6 dec 2018
Member of Hamas’s political bureau Ezzat al-Resheq has said that the international community will be undergoing a real test on Thursday when facing the US administration’s bias towards Israel, its crimes and agendas.
In press remarks on Thursday, Resheq conveyed the Palestinian people’s hope that the UN General Assembly member states would stand together against the US draft resolution calling for criminalizing the Palestinian people’s resistance of Israel.
The Hamas official described “the US draft resolution as a violation of the international law and an attempt to criminalize a legitimate right to resist the Israeli occupation on the Palestinian land by all means.”
The UN General Assembly will vote Thursday, December 06, on a US-drafted resolution condemning the Palestinian Resistance Movement of Hamas.
In press remarks on Thursday, Resheq conveyed the Palestinian people’s hope that the UN General Assembly member states would stand together against the US draft resolution calling for criminalizing the Palestinian people’s resistance of Israel.
The Hamas official described “the US draft resolution as a violation of the international law and an attempt to criminalize a legitimate right to resist the Israeli occupation on the Palestinian land by all means.”
The UN General Assembly will vote Thursday, December 06, on a US-drafted resolution condemning the Palestinian Resistance Movement of Hamas.
5 dec 2018
Hebrew media sources reported on Wednesday that the US administration is pressuring 9 Arab countries to vote in favor of a draft resolution condemning Hamas at the United Nations General Assembly on Thursday.
Haaretz newspaper said that Jason Greenblatt, the US Special Representative for International Negotiations, had sent requests on the matter to diplomats from Morocco, Oman, Bahrain, Jordan, Saudi Arabia, Kuwait, United Arab Emirates, Egypt and Qatar.
Greenblatt in his letters said that the Palestinian Authority's opposition to the US proposal is hypocritical "because it considers Hamas an enemy and imposes sanctions on it".
A source in the US administration quoted Greenblatt as writing that the countries which oppose terrorism and want stability in the region have no reason to reject the US proposal.
The US-initiated draft resolution has been amended following negotiations with some European countries with the aim of increasing the number of supporters. Items related to the Palestinian national reconciliation and the Palestinian Authority's takeover of the Gaza Strip were added.
The US administration believes that if the resolution passes, it will be the first time that the United Nations General Assembly explicitly condemns Hamas, the Israeli newspaper added.
Haaretz newspaper said that Jason Greenblatt, the US Special Representative for International Negotiations, had sent requests on the matter to diplomats from Morocco, Oman, Bahrain, Jordan, Saudi Arabia, Kuwait, United Arab Emirates, Egypt and Qatar.
Greenblatt in his letters said that the Palestinian Authority's opposition to the US proposal is hypocritical "because it considers Hamas an enemy and imposes sanctions on it".
A source in the US administration quoted Greenblatt as writing that the countries which oppose terrorism and want stability in the region have no reason to reject the US proposal.
The US-initiated draft resolution has been amended following negotiations with some European countries with the aim of increasing the number of supporters. Items related to the Palestinian national reconciliation and the Palestinian Authority's takeover of the Gaza Strip were added.
The US administration believes that if the resolution passes, it will be the first time that the United Nations General Assembly explicitly condemns Hamas, the Israeli newspaper added.
4 dec 2018
In a vote held on Friday, the General Assembly passed six resolutions condemning Israeli violations against Palestinians.
Among them was Resolution A/73/L.29 entitled “Jerusalem” which called for “respect for the historic status quo at the holy places of Jerusalem, including Al-Haram Al-Sharif.”
According to Days of Palestine, the use of the Arabic name for the sanctuary has been interpreted as a not-so-subtle rejection of the site’s alleged connection with Judaism. The Jewish name for the Noble Sanctuary, the Temple Mount, is not mentioned anywhere in the UN document.
The resolution received 148 votes in favor and just 11 against. It also stressed that the UN General Assembly “reiterates its determination that any actions taken by Israel, the occupying Power, to impose its laws, jurisdiction and administration on the Holy City of Jerusalem are illegal and therefore null and void and have no validity whatsoever, and calls upon Israel to immediately cease all such illegal and unilateral measures.”
The General Assembly resolutions were condemned vehemently in the Israeli media, with Breaking Israel News slamming them as evidence of the UN “[continuing] its streak of frequently condemning the Jewish state”.
Other media cited NGO UN Watch — which is known for calling the UN anti-Israel or anti-Semitic – as saying that the “Jerusalem” resolution “implies that Israeli administration of Jerusalem hinders freedom of religion when in fact the opposite is true.”
UN Watch also labelled the “Syrian Golan” resolution as being “oblivious to [the] genocidal massacres taking place now in Syria, and its security implications for Israel and the civilians of the Golan Heights.”
In a rare move, following the General Assembly vote, the European Union publicly warned the Palestinians that they must drop their UN bid to use only Al-Haram Al-Sharif to refer to Jerusalem’s holiest site.
In a statement, the EU “[stressed] the need for language on the holy sites of Jerusalem to reflect the importance and historical significance of the holy sites for the three monotheistic religions, and to respect religious and cultural sensitivities.”
It added that the future choice of language “may affect the EU’s collective support for the resolutions.”
Commenting on the EU statement, the Jerusalem Post observed, “Until now, the EU has not taken a united stand on a drive by both the Arab states and the Palestinians to subtly change UN language with regard to the Temple Mount [Al-Haram Al-Sharif].”
Its opposition or decision to abstain on any future resolutions of this nature “would mark a dramatic shift in its policy.”
Among them was Resolution A/73/L.29 entitled “Jerusalem” which called for “respect for the historic status quo at the holy places of Jerusalem, including Al-Haram Al-Sharif.”
According to Days of Palestine, the use of the Arabic name for the sanctuary has been interpreted as a not-so-subtle rejection of the site’s alleged connection with Judaism. The Jewish name for the Noble Sanctuary, the Temple Mount, is not mentioned anywhere in the UN document.
The resolution received 148 votes in favor and just 11 against. It also stressed that the UN General Assembly “reiterates its determination that any actions taken by Israel, the occupying Power, to impose its laws, jurisdiction and administration on the Holy City of Jerusalem are illegal and therefore null and void and have no validity whatsoever, and calls upon Israel to immediately cease all such illegal and unilateral measures.”
The General Assembly resolutions were condemned vehemently in the Israeli media, with Breaking Israel News slamming them as evidence of the UN “[continuing] its streak of frequently condemning the Jewish state”.
Other media cited NGO UN Watch — which is known for calling the UN anti-Israel or anti-Semitic – as saying that the “Jerusalem” resolution “implies that Israeli administration of Jerusalem hinders freedom of religion when in fact the opposite is true.”
UN Watch also labelled the “Syrian Golan” resolution as being “oblivious to [the] genocidal massacres taking place now in Syria, and its security implications for Israel and the civilians of the Golan Heights.”
In a rare move, following the General Assembly vote, the European Union publicly warned the Palestinians that they must drop their UN bid to use only Al-Haram Al-Sharif to refer to Jerusalem’s holiest site.
In a statement, the EU “[stressed] the need for language on the holy sites of Jerusalem to reflect the importance and historical significance of the holy sites for the three monotheistic religions, and to respect religious and cultural sensitivities.”
It added that the future choice of language “may affect the EU’s collective support for the resolutions.”
Commenting on the EU statement, the Jerusalem Post observed, “Until now, the EU has not taken a united stand on a drive by both the Arab states and the Palestinians to subtly change UN language with regard to the Temple Mount [Al-Haram Al-Sharif].”
Its opposition or decision to abstain on any future resolutions of this nature “would mark a dramatic shift in its policy.”
1 dec 2018
The United Nations General Assembly (UNGA) voted, on Friday evening, in favor of five resolutions on Palestine and a sixth resolution on the Golan Heights, WAFA correspondence reported.
One of the most important resolutions adopted today, by the UNGA, called on member states not to recognize any measures taken by Israel in Jerusalem and to maintain the current status quo in the holy city.
The resolution also rejected the recent relocation, by the United States, of its Israeli embassy to Jerusalem.
Commenting on the voting, Palestine’s Permanent Observer to the UN, Riyad Mansour, said that “by voting in favor of the five resolutions, the international community affirms its support of our national cause, despite the efforts made by the US administration in international forums to resist this.”
The UNGA also adopted a sixth resolution on the occupied Syrian Golan, demanding the withdrawal of Israel from all of the territory and affirming Syria’s sovereignty over it, in line with the relevant resolutions of the UN Security Council.
This is the second such move by the UN in less than two weeks. On November 17, the UNGA voted in favor of eight resolutions on Palestine and a ninth on the Syrian Golan Heights.
One of the most important resolutions adopted today, by the UNGA, called on member states not to recognize any measures taken by Israel in Jerusalem and to maintain the current status quo in the holy city.
The resolution also rejected the recent relocation, by the United States, of its Israeli embassy to Jerusalem.
Commenting on the voting, Palestine’s Permanent Observer to the UN, Riyad Mansour, said that “by voting in favor of the five resolutions, the international community affirms its support of our national cause, despite the efforts made by the US administration in international forums to resist this.”
The UNGA also adopted a sixth resolution on the occupied Syrian Golan, demanding the withdrawal of Israel from all of the territory and affirming Syria’s sovereignty over it, in line with the relevant resolutions of the UN Security Council.
This is the second such move by the UN in less than two weeks. On November 17, the UNGA voted in favor of eight resolutions on Palestine and a ninth on the Syrian Golan Heights.
The sound of Jewish settler bulldozers as they sweep and dig rocks to build infrastructure for five settlement outposts surrounding the village of Jalud, south of Nablus, is always heard. This has caused the loss of agricultural and pastoral land of the village, which has been plagued by Jewish settlements.
Abdullah Mohammed, the head of the village’s council, confirmed that the Israeli bulldozers continue to raze the village’s land on which many settlement outposts are built, as well as the construction of new roads, water reservoirs on the high mountains and housing units.
He added that the village is no longer able to bear the losses caused by the settlements. It has drained the majority of the village’s land, where the settlements’ expansion does not stop, with the aim of establishing a very large settlement bloc in the area.
Farmer Ahmad Alabid from Jalud said: “The settlements are causing the depletion of grazing areas and agricultural fields. The settlers claim that the land belongs to them and that we, the owners of the land, must leave in a clear theft under the threat of arms and the protection of the occupation army.”
As for why the Israeli occupation concentrates on settlements south of Nablus, researcher Khalid Maali said that this is due to the presence of ancient monuments which religious extremist settlers think come second in importance to that of occupied Jerusalem, as well as because of Jalud’s geographic and strategic location as it is located in the middle of the West Bank, north of Ramallah and east of Salfit and south of Nablus.
Ghassan Daghlas, the official in charge of the settlement profile in the northern West Bank, said a new settlement outpost had been established on the lands of Jalud village, south of the village school, where settlers erected a large tent and built wooden rooms in the area.
Five outposts
He added that settlement expansion is taking place in five sites in the lands of Jalud, such as in the settlements of Shvut Rachel and Amihai al-Jadida, where construction work is underway for building new houses and infrastructure.
At the same time, construction work is taking place at the outposts of Hayah, Ish Kudash and Kida, in addition to the construction of settlement outposts outside these outposts in order to expand them at the expense of Palestinian lands to bring more Jewish settlers in.
The settlements and outposts built on the lands of the village of Jalud, south and east, witnessed an unprecedented construction, bulldozing and settlement expansion in order to impose facts on the ground before the official declaration by the occupation authorities of legitimizing the five settlement outposts, thus forming of a huge settlement bloc on an area of more than 8 km2 of the lands of Jalud, which is classified as area C of the West Bank.
Jalud is a Palestinian village located 26 km to the southeast of the city of Nablus. It is located 790 meter above the sea level, and it is part of the Nablus governorate.
Its lands are surrounded by the villages of Qasri, Qaryut and al-Mughair. Its population in 1922 was estimated at 124. In 1945, there were about 300 people living in the village.
Abdullah Mohammed, the head of the village’s council, confirmed that the Israeli bulldozers continue to raze the village’s land on which many settlement outposts are built, as well as the construction of new roads, water reservoirs on the high mountains and housing units.
He added that the village is no longer able to bear the losses caused by the settlements. It has drained the majority of the village’s land, where the settlements’ expansion does not stop, with the aim of establishing a very large settlement bloc in the area.
Farmer Ahmad Alabid from Jalud said: “The settlements are causing the depletion of grazing areas and agricultural fields. The settlers claim that the land belongs to them and that we, the owners of the land, must leave in a clear theft under the threat of arms and the protection of the occupation army.”
As for why the Israeli occupation concentrates on settlements south of Nablus, researcher Khalid Maali said that this is due to the presence of ancient monuments which religious extremist settlers think come second in importance to that of occupied Jerusalem, as well as because of Jalud’s geographic and strategic location as it is located in the middle of the West Bank, north of Ramallah and east of Salfit and south of Nablus.
Ghassan Daghlas, the official in charge of the settlement profile in the northern West Bank, said a new settlement outpost had been established on the lands of Jalud village, south of the village school, where settlers erected a large tent and built wooden rooms in the area.
Five outposts
He added that settlement expansion is taking place in five sites in the lands of Jalud, such as in the settlements of Shvut Rachel and Amihai al-Jadida, where construction work is underway for building new houses and infrastructure.
At the same time, construction work is taking place at the outposts of Hayah, Ish Kudash and Kida, in addition to the construction of settlement outposts outside these outposts in order to expand them at the expense of Palestinian lands to bring more Jewish settlers in.
The settlements and outposts built on the lands of the village of Jalud, south and east, witnessed an unprecedented construction, bulldozing and settlement expansion in order to impose facts on the ground before the official declaration by the occupation authorities of legitimizing the five settlement outposts, thus forming of a huge settlement bloc on an area of more than 8 km2 of the lands of Jalud, which is classified as area C of the West Bank.
Jalud is a Palestinian village located 26 km to the southeast of the city of Nablus. It is located 790 meter above the sea level, and it is part of the Nablus governorate.
Its lands are surrounded by the villages of Qasri, Qaryut and al-Mughair. Its population in 1922 was estimated at 124. In 1945, there were about 300 people living in the village.
28 nov 2018
Four Palestinian civilians were left injured on Wednesday morning after a blast rocked a home in al-Bureij refugee camp, in central Gaza Strip, according to the Palestinian Health Ministry.
A PIC news reporter said smokes have been emerging from the blast scene. However, the reasons for the incidents remain unknown yet.
The Gaza-based Palestinian Ministry of the Interior said a probe has been launched to identify the causes of the blast. Special forces cordoned off the explosion site.
A PIC news reporter said smokes have been emerging from the blast scene. However, the reasons for the incidents remain unknown yet.
The Gaza-based Palestinian Ministry of the Interior said a probe has been launched to identify the causes of the blast. Special forces cordoned off the explosion site.
The Hamas Movement has warned that the visits that were made Israeli officials to some Arab and Islamic countries and the meetings held with them by Arab parties would lead to serious repercussions on the Palestinian people, their rights and national cause.
In press remarks on Tuesday, Hamas spokesman Fawzi Barhoum denounced president of Chad Idriss Deby for his recent visit to Israel and his meeting with what he described as “top criminal Netanyahu.”
Barhoum reiterated his Movement’s rejection of all forms of normalization with the Israeli occupation state, and called for “stopping such dangerous policies, working hard on supporting the Palestinian people, strengthening their steadfastness on their land and continuing to boycott and isolate the Israeli entity, which is the greatest threat to the entire region.”
Deby started last Sunday an official visit to Israel, which was an unprecedented trip for a Chadian president. His visit came amid reports that the Israeli premier and some ministers intend to travel to other Arab countries soon to meet with heads of state and officials.
A number of visits were made by high-level Israeli politicians to Gulf states in recent weeks, including premier Benjamin Netanyahu’s visit to Oman and culture minister Miri Regev’s trip to Abu Dhabi.
In press remarks on Tuesday, Hamas spokesman Fawzi Barhoum denounced president of Chad Idriss Deby for his recent visit to Israel and his meeting with what he described as “top criminal Netanyahu.”
Barhoum reiterated his Movement’s rejection of all forms of normalization with the Israeli occupation state, and called for “stopping such dangerous policies, working hard on supporting the Palestinian people, strengthening their steadfastness on their land and continuing to boycott and isolate the Israeli entity, which is the greatest threat to the entire region.”
Deby started last Sunday an official visit to Israel, which was an unprecedented trip for a Chadian president. His visit came amid reports that the Israeli premier and some ministers intend to travel to other Arab countries soon to meet with heads of state and officials.
A number of visits were made by high-level Israeli politicians to Gulf states in recent weeks, including premier Benjamin Netanyahu’s visit to Oman and culture minister Miri Regev’s trip to Abu Dhabi.
23 nov 2018
A Fatah delegation is set to travel to Cairo on Sunday to meet with Egyptian officials, the Fatah official Munir al-Jaghoub said in a brief statement on Friday.
According to the statement, the delegation includes Azzam al-Ahmad, member of Fatah's Executive and Central committees, Husein al-Sheikh, member of the Central Committee and Minister of Civil Affairs at the Palestinian Authority, and Majed Faraj, director of the General Intelligence Service.
The statement did not include details about the delegation's agenda, but they are expected to discuss the reconciliation with Hamas, the situation in the Gaza Strip, and the relations with Israel and the United States.
Several meetings have been held over the past two months between the Egyptian side and Palestinian delegations from the Gaza Strip and West Bank to discuss the reconciliation between Fatah and Hamas, and the ceasefire agreement between Israel and resistance groups in Gaza.
According to the statement, the delegation includes Azzam al-Ahmad, member of Fatah's Executive and Central committees, Husein al-Sheikh, member of the Central Committee and Minister of Civil Affairs at the Palestinian Authority, and Majed Faraj, director of the General Intelligence Service.
The statement did not include details about the delegation's agenda, but they are expected to discuss the reconciliation with Hamas, the situation in the Gaza Strip, and the relations with Israel and the United States.
Several meetings have been held over the past two months between the Egyptian side and Palestinian delegations from the Gaza Strip and West Bank to discuss the reconciliation between Fatah and Hamas, and the ceasefire agreement between Israel and resistance groups in Gaza.
22 nov 2018
A bill to officially recognize Palestinian state has been submitted to the House of Commons by the first British Palestinian MP, Laula Moran, on Wednesday.
The Liberal Democrat MP said, in a video she shared before submitting the bill, that she is very proud of being elected as the first Palestinian MP in the U.K. “but, it remains the fact that Britain has not officially recognized the Palestinians as a state and I believe that is something that should change.”
“Since I was elected, I have been dismayed at the progress the Conservative Government has made towards recognizing the state of Palestine,” Moran said, in a statement issued to Anadolu Agency.
“I am in favor of a two-state solution, but, until the state of Palestine is recognized, the two actors can’t come to the table as equal partners,” she said.
She further stated: “Given the U.K.’s role in the Balfour declaration it is vital that Britain recognizes the role it has played and the role is has to play in re-igniting the peace talks.
“Whilst I appreciate that the U.K. recognizing the state of Palestine alone won’t be a solution, doing it would go some way to reigniting the spark of hope that has gone out in the heart of Palestinians across the world.”
The bill will be published in the next few days or weeks and it will, if passed into law, require the government to formally recognize the state of Palestine within 3 months of the bill being passed, a statement from Moran’s parliamentary office said.
PNN further reports that Palestine embarked on a strategy to seek international recognition as an independent state in 1988, with its declaration of independence. Between 2009 and 2010, a second phase began, during which many countries decided to recognize it as an independent state.
In 2012, the United Nations General Assembly granted Palestine the status of non-member observer state.
It has been recognized by 137 of the 193 UN member states and the UK, US and most of the EU countries are still to recognize Palestinian state, officially.
The Liberal Democrat MP said, in a video she shared before submitting the bill, that she is very proud of being elected as the first Palestinian MP in the U.K. “but, it remains the fact that Britain has not officially recognized the Palestinians as a state and I believe that is something that should change.”
“Since I was elected, I have been dismayed at the progress the Conservative Government has made towards recognizing the state of Palestine,” Moran said, in a statement issued to Anadolu Agency.
“I am in favor of a two-state solution, but, until the state of Palestine is recognized, the two actors can’t come to the table as equal partners,” she said.
She further stated: “Given the U.K.’s role in the Balfour declaration it is vital that Britain recognizes the role it has played and the role is has to play in re-igniting the peace talks.
“Whilst I appreciate that the U.K. recognizing the state of Palestine alone won’t be a solution, doing it would go some way to reigniting the spark of hope that has gone out in the heart of Palestinians across the world.”
The bill will be published in the next few days or weeks and it will, if passed into law, require the government to formally recognize the state of Palestine within 3 months of the bill being passed, a statement from Moran’s parliamentary office said.
PNN further reports that Palestine embarked on a strategy to seek international recognition as an independent state in 1988, with its declaration of independence. Between 2009 and 2010, a second phase began, during which many countries decided to recognize it as an independent state.
In 2012, the United Nations General Assembly granted Palestine the status of non-member observer state.
It has been recognized by 137 of the 193 UN member states and the UK, US and most of the EU countries are still to recognize Palestinian state, officially.
