UN Human Rights Council adopts two resolutions in favor of Palestine

Minister of Foreign Affairs and Expatriates Riyad al-Maliki commended today a unanimous vote by the UN Human Rights Council in favor of two resolutions on the self-determination of the Palestinian people and the illegality of Israeli settlements.

38 countries voted in favor of the draft resolution “Israeli settlements in the Occupied Palestinian Territory, including East Jerusalem, and in the occupied Syrian Golan”, while five countries abstained, namely Ukraine, Lithuania, Brazil, Cameroon and Honduras. Meantime, four countries voted against the resolution, specifically the United States, the United Kingdom, the Marshall Islands, and Malawi.

41 countries voted in favor of the resolution “The right of the Palestinian people to self-determination”, while 3 countries abstained: Lithuania, Cameroon, and Honduras. Three countries voted against: the United States, the United Kingdom and and the Marshall Islands.

Al-Maliki welcomed the adoption of the two resolutions, and thanked the member states that voted by an overwhelming majority in favor of the two resolutions, calling on the countries that did not support the two resolutions “to be ashamed of themselves and to stop the policy of double standards.”

He pointed out that the adoption of the resolution on the illegality of the Israeli settlements in the occupied Palestinian territory affirms the need for a boycott of these settlements leading to their immediate dismantlement.

Al-Maliki stressed the need for the international community to ban settlement-manufactured goods, and to stop commercial and military dealings with the Israeli settlement system for its violation of the rules of international law.

Source: Palestinian News & Info Agency (WAFA)

Occupation forces detain 14 Palestinians across West Bank

Israeli occupation forces last night arrested 14 Palestinians during raids across the occupied West Bank, according to local sources and witnesses.

In Jenin province, north of the occupied West Bank, Israeli army stormed the town of Al-Yamun and arrested three brothers after raiding and searching their homes. The three were identified as Ameer, Adel and Ali Jaabari.

In Ramallah province, in the center of the West Bank, Israeli troops arrested four Palestinians, including a father and his son from the village of Beit Rima. The father and son were respectively identified as Musharraf and Laith Rimawi.

In Nablus province, three Palestinians were arrested by the Israeli occupation forces in the town of Beita and the neighboring village of Talfit.

Two more arrests were also reported in the Bethlehem province in the south of the West Bank, while another two arrests were reported in Hebron.

Almost on a daily basis, Israeli occupation forces carry out raids targeting populated Palestinian communities for arrests or searches. The practice, mostly carried out at nighttime, has become a routine under Israeli military regime.

Source: Palestinian News & Info Agency (WAFA)

Mufti of Jerusalem declares Saturday as first day of Ramadan in Palestine

Sheikh Mohammad Hussein, the Grand Mufti of Jerusalem and Palestine, declared today that tomorrow, Saturday, will be the first day of the Muslim holy fasting month of Ramadan in Palestine.

The Grand Mufti announced that the Palestinian Fatwa Council has ascertained that the Ramadan crescent was properly seen on the evening of Friday, April 01, 2022. Accordingly, April 02 will be the first day of the holy fasting month in Palestine.

The holy month of fasting observed by Muslims around the world lasts for 29 or 30 days (lunar cycle) and is dependent on the Hijri or Islamic calendar.

The first day of Ramadan is traditionally marked by the sighting of the crescent moon with the naked eye, and is the ninth month of the Islamic calendar. April 01 is 29th of Sha’ban which is the last day of the Islamic month right before Ramadan.

Source: Palestinian News & Info Agency (WAFA)