19 june 2014
Israeli soldiers interrogate a Palestinian
family during a raid in the West Bank refugee camp of Jalazon, north of
Ramallah, June 16, 2014
Human life only refers to ours; concern for it and its liberty only matters when it’s us. Only we are permitted to be our “Brother’s Keeper,” as the IDF is calling the operation to find the three kidnapped teens.
Only Israel is permitted.
Only Israel is permitted to carry out illegal, immoral operations. Only it is permitted to be sanctimonious, to be shocked and to shout from the rooftops when others do the same thing to Israel. Only Israel is permitted to take hostages. Recall, for example, the 1989 capture of Sheikh Abd al-Karim Obeid, in an operation that was no less of a war crime than the abduction of three yeshiva students in the West Bank.
In that operation, Israel kidnapped 21 Lebanese nationals to serve as “bargaining chips” it hoped would lead to the release of the missing Israel Air Force navigator Ron Arad. In addition to Obeid and Mustafa Dirani, head of security for Lebanon’s Amal militia, 19 other young men were abducted, including two 15-year-old boys and one man with severe developmental disabilities. They had no idea who Ron Arad was, and they languished in prison for years. When the elite special-operations force Sayeret Matkal kidnapped Obeid, it also killed a neighbor who dared to approach his home.
An extra-large sack was tailor-made for the outsized Obeid. This was an abduction for the purposes of bargaining, just as that of the three West Bank teens may have been. But Israel did it, and therefore it was legitimate. Almost no one protested, the world wasn’t asked to denounce it and no one thought to define Israel as a “vicious terror organization,” as GOC Central Command Nitzan Alon called Hamas on Tuesday, declaiming his remarks like a bar-mitzvah boy, as thousands of his soldiers made war in the West Bank.
Only Israel is permitted.
Only Israel is permitted now to arrest dozens of Palestinians every night, most if not all of whom have nothing to do with the teens’ abduction. Only it is permitted now to launch a collective-punishment operation that includes the bullying of tens of thousands of innocent people. Only Israel is permitted to wallow in a bath of ultra-nationalist religious schmaltz, sticky and greasy, and to speak bathetically, at the drop of a hat, about the sanctity of its people’s lives — only theirs. And perhaps the teens’ kidnappers, with their cruel abduction, are trying to win the release of thousands of their brothers, imprisoned for long years in Israel, some of them without benefit of trial. Perhaps the three yeshiva students are also “bargaining chips.”
But in racism, as in racism, to paraphrase a maxim: Human life only refers to ours, concern for it and its liberty only matters when it’s us; only we are permitted to be our “Brother’s Keeper,” as the Israel Defense Forces is calling its operation in English. Only attempt to dare to say that Palestinians may use violent resistance against the occupation, even in accordance with international law, and you will immediately be tagged as enemies, heretics and traitors who must be incarcerated, as happened to MK Haneen Zoabi, who said what every Israeli said at the time about the abductions of the Lebanese. Zoabi erred when she said the kidnappers aren’t terrorists; they committed an act of terror, much more limited than Israel’s acts of terror.
One must hope that the teens are alive, fear for their safety and pray that they are released safe and sound, but what is happening in the meantime in distant Israel is far from its “finest hour;” this is one of Israel’s ugliest hours. All the seeds of ultra-nationalism and messianism that have been planted over the past several years are germinating now and blooming in the flower beds of rot. All of the Israeli hatreds have reared their heads in the wake of the kidnapping of three yeshiva students whose place of learning is in the heart of the occupied territory. All of the destructiveness and the intolerance for other views, all of the unity and the falling into rank in Israel have now assembled for the biggest display of ultra-nationalism ever. All the seeds of religiosity have sprouted into a mass prayer service led by the television broadcasters, every single last one of which has volunteered for propaganda duty. No one questions the mass arrests, the re-imprisonment of the Palestinians who were freed in the Gilad Shalit exchange deal, the arrests of members of the Palestinian parliament, the deportations to the Gaza Strip and the warmongering. Anyone who does has sealed his own fate.
All of this is permitted to Israel, only to Israel. The immediate victims of the “finest hour” are the wretched families of the abducted teens and tens of thousands of Palestinians. But after this affair ends, the light will rise on a new, even darker Israel.
Human life only refers to ours; concern for it and its liberty only matters when it’s us. Only we are permitted to be our “Brother’s Keeper,” as the IDF is calling the operation to find the three kidnapped teens.
Only Israel is permitted.
Only Israel is permitted to carry out illegal, immoral operations. Only it is permitted to be sanctimonious, to be shocked and to shout from the rooftops when others do the same thing to Israel. Only Israel is permitted to take hostages. Recall, for example, the 1989 capture of Sheikh Abd al-Karim Obeid, in an operation that was no less of a war crime than the abduction of three yeshiva students in the West Bank.
In that operation, Israel kidnapped 21 Lebanese nationals to serve as “bargaining chips” it hoped would lead to the release of the missing Israel Air Force navigator Ron Arad. In addition to Obeid and Mustafa Dirani, head of security for Lebanon’s Amal militia, 19 other young men were abducted, including two 15-year-old boys and one man with severe developmental disabilities. They had no idea who Ron Arad was, and they languished in prison for years. When the elite special-operations force Sayeret Matkal kidnapped Obeid, it also killed a neighbor who dared to approach his home.
An extra-large sack was tailor-made for the outsized Obeid. This was an abduction for the purposes of bargaining, just as that of the three West Bank teens may have been. But Israel did it, and therefore it was legitimate. Almost no one protested, the world wasn’t asked to denounce it and no one thought to define Israel as a “vicious terror organization,” as GOC Central Command Nitzan Alon called Hamas on Tuesday, declaiming his remarks like a bar-mitzvah boy, as thousands of his soldiers made war in the West Bank.
Only Israel is permitted.
Only Israel is permitted now to arrest dozens of Palestinians every night, most if not all of whom have nothing to do with the teens’ abduction. Only it is permitted now to launch a collective-punishment operation that includes the bullying of tens of thousands of innocent people. Only Israel is permitted to wallow in a bath of ultra-nationalist religious schmaltz, sticky and greasy, and to speak bathetically, at the drop of a hat, about the sanctity of its people’s lives — only theirs. And perhaps the teens’ kidnappers, with their cruel abduction, are trying to win the release of thousands of their brothers, imprisoned for long years in Israel, some of them without benefit of trial. Perhaps the three yeshiva students are also “bargaining chips.”
But in racism, as in racism, to paraphrase a maxim: Human life only refers to ours, concern for it and its liberty only matters when it’s us; only we are permitted to be our “Brother’s Keeper,” as the Israel Defense Forces is calling its operation in English. Only attempt to dare to say that Palestinians may use violent resistance against the occupation, even in accordance with international law, and you will immediately be tagged as enemies, heretics and traitors who must be incarcerated, as happened to MK Haneen Zoabi, who said what every Israeli said at the time about the abductions of the Lebanese. Zoabi erred when she said the kidnappers aren’t terrorists; they committed an act of terror, much more limited than Israel’s acts of terror.
One must hope that the teens are alive, fear for their safety and pray that they are released safe and sound, but what is happening in the meantime in distant Israel is far from its “finest hour;” this is one of Israel’s ugliest hours. All the seeds of ultra-nationalism and messianism that have been planted over the past several years are germinating now and blooming in the flower beds of rot. All of the Israeli hatreds have reared their heads in the wake of the kidnapping of three yeshiva students whose place of learning is in the heart of the occupied territory. All of the destructiveness and the intolerance for other views, all of the unity and the falling into rank in Israel have now assembled for the biggest display of ultra-nationalism ever. All the seeds of religiosity have sprouted into a mass prayer service led by the television broadcasters, every single last one of which has volunteered for propaganda duty. No one questions the mass arrests, the re-imprisonment of the Palestinians who were freed in the Gilad Shalit exchange deal, the arrests of members of the Palestinian parliament, the deportations to the Gaza Strip and the warmongering. Anyone who does has sealed his own fate.
All of this is permitted to Israel, only to Israel. The immediate victims of the “finest hour” are the wretched families of the abducted teens and tens of thousands of Palestinians. But after this affair ends, the light will rise on a new, even darker Israel.
From Khaled Amayreh in al-Khalil (Hebron)
Political analysis
"We thought that (Palestinian Authority-PA Chairman Mahmoud Abbas) Abu Mazen had succeeded in domesticating the Palestinians by inculcating them with a new spirit and new culture based on consumerism and love of life. We apparently were mistaken."
Palestinians in the West Bank are showing spectacular steadfastness and resilience in the face of an unprecedented rampage of terror and vandalism by the Israeli occupation army.
The rampage, which began five days ago when three army-age settlers went missing and were presumed kidnapped by suspected Palestinian militants, is assuming unmistakable terrorist proportions.
This terror includes destroying homes by missiles, storming homes and blowing up gates and outer doors, vandalizing property, beating up innocent people and grossly mistreating children and women.
According to the Palestinian Prisoner Club, a body that monitors Israeli treatment of Palestinian detainees, Israeli troops have so far raided and thoroughly vandalized 750 homes in the Hebron region alone.
As many as 350 people have been detained, including 50 former political prisoners released from Israeli jails three years ago.
One Israeli commentator said the Israeli occupation army was tormenting each and every Palestinian as if they were personally responsible for the disappearance of the three settlers.
The no-holds-barred campaign, said the commentator, reflected the state of affair of a country which has gone mad.
I asked another veteran Israeli journalist to explain the conspicuous vengeance characterizing the current military campaign in the West Bank, especially in the Hebron region.
He said "the Israeli political and military establishment cannot fathom or come to terms with the fact that a defeated and largely demoralized enemy could still call the shots and hold the entire country hostage."
He added: "We thought that (Palestinian Authority-PA Chairman Mahmoud Abbas) Abu Mazen had succeeded in domesticating the Palestinians by inculcating them with a new spirit and new culture based on consumerism and love of life. We apparently were mistaken."
Rampaging arrests
One of the main aspects of the ongoing campaign is the sweeping arrest of Palestinians deemed supportive of Hamas, the Palestinian Islamic liberation group Israel is accusing of carrying the abduction of the three settlers.
Hamas has not claimed responsibility for the kidnapping but Israel is effectively saying that Hamas bears ultimate responsibility regardless of whether Hamas actually did or didn't carry out the presumed kidnapping.
Hamas is viewed by the Israeli political and security leadership as representing Israel's main ideological enemy.
"It is the ultimate anti-dote and neutralizer of the brashly racist Talmudic mentality prevailing in Israel these days," says Muhammad Hamza an Israeli Arab academic.
"Hamas is not hated so much because of what it does. The real reason behind Israel's hatred of Hamas is the group's ideology. Israel has more or less succeeded in neutralizing and softening up Arab regimes, Sissi, the Saudis, Fatah, etc. Only Hamas and the Muslim brotherhood are maintaining their principled rejection of Israel and Zionism.
"And the problem is that there are millions of Arabs and Muslims who listen to and believe these people."
According to the latest reports, newly-arrested Palestinians include lawmakers, former cabinet ministers, college professors, writers and intellectuals.
Many of the detainees have been sent to the notorious Kitziot internment camp in the Negev desert near the Egyptian borders, where they are subjected to degrading and cruel treatment.
Israel has held thousands of Palestinians in so-called "administrative detention,” a form of draconian punishment dating back to the British mandate era. Palestinians and human rights organizations refer to this open-ended incarceration as "politically-motivated captivity."
Some Palestinian inmates have spent more than12 years languishing in administrative detention, without being charged of any wrongdoing and certainly without being prosecuted by a genuine court of law.
A few weeks ago, a Palestinian college lecturer from Hebron who spent a total of 7 years in Israeli captivity without charge or trial, intimated to this writer that he had repeatedly appealed to the Israeli judge to "let me know why I was being held and what crime or wrongdoing I was accused of having committed."
"But the judge told me this: Don't you even dream of me telling you why you are being held in jail. This is a state secret I won't give you the privilege of knowing."
It is widely believed that the administrative detention policy is one of the main reasons behind the latest incident of kidnapping.
Propaganda war
In the meanwhile, Israel is waging a relentless propaganda war on the Palestinians, claiming the Israeli army has dismantled the "organizational infrastructure of Hamas in the West Bank."
The Israeli media has also been boasting about inflicting huge economic losses on the Hebron region as a result of the hermetic blockade imposed ever since the disappearance of the three settlers.
The Israeli propaganda war may succeed in assuring Israelis and boosting their morale. However, it is unlikely that the vociferous and gleeful ranting would seriously succeed in weakening Palestinian public support for Hamas.
Indeed, a fleeting look at Palestinian public reactions to the ostensible kidnapping of the three settlers suggests that virtually all Palestinians blame Israel not Hamas for the latest escalation.
What is next?
Israel is likely to make every possible effort in order to know the whereabouts of the kidnapped settlers. However, there is no guarantee that these efforts will produce a successful and happy ending for the Israelis.
Indeed, the likelihood that the three settlers would be found alive is dwindling with the passage of every day and hour. This really is forcing the Israeli establishment to contemplate bleaker scenarios, including negotiating a possible prisoners' swap with the presumed kidnappers.
This dilemma is causing the Israeli government and army to lose composure and vent their frustration by further terrorizing the local Palestinian population.
The terrorism, vandalism and repression, screened around-the-clock on Israeli television, are intended to appease the Israeli Jewish public, especially the more extremist segments which would want to see the Israeli security apparatus take Gestapo-like measures against Palestinian civilians.
As to PA leader Mahmoud Abbas, he seems to think that by displaying a combination of submissiveness, obsequiousness and capitulation to Israeli whims, he might be able to wrest some achievements for his people from Israel's unimaginably parsimonious hands.
Abbas has condemned the kidnapping in the strongest terms, vowing to punish whoever stands behind the incident, which he said hurt Palestinian interests and gave Netanyahu an excuse to torment the Palestinians.
In his speech before the Arab foreign ministers' meeting in Jeddah on Wednesday, Abbas did ignore Palestinian grievances, including Israel's long-standing policy of arresting Palestinians for prolonged periods without charge or trial.
However, it is amply clear that Israel, especially under this manifestly fascist government of Netanyahu and Bennett, will continue to view Abbas and his nominally autonomous authority as no more than a mere servant of Israeli security interests.
Political analysis
"We thought that (Palestinian Authority-PA Chairman Mahmoud Abbas) Abu Mazen had succeeded in domesticating the Palestinians by inculcating them with a new spirit and new culture based on consumerism and love of life. We apparently were mistaken."
Palestinians in the West Bank are showing spectacular steadfastness and resilience in the face of an unprecedented rampage of terror and vandalism by the Israeli occupation army.
The rampage, which began five days ago when three army-age settlers went missing and were presumed kidnapped by suspected Palestinian militants, is assuming unmistakable terrorist proportions.
This terror includes destroying homes by missiles, storming homes and blowing up gates and outer doors, vandalizing property, beating up innocent people and grossly mistreating children and women.
According to the Palestinian Prisoner Club, a body that monitors Israeli treatment of Palestinian detainees, Israeli troops have so far raided and thoroughly vandalized 750 homes in the Hebron region alone.
As many as 350 people have been detained, including 50 former political prisoners released from Israeli jails three years ago.
One Israeli commentator said the Israeli occupation army was tormenting each and every Palestinian as if they were personally responsible for the disappearance of the three settlers.
The no-holds-barred campaign, said the commentator, reflected the state of affair of a country which has gone mad.
I asked another veteran Israeli journalist to explain the conspicuous vengeance characterizing the current military campaign in the West Bank, especially in the Hebron region.
He said "the Israeli political and military establishment cannot fathom or come to terms with the fact that a defeated and largely demoralized enemy could still call the shots and hold the entire country hostage."
He added: "We thought that (Palestinian Authority-PA Chairman Mahmoud Abbas) Abu Mazen had succeeded in domesticating the Palestinians by inculcating them with a new spirit and new culture based on consumerism and love of life. We apparently were mistaken."
Rampaging arrests
One of the main aspects of the ongoing campaign is the sweeping arrest of Palestinians deemed supportive of Hamas, the Palestinian Islamic liberation group Israel is accusing of carrying the abduction of the three settlers.
Hamas has not claimed responsibility for the kidnapping but Israel is effectively saying that Hamas bears ultimate responsibility regardless of whether Hamas actually did or didn't carry out the presumed kidnapping.
Hamas is viewed by the Israeli political and security leadership as representing Israel's main ideological enemy.
"It is the ultimate anti-dote and neutralizer of the brashly racist Talmudic mentality prevailing in Israel these days," says Muhammad Hamza an Israeli Arab academic.
"Hamas is not hated so much because of what it does. The real reason behind Israel's hatred of Hamas is the group's ideology. Israel has more or less succeeded in neutralizing and softening up Arab regimes, Sissi, the Saudis, Fatah, etc. Only Hamas and the Muslim brotherhood are maintaining their principled rejection of Israel and Zionism.
"And the problem is that there are millions of Arabs and Muslims who listen to and believe these people."
According to the latest reports, newly-arrested Palestinians include lawmakers, former cabinet ministers, college professors, writers and intellectuals.
Many of the detainees have been sent to the notorious Kitziot internment camp in the Negev desert near the Egyptian borders, where they are subjected to degrading and cruel treatment.
Israel has held thousands of Palestinians in so-called "administrative detention,” a form of draconian punishment dating back to the British mandate era. Palestinians and human rights organizations refer to this open-ended incarceration as "politically-motivated captivity."
Some Palestinian inmates have spent more than12 years languishing in administrative detention, without being charged of any wrongdoing and certainly without being prosecuted by a genuine court of law.
A few weeks ago, a Palestinian college lecturer from Hebron who spent a total of 7 years in Israeli captivity without charge or trial, intimated to this writer that he had repeatedly appealed to the Israeli judge to "let me know why I was being held and what crime or wrongdoing I was accused of having committed."
"But the judge told me this: Don't you even dream of me telling you why you are being held in jail. This is a state secret I won't give you the privilege of knowing."
It is widely believed that the administrative detention policy is one of the main reasons behind the latest incident of kidnapping.
Propaganda war
In the meanwhile, Israel is waging a relentless propaganda war on the Palestinians, claiming the Israeli army has dismantled the "organizational infrastructure of Hamas in the West Bank."
The Israeli media has also been boasting about inflicting huge economic losses on the Hebron region as a result of the hermetic blockade imposed ever since the disappearance of the three settlers.
The Israeli propaganda war may succeed in assuring Israelis and boosting their morale. However, it is unlikely that the vociferous and gleeful ranting would seriously succeed in weakening Palestinian public support for Hamas.
Indeed, a fleeting look at Palestinian public reactions to the ostensible kidnapping of the three settlers suggests that virtually all Palestinians blame Israel not Hamas for the latest escalation.
What is next?
Israel is likely to make every possible effort in order to know the whereabouts of the kidnapped settlers. However, there is no guarantee that these efforts will produce a successful and happy ending for the Israelis.
Indeed, the likelihood that the three settlers would be found alive is dwindling with the passage of every day and hour. This really is forcing the Israeli establishment to contemplate bleaker scenarios, including negotiating a possible prisoners' swap with the presumed kidnappers.
This dilemma is causing the Israeli government and army to lose composure and vent their frustration by further terrorizing the local Palestinian population.
The terrorism, vandalism and repression, screened around-the-clock on Israeli television, are intended to appease the Israeli Jewish public, especially the more extremist segments which would want to see the Israeli security apparatus take Gestapo-like measures against Palestinian civilians.
As to PA leader Mahmoud Abbas, he seems to think that by displaying a combination of submissiveness, obsequiousness and capitulation to Israeli whims, he might be able to wrest some achievements for his people from Israel's unimaginably parsimonious hands.
Abbas has condemned the kidnapping in the strongest terms, vowing to punish whoever stands behind the incident, which he said hurt Palestinian interests and gave Netanyahu an excuse to torment the Palestinians.
In his speech before the Arab foreign ministers' meeting in Jeddah on Wednesday, Abbas did ignore Palestinian grievances, including Israel's long-standing policy of arresting Palestinians for prolonged periods without charge or trial.
However, it is amply clear that Israel, especially under this manifestly fascist government of Netanyahu and Bennett, will continue to view Abbas and his nominally autonomous authority as no more than a mere servant of Israeli security interests.
The Hebrew media has said that Israeli premier Benjamin Netanyahu gave the Shin Bet interrogators the green light to use prohibited torture techniques against Palestinian detainees. The Israeli laws allow the Shin Bet and Mossad to create a "ticking time bomb scenario" in order to use physical torture methods to extract information from prisoners.
Despite the exposure of Palestinian prisoners to systematic physical and psychological torture at the hands of their jailers, such Israeli measure means that other torture and pressure methods, like the ones used by the notorious US interrogators, could be employed against certain Palestinian detainees in order to extract information leading to the alleged captors of the three Jewish settlers in the West Bank.
Despite the exposure of Palestinian prisoners to systematic physical and psychological torture at the hands of their jailers, such Israeli measure means that other torture and pressure methods, like the ones used by the notorious US interrogators, could be employed against certain Palestinian detainees in order to extract information leading to the alleged captors of the three Jewish settlers in the West Bank.
Significant damage was reported when Israeli Occupation Forces (IOF) deliberately burned at dawn Thursday vegetable carts in Jenin as part of its revenge policy. The vegetable vendor Mohamed Abu Naassa confirmed to PIC reporter that Israeli forces have deliberately set on fire the vegetable carts in Jenin market, causing significant material losses to Palestinian low-income working families.
He added that Israeli forces carry out similar attacks and assaults at daily basis against Palestinian peoples and properties at flimsy pretexts.
Burning vegetable vendors’ carts came as part of Israeli military operation waged along the past few days. Several arrests and break-ins were carried out during the campaign.
Meanwhile, violent clashes erupted on Thursday between dozens of Palestinians and Israeli forces in Bab al-Zawiya in al-Khalil.
Eyewitnesses told the PIC reporter that the clashes broke out when Israeli forces stormed Bab al-Zawiya area and fired tear gas bombs toward Palestinian youths who in response threw stones and empty bottles.
On the other hand, IOF soldiers continued to storm different neighborhoods and areas in the city since Wednesday. Dozens of Palestinians were arrested during the raids.
He added that Israeli forces carry out similar attacks and assaults at daily basis against Palestinian peoples and properties at flimsy pretexts.
Burning vegetable vendors’ carts came as part of Israeli military operation waged along the past few days. Several arrests and break-ins were carried out during the campaign.
Meanwhile, violent clashes erupted on Thursday between dozens of Palestinians and Israeli forces in Bab al-Zawiya in al-Khalil.
Eyewitnesses told the PIC reporter that the clashes broke out when Israeli forces stormed Bab al-Zawiya area and fired tear gas bombs toward Palestinian youths who in response threw stones and empty bottles.
On the other hand, IOF soldiers continued to storm different neighborhoods and areas in the city since Wednesday. Dozens of Palestinians were arrested during the raids.
The Iranian foreign ministry strongly denounced Israel's aerial attacks on the Gaza Strip and its mass arrest campaigns in the West Bank. Its spokesman Marzieh Afkham condemned in a news conference the recent Israeli air raids on Gaza and the kidnapping of Palestinian lawmakers in the West Bank.
Afkham called on the international community to deplore Israel's violence and aggression against the Palestinians and take action to curb its crimes.
She described Israel's recent escalation of its violence against the Palestinians as a reflection of its weakness and arrogance.
Afkham called on the international community to deplore Israel's violence and aggression against the Palestinians and take action to curb its crimes.
She described Israel's recent escalation of its violence against the Palestinians as a reflection of its weakness and arrogance.
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Israeli forces injured five Palestinian youths on Thursday after storming the West Bank cities of Jenin and Nablus. Clashes erupted between civilian Palestinian youths and Israeli forces. The forces shot tear gas and rubber-coated steel bullets causing five injuries.
The forces, backed by military jeeps, arrested several youths, including Mahdi A'asi, the ex-prisoner who was released in Shalit swap deal in 2011 after raiding a number of Palestinians’ houses. In Birzeit university located in Birzeit town, near Ramallah, dozens of Israeli soldiers launched a wide campaign of search in the university campus and besieged the students inside it. |
Israeli army have been storming Palestinian cities and towns, raiding dozens of houses, arresting hundreds of citizens in hunt for three settlers who were missed a week ago in the West Bank city of Hebron. Yet, no clear evidence the three settlers were abducted as Israel claimed.
Israeli forces detained 30 Palestinians in the Hebron district overnight Wednesday as a search for three missing Israelis continues for the seventh day.
In an ongoing military crackdown in Hebron, Israeli forces raided homes and charitable organizations, detaining 30 men.
Witnesses told Ma'an that Israeli troops detained 62-year-old Mustafa Shawar, 64-year-old Rimsi Difish, 46-year-old Wajih Abu Hadid, Raed Hmeidan Sharabati, Qidar Ramadan Gheith, Ali Dofish, Ahmad Muhammad al-Uweiwi, Sheikh Jihad Shabanah, Sheikh Anwar Harb and Muhammad Bassam al-Zeir.
Soldiers also raided the public transportation lot of Hebron's municipality and confiscated surveillance cameras.
In al-Fawwar refugee camp, Israeli forces demolished an agricultural well and steel structure belonging to Abdul-Qadir al-Azzah.
Sheikh Jamil Mahmoud Alqam, 70, and 24-year-old Palestinian police officer Ibrahim Muhammad Awad were detained in Beit Ummar, a local committee spokesman said, while soldiers also broke into a charity for orphans and confiscated computers and paper files.
Youths in the town clashed with Israeli soldiers, hurling stones and empty bottles, and setting fire to tires.
Israeli forces fired tear gas, stun grenades, rubber-coated steel bullets, and live fire at demonstrators, injuring three people.
Several residents suffered tear gas inhalation.
In Yatta, Israeli forces closed off several roads before ransacking residential properties. Soldiers also raided a charitable society for orphans and confiscated surveillance cameras, computers, and files.
They also raided a private clinic belonging to Dr. Ibrahim al-Najjar, confiscating security cameras, and a shop belonging to Mousa al-Najjar.
Soldiers were also reportedly searching caves, cemeteries and abandoned houses on the outskirts of Yatta and demolished a 1.5 kilometer long road between Khirbet al-Dirat and Khallat al-Mayy.
In Deir Samit, Israeli forces detained Subhi Muhammad Masalmah while soldiers raided several properties in Bani Naim.
Israeli forces also targeted the students' union at Bir Zeit University near Ramallah, the radio said.
The widespread search and arrest operations sparked clashes overnight in Jenin and Nablus, the army said.
"During an operational activity in Jenin, a violent riot erupted during which Palestinians hurled IEDs (petrol bombs) and opened fire at the forces," it said.
"The forces responded with live fire, identifying hits," it added.
Clashes also broke out in Nablus where residents hurled an explosive device and rocks at the soldiers, prompting several arrests, the army said.
"Overnight, IDF forces have searched approximately 100 locations and carried approximately 10 operations against 'Dawa' institutions - the civilian lifeline used by Hamas to recruit, disseminate information and enable cash flow," Israel's army said.
Thirty Palestinians were detained, making a total of 280 since the manhunt began. Over 200 of those arrested are affiliated with Hamas, the statement added.
Three Israeli teenagers went missing from a Jewish settlement near Bethlehem last week.
The Israeli military has engaged in a wide spread search campaign for the missing youths that has morphed into a full assault on Hamas members across the West Bank.
Israeli forces have killed one Palestinian and injured at least seven injured across the West Bank since the campaign began.
In an ongoing military crackdown in Hebron, Israeli forces raided homes and charitable organizations, detaining 30 men.
Witnesses told Ma'an that Israeli troops detained 62-year-old Mustafa Shawar, 64-year-old Rimsi Difish, 46-year-old Wajih Abu Hadid, Raed Hmeidan Sharabati, Qidar Ramadan Gheith, Ali Dofish, Ahmad Muhammad al-Uweiwi, Sheikh Jihad Shabanah, Sheikh Anwar Harb and Muhammad Bassam al-Zeir.
Soldiers also raided the public transportation lot of Hebron's municipality and confiscated surveillance cameras.
In al-Fawwar refugee camp, Israeli forces demolished an agricultural well and steel structure belonging to Abdul-Qadir al-Azzah.
Sheikh Jamil Mahmoud Alqam, 70, and 24-year-old Palestinian police officer Ibrahim Muhammad Awad were detained in Beit Ummar, a local committee spokesman said, while soldiers also broke into a charity for orphans and confiscated computers and paper files.
Youths in the town clashed with Israeli soldiers, hurling stones and empty bottles, and setting fire to tires.
Israeli forces fired tear gas, stun grenades, rubber-coated steel bullets, and live fire at demonstrators, injuring three people.
Several residents suffered tear gas inhalation.
In Yatta, Israeli forces closed off several roads before ransacking residential properties. Soldiers also raided a charitable society for orphans and confiscated surveillance cameras, computers, and files.
They also raided a private clinic belonging to Dr. Ibrahim al-Najjar, confiscating security cameras, and a shop belonging to Mousa al-Najjar.
Soldiers were also reportedly searching caves, cemeteries and abandoned houses on the outskirts of Yatta and demolished a 1.5 kilometer long road between Khirbet al-Dirat and Khallat al-Mayy.
In Deir Samit, Israeli forces detained Subhi Muhammad Masalmah while soldiers raided several properties in Bani Naim.
Israeli forces also targeted the students' union at Bir Zeit University near Ramallah, the radio said.
The widespread search and arrest operations sparked clashes overnight in Jenin and Nablus, the army said.
"During an operational activity in Jenin, a violent riot erupted during which Palestinians hurled IEDs (petrol bombs) and opened fire at the forces," it said.
"The forces responded with live fire, identifying hits," it added.
Clashes also broke out in Nablus where residents hurled an explosive device and rocks at the soldiers, prompting several arrests, the army said.
"Overnight, IDF forces have searched approximately 100 locations and carried approximately 10 operations against 'Dawa' institutions - the civilian lifeline used by Hamas to recruit, disseminate information and enable cash flow," Israel's army said.
Thirty Palestinians were detained, making a total of 280 since the manhunt began. Over 200 of those arrested are affiliated with Hamas, the statement added.
Three Israeli teenagers went missing from a Jewish settlement near Bethlehem last week.
The Israeli military has engaged in a wide spread search campaign for the missing youths that has morphed into a full assault on Hamas members across the West Bank.
Israeli forces have killed one Palestinian and injured at least seven injured across the West Bank since the campaign began.
It was the sound of the front door being kicked in that woke the Izrayqat family early Wednesday as Israeli troops barged into their home in Taffuh village near Hebron.
Even the four children were sleeping because school had ended and the summer holidays were already under way.
"They kicked in the doors at 7:30 a.m and told us to get out," Umm Omar Izrayqat told AFP, describing the moment when troops came searching for signs of three Israeli teenagers believed kidnapped.
"I took my four children. We didn't even have time to get ready properly, so I put these dirty clothes on and left," she said, gesturing towards her dress which had been in the laundry pile.
Like elsewhere in the southern West Bank, life in this village west of Hebron has been turned on its head since the three teenagers went missing late last week, prompting a massive military search operation.
Over the past six days, troops have turned properties upside-down and arrested more than 240 Palestinians, leaving no stone unturned in the search for the students, who disappeared while hitchhiking on Thursday.
Israel has accused Hamas militants of kidnapping the youngsters, two of them minors, and has launched a major crackdown on its members.
But it is ordinary families who are bearing the brunt of the operation.
'They searched everything'
After ordering the Izrayqat family out of their home, the soldiers began using the house as an operating base, Umm Omar said.
"I went back inside to get my mobile phone and found them asleep on my daughter's bed," she told AFP.
"If our relatives didn't live nearby we'd have ended up in the street," she said, explaining that they had found refuge with the family next door.
Other families have had the opposite problem, being forced to stay in just one room inside their own homes as soldiers took over the rest of the house.
Karima Khmayseh, 39, said she and her children were forced to cower in a corner of their main room as the army rifled through personal effects.
"They put us all in one room and then searched it, even going through our personal papers, even though I told them not to," she said.
"They searched everything, even the bed."
The three Israeli youths disappeared while trying to hitchhike from the Gush Eztion settlement bloc, with the army focusing its manhunt predominantly on Hebron and the surrounding area, which is home to some 663,000 Palestinians.
So far, there has been no formal claim of responsibility, and Hamas has dismissed Israel's accusations as "stupid."
But the scope of the searches and the tight lock-down imposed on the Hebron area has made life very difficult for the local population, with some accusing the army of lashing out.
"This is not an inspection to find kidnappers, this is just destroying out houses," said 30-year-old Umm Mukhtar.
"I don't think they'll find the missing Israelis in the bathroom or the washing machine, or in the cupboard," she retorted sarcastically.
But after six days of searches and still no sign of their whereabouts, there appeared to be no end in sight.
"A lot of time will pass until the situation in the West Bank returns to what it was, if it ever does," an Israeli military official told Maariv newspaper on Wednesday.
And some are warning that "Operation Brother's Keeper" may run into the Muslim fasting month of Ramadan, which begins at the end of June.
"My feeling is their Ramadan is going to be disrupted," a senior military official told Haaretz newspaper, acknowledging that life in the West Bank was becoming increasingly difficult for Palestinians,
"This event will have long-term ramifications."
Even the four children were sleeping because school had ended and the summer holidays were already under way.
"They kicked in the doors at 7:30 a.m and told us to get out," Umm Omar Izrayqat told AFP, describing the moment when troops came searching for signs of three Israeli teenagers believed kidnapped.
"I took my four children. We didn't even have time to get ready properly, so I put these dirty clothes on and left," she said, gesturing towards her dress which had been in the laundry pile.
Like elsewhere in the southern West Bank, life in this village west of Hebron has been turned on its head since the three teenagers went missing late last week, prompting a massive military search operation.
Over the past six days, troops have turned properties upside-down and arrested more than 240 Palestinians, leaving no stone unturned in the search for the students, who disappeared while hitchhiking on Thursday.
Israel has accused Hamas militants of kidnapping the youngsters, two of them minors, and has launched a major crackdown on its members.
But it is ordinary families who are bearing the brunt of the operation.
'They searched everything'
After ordering the Izrayqat family out of their home, the soldiers began using the house as an operating base, Umm Omar said.
"I went back inside to get my mobile phone and found them asleep on my daughter's bed," she told AFP.
"If our relatives didn't live nearby we'd have ended up in the street," she said, explaining that they had found refuge with the family next door.
Other families have had the opposite problem, being forced to stay in just one room inside their own homes as soldiers took over the rest of the house.
Karima Khmayseh, 39, said she and her children were forced to cower in a corner of their main room as the army rifled through personal effects.
"They put us all in one room and then searched it, even going through our personal papers, even though I told them not to," she said.
"They searched everything, even the bed."
The three Israeli youths disappeared while trying to hitchhike from the Gush Eztion settlement bloc, with the army focusing its manhunt predominantly on Hebron and the surrounding area, which is home to some 663,000 Palestinians.
So far, there has been no formal claim of responsibility, and Hamas has dismissed Israel's accusations as "stupid."
But the scope of the searches and the tight lock-down imposed on the Hebron area has made life very difficult for the local population, with some accusing the army of lashing out.
"This is not an inspection to find kidnappers, this is just destroying out houses," said 30-year-old Umm Mukhtar.
"I don't think they'll find the missing Israelis in the bathroom or the washing machine, or in the cupboard," she retorted sarcastically.
But after six days of searches and still no sign of their whereabouts, there appeared to be no end in sight.
"A lot of time will pass until the situation in the West Bank returns to what it was, if it ever does," an Israeli military official told Maariv newspaper on Wednesday.
And some are warning that "Operation Brother's Keeper" may run into the Muslim fasting month of Ramadan, which begins at the end of June.
"My feeling is their Ramadan is going to be disrupted," a senior military official told Haaretz newspaper, acknowledging that life in the West Bank was becoming increasingly difficult for Palestinians,
"This event will have long-term ramifications."
A Palestinian man was moderately injured overnight Wednesday as Israeli warplanes launched airstrikes across the Gaza Strip.
The unidentified man was hit by shrapnel when an Israeli missile landed in the Sheikh Zayed neighborhood near Jabalia in northern Gaza.
Israeli airstrikes also targeted a military site used by the Popular Resistance Committees west of Gaza City while two missiles hit the Abu Jarad military base of Hamas' al-Qassam Brigades south of Gaza City
Airstrikes also targeted the Younis military base of the al-Qassam Brigades in Gaza City and another training site near Gaza's power plant.
No injuries have been reported.
Israel's army said in a statement that in response to rocket fire from Gaza "aircraft targeted a terror activity site, a terror infrastructure site and a concealed rocket launcher in the northern Gaza Strip and 2 terror activity sites in the central Gaza Strip."
The unidentified man was hit by shrapnel when an Israeli missile landed in the Sheikh Zayed neighborhood near Jabalia in northern Gaza.
Israeli airstrikes also targeted a military site used by the Popular Resistance Committees west of Gaza City while two missiles hit the Abu Jarad military base of Hamas' al-Qassam Brigades south of Gaza City
Airstrikes also targeted the Younis military base of the al-Qassam Brigades in Gaza City and another training site near Gaza's power plant.
No injuries have been reported.
Israel's army said in a statement that in response to rocket fire from Gaza "aircraft targeted a terror activity site, a terror infrastructure site and a concealed rocket launcher in the northern Gaza Strip and 2 terror activity sites in the central Gaza Strip."
Sami Abu Zuhri, a Hamas spokesman, said that Israel was fabricating more lies against his Movement. The spokesman said in a terse statement on Wednesday night that Israeli claims that political bureau chairman of Hamas Khaled Mishaal had issued orders for the kidnap of Israeli soldiers was part of the “Zionist campaign of lies and deceit”.
He said that the statements fell in line with Israeli attempts to liquidate his Movement and to blur the issue of the administrative detainees’ hunger strike.
Meshaal speech and Hebron incident not related: Hamas denies
Allegations against Hamas political bureau chief Khaled Mashaal are continuation of Israeli series of lies, Hamas said. The movement denied that Meshaal gave anybody instructions to kidnap settlers.
The allegations are aimed to justify the crackdown of Hamas the West Bank and to distract world attention from the hunger strike declared by administrative detainees since last April, 24, Hamas said.
An officer at the Israeli army said that Meshaal's speech last month was a clear hint for groups in the West Bank to kidnap Israelis.
Israeli army have stormed Palestinian cities and towns, raided more than 700 houses, and arrested 300 citizens in hunt for three settlers who were missed a week ago in the West Bank city of Hebron.
Yet, no clear evidence the three settlers were abducted as Israel claimed.
He said that the statements fell in line with Israeli attempts to liquidate his Movement and to blur the issue of the administrative detainees’ hunger strike.
Meshaal speech and Hebron incident not related: Hamas denies
Allegations against Hamas political bureau chief Khaled Mashaal are continuation of Israeli series of lies, Hamas said. The movement denied that Meshaal gave anybody instructions to kidnap settlers.
The allegations are aimed to justify the crackdown of Hamas the West Bank and to distract world attention from the hunger strike declared by administrative detainees since last April, 24, Hamas said.
An officer at the Israeli army said that Meshaal's speech last month was a clear hint for groups in the West Bank to kidnap Israelis.
Israeli army have stormed Palestinian cities and towns, raided more than 700 houses, and arrested 300 citizens in hunt for three settlers who were missed a week ago in the West Bank city of Hebron.
Yet, no clear evidence the three settlers were abducted as Israel claimed.
Three Palestinian civilians , one child among them, wounded in overnight Israeli airstrikes on Gaza. Media sources reported that Israeli occupation air forces struck Thursday at dawn a site beside a civilian compound to the northwest of Gaza.
Several panic cases among children and substantial material damages were reported.
For the 3rd day in a row, Israeli air forces waged a series of strikes on several places in the Gaza strip after midnight.
Several panic cases among children and substantial material damages were reported.
For the 3rd day in a row, Israeli air forces waged a series of strikes on several places in the Gaza strip after midnight.
18 june 2014
Fakher Zayed
The Israeli army has threatened a Palestinian citizen in Beitunia, east of Ramallah, for his part in documenting the killing of two teens during the Nakba Day protest, last May.
According to the PNN, the home of Fakher Zayed, age 47, was raided yesterday by Israeli forces, upon which they took him to the Ofer interrogation center, where the interrogator accused him of causing problems for the army by publishing the content of his security cameras.
The video clearly reveals how the Israeli army killed two Palestinian teenagers during solidarity protests, this past 15th of May.
Recent forensic studies, following exhumation, have determined that a live bullet was the cause of death for Nadim N0warah, aged 17. The boy's father recently released a public statement to the international community, with regard to the unnacceptable circumstances surrounding his son's death.
Previous tests point to the same scenario for Muhammad Salameh, age 16, whose family declined an autopsy.
Israeli forces have consistently denied that live ammunition was employed during the incident, while Western media and political endeavours have shifted away from the crime, focusing on the current crisis centered around the three missing Israeli settlers.
The PNN further reports that, a few hours later, Israeli forces released Fakher with a warning that, should he tell media agencies or human rights institutions about the killings or fail to remove his security cameras, "because they are illegal", they will cause considerable trouble for him and his family.
Mr. Zayed has asked international institutions to protect him and his family.
Related: Amnesty Condemns Israel's "Reckless Killings"
The Israeli army has threatened a Palestinian citizen in Beitunia, east of Ramallah, for his part in documenting the killing of two teens during the Nakba Day protest, last May.
According to the PNN, the home of Fakher Zayed, age 47, was raided yesterday by Israeli forces, upon which they took him to the Ofer interrogation center, where the interrogator accused him of causing problems for the army by publishing the content of his security cameras.
The video clearly reveals how the Israeli army killed two Palestinian teenagers during solidarity protests, this past 15th of May.
Recent forensic studies, following exhumation, have determined that a live bullet was the cause of death for Nadim N0warah, aged 17. The boy's father recently released a public statement to the international community, with regard to the unnacceptable circumstances surrounding his son's death.
Previous tests point to the same scenario for Muhammad Salameh, age 16, whose family declined an autopsy.
Israeli forces have consistently denied that live ammunition was employed during the incident, while Western media and political endeavours have shifted away from the crime, focusing on the current crisis centered around the three missing Israeli settlers.
The PNN further reports that, a few hours later, Israeli forces released Fakher with a warning that, should he tell media agencies or human rights institutions about the killings or fail to remove his security cameras, "because they are illegal", they will cause considerable trouble for him and his family.
Mr. Zayed has asked international institutions to protect him and his family.
Related: Amnesty Condemns Israel's "Reckless Killings"
Israeli forces have raided hundreds of homes and detained 300 Palestinian individuals since three Israeli teenagers went missing from a Jewish settlement near Bethlehem last week, the Palestinian Prisoner's Society said in a statement Wednesday.
Israeli forces have launched arrest raids across the West Bank since Thursday in retribution for the disappearance, which they say was the result of a Hamas kidnapping.
Hebron has born the brunt of the retribution, as a siege was imposed on the southern West Bank region of more than 600,000 over the weekend.
More than one-third of the 300 detained were taken during Israeli raids on more than 750 homes in the district.
During the raids, Israeli forces damaged properties in the majority of the houses, the Prisoner's Society said, and the infrastructure of a number of homes was damaged in some of the raids.
Palestinian Prisoner's Society director in Hebron Amjad al-Najjar said that the arrests have not only targeted Hamas members but all Palestinians.
Local sources said that Israeli forces are continuing raids and searches in areas around the Hebron-district villages of Ithna and Dura, and that there is a heavy deployment of Israeli soldiers in Farsh al-Hawa area.
The search is reportedly focused in the northwestern regions of Hebron, from where a telephone call to the police from one of the youths immediately after they disappeared was reportedly sourced by the military. In that call, one of the Israeli youths told the police the three had been "kidnapped."
The Prisoner's Society said that the 300 detainees include 52 people who were freed in the Shalit prisoner exchange deal with Israel, and 11 Palestinian members of parliament.
According to the Palestinian Prisoner's Society, 104 were detained from Hebron, 52 from Nablus, 41 from Ramallah, 37 from Jenin, 16 from Tulkarem, 13 from Qalqiliya, 12 from each of Bethlehem and Jerusalem, 6 from Tubas, 5 from Salfit, and one from Jericho.
Additionally, one individual from Balata refugee camp near Nablus was arrested Wednesday night.
The Israeli military has engaged in a wide spread search campaign for the missing youths that has morphed into a full assault on Hamas members across the West Bank in recent days.
Israeli forces have killed one Palestinians and injured at least seven injured across the West Bank since the campaign began.
The attacks have triggered protests in the West Bank and rockets from Gaza, which Israel has bombed almost every night.
Israeli forces have launched arrest raids across the West Bank since Thursday in retribution for the disappearance, which they say was the result of a Hamas kidnapping.
Hebron has born the brunt of the retribution, as a siege was imposed on the southern West Bank region of more than 600,000 over the weekend.
More than one-third of the 300 detained were taken during Israeli raids on more than 750 homes in the district.
During the raids, Israeli forces damaged properties in the majority of the houses, the Prisoner's Society said, and the infrastructure of a number of homes was damaged in some of the raids.
Palestinian Prisoner's Society director in Hebron Amjad al-Najjar said that the arrests have not only targeted Hamas members but all Palestinians.
Local sources said that Israeli forces are continuing raids and searches in areas around the Hebron-district villages of Ithna and Dura, and that there is a heavy deployment of Israeli soldiers in Farsh al-Hawa area.
The search is reportedly focused in the northwestern regions of Hebron, from where a telephone call to the police from one of the youths immediately after they disappeared was reportedly sourced by the military. In that call, one of the Israeli youths told the police the three had been "kidnapped."
The Prisoner's Society said that the 300 detainees include 52 people who were freed in the Shalit prisoner exchange deal with Israel, and 11 Palestinian members of parliament.
According to the Palestinian Prisoner's Society, 104 were detained from Hebron, 52 from Nablus, 41 from Ramallah, 37 from Jenin, 16 from Tulkarem, 13 from Qalqiliya, 12 from each of Bethlehem and Jerusalem, 6 from Tubas, 5 from Salfit, and one from Jericho.
Additionally, one individual from Balata refugee camp near Nablus was arrested Wednesday night.
The Israeli military has engaged in a wide spread search campaign for the missing youths that has morphed into a full assault on Hamas members across the West Bank in recent days.
Israeli forces have killed one Palestinians and injured at least seven injured across the West Bank since the campaign began.
The attacks have triggered protests in the West Bank and rockets from Gaza, which Israel has bombed almost every night.
Israeli forces opened fire on a vehicle in Bethlehem on Thursday night after it attempted to "run over" soldiers, the military said in a statement.
"A Palestinian vehicle attempted to run over soldiers near a military post in the area of Bethlehem," the military said in a statement.
The soldiers "responded by opening fire," the statement continued, "identifying a hit."
The military said soldiers were still "searching for the vehicle."
Bethlehem is located in Area A, the less than 20 percent of the West Bank that is under Palestinian civil and military control according to the Oslo Accords.
The city, however, is ringed by Israeli military bases and checkpoints, as well as Jewish settlements.
The internationally recognized Palestinian territories of which the West Bank and East Jerusalem form a part have been occupied by the Israeli military since 1967.
"A Palestinian vehicle attempted to run over soldiers near a military post in the area of Bethlehem," the military said in a statement.
The soldiers "responded by opening fire," the statement continued, "identifying a hit."
The military said soldiers were still "searching for the vehicle."
Bethlehem is located in Area A, the less than 20 percent of the West Bank that is under Palestinian civil and military control according to the Oslo Accords.
The city, however, is ringed by Israeli military bases and checkpoints, as well as Jewish settlements.
The internationally recognized Palestinian territories of which the West Bank and East Jerusalem form a part have been occupied by the Israeli military since 1967.
Palestinian resistance factions’ armed wings have confirmed that Israeli continued escalation and threats to the Palestinian people would only boost their determination and steadfastness, saying that they would not stand idle before Israeli violations. In a press conference held in Gaza on Tuesday evening, Palestinian resistance factions declared their total support for any Palestinian resistance effort aimed at liberating Palestinian prisoners from Israeli jails.
“We stand behind our people in the occupied West Bank in face of the Israeli terrorist aggression. We will not stand idle before Israeli violations and crimes against them as we share the same suffering and the same fate”, the armed wings stressed.
The armed wings hailed the steadfastness of the Palestinians in al-Khalil and the West Bank in general and the Palestinian prisoners in Israeli jails in particular.
For his part, Palestinian National Initiative Secretary-General Mustafa Barghouthi said that the Israeli recent escalation and attacks in al-Khalil is similar to the Israeli invasion carried out in Palestinian cities in 2002.
Following his visit to residents of al-Khalil who are subjected to a fierce Israeli arrest and raid campaign, Barghouthi said that Netanyahu is imitating Sharon-era.
Barghouthi led a delegation of Initiative party and visited a number of homes raided by Israeli forces during the past few days including the home of Akram Qawasmi who was prevented along with his two children from being transferred to hospital for treatment after being seriously injured during the IOF raids.
Barghouthi confirmed that he witnessed the detention of 25 Palestinians all together in one room, while Israeli soldiers continued stealing laptops and cellular phones.
He added that Israeli collective punishment would achieve nothing due to the Palestinian people’s steadfastness.
“We stand behind our people in the occupied West Bank in face of the Israeli terrorist aggression. We will not stand idle before Israeli violations and crimes against them as we share the same suffering and the same fate”, the armed wings stressed.
The armed wings hailed the steadfastness of the Palestinians in al-Khalil and the West Bank in general and the Palestinian prisoners in Israeli jails in particular.
For his part, Palestinian National Initiative Secretary-General Mustafa Barghouthi said that the Israeli recent escalation and attacks in al-Khalil is similar to the Israeli invasion carried out in Palestinian cities in 2002.
Following his visit to residents of al-Khalil who are subjected to a fierce Israeli arrest and raid campaign, Barghouthi said that Netanyahu is imitating Sharon-era.
Barghouthi led a delegation of Initiative party and visited a number of homes raided by Israeli forces during the past few days including the home of Akram Qawasmi who was prevented along with his two children from being transferred to hospital for treatment after being seriously injured during the IOF raids.
Barghouthi confirmed that he witnessed the detention of 25 Palestinians all together in one room, while Israeli soldiers continued stealing laptops and cellular phones.
He added that Israeli collective punishment would achieve nothing due to the Palestinian people’s steadfastness.
The Palestinian political analyst Ibrahim Madhoun said that prospects for an Israeli aggression on Gaza are linked to the fate of the three Israeli missing soldiers. In an exclusive interview with the Palestinian Information Center, Madhoun said that Israeli military operations and restrictions would be intensified in the West Bank as long as the three missing soldiers are still unfound.
A fierce confrontation in Gaza Strip and a big uprising in the West Bank are expected to take place in case the three Israeli missing soldiers were killed, he said.
As time passes without credible information about the fate of the missing soldiers, Madhoun continued, the Israeli authorities would be forced to take decision that contrast with their strategy and plans.
He pointed out that Israeli authorities are facing two options whether to be engaged in a war which they are not ready for, or to make concessions that may encourage Palestinian resistance to carry out similar operations.
The decision to wage a new war on Gaza was excluded before the disappearance of the Israeli soldiers due to the heavy loss of human life and material damage that the Israelis would sustain, he said.
He noted that the Palestinian resistance in Gaza Strip has become able to transfer the battle to Haifa and Tel Aviv, saying that any Israeli aggression on the besieged Strip would only succeed in exposing the Israeli “ugly” image.
Madhoun affirmed that there is a strategic Israeli decision not to re-occupy Gaza Strip due to its demographic and geographic nature and the existence of a strong and solid resistance that would cost them hundreds of deaths and injuries.
A fierce confrontation in Gaza Strip and a big uprising in the West Bank are expected to take place in case the three Israeli missing soldiers were killed, he said.
As time passes without credible information about the fate of the missing soldiers, Madhoun continued, the Israeli authorities would be forced to take decision that contrast with their strategy and plans.
He pointed out that Israeli authorities are facing two options whether to be engaged in a war which they are not ready for, or to make concessions that may encourage Palestinian resistance to carry out similar operations.
The decision to wage a new war on Gaza was excluded before the disappearance of the Israeli soldiers due to the heavy loss of human life and material damage that the Israelis would sustain, he said.
He noted that the Palestinian resistance in Gaza Strip has become able to transfer the battle to Haifa and Tel Aviv, saying that any Israeli aggression on the besieged Strip would only succeed in exposing the Israeli “ugly” image.
Madhoun affirmed that there is a strategic Israeli decision not to re-occupy Gaza Strip due to its demographic and geographic nature and the existence of a strong and solid resistance that would cost them hundreds of deaths and injuries.
Palestinian Justice Minister Salim Sakka revealed on Tuesday that intensive contacts were made between the Palestinian unity government and international and Arab parties to pressure the Israeli government to halt its escalation against the Palestinian people. In his statement, Sakka said that Israel’s latest escalation came as part of its collective punishment policy against the Palestinian people in the West Bank and Gaza Strip, holding the Israeli Prime Minister Benyamin Netanyahu fully responsible over the deterioration of the current situation after his decision to launch a large-scale military operation.
He pointed out that the Israeli military operation included the detention of hundreds of Palestinians in the West Bank including MPs in total violation of international laws, in addition to bombing different areas in the besieged Gaza Strip.
The Israeli authorities have also decided to prevent family visits to Palestinian prisoners held in Israeli jails, he added.
On the other hand, Sakka stressed the need to pay the salaries of Gaza employees who were serving under the former government, pointing out that contacts have been made to ensure the receipt of the Qatari grant to cover all employees’ salaries without any exception and regardless of their political affiliation.
Concerning Rafah crossing issue, the Justice Minister affirmed that a Palestinian delegation is currently holding meetings with Egyptian authorities to discuss the opening of the border crossing between Gaza and Egypt permanently in order to alleviate the repercussions of the Israeli siege on Palestinian people.
He pointed out that the Israeli military operation included the detention of hundreds of Palestinians in the West Bank including MPs in total violation of international laws, in addition to bombing different areas in the besieged Gaza Strip.
The Israeli authorities have also decided to prevent family visits to Palestinian prisoners held in Israeli jails, he added.
On the other hand, Sakka stressed the need to pay the salaries of Gaza employees who were serving under the former government, pointing out that contacts have been made to ensure the receipt of the Qatari grant to cover all employees’ salaries without any exception and regardless of their political affiliation.
Concerning Rafah crossing issue, the Justice Minister affirmed that a Palestinian delegation is currently holding meetings with Egyptian authorities to discuss the opening of the border crossing between Gaza and Egypt permanently in order to alleviate the repercussions of the Israeli siege on Palestinian people.
Israeli occupation forces (IOF) arrested Palestinian journalist Yehya Habayeb, from al-Khalil, while covering events in Taffuh village to the west of Ramallah afternoon Tuesday. Eyewitnesses told the PIC reporter that IOF soldiers fired a number of sound bombs at Habayeb before beating him and confiscating his camera and tape recorder then arresting him.
The witnesses said that Habayeb was reporting the IOF soldiers’ raid into the village and their break-and-search campaigns when he was attacked.
IOF soldiers have escalated attacks on Palestinian journalists while covering events in al-Khalil, the latest was firing live bullets at reporters who were filming the siege laid to a house in the city.
The witnesses said that Habayeb was reporting the IOF soldiers’ raid into the village and their break-and-search campaigns when he was attacked.
IOF soldiers have escalated attacks on Palestinian journalists while covering events in al-Khalil, the latest was firing live bullets at reporters who were filming the siege laid to a house in the city.
Israeli occupation forces Wednesday broke into Al-Aqsa TV offices in the West Bank city of Beira and fully seized their equipment. Local sources said that Israeli soldiers raided al-Mahisri building and broke into Trans Media company headquarters from which al-Aqsa TV channel broadcast. They captured the channels' equipment and caused damages to its office before closing it.
In Hebron, Israeli forces raided the company headquarter and seized the channel's equipment of broadcast and photography.
Additionally, Israeli forces Tuesday detained journalist Yahya Habayeb after his coverage of the Israeli security campaign in Hebron before releasing him later, the sources added.
Habayeb was transferred to the Palestinian medical complex in Ramallah.
The Israeli forces attacked him brutally and inhumanely breaking his hand and damaging his cameras and voice recorder, he said.
In Hebron, Israeli forces raided the company headquarter and seized the channel's equipment of broadcast and photography.
Additionally, Israeli forces Tuesday detained journalist Yahya Habayeb after his coverage of the Israeli security campaign in Hebron before releasing him later, the sources added.
Habayeb was transferred to the Palestinian medical complex in Ramallah.
The Israeli forces attacked him brutally and inhumanely breaking his hand and damaging his cameras and voice recorder, he said.
Israeli occupation forces (IOF) launched a limited incursion into southern Gaza Strip on Wednesday morning, local sources said. They told the PIC reporter that four military bulldozers escorted by IOF soldiers advanced into south east of Khan Younis city, south of the Gaza Strip.
The sources said that the bulldozers leveled land along the border fence while heading northwards toward Khuza’a town.
Israeli warplanes launched a series of air raids on Gaza Strip over the past few days causing a number of casualties and vast destruction in houses and property.
The sources said that the bulldozers leveled land along the border fence while heading northwards toward Khuza’a town.
Israeli warplanes launched a series of air raids on Gaza Strip over the past few days causing a number of casualties and vast destruction in houses and property.
