PALESTINE

Tue 11 Jul 2023 9:46 am - Jerusalem Time

President Abbas to visit Jenin on Wednesday

Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas will visit the West Bank city of Jenin on Wednesday, the spokesperson for the presidency said. 


The purpose of the visit is for Abbas to "see the conditions of the citizens, and the progress of work in the reconstruction of the [refugee] camp and the city after the recent Israeli aggression," Nabil Abu Rudeineh said. 


The statement on Tuesday morning added that Abbas will meet with Palestinian representatives in the city. 

PALESTINE

Tue 11 Jul 2023 9:24 am - Jerusalem Time

Islamic Jihad leader threatens to boycott Cairo unity meeting over PA arrests

The Secretary-General of the Islamic Jihad movement, Ziyad al-Nakhala, threatened to boycott the planned meeting of the Palestinian leadership in the Egyptian capital of Cairo at the end of July over the Palestinian Authority's arrest campaign in the West Bank. 


In a press briefing in Beirut, Al-Nakhala slammed the wave of detentions by the Palestinian Authority against Islamic Jihad activists, and said that the move has condemned the confab of secretary-generals of different Palestinian factions "to failure."


ARAB AND WORLD

Tue 11 Jul 2023 9:22 am - Jerusalem Time

The mechanism for transferring aid to Syria across the border ends without agreement at the United Nations

The United Nations mechanism to bring vital humanitarian aid across borders to millions of people in Syria ended Monday, after the Security Council failed to reach a vote to extend it at this stage.


The 15 members of the Security Council have been trying for days to find an understanding to extend this mechanism that allows the United Nations to deliver humanitarian aid to residents of opposition-held areas in northwestern Syria without obtaining the approval of the Syrian government.


The British Presidency of the Security Council told AFP on Monday evening that the vote, which was scheduled for Friday, was postponed to Monday and was postponed again to Tuesday morning.


Since humanitarian convoys do not cross borders at night, the operations ended Monday amid uncertainty.


And with the time difference, even if the vote is positive on Tuesday morning in New York, operations on the ground cannot resume on Tuesday morning.


Earlier Monday evening, the British ambassador to the United Nations, Barbara Woodward, who holds the Security Council presidency for the month of July, said "the key is to find an understanding".


"We want to do everything we can for the sake of the 4.1 million Syrians who are in dire need of assistance," the diplomat added.


A few days ago, Woodward denounced the use of humanitarian aid as a "bargaining chip", in an accusation targeting Russia without naming it.


The mechanism, established in 2014, allows the United Nations to deliver humanitarian aid to residents of opposition-held areas in northwestern Syria without obtaining the approval of the Syrian government, which for its part denounces this mechanism and considers it a violation of its sovereignty.


Initially, the mechanism included four border crossing points, but after years of pressure, especially from Moscow, the ally of the Syrian regime, only the Bab al-Hawa crossing remained operational, and its use period was reduced to six months, subject to renewal, which complicates planning for humanitarian activities.


According to several diplomatic sources, the decision prepared by Switzerland and Brazil, the two countries in charge of the file, provides for the renewal of the mandate for a year, as demanded by humanitarian workers.


However, Russia, which refused to extend the mandate for a year in July 2022, still insists on extending it for only six months, according to the same sources.


Switzerland and Brazil have now put forward a nine-month proposal, a diplomatic source told AFP.


And last week, UN Humanitarian Affairs Chief Martin Griffiths renewed his call to open as many crossing points as possible for at least a year.


"It is unbearable for the people of the northwest and the brave souls who come to their aid to go through these ups and downs every six months," Griffiths said, noting that aid agencies are forced each time to pre-position aid inside Syria in case the mandate is not extended.


The United Nations says that four million people in northwestern Syria, most of them women and children, need humanitarian assistance to continue after years of conflict, economic crises, disease outbreaks and increasing poverty exacerbated by the devastating February earthquake.


Although the UN mechanism has expired, at least temporarily, there are two open crossings, although they are less used as a matter of whimsy.


After the earthquake, Syrian President Bashar al-Assad allowed two more border crossings to open, but his mandate expires in mid-August.


Martin Griffiths said after his meeting with President al-Assad in Damascus at the end of June, "I have high hopes for the renewal to continue, and I see no reason to prevent that."


Since the February 6 earthquake, more than 3,700 UN aid trucks have passed through the three crossings, according to the UN. Most of them passed through the Bab al-Hawa crossing, including 79 on Mondays.

PALESTINE

Tue 11 Jul 2023 9:14 am - Jerusalem Time

Israeli fails to punish officers after admitting 2021 Gaza killings violated guidelines

Israeli troops who the army acknowledged had violated its own guidelines, costing the lives of Palestinians in the Gaza Strip in their 2021 military operation, got away with a reprimand, according to Haaretz on Tuesday.


Five military officers, whose names were barred from publications, violated IDF guidelines in "attacking military targets," the newspaper found. In one of the three cases in question, nine Palestinians were killed, including six civilians.


The army's investigation, however, concluded that there was no direct link between the contraventions and the deaths, which claimed the lives of a baby, a 17-year-old girl, and three women, according to the Israeli newspaper.


The incident took place on May 13, 2021, when the an artillery strike was launched in order to wrong-foot Hamas ahead of the destruction of tunnel network in the northern Gaza Strip. The investigation concluded that around 500 shells were mistakenly fired at the Bedouin area of Beit Lahiya, killing members of the Abu Fares and Ayyash families.


At the time, Haaretz called for an investigation into the incident. More than two years later, an IDF spokesperson said that a commanding officer with the rank of lieutenant colonel had been reprimanded, and that action would be taken against a reserve officer.


The Israeli military spokesman refused to disclose the details of the investigation in the other two cases, but stated that three officers were either subjected to disciplinary measures or reprimanded. 

PALESTINE

Tue 11 Jul 2023 8:32 am - Jerusalem Time

Large demonstrations in "Israel" and the ratification of a controversial law

Demonstrations and protests spread, on Tuesday morning, to separate areas of "Israel", amid the closure of main streets, after parties opposing what is known as "judicial reforms" called for these demonstrations, in protest against the continuation of the government of Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, in moving forward with this " Reforms".


It is expected that this evening will be a central demonstration in Tel Aviv, while the coming hours will witness protests near Lod Airport, "Ben Gurion", and an attempt to disrupt flights from it. As reported by the Israeli Arabic-speaking Makan Radio.


Since last night, the Israeli police began deploying its forces in separate areas, in preparation for dealing with the possibility of attempting to harm any Israeli public figure.


The police said it would deploy a number of undercover officers in civilian clothes on the main roads to prevent any clashes.


This comes after the Israeli Knesset passed a controversial law related to the work of the judiciary.


Tonight, the bill to reduce the reasonableness argument was approved in the first reading, with the support of all members of the government coalition, after a long and heated debate in the Knesset plenary.


The bill was opposed by 56 members of opposition parties.


When Knesset Speaker Amir Ohana announced the results of the vote, members of the opposition chanted "shame" and were marched out of the plenary hall. On the other hand, members of the coalition applauded the result.


A day after the approval in the first reading of the draft law on reducing the argument of reasonableness, which aims to limit the powers of the Supreme Court, parties opposing changes in the judiciary are launching today large-scale protest activities in most parts of the country in an activity called "National Paralysis Day", which the organizers describe as inappropriate. unprecedented so far.



PALESTINE

Tue 11 Jul 2023 8:21 am - Jerusalem Time

An injured and two detainees in the occupation stormed Nablus

A young man was wounded, at dawn on Tuesday, by the Israeli occupation forces, after they stormed the city of Nablus.


According to the Red Crescent, the young man was hit with live bullets in the neck, and his wounds were described as moderate.


Large forces stormed the new Askar camp, and raided several houses, before they arrested the liberated Ashraf Abu Faour and Suleiman Al-Kaabi from their homes, causing great damage to them.


And the resistance fighters fired at the occupation forces, while clashes broke out between the young men and those forces.

PALESTINE

Tue 11 Jul 2023 8:09 am - Jerusalem Time

Israeli settlers seize home of Palestinian family in East Jerusalem after eviction

Israeli settlers moved into the house of the Sub Laban family in the Old City of Jerusalem on Tuesday, after occupation forces evacuated the longtime Palestinian tenants of the home and arrested solidarity activists. 


The Sub Laban family has lived in the home for 70 years, after renting the property from the Kingdom of Jordan in 1953. However, using the Absentee Property Law, a settler organization managed to take control the property because it was owned by Jews before 1948, a claim the family denies.  The same right does not extend to Palestinians who wish to reclaim property. 


Activists have joined the remaining members of the family in the house since the deadline for the eviction passed last Sunday. 


The United Nations Human Rights Office in the occupied Palestinian Territories said that the eviction "may amount to forcible transfer," which it emphasized constitutes a "war crime." 


The statement reiterated "that international law requires Israel to end all forced evictions and forcible transfers," and "urge[d] the Israeli Government to end all discriminatory evictions of Palestinians in Occupied East Jerusalem and to urgently provide an effective remedy to the Gheith-Sub Laban family for the human rights violations they suffered today."


The European Union also condemned the move. “We regret the decision by the Israeli authorities, following a court decision, to evict the Ghaith-Sub Laban family from the home they occupied since 1953 in the old city of occupied East Jerusalem,” it tweeted.


Pointing to 10 Palestinian families that are facing eviction in the Old City, the EU urged “the Israeli government to respect international law and let these families live where they have been living for decades.”






PALESTINE

Mon 10 Jul 2023 9:57 pm - Jerusalem Time

An upcoming visit by President Abbas to Jenin

It is expected that the Palestinian presidency will announce, tomorrow, Tuesday, the upcoming visit of President Mahmoud Abbas to Jenin.


According to identical sources, the visit will take place on Wednesday if it is finally approved, noting that discussions are under way regarding the possibility of completing it.


The sources indicated that if a final decision was taken regarding the visit, it would be announced on Tuesday.


The sources said that President Abbas wants to visit the province to see its conditions in the aftermath of the recent Israeli aggression.

PALESTINE

Mon 10 Jul 2023 6:31 pm - Jerusalem Time

A settler was stabbed near Ramallah

On Monday evening, an Israeli settler was injured when he was stabbed by a Palestinian youth in the village of Deir Qadis, west of Ramallah.


According to an Israeli military spokesman, a group of settlers entered the village, and one of them was stabbed and slightly wounded.


He indicated that his forces are searching for the Palestinian youth.

PALESTINE

Mon 10 Jul 2023 5:56 pm - Jerusalem Time

The Human Rights Council discusses a report on the reality of prisoners

The Human Rights Council discussed the first report of the Special Rapporteur, Francesca Albaniz, which dealt with the reality of Palestinian detainees and prisoners inside the Israeli occupation prisons.


Al-Baniz presented a summary of her report before the Council, in which she exposed the occupying power's violations of international laws and conventions related to political detainees and in cases of foreign occupation.


Speaking in the interactive dialogue with the Special Rapporteur were: the European Union, the African Group, the Islamic Group, the Arab Group, the Group of Cooperation Council States, and Venezuela on behalf of a number of countries. Several countries, in their national capacity from the various groups, submitted interventions, most of which confirmed that what Israel, the occupying power, is doing against Palestinian detainees amounts to war crimes and crimes against humanity, calling on Israel to abide by its legal obligations.


Likewise, Palestinian and friendly civil society organizations presented interventions on the suffering of Palestinian detainees and Israeli violations against them.


The Permanent Observer of the State of Palestine, Ambassador Ibrahim Khreishi, gave the speech of the State of Palestine, in which he expressed his thanks and appreciation to the Special Rapporteur for preparing this first report before the Human Rights Council, which comes within the framework of implementing the mandate of the rapporteur established in 1993 and related to the investigation of violations by the occupying power of the principles and foundations of international law. Human rights in the land of the State of Palestine, which was occupied in 1967.


He said, "We would like to express our support for the work of the Special Rapporteur within this mandate, with our condemnation of attempts to target this mandate and those in charge of it always, and this is not strange, as Israel refuses to cooperate with the Human Rights Council and its various mechanisms, including the mandate of the Special Rapporteur as well as the Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights." Human".


Khreishi continued, "The report is under consideration and is related to the situation of prisoners and detainees and the arbitrary and deliberate mistreatment they are subjected to, and through illegal practices using detention to prevent the Palestinian people from exercising their right to resist the occupation and the use of methods of threat, extortion, repression, assault, torture and medical neglect, in addition to transferring detainees outside areas of the occupied territory, including the use of administrative detention for repeated and long periods without any legal evidence, all of which constitute violations of the laws of The Hague and the Third and Fourth Geneva Conventions and the First Protocol, as well as violations of the rules of customary humanitarian law, which are complementary elements of crimes against humanity and war crimes, in addition to that detention Arbitrary deprivation of liberty is a flagrant violation of the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights, as well as a violation and violation of the Convention against Torture and a violation of the Convention on the Rights of the Child, which prohibits depriving children of their liberty.


He added: "Since the occupation that began in 1967 until today, more than a million Palestinians from the West Bank, including Jerusalem, and the Gaza Strip have been arrested, and there are still more than 5,000 detainees, including 1,000 administrative detainees, 32 women, and 160 detainees." children under the age of 18 years.


And he added: "As a result of torture and ill-treatment, 237 prisoners have been martyred in the occupation prisons since 1967, including 75 as a result of the crime of medical negligence, the latest of which was the martyrdom of Nasser Abu Hamid and Khader Adnan, and there are 24 of the current detainees suffering from cancer and tumors of varying degrees, including the prisoner Walid Daqqa, who has been arrested for more than 37 years, and there are many examples of the way the occupation forces dealt with activists and human rights defenders and arrested them, as happened with Engineer Muhammad Al-Halabi, Director General of the International Vision Organization, who was arrested and underwent the longest trial in history, without presenting any charges or charges. evidence, he was sentenced to 12 years in prison.


Khreishi said: "The details contained in the report based on legal evidence require the United Nations, the various international institutions, and the High Parties to the Geneva Conventions, to work to put pressure on the occupying power to implement the recommendations contained in the report, especially the use of diplomatic, political and economic measures." As a tool of pressure, not to provide any aid or assistance to the occupying power and to prosecute the perpetrators of the crimes mentioned in this report under universal jurisdiction, as well as not to contribute to or condone the Israeli settler-colonial apartheid, and the attempts to criminalize the Palestinian people who demand the collective right to exist and struggle in all forms, which are consistent with the provisions of the law, leading to an end to the illegal occupation and the exercise of our people's inalienable right to self-determination.

ARAB AND WORLD

Mon 10 Jul 2023 5:55 pm - Jerusalem Time

Spain denounces Israel's lack of cooperation in the eavesdropping scandal

The judge in charge of the investigation into the wiretapping of the phones of a number of members of the Spanish government on Monday denounced what he said was the "absolute" lack of cooperation on the part of Israel, which forced him to temporarily shelve the investigation.


In June 2022, the judge sent a request to Israel to interrogate the head of the “NSO” company that developed the program.


Once installed on a mobile phone, Pegasus allows eavesdropping on the user of the phone by viewing messages, data, photos, and contacts, and enables remote activation of the microphone and camera.


A statement from the National Supreme Court said that in the face of the "utter absence of judicial cooperation from Israel, which has not responded to a judicial request" and probably "never will," the National Public Judge decided to "temporarily save his investigation."


According to the investigation, "the only remaining way" that the Spanish government can use to ask Israel to respond to this judicial request is the "diplomatic way".


The investigation was launched last year following a complaint filed by the Spanish government, which revealed in May 2022 that the phones of Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez and Defense Minister Margarita Robles had been hacked using the Pegasus program.


Later, the government reported that the phones of ministers and other officials had been eavesdropped by the Pegasus program.


In his statement, the judge confirmed that Pedro Sanchez's phone was bugged five times between October 2020 and December 2021, while the analyzes of the phones of the other four government officials did not allow "who is responsible" for the espionage.


Although it was unable to determine either the information obtained during the wiretapping of its officials' phones or who was involved in the spying, the government stressed that the operation involved an "external attack".


Spanish media spoke of the possible involvement of Morocco, as the phones of Spanish officials were hacked in May 2021 and June of the same year, at the height of a conflict between Spain and Morocco.

PALESTINE

Mon 10 Jul 2023 5:14 pm - Jerusalem Time

The occupation verifies that the "Ayyash Brigade" fired two missiles from Jenin

An Israeli military spokesman said, on Monday evening, that his forces are investigating the launch of two rockets from Jenin towards the Shked settlement, which is close to the separation wall.


The Hebrew channel Reshet Kan quoted the spokesman as saying that a search operation is taking place in the area from which the rockets are expected to be launched.


The recently active Al-Ayyash Brigade from Jenin claimed responsibility for firing the two Qassam 1 missiles.


In a statement, the battalion indicated that this came within the framework of the "battle of preparation, continuous development and breaking equations" with the occupation, and in response to its crimes in the Jenin camp and the targeting of free women.


The battalion said, "Despite the complex and sensitive security conditions and the impossible work, and despite the lack of capabilities and tools, we continue to develop and prepare, and we continue day and night to give this enemy the strength of the Qassam rockets in the land of the Al-Ayyash bank." According to her statement.


It published a video clip showing one of the missiles before it was launched.

PALESTINE

Mon 10 Jul 2023 2:14 pm - Jerusalem Time

Exacerbation of the suffering of prisoners in the "Negev" prison

The Captive Club confirmed that, in light of the continuous increase in the number of detainees recently, the prisoners, particularly in the prisons where the new detainees are held, suffer from overcrowding inside the (rooms) - the cell, despite the existence of a decision by the Supreme Court of the Occupation, specifying the space available for each I walk in every (room).


The club said in a statement today, Monday, "The suffering has worsened in the Negev prison, which is considered one of the largest central prisons, and the number of prisoners in it is about (1,400). room, in most of the departments.


He continued, "The issue of overcrowding affected the prisoners on several levels and aspects related to the daily detention life of the prisoners."


The prisoners called on them to take legal action to oblige the prison administration to abide by what was issued in the decision of the Supreme Court, in terms of the space available to each prisoner. They also stressed that if the prison administration continues to ignore this issue, the prisoners will have to take struggle steps to confront this.

PALESTINE

Mon 10 Jul 2023 12:53 pm - Jerusalem Time

Worldwide Palestinian population approaches 15 million

The Central Bureau of Statistics on Tuesday recorded 14.5 million Palestinians across the homeland and diaspora. 


On the occasion of World Population Day, the Palestinian bureau found that 7.1 million Palestinians live in historic Palestine: 5.48 million live in the State of Palestine – 3.25 million in the west Bank and 2.2 million in the Gaza Strip – with a further 1.7 million living in 48 territories (Israel). 


The diaspora, meanwhile, was split between 6.5 million Arab countries and 800,000 in other countries. 


The male and female population of the West Bank and the Gaza Strip was roughly even, while data showed that Palestinians in the same areas have an overwhelmingly young population: 37 percent are under the age of 15.

Thirty-five percent of the Palestinian population in the West Bank are under 15, with the same figure rising to 40 percent in Gaza.


The statistics also pointed to a decline in family size from 5.8 on average in 2007 to 5 in 2022.


PALESTINE

Mon 10 Jul 2023 12:49 pm - Jerusalem Time

The Shin Bet claims that 3 young men from Nazareth were arrested for supporting Hamas.

The Israeli General Security Agency, the Shin Bet, claimed that it had arrested, in cooperation with the police, 3 Palestinians from Nazareth, on the grounds of their support for Hamas, and their intention to carry out an attack inspired by the movement.


According to a statement by the Shin Bet, two of the detainees are minors.


According to the allegations of the Shin Bet, the three detainees frequented Al-Aqsa Mosque during the last month of Ramadan, and participated in Hamas rallies, wearing its flags and singing songs praising the organization, and they were also photographed expressing their affiliation with the "Hamas" movement.

Investigations revealed that they had prepared Molotov cocktails, which they planned to throw at Israeli forces, during the events that took place in the Rene area of ​​Nazareth, where they live.


In another case, one of them was filmed on the roof of a house in their village, carrying a weapon and holding the flag of the "Hamas" movement.


The Shin Bet accused Hamas of spreading its ideology among the Palestinians inside and recruiting them for its benefit.


He indicated that an indictment will be presented against the detainees, and he will request that their detention be extended until the end of the procedures.
Credit to the police spokespeople

PALESTINE

Mon 10 Jul 2023 12:16 pm - Jerusalem Time

Shtayyeh: We reject the Israeli conditions to return our withheld funds

Palestinian Prime Minister Muhammad Shtayyeh said, "Talking about returning our money withheld by Israel is conditional on stopping our procedures in international organizations. This will not happen, and we are continuing with that. Likewise, the issue of stopping the disbursement of what the National Authority is doing towards the families of martyrs and prisoners will not happen either."


Shtayyeh added, at the beginning of the government session, today, Monday, "President Mahmoud Abbas, and we are behind him, expressed this position on more than one occasion, that the money withheld by Israel is our money, and Israel must transfer it to us without extortion or conditions, and our people are well aware of the realities of matters." This blackmail is rejected.


Regarding the alleged Israeli facilities for the Palestinian Authority, Shtayyeh said: "The Israeli government informed us yesterday of decisions related to the Palestinian National Authority, and allegations that it wants to provide facilities to the Authority."


He added, "In the name of the Council of Ministers, we say that what is required of Israel is to stop the aggression against our people, stop the killing and settlement, stop piracy of our money, and return to a path entitled ending the occupation based on international legitimacy and international law."


Regarding the reconstruction in Jenin and its camp, Shtayyeh said: "The Palestinian government will provide, through the Ministry of Finance, 7 million shekels in aid to the city of Jenin and its two camps, of which 3.6 million shekels were spent on the municipality of Jenin last week," noting that President Mahmoud Abbas allocated 500 thousand shekels from the budget. His office is for Jenin and its camp.


He added, "The outcome of citizens' donations in the campaign called for by the Ministry of Endowments after last Friday prayers amounted to 2 million shekels. We appreciate the in-kind assistance provided by our people, including individuals, bodies, popular institutions, civil society, and municipalities, to the Jenin camp, in a scene that restored the values ​​of togetherness, solidarity, and teamwork." .


He said: "Some brotherly and friendly countries and international bodies have made donations in favor of the reconstruction of the Jenin camp and the city. We thank them all, and especially mention: the brotherly Algeria, which donated $30 million, and the UAE for its donation of $15 million (through the UNRWA Relief Agency), as well as $150,000." A dollar from Turkey and $200,000 from the ANERA Foundation, both directed to the Ministry of Health to provide medical supplies.


He added, "The government also decided to redirect one of the Arab funds' projects to pave roads inside the Jenin camp, and it was also instructed to expedite the procedures for allocating the plot of land adjacent to the cemetery in the camp.


He pointed out that the Ministry of Social Development staff is based on coordinating the efforts of charities to follow up on the conditions of families whose children have been subjected to trauma, provide them with moral and relief support, and open places to shelter the displaced until their homes are repaired, in coordination with the People's Committee in the camp.


The Prime Minister said that President Mahmoud Abbas follows up daily the work of the committees formed to deal with the effects of the Israeli aggression on Jenin camp and the city. He added, "These committees work around the clock, and we have found great damage to roads, water networks, electricity, communications, private and public buildings, and so on."


He added: "Since the first hours of the end of the aggression, the technical crews worked to restore life to the Jenin camp, where the public works mechanisms reopened the roads, removed the rubble and secured housing for those affected, and the crews of the Ministries of Local Government and Communications and the Energy Authority reconnected the electricity networks that were restored to the camp, and work is underway on Restore the water and communications networks, as citizens are supplied with water by tankers until the work is completed.


He said, "Technical teams continue to count the damages in the city and the camp, and we formed a technical committee to follow up and lead the reconstruction efforts, headed by the Undersecretary of the Ministry of Local Government, and the membership of the relevant ministries, the Jenin Governorate, the Jenin Municipality, the Refugee Affairs Department, and the People's Committee in Jenin Camp."


He added, "We assigned this committee to lead the reconstruction scene, and to provide aid to those affected, and it was assigned to coordinate with the UNRWA agency, and with all the necessary Palestinian bodies, institutions and agencies in Jenin."


Today, the Council of Ministers will discuss: the security and civil effort, the reconstruction of the Jenin camp and city, infrastructure projects, financial and political issues, the issue of the Armenian Monastery in Jerusalem, the management of construction and demolition waste, and a set of laws, regulations and regulations.

PALESTINE

Mon 10 Jul 2023 11:56 am - Jerusalem Time

A young man was killed by the occupation bullets near Ramallah

On Monday, a young man was shot dead by Israeli forces near the village of Deir Nizam, near Ramallah.


According to the Hebrew channel Reshet Kan, the young man tried to plant an explosive device near the nearby Halamish settlement.


She pointed out that a military force was setting up an ambush in the place, and managed to kill him.


She claimed that a gun was found in his vehicle, while the road was closed.

PALESTINE

Mon 10 Jul 2023 10:55 am - Jerusalem Time

Prisoners' Association: Isolating a whiff of the Guantanamo prison got worse

Today, Monday, the Commission for Detainees and Ex-Detainees Affairs published details of the tragic situation and the difficult conditions that the prisoners face in Nafha isolation, which exceed the most basic human and moral standards.


The commission’s lawyer, Youssef Mattia, conveyed a clear picture and accurate details that reflect the situation of Nafha’s isolation, and that was stated by the prisoner Hassan Fahd Arar (41 years) from Ramallah, who has been isolated since May 18, 2023, under the pretext of a speech he gave at the time of planning a strike in Ofer prison.


The prisoner described the situation by saying: "The isolation section lacks all the necessities of life, as the prisoner described it as worse than Guantanamo prison, and the food is very bad."


He added, "In case of shouting or drumming at the door, they take the prisoner to rooms and keep him handcuffed and feet tied for 24 hours."


He pointed out that the prisoners are subjected to beatings and attacks on the least things, and all the prisoners' belongings are withdrawn, even papers and pens, while they are deprived of splendor most of the time.


He said: "The mattress is brought from 10 in the evening until 10 in the morning, after which it is withdrawn throughout the day, even at night, without a pillow or a blanket."


He added: "The isolation prisoners tried to protest against the poor conditions of their isolation, so the prison administration fined them 450 shekels, and deprived them of the cantina and visits for two months, and every time the prisoners refused to come up with the number, they were fined 250 shekels," indicating that at the time of showering, The jailers stand at the window.

And he said: "Deliberate medical negligence against all isolated prisoners. The prisoner Ahmed Al-Shanab is beaten and dragged daily, as he is isolated on a Friday sermon, and the prisoner Shadi Ibrahim Amouri from the Jenin camp has been in isolation for 52 days, without any reason."


The prisoner Moez Hussein is isolated, and his condition is also very bad, while the prisoner Ahmed Al-Shamali, who was blessed with quadruplets, was subjected to fines, penalties and ill-treatment for smuggling the sperm.

OPINIONS

Mon 10 Jul 2023 10:44 am - Jerusalem Time

President Abu Mazen and those around him and the future of the Palestinian cause

Ibrahim Abrash

Ibrahim Abrash

Opinion Writer

We wrote and talked at length about the Zionist project and the terror of the entity state with its government and settlers, the latest of which was the crime in the Jenin camp, which represents a link in the plan to liquidate the national presence in the West Bank. We also wrote and talked about the Hamas movement and its alternative project to the Liberation Organization and the national project. But where is the only legitimate representative of the people in all that is going on? Where is the leadership and President Abu Mazen?

If the official position continues as it is, the organization and leadership will be bypassed not only by the opposition parties, but will also lose its popular presence.

Despite the harsh vocabulary of the article and the interpretations we expect from some of the president’s entourage, who set themselves up as the custodians of the president’s temple and the protectors of the homeland and patriotism, they hunt for every word that contains criticism, even if it is constructive, to distort it and convey it to the president in order to delude him that they are the only ones who love him and defend his father-in-law and the fatherland’s fever, the entourage that imposes a cordon on President so that the world and its people can only be seen through them.

Despite that, I will tell the president what I think and see in his policies, approaches, and actions in recent years. I may be wrong in what I think, but I will reveal what goes through my mind, reflecting on the president's patience, the president of all people with their minds and their ignorance, who they like and who they don't like, who they agree with and who they agree with. They disagree with him, the president of Fatah, Hamas, Jihad, the Popular Movement, etc. He is the president of everyone, not just the president (of the president's group).

And to single out the president for my article because everything related to the strategy of confronting the occupation and the future of the issue is within his competence. The mobilization of the Liberation Organization and the gathering of its political components requires a presidential decision, and the mobilization of the Fatah movement is linked to a presidential decision. Where is the president from all that is going on?

Since the martyrdom of President Abu Ammar in 2004, the national issue has deteriorated from bad to worse, as the internal division continues, and the enemy scores points in its favor with regard to the expansion of its settlement projects, and what is happening in Al-Aqsa Mosque also in the field of normalization with Arab countries, despite the steadfastness of the people and their continuous resistance, and therefore it is natural that President Abu Mazen is subject to criticism because he took over the presidency and responsibility after Yasser Arafat and because he is the title of a political system in crisis, but it would be unfair to hold the president alone responsible for the outcome of the issue in its strategic dimension, given the multiplicity of political actors in the Palestinian cause and the multiplicity of the external agenda, as well as the decision-making centers within national authority.

If President Abu Ammar, with all his history of struggle, his charismatic personality, and his broad international relations, and under national, Arab, and regional circumstances better than what exists today, was unable to achieve the goals of the Palestinian people for freedom and independence, then how can we blame President Abu Mazen for not achieving that while we are witnessing all the collapses? Around us, the disintegration of the camp of friends and allies, and the so-called Arab Spring spreading chaos, devastation, civil war, and dismantling independent states? And if the armed and unarmed opposition forces, with their capabilities, sources of support and funding, and a network of Arab and regional alliances, were unable to achieve more than what President Abu Mazen achieved, then why blame the latter and direct various accusations against him?

This is not a defense of Abu Mazen or the reality of the authority and the reality of the political class that must be radically changed. Rather, it is to rationalize any exercise of the right to criticism so that it is objective and rational and to avoid the enemy's attempt to employ irrational and non-patriotic criticism of the president to plunge the Palestinian situation into chaos from which only the enemies will benefit. .

We also record for President Abu Mazen that he sidelined the Palestinian people during the years of chaos of the so-called (Arab Spring), which began in the areas of the Authority, a civil war despite the Hamas coup against the authority and the organization, and we also record his continuous presence in international forums and his insistence on adhering to the Palestinian narrative and avoiding being drawn. For the conflicting Arab axes, and had it not been for these positions, the case would have been worse.

However, what is recorded on the president and what we take upon him while he is at this stage of life are several issues:

1- No one knows how the president thinks and what his next steps will be at all levels, especially after his speech at the General Assembly, appealing to the world to protect the Palestinian people, as if the Palestinian issue is a humanitarian issue and not a national political issue for a people struggling for freedom and independence?!

2- The weakness and confusion of the leadership institution, so that we no longer know what is meant by leadership, is it only the president? Or the Executive Committee of the Liberation Organization, which is absent from the scene and whose members are unknown to the people? Or is it the government? Or is it the lining wrapped around it? Or all of those? If you ask an official in the organization and the Fatah movement about any controversial decision or law, he says that it is the president’s decision alone and that the president is the only one to take the decision, and we advised him and he did not take our opinion...!! This claim may be true or an attempt to hold the president responsible for everything and turn him into a scapegoat. stage.

3- The absence of a vision or strategy for the future, as the president suffices with emphasizing the Palestinian narrative and adhering to the approach to peace and international legitimacy, but what next and what is the action strategy to confront the Israeli government and international changes? Even if the president reaches the conviction that it is not possible under the current circumstances to achieve any victory, neither political nor military, and that what must be done is to consolidate the presence of the people on their land, this goal also requires a vision, strategy and national unity.

4- There is no vision to deal with the internal division. Rather, there are indications of surrendering to the reality of division and tacit consensus on its management, and even on the establishment of a (statelet) in Gaza that leaves the matter of its rule to Hamas and the factions of the Gaza Strip.

5- The state of weakness and lack of harmony within the PLO and the Fatah movement, the absence of any indications of their mobilization, and the president contenting himself with filling vacancies with appointments from himself or his inner circle.

6- His responsibility for the stalemate in the political system by suspending the elections under the pretext of Israel's refusal to hold them in Jerusalem! We do not know if the president is thinking logically: Let the flood come after me!!

7- The continued ambiguity of the future of the political system after him, and his failure to appoint a deputy.

8- His closure and limitation of his relations with a small number of those with external interests and connections, he does not see his people and the world except through them, and his lack of openness to the people and political elites, even the sons of the Fatah movement and the PLO, intellectuals and thinkers, and his exclusion of everyone who disagrees with his opinion.

9- With his advancing age, his charisma and rhetorical ability faded, and thus his ability to persuade.

10- The president’s continuation at the head of the presidencies and his sole decision-making, as those close to him claim, blocks any popular demands to renew the political elite, the majority of which are from the president’s generation, as they will cling to their positions under the pretext that the president is older than them and still able to work, and the president is their role model.

Finally, we repeat what we have called for more than once, which is also the demand of the majority of the Palestinian people. We hope that President Abu Mazen will urgently call for general elections: the National Council, legislative elections, presidential elections, local elections, especially since the return of Netanyahu and the extreme right and the continuation of American politics Hostility to the Palestinians and Israel's incursion into the Arab world with official normalization and undeclared relations, some of which are more dangerous than official normalization, all of this left no opportunity for a just political settlement as the president was betting, and we hope that the president will put his trust in the people and leave them the freedom to choose who governs them, and the people should He chooses and takes responsibility for his choice, and we do not believe that our people are less civilized and aware than many peoples in the third world who went through the democratic experiment - and we do not want to make a comparison with Israel - just as we do not believe that those elected by the people will be worse than the current political class, and our people have become aware and learned lessons from what It took place in the January 2006 elections.

OPINIONS

Mon 10 Jul 2023 10:44 am - Jerusalem Time

The battle of Bass Jenin uprooted Netanyahu's idea of ​​reproducing a submissive, submissive Fatah

Ahmed Issa

Ahmed Issa

Opinion Writer

Yes, the battle of Bass Jenin (the name that is not devoid of significance) has uprooted the people, and they are Netanyahu, the head of the fascist government that now rules Israel, calling for the creation of a submissive Fatah movement that has surrendered to the fait accompli imposed by Israel. As a result of the destruction of the homes, facilities, and infrastructure of the camp, the option of committing a new catastrophe crime against the Palestinians is a serious, existing, and perhaps imminent option.


These are, in my opinion, the most important conclusions of the battle, and the observer, especially if he is a Palestinian observer, can reach these conclusions by reading and linking the following facts to each other, first: Israel's goals related to the fate of the West Bank and Jerusalem and the future of the Palestinians, especially the Palestinians in the West Bank and the areas of 1948 According to the announced Smotrich plan, and secondly: the statements of Prime Minister Netanyahu that he made during a session of the Foreign Affairs and Security Committee of the Knesset, which were reported by the official broadcaster (Kan) a few days before the start of the aggression against the Jenin camp, and thirdly: the escalation of the possibility of Israel initiating a major regional war.


In terms of the declared goals of the current Israeli government, it should be emphasized that this government came to power at the end of last year and its stated goal is to resolve the conflict with the Palestinians, i.e. to resolve the project of Israel’s industry in the region, according to the plan of the religious Zionist party led by Smotrich (Minister of Finance and second minister in The Ministry of Security), which indications are increasing daily since the formation of the government that it has adopted it and has actually begun to implement it.


These indications can be seen in the following: the rapid pace of settlement since the rise of the current government to rule in the areas designated for the promised Palestinian state, and in the repeated execution of crimes of burning Palestinian villages and towns by large groups of settlers under the protection of the Israeli army, as happened in Hawara, Turmusaya, Urif and Kafr Qaddum, last but not least. And in bringing about fundamental structural, administrative and legal changes in the structure of the Ministry of Security, through which Smotrich, the godfather of the decisiveness plan, became directly responsible for the settlement file and settlers in the West Bank, in addition to his direct responsibility for the file of the civil administration in the West Bank, and his ally Ben Gvir became the leader of the party Jewish Power direct commander of the Border Police force operating in the West Bank, in the repeal of the 2005 Disengagement Law at the end of last March, by which Israel unilaterally withdrew from all the settlements of the Gaza Strip, and four from the northern West Bank, and in the daily executions of Palestinians In all the governorates of the West Bank, as the number of martyrs who have risen since the beginning of this year reaches 300, and in the increase in the rate of house demolitions, especially in East Jerusalem, and in the government, immediately after its formation, began tightening its control over all state institutions, especially the judiciary, due to the conviction of the components of the government that the authority The judiciary and its rulings constituted an obstacle to resolving the building of the state, and finally the large-scale military operation unprecedented since 2002 against the Jenin camp, which the army called “the house and the garden.”


The plan, marked by the "Decision Plan", prepared by Smotrich in 2017 and published at the time in the Hebrew magazine "Hashiloh", which was approved by the party after the 2022 elections, when the party was able to occupy important joints in decision-making in the ruling coalition, aims to end the conflict with the Palestinians. Not to his administration, for managing the conflict according to the plan is nothing more than a waste of time and encouragement of terrorism.


The plan believes that addressing the conflict requires ending the Palestinians' hope for the establishment of a national homeland, and its most prominent axes are: settlement, denial of the existence of a Palestinian people, rejection of the establishment of any Palestinian national entity, the use of force and violence against them, and displacement. The plan identifies two scenarios for dealing with the Palestinians, the first talks about Keeping the Palestinian population as individuals residing in the Jewish state, and the second is related to the Palestinians who do not want to give up their national ambitions and aspirations, and it is divided into two parts, either voluntary displacement, or the use of asymmetric force and military decisiveness.


In terms of Netanyahu's statements, he had said in the aforementioned meeting that "work must be done to uproot the idea of ​​establishing a Palestinian state, and block the way for the Palestinians' aspirations to establish an independent state for them."


He added, according to what was reported by the radio, "Israel is preparing for the post-President Abbas period, explaining that the survival of the Palestinian Authority is an Israeli interest, and that Israel is not concerned with its collapse, but is ready to support it financially."


While Netanyahu's statements are consistent with Smotrich's plan, they clarify very clearly that the basic criterion for the authority that Netanyahu wants in the day after President Abbas, and which he does not seek to collapse but is ready to support financially, is that this authority, in the sense of its leadership, government, apparatus, and institutions, does not seek to remain an authority for transformation. Absolutely to an independent state, and that its survival depends on the extent of its service to the interest of Israel.


It is true that Netanyahu and Smotrich before him did not refer directly to Fatah in their statements and plan, but since the Palestinian Authority and an independent state are the goals of the national project led by Fatah in its capacity as the largest Palestinian faction, owner of Palestinian patriotism, and leader of the Palestine Liberation Organization, Fatah is the first target of Netanyahu and Smotrich’s statements. Which makes reading the aggression against a fetus far from that, at best, involves clear naivety.


In fact, the statements of Netanyahu and those before him reflect the ideas of Smotrich and Ben Gvir only their delusions and blindness that prevent them from seeing the reality as it is, and this is what their experts in national security inside and outside Israel say, because instead of acknowledging the fact that the Zionist colonial project has failed in Palestine as a whole, they continue to deceive themselves and their people Among the Jews in Israel and abroad, by preparing the Jewish public opinion (rejection of their policies, even if their rejection appears for other reasons), is that they can succeed in what the early founders of the Israeli industry project failed in more than a century ago by adopting a conflict management strategy rather than addressing and resolving it.


The most important thing is that they continue to deceive themselves based on the assessments they have and perhaps some of their regional allies, that the state of weakness, fragmentation and division in which the Palestinian people and their movement Fatah appear allows taming the latter and forcing its surrender, which was uprooted by the Battle of Jenin and the Fatah speech that accompanied it, whether it was Official or unofficial during the hours of the battle and in its aftermath, the speeches that asserted that Fatah does not belong to anyone, even if it is from its leadership, who can direct it in the direction he wants, as it is the property of its people who resemble it and who are still connected to Palestine.


In this regard, Fatah said in a statement issued by the Commission for Information, Culture and Intellectual Mobilization on Wednesday, 5/7/2023, "The battle that our people fought in the Jenin camp against the aggression of the Israeli occupation army is a qualitative shift in the course of the conflict with the occupation and a qualitative message that our people wrote down with their sacrifices and steadfastness." and join forces.”


Yes, it is a qualitative shift in the course of the conflict, especially since its coordinates and developments showed that the scenario of forced displacement is present and effective, and here I argue that Israel may embark under the current (decisive) government to implement it, especially if a major regional war breaks out, and I am certain that we are closer to its outbreak This war, especially since the initiation of the war (and victory in it), and there is great doubt about this, as many security experts in Israel say, and the recent battle of Jenin evidenced, is an integral part of the Israeli security doctrine through which it seeks to maintain deterrence and the imbalance in Force, as any change specifically in the balance of deterrence, which has become an irrefutable reality today, is read as a security threat of the type that affects the permanence of existence, which necessitates going to war.
Accordingly, Fatah's leadership and bases must make rapid qualitative transformations in its structure, discourse, behavior, and options in preparation for this scenario, and any preoccupation with other than that is a waste of time and a misplaced effort.

OPINIONS

Mon 10 Jul 2023 10:25 am - Jerusalem Time

Netanyahu and his government are going against history

Jerusalem Hadith

Jerusalem Hadith

Opinion Writer

It seems that the Israeli Prime Minister Netanyahu did not learn from the lessons that our people taught to his occupation, that the occupation's crime cannot dissuade our people from continuing their national liberation struggle until they achieve their full goals of freedom, independence and the departure of the occupier from their land.


Netanyahu's threats to launch other aggressive operations in the West Bank can only increase our people's determination to adhere to their national rights, and to confront the occupation with bare chests and an unyielding iron will, and that every action has an equal and opposite reaction in direction, and that such threats fuel the situation It will not bring to the occupying state neither peace nor security, as Netanyahu and his government ministers, especially extremists and racists, such as Ben Gvir, the Minister of Finance and others, imagine.


The violence of the occupation generates nothing but violence, and the meager arguments of the occupation, such as what does not come by force will bring more force, to subdue the Palestinians and make them raise the flag, as well as the statement of then Prime Minister Golda Meir decades ago that the old die and the young forget, so with more force more is born. From confronting the occupation, and that the young do not forget, but rather that they adhere more than previous generations to their national rights, and to resisting the occupation, represented by its military forces that kill, arrest and raid day and night, as well as the herds of settlers who wreak havoc on the land.


The shortest way to provide security and achieve peace in the region is the departure of the occupation from the Palestinian land, and leaving the Palestinians alone in order to establish their independent state, which will be more democratic and stable than the occupying state, which is experiencing internal contradictions that may lead to internal war sooner or later, especially in light of the division And the distinction between the categories of Jews, and not only the distinction between Jews, but between Jews and Palestinians inside.


These contradictions within the occupying state do not end, but rather escalate with the trend of Israeli society towards extremism and hateful racism, and the rule of the religious extremist right in the decisions of the current government, which in their entirety are not only against the Palestinians, but also against Western Jews, although they are the ones who established this entity on the ruins Our people.


Nevertheless, what we Palestinians care about is the departure of the occupation from our land, and that all means of the occupation, such as killing, burning, destroying, razing, and establishing settlements and outposts, will not work, and that the fate of the occupation will end, and that all its practices and violations will increase the state of hostility between the two parties, the Palestinian and the Israeli, and just as the peoples were liberated Many countries of the world from the colonial yoke, our people will be liberated, and this is a historical inevitability that victory belongs to the peoples, and this is what Netanyahu does not learn. Rather, he is arrogant and believes that the occupying power will achieve his goals in resolving the conflict in favor of the occupying state, and this is contrary to history and will not last long.

PALESTINE

Mon 10 Jul 2023 10:15 am - Jerusalem Time

New Jordanian facilities for Jerusalemites

The Jordanian Ministry of Interior said, on Monday, that it will provide facilities for the Palestinians in occupied Jerusalem.


Among the facilitations that will be announced later, after its approval, are accepting applications for issuing passports for Jerusalemites for the first time without specifying a specific age, and allowing a Jordanian who holds a national number and is married to a Jerusalemite woman who holds a Jerusalemite ID to apply for the issuance and renewal of passports for himself and his children through the Sharia Court in Jerusalem. Sheriff.


In addition, a citizen of both sexes who holds a temporary passport in the West Bank and whose spouse is from Jerusalem, who holds a Jerusalem identity card and has a personal number on the temporary passport that begins with the number (***9000), will be allowed to apply for renewal of his passport exclusively through the Sharia Court in Jerusalem. Sheriff, in all these cases according to the fees and instructions approved by the Civil Status and Passports Department.


She indicated that a meeting will be held in this regard, based on the royal vision of the need to alleviate the suffering of the people of Al-Quds Al-Sharif, which was embodied in the signing of an agreement between the Civil Status and Passports Department and the Jordan Post Company in 2018.

ARAB AND WORLD

Mon 10 Jul 2023 9:48 am - Jerusalem Time

North Korea threatens to shoot down any US spy plane that violates its airspace

North Korea threatened Monday to shoot down any US spy plane that violated its airspace and denounced Washington's plans to deploy a nuclear missile submarine near the Korean peninsula.


A spokesman for North Korea's defense ministry said the United States had "intensified espionage activities beyond wartime levels" with "provocative" flights by US spy planes for eight consecutive days this month, and a reconnaissance plane violating its airspace over the East Sea "several times". .


"There is no guarantee that a shocking incident such as the shooting down of a US Air Force strategic reconnaissance plane in the East Sea of ​​Korea will not occur," the official KCNA news agency quoted the spokesman as saying.


The spokesman referred to previous incidents when Pyongyang shot down a US plane, warning that the United States would pay the price for its "feverishly organized" aerial espionage.


The statement also criticized the planned deployment of US strategic nuclear assets on the Korean Peninsula, considering it "the most blatant nuclear blackmail" of North Korea, adding that it poses a serious threat to regional and global security.


"The current situation clearly proves that the situation on the Korean Peninsula is getting closer to the threshold of a nuclear conflict due to the US' provocative military activities," the statement added.


Washington announced in April its intention to send a nuclear-armed ballistic submarine on a visit to a South Korean port decades ago, without specifying a date.


North Korea has conducted several missile launches this year in breach of sanctions, including testing its most powerful intercontinental ballistic missile, and in May it tried to put a military spy satellite into orbit.


In response, South Korean President Yoon Sok-yol announced enhanced defense cooperation with Washington, and organized joint military exercises with advanced stealth aircraft and advanced US strategic assets.


Yoon will attend a NATO summit in Lithuania this week, seeking to enhance cooperation with NATO members on North Korea's growing nuclear and missile threats, his office said.

PALESTINE

Mon 10 Jul 2023 9:43 am - Jerusalem Time

Chinese Ambassador: We call for ending division and strengthening Palestinian national unity

Chinese Ambassador to Palestine Zeng Jishin said that the Palestinian issue for China represents international justice that must be achieved. He said that China, out of its advanced position and sense of responsibility, will continue its unwavering support for the Palestinian people and their just cause, on the basis of the two-state solution, fairness to the Palestinian people, and lifting aid from them.


During his visit to the headquarters of Al-Quds newspaper and his meeting with the editor-in-chief, Mr. Muhammad Abu Libdeh, the correspondents officer, Muhammad Abu Khudair, the administrative and financial director, Mr. Hani Al-Abbasi, and the official in charge of social media platforms and the newspaper's website, Khalil Abbasi, Ambassador Jishin said that he visited the city of Jenin and its camp on Saturday and was briefed on the extent of the destruction and losses caused by the Israeli aggression. He was in a state of astonishment and did not see these attacks as a gateway to peace and strengthening security, stressing that the way to resolve and end the conflict is through negotiations and dialogue that leads to ending the occupation and establishing the Palestinian state.


The Chinese ambassador affirmed his country's position in support of the rights of the Palestinian people, and his country's support for the principle of the two-state solution. He also stressed his country's continuation in providing support to the State of Palestine in various fields that serve Palestine and its people.


He said that since I took office three months ago, I visited Bethlehem, Jericho, and Jenin, and I intend to visit the rest of the Palestinian cities, and my visit to Jenin was impressive, as we do not want things to reach the point of bloody war.


The Chinese ambassador affirmed China's keenness on the internal Palestinian reconciliation between Fatah and Hamas and between the West Bank and Gaza, and said: "The internal reconciliation strengthens the Palestinian national position in the event that there are negotiations with the Israeli side."


In response to a question about the importance of strengthening the Chinese role and breaking the US administration's monopoly on sponsoring the negotiations and the possibility of China playing a mediating role in the negotiations within an international group that is more neutral and impartial than the US administration that adopts and sponsors the occupation and justifies its violations, Ambassador Jishin said that the Chinese president put forward a new three-point initiative It constitutes a continuation of Chinese efforts to achieve peace in the region, and builds on its two initiatives in 2013 and 2017, and all initiatives carry a fair vision for resolving the Palestinian issue.


He explained, "The Chinese leader's recent initiative consists of three points: establishing an independent Palestinian state, ensuring the economic and developmental needs of the Palestinian people, and striving towards resuming negotiations as the right path and option for all parties." He added that this is China's vision of the Palestinian issue, and it is in line with what the president put forward. Jinping earlier, but it takes into account developments."


He said: "The Palestinian issue is a complex issue. China has made continuous and intensive efforts to solve it in a way that guarantees the restoration of the Palestinian people to their inalienable national rights. As a permanent member of the Security Council, China works to advance the peace process in the Middle East, and plays an honest role aimed at achieving security and stability for all countries in the region." .


Ambassador Jishin stressed the importance of the outcomes of President Abbas's visit to China, in the middle of last June, and its historical dimensions, and the features it drew for the relationship between the two countries in the next stage, 35 years after the establishment of diplomatic relations between Palestine and China. "The visit was fruitful and successful, and its most prominent outcome was the announcement by Presidents Abbas and Xi Jinping of a strategic partnership that can be summed up in three words: friendship, cooperation and peace," Jishin said.


He added: President Abbas is the first Arab leader that China received this year after the Corona pandemic, at the invitation of Chinese President Xi Jinping, and this is a great indication of the depth of historical relations between the two countries, which were built on a solid foundation. He stressed that China will continue its unwavering support for the Palestinian cause, leading to the restoration of the Palestinian people's inalienable rights.


Jishin stated that the Chinese-Palestinian partnership and cooperation will develop to implement global development initiatives, global security, and global civilization, and China will continue to advance cooperation within the framework of the Belt and Road Initiative, and provide all possible support to Palestine in various fields. Likewise, the two sides will work to advance the outcomes of the recent Arab-Chinese summit held in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia last December, and the two sides will also work to enhance cooperation in regional and international affairs, and work to establish a multilateral international system away from hegemony.


Jichin stressed China's support for Palestine's endeavors to obtain full membership in the United Nations, "We stress these positions in all international forums, including in the United Nations, and it believes that it can play a distinguished role because it enjoys good relations with all countries in the region."


In response to a question about the fact that media reports differed about Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu receiving an invitation to visit Beijing, or he was the one who requested this invitation, the Chinese ambassador said, “We have strong friendship relations with the Palestinian and Israeli sides, and we aspire to harness these relations in order to establish peace without prejudice or interest.” Especially to achieve justice, peace and stability in the region.


He added that the Chinese-Israeli relations are a relationship of benefit and common interests, and we are working to strengthen the efforts, desire and trust between the Palestinian and Israeli sides so that China can play a role in bringing about peace between the two parties, noting that it does not seem that there is an Israeli party that wants to sit at the negotiating table with the Palestinians.


The ambassador compared the Chinese role in the reconciliation and the agreement that was signed between the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia and Iran, and said that the basis of this agreement is the strong friendship that brings China together with Saudi Arabia and Iran, and the desire of the two parties to play the role of reconciliation, which provided the reasons for the success of the Chinese mediation. In improving relations between Saudi Arabia and Iran, as it "has made unremitting efforts in this direction, leading to a new chapter in relations between the two countries, and has provided a good model for strengthening relations between countries on the basis of dialogue, and provides a basis for peace in the region, unlike other countries and powers that move to exploit conflicts to achieve their interests." ".


He added, "Saudi Arabia and Iran are two countries that are friends of China, and they trust the Chinese positions, and for this reason, the miracle was achieved in their relations with Chinese efforts."


Jishin said, "China's history, which dates back to more than 5,000 years, is based on love and peace, and China's positions on regional issues are fair and just. We do not have greed and do not seek to exploit the existing conflict. Rather, we are working to promote dialogue and peace in the world, and the Chinese role is welcomed by all countries in the region." It will adhere to this principle and, on the basis of it, will continue its efforts to advance the peace process in the Middle East.


Ambassador Jishin affirmed keenness to expand media cooperation and consolidate the principles of freedom and exchange of information for the benefit of the Chinese and Palestinian peoples.


For his part, Khalil Al-Abbasi, responsible for the social media platforms, the website, Facebook, and Touter, gave an explanation about the volume of Palestinian, Arab, and international interaction with our website, and how to spread the Palestinian narrative since the founding of the website, and these platforms, which are popular and have great interaction.


He said that the website of Al-Quds newspaper is distinguished, and it is the first to publish the Palestinian novel in the three languages, Arabic, English and Hebrew, through a specialized staff on platforms and websites, as well as the Facebook page, followed by more than 10 million people at home and abroad.


At the end of the meeting, Ambassador Jishin presented a symbolic gift from the ancient Chinese heritage, stressing the role of the Palestinian media and press in the ongoing conflict, calling for the importance of cooperation, coordination and exchange of Palestinian-Chinese experiences.



ARAB AND WORLD

Mon 10 Jul 2023 9:25 am - Jerusalem Time

The United Nations warns of an "all-out civil war" in Sudan, after a raid that left 22 dead

The United Nations warned Sunday that Sudan is "on the verge of an all-out civil war" that could destabilize the entire region, following an air strike in Omdurman, a suburb west of Greater Khartoum, which left at least 22 dead and dozens wounded.


UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres announced that "the ongoing war between the armed forces has pushed Sudan to the brink of an all-out civil war that could destabilize the entire region," his deputy spokesman Farhan Haq said in a statement.


Guterres condemned the air strike in Omdurman, Sudan, which reportedly killed at least 22 people.


The Ministry of Health in Khartoum State said in a statement on Saturday that "a bombardment by warplanes at dawn on Saturday killed 22 citizens and left a large number of wounded" in the Dar al-Salaam al-Amriyah area in Omdurman.


The ministry posted on Facebook video clips of dead bodies on the ground, some of them with limbs cut off.


The Rapid Support Forces accused the army of carrying out the raid, noting that it killed at least 31 people.


In a statement, it condemned "the barbaric attack carried out by the coup forces on the citizens of Square 22 Dar al-Salam," describing it as a "heinous crime against humanity."


It said that it led to "the killing of more than 31 people and the wounding of dozens of civilians."


Residents of Dar al-Salam al-Amriyah confirmed to AFP on Sunday that what they witnessed was "an air strike that killed 22 people, including children," noting that the army is the only one of the two parties to the conflict that has an air force.


However, the armed forces denied in a statement on Sunday, "The Air Force dealt yesterday with any hostile targets in Omdurman."


The army accused the Rapid Support Forces of "bombing residential areas with artillery and missiles, coinciding with our planes flying to try to accuse the armed forces of targeting citizens falsely and falsely."


Witnesses reported more air strikes Sunday near the presidential palace.


According to witnesses, "violent clashes with heavy weapons" also took place in the southern neighborhoods of Khartoum.


Meanwhile, witnesses reported that civilians began digging graves to bury those killed in Saturday's airstrike.


Since the war began, many corpses have been left to rot in the streets in Khartoum and Darfur.


Since April 15, Sudan has been witnessing battles between the army led by Abdel Fattah al-Burhan and the Rapid Support Forces led by Muhammad Hamdan Dagalo, known as "Hemedti".


The conflict has led to more than 2,800 deaths and the displacement of more than 2.8 million people, of whom more than 600,000 have sought refuge in neighboring countries, according to data from the International Organization for Migration, especially to Egypt in the north and Chad in the west.


The battles are concentrated in the capital, Khartoum, and areas close to it, in addition to the Darfur region, where the United Nations has warned that what it is witnessing may amount to "crimes against humanity" and the conflict in it is taking on more and more ethnic dimensions.


According to the spokesman's statement, Guterres expressed his "concern about reports of renewed fighting in the states of North Kordofan, South Kordofan and Blue Nile," denouncing "a complete disregard for humanitarian law and human rights law."


He renewed his call for a cessation of hostilities and a "commitment to a permanent cessation of hostilities."


The city of El-Obeid, the capital of North Kordofan state, witnessed clashes on Saturday night and Sunday afternoon between al-Burhan's forces and Dagalo's forces, according to eyewitnesses.


On Friday, residents of the city of Bara, 50 km northeast of El-Obeid, told AFP that "(the) Rapid Support Forces are attacking the city of Bara and attacking banks and government facilities."


Amidst these developments, the civil aviation authorities announced "the extension of the closure of Sudanese airspace to all air traffic until the thirty-first of July, with the exception of humanitarian aid flights and evacuation flights after obtaining a permit from the competent authorities," according to a statement posted on the airport's page. Khartoum International on Facebook Sunday night Monday.
The two parties to the conflict concluded several truces, often with the mediation of the United States and Saudi Arabia, which witnessed many violations.


Both the African Union and the IGAD Organization for Development in East Africa are trying to mediate a solution to the crisis in Sudan.


In the context, the spokesman for the Executive Secretary of the organization, Nour Mahmoud Sheikh Al-Jumaa, said, "It is scheduled to hold an IGAD session for the heads of state and government of the Quartet (mechanism) concerned with Sudan in Addis Ababa on Monday."


Khaled Omar Youssef, a former civil minister who was removed from his position after the military coup carried out by Al-Burhan in 2021, wrote in a tweet that he had arrived "accompanied by a number of Sudanese civil actors to Addis Ababa, which is witnessing important activities aimed at stopping the war in Sudan."


He continued, "We are working during this visit to communicate with Sudanese, regional and international actors in order to accelerate efforts to bring peace to our country. This damned war must stop."


In turn, Egypt, which is close to Al-Burhan, announced that it will host a summit of the countries neighboring Sudan on Thursday, "to discuss ways to end the current conflict and the negative repercussions on neighboring countries," according to a statement by the Egyptian Presidency.


Even before the war broke out, Sudan was one of the poorest countries in the world, with 25 million people, representing more than half of the population, in need of humanitarian assistance and protection, according to the United Nations.

PALESTINE

Mon 10 Jul 2023 8:37 am - Jerusalem Time

Netanyahu may meet Biden on the sidelines of the United Nations meetings

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu is scheduled to travel to New York in September.


According to the Hebrew newspaper, Israel Hayom, Netanyahu will deliver a speech before the United Nations General Assembly, and will meet with many world leaders and officials.


The newspaper suggested that Netanyahu would meet with US President Joe Biden for the first time since he assumed the premiership, in an opportunity for a long-awaited meeting between them, according to the newspaper.


She pointed out that the plan for the visit and coordination between the two sides has not been determined for a possible meeting that has not started yet.

PALESTINE

Mon 10 Jul 2023 8:20 am - Jerusalem Time

The occupation announces the arrest of 5 citizens in the West Bank and Jerusalem

On Monday morning, the Israeli army announced that it had arrested 5 citizens from the West Bank and occupied Jerusalem.


According to a statement by an Israeli military spokesman, he arrested 3 young men from Al-Aroub camp and Hebron.


A young man from the town of Kafr Malik, near Ramallah, was also arrested.


He pointed out that another person from the village of Hizma in occupied Jerusalem was arrested.


He claimed that he managed to seize pieces of weapons and ammunition.

PALESTINE

Mon 10 Jul 2023 8:03 am - Jerusalem Time

Privileges, not facilities.. “Yediot” reveals the details of the “Cabinet” meeting

The Hebrew newspaper Yedioth Ahronoth published, on Monday morning, details of the meeting held by the Israeli Cabinet, the Cabinet, on preventing the collapse of the Palestinian Authority.


Yesterday evening, the office of Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu issued a statement in which he spoke of the cabinet’s agreement to take steps aimed at preventing the collapse of the Palestinian Authority, in exchange for the latter taking steps related to stopping its activities against Israel politically and legally, in reference to the International Criminal Court, in addition to what was described as “incitement.” in the educational curricula, stopping the payment of salaries to the families of martyrs and prisoners, and halting construction, which was described as "illegal" in Area C.


According to the Hebrew newspaper, the Cabinet did not agree to any facilitation, especially with regard to economic issues that require the approval of the Ministry of Finance, such as fuel cuts and debt cancellation, especially in light of the opposition of the extremist National Security Minister Itamar Ben Gvir and the extremist Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich.


Some concessions will be granted to the Palestinian Authority that do not require a decision by the Cabinet or the government.


The newspaper described the meeting as "stormy", during which the extremist Ben Gvir said: "You live in delusions, and you think that the Palestinian Authority hates us less than Hamas ... They call for the killing of Jews in textbooks, and say that the Jews are unclean, and pay salaries to terrorists." In the end, they will turn their weapons on us, and you want to strengthen them.”


A senior security official, who did not reveal his identity, responded to Ben Gvir's words during the meeting: "The authority uses its weapons against the factions, not just Hamas," while Ben Gvir replied: "You live in illusions. If they are strong, they will point their guns at our soldiers, and this happened." already earlier."


During the meeting, security officials warned that the Palestinian Authority is in a difficult situation and even in danger of collapse, stressing that Israel needs to strengthen it through large projects to save it, while one of the ministers said: "They are in a better condition than you think."


The newspaper pointed out that the steps that will be taken will be related to the civil life situation and are not steps related to the economic reality of the Palestinian Authority, in light of the rejection of some ministers of any such step.

PALESTINE

Mon 10 Jul 2023 7:50 am - Jerusalem Time

Finding the remains of a missile fired from Jenin

Yesterday evening, Sunday, remnants of a missile were found on the outskirts of Kibbutz Ram On of the so-called Gilboa Regional Council, inside the Green Line, near Jenin.


The remains of the missile were found by one of the settlers, while the Israeli army said that this is the remnants of an old, primitive missile, and it was not launched yesterday, and it may be from those who tried to launch it in recent days.


The Israeli army indicated that it did not find any explosive material in the remnants of the missile, meaning that it was not carrying an explosive warhead.


The Israeli army is investigating the time of the missile launch.


A group calling itself the "Ayyash Brigade" from Jenin had published video clips several times firing rockets, which were said at the time to explode a few meters away from their launch because they were very primitive.

PALESTINE

Sun 09 Jul 2023 8:56 pm - Jerusalem Time

Al-Saleh for "Jerusalem": the start of the reconstruction process in Jenin camp

The Minister of Local Government, Eng. Majdi Al-Saleh, announced the launch of the process of reconstruction and restoration of Jenin camp, stressing that the specialized committees have begun their tasks in counting the damages first, to carry out the restoration and repair process at a rapid and practical pace, so that the citizens return to their homes and their normal life as soon as possible.


After several meetings, between Al-Saleh, Governor Akram Rajoub, the People’s Committee for Services in Jenin camp, and several ministries, institutions and events, Al-Saleh said in an exclusive interview with Al-Quds.com: “We started with practical steps, and meetings were held with local committees and the committee formed by the Council of Ministers. It is the Reconstruction Committee, in addition to the committee formed by the Ministry of Local Government to limit all damages in the camp and the city, to speed up the pace of work and to complete the tasks entrusted to us in a matter of time.”


Al-Saleh explained that the tasks were distributed to the members of the committee, which was divided into several sectors, each sector headed by a specialized ministry, as well as a committee with this ministry.


He stated that the Offices and Engineering Companies Authority had volunteered, with more than 30 engineers, to inventory the structural damage to the buildings in the camp, adding: “All crews went to the field to make the necessary assessment, and there are directives for the Reconstruction Committee to speed up the process of assessing the damage, and we will wait until all its work is completed.” ".


And Al-Saleh continued: "The Reconstruction Committee will begin to count the damages first, and a report will be submitted today to the Council of Ministers to take the appropriate measures of purchase and exchange procedures for the necessary cases that were damaged the most."


And he indicated that, from the first moment of the Israeli occupation forces' withdrawal from the camp, rescue operations began by communicating with the North Electricity Company's crews, which rushed to work throughout the night hours immediately after the withdrawal, and succeeded in restoring the camp's electricity quickly.


Al-Saleh said, "Work is currently underway to develop the network in the camp, and the Ministry of Public Works, on the morning of the day after the withdrawal, began working with all government institutions."


Al-Saleh focused on going for urgent and immediate support and assistance, to help and save the families who have been displaced and lost their homes and the necessities of life, and said: "According to the data of the OCHA report, which was published, there are 20 families who did not return to the camp because they did not have homes because they were destroyed. Therefore, The Reconstruction Committee decided to provide shelter and suitable housing for her, because the period of her stay outside her homes and the reconstruction will take longer, and it is our responsibility to secure suitable living conditions for her.


Al-Saleh indicated that the preliminary estimates of the results of the aggression until the moment are not accurate, but according to the data and statistics carried out by the specialized teams, there are preliminary estimates that they are not less than 70 million, but the final picture and the real results will be revealed with the end of the inventory operations that resulted from this invasion and aggression. brute.


To whom do the affected people in Jenin camp and city turn, Al-Saleh answers: “After meeting with Governor Akram Rajoub, the People’s Committee and all concerned parties, we will, with the kindness of the Governor, unite all efforts in the committee that was formed, which will continue and reach all those affected, to work to end the reconstruction process, which It will be quick and capable of lifting the suffering of our people, securing all their needs, and securing a dignified return to their homes and normal life."