https://www.middleeastmonitor.com Latest news from the Middle East and North Africa Tue, 08 Aug 2023 09:33:31 +0000 en-GB Middle East Monitor 30 hourly 1 https://wordpress.org/?v=6.2.2 https://i0.wp.com/www.middleeastmonitor.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/08/favicon.png?fit=32%2C32&quality=85&strip=all&zoom=1&ssl=1 https://www.middleeastmonitor.com 32 32 116394717 https://www.middleeastmonitor.com/20230808-pa-security-forces-continue-detention-of-palestinian-fighters/ Tue, 08 Aug 2023 08:43:05 +0000 Middle East Monitor https://www.middleeastmonitor.com/?p=658641 The Palestinian Authority (PA) continues detaining Palestinian fighters in the occupied West Bank, including Islamic Jihad members and leaders, Islamic Jihad in Palestine (IJP) said yesterday. In a press release, the IJP said that the PA security services raided homes of several of its leaders and members in Hebron. "This is part of a wide detention campaign targeting IJP fighters across the occupied West Bank," the movement said in the press release, describing the detention campaigns "as brutal as those carried out by the Israeli occupation." Meanwhile, the IJP said that two of its fighters have been on hunger strike for ten days in protest against their "harsh detention conditions in Jericho slaughterhouse," where they have been suffering since July. A large number of IJP members have […]]]> 658641 https://www.middleeastmonitor.com/20230808-israeli-settler-violence-rocks-the-west-bank/ Tue, 08 Aug 2023 08:36:08 +0000 Middle East Monitor https://www.middleeastmonitor.com/?p=658635 READ: Palestinian teen, 17, dies after being shot by Israel settler ]]> 658635 https://www.middleeastmonitor.com/20230808-netanyahu-normalisation-with-saudi-not-linked-to-creation-of-palestinian-state/ Tue, 08 Aug 2023 08:31:28 +0000 Middle East Monitor https://www.middleeastmonitor.com/?p=658632 Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said yesterday that reaching a normalisation deal with Saudi Arabia is not conditional on creating a Palestinian state, Israeli public broadcaster Kan reported. Meanwhile, Bloomberg reported Netanyahu saying that Israel and Saudi Arabia will deepen economic and business ties even if they don't formally recognise each other. Netanyahu said he is confident he can strike a deal with the Saudis under which the countries have official diplomatic relations. Without one, the two can still build an "economic corridor" running from the Arabian Peninsula to Europe that encompasses energy, transport and communications technology, he explained. At the same time, Netanyahu implied that the Saudis are note specially concerned about what the Palestinians get out of a potential deal. "I think the Palestinian thing is brought […]]]> 658632 https://www.middleeastmonitor.com/20230808-lebanon-sets-measures-to-stop-ain-al-hilweh-clashes-spreading-out-of-the-camp/ Tue, 08 Aug 2023 07:59:03 +0000 Middle East Monitor https://www.middleeastmonitor.com/?p=658625 Lebanese Interior Minister Bassam Mawlawi said yesterday that measures have been taken to maintain security in Lebanon after clashes that broke out in the Ain Al-Hilweh refugee camp last month and killed 11 people. Mawlawi said in a press conference that Lebanon is as concerned for the Arabs on Lebanese soil as it is for the Lebanese citizens, and security violations and the endangering of lives will not be tolerated. The head of the Federation of Tourism Syndicates in Lebanon, Pierre Al-Ashqar, said that nothing has changed after some foreign embassies had issued warnings over the past few days against their citizens travelling to Lebanon. OPINION: Who ignited Ain Al-Hilweh and why?]]> 658625 https://www.middleeastmonitor.com/20230808-israel-army-veteran-commits-suicide-day-after-his-former-comrade/ Tue, 08 Aug 2023 07:46:16 +0000 Middle East Monitor https://www.middleeastmonitor.com/?p=658618 An Israeli veteran from the Kfir Brigade committed suicide yesterday evening a day after his former comrade took his own life. Or Donio, from the Kfir Brigade, committed suicide a day after another Israeli army veteran, Bar Klaf, set himself on fire. Both veterans suffered from post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) as a result of their military service. Donio was awaiting recognition of the trauma he incurred while in the Israeli military. "He fought in the Kafir Brigade and participated in Operation Brother's Keeper," Donio's parents said. They went on to explain that despite waiting ten months following a request to be recognized as a disabled veteran, he had heard nothing from the Defence Ministry. 'Operation Brother's Keeper' was an 11-day Israeli […]]]> 658618 https://www.middleeastmonitor.com/20230807-the-director-of-the-palestinian-museum-reflects-on-her-years-in-charge/ Mon, 07 Aug 2023 18:00:36 +0000 , Middle East Monitor https://www.middleeastmonitor.com/?p=658336 Duty and care are the words that would best describe the approach of Dr Adila Laidi-Hanieh towards the Palestinian Museum in Birzeit. She is stepping down as director of the museum at the end of this month, and we took the opportunity for her to reflect on her years in charge, changing the institution from the inside out. The museum is in a beautifully designed building which nestles in green terraces and overlooks the Mediterranean. It aims to represent the history and aspirations of the Palestinian people; explore their past and present; and reflect on their future. The flagship project of private foundation Taawon Welfare Association, the museum opened in 2016 and held its first on-site exhibition in 2017. However, […]]]> 658336 https://www.middleeastmonitor.com/20230807-erdogan-palestinian-leaders-meeting-with-hamas-political-chief-in-turkiye-has-different-dimension/ Mon, 07 Aug 2023 17:35:50 +0000 Middle East Monitor https://www.middleeastmonitor.com/?p=658350 Palestinian president's meeting with Hamas political chief in Turkiye has a "different dimension," Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan said on Monday, reiterating support for the Palestinian cause and the struggle of the Palestinian people, reports Anadolu Agency. "We hosted Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas in Ankara. On this occasion, we once again renewed our strong support for the Palestinian cause and the struggle of the Palestinian people," Erdogan said after a Cabinet meeting in the capital Ankara. On July 27, Erdogan held a closed-door meeting with Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas and Ismail Haniyeh, the Hamas group's political chief. "The meeting of Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas and Hamas political bureau head Ismail Haniyeh, hosted by our country, added a different dimension to […]]]> 658350 https://www.middleeastmonitor.com/20230807-israel-to-incorporate-palestinian-americans-in-gaza-into-the-us-visa-waiver-pilot/ Mon, 07 Aug 2023 15:00:55 +0000 Middle East Monitor https://www.middleeastmonitor.com/?p=658338 Israel has followed the US' demand to allow American citizens residing in Gaza to travel via Tel Aviv's Ben Gurion airport, as part of the continuous negotiations between Israel and the United States regarding Israel's inclusion in the visa waiver programme (VWP). According to Gil Bringer, Israel's VWP project manager, there are approximately 100 to 130 Palestinian Americans residing in Gaza. As part of the pilot programme, those who meet Israel's security criteria will be eligible to enter the country on "B2" tourist visas and depart from the main Ben Gurion Airport, reported Reuters. Israel will also grant Palestinian-Americans living in Gaza tourist visas allowing them to stay in Israel for three months. READ: Palestinian teen, 17, dies after being shot by […]]]> 658338 https://www.middleeastmonitor.com/20230807-israel-can-no-longer-rely-on-an-acquiescent-international-community/ Mon, 07 Aug 2023 15:00:09 +0000 , Middle East Monitor https://www.middleeastmonitor.com/?p=658321 The Zionist state of Israel has been receiving preferable treatment and support from an acquiescent international community, mainly countries in the West which dominate international bodies and other countries around the world, even before it was created in occupied Palestine in 1948. Despite never declaring where its borders lie (so that it can continue to expand on stolen Palestinian land) and not even fulfilling a major condition of its membership the UN — allowing the Palestinian refugees to return to their homeland — it is recognised as a full member of the international organisation. Most of its citizens are so uncertain about its viability that they maintain dual citizenship. Meanwhile, most countries of the world do not recognise the State […]]]> 658321 https://www.middleeastmonitor.com/20230807-palestinian-teen-17-dies-after-being-shot-by-israel-settler/ Mon, 07 Aug 2023 13:07:53 +0000 Middle East Monitor https://www.middleeastmonitor.com/?p=658310 A 17-year-old Palestinian has died this morning as a result of wounds he sustained after being reportedly shot by an Israeli settler near Ramallah in the occupied West Bank, reported WAFA news agency. The Palestinian Health Ministry announced that Ramzi Fathi Hamed was shot on Friday while sitting in a car near the illegal Ofra settlement, which is built on the land of the towns of Silwad and Ein Yabroud in Ramallah. According to Raed Hamed, the mayor of Silwad, the settler was a guard for the Ofra settlement and shot Ramzi with two bullets in the chest and belly. He also suffered a severe pulmonary embolism while undergoing treatment in hospital, resulting in his death, according to medics. It comes after […]]]> 658310 https://www.middleeastmonitor.com/20230807-israel-far-right-minister-defends-jewish-terrorist-following-murder-of-young-palestinian/ Mon, 07 Aug 2023 11:49:41 +0000 Middle East Monitor https://www.middleeastmonitor.com/?p=658301 Israel's far-right National Security Minister Itamar Ben-Gvir has backed a Jewish settler accused of carrying out a terrorist attack against Palestinians in the occupied West Bank, following the killing of 19-year-old Palestinian Qusay Jamal Matan. Two illegal Israeli settlers are currently under arrest on suspicion of shooting Matan on Friday in the West Bank village of Burqa, east of Ramallah. A security official said that they are far-right activists from the Ramat Migron outpost. Matan was shot four times according to details of the deadly incident reported in Haaretz. In unusually sharp language indicating tense relations between Washington and Tel-Aviv, the US condemned the incident as terrorism committed by Israeli settlers. "We strongly condemn yesterday's terror attack by Israeli extremist […]]]> 658301 https://www.middleeastmonitor.com/20230807-palestinians-in-israel-hold-protest-to-highlight-israeli-indifference-to-murders/ Mon, 07 Aug 2023 11:39:21 +0000 Middle East Monitor https://www.middleeastmonitor.com/?p=658293 Hamas: praising settler who killed Palestinians reflects Israeli 'fascism']]> 658293 https://www.middleeastmonitor.com/20230807-israel-forcibly-displaces-palestinian-bedouin-families-in-occupied-west-bank/ Mon, 07 Aug 2023 10:34:53 +0000 Middle East Monitor https://www.middleeastmonitor.com/?p=658287 The Israeli authorities have forced six Palestinian families from the Al-Qaboun Bedouin community east of Ramallah in the central occupied West Bank to leave their homes due to attacks and threats by extremist settlers and the Israeli army. The general supervisor of Al-Baydar Organisation for the Defence of Bedouin Rights, Hassan Malihat, said that the six families had no choice but to leave their homes as a result of a sharp rise in almost daily attacks and violence by both Israeli settler militias and soldiers. He added that a total of 36 individuals from the Kaabneh family had to leave the community which was displaced from their land during the 1948Nakba, "only to face another story of displacement today." Malihat […]]]> 658287 https://www.middleeastmonitor.com/20230807-us-slams-murder-of-palestinian-by-israel-settlers-as-terrorism/ Mon, 07 Aug 2023 10:10:00 +0000 Middle East Monitor https://www.middleeastmonitor.com/?p=658284 Washington has condemned as "terrorism" the killing of a Palestinian by suspected Jewish settlers, in language that appears to reflect US frustration with surging violence in the occupied West Bank under Israel's hard-right government, Reuters reported. Israeli police detained two settlers following Friday's attack near the village of Burqa. According to Palestinians, they were part of a group that threw rocks, torched cars and, when confronted by villagers, shot a 19-year-old dead and wounded several others. Initial findings by Israel's military described the incident as a confrontation that escalated, with casualties on both sides. A defence lawyer said the settlers – one of whom was absent from a court hearing due to a head injury – acted in self-defence. In their arraignment, a transcript […]]]> 658284 https://www.middleeastmonitor.com/20230807-venezuela-mural-expresses-solidarity-with-palestine/ Mon, 07 Aug 2023 09:32:02 +0000 , Middle East Monitor https://www.middleeastmonitor.com/?p=658278 Artists have been working diligently for the past few weeks to create a mural that covers a whole building in 23 de Enero neighbourhood in Caracas, Venezuela. The artists were brought together by local artist Julvio Millar to express their solidarity with the Palestinian people and put the spotlight on Palestine's ongoing struggle to resist Israeli colonialism. The mural includes a map of Palestine, a key of return, the Palestinian flag, as well as a picture of a Palestinian fighter wearing the traditional keffiyeh and making the V for Victory sign. The giant artwork is part of a larger project undertaken by Plataforma de solidaridad con Palestina group that is currently working on several initiatives and activities in Venezuela to […]]]> 658278 https://www.middleeastmonitor.com/20230807-israel-security-agency-warns-netanyahu-about-settler-violence/ Mon, 07 Aug 2023 09:28:25 +0000 Middle East Monitor https://www.middleeastmonitor.com/?p=658276 The head of Israel's Shin Bet security agency has warned Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu of the danger posed by the increasing level of violence by Jewish settlers in the occupied West Bank, Ynet News reported on Sunday. Ronen Bar called the settler violence a "strategic threat" and warned that the Palestinians are expected to increase their attacks on Israelis in retaliation for the settler attacks. Bar also said that settler "terror" boosts Islamic Jihad and Hamas in the occupied territories. He warned of attempts to kidnap a settler when attacks against Palestinian villages take place. On Friday, settlers shot and killed a Palestinian from the village of Burqa and wounded three others after storming the village and attacking residents. According […]]]> 658276 https://www.middleeastmonitor.com/20230807-palestine-slams-israel-ministers-call-to-honour-settlers-who-murdered-palestinian/ Mon, 07 Aug 2023 09:24:26 +0000 Middle East Monitor https://www.middleeastmonitor.com/?p=658274 The Palestinian Ministry of Foreign Affairs has condemned in the strongest terms Israeli National Security Minister Itamar Ben-Gvir's calls to honour settlers who murdered Palestinian Qusai Jamal Maatan in "cold blood" and provide them immunity. On Saturday morning, the Israeli authorities arrested two settlers suspected of killing Maatan after violently storming his village of Burqa on Friday and shooting residents there. Israeli media outlets said one of the settlers is a spokesman for a member of the Knesset in the government coalition, and an activist in Ben-Gvir's Jewish Power Party. In a statement, the Palestinian ministry considered Ben-Gvir's rants a call to encourage Jewish terrorists to murder more Palestinians. It warned against the Israeli occupation government's release of the murderers under "false pretexts". It […]]]> 658274 https://www.middleeastmonitor.com/20230807-gaza-sentences-7-to-death-for-collaborating-with-israel/ Mon, 07 Aug 2023 08:25:52 +0000 Middle East Monitor https://www.middleeastmonitor.com/?p=658270 The Court of Appeal in Gaza yesterday issued death sentences against seven people charged with collaborating with the Israeli occupation, the Interior Ministry said. Seven others were handed life terms with hard labour. According to the ministry, the sentences were issued with reference to Article 131 of the Palestinian Revolutionary Penal Code of 1979. The collaborators were indicted for having contacts with the Israeli occupation's intelligence, carrying out missions related to spying on Palestinian fighters and providing information about the Palestinian resistance. READ: Gaza Palestinian-Americans urge Washington to include them in Israel visa deal]]> 658270 https://www.middleeastmonitor.com/20230807-israel-smotrich-freezes-grants-for-arab-municipalities/ Mon, 07 Aug 2023 08:10:06 +0000 Middle East Monitor https://www.middleeastmonitor.com/?p=658263 Israeli Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich has frozen grants planned for Arab municipalities in the apartheid state, Kan public broadcaster reported on Sunday. The amount frozen is NIS 200 million ($55m) set by the previous Israeli government for economic development. Interior Minister Moshe Arbel from Shas party warned of negative consequences if the grant was not transferred to Arab local authorities. Far-right Smotrich told Kan that he is "reconsidering" the transfer of funds as he weighs his "priorities" for the funding and the "supervision mechanisms" in place. He added that the current government is "not beholden" to a promise made by former Interior Minister Ayelet Shaked to Ra'am party chief Mansour Abbas. At the same time, the far-right extremist minister blocked […]]]> 658263 https://www.middleeastmonitor.com/20230807-hamas-praising-settler-who-killed-palestinians-reflects-israeli-fascism/ Mon, 07 Aug 2023 07:44:25 +0000 Middle East Monitor https://www.middleeastmonitor.com/?p=658258 The Palestinian Islamic Resistance Movement has condemned the call by Israel's far-right minister of national security to award a "medal of honour" to the illegal Jewish settler who murdered a 19-year-old Palestinian in the occupied West Bank. "Such a move reflects how terrorist and fascist the extreme far-right Israeli occupation government is," said Hamas spokesman Hazem Qasem on Sunday. He pointed out that the call by Itamar Ben-Gvir proves the Israeli occupation government's disregard for international law. The praise for the Israeli colonial settler came after he shot dead Palestinian youth Qusai Maatan on Friday during a brutal attack by settlers on the village of Burqa, near Ramallah. READ: Jewish settlers raid Palestinian village in occupied West Bank]]> 658258 https://www.middleeastmonitor.com/20230807-preacher-we-will-not-allow-israel-to-harm-al-aqsa/ Mon, 07 Aug 2023 07:20:18 +0000 Middle East Monitor https://www.middleeastmonitor.com/?p=658250 The preacher of Al-Aqsa Mosque, Sheikh Ekrima Sabri, affirmed yesterday that the Israeli occupation is "seeking to impose its hegemony on Al-Aqsa Mosque," adding and that "our Palestinian people will not allow it to be harmed or touched." Sheikh Sabri stressed that the Israeli occupation is seeking to convert Al-Aqsa into military barracks to allow non-Muslims to enter it in the morning. He added that despite Israeli excavations under the mosque, the occupation authorities have failed to find proof to support their imaginary stories or to obtain international legitimacy. Israel will not succeed in implementing its goals of Judaising the mosque, he continued, adding that it has no right to Al-Aqsa Mosque, and that Muslims will remain present in the mosque […]]]> 658250 https://www.middleeastmonitor.com/20230806-jewish-settlers-raid-palestinian-village-in-occupied-west-bank/ Sun, 06 Aug 2023 11:00:13 +0000 Middle East Monitor https://www.middleeastmonitor.com/?p=658164 Jewish settlers in the occupied West Bank raided a Palestinian village Saturday, accompanied by soldiers, Anadolu reports. Dozens of settlers conducted the raid in Et-Tevane, in the Mesafir Yatta area in southern Hebron, according to sources. Settlers set fire to Palestinian-owned vehicles and attacked Palestinians who protested, leading to fighting with residents. Israeli soldiers intervened and used tear gas and rubber-coated bullets against Palestinians. Some victims faced suffocation due to the tear gas. Soldiers also assaulted and arrested a 19-year-old Palestinian, according to the Palestinian official news agency, WAFA. In another incident, a group of Jewish settlers gathered at a checkpoint to the entrance to Ramallah and threw stones at Palestinian-owned vehicles, causing damage. At the entrance to the Turmus […]]]> 658164 https://www.middleeastmonitor.com/20230806-turkish-coast-guard-saves-130-migrants-pushed-back-by-greece/ Sun, 06 Aug 2023 10:47:43 +0000 Middle East Monitor https://www.middleeastmonitor.com/?p=658160 A total of 130 irregular migrants pushed back into Turkish territorial waters by Greek forces were rescued on Saturday by the Turkish Coast Guard off the coasts of western Izmir province's Menderes, Karaburun, Foca and Cesme districts, Anadolu reports. Meanwhile, 265 irregular migrants and a migrant smuggler were caught off the coasts of Karaburun and Dikili. Irregular migrants were handed to the Provincial Directorate of Migration Management after procedures. READ: Tunisia rescues 15,000 migrants in first half of 2023 And 170 irregular migrants in rubber boats were caught by the Coast Guard off the coast of western Canakkale province's Ayvacik district. Coast Guard Northern Aegean Group Command teams detected four rubber boats with irregular migrants off the coast of Ayvacik. During […]]]> 658160 https://www.middleeastmonitor.com/20230806-helping-palestinians-in-need-is-not-terrorism-they-are-the-victims-of-israeli-terrorism/ Sun, 06 Aug 2023 09:37:14 +0000 , Middle East Monitor https://www.middleeastmonitor.com/?p=658149 I know none of the details of the arrest of Palestinian Amin Abu Rashid and his daughter Israa in Holland recently. I do know, however, that the track record of European governments in levelling allegations of "funding terrorism" against Palestinian-European organisations over the past twenty years or so has been abysmal. In almost every case, when taken to court the authorities have lost the legal argument. Will this happen again with Abu Rashid and Israa? Time will tell, but what is interesting is that it introduces to the world another no doubt well-funded "Israeli activist group", Ad Kan. It is well known, of course, that all allegations of "terrorism" and "funding Hamas" arise from "intelligence" shared by Israel and its […]]]> 658149 https://www.middleeastmonitor.com/20230806-virtual-reality-initiative-enables-palestinians-to-visit-their-homeland/ Sun, 06 Aug 2023 08:31:37 +0000 Middle East Monitor https://www.middleeastmonitor.com/?p=658144 READ: Palestine minister attacked during West Bank anti-settlement protest]]> 658144 https://www.middleeastmonitor.com/20230805-jewish-settlers-kill-palestinian-teen-in-west-bank/ Sat, 05 Aug 2023 15:07:15 +0000 Middle East Monitor https://www.middleeastmonitor.com/?p=658110 A 19-year-old Palestinian was killed in a raid by Jewish settlers on the village of Burqa, Palestinian state news agency WAFA reported Friday. The Palestinian Health Ministry announced that Qusai Jamal Maatan was shot dead by settlers who stormed the village, which is located east of Ramallah, Anadolu reports. He was killed during a clash between the settlers and Palestinian villagers. The settlers also brought animals with them to show that they wanted to establish a settlement by confiscating Palestinian land in the region, WAFA said. In a message of condolence issued by the Palestinian resistance group Hamas on the occasion of the murder of the boy, it called on Palestinians to mobilize to counter the attacks of Jewish settlers. […]]]> 658110 https://www.middleeastmonitor.com/20230805-us-state-dept-says-it-wants-to-see-75m-in-food-aid-for-palestinian-refugees-freed-up/ Sat, 05 Aug 2023 13:47:34 +0000 Middle East Monitor https://www.middleeastmonitor.com/?p=658104 The US State Department said Friday that it is in talks with Congress as a pair of Republican lawmakers continues to block the dispersal of some $75 million in food aid for Palestinian refugees in hopes of seeing the funds released, Anadolu reports. "The Department of State remains in discussion with Congress regarding funds provided in the FY 2023 appropriations act intended to maintain food assistance to vulnerable Palestinians in the West Bank and Gaza in response to rising food and transport costs," a State Department spokesperson told Anadolu "The Administration supports the intended use of the funds in question, which are designed to address worsening food insecurity in Palestinian communities," the spokesperson added in an emailed statement. READ: Palestine minister […]]]> 658104 https://www.middleeastmonitor.com/20230805-saudi-arabia-urges-its-citizens-to-quickly-leave-lebanon/ Sat, 05 Aug 2023 13:20:26 +0000 Middle East Monitor https://www.middleeastmonitor.com/?p=658098 Saudi Arabia called on its citizens to quickly leave Lebanese territory and to avoid approaching areas where there have been armed clashes, the Saudi embassy in Lebanon said in a statement posted late on Friday on X, formerly known as Twitter, Reuters reports. The kingdom did not specify which areas in Lebanon that it was advising its citizens to avoid. The embassy stressed "the importance of adhering to the Saudi travel ban to Lebanon," the statement added. READ: Hamas, Lebanon discuss stabilising Ain Al-Hilweh ceasefire  Kuwait also issued an advisory early on Saturday calling on Kuwaitis in Lebanon to stay vigilant and avoid "areas of security disturbances" but stopped short of asking them to leave the country, according to a statement […]]]> 658098 https://www.middleeastmonitor.com/20230805-palestine-minister-attacked-during-west-bank-anti-settlement-protest/ Sat, 05 Aug 2023 11:14:43 +0000 Middle East Monitor https://www.middleeastmonitor.com/?p=658092 Head of the Colonisation and Wall Resistance Commission Moayad Sha'aban was attacked by Israeli occupation forces on Friday during an anti-settlement demonstration in the West Bank. Sha'aban sustained bruises to the abdomen and chest during the weekly anti-settlement march in the West Bank town of Deir Estia. Israeli settlers have been trying to set up a new outpost north of the town, in the Al Qada area, making intensive protests more urgent than ever. READ: Palestine archbishop: Events in Lebanon camp are 'shameful' Local sources said that the Israeli occupation forces also fired tear gas at the demonstrators, and the minister was evacuated to a hospital for treatment. Meanwhile, two demonstrators were wounded in the anti-settlement protest in Kafr Qaddoum. Coordinator of the […]]]> 658092 https://www.middleeastmonitor.com/20230805-israeli-troops-settlers-commit-900-attacks-on-palestinians-in-july/ Sat, 05 Aug 2023 10:57:35 +0000 Middle East Monitor https://www.middleeastmonitor.com/?p=658088 Israeli occupation forces and settlers committed 897 attacks on Palestinians, their properties and holy sites during July, the Wall and Settlement Resistance Commission announced on Friday. In its monthly report on the violations of the Israeli occupation, the commission disclosed that these attacks ranged from direct assaults on people, vandalism of property, razing lands, storming villages, uprooting trees and seizing property. Most of the attacks were carried out in Jerusalem (148), followed by Nablus (140) and then Hebron (113). The commission added that settlers carried out 202 attacks in various parts of the occupied West Bank, but mainly in Nablus (65), Ramallah (35) and Hebron (28). READ: Palestinian farmer loses $10,000 after settlers set fire to his beehives According to the […]]]> 658088 https://www.middleeastmonitor.com/20230805-islamic-jihad-palestine-resistance-faces-conspiracies/ Sat, 05 Aug 2023 10:45:29 +0000 Middle East Monitor https://www.middleeastmonitor.com/?p=658084 Senior Islamic Jihad leader in Gaza Khader Habib announced on Friday that the Palestinian resistance is facing "conspiracies from different sides to distort its efforts." "This criminal effort is continuous," Habib told Al-Resalah newspaper, pointing out: "The Palestinian resistance has been targeted by different sides who are not persuaded by it or who see it a threat to their projects." Habib stressed that these sides: "Have always been trying to put obstacles ahead of the Palestinian resistance." The senior Islamic Jihad leader reiterated: "The Palestinian resistance must not pay attention to these sides and must not be engaged with their goals. However, it must be cautious as much as possible because these sides are backed by the enemies of our […]]]> 658084 https://www.middleeastmonitor.com/20230805-hamas-official-pa-attack-on-lama-khater-husband-is-unacceptable-harassment/ Sat, 05 Aug 2023 10:03:02 +0000 Middle East Monitor https://www.middleeastmonitor.com/?p=658081 Hamas leader Abdel Rahman Shadid denounced the attack by members of the Palestinian Authority (PA)'s security agency on writer Lama Khater and her husband, released prisoner Hazem Al-Fakhouri, describing the attack as: "Unacceptable harassment, a cowardly act and gang behaviour." Members of the intelligence agency, led by an intelligence officer, attacked Al-Fakhouri, in front of his wife and daughters after they broke the door to his home and smashed the family's possessions with sticks. Khater described the incident as a barbaric assault, noting that her husband refused the intelligence officer's request to stop issuing statements and positions condemning the assault on female students at Hebron University. READ: Hamas, Lebanon discuss stabilising Ain Al-Hilweh ceasefire  Shadid confirmed that gunmen from the PA […]]]> 658081 https://www.middleeastmonitor.com/20230805-will-there-be-a-coup-in-israel/ Sat, 05 Aug 2023 08:17:20 +0000 , Middle East Monitor https://www.middleeastmonitor.com/?p=658057 Theoretically, and at first glance, the idea of the enemy's army turning against the current Netanyahu government seems to be an unlikely, insane and unfeasible idea. In fact, the unprecedented existential crisis that Israel is experiencing today has no solution except within several scenarios, perhaps the most important of which are the following: First, for the criminals from the Hilltop Boys and the murderous Kahanists (led by Smotrich and Ben-Gvir) to back down and stop practicing their madness by stopping their pressure on Netanyahu, and pushing him to go to the extreme and turn Israel into a religious state in the form of a Zionist-Jewish version of ISIS. It does not seem that this option is even 1 per cent […]]]> 658057 https://www.middleeastmonitor.com/20230804-gaza-farmers-harvest-mangoes/ Fri, 04 Aug 2023 15:23:12 +0000 , Middle East Monitor https://www.middleeastmonitor.com/?p=658036 READ: Gaza's first fish farms begin first harvest]]> 658036 https://www.middleeastmonitor.com/20230804-gaza-palestinian-americans-urge-washington-to-include-them-in-israel-visa-deal/ Fri, 04 Aug 2023 14:54:13 +0000 Middle East Monitor https://www.middleeastmonitor.com/?p=658030 US passport holders with Palestinian papers and families in Gaza are urging Washington to ensure they are treated equally under a reciprocal deal with Israel intended to ensure visa-free travel for American and Israeli citizens, Reuters reports. Israel, facing a 30 September deadline to qualify its citizens for visa-free admission to the United States, said it has loosened access through its main airport and at the Occupied West Bank's boundary for Palestinian-Americans, allowing more than 2,000 people to cross into or through Israel. US State Department officials have said the Visa Waiver Program must apply to all American citizens, including those in Gaza, but a number of Palestinian-Americans with Gaza identity papers have said they have been prevented from entering Israel. "As a Palestinian with a Gaza ID, […]]]> 658030 https://www.middleeastmonitor.com/20230804-ex-israel-soldier-dies-after-setting-himself-on-fire/ Fri, 04 Aug 2023 13:55:41 +0000 Middle East Monitor https://www.middleeastmonitor.com/?p=658024 A 33-year-old Israeli soldier who set himself on fire after the Defence Ministry denied his request for disability status, died from his wounds today. The soldier, identified as Bar Kalaf, suffered severe injuries and was immediately rushed to Sheba Medical Centre at Tel Hashomer on Tuesday. His family blamed the negligence of the Israeli government for the 33-year-old's desperate act. Kalaf, who served in the army from 2008 to 2011 and participated in the attack on Gaza dubbed Operation Protective Edge as a reservist, had been seeking recognition for post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) related to his service. However, the Defence Ministry rejected his application, stating that he was diagnosed with a "mental illness" not directly linked to his military duties. The ministry asserted that […]]]> 658024 https://www.middleeastmonitor.com/20230804-palestinians-incite-against-gaza-once-again/ Fri, 04 Aug 2023 13:00:38 +0000 , Middle East Monitor https://www.middleeastmonitor.com/?p=657978 Early this week, hundreds of people in the southern Gaza city of Khan Yunis took to the streets calling for the Administrative Committee in the besieged enclave to provide them with a better quality of life. They also called for lifting alleged restrictions imposed on freedom of expression in Gaza. These people responded to calls made by a number of Palestinian youths who left Gaza after being released from prison. They live in Egypt or Europe and have repeatedly incited against Gaza and the Palestinian resistance. Calling for or organising demonstrations in protest against certain issues is a human right, but demonstrations should target the parties which cause crises or stand behind problems in order to put pressure on them […]]]> 657978 https://www.middleeastmonitor.com/20230804-un-documents-591-settlements-related-incidents-in-occupied-palestinian-territory-in-1st-half-of-2023/ Fri, 04 Aug 2023 12:54:36 +0000 Middle East Monitor https://www.middleeastmonitor.com/?p=658013 The number of settler-related incidents in the Occupied Palestinian Territory reached 591 in the first six months of 2023, the UN said on Friday, Anadolu Agency reports. "That's an average of 99 incidents every month and a 39 per cent increase compared with the monthly average of the whole of 2022, which is 71," Jens Laerke, spokesperson for the UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA), said at a UN briefing in Geneva. The number of such incidents, which are resulting in Palestinian casualties, property damage, or both, in 2022 was already the highest since OCHA started recording them in 2006, Laerke said. READ: Palestinian farmer loses $10,000 after settlers set fire to his beehives He highlighted that […]]]> 658013 https://www.middleeastmonitor.com/20230804-hamas-lebanon-discuss-stabilising-ain-al-hilweh-ceasefire/ Fri, 04 Aug 2023 12:29:40 +0000 Middle East Monitor https://www.middleeastmonitor.com/?p=658009 The head of Hamas' political bureau, Ismail Haniyeh, has made a series of contacts with senior Lebanese officials and discussed the latest developments in the Ain Al-Hilweh refugee camp, Quds Press reported citing a Hamas statement issued yesterday. According to the statement, Haniyeh spoke on the phone with Lebanese caretaker Prime Minister Najib Mikati, Parliament Speaker Nabih Berri, Hezbollah Secretary General Hassan Nasrallah and Palestinian Ambassador to Lebanon Ashraf Dabour and reviewed the situation in Ain Al-Hilweh camp, in light of the clashes that claimed the lives of a number of the refugees and injured dozens of others. He stressed the need to maintain a ceasefire and return people to their homes. During the calls, Haniyeh has also stressed Hamas' keenness on […]]]> 658009 https://www.middleeastmonitor.com/20230804-israel-officers-tase-palestinian-while-hes-cuffed-to-hospital-bed/ Fri, 04 Aug 2023 12:25:29 +0000 Middle East Monitor https://www.middleeastmonitor.com/?p=658005 A 21-year-old Palestinian detainee in Israeli custody was tased by two Israeli officers last week while he was handcuffed to a hospital bed at Shaare Zedek Hospital in Jerusalem. The hospital authorities immediately filed a complaint with the Police Internal Investigations Department (PIID), expressing their concern at the officers' abuse against a defenceless detainee, reported the Times of Israel. According to a letter sent yesterday from Israeli Health Minister, Moshe Arbel, to hospital staff and administrators, the doctors treating the suspect believed that he was not in control of his actions and was experiencing a psychotic episode. After receiving sedatives, the Palestinian suspect from East Jerusalem calmed down. However, just before the doctors could discharge him, the two officers accompanying him […]]]> 658005 https://www.middleeastmonitor.com/20230804-fatah-leader-warns-of-plot-to-destroy-palestinian-camps-in-lebanon/ Fri, 04 Aug 2023 10:49:56 +0000 Middle East Monitor https://www.middleeastmonitor.com/?p=657988 The commander of Al-Aqsa Martyrs Brigades, the military wing of the Palestinian National Liberation Movement (Fatah), and a member of the movement's Lebanon Command, Major General Munir Al-Maqdah, yesterday warned of an "international plot" aimed at "destroying the Palestinian refugee camps in Lebanon, especially the Ain Al-Hilweh camp; which is the epicentre and "capital" of the Palestinian diaspora. Al-Maqdah told Quds Press that the violent clashes that erupted in the Ain Al-Hilweh refugee camp near the southern city of Sidon are "almost over" after the conclusion of a ceasefire agreement. READ: Who ignited Ain Al-Hilweh and why? He pointed out that the Palestinian national and Islamic forces and factions have formed a committee to investigate the assassination of the Palestinian national security commander in […]]]> 657988 https://www.middleeastmonitor.com/20230804-israel-arrests-islamic-jihad-senior-leader-khaled-abu-zina/ Fri, 04 Aug 2023 08:12:38 +0000 Middle East Monitor https://www.middleeastmonitor.com/?p=657966 Israeli occupation forces yesterday arrested the senior leader of the Palestinian Islamic Jihad movement, Sheikh Khaled Saleh Abu Zina, from the Jenin refugee camp in the northern occupied West Bank. Israeli occupation forces, backed by dozens of military vehicles, raided Jenin in the early hours of the morning and arrested a number of Islamic Jihad leaders and members in the town of Burqin, west of Jenin. Sixty-three-year-old Abu Zina is one of the prominent residents of the Jenin camp. He spent nearly eight years in Israeli prisons and suffers from several diseases as a result of the repeated arrests and imprisonments. Israeli forces are escalating their campaign of arrests targeting the leaders and members of Palestinian resistance movements in the […]]]> 657966 https://www.middleeastmonitor.com/20230804-islamic-jihad-calls-for-rally-in-gaza-against-political-arrests-in-west-bank/ Fri, 04 Aug 2023 08:08:57 +0000 Middle East Monitor https://www.middleeastmonitor.com/?p=657964 The Islamic Jihad movement has called for mass protests in support of the Palestinian resistance and to denounce the political arrests carried out by the Palestinian Authority's security services in the occupied West Bank. The movement said in a statement that the protests will also come as an affirmation of national unity and an expression of the rejection of the blockade imposed on the Gaza Strip. Islamic Jihad added that the march will be held today and start immediately after the Friday prayer outside the Great Omari Mosque in Gaza and head to Palestine Square, where its political bureau member, Khaled Al-Batsh, will give a speech. The Palestinian Authority's security services recently launched a campaign of arrests targeting members of […]]]> 657964 https://www.middleeastmonitor.com/20230804-palestine-archbishop-events-in-lebanon-camp-are-shameful/ Fri, 04 Aug 2023 08:06:32 +0000 Middle East Monitor https://www.middleeastmonitor.com/?p=657962 Archbishop Atallah Hanna, the Greek Orthodox Archbishop of Sebastia, has slammed events in the Ain Al-Hilweh camp in Lebanon as "shameful." "The use of weapons in the camps between brothers is a very serious issue," he said in reference to fatal shootings that recently took place in the camp. He expressed hope that steps being taken to end this "strife" and "thwart the satanic scheme that aims to harm our camp" and undermine the Palestinians' right of return are successful. "What happened in Ain Al-Hilwah is an insult to our people … and an attempt to distort and undermine the justice of our cause," he said. "We hope that these events will be dealt with in a spirit of wisdom […]]]> 657962 https://www.middleeastmonitor.com/20230803-disappointed-with-us-palestine-turning-to-china-foreign-minister/ Thu, 03 Aug 2023 17:49:17 +0000 Middle East Monitor https://www.middleeastmonitor.com/?p=657944 As the Biden administration has been a disappointment for them, Palestine is "increasingly turning to China", said the Palestinian Foreign Minister on Thursday, Anadolu Agency reports. "Three years have passed since President [Joe] Biden's promises, but we have seen nothing other than financial support to the UN Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees (UNRWA) and hospitals in East Jerusalem," Riyad Al-Maliki told reporters at Foreign Ministry headquarters in the Occupied West Bank. China seeks to boost its presence in the Middle East Maliki expressed his country's frustration with the US position on Israel's violations, including its recent attacks in the northern West Bank city of Jenin. The Biden administration has been a disappointment, he said. READ: Israel far-right minister […]]]> 657944 https://www.middleeastmonitor.com/20230803-palestinians-hope-saudis-will-hear-concerns-on-israel-deal-minister-says/ Thu, 03 Aug 2023 14:34:27 +0000 Middle East Monitor https://www.middleeastmonitor.com/?p=657893 The Palestinian Authority is hoping to engage with Saudi Arabia to discuss their concerns over a potential agreement normalising relations with Israel, Palestinian Foreign Minister, Riyad Al-Maliki, said on Thursday, Reuters reports. US President Joe Biden said, last week, a rapprochement between Saudi Arabia and Israel "may be under way" following months of efforts by US officials to broker an agreement between the two long-standing adversaries. Officials from all three countries have said any agreement would be some way off, with complex issues remaining to be resolved, including the tense situation in the Occupied West Bank and a potential development of civilian nuclear power by Saudi Arabia. But the speculation has caused concern among Palestinians that any agreement would further weaken support for […]]]> 657893 https://www.middleeastmonitor.com/20230803-israels-high-court-dismisses-petition-to-evacuate-illegal-homesh-outpost-in-west-bank/ Thu, 03 Aug 2023 14:12:49 +0000 Middle East Monitor https://www.middleeastmonitor.com/?p=657887 The appeal against the illegal West Bank outpost of Homesh, urging its evacuation to allow Palestinian landowners access to their land, was dismissed by Israel's High Court of Justice. According to Haaretz, in her verdict High Court Justice Yael Wilner claimed that the outpost's buildings were relocated from privately-owned Palestinian land and therefore negates the claim of illegal construction. Despite the access road leading to the outpost and occupation forces remaining on Palestinian-owned land, Wilner claimed these factors are not central to the appeal. It comes after the occupying government announced its intention to accelerate the approval process for settlement construction in June, in addition to giving Israeli Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich even more authority to approve expansions of illegal settlements. READ: Israel […]]]> 657887 https://www.middleeastmonitor.com/20230803-palestinian-farmer-loses-10000-after-settlers-set-fire-to-his-beehives/ Thu, 03 Aug 2023 12:43:37 +0000 Middle East Monitor https://www.middleeastmonitor.com/?p=657868 Israeli occupation forces today destroyed and uprooted dozens of olive trees in the town of Battir, west of occupied Bethlehem, WAFA News Agency reported. According to a local Palestinian activist, an Israeli army unit broke into the eastern part of the village during a morning raid and proceeded to raze four dunums (one acre) of land, vandalising dozens of olive trees owned by local resident Mazen Abu Ne'me. He added that the area has been recently targeted by groups of extremist Israeli settlers who set up caravans, as a prelude to setting up a new illegal outpost and preventing Palestinian residents from accessing their lands. READ: Israel is an apartheid state, so why did an EU diplomat refuse to say so? Under international […]]]> 657868 https://www.middleeastmonitor.com/20230803-israel-is-an-apartheid-state-so-why-did-an-eu-diplomat-refuse-to-say-so/ Thu, 03 Aug 2023 12:12:26 +0000 , Middle East Monitor https://www.middleeastmonitor.com/?p=657865 Outgoing EU Envoy to the occupied West Bank and Gaza Sven Kuhn Von Burgsdorff attracted the wrong sort of attention when he paraglided off Gaza's coast last month, purportedly promoting a promise of freedom even as the EU persists in the moribund two-state narrative. Israel described the stunt as provocative, while for Palestinians, the distinction between diplomats' freedom and the annihilation of their own freedom of movement was made all too apparent. Palestinians can do the same, said the EU envoy, when they are free. He knows full well that the Palestinian people's freedom is not on the international political agenda. His stunt simply served to demonstrate the EU's diplomatic conceit. In an interview with the Times of Israel, Von […]]]> 657865 https://www.middleeastmonitor.com/20230803-moroccan-sentenced-to-five-5-after-facebook-posts-criticising-normalised-ties-with-israel/ Thu, 03 Aug 2023 12:08:01 +0000 Middle East Monitor https://www.middleeastmonitor.com/?p=657863 A Moroccan court has sentenced a blogger to five years in prison over posts on Facebook criticising the normalisation of relations with Israel that were deemed "offensive" to the monarchy, according to his lawyer. Lawyer Hassan Al-Sunni told AFP that his client, Saeed Boukayoud, 48, "was sentenced to five years in prison on Monday for Facebook posts denouncing normalisation with Israel in a way that could be interpreted as criticism of the King." The facts of the case go back to December 2020, when Boukayoud, who resides in Qatar, published posts rejecting the agreement, which at that time required Morocco to resume its relations with the occupation state of Israel in return for the US recognising its sovereignty over the Western Sahara, according […]]]> 657863