Page 33 - Palestine

Israel criticises UN vote to list ruins in Palestine as World Heritage Site

A UN committee voted Sunday to list prehistoric ruins near the ancient West Bank city of Jericho as a World Heritage Site in Palestine, a decision that angered Israel, which controls the territory and does not recognize a Palestinian state. Jericho is one of the oldest continually inhabited cities on earth, and is in a part of the Israeli-occupied West Bank that is administered by the internationally recognized Palestinian Authority. The listing refers to the Tell es-Sultan archaeological site nearby, which contains prehistoric ruins dating back to the ninth millennium B.C. and is outside the ancient city itself. The decision was made at a meeting of the U.N. World Heritage Committee in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, under the auspices of the U.N. Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization, UNESCO. Israel's foreign ministry released a statement Sunday that said the listing was a cynical ploy by the Palestinians to politicize UNESCO, and that Israel will work with its allies to reverse

Over 200 Palestinians, nearly 30 Israelis killed in 2023, says UN

The Israeli-Palestinian conflict has killed over 200 Palestinians and nearly 30 Israelis so far this year already surpassing last year's annual figures and the highest number since 2005, the U.N. Mideast envoy said Monday. Tor Wennesland told the U.N. Security Council that the upswing in violence is being fueled by growing despair about the future, with the Palestinians still seeking an independent state. The lack of progress towards a political horizon that addressed the core issues driving the conflict has left a dangerous and volatile vacuum, filled by extremists on all sides, he said. While Israelis and Palestinians have taken some actions toward stabilizing the situation, Wennesland said unilateral steps have continued to fuel hostilities. He pointed to the unabated expansion of Israeli settlements which are illegal under international law and a substantial obstacle to peace as well as Israel's demolition of Palestinian houses, its operations in the West Bank area under ...

Biden's inaction as Middle East violence surges is weak: Palestine minister

The Palestinian foreign minister on Thursday attacked the Biden administration as weak and passive in the Middle East, as violence between Israel and the Palestinians surges to its highest levels in nearly two decades. The comments by Riad Malki reflected the Palestinian frustration with US. President Joe Biden, who initially won plaudits from the Palestinians when he rejected the Trump administration's unabashedly pro-Israel stance. But Biden so far has done little to follow through on that vision I'm frustrated, Malki told members of the Foreign Press Association, an organisation representing international media outlets in Israel and the Palestinian territories. It seemed that (Biden) wanted to change all policies Trump has taken, but not when it comes to Palestine. Pressured by Israel's far-right government, increasingly isolated in the Arab world and running out of money, the Palestinian Authority is confronting what analysts say could be its greatest threat to its ...

Israeli army fire kills Palestinian man during clashes at West Bank shrine

Israeli troops shot and killed a Palestinian man near a shrine in the occupied West Bank on Thursday, Palestinian health officials said, in the latest bloodshed in a cycle of violence that has gripped the region. The months of fighting with rising fatalities have shown no signs of abating and has become the worst violence between Israel and the Palestinians in the West Bank in nearly two decades. Thursday's shooting took place as Israeli forces escorted Israeli worshippers, including the Israeli police chief and the head of the local Jewish settler council, to a site known as the biblical Joseph's Tomb in the Palestinian city of Nablus. The shrine has long been a flashpoint for clashes between Palestinians and Israeli troops. Nablus has also become a central point of violence in the current escalation. The Israeli military said that during the visit, suspects opened fire and threw explosives, rocks and burning tires at troops, who returned fire. Palestinian news agency Wafa identi

Israeli forces kill 3 Palestinians in West Bank, days after major offensive

Israeli forces killed three Palestinians, including two militants shot dead in a gunbattle, in new West Bank violence on Friday, days after Israel concluded a major two-day offensive meant to crack down on militants. The persistent violence raised questions about the effectiveness of the raid earlier this week in the Jenin refugee camp, which saw Israel launch rare airstrikes on militant targets, deploy hundreds of troops and cause widespread damage to roads, homes and businesses. Twelve Palestinians and one Israeli soldier were killed in the operation. In the nearby city of Nablus, the West Bank's commercial capital and a flashpoint city, two militants were killed in a gunbattle with Israeli forces. Israel's Shin Bet security agency said the men were behind a shooting attack this week on a police vehicle. Later Friday, Palestinian health officials said a man was fatally shot in the chest by Israeli forces during a demonstration in Umm Safa, a town in the central West Bank. The army

Palestinian kills Israeli soldier in West Bank day after Israel's raid

A Hamas militant on Thursday opened fire near an Israeli settlement in the occupied West Bank, killing an Israeli soldier, a day after Israeli forces withdrew from the largest military operation in the West Bank in two decades. The Palestinian attacker was shot and killed by Israeli forces, the army said. The shooting came on the heels of the Israeli withdrawal from the nearby Jenin refugee camp after a two-day offensive meant to crack down on Palestinian militants. The operation destroyed the camp's narrow roads and alleyways, sent thousands of people fleeing their homes and killed 12 Palestinians. One Israeli soldier also was killed. Thursday's shooting near the West Bank settlement of Kedumim raised questions about the effectiveness of the Israeli raid, which came after nearly a year and a half of Israeli-Palestinian bloodshed in the area. It also could prompt calls from members of Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's far-right government for additional military incursions. Finan

Explainer: Israel's Attack on Jenin Refugee Camp: What You Should Know

The clash between Israeli forces and Palestinian gunmen resulted in the deaths of several Palestinians. Watch the video to know about the situation in Jenin.

Israel withdraws troops from West Bank, warns 2-day raid is not a one-off

The Israeli military withdrew its troops from a militant stronghold in the occupied West Bank on Wednesday, ending an intense two-day operation that killed at least 13 Palestinians, drove thousands of people from their homes and left a wide swath of damage in its wake. One Israeli soldier was also killed. The army claimed to have inflicted heavy damage on militant groups in the Jenin refugee camp in an operation that included a series of airstrikes and hundreds of ground troops. But it remained unclear whether there would be any long-lasting effect after nearly a year and a half of heavy fighting in the West Bank. Ahead of the withdrawal, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu vowed to carry out similar operations if needed. At these moments we are completing the mission, and I can say that our extensive operation in Jenin is not a one-off, he said during a visit to a military post on the outskirts of Jenin. We will eradicate terrorism wherever we see it and we will strike at ..

Palestinian attacker rams car into crowded Tel Aviv bus stop, 8 wounded

A Hamas militant rammed his car into a crowded Tel Aviv bus stop Tuesday and began stabbing people, wounding eight in an attack that Palestinian armed groups called revenge for an Israeli military offensive in the occupied West Bank. A bystander shot and killed the attacker. Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu indicated the operation in the Jenin refugee camp, one of the most intense in the territory in nearly two decades, was winding down. But he vowed to carry out similar operations in the future. At these moments we are completing the mission, and I can say that our extensive operation in Jenin is not a one-off, he said during a visit to a military post on the outskirts of Jenin. Late Tuesday, a security official said troops were beginning to pull out of the camp. The official, speaking on condition of anonymity pending a formal announcement, said it was not clear how long the withdrawal would take due to continued fighting. Israel struck the camp, known as a bastion of ..

3 Palestinians killed as Israel stages raids in militant occupied West Bank

The Israeli military sent a large-scale raid into a stronghold of militants in the occupied West Bank early Monday, and local health officials said at least three Palestinians were killed. Israeli forces raided what the military described as a unified command center for militants in the Jenin refugee camp, describing it as an advanced observation and reconnaissance center where militants would gather to coordinate and prepare for attacks. Israeli media said the military also conducted airstrikes, reviving a tactic it had largely halted during the past two decades, after a Palestinian uprising against Israel's open-ended occupation slowly fizzled. The Palestinian Health Ministry said three Palestinians were killed and 13 injured early Monday, three of them critically. In a separate incident, a 21-year-old Palestinian was killed by Israeli fire near the West Bank city of Ramallah, the ministry said. The Jenin camp and an adjacent town of the same name have been a flashpoint as ...

Why is Al-Aqsa mosque, raided by Israeli police, so important for Jews, Christians and Muslims?

The site is considered holy by Muslims, Jews and Christians and is a focal point of Israeli-Palestinian tensions.

West Bank shooting attack casts shadow over Israel-Palestinian talks

Israeli and Palestinian officials were meeting on Sunday in the Egyptian resort town of Sharm el-Sheikh in a bid to ease tensions between the sides and rein in a spiral of violence ahead of a sensitive holiday period beginning this week. But as the talks continued, Israeli officials said two people were wounded, one seriously, in a West Bank shooting attack that immediately raised questions about the prospects for the new talks. The meeting was the second attempt by the sides, shepherded by regional allies Egypt and Jordan as well as the US, to end a year-long spasm of violence that has seen more than 200 Palestinians killed by Israeli fire and more than 40 Israelis or foreigners killed in Palestinian attacks. Whatever progress emerged out of the previous meeting in Jordan late last month, which ended with pledges to de-escalate tensions, was quickly derailed when a new burst of violence erupted on the same day. A Palestinian gunman shot and killed two Israelis in the occupied West

Israel says Palestinian militants fired rockets after raid

The Israeli military said Palestinian militants fired six rockets from the Gaza Strip toward the country's south early Thursday, hours after an Israeli army raid in the occupied West Bank triggered a fierce gunbattle in which 11 Palestinians were killed. The rocket attacks, which were not immediately claimed by Palestinian militant groups, appear to be triggered by the Wednesday morning raid in Nablus. The Israeli military said Aar defenses intercepted five of the rockets which were fired toward the cities of Ashkelon and Sderot. One missile landed in an open field. There were no reports of damage or casualties. Among the dead in Nablus were three Palestinian men, ages 72, 66 and 61, and a 16-year-old boy, according to health officials. Scores of others were wounded. It was one of the bloodiest battles in nearly a year of fighting in the West Bank and east Jerusalem and raised the likelihood of further bloodshed. Israeli police said they were on heightened alert, while the Hamas ..

UN Council approves watered-down statement opposing Israel settlements

The UN Security Council has unanimously approved a watered-down statement strongly opposing Israel's continued construction and expansion of settlements. The vote came after high-stakes negotiations by the Biden administration succeeded in derailing a legally binding resolution that would have demanded a halt to Israeli settlement activity. The Palestinian-backed draft resolution was the subject of frantic talks by senior Biden administration officials including Secretary of States Antony Blinken with Palestinian, Israeli and United Arab Emirates leaders. Those discussions culminated in a deal Sunday to forego it in favour of a weaker presidential statement that is not legally binding, according to multiple diplomats familiar with the situation. The deal averted a potential diplomatic crisis, with the US almost certainly vetoing the resolution, which would have angered Palestinian supporters at a time when the US and its Western allies are trying to gain international support against

Palestine urges CIA chief to pressure Israel to stop unilateral measures

The CIA chief arrived in Israel on Thursday amid growing tensions between Israel and the Palestinians in the West Bank and East Jerusalem

Palestine retaliation: Israeli forces on high alert around West Bank, Gaza

Netanyahu said in a statement that his country "is not interested in an escalation"

Nations express 'deep concern' at Israeli punitive measure on Palestine

More than 90 countries have expressed deep concern at Israel's punitive measures against the Palestinian people, leadership and civil society following a UN request for an advisory opinion by the International Court of Justice on the legality of Israeli policies in the occupied West Bank and east Jerusalem. In a statement released Monday by the Palestinians, the signatories called for a reversal of the Israeli measures, saying regardless of their position on the General Assembly's resolution, we reject punitive measures in response to a request for an advisory opinion by the International Court of Justice. The 193-member General Assembly voted 87-26 with 53 abstentions on December 30 in favour of the resolution which was promoted by the Palestinians and opposed vehemently by Israel. Even though rulings by the International Court of Justice are not legally binding, they can be influential on world opinion. Israel's new hardline government responded on January 6, approving steps to ..

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 .

Palestinian authorities hail UN vote on Israeli occupation of territory

Nabil Abu Rudeineh, spokesman of the Palestinian presidency, on Saturday said, "the vote is evidence of the whole world standing by our people and their inalienable historical rights"

Palestinian car-ramming in Tel Aviv deemed 'terror attack', says police

Police in Israel have determined a recent car-ramming attack carried out by a Palestinian driver in Tel Aviv that injured a motorcyclist a "terrorist attack"