By Adam Lucente

The Israeli human rights organization B'Tselem says hundreds of Palestinians have fled their homes due to settler violence, and the United States is pressuring Israel on the issue.

A child checks a car reportedly damaged by Jewish settlers during the night in the village of Mughayir, east of Ramallah in the West Bank, on July 23, 2023. - ZAIN JAAFAR/AFP via Getty Images

Hundreds of Palestinians in the West Bank have been driven from their homes by Israeli settlers since the Israel-Hamas war began, according to a leading Israeli human rights organization. B’Tselem spokesperson Dror Sadot said that the violence has spiked since Hamas’ attack on Oct. 7 as Israel is preoccupied with the war in Gaza. “The scale and intensity of the attacks have escalated,” Sadot told Al-Monitor. “What we’re seeing is the settlers are basically targeting community after community, attacking multiple times … under the cover of the Gaza war.”As of Sunday, a total of 963 Palestinians have left their homes in the West Bank due to attacks, threats and restrictions by Israeli settlers since the war began Oct. 7. That number over four weeks is nearly double those who fled the West Bank in the 21 months prior. According to B’Tselem’s data, around 480 Palestinians left their West Bank homes from January 2022 until October 2023. Israel has occupied the West Bank since 1967, a territory that now houses large number of Israeli settlements and outposts that are considered illegal under international law. 

The attacks are occurring as fighting in Gaza intensifies, drawing the attention of Israel and the international community. More than 11,000 Palestinians have been killed by the Israeli military in Gaza since the war began, mostly civilians. Approximately 1,200 people in Israel were killed by Hamas during its Oct. 7 assault on Israel, also mainly civilians, while dozens of Israeli soldiers have died in the ensuing operations in and around Gaza.

The settler attacks are mostly occurring in Area C, a section of the West Bank directly administered by Israel. Palestinian authorities say that at least 185 Palestinians have been killed in the West Bank since the war began, largely in Israeli military raids. Before Oct. 7, the United Nations' Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs, aka OCHA, reported 199 Palestinian fatalities in the West Bank in 2023. 

The Israel Defense Forces have escalated security raids against armed groups in the West Bank, including Hamas, concurrent with the war in Gaza. “The general violence is escalating. It’s not only the settlers, it’s also the army. Israel’s control of the civilian population is being tightened,” said Dror, adding that there are more checkpoints and limitations on movement as well since Oct. 7.The situation is particularly restrictive in Hebron, where the IDF has imposed a curfew on 11 neighborhoods since Oct. 7, according to B’Tselem. 

Hebron, the site of the Cave of the Patriarchs and the Ibrahimi Mosque, is a frequent flashpoint between Israeli settlers and Palestinians. According to B’Tselem, the settler attacks are not separate from Israeli government policy. “Israel and the settlers want the same thing and aim for the same goal: to Judaize Area C,” said Dror. "Israel is basically granting the settlers immunity. Nobody is being held accountable. So it’s kind of an unofficial arm of the state.”Israel’s current ruling coalition includes ardent Jewish nationalist parties that are supportive of the settler movement. National Security Minister Itamar Ben-Gvir and Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich both live in West Bank settlements. “The people who are the violent settlers are sitting in the government and the settlers know that,” added Dror.

At times, West Bank Palestinians are unsure whether it's settlers or Israeli soldiers attacking. Dror said some Palestinians report being attacked by people who are known to be settlers but are in army uniforms.

Israeli authorities have distributed guns to settlers since Oct. 7 for security. Settlers are sometimes attacked by armed Palestinians as well, including before the war. In April, two British-Israeli women were killed in a shooting attack in the West Bank. 

Israeli, Palestinian and international news outlets have reported on the settler attacks. Haaretz published a lengthy report last month detailing how Israeli settlers as well as soldiers allegedly detained and tortured three Palestinians in Wadi as-Seeq, east of Ramallah, on Oct. 12. An IDF spokesperson told the outlet that the commanding officer of the area has been dismissed and that the military police opened an investigation into the incident. 

On Oct. 28, an Israeli settler shot and killed a Palestinian man who was harvesting olives in Al-Sawiya, near Nablus, Haaretz reported, citing Palestinian health and Israeli military officials. A Palestinian woman in Khirbet Zanuta told CNN on Nov. 3 that settlers assault residents during the night in an effort to drive them from their homes. 

The Palestinian Authority’s WAFA news agency regularly reports Israeli settler attacks against Palestinians. On Sunday, WAFA reported that settlers attacked Palestinian vehicles on the Ramallah-Nablus road. On Monday, the outlet reported that settlers attacked a Palestinian home and fruit-bearing trees in Masafer Yatta, south of Hebron. 

The attacks have elicited condemnation, including from US President Joe Biden. “They have to be held accountable. It has to stop now,” said Biden at a press conference on Oct. 25. Biden referred to the perpetrators as “extremist settlers,” the Associated Press reported at the time. 

During a trip to Israel on Nov. 3, US Secretary of State Antony Blinken said he had received a “clear commitment” from the Israeli government on dealing with the violence. 

The Washington Post reported on Friday that Biden and his aides have raised the issue numerous times in calls with Israeli officials, including Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu. Netanyahu issued a rare condemnation of the violence from settlers on Thursday. Following a meeting with the Yesha Council, an umbrella organization of settlement municipal councils, Netanyahu said, “I condemn this, and we will act against it.” Israeli news outlets described his comments as a gesture toward the United States.

If elections are held for the Knesset now, Gantz's party will get 42 seats compared to 17 seats for Likud, and 50% say that Gantz is most suitable to head the government compared to 29% for Netanyahu, and former Mossad chief Yossi Cohen is the most likely to succeed Netanyahu as head of Likud.

The results of a poll published today, Friday, in light of the war on Gaza, showed an increase in the popularity of the “National Camp” bloc, headed by Benny Gantz, and a continued collapse in the popularity of the Likud Party, headed by Benjamin Netanyahu. In anticipation of protests against him, Netanyahu canceled a visit to the wounded from the war in Gaza at Sheba Hospital, which was scheduled for today.

According to the results of the poll published by the Maariv newspaper, if elections were held for the Knesset now, the National Camp would obtain 42 seats, one seat more than the poll published by the newspaper last week. Likud lost one seat and won 17 seats.

The Yesh Atid party stabilized at 14 seats, while the Yisrael Beytenu party declined from 9 to 8 seats, and the Shas party declined from 9 to 8 seats. The United Torah Judaism bloc won 7 seats, and the strength of the Otzma Yehudit party increased from 5 to 6 seats.

The Arab Front for Change alliance won 5 seats, as well as the Unified List, and the Religious Zionism Party won 4 seats, as well as the Meretz Party.

With these results, the gap between the opposition parties, including the “National Camp,” widened, with them collectively obtaining 78 seats, compared to 42 seats for the coalition parties.

50% said that Gantz is the most suitable to assume the position of prime minister, while 29% considered Netanyahu the most suitable to assume the position, and 21% said that they do not know who is most suitable for this position.

In response to a question about who is most suitable to assume leadership of the Likud Party after Netanyahu’s departure, 21% voted for former Mossad chief Yossi Cohen; Gideon Sa'ar - 13%, noting that he defected from Likud and founded a new party and ran in the elections within the "National Camp." He is a minister in Netanyahu's government and a member of the political-security cabinet.

12% voted for Defense Minister Yoav Galant; Economy Minister, Nir Barkat – 11%; None of them – 23%; I don't know - 20%.

President Mahmoud Abbas received, today, Friday, at the presidential headquarters in Ramallah, the High Representative of the European Union for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy, Josep Borrell.

The President briefed Borrell on the latest developments in the occupied Palestinian territory, especially in the Gaza Strip, stressing the need for the European Union to put pressure on the Israeli occupation authorities to stop their continuing aggression against the Palestinian people, and to accelerate the entry of humanitarian aid into the Gaza Strip, as well as to stop the attacks of the occupation forces and terrorist settlers on The Palestinian people in the West Bank, including Jerusalem.

The President reiterated the State of Palestine’s categorical rejection of the displacement of Palestinians from the Gaza Strip or the West Bank, including Jerusalem, stressing the need for urgent intervention to release the Palestinian clearance funds held by Israel.

The President stressed that there is no security or military solution for the Gaza Strip, and that the Gaza Strip is an integral part of the Palestinian state, and it is not possible to accept or deal with the plans of the occupation authorities to separate Gaza.

The President also stressed that security and peace are achieved by ending the Israeli occupation of the land of the State of Palestine, with East Jerusalem as its capital, calling on the European Union and its member states who believe in the two-state solution to recognize the State of Palestine and its full membership in the United Nations.

The President thanked the European Union's positions committed to the two-state solution based on international legitimacy, highly appreciating the humanitarian and development assistance provided by the European Union to build the institutions of the Palestinian state and the Palestinian people.

A number of citizens were injured today, Friday, during confrontations that broke out with the Israeli occupation forces in various areas in the West Bank.

In Nablus, a citizen was injured by live bullets, and others suffocated, today, Friday, during confrontations that broke out with the Israeli occupation army in the village of Beit Dajan, east of Nablus.

The Red Crescent in Nablus reported that a young man (30 years old) was injured by live bullets in the thigh, and was being transferred to the hospital, while others suffered from gas suffocation during confrontations with the occupation forces in Beit Dajan, east of Nablus.

Israeli Settlers, protected by the Israeli occupation forces, stormed two water springs in the village of Qaryut, south of Nablus.

Settlement resistance activist Bashar Qaryouti said that a group of colonists stormed the Qaryut Spring south of the village, and the Ceylon Spring to the west, which was demolished by colonists about two weeks ago.

Qaryouti added that the colonists storm the water spring on a weekly basis under the protection of the occupation soldiers, who closed the roads leading to the spring with dirt barriers about a month ago, to prevent citizens from reaching the area.

He was injured by settlers' bullets in Khirbet Tana, located in the Beit Furik lands, east of Nablus.

Medical and local sources reported that a young man (30 years old) was injured by live bullets in the thigh area, after colonists shot him while he was in Khirbet, and he was transferred to the hospital, to receive treatment.

In Tulkarm, Israeli occupation forces stormed the town of Qaffin, north of Tulkarm.

Local sources reported that the occupation forces deployed in the town's neighborhoods, especially the eastern neighborhood and the Hawouz Al-Maha area, and mounted the roofs of a number of buildings, firing shots from time to time.

In Bethlehem, Al Jazeera photojournalist Joseph Handal was injured as a result of colonists attacking him near the “Container” checkpoint, northeast of Bethlehem.

Local sources reported that settlers intercepted Handal's vehicle while he was passing on the main road leading to Abu Dis and Al-Eizariya, and severely beat him, causing him bruises and wounds. They also painted the Star of David on the vehicle, before Handal was able to escape and reach the borders of the town of Abu Dis. Where she provided him first aid.

In Qalqilya, confrontations broke out between citizens and the Israeli occupation forces, in the village of Kafr Qaddum, east of Qalqilya.

Local sources reported that the occupation forces fired stun grenades and tear gas towards the participants in the weekly march, which led to the outbreak of confrontations, but no injuries were reported.

The march participants denounced the crimes of the Israeli occupation and its continuing aggression against the Gaza Strip and the West Bank.

The official spokesman for the US State Department, Matthew Miller, expressed the US administration’s concern regarding what was reported about the Israeli authorities’ prevention of Palestinian American citizens in the occupied West Bank through Israel.

In response to a question from Al-Quds.com’s correspondent in Washington in this regard, he said: “With regard to the visa exemption program (for Israelis) - we are aware of reports that there are American citizens in the West Bank who are unable to pass through Israel as they are allowed to.” This is done in accordance with the requirements of the Visa Waiver Program.”

“We have expressed our concerns about this to the government of Israel,” Miller added. “I will not go into the full details of our private diplomatic conversations, but we expect Israel to address these concerns. We expect them to be in full compliance with the Visa Waiver Program, and there are remedial measures available to us if they do not.” Be like that.”

Regarding the possibility of suspending the visa waiver, Miller said: “There is a whole range of remedial measures that can be taken before the final suspension. This is of course the final measure that we can take for any country in the visa waiver program. There are measures that you can take to try to bring a country back.” to comply.”

Israel prevents some Palestinian Americans from entering its territory from the West Bank, which is a clear violation of the recent agreement under which citizens of the United States and Israel can travel to the other country without a visa.

The Departments of Homeland Security and State, which administer the program, said US officials were trying to solve the problem.

For her part, Erin Heater, spokeswoman for the US Department of Homeland Security, said that government officials are working with the government of Israel to address reports that Americans are facing problems traveling to and from Ben Gurion Airport.

The arrangement, announced in late September, before the war began, was part of a larger effort to improve relations between the two countries. At the time, President Biden was seeking to broker a diplomatic agreement between Israel and Saudi Arabia.

Under the visa waiver program, Israel will lift restrictions on Americans of Palestinian descent and other Americans of Arab or Muslim descent, making it easier for them to travel to and from the Palestinian territories.

For decades, Palestinian Americans have faced difficulties traveling to the Israeli-occupied West Bank to visit family and friends or to carry out humanitarian work. They were forced to travel first to Jordan, usually traveling to and from Queen Alia International Airport in the Jordanian capital, rather than entering or exiting Tel Aviv.

American officials insisted that the agreement would change that, but shortly after the announcement of Israel's inclusion in the program, Hamas launched a surprise attack on Israel, after which Israel launched a brutal war on the besieged Gaza Strip.

Citing security reasons, Israel imposed additional restrictions on the movement of Palestinians in the West Bank, whether they hold an American passport or not. Palestinian Americans found themselves unable to cross into or out of Israel at that border.

Bloomberg newspaper revealed on Friday that the United States and its European allies are seeking to develop a plan to deploy an international peacekeeping force in the Gaza Strip after the war, according to people familiar with the matter, which increases pressure on Israel to end its military operation as civilian casualties increase.

U.S. and European officials acknowledge there are big questions about whether such an operation would be workable in Gaza, and they recognize that Israel remains highly skeptical of such a plan, said the people, who requested anonymity while discussing private deliberations. But they said that even discussing the idea might help push Israel to think more about ending the campaign and thinking about what might happen next.

Discussions centered around the UN Security Council remain preliminary. These efforts come partly in response to growing international calls for a ceasefire in the Israeli attack on Hamas, which the United States and the European Union classify as a terrorist group.

In a sign of growing impatience with the Israeli offensive, which has killed more than 12,000 people, according to the Gaza Ministry of Health, the Security Council on Wednesday approved a resolution calling for a humanitarian truce in the fighting. The United States did not use its veto to block the measure, in a rare breach of its steadfast support for Israel.

One option being considered by US and European officials is to expand the role of the United Nations Truce Supervision Organization, which was first established in 1949 to help implement armistice agreements between Palestinian Arabs and Israel following the war that broke out in 1948 after the establishment of the occupying state. The Jewish state.

Similar UN structures could be used around the world as a model, the people said, pointing to the deployment of UN-backed forces in Haiti led by Kenyan soldiers and another force authorized by the UN Security Council in Somalia to fight the Islamist militant group.

The newspaper says, “Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s office did not immediately respond to a request for comment, and he and his aides insist that any plan for Gaza must include destroying Hamas, demilitarizing the Strip, and rooting out extremism in its schools and social system. They also said they expect their forces to enjoy Freedom of movement there for the foreseeable future."

In turn, the US State Department did not immediately respond to the newspaper’s request for comment. Testifying before the Senate last month, Secretary of State Antony Blinken said the United States wants a future for Gaza that does not include Hamas or Israel running the Strip.

In turn, Israeli President Isaac Herzog told the Financial Times on Thursday that Israel will have to maintain a “strong force” in Gaza in the near future to prevent Hamas from re-emerging in the Strip after the war, but US President Joe Biden warned. That occupying the Strip would be a "big mistake."

He added to the newspaper that the Israeli government is discussing many ideas regarding ways to manage the Gaza Strip once the war ends, noting that it is assumed that the United States and “our neighbors in the region” will have some participation in the system that will be put in place after the period of conflict.

For his part, Biden said on Wednesday that he made clear to Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu that the two-state solution is the only way to settle the Israeli-Palestinian conflict and that occupying the Gaza Strip would be a “big mistake.”

A Palestinian source familiar with the mediation process to conclude a prisoner exchange deal between Israel and Hamas said that there was a recent “detente” that could lead to the announcement of an agreement within 48 hours.

The source, who spoke to the Arab World News Agency (AWP) but requested that his name not be revealed, added that there is already an agreement on a prisoner exchange deal between Israel and Hamas, as part of the efforts aimed at ending the war that has been going on in the Gaza Strip for six weeks, but he pointed out However, the difficulty of communication on the ground between Hamas and other Palestinian parties causes a delay in the announcement.

He said: “There is agreement between (Hamas) and Israel on all the details of the exchange process, and all that remains is to announce the implementation date.”

The source close to the negotiations explained specifically how the deal would take place, pointing to an agreement that Hamas would first release a number of dual nationals and foreign workers, followed by the release of a portion of the women and children detained by the movement the next day.

On the third day, Hamas releases the remaining women and children, and pledges to hand over a list of the names of all non-Israeli military detainees.

On the other hand, the source says that Israel will commit to releasing Palestinian women and children it detains in its prisons on the second day of the humanitarian truce, or what Israel calls a “tactical ceasefire.”

He added: “Israel is also committed to bringing fuel on a daily basis from the beginning of the declaration of calm through UNRWA to specific entities and operations within the agreement and Israeli oversight.”

He also indicated that a number of detained Frenchmen would be among those released in the first stage.

Today, Friday, the Ministry of Health announced the death of two young men who were injured by Israeli occupation forces’ bullets at the northern entrance to the city of Hebron.

The Ministry of Health stated, in a brief statement, that the two martyrs were: Muhammad Kamel Awni Abu Mizer and Abdul Rahman Talal Abu Sneineh, from Hebron.

Earlier this morning, the occupation forces opened fire on the vehicle in which the two young men, Abu Mizar and Abu Sneina, were traveling, at the northern entrance to the city of Hebron, and prevented the Red Crescent ambulance crews from reaching them, before transporting them in a military ambulance, and their death was later announced. .

Turkish Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan said that the West's silence regarding the attack on Gaza means agreeing to violate the law.

Fidan told reporters at a press conference in Ankara that the West's silence about the Israeli attack on Gaza is equivalent to giving a green light to violations of the law in other parts of the world.

Fidan added, "In order to break the resistance, mosques, hospitals and schools are being bombed, and we cannot remain silent about these attacks."

The Turkish Foreign Ministry on Wednesday criticized the Israeli authorities, saying that their accusations against Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan are baseless, and they have no right to talk about the law while they continue to attack people in Gaza.

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu had criticized Erdogan against the background of the latter's statements to Israel, describing it as a "terrorist state," saying that Erdogan supports the "Hamas terrorist state."

On Friday morning, the Israeli occupation authorities tightened their military measures in the vicinity of the blessed Al-Aqsa Mosque, and prevented a number of citizens from entering to perform Friday prayers.

Witnesses and eyewitnesses reported that the occupation forces assaulted a number of young men by beating them at the entrance to Lions Gate, one of the doors of Al-Aqsa Mosque, while preventing others from entering.

The witnesses added that the occupation forces also tightened their procedures around the Old City of occupied Jerusalem, checked the identities of Jerusalemites and prevented those outside the Old City from entering it.

For the fifth Friday in a row, the occupation forces continue their strict measures on the blessed Al-Aqsa Mosque and the residents of the Old City, preventing entry to them, as in the past four Fridays the number of worshipers has only exceeded a few thousand.

Ruth Ben-Artzi, the niece of Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, joins Democracy Now! to call for the Netanyahu government to focus efforts on releasing Israeli hostages and to stop the bombing. A professor of political science at Providence College, Ben-Artzi recently joined prominent Rhode Island rabbis, Jewish leaders and Israelis demanding a ceasefire in Gaza. “A ceasefire is really the only way that any solution can be achieved,” says Ben-Artzi, who explains why military actions will never resolve this conflict and that “finding a political solution … is really the only way that the roughly 7 million Jews and 7 million Palestinians who live between the river and the sea will ever be able to find peace.”

Transcript

AMY GOODMAN: This is Democracy Now!, democracynow.org. I’m Amy Goodman, with Nermeen Shaikh. We spend the rest of the hour with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s niece, a Providence College political science professor and Middle East expert. She’s the niece of Netanyahu’s wife, Sara Netanyahu. This month she was one of the signatories to a letter from Jewish and Israeli residents of Rhode Island that asks the state’s federal delegation to support ceasefire in Gaza.

In March, Ruth Ben-Artzi spoke out about distancing herself from all contact with the prime minister’s family. When asked by the Israeli newspaper Haaretz why she chose to speak out, she said, quote, “The answer is that I am ashamed, sad and angry. 

Ashamed that my relatives have no shame. That they are in a position of power that promotes and encourages violence, racism, nationalism and fascism. These are not the Jewish values I absorbed and to which I feel connected. Israel could remain a country in which Jews find a safe and free haven of equality and partnership with all the population groups within the state’s borders.” 

Well, professor Ruth Ben-Artzi joins us now, again, a Providence College political science professor and Middle East expert. She’s an Israeli and U.S. citizen. We welcome you to Democracy Now! Thank you so much for being with us. Your voice has so much power because you are the prime minister’s niece. 

Can you speak directly to him, to the people of Palestine and Israel and the world about what you want to see happen right now, Ruth Ben-Artzi?

RUTH BEN-ARTZI: So, I, first of all, speak as an Israeli citizen, as an American citizen, as a person who is observing everything that is happening, with my experience having grown up in Israel, and also as a political scientist who studies and researches these issues for many, many years now. From all of those different perspectives, I come to this realization, or that we came to this decision that a ceasefire is really the only way that any solution can ever be achieved. I think that any — the continued violence that begets violence that begets violence is only going to bring us further away from a solution to the Palestinian-Israeli conflict. And, you know, it’s really important to remember that we’ve been hearing also from policymakers, from American policymakers and even from Israeli policymakers, military experts, that there’s no military solution for the Israeli-Palestinian conflict. And if there’s no military solution to the conflict, there is no military way to eradicate Hamas, as well. The more harm that we’re inflicting, the more violence that is occurring, whatever anybody wants to — as a backdrop to either justify it or to explain it, does not make sense for the future. It only brings us further away from finding that solution, from being able to move toward that political solution.

And it’s clear that the day that this war is over is going to be the day that a political solution is going to have to start to be implemented. The occupation in the West Bank, the siege in Gaza that happened until October 7th, all of these kind of — what we typically call status quo, what we traditionally call status quo, but it’s not really status quo because things are changing. People are — the population is changing. The demographics are changing. The infrastructure is changing over all of these years of occupation. That can’t continue. The management of the conflict that has been the policy of the Israeli government at least since 2009 isn’t — it was never going to work. And it has no long-term prospects. 

The ceasefire is the only — we’re seeing the number of innocent civilians who are caught in the crossfires, the number of those who are victims of this war grow every single minute. And that is in addition to the humanitarian — to all the humanitarian concerns that — and the experts that you had on the show before me, the legal concerns, in addition to that, that also bring us further away from being able to implement the kinds of policies that we need to implement the day after the war.

NERMEEN SHAIKH: And, Professor Ben-Artzi, you’ve also, like many, of course, expressed concern about the well-being of the hostages who are in Gaza still, about 240 of them. If you could talk about how you think a ceasefire might make it possible for their safe return? I mean, it was just reported that Israel and Hamas appear close to an agreement whereby 50 women and children, Israeli civilians, would be released in return for 50 Palestinian women and children prisoners being freed. So, if you could talk about the impact a ceasefire may have on the release of the Israeli civilian hostages in Gaza?

RUTH BEN-ARTZI: Right. So, in Jewish tradition, we have a tradition that is called pidyon shvuyim, which means that the release of the hostages comes first and at all costs.

And that is to save lives. The bombing of Gaza — those hostages are in Gaza. When Gaza is being bombed, when we are — when we don’t know where those hostages are, it puts them in danger, too. There is going to be a day, or already, there’s a judgment for Hamas and for those who have inflicted the horrible violence on Israel on October 7th. But right now the focus has to be the release of those hostages. And the bombing, that is clearly not very specifically targeted and is putting those hostages in harm’s way, is only exacerbating the situation and putting the — I think, is putting the — and not just myself, but including the Rhode Islanders who signed this letter. I’ve also joined hundreds of political scientists who signed a letter to demand immediate ceasefire, for some of those same strategic reasons, humanitarian reasons, and also for what is for me in the front of my mind, the release of the hostages.

We buried today a peace activist who was murdered on October 7th, who was — who had spent decades in activism trying to help to bring a solution to the Israeli-Palestinian conflict and continuing that tradition. There’s Israelis who are continuing that tradition. There’s Israelis in Israel now and abroad. There’s organizations, both Palestinian and Jewish organizations, that are working towards that solution, to find a peaceful solution.

And to bring the hostages back, we have to have those negotiations. And if the negotiations have to — they have to happen with the group, with the terrorist group, that is holding those hostages. There is no other way. There is no other — there’s no other solution for this. Get the hostages out. This is what the families of the hostages are demanding. And then we can continue the political work of rehabilitating Gaza, removing Hamas from power, and finding a political solution, which is really the only way that the roughly 7 million Jews and 7 million Palestinians who live between the river and the sea will ever be able to find peace.

AMY GOODMAN: Professor Ben-Artzi, we just have 30 seconds, but as the niece of the Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, have the two senators from Rhode Island spoken to you, Jack Reed and Sheldon Whitehouse, or Seth Magaziner and Gabe Amo, the congressmembers?

RUTH BEN-ARTZI: As Rhode Islanders, we speak to our delegation all the time. Our group that signed this letter and that sent them this letter spoke to our delegation. We’re in contact all the time. We have various connections in our small state. And I think that we have a listening ear to all the different voices —AMY GOODMAN: 

AMY GOODMAN: — we have to leave it there. We thank you so much, Providence College political science professor Ruth Ben-Artzi, niece of Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu. I’m Amy Goodman, with Nermeen Shaikh.

US Secretary of State spokesman Matthew Miller said yesterday evening, Thursday, that US Secretary of State Anthony Blinken stressed, in a phone call with Israeli Minister Benny Gantz, the importance of reducing the escalation in the West Bank and the need to deliver humanitarian aid to the Gaza Strip.

In a statement by US State Department spokesman Matthew Miller, he confirmed that Blinken and Gantz discussed efforts to implement and accelerate the transfer of necessary humanitarian aid to Gaza.

According to the statement, “The two ministers stressed continued efforts to prevent the expansion of the conflict and secure the release of hostages in Gaza, including American citizens.” Blinken also stressed “the urgent need for strict steps to reduce the escalation in the West Bank, including confronting the increasing levels of violence.” extremist settlers.

According to the statement, “The US Secretary stressed the United States’ commitment to working towards a two-state solution.”

More than 600,000 settlers reside in the West Bank and occupied East Jerusalem in dozens of settlements that the United Nations considers illegal under international law.

As the world's eyes turn to the ongoing war in Gaza, herds of settlers and occupation soldiers continue to attack, torture, and abuse Palestinians simply because they are Palestinians. 

Palestinian sources have confirmed that since October 7, the day of the attack launched by Hamas, more than two hundred Palestinians have been killed by soldiers' bullets. The settlers enjoy full support of the Israeli army and police. The Israeli occupation authorities and settlers killed more than 200 citizens since Israel launched its war on Gaza on October 7, while the United Nations Office for Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) recorded more than six “incidents” (from livestock theft to physical violence) daily between... Settlers and Palestinians, compared to three incidents in previous months.

European and American diplomats have repeatedly condemned the increasing acts of violence by Israeli settlers against Palestinian civilians.

The continuous brutal Israeli bombing of the Gaza Strip for 42 days has killed more than 11,500 people, most of them civilians, including 4,710 children, according to the Ministry of Health in Gaza.

On Friday morning, Israeli occupation artillery bombed the outskirts of the towns of Naqoura and Alma Shaab, south of Lebanon.

Yesterday evening, the towns of Aita al-Shaab and Ramiya were subjected to Israeli bombing.

Intensive reconnaissance aircraft flights were also recorded from last night until this morning, in addition to dropping flares over the western and central sectors.

The Israeli aggression against Gaza continues for the 42nd day, as the occupation forces continue to target hospitals and besiege them with tanks, and while Palestinians continue to be martyred in Israeli bombing on various areas of the Gaza Strip, the Izz al-Din al-Qassam Brigades published a video clip that it said documents the moments of luring an Israeli military force into the opening of one of the booby-trapped tunnels. In Beit Hanoun, north of Gaza, it was bombed, killing 5 soldiers.

More than 80 dead in the Nuseirat camp massacre

A brutal Israeli bombing turned a residential square in the Nuseirat camp (central Gaza Strip) into a pile of rubble, causing a deep crater and major destruction in the targeted area, while a number of martyrs and wounded remain under the rubble.

Today, Friday, civil defense crews announced the presence of more than 80 dead under the rubble of a house targeted by the occupation forces in the Nuseirat camp.

Sources also indicated that there were at least three dead and a number of wounded as a result of the Israeli targeting the Al-Akhras family home in Rafah, south of the Gaza Strip.

Meanwhile, Israeli occupation aircraft bombed a school for displaced people in the Zaytoun neighborhood in Gaza, causing dozens of martyrs and hundreds of injuries.

Palestinian Red Crescent: We lost contact with our medical teams at Baptist Hospital

The Palestinian Red Crescent said that it had completely lost contact with its medical teams working at Baptist Hospital.

Earlier, the Palestinian Red Crescent said that its ambulance crews were surrounded at Al-Ahly Baptist Hospital and heard explosions in the area in addition to heavy gunfire, noting that tanks were surrounding the hospital amid violent clashes.

Journalist in the Shifa area in Gaza: The communications outage causes panic among the population

A journalist in the vicinity of Al-Shifa Hospital in Gaza reported that the sounds of clashes continue, noting that the communications outage is causing a state of panic among the population.

The journalist added to Al Jazeera that life there is disastrous and movement is completely non-existent, stressing, "We tried to appeal through the Red Cross to reach families in the area."

Hamas: The Pentagon’s claim that we used Al-Shifa Hospital is a repetition of a false narrative

The Islamic Resistance Movement (Hamas) said that the Pentagon’s claim that it used Al-Shifa Hospital for military purposes is a repetition of a blatantly false narrative, saying that “ignoring our call for an international committee to inspect hospitals and schools indicates Washington’s responsibility and its complicity in war crimes.”

Hamas said it reminded US President Joe Biden that the occupation bombed most hospitals and cut off electricity and fuel, putting 26 of them out of service.

This comes at a time when the US Department of Defense (the Pentagon) said that it could not disclose when the Hamas leadership used Al-Shifa Hospital in Gaza to manage its operations.

Statements from the White House and the Pentagon were in line with the Israeli narrative that Hamas uses the Shifa Medical Complex and other hospitals in Gaza as “command centers,” and Hamas has repeatedly denied these accusations.

Al-Qassam shows scenes of a tunnel bomb in Gaza and the killing of 5 Israeli soldiers

The Izz al-Din al-Qassam Brigades, the military wing of the Islamic Resistance Movement (Hamas), published a video clip that it said documents the moments of luring an Israeli military force into the opening of one of the booby-trapped tunnels in Beit Hanoun, northern Gaza, and blowing it up, killing 5 soldiers.

Al-Qassam said that it had booby-trapped the opening of one of the tunnels near Al-Nasr Mosque in Beit Hanoun, and a force from the occupation engineering corps was lured to it and detonated it as soon as it touched the camera.

It added, "The enemy admitted that 5 soldiers, including an officer, were killed in the operation," she said.

The video shows at least four Israeli soldiers, led by one soldier searching the place before approaching the camera lens and touching it.

Al-Qassam pointed out in the video that the operation dates back to November 10.

At dawn today, Friday, three citizens were killed and others were injured, in an Israeli drone bombing that targeted a group of citizens in the Jenin camp.

Eyewitnesses in the camp said that a drone bombed a group of citizens in the Al-Hawashin neighborhood in the camp, which led to the death of three citizens and the wounding of nine others with various injuries.

Large forces from Israeli army, accompanied by special units and military bulldozers, stormed the city of Jenin and its camp, and deployed in a number of neighborhoods of the city and the vicinity of its camp, and deployed its snipers on the roofs of a number of houses and buildings.

Violent confrontations took place between citizens and Israeli forces in a number of neighborhoods of the city and the outskirts of the Jenin camp, during which two young men were seriously injured. The Israeli forces also closed all entrances to the city, isolating it from the towns and villages of the governorate.

The Israeli forces sent large military reinforcements to the city and the camp from the occupation Salem camp, west of the city, amid continuing confrontations with young men.

The Israeli forces stormed a house in the Al-Jabriyat neighborhood and arrested a group of citizens, including: Muhammad Samir Al-Rakh, Qesm Jabarin, Muhammad Al-Amer, Saeed Rifqi Al-Rakh, Ahmed Rifqi Al-Rakh, and Sami Abu Al-Rakhz. They also blew up several vehicles in the neighborhood belonging to the Al-Rakh family.

The Israeli forces also raided the neighborhoods of Jabal Abu Dhahir, Khallet Al-Souha, Talaat Al-Ghabz, the outskirts of Jenin camp, and the vicinity of the Interior Ministry headquarters, the cinema roundabout, the city center, Military Street, and Haifa Street, amid intense flight of occupation drones in the city’s sky.

The Israeli bulldozers began to destroy the infrastructure in the city and the outskirts of the camp, bulldozing the streets, and causing damage to a number of citizens’ vehicles. It also bulldozed Talaat Al-Ghabaz Street on the eastern side of Jenin camp.

The Israeli forces disrupted communications in the city of Jenin and its camp, and cut off electricity to several neighborhoods in the city and the outskirts of the camp.

Confrontations broke out between citizens and the Israeli forces in the vicinity of the cinema roundabout, during which a barrage of poisonous tear gas bombs were fired.

The Israeli forces also stormed the vicinity of Jenin Governmental Hospital, positioned themselves in the place, and fired a barrage of toxic tear gas bombs in the area, causing a number of citizens to suffocate as a result of inhaling the toxic gas.

Later, the Israeli forces pushed large military forces from Nazareth Street towards the city and Jenin camp, while violent clashes took place in the Al-Hawashin neighborhood in the camp and at the cinema roundabout in the city.

At dawn today, the Israeli forces immediately surrounded Ibn Sina Hospital in the city of Jenin and arrested two paramedics.

Local sources confirmed that the Israeli forces had surrounded the hospital from all sides for several hours, were searching ambulances in its vicinity, and demanded via loudspeakers that the hospital be evacuated.

She stated that the Israeli forces forced a number of paramedics to evacuate the hospital with their hands raised, searched them in the hospital courtyard and arrested a number of them.

On Thursday, November 16, 2023, the Norwegian Parliament adopted by majority a government proposal regarding “readiness” to recognize the independent State of Palestine.

Norwegian media reported that the government submitted to Parliament a proposal regarding “willingness” to recognize Palestine.

The resolution stated: “Parliament requests the government to be prepared to recognize Palestine as an independent state when recognition has a positive impact on the peace process, without making the final peace agreement a condition.”

Although the government proposal was passed by an overwhelming majority in the Norwegian Parliament, the country “will not recognize the State of Palestine immediately.”

The government proposal comes in response to a proposal submitted by small parties, calling for “immediate recognition” of the State of Palestine.

Meanwhile, Norwegian Prime Minister Jonas Gahr Støre earlier expressed his condolences over the killing of many Palestinian civilians in the Gaza Strip during the past weeks.

This came during a meeting between Stoura and his Palestinian counterpart, Muhammad Shtayyeh, in the French capital, Paris, a week ago, on the sidelines of the International Humanitarian Conference for Civilians in Gaza.

Stoura said, in a blog post on the “X” platform: “We had a good meeting with Dr. Shtayyeh,” and added: “During the meeting, I thanked Dr. Shtayyeh for his leadership in preserving the goal of the two-state solution, and we are committed to supporting achieving that.”

Stoura concluded by saying: "We express our sincere condolences for the killing of many civilians and the displacement of others during the past weeks."

For 41 days, the Israeli army has been waging a devastating war on Gaza, leaving 11,500 martyrs, including 4,710 children and 3,160 women, in addition to 29,800 injured, 70% of whom are children and women, according to official Palestinian sources.

The Palestinian News Agency said on Friday that the Israeli army requested the evacuation of Ibn Sina Hospital in the West Bank city of Jenin, which it stormed earlier today.

Palestine TV broadcast a very short video clip showing paramedics surrendering at the entrance to the hospital, without those surrendering appearing in the video. The television said that the forces took a number of paramedics from the hospital to its courtyard before arresting a group of them. It also reported that two people were killed and others were injured in an Israeli drone bombardment on the Al-Hawashin neighborhood in the Jenin camp.

The Palestinian News Agency later said that Israeli forces arrested a number of young Palestinians from a house in the Jabriyat neighborhood in Jenin.

In the same context, the agency also said that Israeli forces closed all entrances to the city and isolated it from the towns and villages of the governorate. It reported that large Israeli army forces, accompanied by special units and military bulldozers, stormed Jenin from several directions.

A previous storming of Jenin by Israeli forces earlier this week resulted in the killing of 14 Palestinians, in another bloody day in the West Bank. Local sources confirmed that the occupation forces have besieged the hospital from all sides for several hours, are searching ambulances in its vicinity, and have demanded via loudspeakers that the hospital be evacuated. It stated that the occupation forces forced a number of paramedics to evacuate the hospital with their hands raised, searched them in the hospital courtyard and arrested a number of them.

The occupation forces stormed the city and camp of Jenin from several directions, closed all entrances, isolated it from its external surroundings, bulldozed several streets, arrested 7 citizens, bulldozed the infrastructure in several locations in the city and the camp, and blew up vehicles. A number of citizens were also injured in drone strikes and bullets from the occupation forces, as a result of which they were transferred to hospitals in the city.

Source: Alsharq Al-awsat

US Secretary of State, Anthony Blinken, on Thursday, in a phone call with Israeli Minister, Benny Gantz, stressed the importance of reducing the escalation in the West Bank and the need to deliver humanitarian aid to the Gaza Strip.

In a statement by US State Department spokesman Matthew Miller, he confirmed that Blinken and Gantz discussed efforts to implement and accelerate the transfer of necessary humanitarian aid to Gaza.

The two ministers also stressed continued efforts to prevent the expansion of the conflict and secure the release of hostages in Gaza, including American citizens.

Blinken stressed "the urgent need for strict steps to reduce the escalation in the West Bank, including confronting the increasing levels of extremist settler violence."

At the end of the statement, the US Minister stressed the United States’ commitment to working towards a two-state solution.

In the West Bank, which has been occupied by Israel for 56 years, 490,000 settlers live among three million Palestinians. The United Nations considers these settlements illegal under international law.

Since the start of the war between Israel and Hamas on October 7, the United Nations Office for Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) has recorded more than six “incidents” (from livestock theft to physical violence) daily between settlers and Palestinians, compared to three incidents in the previous months.

Jaber Dababsi, a 35-year-old Palestinian farmer and activist from the village of Khallet al-Dabaa, told AFP: “They are using the war as an excuse to expel us from our homes and seize our lands.”

European and American diplomats have repeatedly condemned the increase in violence by Israeli settlers against Palestinian civilians since the war began on October 7 after the unprecedented attack launched by Hamas in Israel.

The number of Democrats in the US House of Representatives calling for a ceasefire has increased, and they have launched an effort, the first of its kind since the beginning of the war, to prevent US arms sales to Israel.

The Times of Israel reported that 24 lawmakers signed a statement arranged by Representatives Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, Betty McCollum and Mark Pocan, which calls for a ceasefire, expresses concern about “grave violations against children” in Gaza and warns that the war between Israel and Hamas risks “Drawing the United States into a dangerous and ill-advised conflict with armed groups across the region.”

The newspaper pointed out that on October 16, the number of representatives who signed a resolution calling for a ceasefire was only 13.

Coinciding with the ceasefire statement, Democrats launched the first effort to prevent American arms sales to Israel since the beginning of the Gaza war, according to what the Haaretz newspaper reported.

The newspaper explained that the effort is led by Representative Ilhan Omar, and calls for preventing the transfer of precision-guided bomb equipment worth $320 million to Israel, as its war with Hamas approaches its seventh week.

Along with Representatives Summer Lee, Delia Ramirez, Rashida Tlaib, Cori Bush and Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, Omar introduced a joint resolution not to approve the transfer of precision-guided bomb equipment to Israel.

According to the representatives, “Congress has a responsibility to exercise oversight over arms sales. That is why we must not allow arms sales that will be used to directly violate American and international law, human rights, and our moral standing in the world.”

The war broke out between Israel and Hamas after a surprise attack launched by the movement on military sites and residential areas adjacent to the Gaza Strip on October 7, which led to the killing of 1,200 people, most of them civilians, including women and children, and 239 people were kidnapped, according to the Israeli authorities.

Since then, Israel has responded with intense air, sea and ground bombardment on the besieged Gaza Strip, followed by a ground operation that is still ongoing. The death toll in Gaza has reached more than 11,600 people, the majority of whom are women and children, in addition to the injury of about 29,000 people, in addition to more than 2,700. Missing under the rubble, according to what the Hamas Ministry of Health announced on Wednesday.

Two young men sustained bruises, Thursday evening, during the Israeli occupation forces’ storming of the Carmel archaeological area and several areas in Masafer Yatta, south of Hebron.

According to local sources, Israeli forces stormed the archaeological area of Carmel, east of Yatta, and fired live bullets in the vicinity of citizens’ homes, and conducted searches in the fields adjacent to the area, and arrested a number of young men and assaulted them by beating and insulting them with profanity, which led to the injury of the two young men, Mustafa and Mufid Radi Al-Daajneh. One of them suffered bruises, after which he was transferred to a medical center.

Israeli forces also stormed the area of Wadi Ajhish and Al-Tuba in Masafer Yatta, raided the vicinity of citizens’ homes, detained a number of them, and checked their ID cards.

On Thursday evening, Israeli occupation forces stormed the city of Jenin, north of the West Bank.

According to local sources, large forces of the occupation army, accompanied by military bulldozers, stormed the city from several directions, leading to the outbreak of confrontations with young men.

It added that the occupation forces deployed in a number of neighborhoods of the city and the vicinity of its camp, and deployed their snipers on the roofs of a number of homes and buildings.

In what resembles the commandments of ancient sages, the French sociologist and philosopher Edgar Morin (1921) continues to sound the alarm bell about “the crisis in which our civilization is floundering,” warning in particular of the dangers of worsening violence and ignorance to the fate of humanity.

A few days ago, the French thinker - author of the book "Are We Walking into the Abyss?" - called for taking a position and "not forgetting just causes," indicating that he takes a position of humanitarian concern towards those who are suffering "and at the present time they are in Gaza."

The philosopher - author of the book "European Culture and its Barbarism" - added that the matter may not be easy, "In reality, not everyone is against war, and there are times when we are swept away by the current, and we are asked to choose a side and take a position. I take a position on human anxiety."

This came in an interview with “The Great Library,” presented by the famous French journalist and literary critic Augustin Trabenard, where the French philosopher critically addressed the human reality in “today’s ambiguous and complex world, and the feeling of hatred that is spreading more in the world,” calling for not surrendering to hatred.

The author of “Lessons of a Century of Life” (2023) pointed out that we live in a world of uncertainty, where human destiny is something completely forgotten, and he explained this by saying, “Humanity has never been exposed to such a degree of danger, because if war spreads on a large scale... Nuclear and other weapons were used, and we do not know where we are heading, For any decline, or any degradation".

He continued that we need to confront this world that appears chaotic, pointing out that chaos carries within it the forces of destruction and creation (formation) at the same time, citing the saying of the ancient Greeks that “the universe (or the world) is the son of chaos,” that is, a mixture of order and chaos together, and he added “We need appropriate thinking that is able to understand this complexity and deal with it in the best possible way by changing strategy when necessary.”

The French philosopher - of Spanish Jewish (Sephardic) origins - is known for his positions in support of the right of the Palestinians to establish their own state, and an article he wrote in the French newspaper Le Monde in which he denounced Israeli policy led him to the French courts in 2004.

"War without hate"

The French philosopher called for what he called “not hating the enemy” and said, “I fought the (Second World) War without hating the Germans. I hated Nazism and its ideology, but I think the real issue is not surrendering to this inevitable process to which the false idea leads that we always face monsters or people of the lower class, or animals.”

The thinker - who called for proactive alert against wars - added, “The real issue is to know that all the people we were facing are human beings like us. How can we refrain from hatred? This is what we talked about in an article published in the Marianne newspaper on October 17 (last October) regarding the conflict in the Middle East.

The thinker, who believes that the human future will be full of surprises and doubts, called for teaching the culture of not being drawn into hatred, starting from school, adding, “We can be in a conflict of ideas, a conflict of people, a conflict of nations, but I believe that hatred is the worst of things, because it leads us "To despise others and deny their humanity, and to shameful acts. Unfortunately, it fosters all wars."

He believed that the task of the intellectual is the most difficult, and has not appeared with such clarity in the history of culture, indicating that his role is to think, realize the complexity of reality, confront it, and express it.

Moran participated in the Spanish Civil War and had an experience with the French Communist Party in the early 1940s. He joined the ranks of the Communist Resistance, and joined the French army against Germany during World War II.

Youth and the salvation of humanity

Similar to his constant advice to younger generations, Moran says, “I believe that young people today must think about the salvation of humanity to which they belong... Young people must realize that the planet is threatened by general environmental degradation and that our civilization itself is threatened, and see all these threats.”

He added, "I praise the ability of young people to take stances, because when we are part of forces that are united and linked together against destruction and hatred, we feel comfortable inside. When I was a resistant - despite the terrifying era in which I lived - I was comfortable inside, because I was doing what was necessary." 

Regarding the role of poetry in life, he believes that poems “help me live. I love reading poems and reread them more than once,” and he added, “Poetry is not just something written, but must be lived. Lived poetry is, above all, to live in harmony and in society.” “And we live love and amazement.”

Source: Al Jazeera + French press

The Politico website revealed, based on a document from the European Union, that Germany was behind proposing the idea of United Nations control over Gaza once the war in Gaza ended, indicating that both the Palestinians and some diplomats in the European Union had serious doubts about The feasibility of the idea, as a prominent Palestinian figure in Europe described it as “unacceptable.”

The scenario means “the internationalization of Gaza under the umbrella of the United Nations (and regional partners)” with a “carefully orchestrated transition” toward Palestinian self-administration, “ideally” through elections “and in conjunction with an international coalition that provides the necessary security.”

Discussions are reportedly still ongoing on how to allow more humanitarian aid into Gaza and how to stop the fighting. But there are also growing discussions about post-war scenarios.

US Secretary of State Antony Blinken said last month that an “effective and active Palestinian Authority” should eventually govern Gaza but did not provide indications on how to make it “effective” or overcome Israeli opposition. Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu had previously stated that Israel would bear “comprehensive security responsibility” for Gaza for an “indefinite period.”

This is prohibited for the European Union and the United States, according to Politico.

The European Union's top diplomat, Josep Borrell, stressed on Monday that Israel could not remain in Gaza after the war, when he presented his vision of what would happen after the conflict ahead of a trip to Israel and the Palestinian territories. He also said: “We believe that the Palestinian Authority must return to Gaza,” stressing that he meant “one Palestinian Authority.”

Blinken also warned that Israel cannot reoccupy Gaza after its war with Hamas ends.

The German proposal came in the form of a two-page informal document (or informal paper in the European Union) – dated October 21, that is, before Israel’s decision to launch the second phase of the war against Gaza at the end of October.

The document described this scenario as one that “could provide a political perspective due to the unwillingness or inability of the Palestinian Authority and Egypt to take control.”

Berlin, one of the Israeli occupation's staunchest allies within the European Union, wrote: “Israel's goal is one we share: Hamas should never again be in a position to terrorize Israel and its citizens.” But at the same time, “it is clear that it is difficult to achieve these goals by military means alone... Its extremist ideology and agenda cannot be fought by military means.”

The document presented five different scenarios about the future of the Gaza Strip, including the Israeli reoccupation of Gaza, and either the Palestinian Authority or Egypt taking over.

The United Nations scenario is also on the list. As Berlin put it, the scenario would mean “the internationalization of Gaza under the umbrella of the United Nations (and regional partners)” with a “carefully orchestrated transition” toward Palestinian self-administration, “ideally” through elections “and in conjunction with an international coalition that provides the necessary security.”

The document described this scenario as “it could provide a political perspective because the Palestinian Authority and Egypt are unwilling or unable to take control, and a return to the previous status quo or re-occupation by Israel is politically undesirable.”

But Berlin also warned that “this scenario will require significant investments in political capital and financing in addition to an international coalition to participate in security issues alongside the United Nations.”

Arab Center for Research and Policy Studies

Over the past weeks, messages of protest from within the Biden administration and his presidential campaign have multiplied; Because of its absolute support for Israel in its aggression against the Gaza Strip. The most recent was a letter delivered to the White House on November 15, 2023, signed by more than 500 politicians...

Introduction

Since the first day of the Israeli aggression on Gaza, the administration of US President Joe Biden took an extreme position in its support for the policies of Benjamin Netanyahu's government against the Palestinian people, and used its veto in the United Nations Security Council against two Russian and Brazilian draft resolutions calling for a ceasefire. The United States of America was among 14 countries that voted in the United Nations General Assembly, on October 27, 2023, against a draft resolution submitted by the Arab group, calling for an “immediate ceasefire” and the entry of humanitarian aid without obstacles, and urging “all parties On “protection of civilians.” In view of the humanitarian crisis that the Gaza Strip is witnessing as a result of the Israeli aggression, the Biden administration was forced to modify its position and put pressure on the Israeli side to accept “humanitarian truces,” limited in time and place.

Transformation wallpapers

The Biden administration, in its private conversations with the Israelis, and recently in public, expresses mild dissatisfaction with the indiscriminate attacks targeting Palestinian civilians and infrastructure in the Gaza Strip, and calls on the Israeli government to respect international humanitarian law in its war on the Strip, but it still rejects any call for a ceasefire. fire; Under the pretext that this would give Hamas time to strengthen its ranks and “repeat what it did on October 7”[1].

Pressure from some Arab countries allied with Washington, and growing dissatisfaction within the administration itself with Biden’s absolute bias towards Israel[2], prompted him to adopt an approach based on temporary “humanitarian truces.” At the beginning of this November, Secretary of State Anthony Blinken held a meeting in the Jordanian capital, Amman, during which he heard an Arab position rejecting his claims about Israel’s right to defend itself without deterrence or restriction, and an Arab refusal to participate in the management of the Gaza Strip, in what he described as the "post-Hamas phase." The same message was heard later in Türkiye.

This new direction of the administration coincided with the escalation of tension in the Arab street, in a way that prompted American diplomats in the region to warn that the absolute American support for the Israeli aggression “will cause us to lose the Arabs for an entire generation.” This support amounts to “material and moral responsibility for what they consider possible war crimes”[3]. In addition to the above, internal pressures, whether from within the administration, from the Democratic Party, in Congress, or from part of the American street that rejects its country’s bias towards the Israeli aggression, played a role in changing the Biden administration’s position towards alleviating the disastrous humanitarian effects of the aggression in the Gaza Strip. This does not mean that it leaves the box of absolute bias towards Israel.

Increased pressure from within the administration

Over the past weeks, messages of protest from within the Biden administration and his presidential campaign have multiplied; Because of its absolute support for Israel in its aggression against the Gaza Strip. The most recent was a letter received by the White House on November 15, 2023, signed by more than 500 politicians in 40 government agencies. It stated: “We call on President Biden to urgently demand a ceasefire, and to call for a halt to the escalation of the current conflict by ensuring the immediate release of Israeli hostages and Palestinian prisoners, the restoration of water, fuel, electricity and other basic services, and the entry of adequate humanitarian aid into the Gaza Strip.” . The signatories of the letter stressed that “the Americans do not want the American army to be dragged into another costly and meaningless war in the Middle East.” It is noteworthy that the majority of the signatories are politicians who practice different religions and work in government sectors. Such as the National Security Council, the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI), and the Department of Justice. Some of these helped Biden in his 2020 presidential campaign. The letter stated that “the overwhelming majority of Americans support a ceasefire,” referring to a poll conducted in October that showed that 66 percent of Americans, and 80 percent of Democrats believe that the United States should put pressure on Israel. For a ceasefire[4].

An internal memorandum was leaked in the US State Department, signed by 100 employees of the ministry and the US Agency for International Development, accusing Biden of “spreading misleading information” about this war, indicating that what Israel is doing in the Gaza Strip are “war crimes.” The memo goes further in its criticism of the president, accusing him of “complicity in genocide” in Gaza[5]. Although the US State Department spokesman downplayed the impact of these messages on the Biden administration's policy, Blinken met with a number of dissatisfied employees.

Concern is beginning to seep into Biden's presidential campaign; He may jeopardize his chances of success in next year's presidential elections if he continues to ignore the widespread frustration among the ranks of the progressive wing of the Democratic Party and the youth group due to his position in support of the Israeli aggression. Opinion polls indicate that these two segments sympathize with the Palestinians. Biden may lose the votes of Arab and Muslim Americans; In a way that cost him the loss of important states such as Michigan and Georgia. A recent opinion poll showed that the most likely Republican candidate in the upcoming presidential elections is former President Donald Trump, ahead of President Joe Biden in 5 of the 6 key states: Nevada, Georgia, Arizona, Pennsylvania, and Michigan. It is expected that Biden will lead in one state, It is Wisconsin, slightly ahead[6]. Supporters of his bias toward Israel within his election campaign believe that this will be in his electoral favor[7], even though one of the most important reasons for Biden’s victory in the 2020 elections is his success in mobilizing an alliance of progressives and youth, in addition to Arabs and Muslim Americans, something that Democratic candidate Hillary failed to do. Clinton in her election battle against Trump in 2016.

Tactical change?

On November 3, 2023, Blinken met in Israel with Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and the Israeli War Cabinet, and tried to convince them that the erosion of American and international domestic support for Israel was due to the horrific humanitarian tragedy in the Gaza Strip, including the bombing of the United Nations schools and hospitals in which he sought refuge. Thousands of people will be displaced, which will have dire strategic repercussions[8]. Blinken warned in a press conference that Israel risks ultimately destroying the prospects for peace and pushing the Palestinians “towards greater extremism” if it does not take the initiative to improve the humanitarian conditions in Gaza. He said that a "temporary ceasefire" would allow humanitarian aid to enter the Gaza Strip, and the release of some detainees held by Hamas and other Palestinian factions. However, Netanyahu later confirmed that his government “will move forward with all its might”[9], and a ceasefire decision will not be taken until Hamas releases all detainees.

Under the weight of continued American pressure, the Israeli government was forced to agree to a daily truce, which Israel described as “local tactical pauses”[10], lasting four hours in the northern Gaza Strip to enable Palestinians to move to the south through two humanitarian corridors, and to allow the entry of more refugees. Humanitarian aid to the Gaza Strip, and preparing the atmosphere for the release of detainees held by Hamas. By “local tactical pauses,” Israel means that they are limited to specific areas in the Gaza Strip, that is, they are not general, and their duration is specific, even though Biden requested a truce of three days or more, and indicated his frustration with the delay and limitations of the Israeli response[11]. Accordingly, Blinken blamed Tel Aviv in a veiled manner, but it was unprecedented since October 7. He stated from the Indian capital, New Delhi, that it must make more efforts "to reduce the harm to Palestinian civilians." But he expressed his support for “Israel’s right to defend itself,” praising at the same time its acceptance of temporary humanitarian truces[12].

The Biden administration hopes that the temporary and limited truces, in terms of time and place, will create the necessary conditions to reach a truce that will last several days, during which a deal will be concluded between Israel and Hamas to exchange prisoners, as well as the entry of humanitarian aid into the Gaza Strip.

The Israeli government has shown intransigence, whether with regard to sparing civilians the horrors of war, or making room for a humanitarian truce for a few days in order to release some of those detained by Hamas, especially those with American citizenship, and allowing the entry of humanitarian aid, or setting more realistic goals in its war on Gaza strip. Accordingly, the Biden administration gradually began to escalate its tone towards the Netanyahu government. Within the framework of its absolute bias towards Israel, it continues to provide support to it[13], such as its request from Congress for $14.3 billion, most of which will provide military aid to it, in addition to weapons and ammunition, and it insists on the position that Israel exercises a legitimate right to self-defense and rejects the demand for a ceasefire.

Biden's red lines

On November 8, 2023, during a meeting of foreign ministers of the G7 countries in the Japanese capital, Tokyo, Blinken set what some saw as red lines for Israel[14], in order to reach a “lasting and sustainable peace” after the war. This came in the context of Washington's fear of Netanyahu's announcement that Israel would assume "security responsibility" for Gaza for an "indefinite period" after the war, and the Biden administration expressed its discomfort. As for the red lines, they are: “No reoccupation of Gaza after the end of the conflict,” “No to reducing the area of Gaza and (the necessity of) committing to administering the Palestinian territories in Gaza and the West Bank in a unified manner,” “No to the forced displacement of Palestinians from Gaza,” and “No to the forced displacement of Palestinians from Gaza.” No to the blockade of Gaza,” nor to the use of Gaza “as a platform for terrorism or other violent attacks”[15]. The US National Security Advisor, Jake Sullivan, reaffirmed these red lines, noting that part of the Biden administration’s vision for the Gaza Strip after the end of the war is to reunite control over it with the West Bank under Palestinian leadership[16].

The Biden administration believes that reviving the role of the Palestinian Authority in the Gaza Strip, if Hamas rule is undermined, will not happen directly, but rather requires the presence of an “effective Palestinian Authority”[17], which will take time to achieve. Israel also refuses to place the Gaza Strip under the control of the Palestinian Authority, which it accuses of incapacity and incitement to terrorism. Therefore, Washington is offering temporary transitional options, such as having Arab countries, such as Egypt and Jordan, supervise the sector. On the other hand, Egypt and Jordan refuse to play this role. Jordanian Foreign Minister Ayman Safadi asked, “How can we think about what will happen in Gaza when we do not know what kind of Gaza will remain after the end of this war? Are we going to talk about a barren land? Are we going to talk about turning the entire population into refugees? Simply put, we don't know, we don't have all the variables to start thinking about that.”[18] Accordingly, Washington proposed another option, which was for the sector to be managed by international agencies and to form a multinational force to maintain peace. This option clashes with Israel's opposition, on the one hand, and with its connection to undermining Hamas' rule and dismantling its military capabilities, on the other hand.

Conclusion

There is clear confusion regarding the Biden administration’s approach to the Israeli aggression on the Gaza Strip. It calls on Israel to exercise restraint and avoid causing casualties among Palestinian civilians, and at the same time, it decides to provide it with precision-guided bombs worth $320 million[19]. While the administration rejects Israel's demand for a ceasefire and supports its efforts to eliminate Hamas, it calls on it to reconsider this "big goal" that is difficult to achieve, as the Chairman of the US Joint Chiefs of Staff, General Charles Brown, said, suggesting that Israel should focus instead on targeting the senior leadership of Hamas[20]. However, it seems that the Biden administration's patience with Israel's policies is running out, especially with the approaching presidential and legislative elections in the United States, and the division of Biden's electoral camp over the Israeli aggression on the Gaza Strip, which means that we may witness, during the next few weeks, a greater change in Washington policy and its approach to the Israeli war on the Gaza Strip.

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Referrals:

[1] “Secretary Antony J. Blinken, Egyptian Foreign Minister Sameh Shoukry, and Jordanian Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Ayman Safadi at a Joint Press Availability,” U.S. Department of the State, 4/11/2023, accessed on 16/11/2023, at: https://bit.ly/3MLbdTw

[2] Spencer Ackerman, “The Weekend Biden’s Middle East Policy Collapsed,” The Nation, 7/11/2023, accessed on 16/11/2023, at: https://bit.ly/3QJYJMS

[3] Priscilla Alvarez & Alex Marquardt, “Biden Administration Privately Warned by American Diplomats of Growing Fury Against US in Arab World,” CNN, 10/11/2023, accessed on 16/11/2023, at: https://bit.ly/3MMJAJH

[4] Maria Abi-Habib, Michael Crowley & Edward Wong, “More Than 500 U.S. Officials Sign Letter Protesting Biden’s Israel Policy,” The New York Times, 14/11/2023, accessed on 16/11/2023, at: https://bit.ly/3R21qLi

[5] Hans Nichols, “Scoop: Internal State Dept. Memo Blasts Biden, U.S. Policy on Israel-Hamas War,” Axios, 13/11/2023, accessed on 16/11/2023, at: https://bit.ly/3SExki7

[6] Sara Dorn, “Biden Trails Trump in 5 Battleground States—But Odds Are Much Better for Another Democrat, Poll Says,” Forbes, 5/11/2023, accessed on 16/11/2023, at: https://bit.ly/47wK12E

[7] Edward-Isaac Dovere, “Biden Aides Grapple with 2024 Outreach as Israel-Hamas War Exposes Cracks in Coalition,” CNN, 5/11/2023, accessed on 16/11/2023, at: https://bit.ly/47zy4t3

[8] Matthew Lee & Eric Tucker, “Blinken Warns Israel that Humanitarian Conditions in Gaza Must Improve to Have ‘Partners for Peace’,” Associated Press, 4/11/2023, accessed on 16/11/2023, at: https://bit.ly/3G1dGVT

[9] Ibid.

[10] Nichols.

[11] Steve Holland, Doina Chiacu & Nandita Bose, “Biden Gets Four-Hour Battle Pauses from Israel after Pushing for Three-Day Stoppages,” Reuters, 9/11/2023, accessed on 16/11/2023, at: https://bit.ly/46ilxsM

[12] Jennifer Hansler, “Blinken Denounces Civilian Toll in Gaza, Says ‘Far Too Many Palestinians Have Been Killed’,” CNN, 10/11/2023, accessed on 16/11/2023, at: https://bit.ly/47kCiVF

[13] Courtney McBride, Ben Bartenstein, and Peter Martin, “US Frustration with Israel Grows as Gaza Civilian Deaths Mount,” Bloomberg, 15/11/2023, accessed on 16/11/2023, at: https://bit.ly/3sqXV7K

[14] Rozina Sabur, “US Gives Israel Warning as it Sets Out Vision for Peace in Gaza,” The Telegraph, 8/11/2023, accessed on 16/11/2023, at: https://bit.ly/47zzgwx

[15] Ibid.

[16] Brittany Bernstein, “Jake Sullivan Lays Out U.S. Vision for Gaza: No Reoccupation, No Forcible Displacement of Palestinians,” The National Review, 12/11/2023, accessed on 16/11/2023, at: https://bit.ly/3uhJl2R

[17] Patrick Wintour, “What Happens to Gaza the Day after The War Ends?,” The Guardian, 5/11/2023, accessed on 16/11/2023, at: https://bit.ly/3R3x3nL

[18] Ibid.

[19] Jared Malsin, “U.S. Plans $320 Million Weapons Transfer to Israel as Gaza Toll Mounts,” The Wall Street Journal, 6/11/2023, accessed on 16/11/2023, at: https://bit.ly/49B4ftZ

[20] “Washington warns of the length of the war on Gaza and calls on Israel to reduce its goals,” Al-Jazeera Net,

An Israeli public opinion poll showed, this evening, Thursday, that the popularity of the Likud Party and its leader, Benjamin Netanyahu, has declined, in light of the war launched by Israel on the besieged Gaza Strip, while the head of the “National Camp” party, Benny Gantz, has strengthened his popularity and power to lead in the Israeli general elections, if done today.

The Ministry of Higher Education and Scientific Research condemned the Israeli occupation's continued violation of the sanctity of Palestinian higher education institutions in the West Bank and Gaza Strip.

The Ministry pointed out, in a statement, that the occupation forces stormed, today, Thursday, the campus of Palestine Technical University “Kadoorie” in Tulkarm, raided automobile engineering laboratories and workshops (formerly the energy building), and wreaked havoc on its property.

As was the occupation, and within the genocidal war being practiced against the Palestinian people in the Gaza Strip; The branch of Al-Quds Open University in Gaza was stormed and parts of its buildings were demolished, in addition to the bombing of Al-Azhar and Islamic Universities earlier, and the complete and partial destruction of several buildings in them, as well as the continuation of arrest campaigns against students and professors of Palestinian educational institutions.

The Ministry of Higher Education confirmed that the occupation continues to violate and ignore all international conventions, laws and norms that criminalize violating and attacking educational institutions.

The Ministry renewed its demands to all international human rights, humanitarian and media institutions, the Union of Arab Universities, and all free people in the world; To assume their responsibilities and exercise their role vigorously, ensuring that the occupation’s aggressive and criminal practices against all components, segments and institutions of Palestinian society are curbed, and the necessity of providing protection for educational institutions.

It stressed that the barbaric aggression of the occupation will not break the will of the Palestinian people, and that higher education institutions will continue to fulfill their lofty mission and mission. Representing the building of educated, cultured, and aware generations who belong to Palestine and its just cause, despite all the challenges, obstacles that the occupation is trying to impose.

South African President Matamela Ramaphosa announced that his country had filed a complaint with the International Criminal Court in order to investigate “war crimes” committed by the Israeli occupation state in the Gaza Strip.

This step comes in conjunction with expectations that representatives of Parliament in South Africa will discuss a proposal, today, Thursday, calling for the closure of the “Tel Aviv” embassy in Pretoria, and the severing of all diplomatic relations with “Israel” until it agrees to a ceasefire in Gaza.

Ramaphosa said, “His country believes that Israel is committing war crimes and genocide in the Gaza Strip,” in which thousands of Palestinians were killed, in addition to the destruction of hospitals and public infrastructure.

Ramaphosa added during his visit to Qatar: “We in South Africa, along with many other countries around the world, submitted this complaint against Israel to the International Criminal Court, because we believe that war crimes are being committed there.”

He continued: “We condemn the current Israeli measures, and believe that they require the International Criminal Court to conduct an investigation.”

The ruling African National Congress, led by Ramaphosa, said it would support the proposal made by the opposition Economic Freedom Fighters party to close the Tel Aviv embassy and sever diplomatic relations with it.

The United Nations World Food Program warned on Thursday that the Gaza Strip is facing “large-scale famine,” adding that almost the entire population is in urgent need of food aid.

“Food and water supplies are virtually non-existent in Gaza, and only a small portion of what is needed reaches across the border,” WFP Executive Director Cindy McCain said in a statement.

“With winter fast approaching, unsafe and overcrowded shelters, and a shortage of clean water, civilians face the immediate possibility of famine,” she added.

According to the health authorities in Gaza, the number of martyrs since the start of the Israeli aggression has reached 11,500, including 4,710 children and 3,160 women.

Jordanian Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Foreign Affairs and Expatriate Affairs, Ayman Safadi, said today, Thursday, that what Israel is doing are war crimes and cannot be viewed as self-defense.

Al-Safadi stressed that international institutions must present a clear position regarding what is happening in Gaza, indicating that “if any country did what Israel did, sanctions would be imposed on it.”

He pointed out that Israel is pushing the entire region towards hell, pointing out that the West Bank is on fire and we see settlement terrorism and the northern front with Lebanon escalating.

Al-Safadi announced, “We will not sign the energy and water exchange agreement with Israel,” adding, “We will do everything we believe will help us support the Palestinian people.” We are investing in our relations to demand an end to the war and warn against Israel pushing the region into the abyss.”

He continued, "The world must face the fact that what Israel is doing has destroyed what was done over decades to build an environment of peace."

“We are making a joint effort with our Arab brothers to break the siege on the Gaza Strip,” according to Al-Safadi, who talked about working to deliver other aid, including incubators for children.

He stressed that “Israel must bear the consequences of what it is doing in Gaza as it works to produce an environment of violence and rejection.”

He said, “If the international community wants to talk about the day after the war, it must stop what is happening now,” adding, “Defending against the occupation is a right.”

On Thursday, political sources in Tel Aviv revealed a ready-made project for a prisoner exchange deal between Israel and the Al-Qassam Brigades (Hamas), which had been agreed upon and implemented since Tuesday, but the Israeli Prime Minister, Benjamin Netanyahu, withdrew from it at the last minute.

The sources explained that Netanyahu gathered ministers to approve the deal, but after listening to the objections of the army and some ministers, “he was deterred, retreated, and feared partisan reactions that would threaten his government, so he ended the meeting without decisions, and refrained from holding a second session in the following two days.”

The families of the Israeli prisoners received this news with great alarm. During the third day of the march it organized from Tel Aviv to Jerusalem, to raise the voices of the prisoners loudly, they began demanding the immediate approval of the deal. Orit Meir Jan, whose son Almog was kidnapped on October 7, said, “It has become clear that the Israeli government does not place the issue of our kidnapped children at the top of its attention. We are very concerned for the lives of our children. We have gone through 41 very difficult days, and the government does not give us any hope, so we are embarking on this march and we will not stop until our children return.”

Details of the transaction

Informed sources said, in an interview with Nahum Barnea, a writer for the Yedioth Ahronoth newspaper, that “the deal that was brought for approval, on Tuesday night, in the mini-security ministerial council (cabinet), includes the release of 50 kidnapped persons, including women, children and the elderly, in exchange for Five days of ceasefire and the release of women and boys from prison. The cabinet was supposed to approve it, and the government was supposed, on Wednesday, to convene and approve the deal, as necessary, but this did not happen. The cabinet session ended without a decision. The government did not meet yesterday, not even the cabinet session that was planned for the next day. As the hours passed, the impression became that the plan was being torn apart. 

The initial opposition was to the duration of the ceasefire: the political level requested that its time be shortened by three days. The second objection was to the number: the political level requested an increase in the number of editors. The counterargument that at this moment Yahya Sinwar (head of Hamas in the Gaza Strip) is not judging more than 50 kidnapped persons, within the classification that was specified, did not convince Netanyahu and his ministers.

Hamas conditions

Barnea says: “The conditions imposed by Hamas are very difficult. The most dangerous thing about them is the duration of the ceasefire. Five days is an eternal period, when three army brigades are at the height of a ground operation. The mere existence of negotiations with this organization, after the massacre it committed, creates a moral and ethical problem. Yahya Sinwar, the partner imposed on us, is a murderer, blackmailer and shameless at the same time. But Netanyahu and the ministers knew along the way what was in the package and what was not. According to a certain narrative, Netanyahu understood the price, and then, a moment before the decision was made, when the price became realistic, he became afraid and stepped back. This happened in dozens of operational decisions in the past. Without connection to the content of the decisions, the decision process is destructive, as it creates a lack of certainty among the state envoys who are engaged in the task, and among the mediators between us and the other party. The decision is not simple.

He added: “I do not envy any of the decision-makers; Not in the cabinet, not in the army. It is possible to decide in this direction, or it is possible to decide in another direction. What is prohibited is to mislead families. Freeing the kidnapped is not the primary goal in this war. It is the second goal. One of the participating officers told me at the beginning of the march: We are talking about denounced killers. Every child who gets out of there alive is a miracle. First of all, let them get out. In government they may talk like him, but in practice they act differently. 239 kidnapped persons are not bargaining materials. They are sons and daughters of human beings. Some of them are not alive, some are sick or disabled, some are infants: every other day of them in the captivity of terrorist organizations can be critical. There are those in the system who hope that if Sinwar is assassinated, his successors will reduce the price. Experience shows the opposite: the successors tighten positions. Whatever the case, it will be good if the army and Shin Bet succeed in reaching Sinwar, his colleagues, and better one hour early.”

“What is Sinwar thinking?”

Barnea continued: “It is interesting to know what Sinwar thinks about the way Israel deals with them. Initially, the government said that no humanitarian aid would pass into the Strip without the kidnappers being freed; After that, it opened the door to humanitarian assistance, and even welcomed it. The government said that it would not agree to a ceasefire, nor to pulses; Now it agrees. The government said it will not allow fuel to enter the Strip. Now it approves 24,000 liters of diesel, claiming that the fuel is needed to allow the agency's trucks to provide relief to refugees. The army does not doubt that some of the fuel will reach Hamas. This is a reasonable price for the purpose of reducing pressure from the White House, the European Union, Egypt, and international organizations. Reducing pressure gives time, and the army needs a lot of time. Each individual decision is reasonable, but the process indicates that Israel has no red lines: they draw red lines, and then they cross them and draw a new line.