14 aug 2018
Intelligence Minister Israel Katz said Tuesday that restoring the Palestinian Authority’s control over Gaza would be a threat to Israel’s security.
Israeli news outlets, said the rejection came at a meeting between members of the top-level security cabinet, who have spoken out against a proposal for the Gaza Strip that was said to have been discussed during secret talks between Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and Egypt’s President Abdel-Fattah el-Sissi.
“Any attempt to return Abbas to Gaza and to connect between Gaza and the Palestinian Authority in the West Bank and Jerusalem by way of a ‘secure passage’ which crosses Israel, will be a direct threat and a serious impact to Israel’s security and the demographic balance between Israel and the Palestinians,” Katz told the Israel Hayom daily.
“It is understandable and the matter should be debated and decided in the cabinet. Israel’s policy regarding Gaza must be clear — civilian separation between Gaza and Israel and the stretching of a clear border security line between Israel and Gaza,” Katz told Israel Hayom, which is seen as being aligned with the Likud party led by Netanyahu.
According to the newspaper, other cabinet ministers are also opposed to the deal Netanyahu and Sissi discussed.
A Likud cabinet member not identified in the report said, “Hamas will never give up on control of the Gaza Strip; therefore, such proposals are detached from reality.”
According to the report, ministers are wary of any unity deal between Fatah and Hamas. A deal struck between the two last year, but largely unimplemented, was met by an Israeli refusal to negotiate with the PA if it included Hamas as part of a unity government.
Most international parties view a Fatah-Hamas power sharing agreement as a necessary step toward reaching a deal to ease the Strip’s dire humanitarian situation.
On Monday, Channel 10 television news reported that Netanyahu secretly traveled to Egypt in May to meet with Sissi. Quoting unnamed American officials, the report said the focus of the trip was to discuss an arrangement in the Gaza Strip that would see the return of the PA to power there, a ceasefire between Israel and the Hamas resistance group, the easing of the Israeli and Egyptian blockades on the Strip, and steps to advance humanitarian projects.
During the meeting with Netanyahu, Sissi stressed to Netanyahu that the PA must be allowed to regain control of Gaza and take responsibility for the territory, according to the report.
Channel 10 said the Netanyahu trip to Egypt took place on May 22 and most ministers in the security cabinet were not aware of the meeting between the leaders.
Israeli news outlets, said the rejection came at a meeting between members of the top-level security cabinet, who have spoken out against a proposal for the Gaza Strip that was said to have been discussed during secret talks between Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and Egypt’s President Abdel-Fattah el-Sissi.
“Any attempt to return Abbas to Gaza and to connect between Gaza and the Palestinian Authority in the West Bank and Jerusalem by way of a ‘secure passage’ which crosses Israel, will be a direct threat and a serious impact to Israel’s security and the demographic balance between Israel and the Palestinians,” Katz told the Israel Hayom daily.
“It is understandable and the matter should be debated and decided in the cabinet. Israel’s policy regarding Gaza must be clear — civilian separation between Gaza and Israel and the stretching of a clear border security line between Israel and Gaza,” Katz told Israel Hayom, which is seen as being aligned with the Likud party led by Netanyahu.
According to the newspaper, other cabinet ministers are also opposed to the deal Netanyahu and Sissi discussed.
A Likud cabinet member not identified in the report said, “Hamas will never give up on control of the Gaza Strip; therefore, such proposals are detached from reality.”
According to the report, ministers are wary of any unity deal between Fatah and Hamas. A deal struck between the two last year, but largely unimplemented, was met by an Israeli refusal to negotiate with the PA if it included Hamas as part of a unity government.
Most international parties view a Fatah-Hamas power sharing agreement as a necessary step toward reaching a deal to ease the Strip’s dire humanitarian situation.
On Monday, Channel 10 television news reported that Netanyahu secretly traveled to Egypt in May to meet with Sissi. Quoting unnamed American officials, the report said the focus of the trip was to discuss an arrangement in the Gaza Strip that would see the return of the PA to power there, a ceasefire between Israel and the Hamas resistance group, the easing of the Israeli and Egyptian blockades on the Strip, and steps to advance humanitarian projects.
During the meeting with Netanyahu, Sissi stressed to Netanyahu that the PA must be allowed to regain control of Gaza and take responsibility for the territory, according to the report.
Channel 10 said the Netanyahu trip to Egypt took place on May 22 and most ministers in the security cabinet were not aware of the meeting between the leaders.
The Palestine Liberation Organization (PLO) said, on Monday, that it has started a process to kick Israel out of the United Nations, on ground of being an apartheid state.
Ahmad Majdalani, member of the Executive Committee of the PLO, said that the request for suspending Israel’s membership in the United Nations, similar to how the South African government was treated during the period of its racist rule, is now at the examination phase both legally and procedurally.
He told Voice of Palestine radio that the PLO is seeking answers to these questions from the Legal Committee of the international organization.
The PLO official said that since Israel defines itself now as a racist and an apartheid state, with its new Nation-State Basic Law and its discriminatory practices, many in the international community would be inclined to support the Palestinian effort.
Ahmad Majdalani, member of the Executive Committee of the PLO, said that the request for suspending Israel’s membership in the United Nations, similar to how the South African government was treated during the period of its racist rule, is now at the examination phase both legally and procedurally.
He told Voice of Palestine radio that the PLO is seeking answers to these questions from the Legal Committee of the international organization.
The PLO official said that since Israel defines itself now as a racist and an apartheid state, with its new Nation-State Basic Law and its discriminatory practices, many in the international community would be inclined to support the Palestinian effort.
13 aug 2018
Dozens of Palestinians rallied on Monday in the blockaded Gaza Strip, protesting the Palestinian Authority (PA) decision to stop paying monthly salaries to the families of about 160 prisoners.
The rally, staged outside of the office of the Council of Ministers in Gaza city, demanded that prisoners’ salaries be immediately shelled out.
Speaking on behalf of the protesters, Wesam Haj Ahmad stressed the need to support prisoners and ex-prisoners.
The activist railed against the salary cut, saying such a measure will seriously affect the life of prisoners and their families.
He urged Mahmoud Abbas to backtrack on the decision and rally round Palestinian detainees.
The rally, staged outside of the office of the Council of Ministers in Gaza city, demanded that prisoners’ salaries be immediately shelled out.
Speaking on behalf of the protesters, Wesam Haj Ahmad stressed the need to support prisoners and ex-prisoners.
The activist railed against the salary cut, saying such a measure will seriously affect the life of prisoners and their families.
He urged Mahmoud Abbas to backtrack on the decision and rally round Palestinian detainees.
11 aug 2018
UN Deputy Coordinator for the Middle East Peace Process arrived Saturday in the Gaza Strip.
Safa news agency reported, quoting security sources, that the deputy coordinator arrived with three assistants in Gaza via Beit Hanoun (Erez) crossing.
The visit came hours after calm was restored in the besieged territory following an Egypt-brokered ceasefire agreement between the Palestinian resistance factions and the Israeli occupation.
UN Coordinator for the Middle East Peace Process, Nickolay Mladenov, last Thursday visited Qatar to attend meetings with senior officials on the recent developments in the Gaza Strip.
Five Palestinians, including a pregnant woman and her one-year-old child, were killed when the Israeli army launched dozens of airstrikes on different Gaza targets on Wednesday and Thursday.
The Palestinian resistance factions responded to the attacks by firing dozens of projectiles and mortar shells at Israeli settlements adjacent to the Gaza Strip.
Safa news agency reported, quoting security sources, that the deputy coordinator arrived with three assistants in Gaza via Beit Hanoun (Erez) crossing.
The visit came hours after calm was restored in the besieged territory following an Egypt-brokered ceasefire agreement between the Palestinian resistance factions and the Israeli occupation.
UN Coordinator for the Middle East Peace Process, Nickolay Mladenov, last Thursday visited Qatar to attend meetings with senior officials on the recent developments in the Gaza Strip.
Five Palestinians, including a pregnant woman and her one-year-old child, were killed when the Israeli army launched dozens of airstrikes on different Gaza targets on Wednesday and Thursday.
The Palestinian resistance factions responded to the attacks by firing dozens of projectiles and mortar shells at Israeli settlements adjacent to the Gaza Strip.
10 aug 2018
PM Netanyahu and President Juan Manuel Santos
Following outgoing President Santos's surprise announcement that angered Jerusalem, Israeli Embassy in Colombia releases statement saying move goes against 'close and quality relationship' between the two allies.
Israel has slammed what it describes as “a slap in the face by a friendly nation” after Colombia’s outgoing President Juan Manuel Santos announced on Wednesday a previously-taken decision to recognize “the State of Palestine.”
Santos’s successor, President Ivan Duque, took office on Tuesday and was informed a few days ago of the decision, which was detailed in an August 3 letter to the Palestinian representative in Colombia, the foreign ministry said.
“This is a slap in the face by a friendly country, which goes against the close and quality relationship, especially between the states and the leaders,” said a statement released by the Israeli Embassy in Colombia.
The Israeli Embassy in Bogota said it was “surprised and disappointed by the decision of the outgoing government to recognize Palestine as a state and the way in which it was done.
Jerusalem expected from what the embassy described as a “friendly government to inform its friends in advance regarding a change in policy that is so critical to the alliance between them.
“We ask the Colombian government to reverse the decision made by the previous administration in its last days, which contravenes the close relations, extensive cooperation in vital areas and interests of both countries,” it said in a statement posted to its Twitter account.
The decision came to light during a visit to Colombia by United States ambassador to the United Nations Nikki Haley. She attended Duque’s inauguration on Tuesday and on Wednesday visited Venezuelan migrants in the northern border city of Cucuta.
Colombia’s new government said it would review the decision.
“Given possible omissions that could come to light about the way in which this decision was taken by the outgoing president, the government will cautiously examine its implications and will act according to international law,” new Foreign Minister Carlos Holmes said in a statement.
Santos decided to recognize Palestine as a “free, independent and sovereign state,” according to the letter, which was circulated to reporters by the foreign ministry.
“Colombia follows the Israeli-Palestinian conflict. We are aware of the difficult situation of the Palestinian people and we think that in order to facilitate the creation of a Palestinian state, there must be unity within the people,” Santos’s letter read. “The best way to end the conflict in direct negotiations between Israel and Palestine.”
“Just as the Palestinian people have a right to constitute an independent state, Israel has a right to live in peace alongside its neighbors,” the letter said.
Colombia abstained in December from a vote by the 193-member UN General Assembly on a resolution calling for the United States to drop its recognition of Jerusalem as Israel’s capital. US President Donald Trump had threatened to cut off financial aid to countries that voted in favor.
Following outgoing President Santos's surprise announcement that angered Jerusalem, Israeli Embassy in Colombia releases statement saying move goes against 'close and quality relationship' between the two allies.
Israel has slammed what it describes as “a slap in the face by a friendly nation” after Colombia’s outgoing President Juan Manuel Santos announced on Wednesday a previously-taken decision to recognize “the State of Palestine.”
Santos’s successor, President Ivan Duque, took office on Tuesday and was informed a few days ago of the decision, which was detailed in an August 3 letter to the Palestinian representative in Colombia, the foreign ministry said.
“This is a slap in the face by a friendly country, which goes against the close and quality relationship, especially between the states and the leaders,” said a statement released by the Israeli Embassy in Colombia.
The Israeli Embassy in Bogota said it was “surprised and disappointed by the decision of the outgoing government to recognize Palestine as a state and the way in which it was done.
Jerusalem expected from what the embassy described as a “friendly government to inform its friends in advance regarding a change in policy that is so critical to the alliance between them.
“We ask the Colombian government to reverse the decision made by the previous administration in its last days, which contravenes the close relations, extensive cooperation in vital areas and interests of both countries,” it said in a statement posted to its Twitter account.
The decision came to light during a visit to Colombia by United States ambassador to the United Nations Nikki Haley. She attended Duque’s inauguration on Tuesday and on Wednesday visited Venezuelan migrants in the northern border city of Cucuta.
Colombia’s new government said it would review the decision.
“Given possible omissions that could come to light about the way in which this decision was taken by the outgoing president, the government will cautiously examine its implications and will act according to international law,” new Foreign Minister Carlos Holmes said in a statement.
Santos decided to recognize Palestine as a “free, independent and sovereign state,” according to the letter, which was circulated to reporters by the foreign ministry.
“Colombia follows the Israeli-Palestinian conflict. We are aware of the difficult situation of the Palestinian people and we think that in order to facilitate the creation of a Palestinian state, there must be unity within the people,” Santos’s letter read. “The best way to end the conflict in direct negotiations between Israel and Palestine.”
“Just as the Palestinian people have a right to constitute an independent state, Israel has a right to live in peace alongside its neighbors,” the letter said.
Colombia abstained in December from a vote by the 193-member UN General Assembly on a resolution calling for the United States to drop its recognition of Jerusalem as Israel’s capital. US President Donald Trump had threatened to cut off financial aid to countries that voted in favor.
9 aug 2018
The Colombian government has formally recognized Palestine as a sovereign state in a new diplomatic blow for the regime in Israel.
According to a letter from the Colombian Foreign Ministry made public on Wednesday, the government of former president Juan Manuel Santos had recognized the Palestinian state on August 3, days before being replaced by Ivan Duque.
“I would like to inform you that in the name of the government of Colombia, President Juan Manuel Santos has decided to recognize Palestine as a free, independent and sovereign state,” read the letter addressed to Palestinian Foreign Minister Riyad al-Maliki.
It further noted that the Palestinian people “have a right to constitute an independent state.”
Duque’s administration said it would review Santos’ decision on Palestine, but acknowledged that it was legal.
The new Colombian government “will cautiously examine” the “implications” of the decision and “will act according to international law,” Foreign Minister Carlos Holmes said in a statement.
Meanwhile, the Palestinian embassy in Bogota praised Colombia’s move.
“We appreciate the Colombian government for this decision and we are sure it will contribute significantly to create the necessary conditions in the search for peace in the Middle East,” the diplomatic mission said in a communiqué.
The decision makes Colombia the last South American country to recognize the state of Palestine.
Last week, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu canceled at the last minute a trip to Bogota due to the situation around the blockaded Gaza Strip.
Palestinians are seeking to create an independent state in the territories of the West Bank, the Gaza Strip and East Jerusalem al-Quds, with the latter as its capital.
In November 2012, the United Nations General Assembly voted to upgrade Palestine’s status from “non-member observer entity” to “non-member observer state” despite strong opposition from Israel.
The Palestinian national flag was also hoisted for the first time at the UN headquarters in New York in September 2015.
However, Palestinian efforts for statehood have been hampered due to Israel’s illegal settlement activities in the occupied lands and Washington’s latest anti-Palestinian measures, among them US President Donald Trump's recognition of Jerusalem al-Quds as the “capital” of Israel and relocation of the embassy from Tel Aviv to Jerusalem al-Quds.
Israel lays claim to the whole Jerusalem al-Quds, but the international community views the city’s eastern sector as occupied territory.
According to a letter from the Colombian Foreign Ministry made public on Wednesday, the government of former president Juan Manuel Santos had recognized the Palestinian state on August 3, days before being replaced by Ivan Duque.
“I would like to inform you that in the name of the government of Colombia, President Juan Manuel Santos has decided to recognize Palestine as a free, independent and sovereign state,” read the letter addressed to Palestinian Foreign Minister Riyad al-Maliki.
It further noted that the Palestinian people “have a right to constitute an independent state.”
Duque’s administration said it would review Santos’ decision on Palestine, but acknowledged that it was legal.
The new Colombian government “will cautiously examine” the “implications” of the decision and “will act according to international law,” Foreign Minister Carlos Holmes said in a statement.
Meanwhile, the Palestinian embassy in Bogota praised Colombia’s move.
“We appreciate the Colombian government for this decision and we are sure it will contribute significantly to create the necessary conditions in the search for peace in the Middle East,” the diplomatic mission said in a communiqué.
The decision makes Colombia the last South American country to recognize the state of Palestine.
Last week, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu canceled at the last minute a trip to Bogota due to the situation around the blockaded Gaza Strip.
Palestinians are seeking to create an independent state in the territories of the West Bank, the Gaza Strip and East Jerusalem al-Quds, with the latter as its capital.
In November 2012, the United Nations General Assembly voted to upgrade Palestine’s status from “non-member observer entity” to “non-member observer state” despite strong opposition from Israel.
The Palestinian national flag was also hoisted for the first time at the UN headquarters in New York in September 2015.
However, Palestinian efforts for statehood have been hampered due to Israel’s illegal settlement activities in the occupied lands and Washington’s latest anti-Palestinian measures, among them US President Donald Trump's recognition of Jerusalem al-Quds as the “capital” of Israel and relocation of the embassy from Tel Aviv to Jerusalem al-Quds.
Israel lays claim to the whole Jerusalem al-Quds, but the international community views the city’s eastern sector as occupied territory.
5 aug 2018
The Hamas Movement has accused Palestinian premier Rami al-Hamdallah of being involved in the blockade imposed on the Gaza Strip after he admitted that his government’s sanctions against Gaza were temporary.
In a statement, Hamas spokesman Fawzi Barhoum said that Hamdallah created the harsh and tragic conditions which the population in Gaza suffer from, and thus he and his government could not be entrusted with the lives of the Palestinian people and their rights.
Hamdallah claimed on Saturday that his government’s measures which targeted 35,000 employees in Gaza were temporary, adding that the rights of those employees would not go away.
A few months ago, the government decided, at the behest of Palestinian Authority (PA) president Mahmoud Abbas, to impose several sanctions on Gaza.
PA officials claimed at time that those moves were meant to increase pressure on Hamas to relinquish control of Gaza.
Those punitive measures included shrinking salaries for thousands of civil servants, depriving patients of receiving treatment abroad, reducing the power supply, and cutting off medical supplies.
In a statement, Hamas spokesman Fawzi Barhoum said that Hamdallah created the harsh and tragic conditions which the population in Gaza suffer from, and thus he and his government could not be entrusted with the lives of the Palestinian people and their rights.
Hamdallah claimed on Saturday that his government’s measures which targeted 35,000 employees in Gaza were temporary, adding that the rights of those employees would not go away.
A few months ago, the government decided, at the behest of Palestinian Authority (PA) president Mahmoud Abbas, to impose several sanctions on Gaza.
PA officials claimed at time that those moves were meant to increase pressure on Hamas to relinquish control of Gaza.
Those punitive measures included shrinking salaries for thousands of civil servants, depriving patients of receiving treatment abroad, reducing the power supply, and cutting off medical supplies.
1 aug 2018
Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan extended an invitation to Ahed Tamimi, who was recently released from an Israeli jail, to visit Turkey and meet him in the country.
Reaching to Tamimi by phone, Erdogan congratulated her on her release, hailing her strong determination.
At the same time, Amman University has offered a full scholarship to Ahed Tamimi, recently released from Israeli prison for attacking a soldier.
The invitation was offered by the head of the university's directors, Dr. Maher Hourani, on Tuesday, to attend their law school.
Tamimi had said that she wanted to study law so that she could prosecute the Israeli occupation before international courts.
According to Jordanian media, Hourani said that the university also decided to offer free housing to Tamimi.
After eight months in Israeli captivity, Tamimi, 17, was released on Sunday as a celebrated figure in Palestinian politics, amid a period of particular tension along the border.
Tamimi was arrested on December 19 last year, days after she was filmed with her cousin Nour Tamimi slapping and kicking two Israeli soldiers who refused to leave their home in Nabi Saleh, near Ramallah.
Turning 17 in prison, Tamimi was denied bail throughout her detention and subsequent trial in an Israeli court, where she was tried for assault, stone-throwing, incitement to violence and making threats.
For Palestinians, Tamimi became a hero for standing up to Israeli aggression and invasion of her family home.
Ahed's case drew international support from high-profile artists, actors, academics, and athletes calling for the teenager's release.
Ahed, who comes from a family of prominent activists, made headlines after she was filmed biting the hand of an Israeli soldier trying to arrest her brother. Before that, she was photographed defying soldiers in her village.
Reaching to Tamimi by phone, Erdogan congratulated her on her release, hailing her strong determination.
At the same time, Amman University has offered a full scholarship to Ahed Tamimi, recently released from Israeli prison for attacking a soldier.
The invitation was offered by the head of the university's directors, Dr. Maher Hourani, on Tuesday, to attend their law school.
Tamimi had said that she wanted to study law so that she could prosecute the Israeli occupation before international courts.
According to Jordanian media, Hourani said that the university also decided to offer free housing to Tamimi.
After eight months in Israeli captivity, Tamimi, 17, was released on Sunday as a celebrated figure in Palestinian politics, amid a period of particular tension along the border.
Tamimi was arrested on December 19 last year, days after she was filmed with her cousin Nour Tamimi slapping and kicking two Israeli soldiers who refused to leave their home in Nabi Saleh, near Ramallah.
Turning 17 in prison, Tamimi was denied bail throughout her detention and subsequent trial in an Israeli court, where she was tried for assault, stone-throwing, incitement to violence and making threats.
For Palestinians, Tamimi became a hero for standing up to Israeli aggression and invasion of her family home.
Ahed's case drew international support from high-profile artists, actors, academics, and athletes calling for the teenager's release.
Ahed, who comes from a family of prominent activists, made headlines after she was filmed biting the hand of an Israeli soldier trying to arrest her brother. Before that, she was photographed defying soldiers in her village.
30 july 2018
Palestinian teen activist Ahed Tamimi - who was released on Sunday from an Israeli prison after serving an eight-month sentence for slapping an Israeli soldier – will be invited to South Africa to receive a special award for her bravery, resistance and being a symbol of hope for millions.
This is according to Zwelivelile “Mandla” Mandela, the chief of the Mvezo Traditional Council and the grandson of Nelson Mandela. In the centennial celebration of his grandfather’s birth, Mandela has promised Tamimi that he will “continue to support and rally others to join in the Boycott, Divestment and Sanctions (BDS) campaign to isolate Apartheid Israel until Palestine is free.” Mandela saluted Tamimi as “a symbol of Palestinian resistance.”
Ahed Tamimi's mother, Nariman, was also released on Sunday after being imprisoned on charges of incitement for sharing a live recording of her teenage daughter standing up to the fully-armed Israeli soldier in December.
Speaking immediately after her release from her home in the village of Nabi Saleh in the occupied West Bank, Ahed Tamimi said that while she was happy to be reunited with her family, she could not forget other young Palestinians who still languished in Israeli prisons – including her brother and two cousins.
Amnesty International has cautioned that Tamimi’s release must not obscure the Israeli military’s use of discriminatory policies to lock up Palestinian children. “While Ahed’s freedom is welcome and long overdue, it must be followed by the release of the other Palestinian children unlawfully imprisoned by Israeli military courts,” said Saleh Higazi, head of Amnesty’s Jerusalem office.
According to the Addameer prisoner support group, of the approximately 5,900 Palestinian political prisoners currently being held in Israeli jails, 291 were children.
The 17-year-old Ahed, who has since become a global icon of resistance, also relayed messages from Palestinian female political prisoners, calling on Palestinians to remain strong and united in their resistance to the Israeli occupation.
Hamas spokesperson, Husam Badran, said that Ahed and Nariman’s release was a “victory” and “an incentive for further efforts to expose the crimes of the Israeli Occupation and spread the legitimate Palestinian cause worldwide….We stress that we will continue taking the path of resistance until the freedom of all Palestinian detainees are achieved.”
In welcoming news of their release, Palestine Liberation Organization (PLO) executive member, Hanan Ashrawi, stated that the arrest of Ahed and her mother “is further proof of the Israeli violations and crimes perpetrated against the unarmed children and women of Palestine." Ashrawi pledged to “continue to pursue political and legal means to seek freedom and justice for all Palestinian prisoners, their families and loved ones.”
Tamimi and her mother were arrested by Israeli forces in December 2017 after a video went viral showing the young woman, then 16, hitting and slapping two armed Israeli soldiers outside her home in Nabi Saleh. At the time, the teen was reacting to news that her 15-year-old cousin, Mohammed, had been shot in the face by Israeli forces with a rubber-coated steel bullet earlier in the day, leaving him in critical condition.
The teen’s arrest drew international condemnation and put the spotlight on Israel’s arrest and imprisonment of Palestinians, especially Palestinian children.
Source: Africa-Palestine News Wire Service
This is according to Zwelivelile “Mandla” Mandela, the chief of the Mvezo Traditional Council and the grandson of Nelson Mandela. In the centennial celebration of his grandfather’s birth, Mandela has promised Tamimi that he will “continue to support and rally others to join in the Boycott, Divestment and Sanctions (BDS) campaign to isolate Apartheid Israel until Palestine is free.” Mandela saluted Tamimi as “a symbol of Palestinian resistance.”
Ahed Tamimi's mother, Nariman, was also released on Sunday after being imprisoned on charges of incitement for sharing a live recording of her teenage daughter standing up to the fully-armed Israeli soldier in December.
Speaking immediately after her release from her home in the village of Nabi Saleh in the occupied West Bank, Ahed Tamimi said that while she was happy to be reunited with her family, she could not forget other young Palestinians who still languished in Israeli prisons – including her brother and two cousins.
Amnesty International has cautioned that Tamimi’s release must not obscure the Israeli military’s use of discriminatory policies to lock up Palestinian children. “While Ahed’s freedom is welcome and long overdue, it must be followed by the release of the other Palestinian children unlawfully imprisoned by Israeli military courts,” said Saleh Higazi, head of Amnesty’s Jerusalem office.
According to the Addameer prisoner support group, of the approximately 5,900 Palestinian political prisoners currently being held in Israeli jails, 291 were children.
The 17-year-old Ahed, who has since become a global icon of resistance, also relayed messages from Palestinian female political prisoners, calling on Palestinians to remain strong and united in their resistance to the Israeli occupation.
Hamas spokesperson, Husam Badran, said that Ahed and Nariman’s release was a “victory” and “an incentive for further efforts to expose the crimes of the Israeli Occupation and spread the legitimate Palestinian cause worldwide….We stress that we will continue taking the path of resistance until the freedom of all Palestinian detainees are achieved.”
In welcoming news of their release, Palestine Liberation Organization (PLO) executive member, Hanan Ashrawi, stated that the arrest of Ahed and her mother “is further proof of the Israeli violations and crimes perpetrated against the unarmed children and women of Palestine." Ashrawi pledged to “continue to pursue political and legal means to seek freedom and justice for all Palestinian prisoners, their families and loved ones.”
Tamimi and her mother were arrested by Israeli forces in December 2017 after a video went viral showing the young woman, then 16, hitting and slapping two armed Israeli soldiers outside her home in Nabi Saleh. At the time, the teen was reacting to news that her 15-year-old cousin, Mohammed, had been shot in the face by Israeli forces with a rubber-coated steel bullet earlier in the day, leaving him in critical condition.
The teen’s arrest drew international condemnation and put the spotlight on Israel’s arrest and imprisonment of Palestinians, especially Palestinian children.
Source: Africa-Palestine News Wire Service
