance operations in the West Bank.

And when we say that there seems to be a war of aggression for which the occupying power is preparing in coordination with the United States and Western countries, we base this on several facts on the horizon, including what is public and what is secret.

What is the meaning of the increase in the Israeli military arsenal by the United States of America, which includes all kinds of modern and advanced weapons? Its preparation for the war of aggression, especially as it carries out attacks on Syria and attempts to carry out attacks against Iran, and Tehran's disclosure of Israeli spying networks in Iran, is certainly with the aim of launching strikes against Iran that are not necessarily announced by the occupying power.

The other thing that indicates the preparations for the aggressive war is the internal crisis experienced by the occupying state and the increasing number of participants in the demonstrations against the Netanyahu government to protest the so-called judicial reform, in addition to the demonstrations that Eritreans took refuge yesterday south of Tel Aviv, along with those who refused military service from the forces, which pushes the Netanyahu government, as it was in the past, to resolve internal crises by waging an aggressive war that unites the authority and the opposition, especially if this aggressive war is against the Palestinians or other Arabs who oppose the occupying state and its violations and crimes against our people.

The developments of the situation in the West Bank also indicate that the occupying power will not hesitate to launch an aggression against the Strip and invade areas in the West Bank, as happened in the Jenin camp, especially after the occupation threat to return to the policy of assassinations, and the threat to assassinate leaders from Hamas and Islamic Jihad, in addition to what It is carrying out killings, capturing, demolishing homes, besieging towns, villages and camps, which has led to reactions through operations targeting the occupation forces and herds of settlers who wreaked havoc on the land.

It is these indications and many others that prompt us to say that there seems to be a new Israeli war of aggression being prepared for now, but when will it break out? It is the developments of the situation that will determine that, but the occupying state must know that any upcoming war will not know its results, its duration, and its repercussions on the occupying state, because it will certainly not be like its precedents.

Over the course of 15 years, the BRICS alliance was formed by Brazil, Russia, India, China and South Africa. The annual conference was held this year between 22-24 August last in South Africa, and it was agreed to include 6 new countries, to include Egypt, the UAE, Saudi Arabia, Ethiopia, Argentina and Iran, to become 11 countries in this alliance with the beginning of 2024, with which we may witness a transformation of the world order in the twenty-first century: 

- From a monopolar system to a multipolar one.

- From the dominance of the dollar to another currency (there is competition between the major countries, and this may push these countries to adopt the digital currency to bypass the competition).

- From neoliberalism to a new, moderate socialism that brings together advanced countries in the Asian, African and Latin American continents.

An exciting alliance, and it is very important for us as Palestinians to have positive and strong diplomatic relations with these allied countries. Palestine's application for accession is a diplomatic strategic planning based on the profit base in drawing the map of foreign policy and international relations. For Palestine to strengthen its position among (Brazil, Russia, India, China, South Africa, Egypt, the UAE, Saudi Arabia, Ethiopia, Argentina and Iran), is an important point in the interest of the Palestinian cause. The BRICS position on the issue is fair and positive, as the final declaration of the summit demanded support for the resolutions of the Security Council and the General Assembly of the United Nations, as well as the Arab peace initiative aimed at implementing the two-state solution and establishing the State of Palestine, and they expressed their rejection of settlements and the escalating settler violence, and affirmed their support for the United Nations agency Relief and Works Agency for Refugees, "UNRWA", and pledged to provide more international assistance to improve the humanitarian situation of the Palestinian people.

It worries me that the leaders of the "BRICS" countries have called for support for direct negotiations that lead to the establishment of a sovereign Palestinian state. Here, they deal with "negotiations" as an end and not as a means, and this is a sensitive issue. We have to learn from the experience of 30 years of adopting "negotiations," and to mention From a scientific point of view, negotiations are one of the peaceful tools used in resolving conflicts, and here we must think of other tools. It is illogical for us to continue repeating the same phrases and adopting the same strategies, expecting different results. If Palestine joins, this will enhance its position politically and economically, as it will open the horizons for dealing with a new currency in light of the deprivation of an independent currency and the deep dependence on the Israeli shekel on the one hand and the US dollar on the other.

It is interesting that more than 22 large and small countries submitted requests to join the group, which calls for comparison or competition to some extent with the Group of Seven and the Group of Twenty. The most sensitive topic for this group is how to reduce the importance of the dollar as a global reserve currency. The BRICS economies are larger than the G7 economies combined. But an attractive new currency to compete with the dollar cannot be achieved anytime soon. However, bilateral agreements for more trade involving national currencies rather than the dollar are growing rapidly. Exploiting the dominance of the dollar to impose sanctions led by the United States will hasten the demise of the dollar, and for this we imagine the emergence of a new currency that may be electronic to avoid a race dispute between these countries. In order to avoid the collapse of this alliance that is heading towards adjusting the international balance of power, it is possible for the group to unite by issuing a new digital currency.

Some analysts believe that the existence of the BRICS group is threatened if it turns into a single bloc led by China! There are many accusations of labeling it an "illiberal bloc" that competes with the United States and the European Union, and against democracies in the world. But there are many forces that oppose and do not want India, Argentina or Brazil to embrace China's dictatorial populism. Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates, Turkey and Egypt are all seeking to carve out a position between the two large blocs. For these countries, the benefit of belonging to the rising group is to protect themselves from undue pressure to join the camps of the United States or China, by formalizing non-alignment. This is what we witnessed when most of these countries actually refused to take sides in the Russia-Ukraine war. .

- Dalal Erekat: Professor of Diplomacy and Strategic Planning, Faculty of Graduate Studies, Arab American University.

This September marks the thirtieth anniversary of the signing of the Oslo Accord, known as the Declaration of Principles Agreement on Transitional Self-Government Arrangements, which was followed by other complementary or detailed agreements, most notably the Paris Economic Protocol in April 1994, and then the Oslo II Agreement, which was signed two years after the first in Taba, Egypt, then in Washington. The most prominent results of the signing of the Oslo Accords was the establishment of the Palestinian Authority, and the return of the Palestine Liberation Organization leadership, along with tens of thousands of its cadres, members and their families, to homeland.

But the real, tangible result that every Palestinian knows is that the occupation continues to perpetuate and impose its sway over all Palestinians, controlling their lives, movement, and breathing. As for the hopes that were revived, promoted, and amplified with the signing of the agreement, such as turning the Gaza Strip into the Singapore of the Middle East, they were soon dispelled. With the assassination of Yitzhak Rabin, and then the right-wing, headed by Benjamin Netanyahu, came to power in 1996. The disappointment/disaster was completed with the adoption of the Israeli Labor Party, under the leadership of Ehud Barak, the vision of the Israeli right to perpetuate the occupation, and to do everything that would undermine the chances of establishing an independent Palestinian state, expanding settlements, and Judaizing Jerusalem and make limited administrative self-rule a ceiling for the aspirations of the Palestinians while strengthening their dependence on Israel.

Was the fate of conflict and peace dependent on the life of one person named Yitzhak Rabin, and when the Israeli extremist right-wing forces assassinated him, Oslo collapsed, and that revealed the true face of Israel, or was Oslo a trap set tightly by Israel and lured into it by the leadership, along with the entire Palestinian national movement? Or was it a gamble and a bet on the Labor Party's serious desire for peace, or was it a conscious choice that the Palestinian leadership accepted, fully aware of the fatal gaps in the agreement, but it agreed to it, being forced to avoid what is worse for it, i.e. the option to write off and get out of the equation, especially since the leadership Before the agreement, and coinciding with the results of the first Gulf War and the collapse of the Soviet Union, it was subjected to an Arab and international political and financial blockade.

Perhaps some of the questions raised are within the competence of historians and researchers, whose mission requires rigorous scientific studies far from passion, emotions, and prejudices. Others are answered by the reality clearly, which we see now and feel from our daily follow-up to the current Israeli project to resolve the conflict and liquidate the national rights of the Palestinian people. There is nothing new in saying that all the loopholes and shortcomings that the Oslo agreement contained in its texts and applications were clear and were accurately diagnosed by the opposition forces and critics of the agreement, especially since the agreement did not refer in any way to the existence of the occupation and did not clearly touch on the goal of the settlement process and negotiations to get rid of it. The occupation and the establishment of an independent Palestinian state with Jerusalem as its capital, and postponed the most important issues, which are Jerusalem, refugees, settlements, the state and borders, and the issue of water was added to it in an Israeli design that is not devoid of expansionist connotations, while the issue of prisoners was classified within what was called confidence-building measures.

At the beginning of the negotiations and agreements, Israel showed an artificial and exaggerated strictness towards formal and protocol issues, such as the naming of the Palestinian Council, and the status of the president. But later, it tolerated this matter and lavished on the Palestinians what they wanted of prestige and prestige supplies, especially the privileges of senior officials such as cards, freedom of movement, titles, and facilities for family reunification, in return for being strict on real sovereign issues such as the activities of the Authority in Jerusalem and areas classified (C) or the general conditions of the people. And what hundreds of thousands of people are subjected to daily from the forms of abuse and humiliation at the checkpoints and roads that connect the governorates.

With the exception of individual and personal testimonies given by some of those who participated in the preparation of the Oslo Accords and then left their positions, there was no serious and responsible review of what happened, a review that would lead to drawing lessons and lessons and changing the methods of work and leadership. On the contrary, the forces that criticized, attacked, and opposed Oslo have adapted over time to Oslo and its applications. Some of them participated in the PA governments, and most of them (to be precise, all except the Jihad Movement) participated in the legislative council elections arising from the PA and Oslo, and they maintained their criticism of the Oslo approach. And the method of making the decision, but the leaders of these parties do not object, rather they are struggling, in order to obtain the privileges provided by the Oslo Accord to some leaders such as very important personal cards, and freedom of movement under security coordination while tens of thousands of Palestinians are banned from travel, and more than five thousand militants And activists are languishing in prisons, and dozens of them have spent more than a quarter of a century in prison.

There is a painful irony in this painful scene, which is that those who led the Palestinian people in the 1960s and 1970s and then glorified the armed struggle and the long-term popular war of liberation, are themselves, except for whom God chose to be next to him, who led the next stages of the ten-point program to Oslo, to our dusty  day. Our masters in ignorance are our masters in Islam, and they are also our masters in the unipolar phase and the multipolar world that is now being created with the rise of the Chinese and Indian giants and Saudi Arabia’s search for a position worthy of it in this world. There is no review, evaluation, or accountability, even though the Oslo Accord was not just a text on which we agree or disagree. Rather, it is an approach based on exclusivity of the decision and the absence of a national partnership, so shall we take a lesson?

The Journalist Support Committee monitored (129) violations of media freedoms against journalists in the Palestinian territories, represented by arrest, targeting with bullets, direct field assault, prevention of coverage and travel ban, in addition to other forms of targeting journalists and media professionals in the field and inside the occupation prisons.

According to the committee’s report, the month of August 2023 witnessed more than (75) Israeli violations against media professionals, which come within the framework of the occupation forces’ attempt to obscure the bright truth of their crimes and terror that they practice against the Palestinians. The report also records (33) violations by internal Palestinian parties. In the West Bank, and on combating Palestinian content, the report recorded (21) cases of violations by social media.

Israeli violations

The report documented, during the month of August 2023, the injury and targeting of (22) journalists, by the occupation forces and settlers, during their coverage of the occupation’s storming of Palestinian cities, and the demolition of the occupation’s bulldozers of Palestinian homes in occupied Jerusalem and the occupied interior, and during their coverage of marches and events in the occupied West Bank and Jerusalem, where the occupation used bullets. rubber bands and poison gas bombs to prevent journalists from covering and attending the event. It is reported that among them was the injury of a journalist from the Gaza Strip.

The report also documented the arrest, detention and summoning of (10) journalists by the Israeli occupation forces, namely Ahmed Jalajel, Najwa Adnan, Ahmed Al-Safadi - twice arrested and summoned -, Muhammad Nazzal, Khaled Bedir and Shadi Jaraa, Sari Jaradat, Ibrahim Sinjlawi, and Youssef Sharawna.

Concerning issuing judgments and postponing trials, the report recorded (4) cases, after the occupation court postponed the trial of journalist Ramzi Abbasi at the beginning of the month, then issued a detention order against him for a year and an additional day, keeping him in detention, as well as issuing a 24-month de facto detention sentence against journalist Ibrahim Abu Safiya. Except for the decision to refuse to release the sick writer Walid Daqqa and keep him under arrest.

In addition, the occupation forces, in partnership with the settlers, prevented more than (28) cases of coverage, obstructing the performance of their duties and their coverage of marches and events in the West Bank and Gaza Strip, which show the violations of the Israeli occupation and prevented them from working, including live bullets, gas bombs, insults, and profanity.

In addition, the report recorded (2) cases of travel ban for journalists Muhammad Nazzal and Alaa Al-Rimawi, and it also issued a decision to deport (1) the journalist Ahmed Al-Safadi from Al-Aqsa Mosque for a period of one month, and imposed a fine of (2) on the journalists Ahmed Al-Safadi at a value of 5000 shekels. And Ibrahim Abu Safiya, with a value of 2000 shekels.

Concerning the break-in and destruction, the report records the case of (1) break-in into the house of journalist Diala Jweihan, and (1) break-in of her home furniture under the pretext of inspection.

The report also records (4) cases of harassment and torture in the occupation prisons against the prisoner, writer Walid Daqqa, depriving him of treatment, medical neglect, and refusing to release him. The occupation also prevented journalist Ramzi Abbasi from appearing before his trial and postponed his court before the issuance of his arrest decision, and the court judge refused him to embrace his daughter, as well. The practice of humiliating searches against journalists Khaled Badir and photographer Shadi Jararaa during their arrest and interrogation as part of the policy of body searches, and they were searched for the second time on the same day. before releasing them.

Social media violations

With regard to combating Palestinian content, activist journalists and their media sites were subjected to an attack on digital media through the applications of “WhatsApp”, “Tik Tok”, “Facebook”, “Instagram” and other social networking sites, after they closed and restricted accounts and banned the administrations of social networking sites. Conspiring with the Israeli occupation, more than (6) cases of accounts of journalists and media sites on Tik Tok were known, including the "Sama Al-Quds" website, the journalist Muhammad Samreen, the journalist Abdullah Bahash and others.

Dozens of journalists were also targeted on the “WhatsApp” platform under the pretext of publishing anything that violates the publishing instructions. Twelve of them were known as: Hammam Al-Hattab, correspondent of “Unews” agency, Ibrahim Qanan from “Al-Ghad Al-Arabi” TV, Ibrahim Musallam, Youth Media Center, journalist Samir Al-Naffar, Muhammad Abu Qamar, director of Safa Agency, journalist Muthanna Al-Najjar from Al-Quds Radio, Ahmed Abu Hashem from “Al-Quds Al-Youm”, Rabah Marzouk from “Prisoners’ Radio”, Ahmed Al-Shaqaqi Al-Istiqlal Newspaper, Ahmed Ghanem Al-Mayadeen TV, and journalist Ahmed Samhood works as a reporter for Al-Istiqlal TV. Jerusalem, and others.

Facebook also closed a number of accounts of journalists and media websites, including (2), namely, the page of journalist Abdel Raouf Al-Shanti from the Israeli Occupation Crimes Documentation Authority, the page of “Alam” Radio, and the accounts of the workers on the page, in the framework of combating Palestinian content, and Instagram was also deleted. Number (1) against the "Palestine 27" website without prior notice under the pretext of violating the standards.

Internal Palestinian attacks

Concerning internal attacks against journalists, the committee recorded (33) cases during the past August in the West Bank and Gaza Strip.

In the West Bank, 15 cases were recorded in which the Palestinian security services and members of the Fatah movement assaulted journalists while they were covering some events in Jenin, Nablus and Hebron. Six journalists were injured during the assault, beating and spraying them with pepper gas, and preventing (5) from covering and obstructing their duties. And (1) cameras were confiscated, and (2) journalists were summoned, in addition to (1) the house of writer Lama Khater being raided.

In the Gaza Strip, 18 cases were recorded when the security services summoned (3) journalists, assaulted (5) others, and obstructed the work of (6) while they were covering the We Want to Live movement, in addition to an unknown threat to (3) journalists not to practice any journalistic work. About the "We Want to Live" movement in Gaza", and phone number (1) was seized and searched before returning it.

First of all, it must be acknowledged that the issue of normalizing relations between Israel and Saudi Arabia is one of the most prominent topics that head the media these days.

It must be noted that the relentless American efforts to reach an agreement to normalize relations between Saudi Arabia and Israel come in the context of US President Joe Biden's readiness to fight the US presidential elections that will be held in November of next year.

The president, who is criticized for making many mistakes in the names of people and places when speaking, stumbling in walking, and old age, is looking for reasons that give him the opportunity to outperform his Republican rival, who all evidence indicates that he will be former President Donald Trump, despite the cases brought against him and attempts to implicate him on criminal charges that prevent him from reaching to the White House.

It seems that Biden is looking forward to achieving an impressive breakthrough in terms of US foreign policy, before the Republican Party conference convenes next March to choose the Republican candidate who will compete with Biden, which is to return the Middle East region, at the heart of which is the Israeli-Palestinian conflict, to the track of political negotiations, while achieving a practical breakthrough on the ground. A new road map that gains the support of members of Congress from both parties constitutes at the same time an obstacle to Chinese efforts to be present on the Saudi and regional arena, in addition to the decline in the Russian role due to Russia's preoccupation with its war in Ukraine.

It must be noted that the majority of members of Congress from both the Democratic and Republican parties will not support any proposals or steps taken by Biden unless they receive the green light from Israel, and therefore any American proposals to settle the conflict must be dealt with extreme caution so as not to be at the expense of rights and interests. patriotism of the Palestinian people.

There is no doubt that there is an American-Israeli interest in achieving the desired normalization that stems from external political considerations that contradict and even collide with internal Israeli considerations that have the ability to make or break the American initiative.

Escalating American normalization steps

It is noticeable that the American step towards the normalization of Saudi-Israeli relations constitutes an escalation in American diplomatic activity in the region and a qualitative and broad step forward. It comes after the Aqaba-Sharm al-Sheikh axis, which seeks to enhance security cooperation between the authority and Israel and achieve security calm in the West Bank, and after the Negev Forum axis, which includes Egypt, Morocco and the UAE in addition to America and Israel, and the so-called Abraham Accords to expand the space of normalization between the countries of the region and Israel. There is no doubt that the strategic goal of all of this is to reformulate regional relations in the region in favor of America and Israel.

The question remains: Where does the Palestinian leadership stand regarding the American move, and to what extent can it rely on the Saudi position in protecting Palestinian national rights, and to what extent can it influence that position? Will Saudi Arabia even allow the Palestinian side to interfere in its policies and decisions, even if they are related to Palestinian rights and interests? The margin in which the Palestinian leadership can move is a limited margin that does not exceed promises to continue the policy of controlling matters in the domestic arena and achieving the maximum level of calm by stopping the resistance operations that Israel and America claim that Iran is behind it and is holding its strings and moving it, and it is an accusation that falls in the hearts of the Saudis. Which deals with utmost suspicion with any action in which Iran has fingers.

Saudi Arabia between its security interests and its national obligations

Despite the limited Palestinian ability to influence the Saudi political decision regarding normalization with Israel, which will have fateful consequences for the Palestinian cause and the national rights of the Palestinian people, it is possible to exclude any Saudi neglect of our rights, whether given the historical role of the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, which stood by the Palestinian people and sent its soldiers to fight He was with him in the past, and she was the owner of the Arab Peace Initiative that King Abdullah presented to the Beirut Summit in 2002 and became the cornerstone of the Saudi position on the Palestinian-Israeli conflict and the ways to end it. Not to mention that the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, led by Prince Mohammed bin Salman, the Saudi Crown Prince, today enjoys an advanced position on the regional and international arenas, after it proved, following the outbreak of the Ukrainian war, that it is not subject to American dictates and developed its international relations with China and Russia and opened a channel of communication and dialogue with Iran that strengthened the Kingdom's regional role. . Taking all of the above into account, Saudi Arabia has the right to take care of its interests and to act guided by these interests within the framework of the national principles that it has always demonstrated its keenness on and commitment to. Saudi Arabia has the right to seek to ensure its own security by seeking to obtain highly advanced weapons and defense systems that guarantee it military superiority in the region, and seeks to sign a joint defense agreement with America that would deter any Iranian ambitions towards Saudi Arabia, and to build a nuclear reactor for peaceful purposes. While making sure that this reactor is not subject to any external domination, represented by linking it to refueling with another country, as is the case with the UAE and Egypt, for example, and preventing it from self-enriching the nuclear fuel needed by that reactor, but it refused that and insists that uranium be self-enriched, like Iran.

There is no doubt that achieving these Saudi demands is not an easy matter, as Israel and its supporters in America will work to ensure that any Saudi military superiority remains below the level of Israeli superiority and hegemony in the region, just as signing a joint defense agreement with America requires special approval from the Congress, which is controlled by supporters of Israel. Those who might work to obstruct it, not to mention the violent Israeli opposition against enabling Saudi Arabia to self-enrich uranium technology on the pretext that this could bring it closer to nuclear capacity and that at the same time it would open the door to the nuclear race in the region. In sum, Saudi Arabia is still facing some difficulties in obtaining what it wants in exchange for normalization, which are not impossible to overcome.

Proposals related to the Palestinian issue
Nevertheless, what is leaking news through the media indicates that there are American efforts and temptations related to the Palestinian cause to push Saudi Arabia towards normalization with Israel, and these efforts range from promises to showy steps such as announcing America's commitment to the two-state solution, recognition of the Palestinian people's right to self-determination, and the opening of an American consulate in East Jerusalem. Re-opening the Palestinian representation (embassy) in Washington and agreeing to change the status of the Palestinian representative in the United Nations. And economic inducements such as facilitating clearance money transfers, allowing the development and exploitation of the gas field in Gaza, and reviewing the Paris Economic Agreement.

There is a Saudi demand that Israel pledge to freeze settlements, stop annexing parts of the occupied lands, not establish new settlement outposts, stop incursions into Area A, and transfer parts from Area C to B and from B to A, while America is talking about a new road map and an interim agreement that leads to a negotiating process leading to a two-state solution, within which an air and sea port will be established in the Strip.

Whether this news is true or accurate or not, the main obstacle to any breakthrough lies in what might happen in the Israeli domestic arena, which is dominated by the fascist extreme right, which will work to thwart any such plan. And we, as Palestinians, must continue to work shoulder to shoulder with our Saudi brothers and accelerate the steps towards achieving unity and reconciling the resistance program with the political program and ending the division in order to be able to speak with one voice and one will if we are faced with the moment of making a fateful decision, although the chances of that are almost non-existent.

The head of the Council of Advisors in Morocco (the second chamber of Parliament), Al-Na'am Mayara, is visiting Israel at the head of a parliamentary delegation.

According to the Hebrew Channel 7, Mayara is expected to arrive tomorrow, Monday, or the visit may be delayed until next Thursday.

The channel said that the visit comes at the invitation of Knesset Speaker Amir Ohana, where he will meet Knesset members and Israeli personalities.

While the Council of Advisors stated that the visit began last Friday with the arrival of Mayara and his accompanying delegation to Jordan, then he will move to meet officials in Palestine and Israel.

Mayara and his accompanying delegation will carry out field visits, meetings with United Nations officials, and talks with parliamentary and government officials in Amman, Ramallah and Tel Aviv.

Mayara is the first prominent Moroccan political official to visit Israel, since the two countries announced on December 10, 2020, the resumption of their diplomatic relations after they were suspended in 2000.

On Sunday, dozens of settlers stormed Al-Aqsa Mosque, under the strict protection of the occupation police.

The settlers made provocative tours inside the courtyards of Al-Aqsa Mosque, and performed Talmudic rituals.

Settler groups storm Al-Aqsa on a daily basis, except for Friday and Saturday.

The Israeli border guards claimed that they thwarted, on Friday evening, an apparent attempt to carry out an attack against a group of settlers inside a water spring near Ramallah.

According to the Hebrew website Ynet, the attack was to take place at the "Ma'ayan Dany" spring, near the Dolev settlement near Ramallah.

He claimed that he was in possession of a Palestinian who was arrested at the scene, after being chased, with a homemade explosive device and gunpowder explosive.

He pointed out that the detainee is from the village of Kafr Nima.

The Israeli non-governmental human rights organization "HaMoked" said that Israel broke the record recorded 30 years ago for administrative detention of Palestinians, reaching 1,264 people.

The English-language Israeli newspaper Jerusalem Post quoted that organization as saying that there had not been such a large number of Palestinians administratively detained since the first intifada in the late 1980s and early 1990s.

The Human Rights NGO has received new data from the Israel Prison Service, which shows that the number of administrative detainees broke the last record of 1,108 in March 2003 at the height of the second intifada.

There had not been this many Palestinians in administrative detention since the first intifada in the late 1980s and early 1990s. In February, the HaMoked Center said earlier that the Israeli army had broken its record of administrative detention of Palestinians dating back some 20 years to the 2002-2003 Second Intifada era.

But since then, the numbers have increased even more. Even during the last years of the second intifada and during the knife uprising 2015-2016, the number of administrative detainees was more than 700.

And in the quieter years over the past two decades, the numbers have usually been less than 200 to 300 at a time. And in the mid-1990s, at the height of the Oslo peace talks, the number dropped to single digits.

The practice of administrative detention raises international criticism

Over the years, the United States has sometimes, and regularly Europe, criticized Israel for its use of administrative detention and other methods such as night arrests of Palestinian minors.

However, there are many other things that concern the United States and Europe regarding the government of Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, from new settlement construction, to incitement against the Palestinians by some of his coalition partners, to judicial reform, and administrative detention may be the least of their concerns.

“This is mass arbitrary detention,” said Executive Director Jessica Montell. “Israel has been holding more than 1,200 Palestinians without charge or trial, some for years, without effective judicial review.”

Montell also noted that overall prison numbers had decreased, with administrative detainees now making up a staggering quarter of all Palestinians held in Israeli prisons.

Administrative detention may not be valid in the eyes of the United States, Europe, and much of the human rights community because it abbreviates standard criminal procedures and rights.

For example, defense lawyers do not have access to classified evidence, the disclosure of which could expose Israeli intelligence sources and methods. But it still includes judicial procedures, all secret evidence is seen by judges, and most detainees are held for three to 12 months, not forever.

The Israeli army responded that “the volume of administrative detainees is a result of the security risk posed by each individual detainee,” adding that in addition to information about this risk pertaining to the individual detainee, the defense establishment also takes into account the security situation in the West Bank.

More Israeli civilians were killed by Palestinian attacks in 2023, approaching 40, than in any year since the second intifada nearly 20 years ago. From 2019 to 2021, only about a third of the number of Israelis were killed compared to the first eight months of 2023.

Furthermore, the Israeli army  said that "the use of administrative detention is limited to cases in which the security forces have reliable and basic information indicating that there is a tangible danger to security posed by the detainee and where there is no alternative" to avoid the danger.

The Israeli army said, "Each case of administrative detention includes ... a judicial process by military courts during which information that forms the basis of the detention is objectively reviewed."

The Israeli  said judicial procedures for administrative detention were serious and decisions could be appealed to the High Court of Justice.

Some of Israel's allies have criticized the killing of about 150 Palestinians by the Israeli army in the West Bank in 2022, a significant rise compared to previous years, a trend that is continuing and is likely to reach higher numbers by the end of 2023.

The issue of administrative detention may also receive special attention from the International Criminal Court and the International Court of Justice, both of which place Israel in their crosshairs.

The Hebrew newspaper Israel Hayom reported, on Sunday, that there is a state of anger among the Israeli official authorities, due to the upcoming announcement by the United Nations UNESCO, to recognize the "Old Jericho" site as a world heritage site located in Palestine.

According to the Hebrew newspaper, the UN organization will hold a conference after two weeks in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, and will announce from there that the heritage site is international and is located in Palestine, not "Israel".

The newspaper expected that the resolution would be passed easily because there is an automatic majority in favor of the Palestinians.

Knesset members sent a sharp message to the international organization, calling for the cancellation of the vote on such a decision, claiming that the region is part of the history of Jewish heritage.

Last night, the so-called Israeli Minister of National Security, Itamar Ben Gvir, instructed the Prison Service to start implementing his decision to reduce visits by the families of Palestinian prisoners from once a month to once every two months.

According to the Hebrew website Ynet, the Commissioner of the Prison Service, Katy Perry, received a letter from Ben Gvir asking her to implement the decision, despite the fact that Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu had denied the existence of such a decision, which he said would be taken after holding a special session of the Cabinet in this regard. Although the National Security Council in Netanyahu's office instructed not to implement the order to the competent authorities, including the Prison Service.

According to the Hebrew site, Ben Gvir confirmed during his letter to Berry that he is the responsible minister, and that she must implement that, indicating that Berry will hold an evaluation session before the implementation of the decision begins.

The site considered that this message from Ben Gvir is a response from him to Netanyahu, who tried to stop this step, which puts them in direct confrontation on this issue.

Ben Gvir believes that the commissioner of the Israeli Prison Service is obligated to implement his decision, as she follows his responsibilities, considering that his step is carried out in accordance with Israeli law.

This step joins another that will begin to be implemented today related to preventing the early release of prisoners with reduced sentences from one month to 3 years, as their sentences are about to end, due to overcrowding inside prisons.

The Shin Bet and the Israeli security and military agencies oppose these steps by Ben Gvir, and publicly criticized them, considering that his steps aim to ignite the situation with the Palestinians.

On Sunday, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, accompanied by his wife Sarah, will head to Cyprus on a two-day diplomatic visit.

According to the Hebrew website Ynet, this is his first trip abroad in 5 months, and during his visit he will meet with Cypriot President Nikos Christodoulides and Greek Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis.

The trip was supposed to take place at the end of last July, but it was postponed due to Netanyahu's hospitalization and the implantation of a pacemaker in his body.

Netanyahu's last trip abroad was at the end of last March, to London, and was accompanied by demonstrations by opponents of the judicial reforms led by his government.

Hundreds of Israelis living in Cyprus plan to demonstrate and protest during Netanyahu's visit.

This trip will be the first of several trips that Netanyahu will make abroad after the Hebrew New Year, as he will go to New York to deliver a speech on the 21st of this month at the United Nations, and it is not yet clear whether he will meet US President Joe Biden in New York or Washington at the White House. , which is the option preferred by Netanyahu, according to the site.

The Hebrew newspaper Yedioth Ahronoth said, on Sunday, that Israel will be in the coming period, especially next month, facing a difficult period that may lead to a constitutional crisis, and a conflict that is the first of its kind between the various authorities.

According to the newspaper, the courts' recess will end in the coming days, and it is expected that during the current and next month, several dramatic discussions will take place within the Supreme Council of Courts on several issues.

And it indicated that the failure to convene the Judiciary Selection Committee, the abolition of the reason for reasonableness, and the law of impunity, are all issues that will trigger a constitutional crisis, because of which ministers and members of the Knesset may be forced to declare that rulings issued by courts without their authority should not be implemented.

The discussions will take place within the Supreme Council of Israeli Courts, against the background of the Israeli government ministers pointing fingers at the Supreme Court in the wake of the riots that took place yesterday in south Tel Aviv.

At dawn on Sunday, the Israeli occupation forces wounded a young man and arrested another, after storming the town of Birzeit, north of Ramallah.

According to local sources, the young man was wounded with a rubber bullet in the head, during clashes that erupted when the occupation forces withdrew from the town, indicating that his injuries are stable.

The occupation forces raided several houses in the town, before arresting Saif Washha from his home.

Today, Saturday evening, the protest demonstrations against the government of Benjamin Netanyahu and its plan to weaken the "judicial system" were renewed for the 35th consecutive week.

Demonstrations took place in dozens of cities and towns, including Tel Aviv, Haifa, Jerusalem, Rehovot, Kfar Saba, Herzliya, and Ness Ziona.

Tens of thousands participated in the central demonstration on "Kaplan" Street in the center of Tel Aviv. A massive demonstration was also organized at the "Horef" junction in Haifa, the "Karkur" junction near Pardes Hanna, and the "Karmiel" junction.

Protest organizers announced the organization of three-day marches in the south and north at the end of next week, similar to the march they organized from Tel Aviv to the Knesset headquarters in Jerusalem, last July.

They pointed to the escalation of their protests ahead of the start of the Supreme Court sessions on September 12 to consider several petitions to cancel the "limiting reasonableness" law approved by the Knesset, Jewish holidays, and the opening of the winter session of the Knesset.

On July 24, the Israeli Knesset voted, in the second and third readings, on a bill abolishing the reasonableness argument, thus becoming an effective law despite widespread internal objections.

The law would prevent Israeli courts, including the Supreme Court, from applying what is known as the "standard of reasonableness" to decisions made by elected officials.

The law abolishing the reasonableness argument is one of the 8 bills put forward by the Israeli government as part of its plan to weaken the judiciary.

The Netanyahu government seeks to make radical amendments to the legal and judicial systems, to almost completely eliminate the Supreme Court's authority for judicial review, and to give the government an automatic majority in the judges' selection committee, which a wide segment of Israelis sees as "targeting democracy and undermining the judicial system."

Since the plan was announced in early January, tens of thousands of Israelis have demonstrated weekly to denounce the government that Netanyahu formed in December and its plan to weaken the "judiciary".

Today, Saturday evening, the Israeli occupation forces arrested young Palestinians at a checkpoint they set up at the northern entrance to the city of Jericho.

According to local sources, the occupation forces arrested Youssef Abdullah Al-Khatib (17 years old) and Jihad Suleiman Abu Shalhoub (19 years old) from Aqabat Jabr camp while they were passing through the checkpoint at the entrance to the city of Jericho.

On Saturday evening, settlers cut down a number of olive trees in the town of Nilin, west of Ramallah.

According to local sources, a group of settlers stormed the outskirts of Ni'lin town and uprooted and cut down a number of olive trees planted on land belonging to a citizen.

A Palestinian fisherman was wounded, this evening, Saturday, with a rubber bullet, after the occupation forces fired live and rubber bullets at fishermen's boats in the open sea in the northern Gaza Strip.

According to the Union of Fishermen's Committees, the occupation gunboats opened the water pumps towards the fishermen's boats operating in the area.

Eight civilians were injured today, Saturday, during an attack launched by settlers on farmers in the town of Qusra, southeast of Nablus.

According to local sources, a group of settlers attacked citizens on their lands in the Ras Al-Nakhl area, south of the town, assaulted them and tried to seize their phones to prevent them from asking for help.

The citizens rushed to confront the settlers, after the mosques' loudspeakers issued distress calls, and violent confrontations took place between the citizens, the settlers, and the occupation forces, during which the occupation soldiers and the settlement's security guard fired bullets.

Eight civilians were wounded, six of them with rubber bullets, and three settlers were hit with stones.

Today, Saturday, two young men were wounded by a rubber-coated metal bullet, during clashes with the Israeli occupation forces, in Kafr Qaddum, east of Qalqilya.

According to local sources, two young men were wounded by rubber-coated metal bullets and dozens suffocated after the occupation forces stormed the village, specifically the vicinity of Omar Bin Al-Khattab Mosque.

Prime Minister Muhammad Shtayyeh said, this evening, Saturday, that in the absence of a political horizon, we must look at our inner house, and there is a program for reform in public money, local governance, education, and in all joints.

During the inauguration of the new building of the College of Islamic Sciences in the town of Al-Dhahiriya, Hebron Governorate, Shtayyeh indicated that the government is making all efforts and contacts to hold general elections.

He added, "We will put on the agenda of the Council of Ministers all the demands that we heard from you, including the completion of the emergency center, the establishment of a complex for government departments, the establishment of a garden and an outlet in the vicinity of the College of Islamic Sciences, and the development of infrastructure in the town."

Shtayyeh said: “Education for our people is a survival strategy, and it is a competitive advantage for them.” He congratulated the opening of this distinguished edifice, which was built on the land of Islamic endowments with the help of the government and a generous donation from the local community. He said: Every edifice we build in Palestine is an enhancement of the steadfastness of our people.

He added, "Al-Dhahiriya is a fortress in the face of the occupation, and it is a bridge for our people in the 48 lands, and we are proud of it, and it is a title for civil peace with everyone's efforts in it."

The Palestinian police confirmed, on Saturday evening, that what happened with the convoy of Prime Minister Muhammad Shtayyeh, while he was in the town of Al-Dhahiriya, south of Hebron, was the result of a traffic accident.

The media spokesman for the police, Colonel Louay Arziqat, said that the accident took place between an illegal vehicle and a vehicle accompanying the Prime Minister's convoy while he was in the town of Al-Dhahiriya.

He pointed out that the accident resulted in material damage, and the illegal vehicle was seized, and accident experts began an investigation.

Palestinian Minister of Economy Khaled Al-Osaily announced today, Saturday, that a Palestinian-European economic forum will be held in the West Bank next month.

Osaily said in statements to the official Voice of Palestine radio that the Palestinian-European forum will be held in the city of Bethlehem, in the south of the West Bank, on October 24, with the aim of discussing expanding investment prospects in the Palestinian territories.

He added that the forum will be held at the joint invitation of his ministry and the European Union office in the Palestinian Territories to market investment opportunities in the Palestinian territories, as it achieves meaningful returns and supports Palestinian development.

He pointed out that the forum will be attended by about 500 Palestinian, Arab and European businessmen and representatives of European institutions to support development to enhance networking among businessmen within investment projects with significant returns and revenues.

Osaily considered that the forum represents an opportunity to strengthen aspects of the Palestinian-European partnership and is important in identifying available investment opportunities and the possibility of establishing investment partnerships.

He added that the Palestinian government will provide all facilities and incentives that would encourage the establishment of the desired investments, expressing the Palestinian government's aspiration for the convening of the Palestinian-European Economic Forum to enhance support for financial tools in Europe for the Palestinian economy and to enhance development opportunities in various fields.

In a report published last May, the World Bank expected a decline in the growth of the Palestinian economy this year, indicating that although the economy has continued its recovery at a growth rate of 4% in 2022.

The report warned at the time that the increase in tensions in the Palestinian territories, in addition to the repercussions of the Ukrainian crisis, carries great negative risks.

A state of tension prevails between the Israeli army and the Palestinians in the West Bank, as a result of which 31 people in Israel have been killed in attacks carried out by Palestinians since the beginning of this year. On the other hand, more than 200 Palestinians have been killed by bullets and air strikes, according to official Palestinian and Israeli statistics.

A Palestinian was killed, at noon on Saturday, in a shooting crime that took place in Kafr Qara, in the Triangle, northern 48 territories.

According to the Hebrew website Ynet, the dead man was Sheikh Sami Abdel Latif, the imam of the Quba Mosque in Kafr Qara.

The death of Sheikh Abdul Latif was determined immediately on the spot.

This is the third murder in Kafr Qara in less than 12 hours, after a young man and a boy were killed last night in a similar crime.