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Two Israelis killed in the occupied West Bank

by
Israelis
  • A Palestinian shooter killed two Israelis in their car.
  • The latest deaths occurred during negotiations in Jordan.
  • The attackers made no quick claim of responsibility.

West Bank: In the occupied West Bank, a Palestinian shooter killed two Israelis in their car, inciting rioting in which a Palestinian man was shot dead and Israeli settlers set fire to homes in Palestinian towns.

The latest deaths occurred during negotiations in Jordan to confront the escalating violence in the occupied area, and just days after Israeli soldiers carried out their deadliest operation on the occupied West Bank in over 20 years, killing 11 Palestinians in the city of Nablus.

The attack on the two settlers, brothers in their twenties from a settlement approximately 8 kilometers (5 miles) away, took place on the major road in Hawara, just south of Nablus, on Sunday.

“Two Israeli civilians were killed in a Palestinian terror incident,” Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and National Security Minister Itamar Ben-Gvir stated in a joint statement on Sunday.

The attackers made no quick claim of responsibility.

Israeli media reported skirmishes between Palestinians and Israeli settlers near Hawara late on Sunday. According to the Palestinian news agency Wafa, the Israelis “set fire to several Palestinian-owned houses” in villages around Nablus.

The attack on the two settlers, brothers in their twenties from a settlement approximately 8 kilometers (5 miles) away, took place on the major road in Hawara, just south of Nablus, on Sunday.

“Two Israeli civilians were killed in a Palestinian terror attack,” Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and National Security Minister Itamar Ben-Gvir stated in a joint statement on Sunday. The attackers made no quick claim of responsibility.

Israeli media reported skirmishes between Palestinians and Israeli settlers near Hawara late on Sunday. According to the Palestinian news agency Wafa, the Israelis “set fire to several Palestinian-owned houses” in villages around Nablus.

According to the Palestinian health ministry, a settler shot and killed a 37-year-old Palestinian in Zaatara village near Nablus.

The Israeli army did not immediately respond, but it did say it had evacuated scores of Palestinians from their homes in Hawara due to fire danger.

According to Ghassan Daghlas, the person in charge of anti-settlement operations, several Palestinian homes and 15 automobiles were set on fire.

“forceful condemnation” was delivered by Israeli President Isaac Herzog.

“Taking the law into one’s own hands, rioting, and committing violence against innocents  – this is not our way,” Herzog added.

According to the Palestinian Red Cross, 98 persons were treated, the majority of them were injured by tear gas, while Israeli emergency services recorded three Israelis injured after being hit by stones.

In a video published by his office, Netanyahu urged calm.

“I ask — even when the blood is boiling — not to take the law into one’s hands,” Netanyahu said, calling for the security forces to “be allowed to carry out their work”.

The Palestinian Authority’s office accused Israel of “protecting terrorist acts perpetrated by settlers” in the occupied West Bank.

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Israel and the Palestinians reach an agreement to reduce bloodshed

by
Israel
  • Israeli and Palestinian officials said that they will work closely to prevent “future bloodshed.”
  • Israel had pledged to suspend discussing setting up any new settlement units.
  • The joint statement came at the end of a conference attended by American, Egyptian, and Jordanian officials.

Israel and Palestine: During meetings in Jordan, Israeli and Palestinian officials promised to put steps in place to de-escalate the escalating violence.

In a joint statement at the end of the conference in the Red Sea resort of Aqaba on Sunday, Israeli and Palestinian officials said that they will work closely to prevent “future bloodshed” and that they “reaffirmed the necessity of committing to de-escalation on the ground”.

Israel had pledged to suspend “discussing setting up any new settlement units for four months and stop approving any new settlements for six months”, a joint statement said.

The Palestinian and Israeli parties “reaffirmed the need to commit to de-escalation on the ground and to prevent further violence” following “thorough and candid discussions,” it said.

The joint statement came at the end of a conference attended by American, Egyptian, and Jordanian officials, who were concerned about an escalation of violence in the run-up to Ramadan, which begins in late March.

According to the statement, Israel and the Palestinian Authority emphasized their “joint readiness and commitment to work immediately to stop unilateral measures” for three to six months.

Jordan, Egypt, and the United States saw “these understandings as major progress towards re-establishing and deepening relations between the two sides,” according to the statement.

According to White House National Security Advisor Jake Sullivan, the meeting constituted a “starting point” for the US.

“There is much work to do over the coming weeks and months to build a stable and prosperous future for Israelis and Palestinians alike,” Sullivan said of the Aqaba meeting. “Implementation will be critical.”

The two parties have agreed to meet again next month in Egypt’s Sharm el-Sheikh.

The Hamas movement, which governs the constrained Gaza Strip, has attacked the Palestinian Authority, which is based in the West Bank. According to a group official, the meeting was “worthless” and would not change anything.

The conference has previously been defended by Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas’s ruling Fatah movement.

“The decision to take part in the Aqaba meeting despite the pain and massacres being endured by the Palestinian people comes from a desire to bring an end to the bloodshed,” it said on Twitter.

Israel’s Finance Minister, Bezalel Smotrich, who is also in charge of Israeli settlements in the West Bank, swiftly stated that he would not comply with any deal to halt settlement expansion.

“I have no idea what they spoke about or not in Jordan,” Smotrich wrote on Twitter. “But one thing I do know: there will not be a freeze on the building and development in settlements, not even for one day (it is under my authority).”

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Jordan will host Palestinian-Israeli talks as the conflict escalates

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Jordan
  • Jordan to hold a “political-security” meeting between Israel and Palestine.
  • The political-security meeting is part of stepped-up ongoing efforts by Jordan.
  • The Israeli-Palestinian conflict has claimed the lives of 62 Palestinian adults and children since the beginning of this year.

Jordan will on Sunday host a “political-security” meeting between Israel and the Palestinians to attempt and restore peace to the occupied Palestinian territories amid fatal violence, a Jordanian government official said.

Representatives from the United States and Egypt will also attend the meeting in the Red Sea resort of Aqaba.

It aims at “building trust” between Israel and the Palestinians.

The talks will take place after 11 Palestinians were killed and over 80 were injured in a fire battle on Wednesday when Israeli troops raided the West Bank city of Nablus, which Israel has occupied since the 1967 Six-Day War.

The death toll was the greatest since the end of the second Palestinian intifada, or uprising, in 2005, the year the UN began counting casualties.

Intensifying unrest this year has raised international concern, following the worst violence in the West Bank since UN records began in 2022.

“The political-security meeting is part of stepped-up ongoing efforts by Jordan in coordination with the Palestinian Authority and other parties to end unilateral measures (by Israel) and a security breakdown that could fuel more violence,” the Jordanian government official said.

The negotiations aim to achieve “security and economic measures to alleviate the hardships of the Palestinian people,” according to the official.

Jordan, like Egypt, is bound by an agreement with Israel.

The Israeli-Palestinian conflict has claimed the lives of 62 Palestinian adults and children since the beginning of this year.

According to calculations based on official sources from both sides, nine Israeli civilians, including three children, a police officer, and one Ukrainian civilian, were murdered during the same period.

Wednesday’s raid was the latest in a series of deadly Israeli military operations in the West Bank. Israel is led by a new coalition government that is widely regarded as the most right-wing in the country’s history.

The negotiations aim to achieve “security and economic measures to alleviate the hardships of the Palestinian people,” according to the official.

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu of Israel, who assumed office in January,

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, who was re-elected in December, visited Amman in January for a rare meeting with King Abdullah II.

Jordan’s support for a two-state solution between Israel and the Palestinians to end the decades-long conflict was also underlined by Abdullah.

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Israel launches airstrikes on Gaza after rocket attacks

by
Israel
  • Israel targeted weapons manufacturing and storage sites in Gaza.
  • The bombings came after at least 11 Palestinians were killed in Nablus.
  • The occupied West Bank has been shaken by a series of violent Israeli military incursions.

Israel launched airstrikes targeting alleged weapons manufacturing and storage sites in Gaza on Thursday, following a rocket attack from the coastal enclave, the Israel Defense Forces (IDF) said.

In a statement, the IDF said “fighter jets struck a weapons manufacturing site” in central Gaza owned by Hamas, the Palestinian militant group that runs Gaza.

“In parallel, a military compound belonging to the Hamas Terrorist Organization in the northern Gaza Strip which also was used as a naval weapons storage warehouse was struck,” the statement said.

Earlier Thursday, the IDF said five rockets fired from Gaza toward Israeli territory, including the cities of Ashkelon and Sderot, were intercepted and another rocket fell in an open area

The bombings came after at least 11 Palestinians were killed in Nablus, in the occupied West Bank, on Wednesday during a rare daytime raid by the Israeli military, which also injured more than 100 people. According to the organization, one of those killed in the Nablus raid was a Hamas member.

IDF raids into the West Bank are typically performed at night; the last time the military launched a daylight operation, they said it was due to an imminent threat.

‘Violent and deadly’

In the past year, the occupied West Bank has been shaken by a series of violent Israeli military incursions, as tensions between Israel and the Palestinian territories remain high in a region riven by death.

An Israeli raid on the West Bank city of Jenin in January resulted in the worst day for Palestinians in almost a year, with at least ten Palestinians killed on the day and one dying later of his wounds. The next day, at least seven civilians were killed in a shooting near a synagogue in Jerusalem, which Israel described as one of its worst terror acts in recent years.

This comes as Israeli Prime Minister Netanyahu leads the country’s most far-right and religious cabinet in its history.

Netanyahu previously stated that Israelis can become “hung up” on peace talks with the Palestinians, but he has chosen a different approach.

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Israel approves legislation to strip the citizenship of Israeli Arab attackers

by
Israel
  • Palestinian residents of occupied East Jerusalem will lose their residency status.
  • An overwhelming majority of MPs supported the bill.
  • Critics claim it is racist and violates international law.

Israel has passed legislation that will strip the citizenship of Israeli Arabs convicted of terrorism and receive financial assistance from the Palestinian Authority (PA).

It is also possible that Palestinian residents of occupied East Jerusalem will lose their residency status.

An overwhelming majority of MPs supported the bill, claiming that individuals impacted had betrayed the Israeli state.

Critics claim it is racist and violates international law by depriving people of their citizenship.

The PA’s monthly stipends for Palestinian prisoners who have carried out attacks on Israelis or their families have long been a source of contention.

Israel describes them as a “pay for slay” policy that encourages violence.

It has already acted to freeze bank accounts or seize assets of persons with Israeli citizenship or Jerusalem residence rights who it suspected of receiving financial assistance.

Many Palestinians regard the detainees in Israeli jails as nationalist heroes, and the PA regards the funds provided to them as social welfare.

It was argued in parliament that the new legislation might affect hundreds of convicts.

They could be deported to PA-controlled areas of the occupied West Bank or the Gaza Strip in the end.

After months of growing fatal violence, including Israeli operations on militants in the West Bank and Palestinian street attacks on Israelis, the measure had widespread support in Israel’s parliament.

It was passed by 94 votes to 10, despite severe political divisions, with members of the hard-right government coalition and opposition parties voting in favor.

Ofir Katz, a member of the prime minister’s Likud party in Israel, who headed the joint group that produced the plan, thought it would bring solace to bereaved families.

“I hope that this step we are taking today is the dawn of a new era. I know and feel from the bottom of my heart that such laws are our true mission as elected officials,” he said.

“I say unequivocally, a terrorist who receives money from the Palestinian Authority should fly from here to Gaza, anywhere else.”

The Palestinian Ministry of Foreign Affairs described the law as “the ugliest form of racism.”

Opposition MPs said the bill was discriminatory since it did not apply to Jewish Israelis convicted of attacks on Palestinians or other major crimes.

“For example, Yigal Amir murdered a prime minister – not only was his citizenship not revoked but there was also no proposal,” said Ahmed Tibi, referring to the Israeli Jewish extremist who assassinated the former prime minister, Yitzhak Rabin.

Approximately one-fifth of Israelis are Arab citizens who frequently identify as and with Palestinians.

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US, European nations join to oppose Israeli settlement authorization

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European nations US

The foreign ministers of four European nations joined Washington. The settlements Israel has established are viewed as illegitimate. Israel has built 132 settlements since the 1967 conflict on the territory. On Tuesday, the foreign ministers of four European nations joined Washington in denouncing the Israeli government’s decision to permit the construction of nine Jewish settlers’ … Read more

Palestinian ministry: Israeli troops kill teen in West Bank raid

by
Palestinian
  • Hamza Amjad al-Ashqar, 17, was killed by a gunshot in the face.
  • Ashqar was from the Askar refugee camp in Nablus.
  • A military spokeswoman was unable to immediately identify the weapon used by the armed suspect.

NABLUS – Israeli troops killed a Palestinian teenager in the occupied West Bank city of Nablus on Tuesday, according to the Palestinian health ministry, with the Israeli army alleging he fired on soldiers.

Hamza Amjad al-Ashqar, 17, was “killed by a gunshot in the face fired by occupation (Israeli) soldiers during the onslaught on Nablus,” according to the ministry.

The Israeli army claimed troops had “responded with live fire towards an armed suspect who fired at them”.

“A hit was identified,” the army said in a statement, adding that “rocks, explosive devices, and Molotov cocktails were hurled at the soldiers” conducting the raid.

A military spokeswoman was unable to immediately identify the weapon used by the armed suspect.

According to a Palestinian security source who was not authorized to speak to the media, Ashqar was from the Askar refugee camp in Nablus.

According to the source, three persons were arrested during the Israeli raid on the city.

Ashqar was not a member of any Palestinian organization.

Separately, the official Palestinian news agency said that approximately 20 Palestinians were detained in Burqin, near the flashpoint city of Jenin.

A fresh wave of Israeli incursions in West Bank towns and cities has resulted in an increasing death toll.

After a days-long search for suspects in a shooting at a restaurant near Jericho, Israeli forces killed five suspected Palestinian gunmen in a raid on Monday.

The Israeli-Palestinian conflict has claimed the lives of 42 Palestinians since the beginning of the year, including assailants, terrorists, and bystanders. During the same time period, six Israeli civilians, including a child, and one Ukrainian civilian were killed.

Israel has occupied the West Bank since the 1967 Six-Day War.

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Israel targets Gaza with airstrikes after intercepting a rocket

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  • One rocket fired from Gaza had been intercepted by the IDF
  • Israeli fighter jets hit a chemical production plant and a weapons manufacturing facility.
  • No casualties were reported.

According to the Israel Defense Forces (IDF), Israel launched airstrikes in Gaza early Thursday after intercepting a rocket barrage from the coastal territory.

According to a tweet from the Israeli Defense Forces, Israeli fighter jets hit a chemical production plant and a weapons manufacturing facility held by Hamas, the Palestinian militant organization that rules Gaza.

“The IDF holds Hamas responsible for all terrorist activity emanating from Gaza and it will face the consequences of the security violations against Israel,” the IDF wrote.

The IDF claimed on Wednesday that one rocket fired from Gaza had been intercepted by the IDF Aerial Defense Array.

It posted two black-and-white films of the airstrikes on Thursday, showing massive plumes of dark smoke in the air and debris falling to the ground.

It’s unclear if there were any casualties.

According to the official Palestinian News & Information Agency, F-16 airplanes unleashed at least five missiles at a “site” in central Gaza, setting it on fire and destroying neighboring homes. According to the report, two missiles also struck agricultural areas in the central region.

The strike follows a period of violence on both sides. Last Thursday, Israeli soldiers killed nine Palestinians and injured numerous more in Jenin, West Bank, on the worst day for Palestinians in nearly two years. The shooting near a Jerusalem synagogue on Friday night was followed by one of Israel’s biggest terror strikes in recent years.

It also comes on the heels of US Secretary of State Antony Blicken’s visit to Israel and the West Bank earlier this week, which some hoped would help calm increasing tensions.

The Biden administration has been cautious in its wording and has worked to avoid openly criticizing Israel’s new government, led by Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and comprised of controversial far-right politicians.

Blinken restated the administration’s goal of a two-state solution for Israelis and Palestinians on Wednesday, saying the US “would continue to oppose anything that moves that goal further away.”

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Blinken expresses sympathy for the martyred ‘innocent’ Palestinians

by
Blinken
  • Blinken met Abbas in Ramallah, West bank.
  • This month’s war has claimed the lives of 35 Palestinian adults and children.
  • Blinken underlined the United States support for a Palestinian state.

RAMALLAH: US Secretary of State Antony Blinken expressed his sorrow Tuesday for “innocent” Palestinians martyred in a spike of violence in the occupied West Bank, after meeting Palestinian president Mahmud Abbas.

Washington’s top diplomat met Abbas in Ramallah, West Bank, on the final stop of a Middle East tour aimed at halting the violence, after meeting with Israeli Prime Official Benjamin Netanyahu and a cabinet minister.

A new wave of violence has hit both sides. On Friday, a man shot and killed seven people in an Israeli settlement in occupied east Jerusalem, a day after the worst army raid in years in the West Bank killed ten Palestinians.

This month’s war has claimed the lives of 35 Palestinian adults and children, as well as six Israeli civilians, including a toddler, and one Ukrainian.

Blinken expressed his “sorrow for the innocent Palestinian people who have lost their lives in growing violence over the previous year” in Ramallah.

Since the United Nations began counting fatalities in the occupied territory in 2005, the year 2022 has been the worst in the West Bank.

“Palestinians and Israelis alike are suffering rising insecurity and terror in their homes, communities, and places of worship,” Blinken added.

The remarks by the US envoy alongside the Palestinian leader come a day after he met with Netanyahu and encouraged both sides to take “urgent efforts” to de-escalate tensions.

After meeting with Palestinian people in the West Bank, US Secretary of State John Kerry claimed he witnessed a “shrinking horizon of hope” for Palestinians.

Unwavering support

Blinken met with new Israeli Defense Minister Yoav Gallant before departing for the West Bank on Tuesday. Gallant was appointed as part of Netanyahu’s right-wing government in December.

Gallant hailed Blinken for his “unwavering commitment” to preserving Israel’s regional military superiority.

The deadly east Jerusalem shooting was followed by Israel’s worst operation in the West Bank in years, which killed ten people in the densely crowded Jenin refugee camp on Thursday. Israel said that its forces were targeting Islamic Jihad operatives.

In response to rocket fire from the Palestinian enclave, Israel struck locations in the Hamas-ruled Gaza Strip.

The group stated Blinken’s visit “emphasizes the utter support and partnership with the (Israeli) occupation”.

Netanyahu’s government has sought to penalize “terrorist families who enable terrorism” with home demolitions and other measures.

His administration also intends to revoke the family of the assailants’ rights to social security payments, as well as take steps to make it easier for Israeli citizens to obtain permits to carry firearms.

Close the file

Blinken had made an initial visit to Egypt, where he met President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi, commending “Egypt’s crucial role in promoting stability in the area”.

Egypt’s diplomatic and intelligence agencies, which get significant US military help, are frequently called upon to mediate between Israelis and Palestinians.

Blink en’s journey to Israel is part of the Biden administration’s efforts to immediately connect with Netanyahu, who had strained relations with the previous Democratic president, Barack Obama.

Blinken underlined the United States support for a Palestinian state.

Blinken criticized Israeli efforts in Ramallah that Washington feels are impeding the two-state solution.

“Settlement growth, legalization of (settlement) outposts, demolitions and evictions, interruptions to the historic status of holy sites, and, of course, provocation and acquiescence to violence,” he said.

Settlements and the demolition of Palestinian homes have been high on the agenda of Netanyahu’s new government, Israel’s most right-wing administration in history.

During Netanyahu’s previous tenure, Israel established ties with the UAE, Bahrain, and Morocco, thanks to agreements negotiated by then-US President Donald Trump.

Netanyahu said on Monday that broadening previous agreements and “trying to finally complete the file of the Arab-Israeli problem” will also help him establish a workable solution with his Palestinian neighbors.

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Blinken travels to the Middle East as unrest unfolds

by
Blinken
  • Blinken will meet with the Israeli Prime Minister and the Palestinian President.
  • He will seek to utilize US influence to reduce Israeli-Palestinian tensions.
  • Blinken will discuss general efforts to be done to de-escalate tensions.

WASHINGTON – US Secretary of State Antony Blinken was scheduled to arrive in Egypt on Sunday to begin a Middle East trip in which he will seek to utilize US influence to reduce Israeli-Palestinian tensions following an outbreak of violence.

Blinken, who will visit Jerusalem and Ramallah on Monday and Tuesday, had long planned to see Israel’s new right-wing government, but the trip has taken on additional urgency in the aftermath of some of the worst bloodshed in years.

On Friday, a Palestinian shooter killed seven people outside a synagogue in an east Jerusalem settlement neighborhood, and another attack occurred on Saturday.

On Thursday, nine people were killed in one of the deadliest such operations in years, an Israeli army raid on the Jenin refugee camp in the West Bank. In response to rocket fire, Israel said it was targeting Islamic Jihad militants and also struck the Hamas-ruled Gaza Strip.

Blinken will meet with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and Palestinian President Mahmud Abbas and will ask for “general efforts to be done to de-escalate tensions,” according to State Department spokesperson Vedant Patel, who also condemned the “horrific” synagogue massacre.

Egypt as a mediator

The violence is also sure to come up in discussions with Blinken and Egyptian President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi, whose country’s historic position as a Middle East mediator has helped him maintain a vital US partner despite President Joe Biden’s condemnation of his human rights record.

Because of its close relationship with Israel, the United States has traditionally taken the lead in Middle East diplomacy.

Experts, however, questioned if Blinken could make any breakthroughs.

“The absolute best they can do is maintain things stable to avoid another May 2021,” said veteran US negotiator Aaron David Miller, referring to more than two weeks of conflict between Israel and Hamas that ended with an Egyptian-brokered truce.

Ghaith Al-Omari, a former Palestinian official now at The Washington Institute, expected Blinken to repeat traditional US positions rather than break new ground.

“The trip itself is the message,” he said.

“Blinken will ask Abbas to do more but it is not clear what they can do,” he said, referring to the Palestinians.

Flooding the zone with Netanyahu

Blinken’s visit is part of the Biden administration’s effort to engage Netanyahu as soon as possible when he returned to office in late December, leading the most right-wing coalition in Israel’s history.

Israel’s longest-serving prime minister had a strained relationship with the last Democratic president, Barack Obama, as Netanyahu openly opposes US dialogue with Iran.

Jake Sullivan, Biden’s national security advisor, traveled earlier in January to discuss Iran after Biden’s efforts to resurrect a 2015 nuclear agreement, which Netanyahu despises, effectively collapsed.

“I’ve never seen such a frenzy of high-level interactions under any administration as you’re witnessing right now,” Miller, now with the Carnegie Endowment for International Peace, said.

Miller stated that the Biden administration is attempting to “avoid confrontation with Netanyahu,” citing the significant support for the Israeli leader among Republicans who currently control the House of Representatives.

David Makovsky, a fellow at the Washington Institute, confirmed that CIA Director Bill Burns had visited the region.

“It appears to be flooding the zone,” he remarked.

The normalization of relations with the United Arab Emirates in 2020, which has raced full speed ahead on establishing ties despite public misgivings about the new government’s policies, has been heralded as a notable achievement by Netanyahu.

On his trip, Blinken is anticipated to emphasize the United States’ support for a Palestinian state, a prospect that few believe to be realized under the new Israeli government.

According to the State Department, Blinken will also advocate for the maintenance of the status quo at the controversial Al-Aqsa mosque compound, which is sacred to both Jews and Muslims.

Itamar Ben-Gvir, a far-right ideologue in Netanyahu’s ministry who works in security, openly visited the Temple Mount in early January.

Blinken is also anticipated to discuss regional issues such as Libya and Sudan in Egypt, according to the State Department.

Egypt remains one of the major recipients of US military aid, but the relationship is under review by certain members of Biden’s Democratic Party owing to Sisi’s behavior.

Authorities released hundreds of political prisoners last year, but rights groups estimate some 60,000 remain in detention, many facing harsh conditions and overcrowded cells.

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Israel arrests dozens after deadly synagogue shooting

by
Israel
  • The gunman was identified as a 21-year-old.
  • Police arrested 42 people for interrogation.
  • Those detained included inhabitants of the gunman’s neighborhood.

JERUSALEM — Israel police said Saturday that dozens of individuals were arrested after a Palestinian gunman killed seven people outside a synagogue in one of the city’s bloodiest attacks in years.

The gunman was identified as a 21-year-old inhabitant of east Jerusalem, which Israel seized following the 1967 Six-Day War.

There is no evidence that he was previously involved in militant action or was a member of an established Palestinian armed organization.

He was slain by police after a brief chase following the shooting.

In a statement, police stated they had arrested “42 people for interrogation” overnight, “some of them members of the terrorist’s family”.

According to authorities, those detained included inhabitants of the gunman’s neighborhood.

In a separate statement, police said the force had been placed on “highest level” alert following the attack in the east Jerusalem neighborhood of Neve Yaakov.

Kobi Shabtai, Israel’s police chief, called the shooting “one of the worst attacks (Israel) has seen in recent years.”

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Gaza militants fire two rockets, Israel strikes in Gaza immediately

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Gaza Israel

Two rockets were fired from Gaza toward southern Israel. Israeli interceptor missiles were fired into the sky above Ashkelon. Israeli incursion in West Bank resulted in the highest single death toll in years. On Friday, Palestinian armed groups launched two rockets from the Gaza Strip toward southern Israel. The rockets were shot down by missile … Read more

The death toll rose to nine in Israel West Bank raid: Palestinian ministry

by
West Bank
  • Occupation forces stormed Jenin Government Hospital.
  • Palestinian officials accuse Israeli forces of using tear gas.
  • The deaths bring the total number of Palestinians killed in the West Bank this year to 29.

JENIN: An Israeli raid on the Jenin refugee camp in the occupied West Bank on Thursday killed nine Palestinians, including an elderly woman, according to Palestinian officials, who also accused the forces of using tear gas inside a hospital children’s ward.

The death toll rose to “nine martyrs including an elderly woman,” the health ministry said, with multiple wounded.

In a separate statement, Palestinian health minister Mai al-Kaila charged that “occupation forces stormed Jenin Government Hospital and intentionally fired tear gas canisters at the pediatric department in the hospital”.

The situation in the refugee camp, she said, was “critical,” and Israeli forces were preventing ambulances from reaching the injured.

When asked about the health minister’s tear gas allegation, Israel’s army declined to comment.

Only that “forces are operating in Jenin,” according to the military.

The deaths on Thursday bring the total number of Palestinians killed in the West Bank this year to 29, including fighters and civilians, the majority of whom were shot by Israeli forces.

Jenin deputy governor Kamal Abu al-Rub told that residents were living in a “real state of war”.

“The Israeli army is destroying everything and shooting at anything that moves,” he said, according to sources.

The rising death toll comes on the heels of the deadliest year in Palestinian territory since United Nations records began in 2005.

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Israeli raid kills four Palestinians and wounded several others

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Palestinians
  • Israeli forces used tear gas canisters.
  • Israel has increased raids.
  • Israeli forces killed 24 Palestinians during raids.

Israeli troops have killed at least four Palestinians and wounded several others during armed confrontations in Jenin, in the northern occupied West Bank, according to witnesses and medics.

An elderly woman has been reported among the dead, according to Palestinian officials.

Mai al-Kaila, the Palestinian health minister, also claimed that Israeli forces used tear gas canisters at a children’s hospital in Jenin, causing children to choke.

On Thursday, the Israeli military confirmed that an operation was underway in Jenin, but provided no further details.

Jenin is one of the northern West Bank areas where Israel has increased raids in an effort to crack down on growing armed Palestinian resistance.

The identities of the Jenin casualties were not immediately known. Hamas and Islamic Jihad, two Palestinian armed groups, said their fighters were fighting Israeli troops.

In January, Israeli forces killed 24 Palestinians during raids in the occupied West Bank and East Jerusalem, including five children.

In 2022, such raids killed over 170 Palestinians, many of whom were civilians.

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Israeli military kills a Palestinian teacher and a militant during a raid

by
Israeli
  • Israeli-Palestinian violence has escalated.
  • A militant and a Palestinian school teacher were killed during a military raid.
  • The Israeli military declined to comment immediately.

RAMALLAH, West Bank – Israeli troops killed a Palestinian schoolteacher and a militant during a military raid in the West Bank early Thursday, according to Palestinian officials and media, as Israeli-Palestinian violence escalated.

Jawad Bawaqna, 57, and Adham Jabarin, 28, were killed, according to the Palestinian Health Ministry. They were killed in Jenin, a refugee camp in the northern West Bank.

According to the Palestinian news agency, Bawaqna was a secondary school teacher and father of six children. Jabarin was claimed as a fighter by the Al Aqsa Martyrs’ Brigade, an armed militia affiliated with Fatah, the secular political party that controls the Palestinian Authority. According to the agency, Bawaqna was shot and killed while attempting to provide medical assistance to Jabarin after being shot outside his home.

The Israeli military declined to comment immediately.

Israeli forces also detained a local official of the militant group Islamic Jihad in Jenin, according to Palestinian media.

Tensions have risen in the West Bank, where the Israeli military has been carrying out near-nightly arrest raids since last spring, following a wave of Palestinian attacks on Israelis that killed 19. A further ten Israelis were killed in a second wave of attacks later that year.

According to Israel, the raids are intended to dismantle militant networks and prevent future attacks. The Palestinians see them as a further entrenchment of Israel’s ongoing, 55-year occupation of lands sought for a future Palestinian state.

Total death of Palestinians killed by Israeli forces

The deaths on Thursday bring the total number of Palestinians killed by Israeli forces in the West Bank to 17 since the beginning of 2023.

According to figures from the Israeli rights group B’Tselem, nearly 150 Palestinians were killed by Israeli fire in the West Bank and east Jerusalem in 2022, making it the deadliest year since 2004.

According to Israel, the majority of those killed were militants. However, Palestinian stone-throwers, youths protesting the incursions, and others who were not involved in the clashes have also been killed.

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Israel has been told to cease “any illegitimate, unilateral measures”

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Israel
  • Egypt hosted Jordanian and Palestinian leaders for talks on the situation of the Israeli-Palestinian conflict.
  • They issued a joint statement calling on Israel to halt.
  • Jordan summoned the Israeli ambassador to Amman.

Egypt’s President Abdul Fattah Al Sissi hosted Jordanian and Palestinian leaders for talks on the situation of the Israeli-Palestinian conflict in Cairo.

Following the meeting on Tuesday, Al Sissi, Jordan’s King Abdullah II, and Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas issued a joint statement calling on Israel to halt “all illegitimate, unilateral measures” undermining the creation of an independent Palestinian state and to maintain the status quo at the Noble Sanctuary.

The smallest modification at the Al Aqsa Mosque compound — one of the most contentious sites in the region — might spark a major new conflict between Israel and the Muslim world. Previous Israeli activities in the region have sparked violent protests and broader confrontations.

Jordan summoned the Israeli ambassador to Amman earlier in the day to protest Israeli police blocking the Jordanian envoy from entering a sacred site in Jerusalem.

Jordan’s Foreign Ministry claimed Ghassan Majali, its ambassador to Israel, was barred from visiting the Al Aqsa Mosque compound in Jerusalem’s Old City, Islam’s third holiest site.

Majali arrived at the holy site “without any prior arrangement with police officials,” according to Israeli police, prompting an officer at the compound entrance who didn’t recognize the ambassador to tell his commander about the surprise visit. Officers detained Majali and Azzam Al-Khatib, the director of the Jerusalem Waqf, as they awaited orders. According to Israeli police, the ambassador refused to wait and decided to leave.

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Israel soldier killed in grenade accident says Military

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Israel soldier

Israel’s military reported six fatal training-related incidents in 2022. Grenade accidentally exploded at a military base. The soldier was shot at the Tzeelim Base during a military drill. According to the Israeli military, a grenade accidentally exploded at a military base in the Jordan Valley of the occupied West Bank, killing 1 Israeli soldier. In … Read more

Israel’s Itamar Ben-Gvir orders police to remove Palestinian flags

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Itamar Ben-Gvir

Itamar Ben-Gvir claims he ordered police to remove Palestinian flags. Israeli law does not prohibit flags of other countries from being hoisted. About a fifth of Israelis are Arab, the majority descended from Palestinians. Itamar Ben-Gvir, Israel’s new far-right National Security Minister, claimed on Sunday that he had given police the order to take down … Read more

UN Security Council will consider the visit to Al-Aqsa Mosque

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Al-Aqsa Mosque
  • UN Security Council to consider Israeli minister’s contentious visit to Al-Aqsa mosque.
  • Itamar Ben-Gvir is Israel’s new national security minister.
  • The 15-member Council will meet at the United Nations headquarters in New York.

The UN Security Council will consider an Israeli minister’s contentious visit to Jerusalem’s Al-Aqsa mosque. The 15-member Council will meet at 3 p.m. at the United Nations headquarters in New York.

“The international community decides the fate of safeguarding Jerusalem’s Islamic and Christian landmarks,” the Palestinian UN ambassador stated.

“We won’t be pleased by tomorrow’s Security Council pronouncements. We expect concrete results “Adding,

Itamar Ben-Gvir, Israel’s new national security minister, will visit Egypt on Tuesday.

Al-Aqsa mosque in Israeli-annexed east Jerusalem is Islam’s third-holiest place. It’s called Temple Mount by Jews.

Non-Muslims can visit the place, but they can’t pray there.

In recent years, more Jews, mostly Israeli nationalists, have discreetly prayed at the area, which Palestinians decry. Such efforts threaten Jerusalem’s holy sites, say Western governments.

The US, a longtime supporter of Israel, condemned Ben-visit. Gvir’s Jordan’s UN ambassador Mahmoud Daifallah Hmoud called it an act of extremism meant to incite bloodshed.

“The Security Council must take its role seriously and stop this,” he said.

UN spokesperson Stephane Dujarric said Wednesday that Antonio Guterres “urge on all to desist from escalating tensions in and around Jerusalem.”

The UN Security Council has issued multiple resolutions on the Israeli-Palestinian conflict and favors a two-state solution.

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UN seeks ICJ opinion on Israel’s illegal occupation

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ICJ

UNGA has asked the ICJ to rule on Israel’s illegal occupation of Palestinian land. The ICJ lacks the authority to do so, but its decisions are enforceable. The ICJ will probe Israel’s occupation of Palestinian lands. The International Court of Justice (ICJ) has been requested by the United Nations General Assembly to issue a ruling … Read more

PM reaffirms support to people of Palestine against Israeli oppression

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Shehbaz

ISLAMABAD: Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif has reaffirmed Pakistan’s unwavering support to the oppressed Palestinian people against Israeli occupation. In a series of tweets on the occasion of International Day of Solidarity with the Palestinian people, the prime minister said this day highlights the extreme sufferings Palestinians have endured under illegal Israeli occupation. He said that … Read more

Palestinian human rights organization accuses Israel of ‘mafia methods’ as UN trial begins

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Palestinian human rights organization

Palestinian human rights organization accused Isreal of using ‘mafia methods.’ The first round of hearings will then focus on the murder of Palestinian-American journalist Shireen Abu Akleh. It left the body in 2018 and just rejoined this year. A Palestinian human rights organization told a United Nations panel on Monday that it had been subjected … Read more

‘Worry and fear’: Incessant Israeli drones heighten Gaza anxiety

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gaza israel conflict

Each month, Israel utilizes drones over Gaza for 4,000 flight hours — the equivalent of permanently deploying five unmanned aircraft.  Children experience “fear and anxiety” as a direct result of unmanned aircrafts in the air, she says. Israel and Hamas have engaged in four conflicts in the past fifteen years. The buzzing sound of Israeli … Read more

No peace in Middle East without resolving Palestinian issue: FM Bilawal

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palestinian

NEW YORK: Pakistan reaffirming its full support to the Palestinian people’s struggle for self-determination and against foreign occupation and urged the international community to help them establish an independent state with Al-Quds al-Sharif as its capital. “The festering wound of Israeli occupation and atrocities in occupied Palestine is the principal source of instability, tensions and … Read more

Mahmoud Abbas draws criticism on his ’50 Holocausts’ speech

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Mahmoud Abbas

Mahmoud Abbas claims that Israel committed “50 Holocausts” against Palestinians. Comments sparked outrage from international leaders and a social media firestorm. Israeli Prime Minister Yair Lapid called them “despicable and false”. Mahmoud Abbas, the president of the Palestinian Authority, touched a raw chord on Tuesday when he claimed that Israel had committed “50 Holocausts” against … Read more

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