Day: 24 August 2023

The Israeli army yesterday, arrested 20 Palestinians, including members of the Islamic Resistance Movement (Hamas) and the Palestinian Islamic Jihad in the West Bank, a Palestinian association said.

In a statement, the Palestinian Prisoner’s Club Association, a non-government organisation, said that, the Israeli armed forces stormed dozens of houses in the West Bank cities of Ramallah, Jenin, Nablus and Hebron.

The statement added that, 20 Palestinians were arrested from their homes, including ex-Palestinian detainees and members of Hamas and the Islamic Jihad.

Meanwhile, an Israeli army spokesman said in a statement that, in cooperation with the interior security and the Israeli police, the Israeli army arrested several Palestinians wanted by Israel and confiscated weapons, ammunition and military equipment.

Hamas spokesman in Gaza, Abdulatif Al-Qanou’a said in a press statement that, arresting Hamas and Islamic Jihad members “is condemned,” adding that, “it’s a desperate attempt to undermine the will of the Palestinian people.”

The Israeli arrests came, after the Israeli government on Tuesday, took a series of measures to counter Palestinian terrorists and their senders, without revealing what those measures were, according to Israel Radio.

Since January, more than 200 Palestinians, including children and women, were killed by Israeli soldiers and settlers, according to official figures.

Source: Nam News Network (NNN)

President Mahmoud Abbas chaired this evening the 11th session of the Revolutionary Council of the Fatah Movement at the Presidential Headquarters in Ramallah. The session, held under the theme of “Martyrs Major General Ibrahim Al-Masri and Major General Qadri Abu Bakr, was attended by members of the Central Committee of the Fatah Movement. In his address, President Abbas discussed the latest political developments and the current situation of the Palestinian cause on all fronts. He briefed the members of the Revolutionary Council on regional and international efforts aimed at garnering Arab and international support for Palestine’s endeavors to safeguard the rights of our people and halt the ongoing Israeli aggression against our land and holy sites. President Abbas emphasized the significant global solidarity with the Palestinian cause as the Palestinian people continue their just struggle to achieve their rights, justice, and freedom. He underscored the importance of adhering to our legitimate national rights and constants established by international legitimacy. The President pointed out that the Palestinian people and leadership will not allow the Israeli occupation’s plans to pass, which aim to solidify the occupation through the implementation of racially driven expansion plans and an apartheid regime. President Abbas commended the peaceful popular resistance in Palestine, affirming its ability to achieve its desired goals. However, he emphasized the need for concerted efforts to unveil the true face of the occupation before the world. He reiterated that our people deserve their freedom and independence like any other free nations of the world.

Source: En – Palestine news & Information Agency – WAFA

Rampaging Israeli settlers closed the entrances to several Palestinian villages, towns, and the Al-Fawwar refugee camp in the Hebron Governorate, south of the occupied West Bank, late on Thursday. WAFA correspondent sais dozens of armed settlers, under the protection of Israeli occupation forces, blocked the entrances to various villages and towns across Hebron Governorate, impeding the movement of Palestinian citizens in and out of these areas. Settlers also organized provocative marches at the entrance to Al-Fawwar refugee camp, the town of Dura, the southern entrance to Hebron City and the Beit Einun junction to the north of the city. During these demonstrations, the settlers raised Israeli flags and chanted racist, anti-Arab slogans. Tensions have escalated over the past few days as Israeli occupation forces have intensified their arbitrary measures and collective punishments against Palestinians in the governorate. A strict military cordon has been imposed on the city of Hebron, along with all its villages and towns002E.

Source: En – Palestine news & Information Agency – WAFA

The Ministry of Industry and Trade has urged the telecom companies to halt any adjustment to prepaid line tariffs. This includes imposing operational charges on consumption-based lines, or revising current offers to higher tariffs with added internet packages, and implementing them on existing subscribers. In a press release issued on Thursday, the ministry called on each company to reassess the mechanism for applying any new offers, while allowing current subscribers the flexibility to decide between maintaining their existing offers or switching to any newly introduced options provided by the firm. The ministry confirmed its intention to implement the legal actions outlined in the Competition Law, highlighting that a study conducted by the Competition Directorate revealed that the behavior of the three mobile phone companies resulted in a rise in prices for mobile communication services targeted at prepaid subscribers without giving them the option to freely choose between retaining their existing offers or transitioning to new ones. It is noteworthy that the Competition Law strictly forbids, with legal repercussions, any practices, alliances, or agreements, whether explicit or implicit, that violate or restrict competition. This includes activities aimed at fixing prices of goods, service fees, sales conditions, and similar actions.

Source: Jordan News Agency

Mahdi Al-Mashat, Chairman of the Supreme Political Council, met on Thursday with the Deputy Minister of Oil and Mines, Acting Executive Director of Yemen Gas Company Yasser Al-Wahidi.

Al-Wahidi presented to His Excellency the President a report on the ration stability of gas in the capital Sana’a and the provinces, as part of the company’s plan and efforts to cover the need for gas for citizens.

During the meeting, His Excellency the President directed that the damaged cylinders of the citizens be replaced for their safety.

Source: Yemen News Agency

The Executive Director of the National Program to Address the Phenomenon of Beggary, Yasser Sharaf El-Din, was briefed on the programs and projects of Bonyan Foundation, which aim to create job opportunities in society through the Knights of Development.

Sharaf El-Din, along with the Social Protection Knights team, listened to an explanation from the Executive Director of Bonyan Foundation, Eng. Muhammad Al-Madani, about the efforts to qualify the Knights of Community Protection, and knights of other development fields, to enable society to shift towards production and economic empowerment.

Al-Madani explained that 19,000 volunteers from the Knights of Development work in the field in various fields who are ready to contribute to the implementation of plans and initiatives that will be prepared according to field studies, in coordination with local authorities and civil society, with the aim of mobilizing the community’s energies ,capabilities , investing in its natural and human resources.

Sharaf El-Din stated that the program aims to reduce the spread of the phenomenon of begging through four tracks, the first is to limit the elderly who are unable to work, and the disability of disability, and the second is to combat professional begging in which children and women are exploited, while the third track includes economic empowerment for those who are able to work through vocational training, behavioral , psychological, and entrepreneurship.

He pointed out that the fourth track includes rehabilitating children psychologically and behaviorally, then rehabilitating them to return them to education programs, then integrating them into education programs, and targeting their families with economic empowerment.

Source: Yemen News Agency