Day: 12 May 2022

The weather today in Palestine is clear and mild in the daytime with no change in temperature, which remains around the seasonal average, according to the Palestinian Meteorological Department (PMD).

Winds are northwesterly, light to moderate, and sea waves are low.

Temperature in the capital, Jerusalem, and Bethlehem is expected to reach a high of 24°C and a low of 14°C, and in Ramallah and Hebron a high of 23°C and a low of 13°C are expected. In Jericho, the Dead Sea, and the Jordan Valley temperature is expected to reach a high of 31°C and a low of 20°C, while it is expected to reach a high of 23°C and a low of 18°C in Gaza and the coastal areas.

Temperature is expected to rise on Friday to become 4°C above the seasonal average and again on Saturday to become 10°C above the average but significantly drops again on Sunday, said the PMD.

Source: Palestine News & Information Agency

Israeli forces today destroyed a water collection pond in Marj Na‘ja locality in the northern Jordan Valley, according to a local activist.

Aref Daraghmeh, a human rights activist, said that Israeli forces escorted a bulldozer into the locality, northeast of al-Zubaidat village, north of Jericho, where the heavy machinery leveled a water collection pond, which has a capacity of 9,000 cubic meters, owned by a local farmer.

Israel does not allow Palestinians to collect rainwater to use for irrigation and for their livestock

Source: Palestine News & Information Agency

The Department of International Relations and Cooperation of the Republic of South Africa condemned in the strongest possible terms the killing of Al Jazeera journalist, Shireen Abu Akleh, by Israeli forces.

Akleh was shot in the head while on assignment in Jenin, covering Israeli raids on Jenin in the occupied West Bank. Another Al Jazeera journalist, Ali Samoudi, was also wounded after being shot in the back.

The Director-General of DIRCO, Zane Dangor, said that “The targeting of journalists in the occupied territories, and in conflict zones like Ukraine and Afghanistan, appears to be part of a pattern of silencing the free press, and is an outright contravention of international law. In a situation of occupation, protest action is one of the few ways in which Palestinians can make their voices heard.”

“International human rights law obligates the occupying power to allow for the freedom of expression and protests. In other conflict zones, civilians and other non-combatants must be protected in keeping with the Principle of Distinction and other protective measures of the Geneva Conventions.”

The ability of journalists to cover events as they take place is essential, and efforts to intimidate and assassinate members of the media cannot be allowed to continue with impunity, said the statement.

Source: Palestine News & Information Agency

Israeli police today obstructed the funeral convoy of slain veteran Al Jazeera journalist Shireen Abu Akleh on its way to an East Jerusalem hospital where her body will be kept until the funeral tomorrow afternoon, according to WAFA correspondent.

She said that Israeli police intercepted the convoy of Al-Jazeera reporter, who was killed by Israeli military gunfire in the northern West Bank city of Jenin on Wednesday, as it was making its way to the hospital.

Soon after the convoy was allowed entry through the Israeli military checkpoint of Qalandia coming from Ramallah, police stopped the mourners who accompanied it, detained Fatah activist Shadi Matour and briefly held Walid al-Omari, the bureau chief of Al Jazeera in Jerusalem and Ramallah.

Police inspected the ambulance carrying Abu Akleh’s body and seized her scarf which had traces of her blood and was decorated with the Palestine flag, before allowing it to proceed.

Friends, family and acquaintances of Abu Akleh gathered at the hospital to receive the funeral.

Source: Palestine News & Information Agency

The Latin Patriarchate of Jerusalem expressed in a statement its shock at the killing of the Palestinian reporter Shireen Abu Akleh by the Israeli army, during coverage of the Israeli army’s storming of Jenin camp on Wednesday morning, May 11, 2022.

“We ask for a thorough and urgent investigation of all the circumstances of her killing and for bringing those responsible to justice,” said the statement.

This blatant tragedy brings back to human conscience the need to find a just solution to the Palestinian conflict, which refuses to enter oblivion although 74 years have passed since the Nakba.

The Latin Patriarchate of Jerusalem wished for the recovery of journalist Ali Samouri, who was also injured while performing his duty.

Source: Palestine News & Information Agency

Director-General of UNESCO, Audrey Azoulay, condemned today the killing of Al-Jazeera journalist, Shireen Abu Akleh, by Israeli forces in Jenin.

“I condemn the killing of Shireen Abu Akleh. The killing of a clearly identified press worker in a conflict area is a violation of international law. I call on the relevant authorities to investigate this crime and bring those responsible to justice,” she said in a statement.

Abu Akleh, a well-known Al Jazeera correspondent, was reporting in Jenin when she was fatally shot, despite the fact that she was wearing a jacket with the word “press” written on it, the statement maintained.

“UNESCO promotes the safety of journalists through global awareness-raising, capacity building, and a range of actions, notably in the framework of the UN Plan of Action on the Safety of Journalists and the Issue of Impunity,” said UNESCO.

Source: Palestine News & Information Agency