16 nov 2018
Israeli soldiers shot Palestinian demonstrators Friday with rubber-coated steel bullets and tear-gas canisters in Kafr Qaddum, in the northern occupied West Bank District of Qalqilia.
The coordinator of the weekly marches Murad Ishteiwi, told the Ma’an News Agency that two Palestinians were injured with rubber coated steel bullets, and many more suffered the effects of tear-gas inhalation.
One protester was reportedly transferred to hospital for treatment, while the rest were treated on site.
Weekly protests in Kafr Qaddum began in 2011, to condemn Israel’s illegal land confiscation, and to object to the closure of the main road into the nearest economic center, Nablus.
The road has been closed off to Palestinians since 2003, when Israel expanded the illegal colonial settlement of Kedumim.
Ishteiwi stated that Israeli forces occupied two rooftops of homes of Palestinians, to view the protesters, in addition to taking pictures of many of the protesters.
The coordinator of the weekly marches Murad Ishteiwi, told the Ma’an News Agency that two Palestinians were injured with rubber coated steel bullets, and many more suffered the effects of tear-gas inhalation.
One protester was reportedly transferred to hospital for treatment, while the rest were treated on site.
Weekly protests in Kafr Qaddum began in 2011, to condemn Israel’s illegal land confiscation, and to object to the closure of the main road into the nearest economic center, Nablus.
The road has been closed off to Palestinians since 2003, when Israel expanded the illegal colonial settlement of Kedumim.
Ishteiwi stated that Israeli forces occupied two rooftops of homes of Palestinians, to view the protesters, in addition to taking pictures of many of the protesters.
The Palestinian Center for Development & Media Freedoms (MADA) has condemned the destruction of Al-Aqsa TV Headquarters on Monday evening, 12 November, 2018, by the Israeli army, in implementation of the resolution taken by the senior officials and politicians at the Israeli government, as various data indicates.
Al-Aqsa TV Headquarters was destroyed in Gaza, by Israeli warplanes, about a half an hour following the end of a security meeting held by the Israeli leadership with the participation of Israeli Prime Minister, Benjamin Netanyahu, at “Kiryah” Military Base, near Tel Aviv. This was followed by announcements reported, by Israeli media, that “the go-ahead was given to the Israeli army to carry out more severe attacks” on Gaza.
Al-Aqsa TV Director, Mr. Ibrahim Thaher, stated to MADA that the TV office had received a phone call from Israeli Intelligence in which it was informed that the headquarters would be destroyed. Accordingly, the headquarters were evacuated of its staff immediately. Ten minutes later, drones began bombarding the headquarters with “warning” missiles, which was followed by a missile fired by F16 warplane, leading to the destruction of the headquarters and the interruption of transmission.
According to explorations of MADA field research, at approximately 8:30 PM, on Monday, Al-Aqsa TV received an Israeli threat to bomb it. The TV staff quickly evacuated the headquarters and left. About half an hour later, at 9:00 PM, unmanned aerial vehicles (drones) began bombing the headquarters, where they fired five “warning” missiles intermittently. At approximately 09:15, a missile fired by an F-16 warplane destroyed the headquarters, which led to its destruction and transmission interruption.
However, the Israeli warplane returned and bombed the headquarters with another missile, several minutes later, causing extensive destruction. Many houses and buildings, adjacent to the headquarters, were severely damaged.
PNN further reports that this is the third time the headquarters of Al-Aqsa TV have been destroyed by the Israeli occupation army.
The measure is part of a large-scale Israeli systematic targeting aimed at silencing the media and journalists, and blurring the practices and attacks of the occupation in Palestine. The Israeli army has destroyed in three large-scale military attacks, which erupted in Gaza Strip in the years 2008, 2012 and 2014, totaling 61 headquarters of media agencies. In 2014, 17 journalists were killed, in the Gaza Strip.
Taking into consideration the serious escalation of the Israeli occupation authorities and its army’s targeting journalists and media outlets in Palestine, MADA believes that the impunity of perpetrators of such crimes has encouraged the Israeli army to continue committing such acts in an official and blatant manner, as in the case of destroying the headquarters of Al-Aqsa TV.
Therefore, MADA Center has called on the Special Rapporteur of the freedom of expression at the United Nations, as well as the international human rights organizations, to endeavor and investigate the crimes of the Israeli occupation against media freedoms in Palestine, and to bring the perpetrators, and all those involved, to justice.
Al-Aqsa TV Headquarters was destroyed in Gaza, by Israeli warplanes, about a half an hour following the end of a security meeting held by the Israeli leadership with the participation of Israeli Prime Minister, Benjamin Netanyahu, at “Kiryah” Military Base, near Tel Aviv. This was followed by announcements reported, by Israeli media, that “the go-ahead was given to the Israeli army to carry out more severe attacks” on Gaza.
Al-Aqsa TV Director, Mr. Ibrahim Thaher, stated to MADA that the TV office had received a phone call from Israeli Intelligence in which it was informed that the headquarters would be destroyed. Accordingly, the headquarters were evacuated of its staff immediately. Ten minutes later, drones began bombarding the headquarters with “warning” missiles, which was followed by a missile fired by F16 warplane, leading to the destruction of the headquarters and the interruption of transmission.
According to explorations of MADA field research, at approximately 8:30 PM, on Monday, Al-Aqsa TV received an Israeli threat to bomb it. The TV staff quickly evacuated the headquarters and left. About half an hour later, at 9:00 PM, unmanned aerial vehicles (drones) began bombing the headquarters, where they fired five “warning” missiles intermittently. At approximately 09:15, a missile fired by an F-16 warplane destroyed the headquarters, which led to its destruction and transmission interruption.
However, the Israeli warplane returned and bombed the headquarters with another missile, several minutes later, causing extensive destruction. Many houses and buildings, adjacent to the headquarters, were severely damaged.
PNN further reports that this is the third time the headquarters of Al-Aqsa TV have been destroyed by the Israeli occupation army.
The measure is part of a large-scale Israeli systematic targeting aimed at silencing the media and journalists, and blurring the practices and attacks of the occupation in Palestine. The Israeli army has destroyed in three large-scale military attacks, which erupted in Gaza Strip in the years 2008, 2012 and 2014, totaling 61 headquarters of media agencies. In 2014, 17 journalists were killed, in the Gaza Strip.
Taking into consideration the serious escalation of the Israeli occupation authorities and its army’s targeting journalists and media outlets in Palestine, MADA believes that the impunity of perpetrators of such crimes has encouraged the Israeli army to continue committing such acts in an official and blatant manner, as in the case of destroying the headquarters of Al-Aqsa TV.
Therefore, MADA Center has called on the Special Rapporteur of the freedom of expression at the United Nations, as well as the international human rights organizations, to endeavor and investigate the crimes of the Israeli occupation against media freedoms in Palestine, and to bring the perpetrators, and all those involved, to justice.
Israeli forces suppressed Palestinians and activists protesting near the village of Ras Karkar, west of Ramallah, in the occupied central West Bank, on Friday, against the Israeli plan to seize hundreds of dunams of land in the area.
Locals reported, according to Ma’an, that Israeli soldiers fired rubber-coated steel bullets and tear-gas bombs to suppress protesters; one Palestinian was injured with a rubber-coated steel bullet in the face; he was transferred to the Palestine Medical Center for treatment.
Many other protesters suffered tear-gas inhalation.
Protesters had performed Friday prayers on lands threatened with seizure.
During last week’s protests at Ras Karkar, Israeli forces detained three Palestinians and injured dozens of others, including a paramedic who was injured with a rubber-coated steel bullet when Israeli forces opened fire at a Palestinian Red Crescent ambulance.
Locals reported, according to Ma’an, that Israeli soldiers fired rubber-coated steel bullets and tear-gas bombs to suppress protesters; one Palestinian was injured with a rubber-coated steel bullet in the face; he was transferred to the Palestine Medical Center for treatment.
Many other protesters suffered tear-gas inhalation.
Protesters had performed Friday prayers on lands threatened with seizure.
During last week’s protests at Ras Karkar, Israeli forces detained three Palestinians and injured dozens of others, including a paramedic who was injured with a rubber-coated steel bullet when Israeli forces opened fire at a Palestinian Red Crescent ambulance.
Dozens of Palestinians were injured on Friday afternoon when the Israeli occupation forces opened fire at the protesters taking part in the Great March of Return for the 34th week in a row.
Gaza Ministry of Health announced that 40 protesters were injured by Israeli gunfire, three of whom are in critical condition.
The PIC reporter said that hundreds of Palestinians on Friday marched along the border between the Gaza Strip and the 1948 occupied Palestinian territories.
The Higher National Committee for the Great March of Return and Breaking the Siege earlier in the week called for the largest popular participation in Friday's protests under the slogan "Normalization is Betrayal".
Member of the Political Bureau of the Democratic Front for the Liberation of Palestine, Talal Abu Zarifa, said that the Great March of Return will retain its peaceful character and continue until the siege is lifted.
The Great March of Return was launched on 30 March along the border fence with the aim of shedding light on the Palestinian refugees' right to return and pressuring Israel to lift the 13-year-long blockade on Gaza.
Since the border protests started the Israeli army has killed 247 Palestinian protesters, while about 25,000 have been injured, 500 of whom are in critical condition.
Army Injures Four Palestinians In Gaza
Israeli soldiers attacked, Friday, the Great Return March processions in the Gaza Strip, and wounded at least four Palestinians, including one who suffered a serious injury.
Media sources in Gaza said the soldiers fired dozens of live rounds and high-velocity gas bombs at the protesters, on Palestinian lands near the perimeter fence, along the eastern part of the besieged coastal region.
The Palestinian Health Ministry in Gaza said the soldiers shot and seriously injured one Palestinian, east of Gaza city.
It added that the soldiers also shot two Palestinians, in Jabalia, in the northern part of the coastal region.
The army fired a barrage of live rounds, in addition to rubber-coated steel bullets and high-velocity gas bombs at the protesters, in addition to journalists and medics, especially when the army fired at the Great Return March encampment, east of Rafah, in the southern part of the Gaza Strip.
On Friday morning, the soldiers fired many live rounds at Palestinians on their farmlands, east of al-Qarara, near Khan Younis, in southern Gaza Strip.
The shots came from soldiers on military towers in Kissufim base, across the perimeter fence.
Gaza Ministry of Health announced that 40 protesters were injured by Israeli gunfire, three of whom are in critical condition.
The PIC reporter said that hundreds of Palestinians on Friday marched along the border between the Gaza Strip and the 1948 occupied Palestinian territories.
The Higher National Committee for the Great March of Return and Breaking the Siege earlier in the week called for the largest popular participation in Friday's protests under the slogan "Normalization is Betrayal".
Member of the Political Bureau of the Democratic Front for the Liberation of Palestine, Talal Abu Zarifa, said that the Great March of Return will retain its peaceful character and continue until the siege is lifted.
The Great March of Return was launched on 30 March along the border fence with the aim of shedding light on the Palestinian refugees' right to return and pressuring Israel to lift the 13-year-long blockade on Gaza.
Since the border protests started the Israeli army has killed 247 Palestinian protesters, while about 25,000 have been injured, 500 of whom are in critical condition.
Army Injures Four Palestinians In Gaza
Israeli soldiers attacked, Friday, the Great Return March processions in the Gaza Strip, and wounded at least four Palestinians, including one who suffered a serious injury.
Media sources in Gaza said the soldiers fired dozens of live rounds and high-velocity gas bombs at the protesters, on Palestinian lands near the perimeter fence, along the eastern part of the besieged coastal region.
The Palestinian Health Ministry in Gaza said the soldiers shot and seriously injured one Palestinian, east of Gaza city.
It added that the soldiers also shot two Palestinians, in Jabalia, in the northern part of the coastal region.
The army fired a barrage of live rounds, in addition to rubber-coated steel bullets and high-velocity gas bombs at the protesters, in addition to journalists and medics, especially when the army fired at the Great Return March encampment, east of Rafah, in the southern part of the Gaza Strip.
On Friday morning, the soldiers fired many live rounds at Palestinians on their farmlands, east of al-Qarara, near Khan Younis, in southern Gaza Strip.
The shots came from soldiers on military towers in Kissufim base, across the perimeter fence.
Israeli soldiers attacked, Friday, the weekly nonviolent procession against the Annexation Wall and colonies, in Bil’in village, west of the central West Bank city of Ramallah.
The soldiers fired many gas bombs and concussion grenades at the nonviolent protesters, causing many to suffer the effects of teargas inhalation.
Media sources in Bil’in said the soldiers also used a surveillance drone to film the protesters.
Bil’in has been a leading example of popular nonviolent protests against the illegal Israeli annexation wall and colonies, for the last thirteen years, and has been subject to constant military invasions and violation.
The army’s use of excessive force against the nonviolent protesters has led to hundreds of injuries, dozens of them seriously, in addition to killing Bassem Abu Rahma, in April 2009, after shooting him with a high-velocity gas bomb in the chest, and his sister, Jawaher, who died in 2010 from the severe effects of teargas inhalation.
Their brother, Ashraf Abu Rahma, was shot in his leg in 2008, by a soldier, after he was bound and blindfolded, and was ordered to stand behind their vehicle. The incident was caught on film by a girl from Bil’in, and the soldiers later targeted her and her family.
In related news, the soldiers attacked local and international nonviolent protesters on Palestinian lands, in Jabal ar-Reesan Mountain, in Ras Karkar village, west of the central West Bank city of Ramallah.
The soldiers fired many gas bombs and concussion grenades at the nonviolent protesters, causing many to suffer the effects of teargas inhalation.
Media sources in Bil’in said the soldiers also used a surveillance drone to film the protesters.
Bil’in has been a leading example of popular nonviolent protests against the illegal Israeli annexation wall and colonies, for the last thirteen years, and has been subject to constant military invasions and violation.
The army’s use of excessive force against the nonviolent protesters has led to hundreds of injuries, dozens of them seriously, in addition to killing Bassem Abu Rahma, in April 2009, after shooting him with a high-velocity gas bomb in the chest, and his sister, Jawaher, who died in 2010 from the severe effects of teargas inhalation.
Their brother, Ashraf Abu Rahma, was shot in his leg in 2008, by a soldier, after he was bound and blindfolded, and was ordered to stand behind their vehicle. The incident was caught on film by a girl from Bil’in, and the soldiers later targeted her and her family.
In related news, the soldiers attacked local and international nonviolent protesters on Palestinian lands, in Jabal ar-Reesan Mountain, in Ras Karkar village, west of the central West Bank city of Ramallah.
By Mohammad Balawi
One of the anomalies of political Zionism is that, while it was founded as a response to murderous pogroms against European and Russian Jews as a means to rescue them from such treatment by having a safe haven to go to, the founding fathers of the State of Israel and their successors have had no qualms about inflicting terrible suffering and hardship on others in order to achieve their aims.
The stated aim of making sure that the ultimate pogrom called the Holocaust, for example, will “never again” befall the Jews, has meant that “again and again” is the rule with regards to Israel’s violations against the Palestinians and anyone else deemed to be an enemy.
In the establishment of a state specifically for people of a particular race, there are those who would argue that Zionism is a racist ideology. This argument ensured that, in November 1975, UN General Assembly Resolution 3379 determined that Zionism is “a form of racism and racial discrimination”, although under US pressure imposed by President George H W Bush, this was revoked in 1991.
Nevertheless, the notion of “God’s chosen people” treating those perceived to be lesser mortals, Arab Palestinians, so abominably day after day for more than 70 years remains government policy in Israel. That is the reality.
The state targets anyone who gets in its way of occupying as much of historic Palestine as possible with as few Palestinians on the land as possible; “Greater Israel” is the desired result. Killing Palestinians and other non-Jews is not usually an ethical decision, but one taken according to the benefits it provides for Israel. Scientists, community leaders, religious leaders or simply whoever stands in front of them can be and often is a target, regardless of race, religion, citizenship, gender or age.
Such murders are not the acts of rogue killers. They are endorsed by the Israeli Prime Minister, Benjamin Netanyahu, which makes him a direct accomplice in all such crimes. In the case of Israel, therefore, terrorism is not an individual or non-state actor modus operandi; it has come to define the state itself.
Murderous “operations” have been endorsed by successive Prime Ministers of Israel, targeting not only Palestinians, but many other nationalities too. Israel rarely acknowledges its responsibility for any of them, even when they fail to hit the target. Indeed, Israel has committed thousands of crimes over the years, including alleged war crimes, crimes against humanity, ethnic cleansing and mass murder.
Despite this, it has not been made to account; it acts with impunity, treating international laws and conventions with contempt, safe in the knowledge that its friends in the West have its back covered, especially the US and its veto at the UN Security Council. Britain is one country where the pro-Israel politicians changed the procedures for its law of universal jurisdiction in order to protect suspected Israeli war criminals from prosecution.
Former Foreign Minister had to cancel her visit to Britain because arrest warrants were prepared due to Israel’s crimes committed in the Gaza Strip. Upon hearing the news, Livni commented, “The free world must differentiate between real war criminals who must be brought to justice and those who fight terrorism against civilians, including the officers and soldiers of the [Israel Defense Forces].” The British government duly changed the law.
Helping such people to escape prosecution also makes those who protect them complicit in their crimes. Knowing that they can act with impunity emboldens Israeli politicians to go further with their illegal policies and practices.
The level of hypocrisy and double standards is remarkable in Israel. While the death penalty is no longer available to the courts, extrajudicial killings are more common there than almost every other country in the world. This is how Israel understands law and democracy, despite its claim to be “the only democracy in the Middle East.”
This psyche has been prevalent among Israeli leaders since before the state was founded on Palestinian land in 1948. Members and leaders of the Irgun and Stern Gang terrorist groups went on to become leading politicians in Israel, including prime ministers. Just a few weeks ago, Ehud Barak — Israel’s Prime Minister from 1999 to 2001, and the most decorated soldier in the history of the state — declared with no shame that he ordered the killing of 300 Palestinians in a matter of 3 minutes.
Ironically, this man was the leader of the Labor Party, which is usually regarded as a party of the left. That demonstrates how far to the right Israeli politics has shifted.
Barak, though, was no less inhumane than other Labor leaders. The late Shimon Peres, for example, is remembered in the Arab world not as a Nobel Peace laureate, but as the architect of a massacre of Lebanese civilians. On 18 April, 1996, 800 Lebanese civilians took refuge from Israel’s brutal “Operation Grapes of Wrath” in a UN peacekeepers’ compound in the village of Qana. Israeli troops fired artillery rounds into the compound deliberately, killing 106 people and injuring 116 more.
In his speech to the UN General Assembly on 29 September, Dr Mahathir bin Mohamad, the veteran Prime Minister of Malaysia, shed light on an ironic contradiction in human conduct and thinking: We all know, he said, that “wars encourage and legitimize killing. Indeed, the killings are regarded as noble, and the killers are hailed as heroes.
They get medals stuck to their chest and statues erected in their honor, have their names mentioned in history books. There is something wrong with our way of thinking, with our value system. Kill one man, it is murder; kill a million and you become a hero.”
This encapsulates Israel’s “targeted assassinations” policy; it is murder by any other name. Western complacency and Israeli belligerence make such killing permissible. There definitely is “something wrong with our way of thinking” when that is the reality of the world today.
- Dr Mohammad Makram Balawi is a Palestinian writer and academic based in Istanbul. He is the president of Asia Middle East Forum. His article appeared in MEMO.
One of the anomalies of political Zionism is that, while it was founded as a response to murderous pogroms against European and Russian Jews as a means to rescue them from such treatment by having a safe haven to go to, the founding fathers of the State of Israel and their successors have had no qualms about inflicting terrible suffering and hardship on others in order to achieve their aims.
The stated aim of making sure that the ultimate pogrom called the Holocaust, for example, will “never again” befall the Jews, has meant that “again and again” is the rule with regards to Israel’s violations against the Palestinians and anyone else deemed to be an enemy.
In the establishment of a state specifically for people of a particular race, there are those who would argue that Zionism is a racist ideology. This argument ensured that, in November 1975, UN General Assembly Resolution 3379 determined that Zionism is “a form of racism and racial discrimination”, although under US pressure imposed by President George H W Bush, this was revoked in 1991.
Nevertheless, the notion of “God’s chosen people” treating those perceived to be lesser mortals, Arab Palestinians, so abominably day after day for more than 70 years remains government policy in Israel. That is the reality.
The state targets anyone who gets in its way of occupying as much of historic Palestine as possible with as few Palestinians on the land as possible; “Greater Israel” is the desired result. Killing Palestinians and other non-Jews is not usually an ethical decision, but one taken according to the benefits it provides for Israel. Scientists, community leaders, religious leaders or simply whoever stands in front of them can be and often is a target, regardless of race, religion, citizenship, gender or age.
Such murders are not the acts of rogue killers. They are endorsed by the Israeli Prime Minister, Benjamin Netanyahu, which makes him a direct accomplice in all such crimes. In the case of Israel, therefore, terrorism is not an individual or non-state actor modus operandi; it has come to define the state itself.
Murderous “operations” have been endorsed by successive Prime Ministers of Israel, targeting not only Palestinians, but many other nationalities too. Israel rarely acknowledges its responsibility for any of them, even when they fail to hit the target. Indeed, Israel has committed thousands of crimes over the years, including alleged war crimes, crimes against humanity, ethnic cleansing and mass murder.
Despite this, it has not been made to account; it acts with impunity, treating international laws and conventions with contempt, safe in the knowledge that its friends in the West have its back covered, especially the US and its veto at the UN Security Council. Britain is one country where the pro-Israel politicians changed the procedures for its law of universal jurisdiction in order to protect suspected Israeli war criminals from prosecution.
Former Foreign Minister had to cancel her visit to Britain because arrest warrants were prepared due to Israel’s crimes committed in the Gaza Strip. Upon hearing the news, Livni commented, “The free world must differentiate between real war criminals who must be brought to justice and those who fight terrorism against civilians, including the officers and soldiers of the [Israel Defense Forces].” The British government duly changed the law.
Helping such people to escape prosecution also makes those who protect them complicit in their crimes. Knowing that they can act with impunity emboldens Israeli politicians to go further with their illegal policies and practices.
The level of hypocrisy and double standards is remarkable in Israel. While the death penalty is no longer available to the courts, extrajudicial killings are more common there than almost every other country in the world. This is how Israel understands law and democracy, despite its claim to be “the only democracy in the Middle East.”
This psyche has been prevalent among Israeli leaders since before the state was founded on Palestinian land in 1948. Members and leaders of the Irgun and Stern Gang terrorist groups went on to become leading politicians in Israel, including prime ministers. Just a few weeks ago, Ehud Barak — Israel’s Prime Minister from 1999 to 2001, and the most decorated soldier in the history of the state — declared with no shame that he ordered the killing of 300 Palestinians in a matter of 3 minutes.
Ironically, this man was the leader of the Labor Party, which is usually regarded as a party of the left. That demonstrates how far to the right Israeli politics has shifted.
Barak, though, was no less inhumane than other Labor leaders. The late Shimon Peres, for example, is remembered in the Arab world not as a Nobel Peace laureate, but as the architect of a massacre of Lebanese civilians. On 18 April, 1996, 800 Lebanese civilians took refuge from Israel’s brutal “Operation Grapes of Wrath” in a UN peacekeepers’ compound in the village of Qana. Israeli troops fired artillery rounds into the compound deliberately, killing 106 people and injuring 116 more.
In his speech to the UN General Assembly on 29 September, Dr Mahathir bin Mohamad, the veteran Prime Minister of Malaysia, shed light on an ironic contradiction in human conduct and thinking: We all know, he said, that “wars encourage and legitimize killing. Indeed, the killings are regarded as noble, and the killers are hailed as heroes.
They get medals stuck to their chest and statues erected in their honor, have their names mentioned in history books. There is something wrong with our way of thinking, with our value system. Kill one man, it is murder; kill a million and you become a hero.”
This encapsulates Israel’s “targeted assassinations” policy; it is murder by any other name. Western complacency and Israeli belligerence make such killing permissible. There definitely is “something wrong with our way of thinking” when that is the reality of the world today.
- Dr Mohammad Makram Balawi is a Palestinian writer and academic based in Istanbul. He is the president of Asia Middle East Forum. His article appeared in MEMO.
Dozens of Palestinians were injured on Friday when the Israeli occupation forces (IOF) violently quelled a peaceful demonstration in Jabal al-Risan, west of Ramallah.
Eyewitnesses said that the IOF heavily fired rubber-coated metal bullets, stun grenades and teargas canisters at the peaceful protesters, causing dozens of them to suffer various injuries.
Palestinians in Jabal al-Risan on Friday afternoon organized a mass demonstration after the Israeli authorities have seized vast tracts of privately-owned Palestinian land in the area in favor of settlement expansion projects.
Eyewitnesses said that the IOF heavily fired rubber-coated metal bullets, stun grenades and teargas canisters at the peaceful protesters, causing dozens of them to suffer various injuries.
Palestinians in Jabal al-Risan on Friday afternoon organized a mass demonstration after the Israeli authorities have seized vast tracts of privately-owned Palestinian land in the area in favor of settlement expansion projects.
Palestinian anti-occupation gunmen opened fire at an Israeli patrol at daybreak on Friday shortly after the latter rolled into the southern occupied West Bank province of al-Khalil and cracked down on civilians.
According to local sources, an Israeli troop stormed Abu Esneineh neighborhood, in al-Khalil, and ransacked residential alleyways, sparking panic in the area.
An Israeli military spokesman said the gunfire was unleashed while an army patrol was carrying out a search sweep in al-Khalil.
No injuries were reported among Israeli soldiers. The latter have been scouring Palestinian towns in the hunt for anti-occupation young men.
According to local sources, an Israeli troop stormed Abu Esneineh neighborhood, in al-Khalil, and ransacked residential alleyways, sparking panic in the area.
An Israeli military spokesman said the gunfire was unleashed while an army patrol was carrying out a search sweep in al-Khalil.
No injuries were reported among Israeli soldiers. The latter have been scouring Palestinian towns in the hunt for anti-occupation young men.
A number of Palestinians were kidnapped by the Israeli occupation forces (IOF) and others were violently beaten at predawn time on Friday in arrest sweeps launched across the West Bank.
Local sources said young man Mohamed Hendy has been held in an Israeli detention center while three other young men kidnapped overnight from Nablus were released.
At the same time, Israeli soldiers subjected Palestinian civilians to intensive questioning and heavily beat up others near Anbata town, east of Tulkarem, in the northern occupied West Bank.
The IOF set up a checkpoint between Anbata and Bazaria, before they stopped Palestinian cars passing through the area and subjected those onboard to heavy beating.
Eye-witnesses said the young men were forced to lie on the ground, handcuffed, while Israeli soldiers kept interrogating them.
Local sources said young man Mohamed Hendy has been held in an Israeli detention center while three other young men kidnapped overnight from Nablus were released.
At the same time, Israeli soldiers subjected Palestinian civilians to intensive questioning and heavily beat up others near Anbata town, east of Tulkarem, in the northern occupied West Bank.
The IOF set up a checkpoint between Anbata and Bazaria, before they stopped Palestinian cars passing through the area and subjected those onboard to heavy beating.
Eye-witnesses said the young men were forced to lie on the ground, handcuffed, while Israeli soldiers kept interrogating them.
15 nov 2018
Hanegbi and Netanyahu
Minister Tzachi Hanegbi says over 460 rockets fired from Gaza at southern Israel were a 'minor' response to the botched IDF mission in the strip, noting there is a difference between attacking the South and attacking Tel Aviv; Netanyahu rejects statement.
Regional Cooperation Minister Tzachi Hanegbi came under fire on Thursday after calling the over 460 rockets fired from Gaza at southern Israel this week "minor," noting there is a difference between attacking the South and attacking Tel Aviv. Hanegbi’s comments drew widespread condemnation, including from the prime minister.
"Hamas responded (to the botch IDF mission in Gaza on Sunday) in a measured manner and attacked only the Gaza border area. There's a difference between the border area and Tel Aviv, the economic capital of Israel. Hamas's attack was minor, because (rocket) fire at Tel Aviv has different ramifications," Hanegbi said in an interview with Army Radio.
Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu was quick to disavow Hanegbi's comment. "I completely reject the statement that there is a distinction made between the border area and Tel Aviv. Hamas's aggression is not 'minor,' and there is no distinction made between Hamas's (rocket) fire at southern Israel's communities and fire at any other area in the State of Israel," he said.
Later, Hanegbi apologized and clarified his comments, saying in a statement: "I've never made a distinction between the lives of residents in the border area and the lives of the residents of Tel Aviv, and if this is what my comments were taken to mean, I regret that."
"What I meant in my comments from this morning was that a wide-scale campaign in Gaza would necessarily lead to many casualties among our soldiers, massive fire on Tel Aviv, serious economic damage, harm the aerial movement to Israel, and to consequences on the economy and on tourism," he continued.
"At the end of the campaign, we could have found ourselves at the exact same place we are today, and so we preferred to reach a long-term calm, as possible as that may be, without escalation, for the sake of both the residents of the south and the residents of the rest of the country," Hanegbi went on to say.
In his interview with Army Radio, Hanegbi explained that the prime minister, the Security Cabinet ministers and the heads of the defense establishment "all thought we ought to put an end to the violence in Gaza. We had two ways: one was (resigning Defense Minister) Lieberman's way, who proposed a 'serious blow' (against Hamas), while the other was an arrangement. We're in the midst of the first stage of the second option."
Explaining why the Cabinet decided to agree to a ceasefire in Gaza and continue with the implementation of the Egyptian-mediated arrangement with Hamas, Hanegbi said "a serious blow means entering a long campaign, in which every day for weeks, and perhaps longer, Tel Aviv would be paralyzed with hundreds of rockets, which we will have no way of stopping without sending our soldiers into every nook and cranny in Gaza.
Ben-Gurion Airport would be paralyzed for weeks, and this would affect the economy and tourism. There are no wars without a cost. And those who don't wish to pay the price must find alternatives."
He added that Hamas "had a reason to seek revenge" after the IDF Special Forces mission inside Gaza, which led to the death of a senior IDF officer, adding Hamas "with 470 rockets only managed to kill a Palestinian."
The prime minister was not the only member of Hanegbi's own Likud party to slam his comments. Social Equality Minister Gila Gamliel told Ynet that his statement was "particularly unfortunate."
"I'm a bit surprised by Minister Hanegbi, but there is no doubt this isn't the government's policy; I don't agree with it at all, and it's safe to assume neither does the government. He needs to recant his statement, there's no doubt," Gamliel added.
Culture Minister Miri Regev, also of the Likud Party, wrote on Twitter: "Tzachi Hanegbi, my friend, you have erred. Your comment was inappropriate. Any fire that endangers the well-being and security of the citizens of Israel, in any place, must be met with a severe and identical response."
Criticism also came from the other side of the aisle, with Opposition leader Tzipi Livni calling Hanegbi's comment "outrageous," and Zionist Union leader Avi Gabbay calling on the government to disperse.
"According to Tzachi Hanegbi, Hamas must not shoot at Tel Aviv residents, but it's okay to shoot at the south's residents. According to the government, it's impossible to protect the residents of the south," Gabbay charged.
Minister Tzachi Hanegbi says over 460 rockets fired from Gaza at southern Israel were a 'minor' response to the botched IDF mission in the strip, noting there is a difference between attacking the South and attacking Tel Aviv; Netanyahu rejects statement.
Regional Cooperation Minister Tzachi Hanegbi came under fire on Thursday after calling the over 460 rockets fired from Gaza at southern Israel this week "minor," noting there is a difference between attacking the South and attacking Tel Aviv. Hanegbi’s comments drew widespread condemnation, including from the prime minister.
"Hamas responded (to the botch IDF mission in Gaza on Sunday) in a measured manner and attacked only the Gaza border area. There's a difference between the border area and Tel Aviv, the economic capital of Israel. Hamas's attack was minor, because (rocket) fire at Tel Aviv has different ramifications," Hanegbi said in an interview with Army Radio.
Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu was quick to disavow Hanegbi's comment. "I completely reject the statement that there is a distinction made between the border area and Tel Aviv. Hamas's aggression is not 'minor,' and there is no distinction made between Hamas's (rocket) fire at southern Israel's communities and fire at any other area in the State of Israel," he said.
Later, Hanegbi apologized and clarified his comments, saying in a statement: "I've never made a distinction between the lives of residents in the border area and the lives of the residents of Tel Aviv, and if this is what my comments were taken to mean, I regret that."
"What I meant in my comments from this morning was that a wide-scale campaign in Gaza would necessarily lead to many casualties among our soldiers, massive fire on Tel Aviv, serious economic damage, harm the aerial movement to Israel, and to consequences on the economy and on tourism," he continued.
"At the end of the campaign, we could have found ourselves at the exact same place we are today, and so we preferred to reach a long-term calm, as possible as that may be, without escalation, for the sake of both the residents of the south and the residents of the rest of the country," Hanegbi went on to say.
In his interview with Army Radio, Hanegbi explained that the prime minister, the Security Cabinet ministers and the heads of the defense establishment "all thought we ought to put an end to the violence in Gaza. We had two ways: one was (resigning Defense Minister) Lieberman's way, who proposed a 'serious blow' (against Hamas), while the other was an arrangement. We're in the midst of the first stage of the second option."
Explaining why the Cabinet decided to agree to a ceasefire in Gaza and continue with the implementation of the Egyptian-mediated arrangement with Hamas, Hanegbi said "a serious blow means entering a long campaign, in which every day for weeks, and perhaps longer, Tel Aviv would be paralyzed with hundreds of rockets, which we will have no way of stopping without sending our soldiers into every nook and cranny in Gaza.
Ben-Gurion Airport would be paralyzed for weeks, and this would affect the economy and tourism. There are no wars without a cost. And those who don't wish to pay the price must find alternatives."
He added that Hamas "had a reason to seek revenge" after the IDF Special Forces mission inside Gaza, which led to the death of a senior IDF officer, adding Hamas "with 470 rockets only managed to kill a Palestinian."
The prime minister was not the only member of Hanegbi's own Likud party to slam his comments. Social Equality Minister Gila Gamliel told Ynet that his statement was "particularly unfortunate."
"I'm a bit surprised by Minister Hanegbi, but there is no doubt this isn't the government's policy; I don't agree with it at all, and it's safe to assume neither does the government. He needs to recant his statement, there's no doubt," Gamliel added.
Culture Minister Miri Regev, also of the Likud Party, wrote on Twitter: "Tzachi Hanegbi, my friend, you have erred. Your comment was inappropriate. Any fire that endangers the well-being and security of the citizens of Israel, in any place, must be met with a severe and identical response."
Criticism also came from the other side of the aisle, with Opposition leader Tzipi Livni calling Hanegbi's comment "outrageous," and Zionist Union leader Avi Gabbay calling on the government to disperse.
"According to Tzachi Hanegbi, Hamas must not shoot at Tel Aviv residents, but it's okay to shoot at the south's residents. According to the government, it's impossible to protect the residents of the south," Gabbay charged.
65% of the Israeli public is extremely dissatisfied with the Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's performance in the most recent confrontation with Hamas in Gaza, according to a recent poll.
In the poll, which was conducted following an armistice between Israel and the Palestinian resistance, 57% of respondents also expressed dissatisfaction with Defense Minister Avigdor Lieberman’s performance.
A bit less than half, 49%, said Hamas won the latest round of hostilities with the Israeli military.
64% said they believe Israel should have kept up offensives on Gaza and backtracked on the ceasefire. Only 21% agreed to the truce.
In the poll, which was conducted following an armistice between Israel and the Palestinian resistance, 57% of respondents also expressed dissatisfaction with Defense Minister Avigdor Lieberman’s performance.
A bit less than half, 49%, said Hamas won the latest round of hostilities with the Israeli military.
64% said they believe Israel should have kept up offensives on Gaza and backtracked on the ceasefire. Only 21% agreed to the truce.