Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas addressed the UN General Assembly on Thursday 27 where he stressed on the importance of receiving the status of non-member statehood for Palestine. He also urged member states to “obstruct the occurrence of a new Nakba” mentioning Israel’s occupation and current policy of settlement expansion. While Abbas renounced violence and terror, “especially state terror” he did not relinquish the Palestinian leaderships’ desire for a peaceful settlement, despite what he called his people’s “anger and disappointment”. In a dramatic end to the speech, Abbas said: “Support the realization of a free and independent State of Palestine now. Let peace be victorious before it is too late.”
Abbas also met with US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton and EU foreign policy chief Catherine Asheton on September 26th on the sidelines of the UN summit. Ashton reaffirmed the EU’s commitment to a Palestinian state alongside Israel and urged EU member states and donors to support the PA in overcoming its financial and economic crisis.
Meanwhile in Gaza, the underground tunnels to Egypt have been under strict control by Egyptian authorities, leading to a 31 percent fall in the import of basic goods and 45 percent in construction materials reports indicated on September 28. The tunnels which have been Gaza’s main point of entry and exit to the rest of the world are privately owned and function with an oversight from the Gaza de facto government Hamas. Hamas has been monitoring the passage of goods through the tunnels and the identity of the owners of the tunnels while the Egyptian authorities have now started sealing some of them off after the August 5 attacks in Sinai that killed 16 Egyptian soldiers.
One of two men who were shot by Israeli snipers across the border on September 28 died later on in the day. An Israeli army spokesperson responded saying that the soldiers only fired toward the legs of several people who had approached the northern border fence after they didn’t respond to warning shots.
Around 500 people have gone out to the streets in Gaza in a rare anti-Hamas protest on September 26, Reuters reported. The protest came after a boy died in a candle fire accident that burned down his parents’ home in Bureuji refugee camp during a power outage that day. The protestors, chanting anti-Hamas slogans and calling for the overthrow of its regime expressed their frustration over the power outages that only allowed them six hours of electricity per day, since February. Gaza security forces understated the protests which they presented as only a continuation of a sit in protest held by a general union of Palestinian women the previous day.
The women had the sit-in protest in front of the Palestinian Legislative Council office in Gaza on September 25 where they protested against the Hamas-Fatah rift. They called on both parties to realize the true aspirations of the Palestinian people and reconcile urgently saying the lack of unity benefits Israel and prolongs the occupation.
Ayman Sharawna, the last remaining hunger striker on his 88th day of strike is suffering from severe kidney problems and has lost 80% of his vision, Addameer, a prisoner rights group said on September 26. Ayman who had spent 10 years in Israeli jail was freed in a prisoner swap between Israel and Hamas last year but was rearrested in January 2012. Together with Sharawna are Ibrahim Abu Hijleh, Ayman Abu Dawoud, Yoused Shtiwi, Iyad Abu Fannoun and Samer al-Issawi - who were also released in the swap but held under new Israeli military order which revokes the amnesty of prisoners based on secret information and without new charge, a prisoners’ rights group Adameer said. Al-Issawi said on September 28 that he was prevented from seeing Red Cross representatives though he’s suffering from severe headaches and joint pains due to his 59-day hunger strike which has also affected his vision and walking abilities.
Around 80 Jewish Israelis accompanied by Israeli forces barged into al-Aqsa mosque from Bab al-Magharbeh gate on September 25 to perform religious rituals before the Jewish holiday of Yom Kippur. Israeli forces reportedly closed entry ways to the Mosque during this visit and prevented Muslims below the age of 45 from entering the mosque on that day.
The Palestinian ambassador to Jordan debunked reports on September 25 that Jordan is concerned that refugees fleeing Syria would settle in Jordan, saying that Jordanian authorities have no such fears and are welcoming Palestinian refugees. His statement came after reports that revealed that Palestinian refugees are being housed in “Cyber City” – a former school in al-Ramtha separate from Syrian refugees in Jordan. The PA has asked the refugees to form committees that would represent them and facilitate communication in addressing their concerns. The PA has also distributed five trucks of food aid sent from the West Bank.
A Palestinian lawyer Haitham al-Khatib has submitted a petition to the Supreme Court of Israel to open a testing center that will identify the remains of Palestinian bodies held in Israeli cemeteries. Al-Khatib has urged Israeli authorities to allow relatives to visit the cemetery in the Jordan Valley where it has withheld bodies of hundreds of Palestinians in violation of international law. Israel returned the remains of dozens of Palestinians in a “good will” gesture to President Abbas in May but identifying the remains and contacting their relatives was a challenge. In his bid to the court, Al-Khatib demanded the establishment of a Center that would conduct DNA tests to identify the remains.
A delegation consisting of 15 European dignitaries will represent the European Free Alliance Group in the EU Parliament in visiting the West Bank and east Jerusalem in October, a joint statement by European Free Alliance Group and the Palestinian European Relations said on September 25. The delegation will engage in a fact-finding mission on the day to day challenges of Palestinians resulting from the occupation and settlement expansion and is expected to visit refugee camps and hold meetings with NGOs and local politicians.
Palestinian leaders dismissed Israeli defense minister Ehud Barak’s proposal for a unilateral disengagement plan on the West Bank. Barak’s proposal which outlined the removal of smaller settlements with the major ones remaining was rejected by PLO executives who said it was yet another Israeli plan to legitimize settlements, avoid the question of Jerusalem and maintain the status quo on land expropriation. The timing of the proposal which coincided with the Palestinian bid for non-member state status at the UN General Assembly, PLO members said, shows Israel’s plan to undermine the bid, sustain the occupation and prevent the emergence of an internationally recognized Palestinian state.
The PA cabinet led by Prime Minster Salam Fayyad urged the international community to pressure Israel to lift obstacles and restrictions that damage the Palestinian economy and institution building. Citing World bank, IMG and UN reports, the Cabinet said its weekly meeting said on September 25, that the international community has to act now in halting Israel from undermining the Palestinians and the PA’s efforts in building institutions in the process of establishing an independent Palestinian state.
Meanwhile, Qatari Ambassador Muhammad al-Imadi visited Gaza on September 25 during which he communicated Qatar’s pledge of $500 million to assist reconstruction efforts in Gaza. The de facto Prime Minister Ismail Haniyeh welcomed the ambassador and commended Qatar for its assistance and support against the Israeli blockade. He said the money would be used to rebuild infrastructure destroyed by Israeli sieges and will create job opportunities to thousands of Gazans.
Two Palestinian prisoners in Israeli jails – Samir al-Barq and Hasan Safadi ended their hunger strike, Israeli Prison Service spokeswoman Sivan Weizman confirmed on Septmeber 23. Al-Buraq ended his 125 day hunger strike after an agreement with Israel for his exile to Egypt although the details of his release are not clarified yet. Al-Buraq said that he will resume his hunger strike and refuse to take any liquids if the agreement over his release is not actualized. Hasan Safadi who was on a 95 day hunger strike was transferred to Ramle prison clinic after he ended his strike with the promise that he will be freed by the end of his current administration term which expires end of October.
UN Resolution 1325
Date posted: February 03, 2021
By MIFTAH
Kerry talks peace while Israel bars UNESCO mission [May 19 - May 25]
Date posted: May 25, 2013
By MIFTAH
President Mahmoud Abbas and Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu both met with US Secretary of State John Kerry this week in the latter’s fourth visit to the region since he assumed office.
After meeting with the two to ostensibly find ways to restart stalled negotiations between the two sides, Kerry urged on May 24 both Israeli and Palestinian leaders to take "hard decisions" to revive the peace process.
"We're getting toward a time now when hard decisions need to be made," he said at the end of his visit.
Kerry admitted a day before after meeting with the two leaders that there was skepticism and cynicism about his efforts to revive talks.
"I know this region well enough to know there is skepticism, in some quarters there is cynicism, and there are reasons for it. There have been bitter years of disappointment," he said. Still, he maintained: "It is our hope that by being methodical, careful, patient, but detailed and tenacious, that we can lay on a path ahead that can conceivably surprise people and certainly exhaust the possibilities for peace."
British foreign secretary William Hague was also in the region visiting with leaders on both sides and even visited the Bedouin community of Khan Al Ahmar between Jerusalem and Jericho, whose residents are under the threat of displacement.
On May 23, Hague was poignantly clear on where his country stands on Israeli settlements in the West Bank. "Israel has lost some of its support in Britain and in other European countries over time - this is something I've often pointed out to Israeli leaders -because of settlement activity, which we condemn,” he said.
"We strongly disagree with settlements on occupied land. Israel is a country we work with in many ways but we do disapprove of settlements,” he maintained, adding that: "We want to see both Israelis and Palestinians really commit themselves to the peace process while there is still a chance of a two-state solution."
In Khan al Ahmar, Hague listened to the residents’ grievances from Israeli efforts to push them out to make way for more settlement expansion. "We (in Britain) strongly condemn the building of settlements and recognise they are a severe threat to a two-state solution,” he told the people there.
On March 21, Israeli forces demolished two residential buildings in the Jabal al-Mukabbir in East Jerusalem. Earlier, they demolished two Palestinian homes in al-Tur, all under the pretext of unlicensed construction. Dozens of people have been left homeless from the demolitions.
A UNESCO fact-finding mission was supposed to arrive this week to look into Israeli measures in the Old City of Jerusalem and their impact on the archeological, cultural and heritage significance of the place, but was denied entry by Israel on May 20. Israel justified its decision by saying Palestinians were trying to politicize the visit.
"The Palestinians were not respecting the understandings,” an Israeli foreign ministry official said. “The visit was supposed to be professional, (but) they were taking measures that showed they were politicizing the event and not letting the delegation focus on professional sides of it," the official said.
UNESCO maintained that the mission was not cancelled, but postponed, the agency’s spokeswoman Sue Williams said.
The Palestinians said they expected Israel to pull something like this. “We weren't surprised by this decision because we believed that Israel's agreement to (allow the mission) was not convincing," minister of foreign affairs Riyad Al Malki said.
The Rafah crossing between the Gaza Strip and Egypt was reopened on May 22 after a five day closure. Egyptian soldiers and policemen closed the crossing following the kidnapping of seven Egyptian soldiers in Sinai, only reopening it after the soldiers were freed. Over 2,400 Palestinians had been stranded on both sides of the crossing during the days of the closure.
Extremist Israelis extended their attacks this week all the way to the Negev desert. On May 19, residents of the Retamim Kibbutz attacked the nearby Bedouin village of Bir Hadaj and set fire to a tent, according to head of the local village council, Salman Ibin Hamid
"The setters of Retamim are acting like they are in the West Bank," Ibn Hamid said. "These people have the mentality of the occupying settler to attack every Arab."
Finally, on May 23, the US appointed Gen. John Allen as special envoy on security issues in negotiations between Israel and the Palestinian Authority. According to a US official, Allen will deal with the U.S. position on Israeli security needs and the security arrangements that would accompany the establishment of a future Palestinian state.
Al Nakba commemorated amid increasing settler attacks [May 12 - May 18]
Date posted: May 18, 2013
By MIFTAH
This week Palestinians commemorated the 65th anniversary of the Nakba, the catastrophe of 1948 on May 15, with a variety of activities, demonstrations and events throughout the Palestinian territories and outside of its borders. Festivals were held in Ramallah and Nablus in addition to several protests and confrontations with Israeli occupation forces. In Jerusalem, clashes broke out between protesters and Israeli police and border guards when Palestinians commemorating Al Nakba, raising Palestinian flags and facing off with Jewish settlers and soldiers. Thirty people were wounded or arrested during the clashes in addition to six Israelis.
The Jerusalem clashes come at a time when settler break-ins to Al Aqsa have been on the rise amid increasing calls by extremist Jewish groups to make a presence at the compound. The break-ins have become a near daily event. Muslim worshippers and Palestinian youths have kept constant vigil at the mosque to stave off the break-ins which included settler groups who used children as a cover to enter the compound on the occasion of Shavuot.
Settlers in the West Bank have wreaked havoc this week as well. On May 17, three Palestinians were injured in clashes in Urif south of Nablus when dozens of settlers set fire to lands in three area-villages: Urif, Einabus, and Asira al-Qibliya. The settlers also attacked citizens and threw burning tires at people’s homes.
Jewish extremists attacked inside the Green Line as well. On May 14, extremists set fire to three cars and sprayed racist graffiti on a mosque south of Haifa, according to Israeli media reports.
"Price-tag" and "Eviatar," which is thought to refer to the name of a settler stabbed to death last week, were found on the mosque’s walls in addition to the Star of David. In Safed, even farther north, racist graffiti with the words "Arabs out" was found on walls in the city.
On May 13, Israeli settlers exhumed a number of graves and sprayed racist graffiti in the Sawiya village in Nablus. Ghassan Daghlas, head of the PA settlement activity file, said settlers from the Alia settlement were responsible for the damage.
On the same day settlers from Tel Hatimar begin building a religious school for children on Al Khader lands in the Bethlehem area.
The Israeli army meanwhile, uprooted over 1,200 olive tree saplings on May 16 and razed land Palestinian farmer in the northern West Bank, according to Daghlas. He said the army dug up over 40 dunums of farm land and demolished a water tank and stone walls in Ras Karker, near Nablus.
On May 17, three Palestinian laborers were wounded in Beit Ula northwest of Hebron after Israeli forces fired rubber-coated steel bullets and unleashed police dogs at them according to Issa al-Amla, coordinator for the popular struggle committee. He said Omar Al-Amla, 31, and Abdulkadir Al-Amla, 28, suffered multiple dog bites to the neck and hands. A third laborer, Jihad Saleem, was shot in the leg.
In Jerusalem on May 17, Israeli forces raided the home of Iyad al-Awar and insisted on taking his two children 6-year-old Qassam and 5-year-old Nasrallah for “interrogation”. While their father prevented the forces from arresting his boys, Israeli soldiers handed him a warrant ordering him to bring his children to the Russian Compound for questioning.
"We arrived to the Russian Compound and the troops wanted to take my kids for investigation; I refused and they beat me in the ear and the leg. My kids started crying and were so scared from the troops. They took my kids by force," al-Awar said.
Israeli Intelligence officers apparently questioned the children about their detained cousin Shadad, and asked if they had seen him throwing stones or Molotov cocktails at Israeli forces, Al Awar said.
On the same day however, Palestinians scored a tiny victory in the Jerusalem suburb of Abu Dis when they were able to tear a hole through part of the separation wall. Protesters marking the Nakba anniversary ripped a 4-meter hole in it, eyewitnesses said. Clashes ensued between the protesters and Israeli soldiers who fired tear gas and rubber-coated steel bullets. Several injuries were reported.
Peace Now reported on May 16 that the Israeli government planned to grant retroactive approval to four West Bank settlement outposts it had previously pledged to at least partially demolish.
The Israeli state attorney's office said that settlers had purchased the private Palestinian land on which they built, thus paving the way for the government to give its blessing.
"In the response, the government declares its intention to legalize four outposts, in isolated areas," Peace Now said in a statement, adding that the strategy was an affront to US Secretary of State John Kerry's efforts to revive dormant Israeli-Palestinian peace talks. "The intention to legalize outposts as new settlements is no less than a slap in the face of Secretary Kerry's new peace process," Peace Now said.
On May 14, Hamas and Fatah agreed in Cairo to form a national unity government within three months during which they would finalize and approve the Palestine National Council elections law. The two sides, represented by Fatah leader Azzam Al Ahmad and Hamas politburo member Mousa Abu Marzouq, came to the agreement under Egyptian sponsorship and said President Abbas would immediately begin talks on the new government formation. Once the government is formed, general elections can be held.
