5 oct 2016
The southern occupied West Bank city of al-Khalil has been officially named the World Crafts City by the UNESCO.
It is the first time that a Palestinian city has been granted the title by the UNESCO’s World Crafts Council. A ceremony was held in al-Khalil on Tuesday to celebrate UNESCO’s nomination of the city as the World Crafts City for 2016.
The Palestinian Prime Minister, Rami al-Hamdallah, said during the celebration the nomination is an honor for every Palestinian craftsman in al-Khalil.
He said the title comes at a time when Israeli crackdowns against Palestinian citizens and craftsmen in al-Khalil have reached a peak, particularly in the Old City.
Al-Khalil Mayor Daoud al-Zaatari spoke out against the Israeli attempts to prevent the Palestinians of al-Khalil from being granted the title by banning two members of the UNESCO’s four-member international assessment staff to enter the city.
He said the nomination will boost the participation of al-Khalil’s craftsmen in international exhibitions, prop up internal and external tourism, and back up Palestinians’ efforts to expose the originality of their historical legacy.
The Palestinian Cabinet approved the establishment of a five-thousand-square-meter compound for crafts and traditional industries in al-Khalil at an estimated cost of $2 million.
Al-Khalil is an ancient Palestinian city that has more than 6,000 years of history and heritage. It is the West Bank’s economic capital, famous for its porcelain, pottery, glass, olive wood and leather tanning industries. It is also the largest, with approximately 200,000 residents.
It is the first time that a Palestinian city has been granted the title by the UNESCO’s World Crafts Council. A ceremony was held in al-Khalil on Tuesday to celebrate UNESCO’s nomination of the city as the World Crafts City for 2016.
The Palestinian Prime Minister, Rami al-Hamdallah, said during the celebration the nomination is an honor for every Palestinian craftsman in al-Khalil.
He said the title comes at a time when Israeli crackdowns against Palestinian citizens and craftsmen in al-Khalil have reached a peak, particularly in the Old City.
Al-Khalil Mayor Daoud al-Zaatari spoke out against the Israeli attempts to prevent the Palestinians of al-Khalil from being granted the title by banning two members of the UNESCO’s four-member international assessment staff to enter the city.
He said the nomination will boost the participation of al-Khalil’s craftsmen in international exhibitions, prop up internal and external tourism, and back up Palestinians’ efforts to expose the originality of their historical legacy.
The Palestinian Cabinet approved the establishment of a five-thousand-square-meter compound for crafts and traditional industries in al-Khalil at an estimated cost of $2 million.
Al-Khalil is an ancient Palestinian city that has more than 6,000 years of history and heritage. It is the West Bank’s economic capital, famous for its porcelain, pottery, glass, olive wood and leather tanning industries. It is also the largest, with approximately 200,000 residents.
4 oct 2016
The Palestinian Authority decided Tuesday to delay municipal elections for up to four months after the high court ruled they should be held only in the West Bank and not in the Gaza Strip.
However, a new date for the vote was not set by the PA government. Prime Minister Rami Hamdallah said in a statement that "the Palestinian cabinet, in consultation with president Mahmoud Abbas, decided to postpone the local elections for (up to) four months".
Hamas rejected the postponement and said the delay and the decision not to hold the polls in Gaza are part of Fatah maneuverings to avoid an electoral defeat.
The elections, originally set for October 8, were suspended on September 8 by the PA high court based in the West Bank. On Monday, the high court ordered the elections to be held only in the West Bank and not in Gaza, stirring rage among the Palestinians.
This year's vote was planned with 81-year-old Abbas under heavy political pressure as opinion polls have suggested most Palestinians would like him to step down.
Some analysts saw Abbas's decision to call for the municipal elections as a failed gambit since he may have been hoping Hamas would repeat its 2012 boycott.
Hamas seeks national position to stop election manipulation
The Hamas Movement has started to make efforts to forge a unified national position to stop the Fatah faction from manipulating the election process and to confront its monopoly of the Palestinian decision-making.
In press remarks to the Palestinian Information Center (PIC), Hamas spokesman Fawzi Barhoum said that his Movement would deal wisely with the recent decisions taken by Fatah with regard to the municipal elections.
Barhoum added that his Movement and other political forces would work together to crystalize a unified position to face the recent arbitrary decisions taken in Ramallah against the electoral process.
The spokesman stressed that the Palestinian factions voiced their rejection of the justifications used by Fatah in order to circumvent the elections.
However, a new date for the vote was not set by the PA government. Prime Minister Rami Hamdallah said in a statement that "the Palestinian cabinet, in consultation with president Mahmoud Abbas, decided to postpone the local elections for (up to) four months".
Hamas rejected the postponement and said the delay and the decision not to hold the polls in Gaza are part of Fatah maneuverings to avoid an electoral defeat.
The elections, originally set for October 8, were suspended on September 8 by the PA high court based in the West Bank. On Monday, the high court ordered the elections to be held only in the West Bank and not in Gaza, stirring rage among the Palestinians.
This year's vote was planned with 81-year-old Abbas under heavy political pressure as opinion polls have suggested most Palestinians would like him to step down.
Some analysts saw Abbas's decision to call for the municipal elections as a failed gambit since he may have been hoping Hamas would repeat its 2012 boycott.
Hamas seeks national position to stop election manipulation
The Hamas Movement has started to make efforts to forge a unified national position to stop the Fatah faction from manipulating the election process and to confront its monopoly of the Palestinian decision-making.
In press remarks to the Palestinian Information Center (PIC), Hamas spokesman Fawzi Barhoum said that his Movement would deal wisely with the recent decisions taken by Fatah with regard to the municipal elections.
Barhoum added that his Movement and other political forces would work together to crystalize a unified position to face the recent arbitrary decisions taken in Ramallah against the electoral process.
The spokesman stressed that the Palestinian factions voiced their rejection of the justifications used by Fatah in order to circumvent the elections.
Prominent Palestinian factions have condemned the higher court of justice in Ramallah for deciding to hold the municipal elections in the West Bank alone, without the Gaza Strip, describing its verdict in this regard as “politically motivated par excellence.”
This came in a news conference held on Monday evening by the resistance factions following their meeting in Gaza.
In a speech on behalf of other factions, secretary-general of al-Ahrar Movement Khaled Abu Hilal said that the court decision would entrench the inter-Palestinian political division, accusing the Palestinian Authority leadership of exploiting the court to take serious antinational steps.
Abu Hilal slammed the higher court for taking such a decision, saying it sank into the quagmire of politicized decisions and became a tool of division.
He called for necessarily revoking such a “serious decision,” urging the factions to stand united against it and pressure hard to force the PA to withdraw it.
“The insistence on holding these local elections in the West Bank alone without Gaza confirms that the leadership of the influential authority [in Ramallah] swims against the tide of the popular, national and factional consensus, and that it does not believe in the national and political partnership,” the Ahrar official stated.
This came in a news conference held on Monday evening by the resistance factions following their meeting in Gaza.
In a speech on behalf of other factions, secretary-general of al-Ahrar Movement Khaled Abu Hilal said that the court decision would entrench the inter-Palestinian political division, accusing the Palestinian Authority leadership of exploiting the court to take serious antinational steps.
Abu Hilal slammed the higher court for taking such a decision, saying it sank into the quagmire of politicized decisions and became a tool of division.
He called for necessarily revoking such a “serious decision,” urging the factions to stand united against it and pressure hard to force the PA to withdraw it.
“The insistence on holding these local elections in the West Bank alone without Gaza confirms that the leadership of the influential authority [in Ramallah] swims against the tide of the popular, national and factional consensus, and that it does not believe in the national and political partnership,” the Ahrar official stated.
The Palestinian Central Elections Commission on Monday urged Palestinian Authority (PA) President Mahmoud Abbas to delay municipal elections by at least six months, after the PA high court ordered the polling be held only in the West Bank and not in the Gaza Strip.
The commission said a delay would be in the Palestinian interest in light of the “biased” and divisive ruling. The court rule could bring to an end hopes to heal the national rift, the commission added.
The elections had initially been set for October 8 to elect municipal councils in the blockaded Gaza Strip and the Israeli-occupied West Bank. Hamas firmly rejected Monday’s court decision as “politicized.”
According to Hamas, the high court’s decision on the elections is discriminatory and endorses the division between Gaza and the West Bank.
The commission said a delay would be in the Palestinian interest in light of the “biased” and divisive ruling. The court rule could bring to an end hopes to heal the national rift, the commission added.
The elections had initially been set for October 8 to elect municipal councils in the blockaded Gaza Strip and the Israeli-occupied West Bank. Hamas firmly rejected Monday’s court decision as “politicized.”
According to Hamas, the high court’s decision on the elections is discriminatory and endorses the division between Gaza and the West Bank.
3 oct 2016
The Palestinian Authority (PA) High Court of Justice ruled on Monday that municipal elections will take place in the West Bank only and that the Gaza Strip will not take part in the ballot.
The High Court stated in its ruling that elections will be held in all councils of the homeland except for Gaza.
Municipal elections were supposed to take place in both the West Bank and Gaza Strip on October 8, but the High Court suspended them on September 10, citing the exclusion of Occupied Jerusalem from the electoral process and concerns about courts in the Gaza Strip as pretexts for the move.
An overwhelming majority of Palestinians opposed the Palestinian Authority High Court’s decision to suspend the municipal election, according to an Arab World for Research and Development (AWRAD) poll sampling 1,200 persons from the West Bank and Gaza in September.
The poll found that 68 percent of Palestinians, 66% of West Bank and 72% of Gaza Palestinians said they oppose the High Court’s decision.
Hamas expressed its disappointment over the court’s decision to exclude Gaza from local elections. Deputy Head of Hamas Political Bureau, Mousa Abu Marzouk, said on Twitter that the court rule makes part of underway attempts, by the PA, to politicize the judiciary and deepen the national rift.”
“Such a biased division of our motherland is just unacceptable,” said Abu Marzouk.
Hamas representative at the Elections Committee in the West Bank, Fayez Warda, said: “The Court of First Instance is the only party entitled to decide on whether to suspend elections.
That the High Court meddled in the rule is a proof of its inherently politicized nature.” Experts in the Palestinian home affairs said the court rule is a trap set up by the PA, chaired by Mahmoud Abbas, to ensnare Hamas.
Knowing that the latter would oppose such a monolithic and biased decision, which ruled out Gazans from the electoral process, the PA will exploit such a Hamas standpoint as a pretext to cancel elections, after claiming that Hamas is standing as a stumbling block on the road to democracy and national concord.
The High Court stated in its ruling that elections will be held in all councils of the homeland except for Gaza.
Municipal elections were supposed to take place in both the West Bank and Gaza Strip on October 8, but the High Court suspended them on September 10, citing the exclusion of Occupied Jerusalem from the electoral process and concerns about courts in the Gaza Strip as pretexts for the move.
An overwhelming majority of Palestinians opposed the Palestinian Authority High Court’s decision to suspend the municipal election, according to an Arab World for Research and Development (AWRAD) poll sampling 1,200 persons from the West Bank and Gaza in September.
The poll found that 68 percent of Palestinians, 66% of West Bank and 72% of Gaza Palestinians said they oppose the High Court’s decision.
Hamas expressed its disappointment over the court’s decision to exclude Gaza from local elections. Deputy Head of Hamas Political Bureau, Mousa Abu Marzouk, said on Twitter that the court rule makes part of underway attempts, by the PA, to politicize the judiciary and deepen the national rift.”
“Such a biased division of our motherland is just unacceptable,” said Abu Marzouk.
Hamas representative at the Elections Committee in the West Bank, Fayez Warda, said: “The Court of First Instance is the only party entitled to decide on whether to suspend elections.
That the High Court meddled in the rule is a proof of its inherently politicized nature.” Experts in the Palestinian home affairs said the court rule is a trap set up by the PA, chaired by Mahmoud Abbas, to ensnare Hamas.
Knowing that the latter would oppose such a monolithic and biased decision, which ruled out Gazans from the electoral process, the PA will exploit such a Hamas standpoint as a pretext to cancel elections, after claiming that Hamas is standing as a stumbling block on the road to democracy and national concord.
Hamas on Sunday slammed Fatah Movement, run by the Palestinian Authority (PA) President Mahmoud Abbas, for describing Palestinian national reconciliation as an “absurd dispute.”
“Fatah statements are a proof of the two-faced position adopted by the movement vis-à-vis national reconciliation,” Hamas spokesman Sami Abu Zuhri said in a statement.
“Fatah’s former statements as regards reconciliation just make part of an attempt to pull the wool over Palestinians’ eyes and cover up its pro-Israel policies,” stated Abu Zurhi.
He referred to Abbas’ participation in the funeral of the former Israeli statesman Shimon Peres as another proof of the party’s inherently dubious politics.
According to Abu Zuhri, Fatah’s calls to review the local elections law represents an attempt to both sidestep and hinder the electoral process. “Such a position stems from Fatah’s absurd behavior which aims at manipulating the electoral process and altering its laws in favor of partisan interests,” Abu Zuhri noted.
Hamas reiterated its firm rebuff of Fatah’s monopolization of decision-making and attempts to stage-manage the ballot vote.
“Fatah statements are a proof of the two-faced position adopted by the movement vis-à-vis national reconciliation,” Hamas spokesman Sami Abu Zuhri said in a statement.
“Fatah’s former statements as regards reconciliation just make part of an attempt to pull the wool over Palestinians’ eyes and cover up its pro-Israel policies,” stated Abu Zurhi.
He referred to Abbas’ participation in the funeral of the former Israeli statesman Shimon Peres as another proof of the party’s inherently dubious politics.
According to Abu Zuhri, Fatah’s calls to review the local elections law represents an attempt to both sidestep and hinder the electoral process. “Such a position stems from Fatah’s absurd behavior which aims at manipulating the electoral process and altering its laws in favor of partisan interests,” Abu Zuhri noted.
Hamas reiterated its firm rebuff of Fatah’s monopolization of decision-making and attempts to stage-manage the ballot vote.
Thousands of Palestinian protesters called Sunday for overthrowing the Palestinian Authority (PA) President Mahmoud Abbas during the funeral procession of youngster Dhiaa Marshoud, who was killed by the PA forces on Wednesday.
Walking in Dhiaa’s funeral procession, which kicked off from the Rafidia Hospital in Nablus, thousands of Palestinians urged Abbas to step down.
The mourners further called for toppling the PA national security chief, Nidhal Dukhan. Dhiaa was killed by the PA troops last Wednesday after he was shot, along with his three friends, while driving in eastern Nablus.
Members of the Palestinian Legislative Council (PLC), including Ahmad al-Haj Ali and Jamal al-Tiraoui, also joined the funeral procession. Rage flared among the Palestinians as Abbas showed up in the funeral of the former Israeli President Shimon Peres while he did not show any kind of sympathy nor extended his condolences over the death of the Palestinian youth.
Walking in Dhiaa’s funeral procession, which kicked off from the Rafidia Hospital in Nablus, thousands of Palestinians urged Abbas to step down.
The mourners further called for toppling the PA national security chief, Nidhal Dukhan. Dhiaa was killed by the PA troops last Wednesday after he was shot, along with his three friends, while driving in eastern Nablus.
Members of the Palestinian Legislative Council (PLC), including Ahmad al-Haj Ali and Jamal al-Tiraoui, also joined the funeral procession. Rage flared among the Palestinians as Abbas showed up in the funeral of the former Israeli President Shimon Peres while he did not show any kind of sympathy nor extended his condolences over the death of the Palestinian youth.