Day: 19 May 2021

Israeli settlers today attacked Palestine TV crew while covering an event east of the southern occupied West Bank city of Hebron, according to WAFA correspondent.

He said that armed settlers from the illegal Kiryat Arba settlement, where soldiers today shot and killed a Palestinian girl alleging she attempted to attack them, assaulted Fadi Khalaf, a member of the Hebron crew of Palestine TV, while covering the shooting of the Palestinian girl at the entrance to the settlement.

The soldiers also threatened the reporters at gunpoint and forced them to leave the area, said WAFA correspondent.

Source: Palestine news & Information Agency – WAFA

Violence against Arabs in Israel has been on the rise recently as the police have repeatedly abused and overlooked abuses against the minority during the past few days, Euro-Mediterranean Human Rights Monitor said today in a statement, expressing serious concern.

Last week, Israeli towns and cities witnessed violence against Arabs who demonstrated and expressed their anger over the attacks committed by the Israeli police and citizens on worshipers and solidarity activists in the Al-Aqsa Mosque and the Sheikh Jarrah neighborhood in occupied East Jerusalem.

On May 10, the city of Lod witnessed indiscriminate shootings by armed Jewish groups on one of the demonstrations in the city, resulting in the death of Arab citizen, Musa Hassouna and the wounding of others.

In his testimony to Euro-Med Monitor, Malik Hassouna, the father of the victim Musa Hassouna, 31, said: “On the evening of May 10, my son Musa was near one of the peaceful demonstrations in the city protesting the attacks that took place in Al-Aqsa Mosque.” “Four Jews belonging to a group called the ‘Torah Nucleus’ traveling in a vehicle and started firing live bullets at the demonstrators.

The bullets hit my son’s heart and killed him instantly,” the father said.

After the shooting, the families of the wounded tried to bring their relatives to Asaf Harofe hospital, but the security forces at the hospital threw tear gas canisters on them to prevent them from entering.

On the next day, the Israeli police attacked the participants at Hassouna’s funeral in the city of Lod; they attacked the mourners in a very violent manner; and fired stun grenades, tear gas canisters and live bullets in the air. This caused a temporary halt to the funeral.

On the same day, the Israeli police assaulted an unarmed Arab citizen in Haifa while he was on the main street, where the police forces beat, kicked and arrested him without any justification.

On Wednesday 12 May, a video circulated across social media networks, which was seen by Euro-Med Monitor, documenting the police in the city of Haifa storming the house of Arab citizen Awad Mahamid. The video shows the brutal treatment of the police forces towards the residents of the house amid the screams of the women and children.

The forces attacked the men with sticks and hands in front of their children’s eyes.

On the same day, a group of Jews stormed the Wadi al-Jamal neighborhood in Haifa with motorcycles and cars, fired live bullets, sound and tear gas bombs at places populated by Arabs. They also violently attacked Arab demonstrators in Wadi Nisnas, Jaffa Street and Abbas in order to disperse them.

Jaffa also witnessed a series of attacks on Arabs residing in the city on that day, as the Israeli police shot Arab citizen Ibrahim Suri in the face while he was filming the police attacks from his balcony.

In the village of Kafr Manda in the city of Galilee, a 23-year-old young man was moderately wounded after being stabbed by Jewish groups near the Hamovil roundabout. He was transferred by a medical team to Buria Hospital to receive necessary treatment.

The city of Nazareth also witnessed assaults and arrests against Arab citizens. The Israeli police raided the house of the Abbas family in the Al-Safafra neighborhood and attacked and arrested a young man in his twenties. The police also violently attacked and arrested many participants of the demonstrations that took place in the city.

The Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu had reassured several border guards during his meeting with them on Thursday, May 13, that they would not be subject to investigation committees if they violated the law.

“Calm and security must be restored to the residents of Israel. You have full support to protect yourselves, do not be afraid of the investigation committees,” he said.

All the attacks carried out by Israeli groups against the Arabs were under the protection of the Israeli police. The Israeli court in the city of Lod released four Israelis suspected of involvement in the murder of Musa Hassouna without any conditions or restrictions.

The Israeli authorities must end violence and attacks against Arabs residing in Israel, enable Arabs to express their views peacefully and urge them to hold all Israelis involved in these attacks in the attacks and impose harsh penalties against them, said Euro-Med Monitor.

Source: Palestine news & Information Agency – WAFA

The Israeli army has targeted and destroyed many economic and commercial facilities in the Gaza Strip during its ongoing attacks for the 10th day running, Euro-Mediterranean Human Rights Monitor said today in a statement.

The Israeli airstrikes have destroyed or damaged more than 525 economic establishments, including 50 factories during its current attack on the Gaza Strip, according to initial reports.

Negative repercussions directly inflicted Gaza’s economic sector due to the bombardment and destruction of facilities, which led to other indirect effects because of closures caused by continued Israeli attacks.

On May 11, the Israeli forces destroyed Al-Jalil ice cream factory near the Kuwait Roundabout in the Zeitoun neighborhood, south of Gaza City. Later that day, the forces bombed Abu Al-Khair factory, east of Jabalia, and the Hamada Ceramic Company.

In the past two days, Palestinians have witnessed artillery shells falling on nine factories and companies operating in the industrial zone in eastern Gaza City. This has led to extensive damage to the area. The attack on the region constitutes a flagrant violation of the protection this area enjoys under its foundation agreements, said Euro-Med.

The industrial zone is built on an area of 123.5 acres and lies near the Karni crossing. It was established under agreements with the support of the US Agency for International Development (USAID), the World Bank, the European Investment Bank and the European Union.

On Monday, Israeli artillery targeted the FOMCO mattress-making factory, east of Jabalia. The shells caused a huge fire to erupt in the factory that destroyed large parts of it.

The following day, May 18, the Israeli artillery targeted Abu Iskandar, a plastic-making factory in the industrial zone. The shells caused fires to erupt inside, and tons of raw materials burned.

Other companies and factories were severely damaged in the attacks such as the Harb co., Clever co., the Tal Al-Zuhoor co., BSW co., the Al-harir factory for potato chips, the Maatouq ice cream factory, the Ali Al-Wadi factory, and the warehouses of the Bidco co.

Preliminary estimates indicate that 525 commercial establishments have been damaged, including shops and commercial centers at the ground floor of the buildings and towers that were destroyed by the Israeli warplanes across the Gaza Strip.

Head of the Businessmen Association in Gaza, Ali Al-Hayek, told Euro-Med Monitor that it is difficult at this stage to calculate the number of destroyed or damaged factories and establishments or to estimate the extent of their losses.

No less than 50 factories, in addition to dozens of shops and other facilities, were completely or partially destroyed due to the continuous Israeli bombing operations, he said.

He stated that there are indirect damages caused by the military attack including those caused by the state of closure and power cuts.

Verifying the damage inflected to many economic establishments has been unattainable as these facilities are hard to reach and located in dangerous areas.

The economic sector has already been suffering difficult conditions due to the Coronavirus Pandemic, Israeli blockade and attacks on Gaza.

The destruction and disruption of factories and economic establishments have pushed thousands into unemployment, which is already sky-rocketing high with a rate of about 49% in the Gaza Strip. This rate increases among youth and graduates to more than 67% due to the ongoing Israeli blockade for nearly 15 years.

The violent and disproportionate Israeli attacks may cause a humanitarian catastrophe that has begun to affect all basic aspects of life in Gaza, said Euro-Med Monitor.

The Israeli authorities must stop their attacks on residential communities and civilian objects that include towers and commercial companies. The international humanitarian law recognizes the necessity of protecting these objects and criminalized such attacks constitute war crimes and require criminal accountability, stressed the Geneva-based human rights organization.

The international community, led by the United Nations General Assembly, the Security Council and the European Union, must shoulder their legal and moral responsibilities regarding the escalation of unjustified violations against civilians and exert pressure on Israel to stop the military attacks on the Gaza Strip, it added.

Source: Palestine news & Information Agency – WAFA

Israeli extremists attacked today evening Christian clerics near the Church of the Holy Sepulcher in occupied Jerusalem.

Witnesses said three Israeli extremists severally beat up a number of clerics from the Armenian Orthodox Church while they were present near the Church of the Holy Sepulcher in occupied Jerusalem, causing them multiple injuries, including one in the eye.

They were transferred to the hospital for medical treatment.

Source: Palestine news & Information Agency – WAFA

A group of Jewish Google employees is calling on the company to increase its support of Palestinians amid Israel’s deadly bombing campaign in Gaza, according to a letter published on Jewish Diaspora in Tech website.

In an internal letter, Google workers asked CEO Sundar Pichai to put out a statement condemning the attacks, including “direct recognition of the harm done to Palestinians by Israeli military and gang violence.” The letter currently has 250 signatures.

The request is coming from a new employee resource group which formed last year in response to pro-Zionist sentiment within “Jewglers” — Google’s official Jewish ERG. While Jewglers has tried to be apolitical, two current workers say it has supported pro-Israel discussions and is not a safe space to express anti-Zionist beliefs.

This rift led to the formation of the Jewish Diaspora in Tech — a group of Jewish anti-nationalists within Google. “We were compelled to form our own space because of the fact that we were quite literally not allowed to express our viewpoints in the ERG,” says a product marketing manager in the group.

Now, members of the new organization are calling on Google to support freedom of expression internally — particularly around anti-Zionist viewpoints. “Google is the world’s largest search engine and any repression of freedom of expression occurring within the company is a danger not only to Googlers internally but to all people around the world,” they wrote in an FAQ.

They also want Google to terminate any business contracts which support “Israeli violations of Palestinian human rights, such as the Israeli Defense Forces.”

Members of the group say they were inspired to write the letter after Jewglers failed to put out a statement condemning the violence against Palestinians. One worker told The Verge that people in the group were promoting pro-Israel funding opportunities.

Following is the entire letter:

Dear Sundar and Google Executive Team:

We are a coalition of diverse Jewish and allied Googlers concerned about the internal dialogue around the political and racial violence in Israel and Palestine. We as Jews do not endorse the views of those who have written to you seeking to garner support for exclusively pro-Israel and pro-Zionist actions.

We object to the conflation of Israel with the Jewish people, affirm that anti-Zionism is not antisemitism, and implore leadership to take the following actions:

Heed the requests of Palestinian Googlers: Palestinians are overwhelmingly affected by the militarized colonial violence ocurring in the region. Please heed the requests framed by Palestinian Googlers and center their voices going forward.

Fund relief for Palestinians affected by military violence: We ask Google to fund Palestinian rights organizations and ensure that any support for Israeli humanitarian efforts be matched by support to Palestinian-led human rights and relief efforts.

Recognize the pain: We ask Google leadership to make a company-wide statement recognizing the violence in Palestine and Israel, which must include direct recognition of the harm done to Palestinians by Israeli military and gang violence. Both Israelis and Palestinians are hurting right now, but ignoring the destructive and deadly attacks faced by Palestinians erases our Palestinian coworkers.

Protect freedom of speech: We ask Google leadership to reject any definition of antisemitism that holds that criticism of Israel or Zionism is antisemitic. Anti-Zionism is not antisemitism and this conflation harms the pursuit of justice for Palestinians and Jews alike by limiting freedom of expression and distracting from real acts of antisemitism.

Affirm Google’s commitment to human rights: Many of Israel’s actions violate the UN human rights principles, which Google is committed to upholding. We request the review of all Alphabet business contracts and corporate donations and the termination of contracts with institutions that support Israeli violations of Palestinian rights, such as the Israeli Defense Forces.

Signed by concerned Jewish Googlers and allies

Source: Palestine news & Information Agency – WAFA

Departments, research groups, unions, student organizations, and individual employees, researchers, and lecturers of Ghent University, denounced in a statement the misleading coverage in the Belgian media that consistently portrays the enduring violence in Israel/Palestine as “clashes” between two equal parties, which are difficult to understand, as a mere “conflict” between Hamas and Israel. This ignores the true nature of the Israeli/Palestinian question: that of occupier versus oppressed, that of colonizer versus colonized.

“We condemn the violent Israeli attacks on the Palestinian population in the Gaza Strip, the West Bank, and within Israel. We express our solidarity with the Palestinian people who have opposed, since 1948, a settler-colonial regime involved in ethnic cleansing, land annexations, population transfers, and apartheid, said the statement issued by the Department of Conflict and Development Studies at Ghent university.

Many of us research historical and contemporary processes of (de-)colonization, human rights and (international) politics, and (globalized) forms of social, racial, and gender inequality. Many of us also work closely with academic and other civil society partners in the Global South, including Israel/Palestine. This collaboration and research have taught us that it is impossible to remain unmoved in situations of manifest (neo-) colonial injustice. A misleading position of “neutrality” to this injustice only legitimizes the unequal balance of power and the constant violation of human rights. This is also contradictory to the values and norms that we, as the UGent community, hold dear, it said.

“We therefore strongly condemn the lack of political action by the Belgian Government and the European Union against the blatant violations of international law by Israel, the project of illegal settlements and the discriminatory laws against Palestinian citizens in Israel.”

The recent threat of forced expulsion of Palestinian families in Sheikh Jarrah, the attack of the Al Aqsa Mosque during the holy month of Ramadan, the violent repression of Palestinian protests inside and outside the Green Line and the bombing of the completely shattered population in Gaza are not isolated facts. They are part of a structural process of Israeli colonization and dehumanization of the Palestinian people, said the statement.

“If we take the recent debates on decolonization in the media seriously and respond to the recent call from our own students to decolonize our university, then we cannot remain blind to one of the most obvious examples of colonial continuity. We, therefore, call on everyone, both inside and outside our university, to express their support with the Palestinian people and acknowledge their right to freedom and self-determination. One concrete option is to respond to our Palestinian colleagues’ call to support sanctions and a boycott against Israel as long as it continues with its colonial politics. The occupation must end.”

Source: Palestine news & Information Agency – WAFA

Israeli forces clashed with Palestinian protesters throughout various parts of the West Bank, injuring a number of people and causing suffocations to many others, according to local sources.

Two Palestinians were shot and injured by rubber-coated steel bullets, and around 15 others suffocated by tear gas during clashes with Israeli forces at Huwwara military checkpoint, south of Nablus, the occupied West Bank, according to medical sources.

Ahmad Jibril, Head of the Palestinian Red Crescent emergency department, told WAFA the Red Crescent crew dealt with at least 17 injuries, including two with rubber-coated steel bullets.

Clashes were also reported to the south of Qalqilia city, in the northern occupied West Bank.

Israeli soldiers stationed at the southern entrance to Qalqilia city, fired stun grenades and tear gas canisters toward Palestinians, leading to clashes. No injuries or arrests were reported.

Similar clashes were witnessed in the town of al-Khader, south of Bethlehem in the southern occupied West Bank, with injuries reported.

A number of people suffered from tear gas suffocation during clashes with Israeli forces near Israel’s apartheid wall which runs through the village of al-Arqa, west of Jenin, in the northern West bank. They were treated at the scene.

Clashes were also reported near the northern entrance to al-Bireh city near Beit El (DCO) Israeli military checkpoint, during which forces fired rubber-coated steel bullets, stun grenades, and tear gas canisters toward protesters, however, no injuries were reported.

Palestinians rallied throughout the West Bank to protest against Israel’s continuing aggression and attacks on Palestinians in Gaza, occupied Jerusalem, and the occupied West Bank

Source: Palestine news & Information Agency – WAFA

توقع القيادي البارز في حركة “حماس”، موسى أبو مرزوق، الأربعاء، أن يكون هناك “خلال يوم أو يومين” وقفا لإطلاق النار بين “إسرائيل” والفصائل الفلسطينية في قطاع غزة.

جاء ذلك في تصريحات لقناة “الميادين” اللبنانية نشرتها عبر موقعها الإلكتروني.

وقال أبو مرزوق: “اعتقد أن المساعي الدائرة الآن بشأن وقف إطلاق النار سوف تنجح”.

وأضاف: “أتوقع التوصل إلى وقف لإطلاق النار خلال يوم أو يومين”، دون تفاصيل أكثر.

وتابع: “إسرائيل لا تستطيع القتال على جبهات عدة وهي قلقة جدا من أن تفتح أبواب جهنم عليها”، في إشارة للمواجهات بالضفة الغربية والقدس المحتلة ومدن الداخل المحتل.

وذكر أبو مرزوق، أن “واشنطن كانت ترفض بحث العدوان الإسرائيلي على قطاع غزة في مجلس الأمن الدولي، لكن موقفها تغير بعد ضرب المقاومة الفلسطينية لمدينة تل أبيب”.

إلى ذلك، شدد أبو مرزوق في تصريحاته، على أن “مقاومة حماس من أجل القدس والمسجد الأقصى وتحرير كامل فلسطين”.

وفي وقت سابق الأربعاء، كشفت القناة (12) الإسرائيلية، عن توافق بين المستويين السياسي والعسكري في “إسرائيل”، “بعدم وقف إطلاق النار في قطاع غزة قبل الجمعة المقبل”.

وحتى الأربعاء، بلغ عدد ضحايا العدوان الإسرائيلي على غزة 227 شهيدا، بينهم 64 طفلا و38 سيدة، بجانب أكثر من 1620 جريحا، بحسب وزارة الصحة الفلسطينية بالقطاع.

بينما قُتل 12 إسرائيليا وأصيب أكثر من 600 آخرين، خلال رد الفصائل الفلسطينية بإطلاق صواريخ من غزة، بحسب “نجمة داود الحمراء” الإسرائيلية.

Source: Quds Press International News Agency

استشهدت، مساء اليوم الأربعاء، طفلة فلسطينية وأصيب عدد آخر بجراح في غارة جوية على شمال قطاع غزة، فيما واصلت الطائرات والدبابات قصف مناطق متفرقة من القطاع.

وذكر مراسل “قدس برس” في غزة، إن طائرة إسرائيلية أطلقت عدة صواريخ تجاه تجمع للمواطنين في مخيم جباليا للاجئين (شمال قطاع غزة)، حيث استشهاد طفلة (10 سنوات) وأصيب عدد آخر جراح.

كما تم استهداف منزل في حي الزيتون بغزة، وملعبا يتبع لمدرسة النصر الإسلامية غرب مدينة غزة حيث وقعت أضرار فيه وفي المنازل المجاورة له.

كما تم قصف شقة سكنية في حي النصر (غرب غزة)، ومنزل لعائلة في عبسان الجديدة (شرق خانيونس).

وقصفت مدفعية الاحتلال، مخزنًا للأعلاف قرب مقبرة السلاطين (شمال غزة)، واشتعال النيران حيث وصلت طواقم الدفاع المدني للمكان وتراجعت بسبب خطورة المكان لاستمرار القصف المدفعي.

وتعرض حي الزيتون (جنوب غزة)؛ لقصف كبير من قبل مدفعية الاحتلال، حيث سقطت قذيفة مدفعية في منزل بمنطقة البركة غرب بيت لاهيا.

وقصفت طائرة بصاروخ منزلا في مخيم دير البلح وسط القطاع.

Source: Quds Press International News Agency