Day: 21 June 2023

Four Israelis, including a teenage boy, have been shot dead in an attack near a settlement in the occupied West Bank.

Four others were wounded, one of them seriously, when two Palestinian gunmen opened fire at a restaurant and petrol station outside Eli on Tuesday.

The Palestinian militant group Hamas said the gunmen were its members.

One was shot dead at the scene by an armed civilian, while the second fled in a stolen car and was later killed by Israeli forces in the town of Tubas.

Israel’s prime minister said “all options are open” in response to what he called the “shocking and abhorrent terrorist attack”, which followed heightened violence across the West Bank in recent days.

A spokesman for Hamas said the shooting was a response to an Israeli military raid in Jenin on Monday in which seven Palestinians were killed.

Tuesday’s shooting took place just to the south of Eli on Highway 60, the main road between the Palestinian cities of Ramallah and Nablus.

Israel Defense Forces (IDF) spokesman Rear Admiral Daniel Hagari said in a statement that the two gunmen arrived in a car from the village of Urif, about 10km (6 miles) to the north.

They opened fire at a roadside hummus restaurant first, killing three civilians, then shot dead another civilian in the forecourt of the petrol station, he added.

One of the gunmen was shot and killed by an armed civilian, but the other was able to flee the scene in a stolen car.

Adm Hagari said IDF soldiers and officers from the Shin Bet security service later found the vehicle near Tubas, 29km to the north-east, and shot and killed the second gunman.

A paramedic with the Magen David Adom (MDA) ambulance service, Motty Dahan, said that he and his colleagues saw a “complex site” when they arrived at the scene of the attack. He added that there were seven victims suffering from gunshot wounds.

“We performed medical checks and began providing medical treatment, three of the victims were evacuated in MDA MICUs [Mobile Intensive Care Units] to hospital, and unfortunately four of the victims were pronounced dead.”

Those killed were identified by Israeli media as 18-year-old Elisha Antman and 63-year-old Ofer Fairman from Eli; 17-year-old Nachman Mordoff from the Ahiya settler outpost east of Eli; and 21-year-old Harel Masoud from Yad Binyamin, a town in central Israel.

The number of Israelis killed was the highest since an attack by a Palestinian outside a synagogue in occupied East Jerusalem in January, when seven died.

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said in a statement: “From the depths of my heart, I send condolences to the families of those who were murdered, may God avenge them, and on behalf of the entire people, I send my best wishes for a swift recovery to the wounded.”

“I would like to remind all those who seek to harm us: All options are open. We will continue to fight terrorism with full force and we will defeat it,” he added.

A spokesman for Hamas, Hazem Qassem, described the shooting as a “response to the crimes of the occupation [Israel] in Jenin refugee camp yesterday”.

Seven Palestinians were killed – including a 15-year-old boy and a 15-year-old girl named Sadil Ghassan Turkman, who died of her wounds on Wednesday morning – and more than 90 wounded during a raid into the camp by Israeli forces. Several Israeli soldiers were also wounded during the incursion.

Hours after the shooting in Eli, groups of Israeli settlers attacked several nearby Palestinian towns and villages, throwing rocks and setting fire to vehicles, properties and olive groves.

A Palestinian official in the Nablus region, Ghassan Daghlas, told Wafa news agency that a total of 140 cars were damaged or torched, and that 34 Palestinian civilians were injured by rubber bullets and tear-gas canisters fired by Israeli troops as they tried to defend themselves from the settlers.

Meanwhile, far-right parties in Israel’s coalition government put pressure on Mr Netanyahu to launch a major military operation in the northern West Bank to counter the wave of Palestinian attacks.

National Security Minister Itamar Ben-Gvir told reporters in Eli that it was time to “return to targeted assassinations from the air, to bring down buildings, to erect roadblocks, to expel terrorists, and to finish passing the death penalty for terrorists law”.

Since the start of the year, more than 160 Palestinians have been killed by Israeli forces or settlers in the occupied West Bank, East Jerusalem and the Gaza Strip. The figures include militants as well as civilians.

In addition, 27 people on the Israeli side have been killed – including two foreigners and a Palestinian worker – in attacks or apparent attacks by Palestinians. All were civilians except one off-duty serving soldier and a member of the Israeli security forces.

Source: BBC

A Palestinian man has been shot dead and several wounded after Israeli settlers went on a violent rampage in the occupied West Bank.

Residents told the BBC they feared for their lives as hundreds of armed settlers torched homes and cars in the town of Turmusaya.

One accused the Israeli army of leaving them helpless for 45 minutes during the attack.

“They gave the settlers the chance to do this,” he said.

It was an apparent reprisal attack, hours after the funeral in a nearby settlement of a 17-year-old who was among four Israeli settlers shot dead by Palestinian gunmen at a petrol station on Tuesday.

The Israeli military condemned the settler attacks, but did not respond to questions about the speed or nature of its response.

Fears are mounting of an even more deadly bout of violence in the West Bank, coming after an Israeli military raid in the city of Jenin on Monday which killed seven Palestinians.

It saw some of the most intense fighting in the territory for years, involving Israeli forces using an Apache attack helicopter to fire missiles at militants who had targeted troop carriers with explosives, leaving seven Israeli soldiers wounded.

Among the Palestinians killed were two 15-year-olds and two Islamic Jihad militants.

That was claimed to be the trigger for the following day’s deadly attack at a petrol station by gunmen from the militant group Hamas.

In turn, hard-line pro-settler ministers in Israel’s religious-nationalist coalition have called for a full-scale military operation in the West Bank, including air strikes to destroy Palestinian buildings, while one MP called for “collective punishment” against ordinary Palestinians.

In Turmusaya, footage showed cars ablaze with thick clouds of black smoke swirling above the town, while the sound of tear gas or stun grenade blasts could be heard in the background.

The mayor, Lafi Adeeb, told the BBC about 400 settlers rampaged through the town, torching homes and cars, while he said five residents were hit with live ammunition.

Confrontations reportedly broke out between Israeli forces and some residents who had attempted to defend the town during the attacks.

The Palestinian health ministry said 27-year-old Omar Qateen was shot dead by Israeli forces “while confronting the settlers”.

Israel’s paramilitary border police said its forces were securing firefighters when residents “rioted” and troops fired at a man who shot at them. The BBC has not been able to verify the circumstances of his death.

Turmusaya is well known for its American ties and many Palestinians who live there are dual US citizens.

Resident Sam Abdullah told the BBC his daughter-in-law was visiting from the US and was inside the family home when settlers aimed a gun at her, trying to set the house on fire.

“They pointed inside each house and tried to lock people inside and burned the houses. They didn’t give people any chance to leave. We were lucky to save my daughter,” he said.

Her belongings including her US passport were destroyed when her rental car was torched, says Mr Abdullah.

“It took 45 minutes for the [Israeli] army to come. The army didn’t help us when they started burning [the houses], they could have come in five or 10 minutes… They gave the settlers the chance to do this,” said Mr Abdullah.

Another resident said she was visiting the doctor in nearby Ramallah when her children phoned and started screaming.

“My children were hiding in the basement… they told me settlers are attacking us, smashing the windows. The settlers threw Molotov cocktails to burn the house while they were inside. They sneaked out from the balcony while half the settlers were roaming around the house,” she said.

“Thank God the youth rushed to help… Thank God my children are safe,” she added.

In a statement the Israeli military condemned the violence and said: “Security forces entered the town in order to extinguish the fires, prevent clashes and to collect evidence. The Israeli civilians exited the town and the Israel Police has opened an investigation into the event.”

The attacks in Turmusaya followed a night of settler violence elsewhere in the West Bank.

Residents in the village of Al-Lubban Al-Sharqeya said Israeli soldiers and police stood by as a large group of settlers burned a petrol station, orchards, a cement factory and dozens of cars.

Settlements are seen as illegal under international law, although Israel disputes this.

Attacks by settlers in the West Bank have drawn mounting international concern, particularly following a deadly rampage through the Palestinian town of Hawara earlier this year.

In an apparent reference to Wednesday’s violence, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said: “We will not accept any challenge against the police and the security forces in these places and anywhere. We are a country of law.”

Source: BBC

According to the International Institute for Management Development’s (IMD) 2023 World Competitiveness Ranking, Jordan came in sixth place among Arab nations and was placed 54th overall out of the 64 nations evaluated, moving up two spots from last year. The report, which is issued annually and ranks global economies and their ability to thrive, indicated that the most prominent challenges facing the Jordanian economy are the continuing risks in the global economic environment resulting from geopolitical crises and their repercussions on supply chains, energy and food prices, and the burden of hosting Syrian refugees and diminishing international financial support to meet their development needs, in addition to the high rates of unemployment and poverty. According to the report, the Kingdom moved up one spot from the previous year to take 63rd place on the economic performance indicator. Jordan moved up three positions on the government efficiency indicator to rank 44th, two spots on the infrastructure indicator from 55th to 53rd this year, and nine spots on the business efficiency indicator to 45th place internationally. The United Arab Emirates topped the list of Arab countries on the World Competitiveness Report, ranking tenth globally, followed by Qatar, which ranked 12th globally, and Saudi Arabia, which ranked 17th globally. On the international sphere, Denmark ranked first on the World Competitiveness Report for the second year in a row, followed by Ireland in second place, and Switzerland in third place.

Source: Jordan News Agency

Saudi Minister of Industry and Mineral Resources Bandar Alkhorayef visited a Jordanian pavilion opened at the Saudi Food Show, which kicked off June 20 in Riyadh, with the participation of 100 countries. The minister expressed appreciation for Jordan’s participation in the exhibition, praising the advanced level that the Jordanian industry has reached, said a statement on Wednesday by the Jordan Exporters Association (JEA), which organized the pavilion. Jordanian Ambassador in Riyadh Ali Kayed inaugurated the 225-square-meter pavilion, which brought 18 local food enterprises under one roof. Jordan’s participation in the 3-day expo is backed by the Business Growth Activity project funded by the United States Agency for International Development (USAID). The JEA Director-General Halim Abu Rahmeh said the Jordanian pavilion is the third largest pavilion participating in the Show’s debut, indicating that visitors have shown great interest in Jordanian products. He added that the exhibition offers a significant chance for Jordanian businesses to establish international collaborations that would enhance the Kingdom’s position as a hub for food security in the region, noting that the JEA will keep arranging future Jordanian participation in the exhibition. Rahmeh praised the Business Growth Activity’s technical support for Jordanian companies to improve their businesses and create more job opportunities for Jordanians.

Source: Jordan News Agency

A joint report by the Palestinian Central Bureau of Statistics (PCBS) and the Palestine Monetary Authority (PMA) announcing the preliminary results of the International Investment Position (IIP) and External Debt Statistics for Palestine as of the end of the first quarter 2023 said that the total stocks of external assets for the Palestinian economy amounted to $9,741 million, the foreign direct investment abroad contributed to 3%, and portfolio investments abroad reached 17%, while other foreign investments abroad reached 68% and reserve assets amounted to 12%. They said that the total stocks of foreign liabilities in Palestine (balances of non-residents invested in Palestine) amounted to $6,414 million, where foreign direct investment in Palestine contributed to 53%, portfolio investments in Palestine reached 14%, and other investments in Palestine (mainly loans and deposits from abroad) amounted to 33%. At the sectoral level, foreign investments in the banking sector contributed a major value in the foreign liabilities, represented by 37% of the total value of foreign liabilities in the Palestinian economy. The Gross External Debt Stock in the Palestinian economic sectors reached $2,171 million, a decrease of 1% compared with the previous quarter. The decline was concentrated in the banking sector by about 2%, while the government’s external debt remained stable at about $1.3 billion at the end of the first quarter of 2023. The Stock of external debt, distributed between debt in the general government sector, represented 60%, while debt in the banking sector (deposits of non-residents in banks operating in Palestine) reached 33%, debt in other sectors (non-banking financial institutions, non-financial corporations, NGOs, and household sector) amounted to 5%, and the lending between affiliated companies reached 2%.

Source: En – Palestine news & Information Agency – WAFA

Dozens of residents and landowners of the occupied Syrian Golan Heights were injured today during confrontations with the Israeli occupation forces who yesterday prevented the landowners from reaching their farms, according to witnesses. They said eight people were arrested, including Sheikh Salman Faris Shams, as the occupation forces cordoned off the area and prevented ambulances from reaching the wounded, who were evacuated by private vehicles. Activists in the occupied Syrian Golan declared today a general strike and a day of rage in the villages of Majdal Shams, Baqatha, Masada and Ain Qinya, in response to the ‘arbitrary and criminal’ measures of the occupation authorities. The activists stressed in a statement that the “arbitrary and criminal measures against us and our lands make us determined on our right decision and our firm position,” calling on the residents to gather on Wednesday at the al-Yafouri shrine to be a starting point to march toward the besieged lands. Earlier on Tuesday, the occupation forces assaulted the residents who protested in defense of their agricultural lands threatened with confiscation for the wind turbines project after representatives of the Israeli company responsible for the project, backed by police forces, stormed the lands. The installation of giant turbines in the villages of the Golan comes following a decision by the occupation government in this regard and the approval of the Israeli planning authorities. The Golan residents assert that installing the turbines will impede the cultivation of their lands nearby and will be an environmental hazard. The Israeli courts had previously rejected the residents’ petition against the construction of the turbines. The first attempt to start the work on installing turbines in December 2020, was met with resistance from the people, who considered it a “declaration of war” on their villages.

Source: En – Palestine news & Information Agency – WAFA

Kuwait has contributed towards alleviating the hardships faced by some of the world’s most hapless people, a visiting United Nations (UN) official said on Wednesday, citing the support Kuwait has given to economic and political solutions in underprivileged nations. Through its cooperation with the UN, Kuwait has helped provide a “decent living” to the victims of natural disasters and crises alike, Deputy High Commissioner for Refugees Kelly Clements told the press as she met with a number of Kuwaiti officials.

A day after World Refugee Day, the UN official said the occasion had shone the spotlight on the plight of refugees and displaced people around the world, emphasizing that it was tantamount to a “scream” for global action on the matter.

Kuwait had previously provided a sum of USD 18.5 million to back to prop up UN efforts to deliver aid to the victims of some of the world’s worst humanitarian catastrophes.

Source: Kuwait News Agency

The European Union, NATO and US warned on Wednesday that climate change and environmental degradation are an existential threat to the planet, and have immediate, direct, and growing negative implications for security and defense.

The remarks were made in a joint press release following a meeting between EU High Representative Josep Borrell, US Special Presidential Envoy for Climate John Kerry, NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg, and Executive Vice-President of the European Commission Frans Timmermans in Brussels.

To that end, NATO and the EU will continue to strengthen their cooperation to address the security implications of climate change, it noted In the lead up to this year’s second annual NATO High-Level Dialogue on Climate Change and Security at the Vilnius Summit and the 2023 UN Climate Change Conference (COP28) in Dubai, they will seek to identify opportunities to cooperate on new insights and operational information about security aspects of climate change and environmental degradation.

They will also cooperate on issues like green standards, and energy efficiency, including measuring greenhouse gas emissions from military activities and installations with the goal of reducing these emissions, it added.

They decided to continue high-level meetings on these issues, with the broad involvement of partners, including at COP28.

Source: Kuwait News Agency