Day: 26 April 2022

News about the Israeli court’s extension of the decision to freeze the eviction of a Palestinian family from its East Jerusalem Sheikh Jarrah home hit the front pages of the three Arabic Palestinian dailies on Tuesday.

Al-Hayat al-Jadida, al-Ayyam and al-Quds said that the Israeli Magistrate Court in Jerusalem decided that an earlier decision to freeze the eviction of the Palestinian Salem family from its home in Sheikh Jarrah neighborhood in occupied East Jerusalem for the benefit of Israeli settlers will continue to apply.

They said that the court decided to continue the freeze order after accepting an appeal by the family against the intended eviction by Israeli settler groups from the home it has lived in for seven decades. The judge also decided to return the file to the so-called execution and procedure judge to hold an expanded discussion of the case, stressing that there is a flaw in the procedures presented by the settlers that must be reconsidered, according to Nasser Qous, an activist, who added that this means possible dismissal of the whole case.

The papers said that Israeli forces razed about 10 donums of Palestinian-owned lands in the village of al-Jab’a, southwest of the occupied West Bank city of Bethlehem.

They added that the Israeli forces injured a Palestinian youth in the village of Zababdeh, southeast of the occupied West Bank city of Jenin.

Palestinian-American Hala Gabriel, a production finance executive at the American TV and film production company (Netflix) described Israel as a racist colonial state that practices apartheid, as reported in al-Hayat al-Jadida.

“The dangers are in supporting violent, racist, colonial apartheid practiced by the Zionist state of Israel, under the auspices and claim that Russians and Europeans may have had some presence in Palestine thousands of years ago. It’s outrageous at best and criminal at worst,” she said in a tweet.

Al-Quds and al-Ayyam said that the Israeli authorities are set to reopen the Beit Hanoun crossing today.

Source: Palestinian News & Info Agency (WAFA)

Prime Minister Mohammad Shtayyeh today condemned Israel’s army killing of a Palestinian youth in Jericho, east of the occupied West Bank.

Ahmad Ibrahim Oueidat, 20, was shot with a live bullet in the head earlier today during an Israeli army raid of Aqbat Jabr refugee camp, south of Jericho. He was taken in critical condition to hospital and was later declared dead.

The Prime Minister warned of “the consequences of the continuing Israeli crimes against our people in the cities, villages, towns and camps.”

The Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Expatriates also condemned in a statement the killing of Oueidat, saying “this crime is another one in the series of crimes of field executions and extrajudicial killings committed by the occupation forces against unarmed civilians living peacefully in their areas of residence and homes.”

It blamed the Israeli political leadership for giving soldiers a free hand to shoot and kill Palestinians without any concern for retribution.

It called on the International Criminal Court to break its silence and immediately begin its investigations into the crimes of the occupiers in order to hold accountable and prosecute the Israeli war criminals and those who stand behind them.

Source: Palestinian News & Info Agency (WAFA)

Prime Minister Muhammad Shtayyeh and Austrian Foreign Minister Alexander Schallenberg today discussed bilateral relations and political developments.

During a meeting in Ramallah, the Prime Minister briefed Schallenberg on the latest developments and Israeli measures on the ground, including the acceleration of settlement construction, house demolitions, land grabs, the Judaization of Jerusalem, and the continuation of incursions, which he stressed would increase the state of tension and undermine the two-state solution.

He urged Austria to recognize the State of Palestine, pointing out that the alternative to the two-state solution is perpetuating the apartheid system under which the Palestinian people are living now, and which was documented by prominent international human rights organizations.

Shtayyeh said that the economic and financial crises facing Palestine are a result of the occupation’s measures and its control over the Palestinian resources, the illegal deductions from Palestinian tax revenues, in addition to the consequences of the COVID-19 pandemic, and the war in Ukraine.

The Prime Minister appreciated Austria’s support in various fields and its stances in support of the rights of the Palestinian people, calling for strengthening cooperation in the field of vocational and educational training.

The meeting was also attended by Minister of Foreign Affairs and Expatriates, Riyad al-Maliki, and Austrian Representative to Palestine Astrid Finn.

Source: Palestinian News & Info Agency (WAFA)