Page 132 - Israel-palestine

New Israeli government takes steps to penalise Palestinian leadership

In some of its first acts since coming to power, Israel's new Security Cabinet approved a series of punitive steps against the Palestinian leadership, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's office said on Friday. According to a statement from Netanyahu's office, the move is in retaliation for Palestinians pushing the UN's highest judicial body to give its opinion on the Israeli occupation. The Palestinians vowed to continue their diplomatic efforts despite the Israeli new measures. The development underscores the hard-line approach to the Palestinians that Israel's new ultranationalist government has promised at a time of rising violence in the occupied territories. It comes a week after the United Nations General Assembly voted to approve a resolution requesting that the International Court of Justice intervene and render an opinion on the legality of Israeli policies in the occupied West Bank and east Jerusalem. Israel's Security Cabinet described the Palestinian Authority's request

New Israeli govt takes punitive steps against Palestinian leadership

In some of its first acts since coming to power, Israel's new Security Cabinet approved a series of punitive steps against the Palestinian leadership, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's office said Friday. According to a statement from Netanyahu's office, the move is in retaliation for Palestinians pushing the U.N.'s highest judicial body to give its opinion on the Israeli occupation. The development underscores the hard-line approach to the Palestinians that Israel's new ultranationalist government has promised at a time of rising violence in the occupied territories. It comes a week after the United Nations General Assembly voted to approve a resolution requesting that the International Court of Justice intervene and render an opinion on the legality of Israeli policies in the occupied West Bank and east Jerusalem. Israel's Security Cabinet described the Palestinian Authority's request to the U.N. as a decision to wage political and legal war against the State of Israel. "The .

Israel builds 4.6 km wall around Gaza Strip to protect communities

Israel has already built on-ground and underground barriers to prevent Palestinians in Gaza from entering the Jewish state

Huge crowds of Palestinians mark Fatah anniversary in Gaza City park

Hundreds of thousands of Palestinians thronged a Gaza City park on Saturday to mark the 58th anniversary of the founding of the Fatah party, a rare show of popularity in the heartland of the militant Hamas group, Fatah's main rival. The crowds turned Katiba Park into a sea of yellow flags and pictures of Fatah founders and leaders, including Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas and his predecessor Yasser Arafat. Hamas, which took over Gaza after routing pro-Abbas forces in 2007, permitted Fatah to hold the rally. In several past occasions following the 2007 takeover, Hamas had blocked or restricted activities for Fatah. While polls indicate Fatah is not that popular, the huge turnout could be seen as a rare opportunity to protest Hamas' heavy-handed rule in Gaza. The Islamic group has exhausted Gazans with heavy taxes amid record levels of unemployment and poverty. The 2.3 million residents live under a crippling Israeli-Egyptian blockade that Israel says is necessary to stop Hamas .

India abstains on UNGA resolution on ICJ opinion on Palestinian rights

India has abstained in the UN General Assembly on a resolution that asked the International Court of Justice for its opinion on the legal consequences of Israel's prolonged occupation and annexation of the Palestinian territory. The draft resolution Israeli practices affecting the human rights of the Palestinian people in the Occupied Palestinian Territory, including East Jerusalem' was adopted by a recorded vote on Friday, with 87 votes in favour, 26 against and 53 abstentions, including by India. The resolution decided to request the UN's highest judicial body to render an advisory opinion on what are the legal consequences arising from the ongoing violation by Israel of the right of the Palestinian people to self-determination, from its prolonged occupation, settlement and annexation of the Palestinian territory occupied since 1967, including measures aimed at altering the demographic composition, character and status of the Holy City of Jerusalem, and from its adoption of related

Israeli PM-designate Netanyahu agrees to annex West Bank in coalition deal

Israel's Prime Minister-designate Benjamin Netanyahu has agreed to annex the occupied West Bank in a coalition deal that was made public

Israel's Netanyahu set to return to office, eyes deal with Saudi Arabia

Israel's designated prime minister Benjamin Netanyahu on Thursday vowed to seek full diplomatic relations with Saudi Arabia once he takes office, claiming that doing so would also promote peace with the Palestinians. Netanyahu also said he would be open to restarting behind-the-scenes peace talks with the Palestinians. The comments, made in a rare interview with an Arab news outlet, the Saudi-owned Al-Arabiya news channel, appeared to be aimed at easing concerns over the far-right makeup of the government that Netanyahu is forming. He has already reached a series of coalition agreements with hard-liners who favour tougher action against Palestinian militants, increased settlement construction in the occupied West Bank and vehemently reject the idea of an independent Palestinian state. Netanyahu told the channel that he will set overall policies. I will govern and I will lead, he said. The other parties are joining me. I'm not joining them. Netanyahu said he hoped to expand the Ab

Israeli ultra-orthodox army unit linked to American's death exits West Bank

The Israeli military said on Wednesday it is temporarily removing a unit of ultra-Orthodox soldiers out of the occupied West Bank after a 78-year-old Palestinian-American man died following an arrest by its soldiers early this year. The army said the Netzah Yehuda Battalion will be moved to the Golan Heights, along Israel's northern front with Syria, by the end of the year. The announcement made no mention of the death of Omar Assad, who died after being detained, handcuffed and blindfolded by Israeli soldiers. Instead, it said the decision was made out of a desire to diversify their operational deployment in multiple areas, in addition to accumulating more operational experience. It said the unit would return to the West Bank at the end of next year. Netzah Yehuda, or Judea Forever, is a special unit for ultra-Orthodox Jewish soldiers. The unit was formed to encourage religious men, who often receive special exemptions from compulsory military service, to join the army. But its ..

India extends 'unwavering' support to Palestinian people, says PM Modi

In the statement, PM Modi said that India's ties with the friendly people of Palestine are rooted in the shared history

Health ministry: Israeli fire kills Palestinian in West Bank

A Palestinian was killed and 11 were wounded by Israeli fire in the occupied West Bank, the Palestinian Health Ministry said Tuesday. The official Palestinian news agency Wafa reported that clashes erupted between Israeli forces and residents of north Hebron city on Monday evening. The Israeli military said soldiers shot at Palestinians who hurled rocks and improvised explosive devices at the forces who were operating in the town. It said the Palestinians also shot at the troops, and two army vehicles got stuck due to mechanical issues. The ministry said nine Palestinians were wounded by live fire and two others suffered breathing problems from tear gas. One of the wounded succumbed early Tuesday, the ministry said, without identifying him. Tensions between Israelis and Palestinians have been surging for months amid nightly Israeli raids in the occupied West Bank prompted by a spate of deadly attacks against Israelis that killed 19 people in the spring. More than 138 Palestinians

Israel deploys remote-controlled robotic guns, stun grenades in West Bank

In two volatile spots in the occupied West Bank, Israel has installed robotic weapons that can fire tear gas, stun grenades and sponge-tipped bullets at Palestinian protesters. The weapons, perched over a crowded Palestinian refugee camp and in a flashpoint West Bank city, use artificial intelligence to track targets. Israel says the technology saves lives both Israeli and Palestinian. But critics see another step toward a dystopian reality in which Israel fine-tunes its open-ended occupation of the Palestinians while keeping its soldiers out of harm's way. The new weapon comes at a time of heightened tensions in the occupied West Bank, where unrest has risen sharply during what has been the deadliest year since 2006. The victory by former Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's hard-line alliance, which includes an extreme right-wing party with close ties to the settler movement, has raised concerns of more violence. Twin turrets, each equipped with a watchful lens and a gun barrel, .

Palestinian kills 3 Israelis, wounds 3 in West Bank stabbing

A knife-wielding Palestinian killed two Israelis in a stabbing Tuesday at a settlement in the occupied West Bank, then stole a car as he tried to flee the scene and crashed it on a nearby highway, killing a third Israeli, officials said. The attack at the settlement of Ariel also left three Israelis wounded. The Palestinian was shot and killed by an Israeli soldier as he tried to run away from the crash scene. The Zaka paramedic service said the three wounded were being treated in hospital and that they were in serious condition. It was the latest attack in a wave of Israeli-Palestinian violence this year that has seen Palestinian attackers target Israeli civilians and near nightly Israeli arrest raids that have fuelled unrest in the occupied territory. The Israeli military said the Palestinian first stabbed several Israelis at the entrance to the settlement's industrial zone, then proceeded to a nearby gas station and stabbed more people there. The army said the man then stole a c

2 Israelis stabbed to death by Palestinian attacker in West Bank

Israel's emergency service says that two Israelis have been killed by a Palestinian attacker in a stabbing in the occupied West Bank. The Magen David Adom paramedic service says the two were killed in Tuesday's attack in the West Bank settlement of Ariel. Earlier, the Israeli military said the attacker was shot as he tried to flee the scene. The Palestinian Health Ministry said confirmed he was killed. Israeli Prime Minister Yair Lapid sent condolences to the families of those killed in the attack and said Israel was fighting terror nonstop and full force. Our security forces are working around the clock to protect Israeli citizens and harm terror infrastructure everywhere, all the time, he said.

Key UN committee seeks ICJ's legal opinion on Israel's occupation

A key UN committee approved a draft resolution Friday calling on the International Court of Justice to urgently issue its opinion on the legal consequences of denying the Palestinian people the right to self-determination as a result of Israel's actions since the 1967 Mideast war. The measure was vehemently opposed by Israel, which argued it would destroy any chance of reconciliation with the Palestinians. The vote in the General Assembly's Special Political and Decolonization Committee was 98-17, with 52 abstentions. The resolution will now go to the 193-member assembly for a final vote before the end of the year, when it is virtually certain of approval. The draft cites Israel's violation of Palestinian rights to self-determination from its prolonged occupation, settlement and annexation of the Palestinian territory occupied since 1967, including measures aimed at altering the demographic composition, character and status of the holy city of Jerusalem, and from its adoption of ...

Food security, Palestine to top agenda of Arab League Summit in Algeria

The Secretary-General of the Arab League Ahmed Aboul-Gheit said in Algiers that food security and the Palestinian issue will be on the top agenda of the Arab League Summit due on November 1 and 2.

Tension in West Bank fuels atmosphere of fear, hatred: UN official

An escalation of tension in the West Bank would fuel an atmosphere of fear, hatred and anger between Israelis and Palestinians, a senior UN official has warned

Palestinian assailant wounds 2 Israelis in shooting in Jerusalem

A Palestinian assailant opened fire at an Israeli military checkpoint in east Jerusalem seriously wounding two people late Saturday, Israeli authorities said, hours after a pair of Palestinian teenagers were killed during an Israeli military raid in the occupied West Bank. It was the latest bloodshed in the deadliest round of fighting in the area in seven years. It also came less than 24 hours before Israel was to begin celebrating the weeklong Sukkot holiday, a time when tens of thousands of Jews visit the holy city. Saturday night's shooting occurred at a checkpoint near the Shuafat refugee camp in east Jerusalem. Police said the assailant opened fire, wounding a female soldier and a security guard. Israeli rescue services said the woman was in critical condition and the man was in serious condition. A third Israeli was lightly wounded. Police said they were searching for the attacker, with special forces and a helicopter involved in the search. Our hearts tonight are with the ..

Two Palestinians killed in Israel during military raid in West Bank

Israeli soldiers shot and killed two Palestinians on Saturday in an exchange of fire that erupted during a military raid in the West Bank, according to Israeli and Palestinian accounts, in the latest confrontation that has made 2022 the deadliest year of violence in the occupied territory since 2015. The raid occurred in the Jenin refugee camp in the northern West Bank, the site of repeated clashes between Israeli forces and local gunmen and residents. The camp is known as a stronghold of Palestinian militants and the army often operates there. Palestinian officials said soldiers entered the camp early Saturday and surrounded a house. In videos circulated on social media, exchanges of fire could be heard. The Palestinian Health Ministry reported two dead and 11 wounded, three of them critically. The official Wafa news agency said both of the dead were 17-year-old boys. The Israeli military said it had arrested a 25-year-old operative from the Islamic Jihad militant group who has ...

Palestine urges Europe to put pressure on Israel against West Bank conflict

Palestine has urged the European countries to tie their relations with Israel to its adherence to international law, UN resolutions, and human rights principles

European Union urges Israel, Palestine to defuse West Bank tension

The European Union (EU) is exerting efforts to defuse the escalating tension between Israelis and Palestinians in the West Bank, an official announced