PALESTINE

Tue 02 May 2023 11:20 am - Jerusalem Time

Ben Gvir warns prisoners not to strike

The so-called Israeli Minister of National Security, Itamar Ben Gvir, threatened the prisoners if they went on strike and refused to eat.


He said during a security assessment session today, Tuesday, "Any disturbances will be responded to harshly, and harsh penalties will be imposed on anyone who disturbs security."


It was decided to raise the security level in prisons and close the cells in front of the exit and entry of prisoners to control any unusual events.

PALESTINE

Tue 02 May 2023 11:03 am - Jerusalem Time

Deceased Palestinian activist wife: we don't need "revenge rockets" from Gaza and more deaths

The wife of the captive martyr, Khader Adnan, said today, Tuesday, "Whoever does not rise to support my husband, we do not want him to be a revenge for him. Congratulations to you. Live and climb in your house and among your children. Store your weapons until they rust."


She added during a press conference, in front of her house in Arrabeh, south of Jenin, "My husband used to say in all his previous strikes that it will not fall and not a drop of blood will be spilled. He could not lift the injustice he was suffering from, we do not want him today.”


And she continued, "We will not wait for anyone to respond to the sheikh, as he has 9 sons behind him."


The wife of the martyr, Adnan, indicated that her husband told them in the last interview in the courtroom last Sunday, "I am martyred, I am dying, and no one believes."


And she said: "My husband obtained a wish with his empty intestines - to hold accountable all those who fell short and neglected him.


The wife of the martyr Adnan directed her message to the Israeli occupation, saying: "Preserve the faces of my children well, for by God, we have only raised them on pride and dignity, and you will see from my children what he did not see of vegetables."


And she demanded that she work according to her husband's will, saying: "He should not touch his body or dissect his body, and we know who killed him."


For its part, the Prisoners and Ex-Prisoners Affairs Authority said, "The occupation authorities transferred the body of the martyred prisoner Adnan to the Institute of Forensic Medicine in Abu Kabir."


PALESTINE

Tue 02 May 2023 10:49 am - Jerusalem Time

Ben Gvir attends a Kahane memorial

The extremist Israeli minister, Itamar Ben Gvir, once again demonstrated his loyalty to the founder of the far-right Kach movement, Meir Kahane.


According to the Hebrew newspaper Haaretz, it obtained documentation showing Ben Gvir participating in the "Independence" festival (the Palestinian Nakba), which was set up by an institution affiliated with the far-right "Kach" movement.


Behind Ben Gvir, an inscription glorifying the extremist Baruch Goldstein, the perpetrator of the Ibrahimi Mosque massacre in 1994.


The newspaper refers to the black history of Ben Gvir, who used to put a picture of Goldstein in his home, and used to describe him as a “hero”, before he removed the picture in 2020 from his home, and he said in a speech in 2022 that he did not see that “Goldstein is a hero, and I do not think he should He killed the Arabs.” Even today, he is keen on being called “Doctor.”



PALESTINE

Tue 02 May 2023 10:22 am - Jerusalem Time

Settlers storm Al-Aqsa

On Tuesday morning, 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.

ARAB AND WORLD

Tue 02 May 2023 10:10 am - Jerusalem Time

The Jordanian army kills a drug smuggler while thwarting an infiltration and smuggling attempt

The Jordanian army announced the death of a drug smuggler during an operation to thwart an attempt to infiltrate and smuggle quantities of narcotic substances coming from Syrian territory, which resulted in the death of a smuggler and the escape of others into the Syrian depth.


An official military source in the Jordanian Army Command said in a statement on Monday that the Border Guard forces, in coordination with the military security services and the Anti-Narcotics Department, detected through forward observations yesterday evening (Sunday) an attempt by a group of smugglers to cross the border illegally from Syrian territory to Jordanian territory, adding that rapid reaction patrols were launched and rules of engagement and direct shooting were applied to them.


The source indicated that after intensifying the search and inspection operations of the area, 133,000 Captagon pills, a Kalashnikov firearm and quantities of ammunition were found, and the seized items were transferred to the competent authorities.


The source stressed that the Jordanian Armed Forces continue to deal with attempts to infiltrate and smuggle with full force and firmness, and with any threat on the border fronts, and any endeavors intended to undermine the security of the homeland and terrorize its citizens and destabilize its security and stability.


The Jordanian army has been waging a war against drug dealers, smuggling operations and infiltration from Syrian territory since 2011, at the time of the outbreak of the Syrian crisis.

PALESTINE

Tue 02 May 2023 9:49 am - Jerusalem Time

Disclosure of a plan to establish a new settlement neighborhood in occupied Jerusalem


The Hebrew newspaper Haaretz revealed, on Tuesday, that the far-right Ateret Cohanim Association presented a plan to establish a new settlement neighborhood east of occupied Jerusalem, located within the Ras al-Amud neighborhood, with the support of the “General Property Guard” in the Israeli Ministry of Justice.


According to the newspaper, the settlement neighborhood will include the construction of 384 settlement units, including public institutions and the development of their infrastructure.


According to the newspaper, the plans show that the settlement neighborhood will be built on lands purchased by hundreds of Jewish families at the beginning of the last century after Jordanian forces seized the area in 1948, and its lands were transferred to the Jordanian guardian to manage the assets of the enemy. Absentee property, "the Israeli administered the area, and determined the location of some of the heirs and the land registry in their name, and the other plots of land remained under his administration, before activists from the right, with the help of the American millionaire Irving Moskowitz, were able to buy some lands from their owners, and with the construction of the separation wall, a large part of them remained on the Palestinian side .


According to the newspaper, in 2004 the right-wing association established a small settlement called "Kedmat Zion", which is the same name that will bear the new settlement plan, as the settlement was established at the time on the Israeli side of the separation wall, and several settler families live there under strict security measures, trying to The association has been promoting the establishment of a large settlement neighborhood for years, and was supported by the former mayor of Jerusalem, Nir Barkat, but the United States' opposition to this step and fear of international pressure prevented it from promoting the establishment of the neighborhood.


In 2013, a plan to build the neighborhood was registered with the Jerusalem Municipality, with the support of the General Guardian of Property. The plan included a security annex to fortify it with unprecedented measures when it was built.


Aviv Tatarsky, a researcher at the "Ir Amim" association, says that the settlement on the eastern edge of Jerusalem will be devastating for the tens of thousands of Palestinians who live throughout the region.. In the days when the Jewish public struggles for the future of the regime in Israel, this project demonstrates The word democracy has no place when it comes to East Jerusalem."

PALESTINE

Tue 02 May 2023 9:23 am - Jerusalem Time

The "Red Wolf" is an Israeli intelligence system that invades the West Bank

An Amnesty International report, published on Tuesday, revealed an advanced facial recognition system installed at Hebron checkpoints.


According to the report, as reported in the Hebrew newspaper Haaretz, the "Red Wolf" system scans the faces of Palestinians without their knowledge, and in cases where they are not recognized, their vital information is automatically saved.


The international organization called on international companies to ban the provision of surveillance technologies to Israel and to stop selling weapons and military and defense equipment, considering what is happening as part of the establishment of the apartheid regime in the occupied territories.


According to the Hebrew newspaper Haaretz, previously, reports and information were published about the use of systems, including what was known as the "Blue Wolf" at the time, to identify the faces of Palestinians in the West Bank in general, and Hebron in particular, but the new report provides additional information about the advanced system installed at checkpoints. City inspection.


According to Amnesty International, the faces of the Palestinians are scanned without their knowledge and they are compared with the information available in the databases on them, and no one who does not appear in the system is allowed to pass through the checkpoints, as well as in cases where it is found that he is wanted for investigation or arrest.


The report quotes the testimony of the "Breaking the Silence" organization regarding the "Red Wolf", where the testimony states that inside the checkpoint there are approximately 10 to 15 cameras, and from the moment the Palestinians arrive and cross, identification photos are taken of them with the help of the soldier near them.


The organization notes that the "Red Wolf" is linked to other monitoring systems that were previously published, as well as a database of information about Palestinians within an application used by soldiers to identify any Palestinian through the face or ID number.


The organization pointed out that the use of surveillance cameras increased significantly in East Jerusalem, especially in Sheikh Jarrah and Silwan, after Operation "Guardian of the Walls / Sword of Jerusalem" in May 2021, which are cameras manufactured by two companies, one Chinese and the other Dutch.


"The Israeli authorities are using sophisticated surveillance tools to promote apartheid against the Palestinians," said Agnès Callamard, Secretary General of Amnesty International.


She added: “In the H2 area of Hebron, we documented how a new facial recognition system called ‘Red Wolf’ enhances severe restrictions on the freedom of movement of Palestinians, using illegally collected biometric data in order to monitor and monitor the movements of Palestinians throughout the country, especially Hebron.


A spokesman for the Israeli army said that its forces are working to ensure order, security and discipline in the West Bank, and as part of the "combating terrorism" they are carrying out necessary security and intelligence operations.

PALESTINE

Tue 02 May 2023 9:20 am - Jerusalem Time

Prisoners declare full alert inside all prisons

Today, Tuesday, the captive movement announced general mourning and full alert inside all prisons, stressing that the mourning will continue until the response to the murder of the prisoner Khader Adnan is equal to its size.


In a statement, the movement held the Israeli prison administration fully responsible for all its consequences inside and outside prisons for this crime.


And it called on all factions to be at the level of the event and up to the responsibility for this cowardly assassination, and that this crime not pass without a response, punishment, or punishment that is of the same nature as action.


The movement said: "The martyrdom of Khader Adnan, a prisoner shackled in his cell, reminds all the free people of the world and all national and Islamic parties and factions of their moral and religious duty towards the prisoners, their cause and their continuous suffering."


She added, "Everyone must stand up to his responsibilities, and devote all efforts and energies on all fronts and in all arenas in order to end the tragedy and suffering of the prisoners and their pain, which is increasing day after day."


For its part, the legal staff of the Prisoners' Commission announced the suspension of work today before the Israeli occupation courts, in protest of the death of the prisoner Adnan.

PALESTINE

Tue 02 May 2023 9:13 am - Jerusalem Time

The occupation launches a campaign of arrests in separate areas of the West Bank

Today, Tuesday, the Israeli occupation forces launched a campaign of arrests in separate areas of the West Bank.


According to local sources, the occupation forces arrested Yazan Yasser Abu Muhaimid (26 years old), after raiding and searching his father's house in the village of Beit Tamar, east of Bethlehem.


In Ramallah, similar forces arrested Ziyad Abdel-Ghani Fayez Qatash (29 years old), Murad Mahmoud Naim Zaid (33 years old), Riyad Muhammad Ibrahim Alyan (19 years old), and Muhammad Ramadan Ibrahim Alyan (24 years old), after raiding their homes. and searched in Jalazoun camp.


Al-Maqdisi arrested Khaled Abu Arafa (61 years old) from his house in Ramallah.


In Hebron, seven citizens, including 3 released brothers, were arrested: Omar Sadim Adel Al-Salibi (27 years old), his two brothers Amr (23 years old), Alaa (22 years old), the young Diaa Ibrahim Khalil Sabarneh (18 years old), and the boy Baraa Saqr Ahmed Sabarneh (17 years old), and Sharif Zuhdi Sharif Awad (16 years old), all from the town of Beit Ummar.


In Ariha, the released prisoner, Majdi Abdel Qader Oweidat (30 years old), was arrested after storming his house and wounding him in Ain Al-Sultan camp.




SPORT

Tue 02 May 2023 8:51 am - Jerusalem Time

Spain Championship: Barcelona to get closer to the title and Real Madrid to secure the runner-up

Barcelona, the leaders of the Spanish Football League, continues its pursuit of its 27th title in its history and the first since 2019, when it receives Osasuna at its “Camp Nou” stadium, on Tuesday, in the 33rd stage competitions.


The “Blaugrana” team leads the standings, 11 points ahead of its direct chaser Real Madrid (79 versus 68), and seeks to raise the difference to 14 hours before the perilous trip to the Royal Club to face Real Sociedad IV on the same day.


Barcelona hopes to continue its revival and achieve the second successive and 26th victory this season to consolidate its lead, waiting for a service from Real Sociedad to topple the royal club so that it becomes one victory away from winning the first title since 2019.


However, the Catalan club's task will not be easy against Osasuna VIII (44 points), who is having a great season and is on a historic date to face Real Madrid in the King's Cup final next Saturday, so he is looking forward to his trip to the "Camp Nou" as the best preparation 4 days before the expected match.


Barcelona suffers from fatigue within a reality that its coach and former midfield maestro, Xavi Hernandez, is well aware of.
The players are playing their fourth match in 10 days, and many of them have spent a lot of time inside the green rectangle in recent weeks, knowing that Barcelona, with the end of its match against Osasuna, will not play before the 14th of this month due to the lack of league matches in the cup final week.


In the event that Xavi decides to rest some players, his first choice will be Uruguayan defender Ronald Araujo, knowing that the latter has played all matches since his return from injury and will welcome the rest, especially with the Danish Andreas Christensen recovering and ready to play after he participated mainly in the victory over Real Betis and opened his team’s quadruple.


Christensen scored his first goal at the club level since he achieved this with the shirt of his former club, Chelsea, in the cup against Chesterfield in January 2022, and his first goal in the league since 2017.


Barcelona also got an additional dose of confidence with the return of its French striker Osman Dembele from the injury that kept him out of action for a period of three months, as he is likely to replace Brazilian Rafinha (10 goals and 11 assists this season in various competitions) on the right side or play With him in the event that Xavi decided to return Ansu Fati to the bench.


Polish Robert Lewandowski, top scorer with 19 goals in 28 matches, leads the offensive line, hoping to score for the third match in a row, after he scored in the 2-1 loss to Rayo Vallecano and the victory over Real Betis.


And Lewandowski, who returned to the scoring track after a lean period that lasted 4 matches, became the most scored player in “La Liga” in his first season with Barcelona since Cameroonian Samuel Eto’o (24 goals in the 2004-2005 season), according to the “Opta” statistics website.


The Betis match witnessed a historic event, with the entry of Barcelona teenager striker of Moroccan origin, Lamine Jamal, instead of Gavi in the 83rd minute, becoming, at the age of 15 years and 290 days, the youngest player to play his first match with the first team shirt in the league.
"We managed to rotate (the team), and this is another step towards the title," said Xavi after the victory over Betis. "In general, we needed a reaction (after losing 2-1 to Rayo Vallecano)...".


"It was an important day, and we have an identity again. It's a giant step to win this league. The reaction was vital, and we also won in a good way. I was convinced of what I saw. I have good feelings about winning the title."


For his part, and after beating Almeria 4-2 thanks to a hat-trick from his French striker Karim Benzema, who returned to the top scorer race with 17 goals, the Italian coach Carlo Ancelotti's men are preparing for the fourth Real Sociedad, seeking the last fourth card to qualify for the Champions League next season (58 a point).


The royal club suffered a painful blow due to the injury of its veteran Croatian midfielder, Luka Modric (37 years), in the knee groin, which will keep him out of action for at least two weeks.


The royal club is awaiting the King’s Cup final against Osasuna on the sixth of this month, 3 days before its most important continental entitlement in defending its Champions League title against English club Manchester City, which it will host at its “Santiago Bernabeu” stadium in the semi-final first leg.


Ancelotti expressed his happiness with his team's performance during the press conference defeating Almeria, revealing that he assured his players of the need to focus more defensively, referring to conceding six goals in his last two matches (losing 2-4 against Girona and conceding two goals in the victory over Almeria).


Despite this, Ancelotti believes that some defensive errors may benefit the team to develop in its upcoming benefits, while he praised the attacking trio Benzema, the Brazilians Vinicius Journio and Rodrigo, stressing the similarities with the former super trio with Portuguese Cristiano Ronaldo, Welsh Gareth Bale and Benzema.


And about Neil Vinicius Jr., his tenth yellow card this season and his absence from the next match against the Basque club, the Italian coach said, “It is clear that he does not win anything because of complaining, but it is surprising that he has 10 yellow cards. The most ruthless midfielder in La Liga does not have even 10.” Cards".


"He got a lot of cards and less to those who kicked him," he added.


The former Milan, Bayern Munich and Chelsea coach praised Benzema's offensive efficiency, saying, "He is performing well and has shown that. We are very good and dangerous in attack. When we are at the top defensively, the team performs very well in attack."


Real Madrid is well aware of the importance of the three points, as it will enable it to remain in second place amid enormous pressure from its direct pursuit of its neighbor, Atletico Madrid, who is facing a relatively easy test against Cadiz XIV.


Atlético, which is only two points behind the Royal Club, is looking for its third victory in a row after beating Real Mallorca 3-1 and Valladolid 5-2 in the past two stages under the aura of its brilliant star, French striker Antoine Griezmann.

SPORT

Tue 02 May 2023 8:49 am - Jerusalem Time

England Championship: Leicester City and Everton tied in a struggle to avoid relegation

Leicester City and its guest Everton, who are struggling to avoid relegation in the English Premier League, tied 2-2 Monday in the thirty-fourth stage competitions.


Both teams hoped to score three valuable points in the fierce battle this season to avoid relegation.


Everton opened the scoring with a penalty kick to Dominic Calvert-Lewin (15), before Leicester equalized through the Turkish Chalar Suyondjo (22) and advanced later through Jamie Vardy following a deep pass from James Madison to penetrate the area, dodging the goalkeeper and entering the net (33).


Before the end of the first half, goalkeeper Jordan Pickford prevented the hosts from consolidating their lead by blocking a penalty kick taken by Madison (44).


Nigerian Alex Iwobi equalized after the break with a shot from inside the area (54).


And with an expected relegation for bottom-twentieth Southampton (24 points), a four-way struggle is taking place to avoid the other two places, as Everton ranks bottom with 29 points, just a point away from each of the eighteenth Nottingham Forest, the seventeenth Leeds United and the sixteenth Leicester City.

SPORT

Tue 02 May 2023 8:47 am - Jerusalem Time

Spain Championship: Athletic Bilbao fails to catch up with the continental positions

Athletic Bilbao failed to catch up to the qualifying places for European competitions, by contenting itself with a 1-1 draw against its host Real Mallorca in the thirty-second round of the Spanish Football League on Monday.


Things almost got worse for Bilbao, as he snatched the equalizer in the sixth minute of stoppage time through a penalty kick for Ghanaian Inaki Williams, after South Korean Kang-In opened the scoring for the hosts (58).


The Basque club raised its score to 47 points, in seventh place, two points away from Real Betis VI, which occupies the last qualifying positions for the continental competitions.


This is the second match in a row without a win for Bilbao after falling against Sevilla in the last stage.


For his part, Mallorca raised its tally to 41 points in eleventh place after falling against Atletico Madrid.


And later, Seville XII will play with its guest, Girona X, at the end of the stage.

PALESTINE

Tue 02 May 2023 8:09 am - Jerusalem Time

A female settler was injured in a shooting attack near Tulkarm

On Tuesday morning, an Israeli settlement was injured as a result of being shot by Palestinians near Tulkarm.


According to the Hebrew Channel 7, the settler sustained minor injuries as a result of the fragments of her vehicle's windows, after she was shot at.


It indicated that the operation took place near the settlement of Avnei Hefetz, east of Tulkarm, and that large forces arrived at the site and began combing operations.

PALESTINE

Tue 02 May 2023 8:07 am - Jerusalem Time

Special: Military alert for the Islamic Jihad in Gaza and the cancellation of its leadership's travel

Well-informed Palestinian sources revealed, on Tuesday morning, that the Al-Quds Brigades, the military wing of the Islamic Jihad movement, mobilized all its elements after the martyrdom of the prisoner, Sheikh Khader Adnan.


According to the sources that spoke to Al-Quds.com, the alert includes all military units of the Brigades.


The sources pointed out that it was decided to cancel the travel of the movement’s political bureau delegation from the Gaza Strip, towards the outside, to hold the first meeting of the recently elected political bureau from inside and outside.

PALESTINE

Tue 02 May 2023 6:55 am - Jerusalem Time

3 rockets fell on an Israeli kibbutz in the Gaza Strip

On Tuesday morning, 3 rockets landed in Kibbutz Saad, adjacent to the northern Gaza Strip border.


According to the Hebrew channel Reshet Kan, the rockets fell in open areas, and there were no casualties or damage.


She indicated that the warning sirens were activated in the kibbutz, while the rockets were not intercepted according to the interception policy followed.


The rocket fire came more than two hours after the martyrdom of Sheikh Khader Adnan, a leader in the Islamic Jihad movement, inside the occupation prisons.

PALESTINE

Tue 02 May 2023 6:28 am - Jerusalem Time

Wide Palestinian condemnation of the assassination of Sheikh Khader Adnan

On Tuesday morning, official and factional bodies condemned the Israeli occupation's crime against the prisoner, Sheikh Khader Adnan, who was martyred inside his prison, after a hunger strike that lasted 86 days.


Prime Minister Muhammad Shtayyeh said that the occupation and the administration of his prisons and judiciary carried out a deliberate assassination against Sheikh Adnan, by refusing his request for his release, neglecting him medically, and keeping him in his cell despite the seriousness of his health condition.


The Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Expatriates condemned the crime in the strongest terms, holding the Israeli government and its related arms fully and directly responsible for this crime.


The ministry indicated that it will submit the file of this crime to the International Criminal Court, calling for the formation of an international investigation committee that will continue to investigate the circumstances and details of this crime.


For its part, the Islamic Jihad Movement mourned Sheikh Adnan, blaming the occupation in a statement that it held full responsibility for his martyrdom.


The movement affirmed that the assassination of Adnan will not go unanswered, and that the resistance will continue with full force and determination.


For its part, Hamas mourned the martyr Adnan, holding, in a statement by its leader, Ismail Radwan, the occupation fully responsible for this crime.


Radwan said: "This crime will not go unnoticed by the Palestinian resistance factions."


The Hamas leader called on all international human rights and humanitarian organizations and the Palestinian Authority to prosecute the occupation for carrying out war crimes against Palestinian prisoners.


The spokesman for the "Fatah" movement in Gaza, Munther al-Hayek, said that the occupation must bear the consequences of the deliberate assassination crime that was carried out against the prisoner Adnan.


Al-Hayek called on the international community to take immediate action and work to protect prisoners inside death prisons.


The Democratic Front for the Liberation of Palestine also condemned this crime, holding the fascist occupation government fully responsible for the crime of his assassination and its consequences.


Democracy affirmed that the Palestinian people and their resistance will not remain silent about this crime.


The Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine also mourned the martyr Adnan, stressing that what happened was an assassination crime that the occupation would pay a heavy price for.




ECONOMY

Tue 02 May 2023 6:20 am - Jerusalem Time

World Bank: The Palestinian economy is still at risk

A new report by the World Bank predicted a decline in the growth of the Palestinian economy in the current year 2023, indicating that although the economy continued its recovery at a growth rate of 4% in 2022, the reason for this is due to the continued recovery of private consumption, with the easing of the imposed restrictions. However, the increase in tensions in the Palestinian territories, in addition to the repercussions of the Russian invasion of Ukraine, carries great negative risks.


In this regard, Stefan Emblad, Director and Resident Representative of the World Bank in the West Bank and Gaza Strip, said: “Despite the signs of recovery in the Palestinian economy in 2022, growth remains sensitive to the escalation of tensions in the Palestinian territories, and the continued restrictions imposed In order to achieve higher living standards, improve the sustainability of the fiscal accounts, and reduce unemployment in a meaningful way, all of this needs to achieve much higher growth rates. External sources of risks, such as food and energy prices, mean that the overall economic outlook is not still bleak."


The Palestinian Economic Monitoring Report, which the World Bank presents to the Ad Hoc Liaison Committee, highlights the challenges facing the Palestinian economy, with a focus on fiscal reforms. The report will be presented in Brussels on May 3-4, during a policy meeting on development aid to the Palestinian people.


The year 2022 witnessed an improvement in public financial balances, driven by an increase in local tax revenues by 19%, an increase in clearance revenues by 20%, in addition to a stable level of public spending. As a result, the overall budget deficit has decreased by more than 60% (before grants).


The report indicates that when taking into account the contributions of donor countries and agencies, and the decrease in deductions made by the Israeli government in clearance revenues, this indicates an improvement in the financing gap for the Palestinian Authority, compared to initial expectations, as it reached $351 million by the end of the year, which is equivalent to $1.8 million. % of GDP, in a significant decrease after it was 5.7% in 2021.


The World Bank says: While the Palestinian Authority continues its efforts to bridge the public finance deficit, it faces long-term macroeconomic risks, including the large and increasing balance of arrears due to the private sector and the pension fund. In addition to the continued high level of banking sector lending to the public sector, which requires continuous follow-up by the authorities.


“The PA must continue to advance priority reforms, in order to increase revenues, improve debt management, and enhance fiscal sustainability. But the PA cannot do this alone, as donor support, in addition to the cooperation of the Israeli government, is key,” Emblad added. It is vital for consolidating public finances and putting the economy on a more solid foundation.”


He continued: Reform efforts must continue to address the size of the wage bill, improve management of the generous pension system in the public sector, as well as raise the efficiency of public spending, especially by improving the targeting of transfers to the poorest and most needy groups. Going forward, it will be critical to accelerate efforts to improve management of medical referrals outside the public health system, as well as to reduce net lending. The report praises the steps taken by the Palestinian Authority, by adopting the goal of reducing the number of public employees, and completing the accumulated annual financial reports. While the target level of employee numbers is an important first step, the report acknowledges that these gains may be squandered, as the ongoing negotiations with trade unions, especially in the educational sector, may lead to additional pressures on the public budget appropriations.


According to the World Bank, obtaining adequate and predictable support from donors to the budget will be critical in facilitating the reform process and achieving macroeconomic stability. Moreover, donor financial contributions can be directed towards development projects that promote economic growth, actions aimed at improving public financial management, and joint measures related to governance.


It is noteworthy that there are severe obstacles on the way to stability, growth, and the development of the private sector in the Palestinian territories, such as the continuation of the restrictions imposed in the West Bank, and the semi-siege imposed on the Gaza Strip, which was indicated by previous reports of the World Bank. It is expected that the performance of the Palestinian economy will remain far below its potential.

PALESTINE

Tue 02 May 2023 6:08 am - Jerusalem Time

Who is Khader Adnan?

On Tuesday morning, the prisoner Sheikh Khader Adnan, one of the leaders of the Islamic Jihad Movement, was martyred after he entered an open-ended hunger strike for the 86th day in a row.


The full name of the martyr is Khader Adnan Muhammad Musa, born on March 24, 1978. He is a leader in the Islamic Jihad movement, and he was arrested several times in Israeli prisons, where he spent several years.


In 2005, he went on an open hunger strike for 12 days, as a result of his isolation in "Kfar Yona" prison, and he did not stop his strike until the prison administration acquiesced to his demand of transferring him to the regular prison sections.


In 2012, he went on a strike that lasted 66 days, and after court hearings, the Israeli Supreme Court decided to release him in April of that year, after his health condition deteriorated.


In 2015, Khader Adnan’s 56-day hunger strike, which he began on May 8, 2015, put pressure on the Israeli authorities to release him and pledge not to place him in administrative detention. He was later released, but he was re-arrested, and he went on strike in 2018 for a period of time. 59 days, before taking away his freedom, and in 2021 he went through a similar strike for 25 days.


During his detention, Khader Adnan was subjected to harsh interrogations in several Israeli interrogation centers, most notably Al-Jalama, and he was constantly isolated and subjected to torture.


During his periods of hunger strike, he would often receive death threats at times and force-feeding him at other times, and that was even in the last days of his last strike before he passed away as a martyr.

PALESTINE

Tue 02 May 2023 5:24 am - Jerusalem Time

Khader Adnan, a martyr

The prisoner, Sheikh Khader Adnan, was martyred, at dawn on Tuesday, after he was transferred unconscious from his cell in Nitzan Prison to Assaf Harofeh Hospital in Tel Aviv.


According to a statement by the Israeli Prison Service, Adnan underwent resuscitation attempts, but his death was determined.


Adnan was arrested on the fifth of last February and has since been on hunger strike to protest his arrest for the thirteenth time in his life, as mentioned in the statement.


She claimed that Adnan, during his hunger strike, was refusing to undergo medical examinations or receive treatment in prisons.


Adnan is a resident of Arraba in Jenin, and he is a prominent leader in the Islamic Jihad Movement. He went through several strikes in the occupation prisons, the first of which was in 2005.


Adnan was arrested by the occupation forces several times at different times, on charges of belonging and membership in the Islamic Jihad movement and being active in it.


With the martyrdom of Adnan, the number of martyrs of the captive movement rises to 237.

PALESTINE

Mon 01 May 2023 10:29 pm - Jerusalem Time

Sheikh Khader Adnan's wife launches an urgent appeal to prevent his assassination

The citizen, Randa Abdel-Rahman, launched an urgent appeal to all free people and living consciences in Palestine and the world, to take immediate and urgent action, to thwart the occupation’s attempts to assassinate her captive husband, Sheikh Khader Adnan, a leader in the Islamic Jihad movement, who continues his open hunger strike for the 86th day in a row, despite the deterioration of His health condition seriously.


Umm Abd al-Rahman, who drives with her children and family, the continuous movement to support her companion, and to expose the policies of the occupation. During her interview with Al-Quds.com, she repeated the phrase that Sheikh Khader repeated during his trial session in Ofer yesterday, in which he said, "I am dying." And she added, "Every minute of detention he spends amid the pressures, isolation, and policies of the occupation, constitutes a danger and a threat to his life, so how long will the silence be? .


Adnan revealed that the last court session did not exceed 10 minutes, and Sheikh Khader attended through a video conference broadcast from his prison, which is still unknown, describing his condition as "very difficult, and you have not seen anything like it in his life and his previous strikes, as he was not able to speak due to His tongue was heavy due to the deterioration of his health.” She added, “Sheikh Khader’s phrase that summed up his situation is still echoing in our memory, “I am dying.” He also indicated that the military prosecution of the occupation insists on its attempt to issue a sentence of 4-5 years against him, and he confirmed his refusal. To rule and stop his strike until freedom.


And she expressed her condemnation of the policies of the occupation with the aim of passing its dangerous policies, while its security services continue to exert all kinds of pressure against him, from isolating him and detaining him in inhumane conditions, and transferring him from one hospital to another, explaining that the most dangerous of all is the policy of prevention and an attempt to conceal his situation after Preventing all human rights and international institutions and the Red Cross from visiting him, and she said, "The occupation seeks to execute and liquidate Sheikh Khader slowly and hide the truth about his health condition, by preventing his family, lawyers and all institutions from visiting him, despite warnings of his martyrdom at any moment in light of his difficult health condition."


Yesterday, the Ofer military court rejected the request to release on bail the prisoner Sheikh Khader Adnan, and decided to set a new session to consider his request for release on 10-5.


It is noteworthy that the strike that Adnan is engaged in is the longest over the past years of his detention, in which he has been involved in five previous strikes, and this is the sixth strike that he is involved in.


The Israeli occupation deliberately continues to obscure the health condition of Sheikh Khader, since he lost consciousness and was transferred to a hospital in the country last week, while his lawyer and any medical or human rights entity are prevented from communicating with him or seeing his health condition.

PALESTINE

Mon 01 May 2023 10:29 pm - Jerusalem Time

A young man from Silat al-Dhaher was wounded by settlers' bullets

This evening, a guard from Silat Al-Dhaher town, south of Jenin, was wounded by a live bullet in the chest, fired by settlers from the lands of the evacuated "Homesh" settlement adjacent to the town.


Eyewitnesses told Al-Quds.com that Rabi` Jihad Nimr Al-Zubaidi, 24, who works as a guard for a house under construction within the borders of his town Silat Al-Dhahr, which is close to the settlement area, was shot by settlers while they were roaming in the area. From escaping and escaping from their grip until he reached the town and was treated in the field, and he was transferred by a civilian vehicle to Ibn Sina Specialized Hospital in Jenin.


His family stated that their son, Rabi`, assured them that he had been shot by settlers for no reason, and medical sources described his condition as moderate.

ARAB AND WORLD

Mon 01 May 2023 8:58 pm - Jerusalem Time

In response to McCarthy.. Kirby: There is no specific date for inviting Netanyahu to the White House

White House National Security Council spokesman John Kirby said Monday evening that he believes Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu will visit the White House at some point.


Kirby was commenting in response to a question asked during the daily briefing to reporters, about the statements of US House Speaker Kevin McCarthy, who is currently visiting Tel Aviv, and who said that "if Netanyahu is not invited to the White House, he will invite him to Congress."


Kirby said, commenting, according to a special follow-up to "Jerusalem" dot com: "At the present time, there is nothing related to a timetable for such a visit."


And he indicated that US President Joe Biden wants to see judicial reform in Israel that maintains checks and balances and enjoys a broad consensus.


He added, "This is something that leaders in Israel need to resolve and we respect that... but we are having frank discussions about our concerns." like he said.


PALESTINE

Mon 01 May 2023 8:36 pm - Jerusalem Time

A lion's bite takes the life of a child in Khan Yunis

A 6-year-old boy died on Monday evening, as a result of being bitten by a lion that was in the Asdaa Zoo in Khan Younis, southern Gaza Strip.


According to medical sources, the child, from the Ma'an area east of Khan Yunis, arrived at Nasser Medical Complex in critical condition, and his death was announced shortly after.


Later, the police in Gaza said that the child died from serious injuries sustained by a lion inside the zoo, where the child climbed inside the protection surrounding the lion's cage and approached one of its openings, which led to his injury and then his death.


She indicated that an investigation was opened into the incident.

PALESTINE

Mon 01 May 2023 8:08 pm - Jerusalem Time

McCarthy sends a message to the Netanyahu government regarding China

On Monday evening, US House Speaker Kevin McCarthy sent a strongly worded message to Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu regarding Chinese investments in Israel.


McCarthy was delivering a speech in the Israeli Knesset during the opening of the summer session, referring to the issue of China.


"China should not be allowed to steal our technologies," McCarthy said, accusing Beijing of posing a threat to US-Israeli innovations.


He added, "There is a new process to supervise foreign investments, and I am glad that Israel is reviewing the issue of Chinese investment."

PALESTINE

Mon 01 May 2023 8:05 pm - Jerusalem Time

Injuries and arrest of a young man west of Jenin

Today, Monday, a number of civilians suffocated, and the young man, Muhammad Yousef Ahmed Atatreh, was arrested in Rummana village, west of Jenin.



And local sources reported that the occupation forces stormed the village and arrested Atatra after raiding his house, which led to clashes with the Israeli occupation forces, during which the occupation soldiers fired stun grenades and tear gas at the citizens and their homes, causing a number of citizens to suffocate.

ARAB AND WORLD

Mon 01 May 2023 7:47 pm - Jerusalem Time

The Amman Consultative Meeting on Syria discusses ways to return refugees and extend state control

A new consultative meeting on Syria, held Monday in Amman, with the participation of the foreign ministers of Syria, Jordan, Saudi Arabia, Iraq and Egypt, discussed ways for the return of Syrian refugees from neighboring countries and for the Syrian state to extend its control over its lands.


According to a closing statement distributed after the meeting, the conferees agreed that "the voluntary and safe return of (Syrian) refugees to their country is a top priority and the necessary steps must be taken to start implementing it immediately."


They called for strengthening cooperation between Syria and the countries hosting refugees, in coordination with the United Nations, "to organize voluntary and safe returns for refugees and end their suffering, according to specific procedures and a clear time frame."


According to the United Nations, some 5.5 million registered Syrian refugees live in Lebanon, Jordan, Turkey, Iraq and Egypt.


The meeting in Amman agreed that the Syrian government should start "identifying the necessary needs to improve public services provided in the areas of return of refugees, in order to consider providing Arab and international contributions to them."


They also agreed that Damascus would clarify "the measures it will take to facilitate their return, including within the framework of their inclusion in the general amnesty decrees."


The meeting also agreed to "support Syria and its institutions in any legitimate efforts to extend its control over its lands, impose the rule of law, end the presence of armed and terrorist groups (...) and stop foreign interference in Syrian internal affairs."


For his part, Jordanian Foreign Minister Ayman Safadi said in statements after the meeting, "The current situation in Syria cannot continue, and the methodology that has been adopted over the past years in managing the crisis has not produced and will not produce anything but more ruin and destruction."


And making it clear that this meeting comes as a continuation of the meeting that was held in Jeddah in mid-April, Al-Safadi confirmed that the Amman meeting "was good and positive."


He added that the meeting focused "on the humanitarian side and on steps capable of alleviating the suffering of the brotherly Syrian people."


"We focused on the refugee issue and agreed on mechanisms to start the voluntary return of refugees, in coordination with the United Nations," he added.


Prior to the start of the meeting, which was held in an Amman hotel amidst strict security measures, Safadi met his Syrian counterpart, Faisal al-Miqdad.


Al-Safadi and Al-Miqdad discussed "efforts to launch a leading Arab role to reach a political solution to the Syrian crisis," according to a statement issued later by the Jordanian Foreign Ministry.
This is the first official visit by a Syrian foreign minister to Jordan since the outbreak of the conflict in his country in 2011.


Al-Safadi received the foreign ministers of Egypt, Sameh Shoukry, Saudi Arabia, Faisal bin Farhan, and Iraq, Fouad Hussein, before entering the closed "consultative" meeting room.


In mid-April, a meeting of the Gulf Cooperation Council countries was held in Jeddah, in which Egypt, Iraq and Jordan also participated, to discuss the issue of Syria's return to the Arab League, about a month before an Arab summit in Saudi Arabia.


In the Jeddah meeting, the ministers agreed on the importance of playing an Arab leadership role in efforts to end the crisis in Syria.


A few days after the meeting, the Saudi Foreign Minister visited Damascus, in the first official Saudi visit to Syria since the estrangement between the two countries with the start of the conflict in Syria 12 years ago.


Several Arab countries, led by Saudi Arabia, closed their embassies and withdrew their ambassadors from Syria, in protest of the Syrian regime's handling of a "popular uprising" in 2011, which developed into a bloody conflict, during which Saudi Arabia and other Arab countries supported the Syrian opposition factions.


The League of Arab States suspended Syria's membership in November 2011.


However, over the past two years, there have been signs of rapprochement between Damascus and several capitals, including Abu Dhabi, which restored diplomatic relations, and Riyadh, which held talks with Damascus about resuming consular services between the two countries.

PALESTINE

Mon 01 May 2023 6:08 pm - Jerusalem Time

The occupation closes the northern entrances to Jericho

This evening, Monday, the Israeli occupation forces closed the two northern entrances to the city of Jericho, with an iron gate and cement blocks.


According to local sources, the occupation forces erected an iron gate on the "Banana Land Road" leading to Al-Maarajat Road, and placed cement blocks on the "Training Authority" road leading to the village of Al-Auja, indicating that the occupation forces closed the eastern entrance, in the morning, with cement blocks.


It is noteworthy that the occupation forces erected two iron gates on the twenty-second of last March at the southern entrance to the city near Aqabat Jaber camp.


Thus, the occupation continues to clamp down on the citizens in Jericho, especially the Aqabat Jaber camp, which witnessed repeated incursions by the occupation forces for the tenth day in a row.

ARAB AND WORLD

Mon 01 May 2023 5:56 pm - Jerusalem Time

Battles rage in Khartoum and Sudan is on the brink of a humanitarian catastrophe

Air raids, gunfire and explosions rocked Khartoum on Monday despite a new 72-hour truce agreed to by the Sudanese army and the Rapid Support Forces, while the United Nations warned that Sudan was on the brink of a humanitarian health "catastrophe".


Residents of Khartoum reported that they woke up on Monday to the roar of "combat planes", while others spoke of hearing explosions and gunfire in different areas of the capital, which has a population of nearly five million.


This came hours after the army, led by Abdel-Fattah Al-Burhan, and the Rapid Support Forces, led by Mohamed Hamdan Daglo, announced their agreement to extend a cease-fire that was scheduled to end at midnight Sunday, Monday (22:00 Sunday night GMT).


However, the recent truce remained fragile, like other truce attempts that were agreed upon since the outbreak of the conflict between the two former allies on April 15, which plunged Sudan into chaos that claimed hundreds of lives and prompted tens of thousands to leave or flee.


Experts believe that the cease-fire agreements aim, in particular, to ensure the security of the evacuation routes for foreign nationals, and to allow the continuation of some diplomatic efforts led by external parties in light of the two military commanders' refusal to communicate directly.


It seems that all attempts at a solution collide with the personal influence struggle between Al-Burhan and Daglo, known as Hamidti, who together overthrew their civilian partners in 2021 after sharing power with them since the overthrow of President Omar Al-Bashir's regime in 2019.
The United Nations sounded the alarm about the situation turning into a human tragedy.


"The events in Sudan are taking place at an unprecedented scale and speed," said the spokesman for the Secretary-General of the UN, Stephane Dujarric, expressing his "great concern."


He added that Secretary-General Antonio Guterres decided to send "immediately to the region" the head of the humanitarian agency of the UN organization, Martin Griffiths, "in light of the rapid deterioration of the humanitarian crisis in Sudan."


Griffiths confirmed that he is on his way to the region "to study how we can provide immediate assistance," considering that "the humanitarian situation is approaching the point of no return" in a country that was considered one of the poorest in the world even before the outbreak of the recent conflict.


He warned that the looting of the offices and warehouses of humanitarian organizations "drained the majority of our stocks."


In a country where a third of the population was suffering from hunger before the war broke out, the World Food Program decided to resume "immediately" its activities after it was suspended following the killing of three of its staff during the first days of the conflict.


The health crisis that Sudan was suffering before the outbreak of fighting in the middle of last month has turned into a "disaster in every sense of the word," according to Ahmed Al-Mandhari, Regional Director of the World Health Organization for the Eastern Mediterranean.


Al-Mandhari explained that before the recent battles, "the health system in Sudan, as it is known, went through years of various crises, which exposed it to a lot of real fragility and weakness. Weakness in every sense of the word in terms of infrastructure, i.e. hospitals or primary health care centers of various levels throughout Sudan." .


"There is indeed a real shortage in the medical staff, especially after the emergence of this crisis during the past two weeks... especially the medical staff specialized, for example, in surgery and anesthesia," he added.


He pointed out that "23% of hospitals in Khartoum are partially operating, while only 16% are operating at full capacity."


The battles resulted in at least 528 dead and 4,599 wounded, according to figures announced by the Sudanese Ministry of Health on Saturday, in a toll that is likely to be higher.


With the conflict entering its third week, the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) on Sunday managed to deliver the first shipment of humanitarian aid by air to the city of Port Sudan, located 850 km east of Khartoum.


The committee stated that the shipment "included surgical equipment to support Sudan's hospitals and volunteers of the Sudanese Red Crescent Society who provide medical care to the wounded who were injured during the fighting," but that it would only be sufficient to treat "1,500 wounded."


The battles led to internal and external displacement. According to United Nations estimates, 75,000 people moved to other parts of Sudan, at least 20,000 crossed to Chad, 6,000 to the Central African Republic, and others to Ethiopia and South Sudan. The United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) had expressed its fear that the battles would push up to 270,000 people to flee towards Chad and South Sudan.


The clashes affect 12 of the 18 states in Sudan, which has a population of 45 million.


Residents of the capital, who are unable to leave, are forced to take shelter from gunfire and shelling, but they face increasingly difficult conditions in light of the power outages and the scarcity of food, water and fuel.


The local authorities in Khartoum have granted public sector employees "leave until further notice," while the police confirm that their personnel are deployed to prevent looting.
And the authorities of the White Nile state, south of Khartoum, announced the arrival of 70,000 displaced people in recent days to camps set up by the state.


Over the past days, many Western and Arab countries have evacuated their nationals in parallel with diplomatic efforts to seek a solution.
On Monday, the Arab League held a meeting at the ambassadorial level, at Egypt's request.


On Sunday, Saudi Foreign Minister Faisal bin Farhan met with an envoy of Al-Burhan, while the latter communicated by phone with the Vice President of the UAE, Sheikh Mansour bin Zayed Al Nahyan, and on Tuesday he will visit Cairo.


According to experts, the UAE is closer to Daglo, which it had previously supported.
According to the Carnegie Middle East Center for Research, "The more Dagalo manages to maintain his positions in Khartoum, the greater his influence at the negotiating table."


Dagalo was the leader of the "Janjaweed" militia formed by Al-Bashir to support his forces in the bloody war that took place in the Darfur region (west) starting in 2003, in the face of rebels belonging to ethnic minorities.


These groups later evolved into the Support Forces, which were officially established in 2013.
According to the United Nations, about 100 people have been killed since last Monday in West Darfur, where the situation is "dangerous", according to the international organization.


The Secretary-General of the United Nations warned that "the tribes are seeking to arm themselves" in the region.
Looting, destruction and arson are increasing, including inside camps for the displaced, according to Doctors Without Borders, which was forced to "stop almost all of its work in West Darfur" because of the violence, according to the organization's deputy director in Sudan, Sylvain Peron.

PALESTINE

Mon 01 May 2023 5:21 pm - Jerusalem Time

A young man was wounded by live bullets in Hebron

Today, Monday, a young man was wounded by the Israeli occupation army in Al-Arroub refugee camp, north of Hebron.


According to local sources, the young man was wounded by live bullets in the foot, during clashes that erupted between dozens of young men and the occupation forces in the camp.

PALESTINE

Mon 01 May 2023 4:56 pm - Jerusalem Time

Netanyahu: We will not allow Iran to surround us with "terrorism" and we will expand the circle of peace

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said, on Monday evening, that "Israel" will not allow the Iranian regime to surround it from all sides with "terrorism", whether from Syria, Lebanon, Gaza or even the West Bank.


Netanyahu stressed, in his speech at the opening of the summer session of the Israeli Knesset, that his government will not allow Iran to position itself militarily near it, and that it is working and will continue to work for that.


In his speech to a delegation from the US Congress headed by Kevin McCarthy, Speaker of the House of Representatives in the United States, he stressed that Israel will not allow Iran to possess any nuclear weapons.


He pointed out that his government, with the help of the United States, will work to expand the circle of peace with the Arab countries, and that it is working on that until now, referring to the renewal of Iranian-Saudi relations, according to the Hebrew website Ynet.


Netanyahu touched on the judicial reforms, which he said he would work to reach a broad agreement on, as they are necessary and supported by the Israeli majority.