The Zionist Psy-warfare: ‘Israel’ Used Fake Accounts During Gaza War

March 23, 2023

By Al-Ahed News

In a piece entitled ‘Israeli’ Army Conducted Online Psy-op Against ‘Israeli’ Public During Gaza War, Haaretz detailed how the Zionist military used bots and fake social media accounts during May 2021 war on Gaza.

The ‘Israeli’ military spokesperson’s unit conducted a psychological warfare operation against Zionist settlers during the May 2021 campaign in Gaza, the ‘Israeli’ paper noted.

“Israeli” soldiers took to Twitter, Facebook, Instagram and TikTok and uploaded images and clips of the army’s strikes in Gaza using the hashtag #Gazaregrets with captions such as “Why do they only show ‘Israel’ being attacked instead of our own strikes in Gaza? We have to show everyone how strong we are!” and “Share so that everyone can see how we retaliate big time” or “Making sure Gaza regrets…”

According to Haaretz, this “propaganda campaign” was launched several days into the fighting, after the ‘Israeli’ military Spokesperson’s Unit felt that the ‘Israeli’ public was more impressed by the rocket strikes launched against ‘Israel’ by Gaza than by the ‘Israeli’ military’s actions inside the Strip. According to internal discussions, the unit’s use of fake accounts – “bots” – was meant to prevent its “attribution” to the army. This, the Zionist military hoped, would make it look authentic, as if it originated organically from the public.

To echo the campaign further, the Spokesperson’s Unit discreetly teamed up with two popular ‘Israeli’ Instagram accounts – @idftweets and @pazam_gram – which have hundreds of thousands of followers. On the first day of this campaign, @idftweets shared posts and stories of an ‘Israeli’ military strike with the hashtag #Gazaregrets. The content received hundreds of likes and enthusiastic comments like “kill them all” or “why are any buildings still standing in Gaza?” @pazam_gram followed suit with stories on their accounts.

The Zionist military Spokesperson’s Unit also intended to use social media influencers in order to sway the ‘Israeli’ public opinion.

It is unclear if the Zionist military paid the Instagram account holders for their services, Haaretz said. According to a source familiar with the inner workings of the unit, this is not the only time such cooperation has taken place.

The Campaigns Unit within the department operates as a kind of media office for the Zionist military and organizes internal and external campaigns to raise awareness of the army’s different units and military issues. It was headed at the time by Yuval Horowitz, a settler contracted as a marketing campaigner, who now works for Keshet Media. The unit is staffed by reservists who work as advertisers and designers.

The ‘Israeli’ military had employed for years

By Al-Ahed News

In a piece entitled ‘Israeli’ Army Conducted Online Psy-op Against ‘Israeli’ Public During Gaza War, Haaretz detailed how the Zionist military used bots and fake social media accounts during May 2021 war on Gaza.

The ‘Israeli’ military spokesperson’s unit conducted a psychological warfare operation against Zionist settlers during the May 2021 campaign in Gaza, the ‘Israeli’ paper noted.

“Israeli” soldiers took to Twitter, Facebook, Instagram and TikTok and uploaded images and clips of the army’s strikes in Gaza using the hashtag #Gazaregrets with captions such as “Why do they only show ‘Israel’ being attacked instead of our own strikes in Gaza? We have to show everyone how strong we are!” and “Share so that everyone can see how we retaliate big time” or “Making sure Gaza regrets…”

According to Haaretz, this “propaganda campaign” was launched several days into the fighting, after the ‘Israeli’ military Spokesperson’s Unit felt that the ‘Israeli’ public was more impressed by the rocket strikes launched against ‘Israel’ by Gaza than by the ‘Israeli’ military’s actions inside the Strip. According to internal discussions, the unit’s use of fake accounts – “bots” – was meant to prevent its “attribution” to the army. This, the Zionist military hoped, would make it look authentic, as if it originated organically from the public.

To echo the campaign further, the Spokesperson’s Unit discreetly teamed up with two popular ‘Israeli’ Instagram accounts – @idftweets and @pazam_gram – which have hundreds of thousands of followers. On the first day of this campaign, @idftweets shared posts and stories of an ‘Israeli’ military strike with the hashtag #Gazaregrets. The content received hundreds of likes and enthusiastic comments like “kill them all” or “why are any buildings still standing in Gaza?” @pazam_gram followed suit with stories on their accounts.

The Zionist military Spokesperson’s Unit also intended to use social media influencers in order to sway the ‘Israeli’ public opinion.

It is unclear if the Zionist military paid the Instagram account holders for their services, Haaretz said. According to a source familiar with the inner workings of the unit, this is not the only time such cooperation has taken place.

The Campaigns Unit within the department operates as a kind of media office for the Zionist military and organizes internal and external campaigns to raise awareness of the army’s different units and military issues. It was headed at the time by Yuval Horowitz, a settler contracted as a marketing campaigner, who now works for Keshet Media. The unit is staffed by reservists who work as advertisers and designers.

The ‘Israeli’ military had employed for years psychological warfare against its enemies in an attempt to undercut their narratives, influence the population [in Gaza, Lebanon and Iran for example] and tout its operational achievements. A psychological warfare unit was formed in 2005 under the aegis of Military Intelligence. They also tried influencing an enemy’s public discourse to sow uncertainty, undermine the credibility of the ruling power’s messaging and encourage public pressure on their respective leadership. Most of these activities were conducted covertly and relay information intended to serve the Zionist entity in one way or another.

Israel Palestine Gaza IsraeliMilitary

warfare against its enemies in an attempt to undercut their narratives, influence the population [in Gaza, Lebanon and Iran for example] and tout its operational achievements. A psychological warfare unit was formed in 2005 under the aegis of Military Intelligence. They also tried influencing an enemy’s public discourse to sow uncertainty, undermine the credibility of the ruling power’s messaging and encourage public pressure on their respective leadership. Most of these activities were conducted covertly and relay information intended to serve the Zionist entity in one way or another.

Israel Palestine Gaza IsraeliMilitary

Remembering Peace Activist Rachel Corrie, Killed by Israeli Bulldozer 20 Years Ago

March 16, 2023

Rachel’s parents during a protest in Palestine (Photo: ISM)

20 years ago, American peace activist Rachel Corrie was killed by an Israeli bulldozer that was preparing to demolish a Palestinian home in southern Gaza.

On March 16, 2003, two years before Israel’s withdrawal from Gaza, Corrie acted as a human shield in hopes of stopping a bulldozer operated by Israeli forces from demolishing a home in the Palestinian Rafah refugee camp.

Israeli forces operating a 60-tonne D9 bulldozer built by Caterpillar Inc continued moving toward Corrie as she stood her ground, running her over.

Twenty minutes after the bulldozer backed away, Corrie was pronounced dead.

Israel has since denied claims of responsibility, saying the incident was an accident, and accusing Corrie and other activists of illegal activity.

Born on April 10, 1979, in Olympia, Washington, Corrie dedicated her life to defending Palestinian rights. In 2003, she went to the Gaza Strip as a member of the International Solidarity Movement.

She was known for her love of peace and for defending Palestinian rights, frequently broadcasting photo essays exposing Israeli rights violations in the occupied territories.

The people of Gaza received news of her murder with grief and horror, describing her as a “martyr” and staging a massive funeral for the American activist.

(The Palestine Chronicle)

Israeli Human Rights Violations in the Occupied Palestine (Weekly Update 09-15 March 2023)

March 16, 2023

Violation of right to life and bodily integrity

Nine Palestinians were killed, including 3 civilians: 2 of them were children. One of the children succumbed to his previous injury, while a Palestinian was killed by an Israeli settler. Meanwhile, 10 Palestinians, including a child and a journalist, were injured, while dozens of others suffocated in Israeli Occupation Forces (IOF) attacks in the West Bank, including occupied East Jerusalem. Also, 4 fishermen were injured in the Gaza Strip. Details are as follows:

On 09 March 2023, as part of their extrajudicial execution crimes, IOF killed 3 Palestinians after intercepting their vehicle and directly shooting and killing them in Jaba’ village in Jenin, north of the West Bank.( Details available at PCHR’s press release).

On 09 March 2023, medical sources at al-Maqassed Hospital announced the death of Waleed Sa’d Nassar (14) after he succumbed to a live bullet injury in his waist. IOF shot him when he was in front of his house during IOF’s incursion into Jenin on 07 March 2023.  He was then taken to al-Razi Hospital in the City, but due to his serious health condition, he was referred to al-Maqassed Hospital.

On 10 March 2023, ‘Abdul Karim Badee’ al-Shaikh (21), from Qalqilya, was shot dead by an Israeli settler near “Ma’ale Shomron” settlement in eastern Qalqilya. IOF announced that the settler claimed that al-Shaikh attempted to stab him with a knife, but there were no eyewitnesses to the incident.

On the same day, medical sources at Darwish Nazal Governmental Hospital in Qalqilya declared the death of Ameer Ma’moun ‘Odah (16) shortly after being shot with a live bullet in his chest by an Israeli sniper only few meters away from him. IOF claimed that ‘Odah tried to throw a Molotov Cocktail at IOF during clashes near a military checkpoint established at the northern entrance to Qalqilya. Also, another Palestinian was injured during the same clashes.

On 12 March 2023, IOF killed 3 members of Palestinian armed groups and arrested another one after they laid an ambush for them and clashed with them near the military checkpoint established between Jit and Sarra villages, west of Nablus. Those killed were identified as: Jehad Mohammed al-Shami (24), ‘Odai Rafeeq al-Shami (22) and Mohammed Raied al-Dabeek (18) and their bodies are so far under Israeli custody.

Meanwhile, those injured were victims of excessive use of force that accompanied IOF’s incursions into the Palestinian cities and villages, or IOF’s suppression of peaceful protests organized by Palestinian civilians, and they were as follows:

On 09 March 2023, a Palestinian was shot with a rubber bullet in his foot during clashes that accompanied IOF’s incursion into Ni’lin village in Ramallah. Before their withdrawal, IOF arrested a Palestinian and his son.

On the same day, IOF opened fire at a vehicle in Kafr Qaddoum village in Qalqiliya, breaking the front and rear windows and causing damage to the front seat.  The shooting was unjustified and came only moments after the vehicle had stopped and the driver had left with his family to their house.

On 10 March 2023, 3 Palestinians were shot with rubber bullets during IOF’s suppression of  Kafr Qaddoum peaceful weekly protest in northern Qalqilya.

On 11 March 2023, IOF arrested a child after he sustained wounds and bruises in attacks carried out by IOF and settlers in Bab al-‘Amoud area in occupied East Jerusalem.

On the same day, a Palestinian was shot with a live bullet in his left foot during clashes with IOF at the entrance to Beit Ummar village in northern Hebron.

On 13 March 2023, journalist Mo’tasem Saqif al-Heit was hit with a stun grenade in his head after IOF targeted him while on duty covering the clashes that accompanied IOF’s incursion into Ni’lin village in western Ramallah.

On 15 March 2023, a Palestinian was injured with a live bullet in his thigh during clashes with IOF in Husan village, west of Bethlehem.

In the Gaza Strip, on 09 March 2023, four Palestinian fishermen were shot with rubber bullets after Israeli naval forces targeted their fishing boat off northwestern Beit Lahia Shore, northern Gaza Strip. (Details available in PCHR’s press release).  Also, 6 IOF shootings were reported on agricultural lands in eastern Gaza Strip, and 3 shootings were reported on fishing boats off the Western Gaza shores.

So far in 2023, IOF attacks killed 83 Palestinians, including 41 civilians; 14 of them were children and one woman, and the rest were members of the Palestinian armed groups, including 2 children, as well as 6 killed by settlers, and one died in Israeli prisons. Meanwhile, 349 Palestinians, including 47 children, 2 women and 9 journalists, were injured.

Land razing, demolitions, and notices

IOF displaced 12 Palestinians, including 7 children and 3 women, after demolishing a house comprised of 2 apartments. Also, IOF demolished a commercial facility in occupied East Jerusalem.

On 14 March 2023, IOF demolished a house comprised of two 165-sqm residential apartments in Umm Tuba village in occupied East Jerusalem, under the pretext of unlicensed construction. As a result, 12 persons, including 7 children and 3 women, were displaced.  During the demolition, IOF suppressed the house’s owners and press crews, forcing them to leave while IOF arrested the house owner’s brother after beating him.

On 13 March 2023, IOF demolished a commercial facility for construction materials that includes 3 rooms built of bricks, in Wadi Al-Joz neighborhood in occupied East Jerusalem, after confiscating the construction materials.

Since the beginning of 2023, IOF made 62 families homeless, a total of 395 persons, including 79 women and 178 children. This was the outcome of IOF demolition of 63 houses; 16 were forcibly self-demolished by their owners and 6 were demolished on grounds of collective punishment. IOF also demolished 56 other civilian objects, razed other property, and delivered dozens of notices of demolition and cease-construction in the West Bank, including East Jerusalem.

Settler-attacks and retaliatory acts:

Israeli settlers carried out 6 attacks in the West Bank, where 3 Palestinians were injured, many trees were damaged, and livestock were stolen. Details are as follows:

On 11 March 2023, a Palestinian sustained wounds after being thrown with stones during a settlers’ attack on Palestinians’ vehicles passing through Kherbet Bani Haris Intersection leading to Ramallah.

On the same day, Israeli settlers, from “Halamish” settlement established on Ramallah lands, threw stones at Palestinian vehicles passing by the area. Also, settlers from “Dolev” settlement, threw stones at Palestinian vehicle traveling on ‘Ein Ayoub area near Ras Karkar village, west of Ramallah. However, no injuries were reported in both incidents.

On 15 March 2023, Israeli settlers sneaked into “Kawkab al-Sabah” settlement between Deir Jarir and Taybeh villages, east of Ramallah, where they stole about 25 livestock and a donkey and threw stones at the villagers. When the latter tried to confront the settlers, IOF intervened to protect the settlers and secured their withdrawal. 

On the same day, Israeli settlers, from “Havat Maon” settlement outpost in eastern Yatta city, Hebron, cut 34 olive trees in eastern at-Tuwani village, which is 100 meters away from the outpost. When the villagers arrived at their lands, IOF’s patrols and police came and claimed that they will open an investigation into the incident, asking the the lands’ owners to file a complaint.

In the evening, two Palestinians sustained wounds and bruises after being assaulted by Israeli settlers while they were working in their agricultural lands in Qarawat Bani Hassan village, west of Salfit.

Since the beginning of the year, settlers have conducted at least 149 attacks against Palestinian civilians and their property. As a result, 5 Palestinians were killed, and dozens of others were injured; most of them after being beaten and thrown with stones. Also, dozens of houses, vehicles and civilian facilities were set ablaze.

IOF incursions and arrests of Palestinian civilians:

IOF carried out 198 incursions into the West Bank, including occupied East Jerusalem. Those incursions included raids and searches of civilian houses and facilities and establishment of checkpoints. During those incursions, at least 86 Palestinians were arrested, including 10 children and 2 women. Also, IOF confiscated many vehicles while crossing through checkpoints.

So far in 2023, IOF conducted 2,174 incursions into the West Bank, including occupied East Jerusalem, during which 1060 Palestinians were arrested, including 20 women and 140 children. Also, IOF conducted 9 incursions and arrested 15 Palestinians from the Gaza Strip: 6 were fishermen, 8 were trying to infiltrate into Israel, and a traveler at Erez Crossing.

Israeli closure and restrictions on freedom of movement:

Israeli occupation maintains its illegal and inhuman 15-year closure on the Gaza Strip. Details available in PCHR’s monthly-update in the Gaza crossings.

In the West Bank, including occupied East Jerusalem, IOF continues to impose restrictions on the freedom of movement. On top of its 110 permanent checkpoints, IOF established 119 temporary military checkpoints in the West Bank, including occupied East Jerusalem, and arrested 8 Palestinians at those checkpoints.

This week, IOF closed checkpoints in Jerusalem and Bethlehem several times and reopened them later.

So far in 2023, IOF established 1,326 temporary military checkpoints and arrested 60 Palestinians at those checkpoints.

Israeli Human Rights Violations in the Occupied Palestine (Weekly Update 02 – 08 March 2023)

March 9, 2023

Israeli Human Rights Violations in the Occupied Palestine (Weekly Update 02 – 08 March 2023)

Violation of right to life and bodily integrity:

7 Palestinians, including a child, were killed, and 32 were wounded, including 3 children and 3 others in serious condition, by Israeli Occupation Forces (IOF) fire while dozens of others suffocated in IOF attacks in the West Bank, including East Jerusalem. Details are as follows:

On 02 March 2023, Mohammad Nedal Saleem (15) was shot dead with a live bullet to the back while another child and a teenager were injured with live bullets fired by the Israeli Occupation Forces (IOF) in front of a school in western ‘Azzun village, east of Qalqilya. IOF claimed that they chased a group of young men who threw Molotov cocktails at Street 55 where the settlers’ vehicles pass.

On 07 March 2023, 6 Palestinians were killed, and 26 others, mostly civilians, were wounded, including 3 in serious condition, during a widescale brutal military operation conducted by IOF in Jenin refugee camp. (Details available at PCHR’s press release).

Meanwhile, those injured were victims of excessive use of force that accompanied IOF incursions into cities and villages and suppression of peaceful protests organized by Palestinian civilians, and they were as follows:

On 03 March 2023, 2 Palestinians were injured during clashes with IOF after IOF’s suppression of Kafr Qaddoum weekly protest in northern Qalqilya.

On the same day, IOF suppressed a peaceful assembly in Silwan in East Jerusalem, where dozens of activists and residents of Silwan protested against IOF’s policy of demolishing, evacuating the homes, and displacing their residents.  IOF fired stun grenades, tear gas canisters and rubber-coated bullets at the protestors and dispersed them by force; as a result, clashes broke out for several hours during which IOF arrested 5 Palestinians, including 3 children.

IOF also suppressed the weekly protest against the occupation and settlement activity in Sheikh Jarrah neighborhood in occupied East Jerusalem, assaulted the protesters by pushing and beating them and spraying skunk water.  IOF also arrested 8 International solidarity activists and a Palestinian activist.

On 04 March 2023, IOF arrested a child after wounding him with a live bullet in the foot, during IOF’s raid on agricultural lands near the entrance to Al-Fawwar refugee camp in Hebron, under the pretext of pursuing stone-throwers. IOF also arrested a child after he was shot with a live bullet in the right foot at the entrance to Al-‘Aroub refugee camp in Hebron.

In the Gaza Strip, a Palestinian sustained a mild injury due to the Israeli artillery shelling in eastern Khan Yunis on 08 March 2023. Moreover, 11 IOF shootings were reported on agricultural lands in eastern Gaza Strip, and 4 shootings were reported on fishing boats off the western Gaza shores.

So far in 2023, IOF attacks killed 73 Palestinians, including 36 civilians; 12 of them were children and a woman, and the rest were members of the Palestinian armed groups, including 2 children, as well as 5 killed by settlers, and one died in Israeli prisons. Meanwhile, 335 Palestinians, including 45 children, 2 women and 8 journalists, were injured.

Land razing, demolitions, confiscation, and settlement activity

IOF displaced 8 families of 68, including 12 women and 29 children, after demolishing 8 houses, a praying hall, a commercial facility, and agricultural rooms, as well as confiscating a bulldozer in the West Bank, including East Jerusalem. Details are as follows:

On 02 March 2023, IOF demolished a 120-sqm house in Ethna village in Hebron, displacing a family of 9, including 6 children, under the pretext of unlicensed construction in Area (C).

On 05 March 2023, IOF confiscated a bulldozer, and arrested its driver in the village of Jalboun, east of Jenin, under the pretext of working in Area (C). During the operation, IOF fired tear gas canisters at the citizens amidst clashes that caused suffocations.

On 06 March 2023, IOF demolished 4 tin-plated dwellings, east of Yatta in Hebron, under the pretext of unlicensed construction in Area (C), rending 4 families of 36, including 13 children and 4 women, homeless.

On the same day, IOF demolished three 280-sqm houses belonging to Totah family in Wadi Al-Joz neighbourhood in East Jerusalem, under the pretext of unlicensed construction, displacing 3 families of 23, including 7 women and 10 children.

On the same day as well, IOF demolished an under-construction praying hall and a tin=-plated commercial facility of tin in Bethlehem, under the pretext of unlicensed construction.

In addition, IOF demolished 3 agricultural rooms built of tin plates and uprooted dozens of trees while razing agricultural lands in al-‘Issawiya village in East Jerusalem, under the pretext of unlicensed construction. IOF also delivered 14 notices to cease construction works in 3 inhabited houses, 2 barrack and 9 agricultural rooms in Al-Zawiya village, west of Salfit, under the pretext of unlicensed construction in Area (C).

Since the beginning of 2023, IOF made 60 families homeless, a total of 383 persons, including 76 women and 171 children. This was the outcome of IOF demolition of 62 houses; 16 were forcibly self-demolished by their owners and 6 were demolished on grounds of collective punishment. IOF also demolished 55 other civilian objects, razed other property, and delivered dozens of notices of demolition and cease-construction in the West Bank, including East Jerusalem.

Settler-attacks and retaliatory measures

Settlers carried out 4 attacks in the West Bank, where they uprooted olive trees and attacked Palestinians in the West Bank. Details are as follows:

On 06 March 2023, settlers uprooted about 80 olive trees in Yasuf village, east of Salfit.

On the same day, settlers, from “Yitzhar” settlement, which is established on Palestinian lands in Nablus, attacked and threw stones at the western outskirts of Huwara village, and assaulted a family inside their vehicle, breaking the windows and wounding the elderly driver. The settlement’s guard opened fire at the vehicle and sprayed pepper gas at the passengers.

On 08 March 2023, settlers, from “Otniel” settlement, which is established on the Palestinian lands confiscated from Hebron, raided an archeological hill in the village of Raboud, near the settlement, under the protection of IOF, and performed their rituals on the hill, denying the villagers’ access to their lands.

Since the beginning of the year, settlers have conducted at least 143 attacks against Palestinian civilians and their property. As a result, 5 Palestinians were killed and dozens of others were injured; most of them after being beaten and thrown with stones. Also, dozens of houses, vehicles and civilian facilities were set ablaze.

IOF incursions and arrests of Palestinian civilians:

IOF carried out 211 incursions into the West Bank, including occupied East Jerusalem. Those incursions included raids and searches of civilian houses and facilities and establishment of checkpoints. During those incursions, 83 Palestinians were arrested, including 11 children and 2 women.

In the Gaza Strip, IOF arrested 3 Palestinians; 2 of them, including a child, tried to infiltrate in eastern Rafah and eastern Beit Hanoun on 02 March 2023, while the third was arrested at Beit Hanoun “Erez” crossing, while accompanying his sick daughter-in-law in her travel for treatment. (Details available in PCHR’s press release).  Also, IOF carried out limited incursions into eastern Juhr al-Dik, south of Gaza, and into eastern Khan Yunis on 02, 07 and 08 March 2023.

So far in 2023, IOF conducted 1,976 incursions into the West Bank, including occupied East Jerusalem, during which 974 Palestinians were arrested, including 18 women and 130 children. Also, IOF conducted 8 incursions and arrested 15 Palestinians from the Gaza Strip: 6 were fishermen, 8 were trying to infiltrate into Israel, and a traveler at Erez Crossing,.

Israeli closure and restrictions on freedom of movement:

Israeli occupation maintains its illegal and inhuman 15-year closure on the Gaza Strip. Details available in PCHR’s monthly-update in the Gaza crossings.

The Israeli authorities announced the closure of the crossings with the Gaza Strip and the West Bank from the evening of 06 March 2023 until the evening of 08 March 2023 on the occasion of so-called “Purim” Jewish holiday.

In the West Bank, including occupied East Jerusalem, IOF continue to impose restrictions on the freedom of movement. On top of its 110 permanent checkpoints, IOF established 133 temporary military checkpoints in the West Bank, including occupied East Jerusalem, and arrested 2 Palestinians at those checkpoints.

During this week, IOF closed checkpoints in Jerusalem and Bethlehem several times and reopened them later.

So far in 2023, IOF established 1,207 temporary military checkpoints and arrested 52 Palestinians at those checkpoints.

Disengagement law repeal advances, EU and UK condemn

15 March 2023

Source: News websites

By Al Mayadeen English 

A new bill repealing the disengagement law passed in 2005 has passed in Knesset’s first reading.

Saleh Abu Diab, a Palestinian resident of Sheikh Jarrah, takes part in a protest against his possible eviction after an Israeli court accepted Jewish settler land claims, in his neighborhood in Al-Quds on June 11, 2021 (Reuters).

Several EU member states, as well as the UK, denounced the Knesset’s approval of a bill that will allow Israeli settlers to return to areas across the West Bank that were previously evacuated as part of the 2005 Israeli-known Disengagement Law, which represented the liberation of Gaza and the partial liberation of the West Bank.

The Palestinian foreign ministry denounced the Knesset’s decision and called on the international community to denounce the bill as well, and to pressure the Israeli government to back down from the decision.

“Proceeding with steps to enact this legislation is a dangerous escalation in the conflict and a belittling of the efforts exerted to reduce tension and achieve calm,” the Palestinian Foreign Ministry said.

On Monday, a joint statement by the UK, France, and other EU countries, urged “Israel” to refrain from “demolishing Palestinian houses in the occupied West Bank and East-al-Quds [Al-Quds] during the month of Ramadan,” as they referenced the forced evacuation of Palestinian families from the Silwan and Sheikh Jarrah.

The statement noted that the signatories found it “very worrying that Israeli authorities intend to continue” the domicide of Palestinians and declared their “strong opposition to Israel’s settlement expansion policy.” 

Read more: All Israeli settlements are illegal, they must stop: UN Chief

Disengagement law repeal

In February 2023, the Israeli occupation’s Ministerial Committee for Legislation approved a bill revoking clauses of the 2005 Disengagement Law, which had led to the dismantling of four illegal Israeli settlements in the northern West Bank, as well as all the settlements and military presence in the Gaza Strip.

At the time, The Times of “Israel” said that “the bill, which only relates to the parts of the law pertaining to the northern West Bank, is key to the current government’s goal of legalizing the illegal settlement outpost of Homesh.”

On Monday, the bill passed its first reading in the Knesset, and the introductory text of the repeal read: “There is no longer any justification to prevent Israelis from entering and staying in the evacuated territory in northern Samaria [West Bank], and therefore it is proposed to state that these sections [of the disengagement law] will no longer apply to the evacuated territory.”

Read more: Row over illegal West Bank settlement outpost splits Israeli cabinet

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Hamas spox to Al Mayadeen: ‘Israel’ to pay, escalation unstoppable

8 Mar 2023

Source: Al Mayadeen Net

By Al Mayadeen English 

Hamas Spokesperson Hazem Qassem announces that the Resistance is ready and continues to prepare itself for the engagement with IOF in case the latter cross the red lines.

Hamas Spokesperson Hazem Qassem (Archive)

Hamas Spokesperson Hazem Qassem confirmed, on Wednesday, that the Israeli occupation, with its behavior, has made the escalation unavoidable, not only in Palestine but in the entire region as well.

Qassem said, during an interview for Al Mayadeen, that “in parallel to the Israeli policy that may push in the direction of a big explosion, there is an increase in resistance and confrontation.”

The Hamas Spokesperson explained that “we are amid a major gradual escalation, contrary to all of Washington’s false claims about de-escalation.”

Qassem also pointed out that “the Resistance in Gaza, and specifically Al-Qassam Brigades, said its patience is running out in the face of Israeli attacks.”

The spokesperson also stressed that “the Resistance is ready and preparing itself for taking action in the event that the occupation crosses the red lines,” adding that “the Resistance in Gaza provides a firm ground for Resistance operations across the West Bank.”

Qassem said, “The price that the occupation will pay in the event of any confrontation with Gaza will be too heavy for the occupation government and Israeli Occupation Forces (IOF) to handle.” Moreover, the occupation is “terrified of Gaza possibly taking part in this battle” and, as such, is “instigating mediations out of fear” of the situation.

Regarding the US stance vis-à-vis the Palestinian cause, Qassem said, “The US position is always supportive of the occupation, and therefore it can never be relied upon.”

After Jenin massacre, ‘Israel’ fears response from Resistance

Israeli media reported that the Israeli security and military establishment is preparing for “retaliatory operations” after the Israeli Special Forces operation (Yamam) in Jenin yesterday, which led to the martyrdom of six Palestinians, including the one who carried out the Huwara operation.

The IOF carried out arrests, including the two sons of the Palestinian who carried out the Huwara operation, Abd Al-Fattah Kharrousha, whom the Al-Qassam Brigades mourned, while the IOF claimed that his two sons were involved in carrying out the shooting.

On March 7, occupation police issued “an order to double the state of vigilance and have a prominent presence in Al-Quds,” according to Israeli media. 

Palestinian Resistance factions, including the Palestinian Islamic Jihad and Hamas, threatened to take revenge for the Israeli attack, during which a house was besieged and its occupants targeted. 

The West Bank mourns its martyrs and the resistance factions call for a general mobilization
Occupied Palestine || A number of Palestinians were killed and injured when the Israeli occupation forces stormed Jenin and its camp
A general strike in the West Bank in response to the massacre of the Zionist enemy in Jenin

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Israeli Human Rights Violations in the Occupied Palestine (Weekly Update 23 February- 01 March 2023)

March 2, 2023

Violation of right to life and bodily integrity:

Three Palestinian civilians were shot dead: two by Israeli Occupation Forces and one by Israeli settlers. Also, a member of Palestinian armed groups succumbed to his pervious injury. Moreover, 16 Palestinians, including 3 children, a woman, and a journalist, were injured, while dozens of others suffocated in IOF attacks in eastern Gaza Strip and the West Bank, including occupied East Jerusalem. Details are as follows:

On 23 February 2023, Mohammed Nabil al-Sabbah (30), from Jenin refugee camp, died at An-Najah Hospiral in Nablus, succumbing to a live bullet injury in the abdomen.  Al-Sabbah who was a member of Palestinian armed groups, was wounded on 12 February 2023 during IOF incursion into the camp.

On 24 February 2023, medical sources at al-Ahli Hospital in Hebron declared the death of Mohammed Isma’il Mohammed Jawabreh (21), a Palestinian police officer from Al-Arroub refugee camp, succumbing to a live bullet injury in the back of his head.  IOF opened fire at him at around 14:00 a day before from a distance of 30 meters while He was with 3 persons on his house roof during clashes that broke out in the camp.

On 26 February 2023, Sameh al-Aqtash (37) was killed after being shot with a live bullet in his abdomen by Israeli settlers during a widescale attack on Za’tara village as part of a series of retaliatory attacks on southern Nablus’s villages. (Details available in PCHR’s press release).

On 01 March 2023, Mahmoud Jamal Hamdan (22) died few hours after being arrested and injured by IOF fire during the latter’s incursion into ‘Aqabat Jaber refugee camp in Jericho. Also, a Palestinian was shot and another was ran over in addition to 5 others arrested, including 3 brothers and son of one of the latter. According to PCHR’s investigations, an Israeli Special Force sneaked into ‘Aqabat Jaber refugee camp and cordoned off a house belonging to Shalloun family. Afterwards, Israeli backups arrived shooting and firing teargas canisters as well as threatening to bomb the house. Meanwhile, IOF opened fire at Mahmoud Hamdan while driving his motorcycle out of a nearby wood carpentry shop, wounding him with a live bullet in his abdomen. A Palestine Red Crescent Society medical crew arrived and tried to give him first aid, but IOF arrested him and took him to an unknown destination. Later in the evening, Hamdan’s death was announced. During their withdrawal from the camp, IOF detained a young man and his child and used them as human shields during their raid into the house. IOF also pulled a civilian Hyundai Tucson car to the middle of the street and broke its windows.

Meanwhile, those injured were victims of IOF excessive use of force during their incursions into the Palestinian cities and villages, or suppression of peaceful protests organized by Palestinian civilians, and they were as follows:

On 23 February 2023, a Palestinian was shot with  a live bullet in his foot during clashes with IOF near a observation point established at the entrance to Beit Ummar village, north of Hebron.

On the same day, a woman was shot with a live bullet in her lower limbs by IOF at the entrance to “Ma’ale Adumim” settlement, which is established on occupied East Jerusalem’s lands, under the pretext that she tried to carry out a stabbing attack. IOF arrested the injured woman and took her to an Israeli hospital in West Jerusalem.

On 24 February 2023, two Palestinians, including a child, were shot with rubber-coated bullets, and others suffocated due to teargas inhalation during IOF’s suppression of Kafr Qaddoum weekly protest in northern Qalqilya.

On the same day, 4 Palestinians were directly hit with teargas canisters, and others suffocated due to teargas inhalation during clashes with IOF that accompanied the latter’s suppression of a peaceful protest near Bab al-Zawiyia in Hebron, where IOF established an observation point and a military checkpoint particularly at the entrance to al-Shuhada closed street. The peaceful protest was organized to commemorate the 29th anniversary of al-Ibrahimi Mosque massacre, which was committed by an Israeli settler at the time.

Also, two Palestinians, including a journalist, were directly hit with teargas canisters, and others suffocated due to teargas inhalation after IOF targeted dozens of protestors gathered ten meters away from the barbed wire fence in eastern Khuza’a village, east of Khan Yunis,  against the IOF’s escalating violations in the West Bank.  

On the same day, a 14-year-old child was hit with a teargas canister by IOF during the latter’s suppression of protestors gathered near the border fence, northeast of Jabalia. As a result, the child sustained brain laceration and was referred to al-Shifa Medical Complex, where his health condition was deemed critical.

On 26 February 2023, a Palestinian was hit with a live bullet in his foot in clashes with IOF during their incursion into Teqoa village in Bethlehem. Before withdrawing, IOF arrested a child after they raided his house.

On the same day, two Palestinians were shot with live and rubber bullets after IOF opened fire at persons for approaching the border fence, northeast of Jabalia refugee camp.

In the Gaza Strip, 8 IOF shootings were reported on agricultural lands in eastern Gaza Strip, and 4 shootings were reported on fishing boats off the Western Gaza shores.

So far in 2023, IOF attacks have killed 66 Palestinians, including 35 civilians; 11 of them were children and a woman, while the rest were members of the Palestinian armed groups, including 2 children, 5 killed by settlers, and one died in Israeli prisons. Meanwhile, 302 Palestinians, including 42 children, 2 women, and 8 journalists, were injured.

Land razing, demolitions, and notices

IOF displaced 4 families of 20, including 12 children and 4 women, after demolishing 5 houses; 4 of them were self-demolished by their owners. Also, IOF demolished 11 facilities and confiscated two vehicles in the West Bank, including occupied East Jerusalem. Details are as follows:

On 23 February 2023, IOF demolished 11 facilities, including commercial barracks and vegetable stalls, at the entrance to Jalamah village, north of Jenin.  

On 25 February 2023, IOF confiscated a Burqin and Kafr ad-Dik municipal garbage truck, west of Salfit. They also detained the driver and two workers, threatening them not to put the garbage in that area again, under the pretext that the area is classified as Area “C”.

On the same day, IOF confiscated an excavator working in Qarawat Bani Hassan village lands, under the pretext of working in Area C.

On 26 February 2023, IOF forced a Palestinian to implement the Israeli occupation municipal order and self-demolish his 100-sqm house in Silwan village in occupied East Jerusalem, under the pretext of unlicensed construction, rendering a family of 8, including a woman and 6 children, homeless.

On 27 February 2023, IOF notified to demolish a 120-sqm house sheltering a family of 6, including 4 children, as well as a house concrete slab in eastern Yatta city in Hebron.

On 28 February 2023, IOF forced a Palestinian to self-demolish two small houses built on an area of 120 square meters in Beit Hanina village in occupied East Jerusalem, under the pretext of unlicensed construction. As a result, the Palestinian and his wife have become homeless.

On the same day, IOF forced a Palestinian to implement the Israeli occupation municipal order and self-demolish his 30-sqm house in Ras al-‘Amoud neighborhood in occupied East Jerusalem, under the pretext of unlicensed construction. As a result, a family of 5, including a woman and 3 children, was displaced.

Also, IOF demolished parts of a 120-sqm house in Jabel Mukaber village in occupied East Jerusalem, under the pretext of unlicensed construction. As a result, a family of 4, including a woman and 2 children, were displaced.

Moreover, IOF demolished the remaining parts of two under-construction houses belonging to 2 brothers in’ Issawiya village, northeast of occupied East Jerusalem, under the pretext of unlicensed construction. The owners of the two houses were forced to self-demolish their houses 2 weeks ago. Also, IOF handed them a fine of 100,00 shekels for demolition costs and for the Israeli municipality staff and vehicles.

Since the beginning of 2023, IOF have made 52 families homeless, a total of 315 persons, including 64 women and 142 children. This was the outcome of IOF demolition of 54 houses; 16 were forcibly self-demolished by their owners and 6 were demolished on grounds of collective punishment. IOF also demolished 53 other civilian objects, razed other property, and delivered dozens of notices of demolition and cease-construction in the West Bank, including East Jerusalem.

Settler-attacks and retaliatory acts:

A Palestinian was killed, and two others were injured by Israeli settlers’ fire in at least 100 attacks carried out by settlers under IOF’s protection. Most of those attacks mainly targeted Huwara village and Nablus’s southern villages, where Israeli settlers burned dozens of houses and vehicles, as part of retaliatory acts. Details are as follows:

On 23 February 2023, two Palestinians were injured: one with a live bullet in his abdomen and the other with a live bullet in his left thigh after Israeli settlers, from “Esh Kodesh” settlement outpost established on Nablus village’s lands, opened fire at them during their attack on the outskirts of Qusra village.  The settlers also threw stones and opened fire at Palestinians and their houses at them.

On 25 February 2023, Israeli settlers, from “al-Ras” settlement outpost established on Salfit village’s lands, attacked a group of Palestinian farmers in the nearby lands and forced them to leave after opening fire in the air. The settlers also damaged a vehicle belonging to the farmers.

On 26 February 2023, hundreds of Israeli settlers conducted widescale violence and retaliatory acts under the protection of IOF in several villages in Nablus. As a result, a Palestinian was killed and another was wounded with bullets, while dozens of houses, facilities and vehicles were set ablaze. ( Details available in PCHR’s press release.)

On the same day, settlers set a poultry farm ablaze in Salfit, completely burning it and killing 2500 chicks. Also, the settlers set a vehicle ablaze at the entrance to Yasuf village, east of Salfit, and completely burned it.

Also, two Palestinians were beaten by Israeli settlers who threw stones at Palestinian vehicles and burned one of them in al-Mo’arajat area, north of Jericho.

On the same day, 3 Palestinians sustained bruises after Israeli settlers attacked their vehicles in the outskirts of Jibiya village, north of Ramallah. Also, Israeli settlers threw stones at Palestinian vehicles and houses in Sinjil and Al-Mughayyir villages and near Umm Safa village in Ramallah.

Since the beginning of the year, settlers have conducted at least 139 attacks against Palestinian civilians and their property. As a result, 5 Palestinians were killed and dozens of others were injured; most of them after being beaten and thrown with stones/ Also, dozens of houses, vehicles and civilian facilities were set ablaze.

IOF incursions and arrests of Palestinian civilians:

 IOF carried out 184 incursions into the West Bank, including occupied East Jerusalem. Those incursions included raids and searches of civilian houses and facilities and establishment of checkpoints. During those incursions, at least 50 Palestinians were arrested, including 8 children. In the Gaza Strip, on 25 February 2023, IOF arrested 4 children while trying to infiltrate through the border fence adjacent to Um al-Nasser village and released them the next day. Also, IOF conducted 3 limited incursions in northern Beit Hanoun on 26 February 2033, in northeastern Jabalia on 28 February 2023, and in eastern Khan Yunis on 01 March 2023.

So far in 2023, IOF conducted 1,765 incursions into the West Bank, including occupied East Jerusalem, during which 891 Palestinians were arrested, including 16 women and 119 children. Also, IOF arrested 12 Palestinians from the Gaza Strip; 6 were fishermen and 6 were trying to infiltrate into Israel. IOF also conducted 5 incursions.

Israeli closure and restrictions on freedom of movement:

Israeli occupation maintains its illegal and inhuman 15-year closure on the Gaza Strip. Details available in PCHR’s monthly-update in the Gaza crossings.

In the West Bank, including occupied East Jerusalem, IOF continue to impose restrictions on the freedom of movement. On top of its 110 permanent checkpoints, IOF established 126 temporary military checkpoints in the West Bank, including occupied East Jerusalem, and arrested 2 Palestinians at those checkpoints.

Since 26 February 2023, IOF have imposed a cordon on Huwara village in Nablus, place cement cubes on the main street, impede the movement of individuals and vehicles, and prevent the shops’ owners from opening.  This cordon is part of the collective punishment measures following the killing of 2 settlers in a shooting attack near the village.

Since 27 February 2023, IOF have imposed a tight cordon on Jericho following the killing of an Israeli settler in a shooting attack  near the city. IOF closed all checkpoints, main and sub-streets leading to the city and established more military checkpoints, impeding the movement of individuals and vehicles and searching them.

This week, IOF closed military checkpoints in Jerusalem and Bethlehem several times and reopened them later.

So far in 2023, IOF established 1074 temporary military checkpoints and arrested 50 Palestinians at those checkpoints.

Israeli Settlers Attack on Huwara Town Recalls Haganah Massacres against Palestinians in Past Century: Video

March 1, 2023

Mohammad Salami

As tensions among the Israeli political parties escalate, the disintegrated initiatives of the Zionist settlers who attacked the Palestinian town of Huwara indicate that the decision-making in the occupation entity has left the zone of alleged rationalization as decided by Tel Aviv officials.

The irrational tendency of the Zionists is expected to lead them to retrieve their primitive policies which served the establishment of the usurping entity at the expense of the Palestinian and Arab blood as well as rights.

Haganah was the militia primarily responsible for the ethnic cleansing of Palestinian villages during the Nakba in 1947-49. Huge number of Palestinians were killed in the context of horrible massacres that occurred in numerous villages and towns, including Deir Yassin.

Ruins of homes left empty from the deir yassin massacre, 1986. (Photo: deiryassinremembered.org)

The main Zionist target of the massacres was dispossessing the Palestinians of their land, property and identity. This aim was reiterated by the Zionist settlers who attacked Huwara town on Sunday, February 26.

Moreover, the methods and tools used in order to reach this target have been also similar as they include murdering, burning and expelling locals and real owners.

The following video shows the terrorist attack of the Zionist settlers on Huwara town. The video, posted by Euronews, displays how the Zionists burnt the Palestinians’ properties and the aftermath of the attack.

The following videograph exposes the horrible extent of the Israeli attack on Huwara:

The judicial reforms are expected to turn the ruling system in the Zionist entity into dictatorship, according to Zionist reports. This would reinforce the Israeli tendency to commit more massacres against the Palestinians to the extent of causing a new Nakba as some settlers told reporters.

However, the Palestinian resistance will not allow the Zionists to torture the Palestinians again. Its missiles are ready to be fired from Gaza, and youths are available to stab the settlers across the occupied territories. Thus, the Israeli schemes are doomed to failure, and the occupation entity is certainly heading into demise.

Source: Al-Manar English Website

Judaizing Jerusalem: Israel’s ‘demographic’ plan to ethnically cleanse the Holy City

The most right-wing government in Israel’s history is committed to advancing the Judaization of Jerusalem, including demolishing the Al-Aqsa Mosque and diminishing the Arab demographic in Al-Quds.

February 21 2023

By The Cradle’s Palestine Correspondent

Jerusalem has been a sticking point in attempts to find a political solution between Palestinians and their occupiers ever since the onset of the Arab-Israeli conflict. Yet, the situation involving the Holy City and its Al-Aqsa Mosque has reached a critical turning point since the recent ascension of ultra-right-wing Zionist parties to power in Israel.

On 3 January, Itamar Ben Gvir, the head of the Otzma Yehudit party, fulfilled his election promises by storming the courtyards of Al-Aqsa Mosque under official Israeli security cover. In doing so, the extremist minister of national security became the first official figure to take such a step since former Prime Minister Ariel Sharon’s similar action in 2000, which triggered the Second Intifada (also known as the Al-Aqsa Intifada).

Storming Al-Aqsa, a calculated move

Many political analysts agree that Ben Gvir’s storming of the mosque – which was coordinated by the Israeli police and General Security Agency (Shin Bet), and with the prior knowledge of Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu – signals the new government’s policy towards the city of Jerusalem and Al-Aqsa.

They say that the most right-wing and extreme government in the history of Israel is in the process of strengthening illegal settlements and changing the historical status of Al-Aqsa Mosque.

Analyst Ayman al-Rafati tells The Cradle that the storming of the mosque’s courtyard, as well as the prevention of Jordanian Ambassador Ghassan al-Majali from entering the mosque in mid-January, have two implications:

“The first is an attempt to break psychological deterrence that was established after the Battle of Sayf al-Quds (Sword of Jerusalem) in 2021, which erupted due to practices like this; The second is to reduce the margin of Jordanian guardianship over Al-Aqsa.”

The occupation authorities also seek to replicate the Ibrahimi Mosque experience in the West-Bank city of Hebron (Al-Khalil) by dividing Al-Aqsa in time and space between Muslims and Jews.

Israel hopes that the storming of the mosque will pass over without any significant backlash from the occupied-West Bank and Jerusalem, from the resistance fighters of Gaza, or from the Israeli left and center parties who raise concerns about its potential impact on state security and stability.

However, the actions of Ben Gvir and the Israeli police, while dangerous, do not align with the aspirations of the Jewish Temple group extremists who seek to build a structure on the ruins of the Al-Aqsa Mosque.

Judaizing Al-Aqsa

On the day Ben Gvir assumed office as minister of national security, Aviad Fisoli, the attorney for the new Sanhedrin council (the central rabbinical institution of extremist Temple settler groups) sent a letter to the Israeli police commissioner in Jerusalem requesting an audience with the minister to inform him of their demands and to determine the level of support they could expect from the government and police.

The letter stipulated 11 demands, all of which would lead to the division of Al-Aqsa Mosque. These include:

  1. Extending the hours in which the extremists could storm the mosque;
  2. Allowing them to perform prayers and religious rituals inside the mosque;
  3. Opening the mosque to raids throughout the week; Allowing “sacred tools” into the mosque, including Torah scrolls, the Ark of the Covenant, trumpets, and plant and animal offerings;
  4. Establishing a Jewish synagogue inside Al-Aqsa Mosque;
  5. Ending police escorting of extremists;
  6. Allowing storming from all doors, not just the Mughrabi Gate controlled by the occupation authorities since 1967;
  7. Not barring the mosque from intruders during Islamic events;
  8. Declaring “equal rights” for all religions at Al-Aqsa;
  9. Cancelling the policy of ejecting Jews from the mosque;
  10. Opening the door of the synagogue in the historical Tanziah school – which overlooks the Al-Aqsa grounds – and is currently controlled by the Israeli Ministry of Security, to all Jews.

In April 2022, the temple group extremists began a campaign to obtain permission for performing the Passover sacrifice in Al-Aqsa.

The “Returning to the Temple Mount” movement, led by an extremist Jewish settler named Raphael Morris, sent a message to Ben Gvir in early January, asking for his help in facilitating the slaughter of the “Passover offering” in the courtyards of the mosque.

In their letter, the group stated that the formation of a real right-wing government “is a golden opportunity to return the crown to its former glory and to renew the Passover sacrifice for the first time in about two thousand years.” They believe that this act “will be recorded in the pages of history as the beginning of the building of the third Temple.”

‘Development:’ a pretext for demographic engineering

On the ground in Jerusalem, the settlers’ ambitions are being matched by ongoing state-sponsored excavations and the construction of roads and bridges. Mahmoud Abu Arqoub, a Palestinian guard stationed at Al-Aqsa Mosque, reveals to The Cradle that the Israeli police are preventing Jerusalemites and “Mourabitoun” (guards tasked with protecting Islamic holy sites from hostile non-believers) from restoring the dilapidated parts of the mosque.

Meanwhile, multiple projects are being implemented to accommodate the increasing number of settlers who storm the mosque.

According to the Palestine Information Center “Maata,” last year, around 55,000 settlers stormed Al-Aqsa Mosque, compared to 34,000 in 2021. Abu Arqoub also noted that in 2022, the Israeli government initiated a project to expand the wooden Mughrabi Bridge that connects Mughrabi Gate to Al-Buraq Square, which is used by settlers and “tourists” to enter the mosque courtyards.

Adnan al-Husseini, the head of the Jerusalem Affairs Department in the Palestine Liberation Organization (PLO), believes that the bridge expansion project aims to increase the number of settler intrusions and paves the way for the implementation of a large settlement project by facilitating access for motorized vehicles.

Abu Arqoub predicts that “major unrest may break out in the month of Ramadan (next March) around the Damascus Gate. The occupation is imposing more restrictions on this region in preparation for its Judaization and annexation.”

Under the guise of developing the transportation network, the Israelis are racing against time to seize more land from Jerusalemites. In mid-January, the local planning and construction committee in the Jerusalem municipality approved plans to build a light-rail transit track connecting east and west Jerusalem.

They claim that the project is part of the “modern transportation revolution in Jerusalem to ease traffic congestion.” However, Jerusalemite researcher Nevine Najeeb posits that the track, set to be completed in 2028, will provide an excuse for the occupation municipality to seize more land and properties belonging to Jerusalemites. As Najeeb explains to The Cradle:

“In the future, the occupation municipality will demand the demolition of homes that Jerusalemites have owned for hundreds of years because they stand in the way of the train, or to strengthen security measures around its track. This scenario was previously implemented by the occupation in the town of Shuafat nine years ago, when dozens were forced to leave their homes under the same pretext.”

In parallel, the occupation authorities and temple groups continue to excavate tunnels beneath the Al-Aqsa Mosque. On 10 January, sources in Jerusalem revealed the discovery of a new tunnel that penetrates the wall of the Old City, four meters wide, extending from the town of Silwan to a point near the Mughrabi Gate.

“The goal of the tunnels is to provide conditions for the demolition of Al-Aqsa Mosque as a result of natural factors, such as an earthquake, in order to avoid a comprehensive confrontation with the occupying power,” Najeeb explains.

‘Strangers in Jerusalem’

The most dangerous Israeli development, however, is the implementation of the “Greater Jerusalem” plan, which seeks to change the demographic balance in the Holy City in favor of the Jewish population, as revealed by the Applied Research Institute in Jerusalem (ARIJ).

In a report published in late 2022, the institute indicated that Israel had begun adding four large settlement blocs – Givat Ze’ev, Ma’aleh Adumim, Gush Etzion, and Psagot – to Jerusalem. This move is expected to decrease the percentage of Palestinians in the city’s population from 37 percent to 21 percent.

In a press release, ARIJ director Jad Isaac stated that in 2022, the Israeli government approved several settlement projects, including the construction of 4,900 settlement units in Jerusalem, 9,000 units in the Atarot area north of the city, and the “Silicon Valley” settlement project spanning over 710,000 square meters in the Wadi al-Jouz neighborhood.

Additionally, there are plans to transform the Sheikh Jarrah neighborhood and Silwan town into mixed neighborhoods by increasing the number of settlers residing there and issuing orders to evict Palestinians or demolish their homes.

In 2022, ARIJ documented 138 cases of house demolitions and 273 settler encroachments on the lands of Jerusalemites. Furthermore, the Israeli occupation authorities initiated the “Land Settlement and Registration” project to seize more property, which may result in 80 percent of the land being registered as “absentee property,” making Palestinians “strangers in Jerusalem,” as noted by Isaac.

The existential threat to Al-Quds

Palestinians in the city are facing systematic alienation, with the occupation authorities attempting to prevent Palestinian schools from teaching the Palestinian curriculum. Last year, two schools had their licenses revoked under the pretext of teaching curricula that allegedly included “incitement against the Israeli state and army.”

Approximately 45,500 students in Jerusalem, attending 146 schools affiliated with the Palestinian education system, are at risk of being forced to study the Israeli curriculum, according to the Faisal Husseini Foundation.

Since the occupation of Jerusalem in 1967, all Israeli governments, both right and left, have pursued projects to Judaize the city. However, the current Israeli government, described by Israelis themselves as the most right-wing in Israel’s history, poses a greater threat to the city.

There is an unprecedented opportunity for right-wing groups to Judaize the city and demolish the Al-Aqsa Mosque. Such a step is likely to ignite another conflict that may escalate into a major regional war, as leaders of resistance movements in Palestine, Lebanon, and elsewhere have repeatedly warned.

The views expressed in this article do not necessarily reflect those of The Cradle.

“Spider web speech 2”: Israeli media on Sayyed Nasrallah’s speech إعلام إسرائيلي: السيد نصر الله يشخّص الانقسام الإسرائيلي.. إنه خطاب “بيت العنكبوت 2”

Feb 24, 2023

Source: Israeli Media

By Al Mayadeen English 

Israeli media says Sayyed Hassan Nasrallah’s recent speech revived the “cobweb theory” of Israeli society.

Hezbollah Secretary-General Sayyed Hassan Nasrallah

An article published in the Israeli newspaper Haaretz touched on the recent speech delivered by Hezbollah Secretary-General Sayyed Hassan Nasrallah, saying that it is being described in “Israel” as “spider web speech 2.”

At the celebration of the liberation of southern Lebanon from the Israeli occupation on May 25, 2000, Sayyed Nasrallah described “Israel”  as “weaker than a spider’s web.”

The article said that a “second security development is taking place in Lebanon, of all places, an arena that was supposed to have become quiescent following the signing of the maritime border agreement with Israel last October.”

It claimed that Sayyed Nasrallah “discerns, from his viewpoint, an internal weakness in Israel against the background of the broad constitutional and political crisis, and is starting to issue threats.”

It highlighted that Sayyed Nasrallah’s words were accompanied by steps on the ground, including the alleged arrival of Iranian air defense systems to Lebanon, “which eroded the Israeli air force’s superiority in the skies,” in addition to the deployment of dozens of Hezbollah observation points along the border with occupied Palestine.

In the same context, an article published in the Israeli newspaper Maariv considered that the Hezbollah Secretary-General “pounced” on the deep crisis afflicting Israeli society.

It said that Sayyed Nasrallah’s words “threaten to expose the consensus necessary for joint service” in the occupation army, and to expose “the solidarity of the majority of the different population groups in society during any future fighting.”

The article indicated that the Lebanese leader once again revived the “cobweb theory” of Israeli society, warning that “from week to week, the crises inside Israel become more dangerous.”

In a related context, the Maariv article pointed to the state of frustration and despair that prevails in the general atmosphere in “Israel”, highlighting that “Israel” is going through “horrible days, which may lead the Zionist dream to an unprecedented rift, and perhaps even its end.”

Maariv concluded that “millions of Israelis feel that it is the end of the world.”

Read more: Enemies of ‘Israel’ happy with internal division: Israeli media

“Israeli dilemma” in facing Iranian nuclear file

On its part, the Israeli Channel 12 broadcasted an extensive report that included interviews with former Israeli occupation officers, on “the Israeli dilemma” in facing the Iranian nuclear file.

The report said that “they will not be surprised in Israel by the report and information that Iran has succeeded in enriching uranium, in small quantities, to the level of 84%, and this has been known here for a long time.”  

It claimed that the Iranians “have now reached the last red line, the ability to enrich to a level of 90% sufficient to produce enough materials for a nuclear bomb.”

The channel wondered about the capabilities of “Israel” in exchange for this Iranian step, saying, “What can we really accomplish?”

Read more: IAEA in Tehran, Iran to clear false reports over Uranium purity levels

إعلام إسرائيلي: السيد نصر الله يشخّص الانقسام الإسرائيلي.. إنه خطاب “بيت العنكبوت 2”

 الجمعة 24 شباط 2023

الاعلام الإسرائيلي يتناول الخطاب الأخير للسيد حسن نصر الله، والذي تحدث فيه عن الأزمة الداخلية الإسرائيلية والانقسامات على خلفية الأزمة التشريعية والسياسية، واصفة خطابه بـ”العدائي” و”خطاب العنكبوت 2″.

الأمين العام لحزب الله السيد حسن نصر الله

تطرقت صحيفة “هآرتس” الإسرائيلية في مقال لها، إلى الخطاب الأخير الذي ألقاه الأمين العام لحزب الله، السيد حسن نصر الله، في ذكرى الشهداء القادة، واصفةً الخطاب بـ “بيت العنكبوت 2”.

وأشارت الصحيفة إلى أنّ “السيد نصر الله يشخّص ضعفاً داخلياً في إسرائيل، على خلفية الأزمة التشريعية والسياسية الواسعة، ولذلك بدأ بالتهديد”.

وأضافت: “كلامه رافق خطوات على الأرض، ومنها وصول منظومات دفاع جوي إيرانية إلى لبنان، تُقوّض التفوق الجوي لسلاح الجو الإسرائيلي هناك؛ إضافةً إلى نشر عشرات نقاط الرصد لحزب الله على طول الحدود مع لبنان”. 

بدورها، تطرقت صحيفة “معاريف”، في مقال أيضاً للسيد نصر الله، معتبرةً أنّه “انقضّ” على الأزمة العميقة التي تعصف بالمجتمع الإسرائيلي.

وذكرت الصحيفة إنّ كلام السيد نصر الله “يهدد بتعرية الإجماع الضروري للخدمة المشتركة” في جيش الاحتلال، وتعرية “تكافل غالبية المجموعات السكانية المختلفة في المجتمع خلال أي قتال مستقبلي”.

وأشارت أيضاً إلى أن أحيى مجدداً “نظرية بيت العنكبوت للمجتمع الإسرائيلي”.

وأضافت “معاريف” أنّ “الإسرائيليين يقومون بأنفسهم بتوفير المادة للسيد نصر الله”، مشيرةً إلى أنه “من أسبوع لأسبوع تصبح الأزمات داخل إسرائيل، أخطر”. 

وكان السيد نصر الله قد وصف “إسرائيل” في احتفال تحرير الجنوب اللبناني من العدو الاسرائيلي في 25 أيار/مايو 2000، بأنها “أوهن من بيت العنكبوت”. وحُفرت هذه العبارة في الوعي الإسرائيلي، منذ وقتها إلى اليوم، لتعيد الصحافة الإسرائيلية استذكارها، بعد الخطاب الأخير في ذكرى “الشهداء القادة”.

وتحدثت الصحيفة نفسها عن حالة الإحباط واليأس التي تتسيّد الأجواء العامة في “إسرائيل”، حيث لخّصت ما تمرّ به “إسرائيل” بأنها “أيام فظيعة، قد تقود الحلم الصهيوني إلى شرخٍ غير مسبوق، وربما حتى نهايته”.

ولفتن إلى أنه “رغم أهازيج الفرح (في إشارة إلى خطاب السيّد نصر الله الأخير)، وأصوات الانفجارات التي تُسمع من حولنا (في غزة والضفة)، فإن الفريق الحكومي لا يتوقّف للحظة. قانون يتبع قانوناً، جنوناً تلو جنون، الجمهور يعربد، يحطّم كل شيء، يحرق المدينة بسكانها”.

وخلصت “معاريف” إلى أنّ “ملايين الإسرائيليين يشعرون أنها نهاية العالم”، وأنها “لا تذكر كآبة مرّت على إسرائيل كتلك التي تمرّ بها اليوم”.

من جهته، تطرق رئيس الشاباك السابق، عامي أيالون، إلى الاحتجاجات ضد الثورة القضائية التي تدفعها الحكومة قائلاً:”جميعنا يجب أن نكون قلقين، الطاقة بمستويات لم أذكر مثلها بالفعل، ولذلك كل هذه الطاقة، عندما يصل أشخاص إلى هذا الواقع الذي ليس لديهم فيه أي طريقة أخرى لوقف ما يبدو بنظرهم كدمار لكل الأمور التي عاشوا من أجلها، أعتقد أننا يجب أن نخشى من الأشخاص الذين سيترجمون هذا إلى عنف”.

“القناة 12” المُعضلة الإسرائيلية في الهجوم على المنشآت النووية الإيرانية

من جهتها، عرضت “القناة 12” الإسرائيلية تقريراً موسَّعاً، ومقابلات مع ضباط إسرائيليين سابقين، حول المعضلة الإسرائيلية في مواجهة تحدي الملف النووي الإيراني.

وذكرت القناة: “لن يتفاجأوا في إسرائيل من التقرير والمعلومات التي تتحدث عن أنّ إيران نجحت في تخصيب اليورانيوم، بكميات صغيرة لمستوى 84%، وهذا معروف هنا منذ زمن”.  

وأضافت: “يبدو أنّهم الآن وصلوا إلى الخط الأحمر الأخير، القدرة على التخصيب لمستوى 90% يكفي لانتاج مواد تكفي لقنبلة نووية”، معتبرةً أنّ “هذه هي المعضلة الإسرائيلية”.

وتسائلت القناة عن قدرات وامكانيات “إسرائيل” مقابل هذه الخطوة الإيرانية، وقالت: “ماذا يمكن أن ننجز حقاً”؟ـ لتقعب بالقول: “سيكون لمهاجمة المنشآت النووية الإيرانية ثمناً لا بأس فيه، لكن ثمن تجنُّب الهجوم قد يكون أعلى بكثير”. 

كذلك نقلت “القناة 12” عن رئيس شعبة الاستخبارات سابقاً، اللواء احتياط تامير هايمن، قوله إنّ “الهجوم على إيران لا يشبه ما اعتدنا عليه في السابق، أي لا يوجد هنا مفاعل واحد كما كان في سوريا، أو العراق، وإذا دمرناه نكون قد دمرنا المشروع النووي”، وفق تعبيره.

وأضاف هايمن: “هذه معركة ولأنها كذلك، يوجد فيها إمكانية فرصة أن تتوسَّع إلى معركة إقليمية”، مشدداً: “المطلوب هو أن نزيد الجاهزية بشكل يكون فيه التهديد العسكري الموثوق أكثر واقعية، وإلى جانب ذلك، إيجاد القدرة للحل الدبلوماسي بواسطة اتفاق آخر”.

وختم قوله: “الاتفاق لا زال السبيل الأكثر أمناً واستقراراً لتأجيل النووي الإيراني”.

IN PHOTOS: General Strike in Occupied Palestine following Israeli Killings in Nablus

February 23, 2023

Palestinians observed a general strike following the deadly Israeli raid on Nablus. (Photo: Mahmoud Ajjour, The Palestine Chronicle)

By Palestine Chronicle Staff

Palestinians observed a general strike across the Occupied Palestinian Territories on Thursday following an Israeli massacre in the northern Palestinian town of Nablus. 

On Wednesday morning, Israeli forces raided the occupied city of Nablus in the West Bank. The Israeli attack, on one of the most populous Palestinian cities, resulted in the killing of eleven Palestinians and the wounding of another 102. 

The general strike included the West Bank, East Jerusalem, and the Gaza Strip. 

On Thursday, Israel bombed several Palestinian targets in Gaza, which had retaliated against the Israeli killings in Nablus by firing six rockets toward Israeli towns and settlements. 

The Israeli missiles caused no injuries but damage in the targeted areas. 

The escalation followed a statement by the United Nations criticizing Israel’s illegal settlement construction on occupied Palestinian land. 

Palestinian political groups issued a statement following the Israeli escalation to explain the general strike as an “expression of the Palestinian anger and a way to expose the heinous crimes committed by the Israeli fascist occupation forces.”

The groups also called on all Palestinians to “express their anger and denunciation of these crimes, through popular and mass movements, and to confront the Israeli occupation.”

The Palestine Chronicle correspondent reported on the results of the general strike in Gaza, and sent us these photos. 

(All Photos: Mahmoud Ajjour, The Palestine Chronicle)

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Democracy cannot be saved when it never existed in ‘Israel’: NYT

Feb 20, 2023

Source: New York Times + Al Mayadeen English

By Al Mayadeen English 

The New York Times publishes a piece explaining that democracy cannot exist in an ethnocracy, thus making “Israel” a non-democracy from inception until today regardless of intra-Israeli differences.

IOF soldier restraining a scared Palestinian boy in Ramallah, Palestine August 28, 2015 (Reuters).

The New York Times published a piece by Peter Beinart, a professor of journalism and political science, titled “You Can’t Save Democracy in a Jewish State” in which the writer explained why “Israel” is not a democracy despite continuous claims by its officials on the importance of “saving democracy”.

Beinart discussed the topic following an era of unprecedented chaos in “Israel”, where Israeli demonstrators claimed that Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s new government has imperiled efforts to “preserve ‘Israel’ as a Jewish and democratic state.

Former Prime Ministers Yair Lapid and Naftali Bennett and former minister Benny Gantz have also voiced their concerns on “saving democracy” in recent days. However, Beinart marked a significant difference in what is happening in “Israel”, which has been likened to anti-populist demonstrations elsewhere in the world. 

“The people most threatened by Mr. Netanyahu’s authoritarianism aren’t part of the movement against it,” said Beinart and explained that very few Palestinians have joined the ongoing demonstrations.

According to the professor, the anti-Netanyahu movement is “a movement to preserve the political system that existed before Mr. Netanyahu’s right-wing coalition took power, which was not, for Palestinians, a genuine liberal democracy in the first place.” More clearly, the NYT report argued, “It’s a movement to save liberal democracy for Jews.”

Beinart further made the argument to depict “how illiberal the liberal Zionism” can be. He used one example from the Lapid era, where he argued that then-PM Lapid “implored the Knesset to renew a law that denies Palestinians from the West Bank and Gaza Strip who are married to Palestinian citizens the right to live with their spouses” inside the Israeli-occupied Palestinian territories.

In a more blunt approach, the professor explained, “For most of the Palestinians under Israeli control — those in the West Bank and Gaza Strip—’Israel’ is not a democracy,” adding, “It’s not a democracy because Palestinians in the Occupied Territories can’t vote for the government that dominates their lives.”

Beinart also made reference to Gaza being an open-air prison and the Palestinian Authority being “a subcontractor, not a state.”

Read more: Palestine warns of dangers of approving Israeli Apartheid bill

Significantly, the Jewish professor re-examined a 2018 incident wherein a number of Palestinian legislators presented legislation “to anchor in constitutional law the principle of equal citizenship.” At the time, Beinart said the speaker of the Knesset refused to even discuss the topic because it would “gnaw at the foundations of the state.”

The country “belongs to Jews like me, who don’t live there” the professor said, adding “but not to the Palestinians who live under its control, even the lucky few who hold Israeli citizenship.” This is a reality from long before the Netanyahu coalition came to power, the NYT piece highlighted before concluding that “this is the vibrant liberal democracy that liberal Zionists want to save.”

Democracy in time of domicide

To further double down on the contradictive rhetoric of democracy in a Jewish-led occupation state, it is worth putting into context the incidents.

The protests in “Tel Aviv” and Al-Quds have occurred without any connection to the Israeli occupation’s security cabinet approval the “legalization” of nine illegal Israeli settlement outposts and the advance of nearly 10,000 “settlement units” in the occupied West Bank, which were established by settlers without the approval of Israeli governments.

The United Nations Security Council, shortly after, on February 16, considered a draft resolution that would demand “Israel” to “immediately and completely cease all settlement activities in the occupied Palestinian territory,” Reuters reported.

According to Reuters, the text “reaffirms that the establishment by ‘Israel’ of settlements in the Palestinian territory occupied since 1967, including East Jerusalem, has no legal validity and constitutes a flagrant violation under international law.”

Read more: “Israel’s” weapon of choice: Anti-Semitism

The draft resolution also condemns moves toward the further seizure of land by the Israeli occupation, including the “legalization” of settlement outposts.

However, On February 20, it was reported that according to multiple diplomats familiar with the situation, the US was successful in delaying the resolution proposed by the Palestinians and their supporters.

The UN diplomats said that in order to avoid having to use its veto to block the resolution, Washington has encouraged Palestine and its allies in the UNSC to consider drafting “a more symbolic” joint statement condemning the Israeli cabinet’s announcements.

Democracy in time of genocide

The Israeli Occupation Forces (IOF) raided, on January 26, the Jenin camp in Occupied Palestine’s West Bank using force the camp had not seen in years. The raid left residents and popular resistance groups with no choice but to defend themselves and confront the occupation forces. This raid was happening in parallel to intra-Israeli divisions.

The Palestinian Ministry of Health announced the martyrdom of 10 Palestinians during the genocidal raid on Jenin. It is also worth noting that as part of the raid that was launched against Palestinians, the IOF prevented ambulance crews from entering the region.

Democracy in time of apartheid

Amnesty International released a report last year in February that asserted once and for all that the Israeli regime is forcing a system of apartheid on Palestinians.

Amnesty said the Israeli system is founded on “segregation, dispossession and exclusion”, which amount to crimes against humanity, and its findings were documented in a report that shows the Israeli seizure of Palestinian land and property, unlawful killings, forcibly displacing people, and denying them citizenship.

Read more: Al-Naqab and Diyar Bir Al-Sab’…The social composition and the people

This is the second report by an international rights group to accuse “Israel” of enforcing an apartheid system, the first being Human Rights Watch whose report was released in April 2021. As per Israeli custom, it accused Amnesty of anti-semitism.

The organization further said that “Israel” was enforcing a system of oppression and domination against Palestinians in all areas under its control “in Israel and the OPT [Occupied Palestinian Territories], and against Palestinian refugees, in order to benefit Jewish Israelis. This amounts to apartheid as prohibited in international law.”

The measures employed by the Israeli regime against Palestinians include: restrictions on Palestinian movement in occupied territories, underinvestment in Palestinian communities in pre-1967 occupied territories, preventing the return of Palestinian refugees. 

Even more so, “Israel” forcibly displaces Palestinians, and tortures and kills them extrajudicially in order to maintain a system of “oppression and domination”, which constitutes “the crime against humanity of apartheid”.

“Laws, policies and practices which are intended to maintain a cruel system of control over Palestinians, have left them fragmented geographically and politically, frequently impoverished, and in a constant state of fear and insecurity.”

“Israel is not a democracy”

In an interview with Foreign Policy, the former director-general of the Israeli Foreign Ministry Alon Liel, made brazen statements that sharply cut through arguments that the Israeli establishment continues to push; Liel openly stated “Israel” is not a democracy. 

“‘Israel’ always says it’s a democracy. The government always says we are the only democracy in the Middle East and we are part of the West. But in real terms, we are not a democracy with the occupation, and we are only part of the West when it suits us,” Liel argued. 

Democracy devoid of rights

The Palestinian Prisoners Information Office confirmed on February 16 “that the occupation prison administration is tightening the screws even more on ‘Megiddo’, ‘Gilboa’, ‘Nafha’, ‘Ramon’, and the ‘Negev’ prisoners, by imposing new punitive measures that affect their daily lives.”

Israeli media talked about the decision of extremist Israeli Police Minister Itamar Ben-Gvir who ordered showering time to be reduced to four minutes per prisoner.

On February 4, Palestinian prisoners sent a message from inside the Israeli occupation prisons asking their citizens to prepare to wage a major battle against the oppression of Ben-Gvir. The prisoners later announced the beginning of the “days of rage”, which will culminate in a hunger strike that will begin in the month of Ramadan, to continue until they are liberated from their captivity.

Read more: No such thing as leftist, centrist, or rightist in Israeli government

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Taking the ‘Little Way’ to Organize for Palestine: Contesting an Anti-Palestinian Documentary in Toronto

February 16, 2023

A pro-Palestine demonstration in Toronto, Canada. (Photo: Paul Salvatori, Supplied)

By Paul Salvatori

– Paul Salvatori is a Toronto-based journalist, community worker and artist. Much of his work on Palestine involves public education, such as through his recently created interview series, “Palestine in Perspective” (The Dark Room Podcast), where he speaks with writers, scholars and activists. He contributed this article to The Palestine Chronicle.

Recently I organized a demonstration outside a Toronto theatre. It was to protest the screening of a dishonest documentary—First to Stand: The Cases and Causes of Irwin Cotler—taking place inside.

The documentary is on former Minister of Justice and Attorney General of Canada, professor and lawyer Irwin Cotler. He also denies the Nakba—the catastrophe of 1948 when at least 800,000 and 15,000 Palestinians were, respectively, displaced and killed by Israeli forces to make way for the state of Israel. The film however presents Cotler as a human rights “hero”, which no Nakba denier can be.  

Admittedly all documentaries have a degree of bias in them in that they portray individuals, states of affairs, etc. from a particular point of view, often the filmmaker who, say, wants to convey a certain social or political message. However, First to Standdoes more than this. It misleads the public by keeping outside the frame any substantive discussion or critique about Cotler’s denialism.

That’s a major part of who Colter is. For years he’s been promoting the view that the Nakba, as understood by historians the world over and formally acknowledged by a United Nations resolution last year, is effectively a fiction.

In doing so, he Is part of a larger global subculture, if you will, of racists, that either seek to downplay the severity of the Nakba or, like Cotler, erase it as a historical fact. In turn, they, deplorably, trivialize the legacy of Palestinian suffering and trauma caused by the Nakba itself, which—as we see on social media daily—is ongoing through Israel’s violent ethnic cleansing against Palestine, carried out with impunity (e.g. Israel not being sanctioned by Western powers). 

Whether it manifests itself in the bombing of Gaza, random killings of unarmed Palestinian civilians, illegal evictions of Palestinians from their homes in the West Bank (to build more Israeli settlements that contravene international law), such cleansing is inextricably connected to the Nakba. For the Nakba is coextensive with the founding of Israel which, ever since, has been a state that was founded on and continues to expand by destroying Palestinian life. Israel would simply not be where it is today without that destruction.  

This all went into my thinking as I independently organized the demonstration. The event was not sponsored or part of any formal organization. I mostly did the organizing online and when it was thought, at first, that Cotler would be in attendance there seemed to be quite a bit of enthusiasm among possible demonstration attendees. Many of us, at the time, were moved by the idea of contesting Colter, non-violently and face-to-face in the theatre. But as it turned out (and was advertised) he would only be at the screening virtually. 

When this came to light the enthusiasm dropped. This was admittedly discouraging; I wasn’t sure if it was worth organizing any demonstration at all. I felt I might be the only one to show at it—a lone person standing outside the theatre with a sign protesting Cotler. 

The thought of that changed everything. I asked myself why not do that. Why does a demonstration have to be big? Loud? A crowd? Why can’t a demonstration, however great the injustice it opposes, not be comprised of one individual? What ultimately matters, it seemed to me, is that a demonstration conveys a clear message, such as that First to Stand is a dishonest film. 
I also thought that I had a duty to protest the documentary, as an ally to the Palestinian people who could not be outside the theatre (living in another continent and, in the case of Gaza more specifically, under illegal blockade) at the time of the demonstration. Accordingly, the duty, as I conceived of it, would consist of me being a voice in solidarity with the Palestinian people, not for them, where they were physically absent. Whether I’d get much of a rise from any single passerby (and there turned out to be many) was irrelevant. Central to my thinking was that the documentary, whatever merit it had, is whitewashing the anti-Palestinianism of Cotler and by extension the current Canadian government where he enjoys the prestigious post of Special Envoy on Preserving Holocaust Remembrance and Combatting Antisemitism.

Moreover, I didn’t want the documentary to be screened and people—entering the theatre, passing by it, etc.—not know this was happening. If I could get them to think about that or, better, engage in conversation with them so that eventually they might join the larger struggle for Palestinian justice, I believed that would be a tiny but meaningful victory. And so in a similar spirit to what St. Therese of Lisieux and later Dorothy Day referred to as the “little way”, while strengthened by love for the Palestinian people, I resolved to do so while holding up a simple sign. Made with only a black marker it read: “IRWIN COTLER IS A NAKBA DENIER.” 

I announced my plan to others in the WhatsApp group where I was doing part of the organizing. I also invited any who wanted to join me to do so. My tone was cordial. I did not want anyone to feel they had to or feel bad if they couldn’t. Additionally, I wanted to clarify for any who anticipated something bigger that the demonstration might very well just be me. I didn’t want people to attend it thinking they had in any way been misled to believe they would be part of a sizeable, animated crowd—though any non-violent action for Palestine, whatever the scale, is in my view both necessary and worthwhile. 

As the video of this article shows and to my pleasant surprise about 10 fellow Palestinian allies showed also protest the dishonesty of the film. They were of different faiths, ethnicities, etc. with one thing in common—their love for the Palestinian people and unwavering commitment to justice for Palestine itself. 

Some I knew already, others the honor of meeting the first time. It was an emotional experience for me. It confirmed there were others who believed enough in my small act of standing alone, in solidarity with Palestine, to join me and ultimately turn the act into a group event. 

We held signs, distributed a flyer about Cotler’s anti-Palestinianism, chanted loudly pro-Palestinian messages and others that challenged the legitimacy of Cotler—in contrast to the documentary—as a beacon for human rights. As we did so people, many of whom were entering the theatre, passed by us. Some were curious to know more about our message. We engaged them in constructive dialogue, as I had hoped. 

Others mocked and yelled at us, not unlike at the pro-Palestinian demonstration I attended in Toronto last December and wrote about. Like at that demonstration, we were at times met with anti-Palestinian animus. At least two people told us that there was no Palestine, echoing the false and racist position of Toronto groups such as the Canadian Education Antisemitism Foundation (CAEF) thatdoes the same and held an event last November where Cotler was a featured guest

Not only did the demonstration allow us to contest the documentary it also brought out the anti-Palestinianism that still exists in Toronto. I’ve brought this to the attention of several local and federal elected officials, including recently resigned Mayor John Tory, inviting them to work with those concerned about both the safety of Palestinians in Toronto and justice for Palestine more broadly. None have replied.  

On a positive note, the demonstration was a success. It challenged people to think about who Cotler really is and, in turn, how anti-Palestinianism in Canada and elsewhere is not being taken seriously. I’m also encouraged by, looking back, how it doesn’t take much to hold a demonstration as we did. It can begin with one person saying I’ll be at a certain place and time to protest an injustice, be it against Palestine or otherwise. If others see your sincerity, that you’re not doing it to be “cool” or get likes on social media, they will join you. Even if they don’t you can still demonstrate alone. 


That requires the mustering of at least some courage, the inspiration for which can be drawn from the Palestinian people themselves. Risking their lives they fight daily against Israeli military might, far exceeding their defense resources and capacity. If they can do that surely we, in safer and more privileged parts of the world, can demonstrate against anti-Palestinianism—however large or small we are in number—in public. 

That has more impact than posting about Palestine online. It tells people you are serious about Palestine and you are not afraid to fight for it in the proximity of random strangers, who you can’t just scroll over like on a computer screen. This will surely upset some but, more importantly, mobilize others.

Among those strangers are those who want justice for Palestine too. If it means holding a sign in front of a theatre, let them know they can join that struggle with you. 

There’s no reason to hide from that struggle if it’s in your heart to partake in it. There’s an international family of pro-Palestinian brothers and sisters waiting for you. And unlike First to Stand we do not hide the truth.  
We are not afraid to say that the Nakba is ongoing and it’s high time it ends.

ISRAEL’S WAR ON GAZA: FROM INHUMAN WEAPON EXPERIMENTS TO POLITICAL EXPERIMENTS ON PALESTINIANS

FEBRUARY 9TH, 2023

Source

RAMZY BAROUD

Though Israel’s past wars on Gaza have often been justified by Tel Aviv as a response to Palestinian rockets or, generally, as acts of self-defense, the truth is different. Historically, Israel’s relationship with Gaza has been defined by Tel Aviv’s need to create distractions from its own fractious politics, to flex its muscles against its regional enemies and to test its new weapons technology.

Though the Occupied West Bank – in fact, other Arab countries, too – has been used as a testing ground for Israel’s war machine, no other place has allowed Israel to sustain its weapon experimentation for as long as Gaza, making Israel, as of 2022, the world’s tenth largest weapons exporter.

There is a reason why Gaza is ideal for such grand, albeit tragic, experiments.

Gaza is a perfect place for gathering information once new weapons have been deployed and used on the battlefield. The Strip is home to two million Palestinians who live squalid lives with virtually no clean water and little food, all of them confined within 365 km² (approx. 181 mi²). In fact, due to Israel’s so-called safety belts, much of Gaza’s arable lands which border Israel are off limits. Farmers are often shot by Israeli snipers, almost at the same frequency as Gaza’s fishermen are also targeted, should they dare venture beyond the three nautical miles allocated to them by the Israeli navy.

“The Lab,” an Israeli award-winning documentary released in 2013, discussed in painful detail how Israel has turned millions of Palestinians into actual human laboratories for testing new weapons. Gaza, even before, but especially since then, has been the main testing ground for these weapons.

POLITICIANS’ PLAYTHING

Gaza has been ‘the lab’ for Israeli political experimentations as well.

When, from December 2008 to January 2009, then Israel’s Acting Prime Minister Tzipi Livni decided to, in her own words, “go wild” by unleashing one of the deadliest wars on Gaza, the Israeli politician was hoping that her military adventure would help solidify support for her party at the Knesset.

Livni, at the time, was the head of Kadima, which was established in 2005 by the former leader of the Likud, Ariel Sharon. As Sharon’s successor, Livni wanted to prove her own worth as a strong politician capable of teaching Palestinians a lesson.

Though her experiment then won her some support in the February 2009 elections, it backfired badly following the November 2012 war, where Kadima was nearly destroyed in the January 2013 elections. Eventually, Kadima vanished altogether from Israel’s political map.

This was not the first, nor the last, time that Israeli politicians have attempted to use Gaza as a way to distract from their own political woes, or to demonstrate, through killing Palestinians, their qualifications as protectors of Israel.

BIBI’S BOMBS

Yet, no one has perfected the use of violence to score political points as much as Israel’s current Prime Minister, Benjamin Netanyahu. Returning as the head of Israel’s most extremist government in history, Netanyahu is keen to stay in power, especially since his rightwing coalition has more comfortable support margins in the Knesset than any of Israel’s five governments in the last three years.

With a rightwing, pro-war constituency that is far more interested in illegal settlement expansion and ‘security’ than economic growth or socio-economic equality, Netanyahu should, at least technically, be in a stronger position to launch another war on Gaza. But why is he hesitating?

On February 1, a Palestinian group fired a rocket toward southern Israel, prompting an Israeli response that was intentionally limited.

According to Palestinian groups in the besieged Strip, the rocket was fired as part of the ongoing armed rebellion by West Bank Palestinians. It was meant to illustrate the political unity between Gaza, Jerusalem and the West Bank.

The West Bank is living its darkest days. 35 Palestinians were killed by the Israeli army in January alone, ten of whom perished in Jenin in a single Israeli raid. A Palestinian, acting alone, responded by killing seven Jewish settlers in Occupied East Jerusalem, the perfect spark of what is usually a massive Israeli response.

But that response has been confined, thus far, to the demolition of homes, arrest and torture of the attacker’s family members, military sieges on various Palestinian towns and hundreds of individual assaults by Jewish settlers on Palestinians.

BULLETS, BUDDIES AND “BAD GUYS”

An all-out Israeli war, especially in Gaza, has not yet actualized. But why?

First, the political risks of attacking Gaza through a long war, for now, outweigh the benefits. Though Netanyahu’s coalition is relatively secure, the expectations of the Prime Minister’s extremist allies are very high. A war with an indecisive outcome could be considered a victory for Palestinians, a notion that could alone break down the coalition. Though Netanyahu could launch war as a last resort, he has no need for such a risky option at the moment.

Second, the Palestinian Resistance is stronger than ever. On January 26, Hamas declared that it has used surface-to-air missiles to repel an Israeli air raid on Gaza. Though the Gaza group’s military arsenal is largely rudimentary, much of it homemade, it is far more advanced and sophisticated compared to weapons used during Israel’s so-called “Operation Cast Lead” in 2008.

Finally, Israel’s munition reserve must be at its lowest point in a long time. Now that the US, Israel’s largest weapons supplier, has tapped into its strategic weapons reserve – due to the Russia-Ukraine war – Washington will not be able to replenish the Israeli arsenal with constant supplies of munition the same way the Obama Administration did during the 2014 war. Even more alarming for the Israeli military, the New York Times revealed in January that “the Pentagon is tapping into a vast but little-known stockpile of American ammunition in Israel to help meet Ukraine’s dire need for artillery shells …”.

Though Israeli wars on Gaza are much riskier nowadays compared to the past, a cornered and embattled Netanyahu can still resort to such a scenario if he feels that his leadership is in peril. Indeed, the Israeli leader did so in May 2021. Even then, he still could not save himself or his government from a humiliating defeat.

Israeli Human Rights Violations in Palestine (Weekly Update 02 – 08 February 2023)

February 9, 2023

Violation of right to life and bodily integrity:

7 Palestinians, including 2 civilians; one of them was a child, were killed, and 22 others were injured by the Israeli Occupation Forces (IOF) fire.  Meanwhile, dozens of others suffocated in IOF attacks in the West Bank, including East Jerusalem. Details are as follows:

On 03 February 2023, Abdullah Sameh Ahmad Qalaloh (26) was shot dead with 4 live bullets directly fired by IOF at him as soon as he got out of a taxi in front of Huwara military checkpoint, south of Nablus. The Israeli media cited IOF that the soldiers shot and killed Qalaloh allegedly after he tried to snatch a soldier’s weapon, but it later turned out that he was unarmed.

On 06 February 2023, IOF raided Jericho to arrest allegedly “wanted” Palestinians.  They surrounded a wooden hut next to a house on Al-Quds Street and killed 5 members of the Palestinian armed groups during armed clashes.  IOF detained their bodies and arrested 2 others. During the raid, a number of young men gathered and threw stones at IOF, who fired live bullets at them, injuring a Palestinian with a live bullet in the head. Before withdrawing, IOF arrested a Palestinian after injuring him with a live bullet in the abdomen.

On 07 February 2023, Hamza Amjad Al-Ashqar (17) was killed with a live bullet in the face fired by IOF during clashes that accompanied the raid on ‘Askar refugee camp in Nablus. Before withdrawing, IOF arrested 3 Palestinians.

Meanwhile, those injured were victims of excessive use of force that accompanied IOF incursions into cities and villages and suppression of peaceful protests organized by Palestinian civilians, and they were as follows:

On 03 February 2023, 3 Palestinians were wounded with rubber-coated metal bullets during IOF’s suppression of Kafr Qaddoum peaceful weekly protest, northern Qalqilya.

On 04 February 2023, 13 Palestinians were wounded with live and rubber-coated metal bullets during clashes after IOF’s incursion into ‘Aqabat Jaber refugee camp, south of Jericho. Before their withdrawal, IOF arrested 18 Palestinians, and released them at a later time except for 2 Palestinians.

On 08/02/2023, 4 members of the Palestinian armed groups were injured during armed clashes with IOF, after the latter raided Nablus to secure the settlers’ entry into Joseph Tomb.

In the Gaza Strip, IOF warplanes carried out an airstrike on 02 February 2023 on a Palestinian armed group site, west of Al-Maghazi refugee camp in the central governorate, causing damage but no injuries were reported. Also, 7 IOF shootings were reported on agricultural lands in eastern Gaza Strip, and 3 shootings were reported on fishing boats off the Western Gaza shores.

So far in 2023, IOF attacks killed 43 Palestinians, including 19 civilians; 7 of them were children, and the rest were members of the Palestinian armed groups, including a child, while 3 were killed by settlers allegedly for carrying out shooting and stabbing attacks. Meanwhile, dozens were injured in the West Bank, including East Jerusalem

Land razing, demolitions, and notices

IOF displaced 2 families of 22, including 12 children and 6 women, after demolishing 3 houses, 3 civilian objects and agricultural rooms, razing agricultural lands and handing land confiscation notices in the West Bank, including East Jerusalem. Details are as follows:

On 02 February 2023, IOF demolished a 250-sqm house in Douma village in Nablus, under the pretext of unlicensed construction in Area C, displacing a family of 14, including 4 women and 8 children.

In the same area, IOF demolished a 150-sqm agricultural house, a water well, and two 230-sqm animal barns.

Also, on the same day, IOF delivered a notice to the heirs of a Palestinian to confiscate a 45-dunum plot of land in Deir Istiya village, northwest of Salfit.

On 04 February 2023, IOF forced a Palestinian to self-demolish his 90-sqm house in Jabel Mukaber in East Jerusalem under the pretext of unlicensed construction. As a result, a family of 8, including 2 women and 4 children, was displaced.

On 06 February 2023, IOF razed hundreds of dunums planted with old olive trees in Marda village, north of Salfit, in favor of a project implemented by Mekorot “National Water Company of Israel” to supply settlements with water.

On 07 February 2023, IOF forced a Palestinian to self-demolish two 100-sqm agricultural rooms built of bricks and tinplate and used for breeding horses and poultry in Al-Thawri neighborhood in East Jerusalem, under the pretext of unlicensed construction.

On the same day, IOF demolished a 30-sqm agricultural house built of bricks and tinplate in Al-Thawri neighborhood in East Jerusalem, under the pretext of unlicensed construction.

Since the beginning of 2023, IOF made 33 families homeless, a total of 229 persons, including 43 women and 108 children. This was the outcome of IOF demolition of 34 houses; 6 were forcibly self-demolished by their owners and 3 were demolished on grounds of collective punishment. IOF also demolished 39 other civilian objects, razed other property, and delivered dozens of notices of demolition, cease-construction, and evacuation in the West Bank, including East Jerusalem.

Settler-attacks

On 02 February 2023, a settler broke into the “Prison of Christ” Church in East Jerusalem’s Old City, broke part of a large statue of Christ with a hammer and attempted to set the church on fire before the guards were able to stop him.

Since the beginning of the year, settlers conducted at least 30 attacks against civilian Palestinians and their property.

IOF incursions and arrests of Palestinian civilians:

IOF carried out 192 into the West Bank, including occupied East Jerusalem. Those incursions included raids and searches of civilian houses and facilities and establishment of checkpoints. During those incursions, 128 Palestinians were arrested, including a journalist, 6 children and 3 women; one of them was a female school principal in East Jerusalem.  In the Gaza Strip, IOF arrested 2 Palestinians while trying to infiltrate via the border fence adjacent to eastern Gaza Strip on 05 February 2023.

So far in 2023, IOF conducted 1449 incursions into the West Bank, including occupied East Jerusalem, during which 638 Palestinians were arrested, including 11 women and 61 children.

Israeli closure and restrictions on freedom of movement:

Israeli occupation maintains its illegal and inhuman 15-year closure on the Gaza Strip. Details available in PCHR’s monthly-update in the Gaza crossings.

In the West Bank, including occupied East Jerusalem, IOF continue to impose restrictions on the freedom of movement. On top of its 110 permanent checkpoints, IOF established 116 temporary military checkpoints in the West Bank, including East Jerusalem, arrested 6 Palestinians at those checkpoints.

On 02 February 2023, IOF closed Beit Iksa military checkpoint, northwest of East Jerusalem, and later reopened it.

So far in 2023, IOF established 812 temporary military checkpoints and arrested 37 Palestinians at those checkpoints.

Israeli Human Rights Violations in Palestine (Weekly Update 26 January- 01 February 2023)

 February 2, 2023

Violation of right to life and bodily integrity:

16 Palestinians were killed, including 7 civilians: one was a woman, by the Israeli Occupation Forces (IOF)’ fire.  Among those killed, one was shot dead by an Israeli settler, and three, including 2 children, succumbed to their previous injuries. Meanwhile, 51 Palestinians, including 12 children, were injured by IOF fire, and dozens of others suffocated. All those incidents took place in the West Bank, including occupied East Jerusalem, except for a child who succumbed to his previous injuries in the Gaza Strip. Details are as follows:

On 26 January 2023, IOF killed 9 Palestinians, including 4 civilians; one of them was a woman, and injured 29 others, including 2 children and 9 seriously injured, during IOF’s incursion into Jenin Refugee camp, west of Jenin. On 29 January 2023, a member of Palestinian armed groups succumbed to his injury. (Details available at PCHR’s press release.)

On the same day, Yousef Yehia Muhassin (22) was killed after being shot with a live bullet in his abdomen and two other Palestinians, including a child, were injured by IOF’s fire during the latter’s incursion into al-Ram village, north of occupied East Jerusalem, and being thrown with stones and Molotov cocktails.

On the same day, Nayif Khaled al-‘Ewidat (11) died after sustaining a shrapnel injury in his head as Israeli warplanes fired a missile at an agricultural land in ‘Abasan village, east of Khan Yunis, on 06 August 2022.

On 27 January 2023, Wadee’ ‘Aziz Abu Romouz (16) succumbed to an explosive bullet injury he sustained in his abdomen on 25 January 2023 during clashes with IOF in Silwan village in occupied East Jerusalem. During his treatment at Shaare Zedek Medical Center, he received around 150 blood units and underwent 3 surgeries to stop the severe bleeding caused by the explosive bullet. Despite his critical health condition, IOF remained him under arrest, tied him to the bed, deployed inside and outside the room, and kept his body in custody.

On the same day, Khairy Mousa ‘Alqam (21) was killed during an exchange of fire with IOF in Beit Hanina village, north of occupied East Jerusalem. ‘Alqam was being chased by IOF after he carried out a shooting attack in Nabi Jacob settlement.

On 29 January 2023, Karam ‘Ali Salman (18) was killed by a settlement guard’s fire in the industrial area, east of Qalqilya, while trying to infiltrate into Kedumim settlement with a rifle as shown in a footage published by the Israeli media.

On 30 January 2023, Naseem Nayif Fouda (26) was killed after being shot with a live bullet in his head while driving his vehicle near a military checkpoint at the entrance to al-Salaymah neighborhood, southeast of al-Ibrahimi Mosque in Hebron. ( Details available in PCHR’s press release.)

Meanwhile, those injured were victims of IOF’s excessive use of force and shooting during their incursion into the Palestinian cities and villages, or suppression of peaceful protests organized by Palestinian civilians, and they were as follows:

On 26 January 2023, 7 Palestinians, including 2 children, were shot with live and rubber-coated bullets during clashes with IOF in front of Beit Eil military checkpoint at the northern entrance to al-Bireh City.

On the same day, 2 Palestinians, including a child, were shot with rubber-coated bullets during clashes with IOF at the northern entrance to Jericho.

Also, a child sustained a live bullet injury in his hand during IOF’s incursion into Tammun village southeast of Tubas. Before their withdrawal, IOF arrested a Palestinian.

On 27 January 2023, 3 Palestinians were injured with rubber-coated bullets during IOF’s suppression of Kafr Qaddoum weekly protest in northern Qalqilya.

On the same day, 2 Palestinians, including a child, were injured with rubber-coated bullets during clashes with IOF at ‘Azzun village entrance, east of Qalqilya. Additionally, a child was shot with a rubber-coated bullet during clashes with IOF in southern Qalqilya. 

On 28 January 2023, a Palestinian was injured with an explosive bullet during clashes with IOF in front of Mavi Dotan checkpoint at the entrance to Ya’bad village, southwest of Jenin. As a result, part of his right foot was amputated.

On the same day, a child was injured with a live bullet in his right foot during clashes with IOF at Abu al-Rish military checkpoint near al-Ibrahimi Mosque, south of Hebron. Also, a child was shot with 2 live bullets in his foot during IOF’s incursion into Al- Izzariya village in occupied East Jerusalem. Additionally, a child was injured with a live bullet during IOF’s incursion into Bir Nabala village, northwest of occupied East Jerusalem.

On 29 January 2023, 2 Palestinians, including a child, were injured by IOF’s fire during clashes with IOF in front of a military watchtower established at the entrance to Nabi Salih village, northwest of Ramallah. The child was shot with a rubber-coated bullet and the other Palestinian was shot with a live bullet.

In the Gaza Strip, 5 IOF shootings were reported on agricultural lands in eastern Gaza Strip.

So far in 2023, IOF attacks killed 36 Palestinians, including 17 civilians; 6 of them were children, and the rest were members of the Palestinian armed groups, including a child and 3 were killed by settlers allegedly for carrying out stabbing and shooting attacks. Meanwhile, dozens were injured in the West Bank, including East Jerusalem.

Land razing, demolitions, and notices

IOF displaced 5 families of 25, including 12 children and 6 women, after demolishing 5 houses and 8 civilian facilities.  IOF also handed cease-construction notices in the West Bank, including occupied East Jerusalem. Details are as follows:

On 27 January 2023, IOF forced a Palestinian to self-demolish his 65-sqm house in Jabel Mukaber village in occupied East Jerusalem under the pretext of unlicensed construction, rendering a family of 5, including a woman and 3 children, homeless.

On 28 January 2023, IOF forced a Palestinian to self-demolish his 50-sqm under-construction house in Silwan village in occupied East Jerusalem under the pretext of unlicensed construction.

On 29 January 2023, IOF demolished a 250-sqm house of 2 floors in Jabel Mukaber village in occupied East Jerusalem under the pretext of unlicensed construction. As a result, 3 families of 11, including 4 women and 3 children, were displaced.

On the same day, IOF handed a cease-construction notice for a 100-sqm under-construction house and a 100-sqm tinplate barrack in Al-Burj village, west of Dura in Hebron.

On 30 January 2023, IOF demolished a 200-sqm auto repair shop built of bricks and tinplate in Jabel Mukaber village in occupied East Jerusalem under the pretext of unlicensed construction.

On the same day, IOF demolished 3 livestock barracks built on an area of 150 sqms in Silwan village in occupied East Jerusalem, under the pretext of unlicensed construction.

On 01 February 2023, IOF demolished a 100-sqm house in Al-Walaja village, northwest of Bethlehem, under the pretext of unlicensed construction.  As a result, a family of 9, including a woman and 6 children, was displaced.

On the same day, IOF demolished a 120-sqm under-construction house in Beit Jala village, northwest of Bethlehem, under the pretext of unlicensed construction. Also, IOF demolished a 250-sqm café in Beit Hanina village in occupied East Jerusalem in addition to a 30-sqm wooden room in Silwan village in occupied East Jerusalem.  Moreover, they demolished two 30-sqm containers and a 5-meter retaining wall surrounding a 800-sqm plot of land in Sur Baher village in occupied East Jerusalem under the pretext of unlicensed construction. Meanwhile, IOF demolished a 500-sqm barrack that included agricultural tools and handed 9 cease-construction notices for inhabited and under-construction houses in Deir Ballut village, west of Salfit. 

Since the beginning of 2023, IOF made 31 families homeless, a total of 207 persons, including 27 women and 96 children. This was the outcome of IOF demolition of 31 houses; 5 were forcibly self-demolished by their owners and 3 were demolished on grounds of collective punishment. IOF also demolished 36 other civilian objects, razed other property, and delivered dozens of notices of demolition and cease-construction in the West Bank, including East Jerusalem.

Settler-attacks on Palestinian civilians and their properties:

Settlers, protected by IOF, carried out 12 attacks on Palestinians and their property in the West Bank, including occupied East Jerusalem. Details are as follows:

On 27 January 2023, 5 Palestinians were injured with live bullets after an Israeli settler directly opened fire at them at Beita village intersection, southeast of Nablus.

On the same day, Israeli settlers assaulted a Palestinian near Wadi al-Mutawi, west of Kafr ad-Dik village in western Salfit, causing bruises to him. Also, settlers opened fire at Palestinians in Sidat al-Tha’la area, east of Yatta in southern Hebron, but no casualties were reported.

On 28 January 2023, Israeli settlers, under IOF’s protection, burned 3 vehicles and smashed windows and lights of an ambulance belonging to the Palestine Red Crescent Society (PRCS) in ‘Aqraba and Majdal Bani Fadil villages, southeast of Nablus.

On the same day, setters burned a house, smashed the windows of another, uprooted 6 olive trees, and closed the main street connecting Turmus’Ayya village with Al-Mughayyir village in northern Ramallah. Also, Israeli settlers, protected by IOF, threw stones at Palestinians’ vehicles on a road connecting Nablus with Qalqilya near Kedumim intersection, and on a road connecting Turmus’Ayya village with Al-Mughayyir village, north of Ramallah. They also smashed the windows of 2 vehicles.

On 29 January 2023, settlers beat a Palestinian and fractured his leg, and burned two vehicles in Jalud village, southeast of Nablus.

On 30 January 2023, Israeli settlers, under IOF’s protection, uprooted 50 olive trees and wrote racist slogans dubbed “Death to Arabs” in Sinjil village, northeast of Ramallah.

On the same day, settlers punctured the tires of 30 vehicles in al-Eskan area near the industrial area in Al-Bireh.

On 01 February 2023, settlers punctured the tires of 10 vehicles and wrote racist slogans against Arabs calling for revenge in Deir Dibwan village, east of Ramallah.

Since the beginning of the year, settlers conducted at least 29 attacks against Palestinian civilians and their property.

Collective Punishment:

On 29 January 2023, as part of their collective punishment policy, IOF sealed off a residential apartment in al-Tur village in occupied East Jerusalem. The apartment belongs to the family of Khairy ‘Alqam, who was killed after carrying out a shooting attack in occupied East Jerusalem on 27 January 2023. A As a result, a family of 9, including 5 children and 3 women, were displaced. Following the shooting attack, IOF raided ‘Alqam’s family house, arrested his parents and some of his relative, expelled the rest of his family members, and prevented anyone from entering it. Meanwhile, IOF is still stationed around the house.

IOF incursions and arrests of Palestinian civilians:

IOF carried out 280 incursions into the West Bank, including occupied East Jerusalem. Those incursions included raids and searches of civilian houses and facilities and establishment of checkpoints. During those incursions, 113 Palestinians were arrested, including 3 women and 8 children; one of them was with a mobility impairment.

So far in 2023, IOF conducted 1103 incursions into the West Bank, including occupied East Jerusalem, during which 510 Palestinians were arrested, including 8 women and 55 children.

Israeli closure and restrictions on freedom of movement:

Israeli occupation maintains its illegal and inhuman 15-year closure on the Gaza Strip. Details available in PCHR’s monthly-update in the Gaza crossings.

In the West Bank, including occupied East Jerusalem, IOF continues to impose restrictions on the freedom of movement. On top of its 110 permanent checkpoints, IOF established 192 temporary military checkpoints in the West Bank, including occupied East Jerusalem, and arrested 10 Palestinians at those checkpoints.

On 26 January 2023, IOF closed Shu’fat military checkpoint, northeast of occupied East Jerusalem, and reopened it later.

On 28 January 2023, IOF blocked traffic at al-Zaytona military checkpoint in al-Tur village and closed with cement cubes the entrance to Anata village in occupied East Jerusalem.

On the same day, IOF closed the western entrance to Husan village to vehicles’ movement, and closed the military checkpoint 300 in northern Bethlehem, and reopened them later.

On 29 January 2023, IOF closed Qalandia and al-Jib checkpoints in occupied East Jerusalem and later reopened them. On the same day, IOF closed the northern and western entrances to Tekoa village and reopened them later.

On 30 January 2023, IOF obstructed vehicles’ movement at Jab’ military checkpoint and closed Qalandia military checkpoint in occupied East Jerusalem and reopened it later. On the same day, IOF tightened restrictions at al-Container military checkpoint in Bethlehem, blocking traffic.

On 31 January 2023, IOF closed the western entrance to Husan village to vehicles’ movement and reopened it later.

On 28 January 2023, IOF tightened restrictions at military checkpoints established at the main and sub entrances to Jericho, including blocking traffic, searching vehicles and checking Palestinians’ IDs. 

So far in 2023, IOF established 618 temporary military checkpoints and arrested 31 Palestinians at those checkpoints.

Resistance confronts Israeli attacks, targets settlements around Gaza

Feb 2, 2023

Source: Al Mayadeen Net

By Al Mayadeen English 

The Izz ad-Din al-Qassam Brigades and Al-Mujahideen Brigades announce that their air defenses intercept the IOF’s fighter jets violating the airspace of the Gaza Strip.

Israeli air raids targeted resistance sites in the central Gaza Strip. (AFP)

The Izz ad-Din al-Qassam Brigades, the military wing of the Hamas resistance movement, announced in a statement, at dawn today, that the resistance’s air defenses intercepted Israeli occupation aircraft targeting the Gaza Strip with surface-to-air missiles and also fired surface-to-surface missiles.

Al Mayadeen’s correspondent reported that the Israeli air raids targeted resistance sites in the central Gaza Strip, noting that the Palestinian Resistance responded by deploying its air defense systems against the Israeli warplanes violating the Gaza airspace, using SAMs to intercept the hostile aircraft.

The occupation forces launched a series of raids in Gaza hours after Israeli Police Minister Itamar Ben-Gvir called for an urgent security meeting, following the occupation’s announcement of intercepting a missile fired from Gaza.

Hazem Qassem: Extremist occupation government opens the door to escalation

Hamas’ spokesperson Hazem Qassem said that the Zionist occupation’s raids on Gaza are an example of the cycle of aggression waged against the Palestinian people and their land.

Qassem added that “the presence of the far-right Israeli government and its extremist policies opens the door for escalation.” He also lauded the Al-Qassam Brigades’ heroism in confronting the occupation’s aggression and the bombing of the Strip.

“Al-Qassam Brigades will remain the people’s shield and sword.” 

Al-Mujahideen Brigades: We targeted the Israeli “Nahal Oz” military site

For its part, the Al-Mujahideen Brigades, the military wing of the Palestinian Mujahideen Movement, announced in a statement that the Zionist aircraft were confronted with surface-to-air missiles and the “Nahal Oz” military site was targeted with heavy weapons.

The brigades affirmed that the resistance fighters will be on the lookout, and will be fully prepared to confront any aggression against the Palestinians.

In the same context, Israeli media reported that occupation forces arrested 17 Palestinians in the occupied West Bank last night.

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    ‘Israel’ cracks down on Palestinian female prisoners

    January 31, 2023

    Source: Agencies

    By Al Mayadeen English 

    In a new report titled “Pulling the trigger is the first resort”,  Euro-Med Monitor revealed that the recorded number of Palestinians killed in the occupied West Bank by Israeli occupation forces (IOF) increased by 82% in 2022 over 2021.

    The funeral of Jana Zakarneh, a 16-year-old Palestinian girl who was shot by IOF in her family’s house. (Reuters)

    The alarming increase in Israeli occupation forces’ killings of Palestinians in the Occupied Palestinian Territory in 2022 is extremely disturbing, the Euro-Med Human Rights Monitor cautioned in a statement, emphasizing the need to activate accountability and end “Israel’s” decades-long state of impunity.

    In a new report titled “Pulling the trigger is the first resort”, the Euro-Med Monitor revealed that the recorded number of Palestinians killed in the occupied West Bank by Israeli occupation forces (IOF) increased by 82% in 2022 over 2021, and nearly fivefold (491%) over 2020.

    The report acknowledged that the Palestinians were murdered in unjustifiable operations and contexts where they posed no imminent threat or danger to IOF or illegal Israeli settlers.

    On his account, the Chairman of Euro-Med Monitor Ramy Abdu said, “The Israeli army’s killings and summary executions of Palestinian civilians, as evidenced by its lax open-fire regulations and official protection system for perpetrators of horrific violations, demonstrate that these are state-sanctioned rather than individual actions.”

    “Regardless of whether Israel’s government is on the political left, centre, or right, the use of lethal force against Palestinians remains a key element of its policy.”

    – Chairman of Euro-Med Monitor Ramy Abdu

    It is worth noting that the report provides detailed statistics on Palestinians killed by Israeli occupation forces and settlers in 2022, documenting the murder of 204 Palestinians by IOF in 2022, 142 of whom were from the occupied West Bank (69.6%), 37 from Gaza (18.1%), 20 from Al-Quds (9.8%), and five from the ’48 occupied territories (2.4%).

    According to the data presented in the report, Israeli occupation forces carried out 32 summary executions, 18 of which occurred amid allegations that Palestinians had either completed or attempted a stabbing or vehicular assault against Israeli settlers near checkpoints or hotspots; the remaining executions were generally carried out without any rationale or solely based on suspicion.

    Jenin Governorate had the highest number of Palestinian murdered in 2022, accounting for 26.9% of total deaths, with 55 Palestinians murdered, compared to other Palestinian towns and governorates. The governorate of Nablus came in second with 35 deaths, accounting for 17.1% of all deaths; this is owing to the increased frequency of Israeli raids and the execution of targeted operations in the two governorates.

    Children made up nearly 20% of victims of Israeli killings in 2022, according to the report’s findings, with 41 children slain in Israeli attacks and assaults, in addition to eight women killed the same year, three of whom were field-executed in the occupied West Bank.

    Shoot to kill

    The report highlighted that the Israeli political echelon’s authorization for the army and security forces to act with “complete freedom” under the guise of “counter-terrorism” appears to have paved the way for the unjust killing and oppression of Palestinian civilians at military checkpoints and in cities, villages, and towns throughout the occupied West Bank and Al-Quds.

    The conduct of Israeli forces toward Palestinian civilians demonstrates the entity’s clear disregard for its international obligations under the Geneva Conventions, most notably the Fourth Geneva Convention, under which Israeli practices amount to war crimes, the report stressed.

    The Euro-Med Human Rights Monitor urged the European Union to review the implementation of its partnership agreement with the Israeli government in light of Israeli violations of human rights, as well as to halt cooperation programs until “Israel’s” government meets its obligations and ceases its gross violations of human rights in Palestine.

    The report also stressed that relevant UN processes and bodies must act immediately to safeguard civilians in the Occupied Palestinian Territory, as well as to ensure investigation and accountability for egregious violations and offenses that may constitute war crimes.

    The International Criminal Court must conduct its investigations as soon as possible and tackle the situation in the Palestinian Territory in the same manner as it does in other parts of the world, the report tersely stated.


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    القدس تنتقم لجنين: فدائي «استثنائي» يوجع العدو ويرعبه

      السبت 28 كانون الثاني 2023

    قطع وزير الأمن زيارته إلى واشنطن، وعاد إلى تل أبيب للمشاركة في المشاورات الأمنية (أ ف ب)

    رجب المدهون

    بعد أقلّ من 48 ساعة على ارتكاب العدو جريمة مخيّم جنين، عمد مقاوم فلسطيني من سكّان القدس المحتلّة، إلى إطلاق النار من سلاحه الفردي على مستوطِنين إسرائيليين كانوا خارجين لتوّهم من كنيس في حيّ «نيفي يعقوب» الاستيطاني. وأدّت هذه العملية الفدائية غير المسبوقة منذ حوالى 15 عاماً، إلى مقتل 7 إسرائيليين، وجرْح نحو 10 اثنان منهم في حال الخطر، ما يجعل حصيلة القتلى مرشّحة للارتفاع. في المقابل، استُشهد منفّذ العملية بعد وقت قصير، عند اشتباكه مع شرطة العدو. وكانت المقاومة الفلسطينية في غزة أطلقت، في ردّها الأوّلي على مجزرة المخيّم، عدداً من الصواريخ على مستوطنات «الغلاف»، تأكيداً منها أن «معادلة غزة – جنين» لا تزال قائمة، في وقت تصاعدت فيه مطالبات أقطاب الفاشية لجيش الاحتلال وحكومته، بتعزيز توازنات الردع مع القطاع، عبر إطباق الحصار أكثر، والتجويع، والاغتيالات، والمزيد من القتل العبثي

    حتى ساعة متأخّرة من ليل أمس، كانت لا تزال وسائل إعلام العدو تنشر أرقاماً متضاربة حول حصيلة عملية إطلاق النار التي نفّذها المقاوم الفلسطيني في حيّ «نفي يعقوب» الاستيطاني في القدس. لكن في المحصّلة، فإن أبلغ تعبير يخلّص المشهد، يكاد يكون هو الذي استعملتْه «القناة 12» العبرية، تعليقاً على الحدث، إذ قالت إن «مذبحة وقعت في القدس». ومن موقع العملية – والذي زاره في وقت لاحق رئيس الحكومة، بنيامين نتنياهو، في حدث غير معتاد -، وبينما كان وزير «الأمن القومي»، إيتمار بن غفير، محاطاً بعدد كبير من الحرّاس والمستوطنين، وصف الهجوم بأنه «من الأسوأ خلال السنوات الأخيرة»، قبل أن يلتزم الصمت ويبتلع لسانه، في وقت حاولت فيه وسائل الإعلام العبرية استصراحه، وهو المعروف بوصوله دائماً أولاً إلى موقع أيّ ضربة ضدّ إسرائيليين، حيث يشرع في تصريحات مزايِدة على حكومة خصومه السابقة بقيادة نفتالي بينت ثمّ يائير لابيد. لكن أمس، خرس بن غفير أمام هول الحدث ونتائجه، وهو الوزير الأساسي في الحكومة، وتحت سلطته تقع عدّة أجهزة أمنية تعمل في الأراضي المحتلة، وأنصتَ محنيّ الرأس إلى صرخات المستوطِنين، وهم يطالبونه بأن يفي بوعوده الإجرامية، وتصعيد التنكيل بالفلسطينيين، محمّلين إيّاه المسؤولية، كون العملية وقعت خلال ولايته كوزير. وفي آخر المعلومات التي وردت مساء أمس، فإن المقاوم الفلسطيني، منفّذ الضربة، هو الشهيد علقم خيري (21 عاماً) من سكّان شرق القدس. وبحسب مفوض عام الشرطة الإسرائيلية، «كان لوحده، وهو من نفّذ الهجوم كاملاً».

    من جهته، قطع وزير الأمن، يوآف غالانت، زيارته إلى واشنطن، وعاد إلى تل أبيب للمشاركة في المشاورات الأمنية التي كان يعقدها نتنياهو مع قادة الأجهزة الأمنية والعسكرية المختلفة، والتي خلصت إلى التوجيه بالاستعداد لتصعيد محتمل. وعلى المستوى الميداني، اقتحمت قوات الاحتلال مخيم شعفاط شمالي القدس، حيث تصدّى لها شبّان المخيم، ووقعت عدّة إصابات في صفوفهم. وأشارت وسائل إعلام العدو إلى أن قوات الأمن الإسرائيلية اقتحمت «شعفاط» لكون منفّذ العملية ينحدر أساساً منه، لكنه يسكن حيّاً آخر في القدس المحتلة.

    على صعيد مواز، وقبل ذلك بليلة واحدة، ردّت المقاومة الفلسطينية، مبدئيّاً، على جريمة مخيم جنين، بإطلاقها صواريخ من قطاع غزة، تجاه مدينة عسقلان ومستوطنات «غلاف غزة»، لتؤكد استمرار «معادلة غزة – جنين» التي أراد الاحتلال تحييدها، في الفترة الماضية. وشهدت أجواء القطاع ليلة ساخنة، تخلّلها إطلاق الصواريخ والمضادات الأرضية للطيران من قِبَل المقاومة من جهة، وقصف إسرائيلي وإطلاق صواريخ «القبّة الحديدية» من جهة ثانية. وفي التفاصيل، أطلقت فصائل المقاومة، في ساعة مبكرة من فجر يوم أمس الجمعة، صاروخَين تجاه مدينة عسقلان المحتلّة، وذلك ردّاً على العدوان الذي استهدف مخيم جنين، لم تتمكّن منظومة «القبّة الحديدية» من اعتراضهما، على رغم إطلاقها عشرات الصواريخ لهذا الغرض، ولتدوّي من بعدها صافرات الإنذار في مختلف مناطق «الغلاف». وما هي إلّا ساعات قليلة، حتى شنّت طائرات الاحتلال سلسلة غارات على المواقع العسكرية التابعة لـ»كتائب القسام»، الجناح العسكري لحركة «حماس»، في منطقتَي وسط وجنوب غزة، تصدّت لها المضادات الأرضية التابعة للمقاومة، فيما أَطلقت «وحدات الدفاع الجوي» صاروخَين موجّهَين تجاه الطائرات المغيرة، ما أدّى إلى إبعادها عن سماء القطاع. ولاحقاً، بثّت «كتائب القسام» فيديوهات لعمليات اعتراض الطائرات الإسرائيلية في سماء غزة، ولعمليّات إطلاق صليات من الرصاص المضاد للطائرات والصواريخ الموجّهة. ووفق مصادر محلّية، تحدّثت إلى «الأخبار»، فإن قوات الاحتلال استهدفت موقع «الكتيبة 13» التابع لـ»القسام»، في مخيم المغازي وسط القطاع، بأكثر من 15 صاروخاً، كما استهدفت غارة من طائرة حربيّة من دون طيار مرصداً للمقاومة شرق بيت حانون، شمال غزة.

    حمّل مستوطنون بن غفير المسؤولية وطالبوه بالثأر


    وتزامناً مع غارات الاحتلال والتصدّي للطائرات المغيرة، أطلقت المقاومة الفلسطينية خمسة صواريخ من غزة تجاه مستوطنات «الغلاف»، فيما أعلن جيش الاحتلال، من جهته، أنه تمّ إطلاق سبعة صواريخ تجاه المستوطنات، زاعماً أنه تم اعتراض أربعة منها، وثلاثة سقطت في مناطق مفتوحة، وأنه تمّ إطلاق عدّة صواريخ أخرى لكنها لم تعبر السياج. وعلمت «الأخبار» من مصادر في حركتَي «حماس» و»الجهاد الإسلامي»، أن تفاهماً جرى بينهما على الردّ من قطاع غزة على جريمة الاحتلال في مخيم جنين، تأكيداً منهما على «وحدة الساحات» الفلسطينية، واستمرار «معادلة غزة – جنين»، وعلى عدم السماح للعدو بالتفرّد بالضفة المحتلة. وأعلن عضو المكتب السياسي لـ»الجهاد»، خالد البطش، أن «سرايا القدس»، الجناح العسكري للحركة، هي المسؤولة عن إطلاق الصواريخ، موضحاً أنه «تجسيداً منّا لمعركة وحدة الساحات هنا في غزة، ردّت، الليلة (أمس)، سرايا القدس بالقصف الصاروخي، وكتائب القسام بالدفاع الجوي، في مشهد متكامل يؤكد وحدة الموقف والسلاح»، مشدّداً على أنه «لن نسمح للعدو بتفريق الساحات».

    من جهته، قال القيادي في حركة «الجهاد»، درويش الغرابلي، خلال مسيرة جماهيرية حاشدة في خان يونس جنوب غزة، إن «إطلاق صواريخ من القطاع، هي رسالة واضحة للعدو الإسرائيلي بأنّنا لا نخافه ولا نخشى مواجهته»، محذّراً من «توسيع بقعة الزيت»، في حال تكرّرت الاعتداءات الإسرائيلية على القدس وجنين والخان الأحمر وأيّ منطقة من فلسطين، ولفت إلى أن ما حدث من إطلاق صواريخ هو «جزء بسيط من ردّ المقاومة على الجريمة التي ارتكبها الاحتلال في جنين». وفي هذا السياق أيضاً، قال الناطق باسم «حماس»، حازم قاسم، إن «المقاومة الباسلة في قطاع غزة تواصل القيام بواجبها بالدفاع عن الشعب الفلسطيني ومقدّساته، وستبقى درع الشعب وسيفه»، موجّهاً التحية إلى مجاهدي «القسام» الذين «تصدّوا للعدوان الصهيوني بالصواريخ المضادة للطيران والمضادات الأرضية التي أربكت جيش الاحتلال ومستوطنيه». وشدّد قاسم على أن القصف على قطاع غزة يشكّل «امتداداً لجرائم الاحتلال ضدّ الشعب الفلسطيني في الضفة والقدس والداخل المحتلّ»، وأن من «حقّ الشعب الفلسطيني ومقاومته أن يقاتلا بكل الأساليب رداً على عدوان الاحتلال واستمرار جرائمه».

    وللمرّة الأولى منذ عام، أُطلقت من قطاع غزة بالونات تحمل أجساماً رمزية تجاه مستوطنات «الغلاف»، في إشارة إلى أن فلسطينيي القطاع قد يعودون إلى أدوات الضغط الشعبي والميداني مع تصاعد جرائم الاحتلال.

    وعلى الجانب الآخر، برزت انتقادات لجيش الاحتلال وحكومة بنيامين نتنياهو، حول تعاملها مع قطاع غزة، إذ وجّه الجنرال احتياط، تسيفكا فوغل، عضو «الكنيست» عن حزب وزير الأمن القومي، إيتمار بن غفير، «القوة اليهودية»، انتقاداً لاذعاً إلى وزير الأمن، قائلاً: «غالانت، هل تريد تحقيق الردع؟ حسناً، هكذا يتحقّق الردع: يجب إغلاق المعابر مع غزة، ومنْع مرور البضائع وخروج العمّال حتى عودة الأسرى الإسرائيليين، كما يجب اغتيال كبار المسؤولين في غزة، وعدم إهدار الذخيرة على العقارات، والأهم من ذلك: شنّ هجمات، وليس شرطاً أن تكون ردوداً على حدث ما». من جهتها، قالت الوزيرة السابقة، ميراف ميخائيلي: «نتنياهو عاد – وسياسة تنقيط الصواريخ على الجنوب عادت بعد عام ونصف عام من السلوك الأمني المسؤول خلال فترة حكومة التغيير – نتنياهو يعيدنا إلى الوراء»، بينما رأى معلّق الشؤون العربية في «القناة 13»، تسفي يحزكلي، أن «حركتَي حماس والجهاد تمتلكان السطوة، وقد صنعتا معادلة ردع ضدّنا».

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    Palestine Will Be True Holocaust for Israelis

     January 28, 2023

    At least 7 Israelis were killed in Al-Quds operation

    Mohammad Salami

    Historically, the Zionists have blackmailed Germany and the whole globe over the alleged Holocaust, which refers to the Nazi genocide against the European Jews in Poland during World War II.

    A short article would not be enough to refute the Zionist Holocaust claims, but we can briefly say history tells us that Britain arrested in 1946 the former Israeli prime minister Yitzhak Shamir over connections with its German enemy in preparation for the establishment of ‘Israel’. Moreover, numerous historians and academicians indicated that a large number of people died in the Polish camps due to pandemics caused by the miseries of the war.

    Former Israeli prime minister Yitzhak Shamir

    Israelis have gained more than sympathy and financial support in return. Actually, the Zionists obtained a patent to establish an illegitimate entity in Palestine and commit all the needed crimes to defend their occupation. Around 80 years of Zionist crimes in Palestine and the neighboring Arab countries have been justified, and even supported.

    Thus, the Zionists have used an untrue myth to be the political justification of the true crime of usurping Palestine.

    The Palestinian Resistance against the Israeli occupation has passed through various stages before reaching the game-changing moment of Al-Quds Sword Battle in May, 2021. During that confrontation, the Palestinian Resistance in Gaza managed to impose new deterrence formula on the Zionist enemy in a way that includes protecting Al-Quds and Al-Aqsa Mosque.

    The cooperation among the Palestinians in Gaza as well as the occupied West Bank and 1948 lands has comprised a masterpiece that controlled the political and filed movement of the Israeli enemy.

    The development of the Palestinian Resistance in Jenin and the entire West Bank has inflicted heavy losses upon the Israelis whose moderate and extremist governments failed to cope with this challenge.

    In accordance with the Zionist worries, most of the Palestinian operations in the occupied West Bank are being carried out by young people who rejected to surrender to the bitter reality of the occupation.

    On Saturday, January, 28, a Palestinian teen shot and wounded two Israelis outside Al-Quds (Jerusalem) Old City’s so-called David Street, police and medics said.

    One day earlier, a resident from Al-Quds killed at least seven Israelis and injured at least ten others in a shooting near a synagogue in occupied Al-Quds (Jerusalem).

    The Palestinian Kheiri Alqam, 21, arrived at the Neve Yaakov street shortly after 8 p.m. on Friday and opened fire at Israelis leaving the Ateret Avraham synagogue, the Jerusalem Post reported.

    After entering and attacking the synagogue, the shooter reportedly started chasing after Israelis who were trying to escape. Israeli Channel 12 and The Times of Israel described the attack in Neve Yaakov as a “massacre.”

    Scene of the attack

    Accordingly, the new generation of the Palestinian resistance has proved readiness to confront the Zionist terror to the extent of destroying the occupation entity. The Zionists may now experience a true Holocaust in Palestine.

    They have only one choice: leaving Palestine.

    Israeli PM Benjamin Netanyahu visits scene of the shooting in Al-Quds (January 27, 2023).

    Source: Al-Manar English Website

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