5 dec 2013
Palestinian premier Ismail Haneyya said that the Palestinian people are on the threshold of a new intifada (uprising), expressing his strong belief that its harbingers are looming on the horizon in the West Bank and Jerusalem. In remarks during his visit to the council of Shariah courts in Gaza on Wednesday, premier Haneyya stated that the Palestinian people would not yield to the Israeli attempts to change the identity of their land and holy sites.
He stressed that the Jerusalemite people defend the Aqsa Mosque on behalf of the Palestinian people and the Arab and Muslim nations, hailing their steadfastness in the face of the occupation and their success in thwarting the recent attempts by Jewish settlers to bring a candelabrum (menorah) into the Aqsa Mosque.
The premier, in another context, called on the Egyptian authorities to release the Palestinian and Syrian detainees in their prisons, reiterating that the gates of Gaza are widely open before the Syrian refugees.
The premier also hailed the Shariah judicial authority in Gaza for its accomplishments, affirming that it managed to achieve legal justice and the social security.
He added that the courts in Gaza succeeded in diminishing the divorce rate and promoting moral values among the Gazan society.
He stressed that the Jerusalemite people defend the Aqsa Mosque on behalf of the Palestinian people and the Arab and Muslim nations, hailing their steadfastness in the face of the occupation and their success in thwarting the recent attempts by Jewish settlers to bring a candelabrum (menorah) into the Aqsa Mosque.
The premier, in another context, called on the Egyptian authorities to release the Palestinian and Syrian detainees in their prisons, reiterating that the gates of Gaza are widely open before the Syrian refugees.
The premier also hailed the Shariah judicial authority in Gaza for its accomplishments, affirming that it managed to achieve legal justice and the social security.
He added that the courts in Gaza succeeded in diminishing the divorce rate and promoting moral values among the Gazan society.
4 dec 2013
Intifada Youth Coalition (IYC) called for stepping up popular resistance against occupation on the 26th anniversary of the first Intifada (uprising) which falls on Sunday, December 8th, 2013. Youth for Intifada Coalition said in a statement that Palestinians are going to mark in the coming days the 1987 Intifada (Stone Uprising) that witnessed the finest pages of Palestinian struggle and resistance in the occupied West Bank, Gaza Strip, Jerusalem and 1948 occupied territories.
Popular marches will be organized in all areas of contact in the occupied West Bank, Gaza Strip, Jerusalem and 1948 occupied territories, the statement added.
The coalition demanded the Palestinians, especially youth, to confront the Israeli occupier, reminding of the role of youth in igniting and fueling the 1987 Intifada and the 2000 al-Aqsa Intifada.
The Palestinian people, who marked the finest pages of struggle and resistance during the two popular uprisings, are able to revolt again against Israeli occupation.
Large popular marches and protests have prevailed in different areas of Palestinian territories occupied in 1948 during the last period against Israeli Prawer plan.
Popular marches will be organized in all areas of contact in the occupied West Bank, Gaza Strip, Jerusalem and 1948 occupied territories, the statement added.
The coalition demanded the Palestinians, especially youth, to confront the Israeli occupier, reminding of the role of youth in igniting and fueling the 1987 Intifada and the 2000 al-Aqsa Intifada.
The Palestinian people, who marked the finest pages of struggle and resistance during the two popular uprisings, are able to revolt again against Israeli occupation.
Large popular marches and protests have prevailed in different areas of Palestinian territories occupied in 1948 during the last period against Israeli Prawer plan.
27 nov 2013
Intifada Youth Coalition condemned the heinous crime committed in al-Khalil by the Israeli soldiers, who assassinated three Palestinians, and called for igniting a new intifada. The coalition, in a statement on Wednesday, called on the Palestinian youths to clash with the occupation forces in all seam zone areas and urged the resistance factions to respond to the occupation’s crime.
For its part, the Islamic Jihad Movement in Palestine condemned the assassination of the three Palestinian citizens by the occupation forces.
It called on the Palestinian citizens in a statement on Wednesday to escalate the confrontations and clashes with the occupation forces, considering this the most effective way to stop the attacks of the Israeli soldiers and settlers.
The Palestinian Prisoners Center for Studies has also appealed to prosecute the occupation leaders before the International Criminal Court, as war criminals who have continued to commit clear crimes against the Palestinian people.
The center asserted that the assassination of the three Palestinians was a planned operation and had not been carried out by accident as the occupation claimed, and noted that the Israeli soldiers have opened fire on the vehicle of the three martyrs with the aim of killing them.
For its part, the Islamic Jihad Movement in Palestine condemned the assassination of the three Palestinian citizens by the occupation forces.
It called on the Palestinian citizens in a statement on Wednesday to escalate the confrontations and clashes with the occupation forces, considering this the most effective way to stop the attacks of the Israeli soldiers and settlers.
The Palestinian Prisoners Center for Studies has also appealed to prosecute the occupation leaders before the International Criminal Court, as war criminals who have continued to commit clear crimes against the Palestinian people.
The center asserted that the assassination of the three Palestinians was a planned operation and had not been carried out by accident as the occupation claimed, and noted that the Israeli soldiers have opened fire on the vehicle of the three martyrs with the aim of killing them.
12 nov 2013
Palestinian Pesident Mahmoud Abbas has told the Palestinian Security services to actively prevent a 3rd Intifada, Maariv daily newspaper reported.
The newspaper said that if a 3rd intifada is to be launched, Israel will target and attack the PA, and added that the PA already prevented several demonstrations that protested the Israeli occupation, in an attempt to prevent a deterioration in the political situation.
According to the newspaper, Palestinian officials believe that there have been many attempts to bring the West Bank into chaos, in a way that serves various political sides, including Hamas.
Palestinian officials also realize that the Israeli right-wing government has a potential interest in seeing the West Bank situation deteriorate, in order to escape from the international pressures to stop settlement expansion.
The newspaper added that majority of Palestinians are against a 3rd intifada, given the economic and political situation, which will help with controlling the situation in the West Bank.
The newspaper said that if a 3rd intifada is to be launched, Israel will target and attack the PA, and added that the PA already prevented several demonstrations that protested the Israeli occupation, in an attempt to prevent a deterioration in the political situation.
According to the newspaper, Palestinian officials believe that there have been many attempts to bring the West Bank into chaos, in a way that serves various political sides, including Hamas.
Palestinian officials also realize that the Israeli right-wing government has a potential interest in seeing the West Bank situation deteriorate, in order to escape from the international pressures to stop settlement expansion.
The newspaper added that majority of Palestinians are against a 3rd intifada, given the economic and political situation, which will help with controlling the situation in the West Bank.
8 nov 2013
U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry stated that Israel needs to withdraw from the Jordan valley and from Jordanian-Palestinian borders, adding that should the situation remain as it is, a third Palestinian Intifada will take place.
“The alternative to peace talks is chaos”, he said, “Does Israel wish for a third Intifada? Should we fail to achieve peace, Israel will face further isolation”.
Kerry said that Israel and the Palestinians need to find a solution to the issue of Israel's settlements in the occupied territories, and that the army needs to withdraw from the occupied territories, including the Jordan Valley, and border areas between Palestine and Jordan.
Kerry stated that should direct talks fail, and a new Palestinian Intifada takes place, Israel’s isolation around the world would increase, and “more groups will be trying to delegitimize it”.
He added that Israel and the Palestinians need to thoroughly discuss the future of Israel’s settlements in all territories captured during the June 1967 war.
The Palestinian leadership in the West Bank recently threatened to quit direct talks with Tel Aviv due to its ongoing violations, including ongoing invasions that recently led to dozens casualties, and its ongoing illegal settlement construction and expansion activities.
The U.S. official urged Israel and the Palestinians to overcome the obstacles peace talks are facing, and to seriously work on achieving a peace agreement by the end of April 2014.
He further stated Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas are committed to peace talks.
Israel Ynetnews has reported that Defense Minister Moshe Ya’alon said that “threats of a third Intifada should not scare anybody” and that it is likely that “direct talks do not have an immediate solution, but a long one.”
Yet, Kerry demanded the Palestinians to recognize Israel as a Jewish State, a demand set forth by Netanyahu and his extremist coalition partners.
Earlier on Thursday, Kerry held a meeting with King Abdullah of Jordan, and informed him that direct talks managed to create what he called “some clarity on certain issues”.
Jordan said peace in the Middle East is a high priority issue, especially the issue of Palestinian refugees, including those living in the kingdom, the future of Jerusalem, and Islamic and Christian holy sites.
Israel refuses to withdraw from the Jordan Valley, from occupied East Jerusalem, and from various important parts of the occupied West Bank, and insists on continuing the construction and expansion of its illegal settlements in direct violation of International Law.
“The alternative to peace talks is chaos”, he said, “Does Israel wish for a third Intifada? Should we fail to achieve peace, Israel will face further isolation”.
Kerry said that Israel and the Palestinians need to find a solution to the issue of Israel's settlements in the occupied territories, and that the army needs to withdraw from the occupied territories, including the Jordan Valley, and border areas between Palestine and Jordan.
Kerry stated that should direct talks fail, and a new Palestinian Intifada takes place, Israel’s isolation around the world would increase, and “more groups will be trying to delegitimize it”.
He added that Israel and the Palestinians need to thoroughly discuss the future of Israel’s settlements in all territories captured during the June 1967 war.
The Palestinian leadership in the West Bank recently threatened to quit direct talks with Tel Aviv due to its ongoing violations, including ongoing invasions that recently led to dozens casualties, and its ongoing illegal settlement construction and expansion activities.
The U.S. official urged Israel and the Palestinians to overcome the obstacles peace talks are facing, and to seriously work on achieving a peace agreement by the end of April 2014.
He further stated Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas are committed to peace talks.
Israel Ynetnews has reported that Defense Minister Moshe Ya’alon said that “threats of a third Intifada should not scare anybody” and that it is likely that “direct talks do not have an immediate solution, but a long one.”
Yet, Kerry demanded the Palestinians to recognize Israel as a Jewish State, a demand set forth by Netanyahu and his extremist coalition partners.
Earlier on Thursday, Kerry held a meeting with King Abdullah of Jordan, and informed him that direct talks managed to create what he called “some clarity on certain issues”.
Jordan said peace in the Middle East is a high priority issue, especially the issue of Palestinian refugees, including those living in the kingdom, the future of Jerusalem, and Islamic and Christian holy sites.
Israel refuses to withdraw from the Jordan Valley, from occupied East Jerusalem, and from various important parts of the occupied West Bank, and insists on continuing the construction and expansion of its illegal settlements in direct violation of International Law.
6 nov 2013
Minister of Awkaf and religious affairs in the Gaza government Dr. Ismail Ridwan has denounced the Israeli intelligence for raiding the holy Aqsa Mosque in occupied Jerusalem. Ridwan warned of the seriousness of the repeated storming of the Aqsa Mosque in a press release on Wednesday.
He said that a third Aqsa intifada was only a matter of time, adding that the intifada was getting nearer with each raid on the holy site.
The minister said that any attack on the Aqsa Mosque was considered an attack on the entire Islamic Nation and on its dignity.
Ridwan asked the Organization of Islamic Cooperation, the Arab League, and each concerned party to assume their responsibilities toward the holy city.
Around 15 Israeli intelligence agents and a group of settlers broke into the Aqsa Mosque on Wednesday morning and toured its various courtyards.
He said that a third Aqsa intifada was only a matter of time, adding that the intifada was getting nearer with each raid on the holy site.
The minister said that any attack on the Aqsa Mosque was considered an attack on the entire Islamic Nation and on its dignity.
Ridwan asked the Organization of Islamic Cooperation, the Arab League, and each concerned party to assume their responsibilities toward the holy city.
Around 15 Israeli intelligence agents and a group of settlers broke into the Aqsa Mosque on Wednesday morning and toured its various courtyards.
Al-Aqsa Foundation for Endowments and Heritage said Israeli groups seek to enact laws and regulations aiming at partitioning the Aqsa Mosque between Muslims and Jews, and defining times and areas where collective and individual Jewish prayers can be held.
The Foundation said in a statement that Israeli ministers, MKs and party members, in addition to Israeli organizations and decision-makers, are seeking to reach a political and religious consensus to change the status quo in the Aqsa Mosque, and turn it into a Jewish holy site under the occupation authority.
It stated that the Knesset Interior Committee held on Monday a session in this regard, attended by Deputy Minister of Religious Affairs Eli Ben Dahan who called on the new "Chief Rabbinate" to issue an advisory opinion allowing Jews to pray at Al-Aqsa Mosque.
For her part, the head of the Knesset Interior Committee Mary Rigab - from the Likud party - pointed out that holding consecutive sessions aims to enact regulations that will define the times and areas where Jewish prayers will be held in the "Temple Mount", regardless of the opinion of the "Chief Rabbinate", and regardless of the threats of a third intifada.
The Foundation said in a statement that Israeli ministers, MKs and party members, in addition to Israeli organizations and decision-makers, are seeking to reach a political and religious consensus to change the status quo in the Aqsa Mosque, and turn it into a Jewish holy site under the occupation authority.
It stated that the Knesset Interior Committee held on Monday a session in this regard, attended by Deputy Minister of Religious Affairs Eli Ben Dahan who called on the new "Chief Rabbinate" to issue an advisory opinion allowing Jews to pray at Al-Aqsa Mosque.
For her part, the head of the Knesset Interior Committee Mary Rigab - from the Likud party - pointed out that holding consecutive sessions aims to enact regulations that will define the times and areas where Jewish prayers will be held in the "Temple Mount", regardless of the opinion of the "Chief Rabbinate", and regardless of the threats of a third intifada.
5 nov 2013
Member of the political bureau of Hamas movement, Mousa Abu Marzouk stated that the Israeli arrest campaign against the resistance leaders will not break their spirits and will pave the way for the outbreak of an intifada. Abu Marzouk said in a statement on Tuesday on his Facebook page that all the occupation arrests against the Palestinian leaders, MPs, children and women will never deter the resistance from defending the land and the people.
He stressed that the rights cannot be subjected to a statute of limitation, and added "We are waiting for the Intifada."
Meanwhile, Palestinian human rights sources reported that the Ofer Military Court on Monday evening sentenced to six months of administrative detention the three Hamas leaders: Jamal al-Tawil, Hussein Abu Kwik, and Faraj Roumaneh.
The Israeli forces arrested the three leaders ten days ago from their homes in Ramallah, within a campaign that targeted supporters and cadres of Hamas movement in the West Bank.
He stressed that the rights cannot be subjected to a statute of limitation, and added "We are waiting for the Intifada."
Meanwhile, Palestinian human rights sources reported that the Ofer Military Court on Monday evening sentenced to six months of administrative detention the three Hamas leaders: Jamal al-Tawil, Hussein Abu Kwik, and Faraj Roumaneh.
The Israeli forces arrested the three leaders ten days ago from their homes in Ramallah, within a campaign that targeted supporters and cadres of Hamas movement in the West Bank.
26 oct 2013
Political bureau member of Hamas Ezzet al-Resheq has warned of serious consequences of escalating Israeli judaization of occupied Jerusalem and the Aqsa Mosque and of expanding settlement activity in occupied Palestinian land. He said on his Facebook page on Saturday that failure of negotiations coupled with Israeli attempts to divide the Aqsa Mosque and impose capitulation on the Palestinian people would accelerate a third intifada.
Resheq’s statement followed feverish Israeli attempts to Judaize and divide the Aqsa Mosque that escalated recently amidst increased storming of the Islamic sacred site on the part of Jewish fanatics and Israeli security forces’ harassment of worshipers and students.
Resheq’s statement followed feverish Israeli attempts to Judaize and divide the Aqsa Mosque that escalated recently amidst increased storming of the Islamic sacred site on the part of Jewish fanatics and Israeli security forces’ harassment of worshipers and students.
20 oct 2013
Head of Hamas's political bureau Khaled Mashaal said that the West Bank is getting prepared for another round of confrontation against the Israeli occupation and the harbingers of a new intifada are looming. Mashaal made his remarks during a festival for Jerusalem organized in the Qatari capital Doha by the Palestinian groups Hawiyya and youth for Jerusalem.
"The oppressors, the enemies and the rivals suppress our people in the West Bank, but today it is growing restless and getting prepared for a new round. It will not be long until you see what pleases you, God willing," Mashaal stated.
The Hamas leader stressed that the next battle against the Israeli occupation would be for the Aqsa Mosque and urged the Palestinian people and the Arab and Muslim nations not to forget Jerusalem and its holy Mosque.
He talked about his Movement's position against any sectarian polarization, bloodshed, and foreign interference or aggression in the Arab world, noting that Hamas likes to see the Arab peoples get their rights peacefully with no military options by their oppressors.
Mashaal also highlighted the Israeli and Egyptian blockade on the Gaza Strip and expressed his confidence that the Palestinian leaders in Gaza are strong enough to face challenges and adversities.
"I like to reassure you that your brothers in Gaza are okay despite their sufferings. Gaza is accustomed to difficulties, and since we have done no wrong to anybody, God will help us. There are men and lions in Gaza, and we mean no harm to anyone," Mashaal said.
"The oppressors, the enemies and the rivals suppress our people in the West Bank, but today it is growing restless and getting prepared for a new round. It will not be long until you see what pleases you, God willing," Mashaal stated.
The Hamas leader stressed that the next battle against the Israeli occupation would be for the Aqsa Mosque and urged the Palestinian people and the Arab and Muslim nations not to forget Jerusalem and its holy Mosque.
He talked about his Movement's position against any sectarian polarization, bloodshed, and foreign interference or aggression in the Arab world, noting that Hamas likes to see the Arab peoples get their rights peacefully with no military options by their oppressors.
Mashaal also highlighted the Israeli and Egyptian blockade on the Gaza Strip and expressed his confidence that the Palestinian leaders in Gaza are strong enough to face challenges and adversities.
"I like to reassure you that your brothers in Gaza are okay despite their sufferings. Gaza is accustomed to difficulties, and since we have done no wrong to anybody, God will help us. There are men and lions in Gaza, and we mean no harm to anyone," Mashaal said.
19 oct 2013
Palestinian Prime Minister Ismail Haneyya said “The Palestinian prisoners’ file will remain open and will not close until all of the prisoners are released”, calling on the Islamic peoples "from Tangiers to Jakarta to participate in the Great Aqsa Intifada.” In a speech on Saturday marking the two-year anniversary of Wafa al-Ahrar prisoner exchange deal, Haneyya vowed to liberate all the prisoners from Israeli prisons, saying that their release is on the top of his government's priorities.
Al-Qassam Brigades, the armed wing of Hamas, made a great victory by accomplishing the exchange deal especially by keeping Shalit for five years and freeing more than one thousand prisoners, he said.
He greeted all the resistance elements who participated in this historic achievement topped by the martyr Ahmed Jabari.
He also expressed his appreciation to Egypt due to its role in the exchange deal and for its continued efforts along the past years, stressing the Palestinian people and government and Hamas movement's commitment to the Egyptian stability and national security.
Haneyya renewed the Palestinian adherence to the national constants and fundamental rights despite all difficulties and plights, saying that resistance is the strategic option to the conflict in the region.
The Palestinian Prime Minister in Gaza Strip affirmed that thousands of resistance elements above the ground and under the ground are preparing for the liberation battle of Palestine.
He said that resistance stands firmly against any plots against the Palestinian people and their legitimate rights.
PM Haneyya stressed his trust in the Arab peoples who broke the silence and refused the injustice and supported al-Aqsa mosque and Jerusalem. “Our greetings to the activists all over the world who support the Palestinian people, especially Rachel Corrie”, he said.
He also renewed confidence in his movement that is still, since more than a quarter of a century, adherent to the resistance option and the Palestinian people’s rights and constants.
The prime minister warned of the Israeli schemes to divide al-Aqsa mosque spatially and temporally by allowing Israeli settlers and soldiers to break into al-Aqsa Mosque as a prelude to demolish it.
The Israeli occupation is using security coordination to liquidate resistance and the ongoing negotiation as a cover to the occupation, he added.
Al-Aqsa Mosque is part of the Muslim faith, he said, adding, “the Israeli crimes inside Al Aqsa mosque will not give them any right in it”.
Haneyya called for intensifying the Palestinian presence in al-Aqsa mosque, praising the Palestinian popular and armed resistance in the West Bank.
He strongly condemned all forms of security coordination and the persecution of resistance elements in West Bank, praising the latest resistance activities in West Bank.
“There will be no security or stability in the region as long as Al-Aqsa mosque is in danger," he affirmed.
Al-Qassam Brigades, the armed wing of Hamas, made a great victory by accomplishing the exchange deal especially by keeping Shalit for five years and freeing more than one thousand prisoners, he said.
He greeted all the resistance elements who participated in this historic achievement topped by the martyr Ahmed Jabari.
He also expressed his appreciation to Egypt due to its role in the exchange deal and for its continued efforts along the past years, stressing the Palestinian people and government and Hamas movement's commitment to the Egyptian stability and national security.
Haneyya renewed the Palestinian adherence to the national constants and fundamental rights despite all difficulties and plights, saying that resistance is the strategic option to the conflict in the region.
The Palestinian Prime Minister in Gaza Strip affirmed that thousands of resistance elements above the ground and under the ground are preparing for the liberation battle of Palestine.
He said that resistance stands firmly against any plots against the Palestinian people and their legitimate rights.
PM Haneyya stressed his trust in the Arab peoples who broke the silence and refused the injustice and supported al-Aqsa mosque and Jerusalem. “Our greetings to the activists all over the world who support the Palestinian people, especially Rachel Corrie”, he said.
He also renewed confidence in his movement that is still, since more than a quarter of a century, adherent to the resistance option and the Palestinian people’s rights and constants.
The prime minister warned of the Israeli schemes to divide al-Aqsa mosque spatially and temporally by allowing Israeli settlers and soldiers to break into al-Aqsa Mosque as a prelude to demolish it.
The Israeli occupation is using security coordination to liquidate resistance and the ongoing negotiation as a cover to the occupation, he added.
Al-Aqsa Mosque is part of the Muslim faith, he said, adding, “the Israeli crimes inside Al Aqsa mosque will not give them any right in it”.
Haneyya called for intensifying the Palestinian presence in al-Aqsa mosque, praising the Palestinian popular and armed resistance in the West Bank.
He strongly condemned all forms of security coordination and the persecution of resistance elements in West Bank, praising the latest resistance activities in West Bank.
“There will be no security or stability in the region as long as Al-Aqsa mosque is in danger," he affirmed.
8 oct 2013
Israel's occupation of Palestine is the longest ever in the modern history.
The West Bank unrest surfaced after the killing of two Israeli soldiers in late September could by and large be viewed as a fomenter of a third Palestinian Intifada, as the signs of a possible one are getting much obvious with the tension in the West Bank increasing. On September 28, 2013, the Palestinians marked the 13th anniversary of the Second Intifada which broke when former Israeli Prime Minister Ariel Sharon stormed into Al-Aqsa Mosque compound under the guard of hundreds of policemen and soldiers.
Popular calls including of the Palestinian resistance factions for stoking a third intifada had emerged while this anniversary was approaching, and have not stopped.
An Israeli military magazine lately said military leaders are talking about an increased popular resistance in the occupied West Bank and that the situation is similar to how it was prior to the First Intifada in 1987.
The term intifada is an Arabic word equivalent to 'uprising'. It is not of Palestinian making, as it was first used in 1965 in Bahrain by leftist National Liberation Front which led an uprising against the British colonial presence under what so called "March Intifada".
However, the Palestinian model of Intifada is distinguished from its precedents worldwide in that the Israel's occupation of Palestine is the longest ever in the modern history.
The Palestinians' distrust in Israel as a real peace partner had increased ever since the political fallout of the 1993 Oslo which failed to put an end to the Israeli-Palestinian conflict, and was went viral by failure of July 2000 Camp David talks between United States President Bill Clinton, Israeli Prime Minister Ehud Barak, and Palestinian Authority President Yasser Arafat.
The nowadays political deadlock is reminiscent of the past international peace initiatives and might constitute an instigator for mass popular action which form is difficult to classify.
Palestinian President addressing the United Nations General Assembly said on September 26, 2013 "The window of peace is narrowing and the opportunities are diminishing… The current round of negotiations appears to be a last chance to realize a just peace… Merely thinking of the catastrophic and frightening consequences of failure must compel the international community to intensify efforts to seize upon this chance,"
Prominent Jerusalem Post newspaper reported that on September 29 "Deputy Israeli Defense Minister Danny Danon convened the heads of right-wing groups to plan strategies for blocking Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu from advancing an interim agreement with the PA."
"The meeting was intended to counter-balance pressure to move the diplomatic process forward that Netanyahu is expected to encounter in Monday’s meeting with US President Barack Obama,"
Danon stressed that the event was not an anti-Netanyahu meeting. The meeting Likud activists focused their criticism on the head of Israel’s chief negotiator with the Palestinians Tzipi Livni. “We won’t sit silently while Livni cooks an unacceptable deal,” Danon said. “We can’t let there be industrial quiet.”
While on the economic level, the West Bank-ruling donor-dependent Palestinian Authority had warned last month that its economy cannot grow under Israeli occupation and restrictions, echoing the findings of an International Monetary Fund report.
The IMF in its staff report released on September 5, 2013 spoke of “worrisome trends” in the Palestinian economy, including slowing GDP growth, unemployment of nearly 21 percent, and a cash crunch in the Palestinian Authority, the Palestinians’ mostly donor-funded ruling body set up after Oslo.
The report also said the West Bank and Gaza Strip's economic prospects are "dim under (the) status quo," and called for the removal of "obstacles to growth (such as) Israeli restrictions," including on imports to the Palestinian territories.
Gaza's economy has been hit hard by the recent heavy crackdown on the smugglers' tunnels, the economic lifeline to Gaza which has been reeling under a seven-year-old blockade.
Oxfam said in its recent report released in September that the Gaza economy alone had lost about $76m annually because of Israeli restrictions on farmers and fishermen.
Intifada Youth Coalition called on late September for mass protests across Palestine against Israel's gross violations of human rights and continued brutal occupation of Palestine.
While a recent poll found that Fifty-eight percent of Palestinians expect a third intifada if the peace talks with Israel fail.
The poll conducted by The Palestinian Center for Public Opinion surveyed 1,110 Palestinians representing a demographic sample of adults in the West Bank, east Jerusalem and Gaza Strip.
Hamas politburo member Dr. Mousa Abu Marzuok said a few days earlier "the four billion dollars plan would not succeed in saving the Palestinian Authority from political failure and would not abort a third intifada, which is in the offing,"
While PFLP leader Khalida Jarrar said on October 3 that security coordination between the PA and the occupation hinders the outbreak of a third popular Intifada in the West Bank. She urged the PA to immediately halt the 'peace talks' and put a resistance strategy to defend the Palestinian people.
However, the PA's response to such escalating calls was clearly outspoken opposition. Asharq Alawsat newspaper quoted late September Palestinian security sources in Ramallah as saying the Palestinian Authority won’t allow an intifada against Israel in the West Bank.
The PA's role seems to be going far more than just putting down a Palestinian uprising. The Israeli overnight assassinations against Karim Abu Sbeih, Majd Lahlouh, and Islam Tubasi all of PA-controlled Jenin city have passed without PA security forces’ intervention.
Moreover, recently in early October, the camp witnessed hundreds of Palestinian security forces launching arrests of several Islamic Jihad operatives.
On the other hand, political analyst Abdul Sattar Qassem believe that internal division inhibits a third intifada because such an event could not be unless it's a popularly-propelled.
Is a third Palestinian Intifada is being held in the PA's custody? Could it be possible under the absence of, at least politically, united Palestinian people? What form, in case it occurred, could characterize an upcoming intifada?
The West Bank unrest surfaced after the killing of two Israeli soldiers in late September could by and large be viewed as a fomenter of a third Palestinian Intifada, as the signs of a possible one are getting much obvious with the tension in the West Bank increasing. On September 28, 2013, the Palestinians marked the 13th anniversary of the Second Intifada which broke when former Israeli Prime Minister Ariel Sharon stormed into Al-Aqsa Mosque compound under the guard of hundreds of policemen and soldiers.
Popular calls including of the Palestinian resistance factions for stoking a third intifada had emerged while this anniversary was approaching, and have not stopped.
An Israeli military magazine lately said military leaders are talking about an increased popular resistance in the occupied West Bank and that the situation is similar to how it was prior to the First Intifada in 1987.
The term intifada is an Arabic word equivalent to 'uprising'. It is not of Palestinian making, as it was first used in 1965 in Bahrain by leftist National Liberation Front which led an uprising against the British colonial presence under what so called "March Intifada".
However, the Palestinian model of Intifada is distinguished from its precedents worldwide in that the Israel's occupation of Palestine is the longest ever in the modern history.
The Palestinians' distrust in Israel as a real peace partner had increased ever since the political fallout of the 1993 Oslo which failed to put an end to the Israeli-Palestinian conflict, and was went viral by failure of July 2000 Camp David talks between United States President Bill Clinton, Israeli Prime Minister Ehud Barak, and Palestinian Authority President Yasser Arafat.
The nowadays political deadlock is reminiscent of the past international peace initiatives and might constitute an instigator for mass popular action which form is difficult to classify.
Palestinian President addressing the United Nations General Assembly said on September 26, 2013 "The window of peace is narrowing and the opportunities are diminishing… The current round of negotiations appears to be a last chance to realize a just peace… Merely thinking of the catastrophic and frightening consequences of failure must compel the international community to intensify efforts to seize upon this chance,"
Prominent Jerusalem Post newspaper reported that on September 29 "Deputy Israeli Defense Minister Danny Danon convened the heads of right-wing groups to plan strategies for blocking Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu from advancing an interim agreement with the PA."
"The meeting was intended to counter-balance pressure to move the diplomatic process forward that Netanyahu is expected to encounter in Monday’s meeting with US President Barack Obama,"
Danon stressed that the event was not an anti-Netanyahu meeting. The meeting Likud activists focused their criticism on the head of Israel’s chief negotiator with the Palestinians Tzipi Livni. “We won’t sit silently while Livni cooks an unacceptable deal,” Danon said. “We can’t let there be industrial quiet.”
While on the economic level, the West Bank-ruling donor-dependent Palestinian Authority had warned last month that its economy cannot grow under Israeli occupation and restrictions, echoing the findings of an International Monetary Fund report.
The IMF in its staff report released on September 5, 2013 spoke of “worrisome trends” in the Palestinian economy, including slowing GDP growth, unemployment of nearly 21 percent, and a cash crunch in the Palestinian Authority, the Palestinians’ mostly donor-funded ruling body set up after Oslo.
The report also said the West Bank and Gaza Strip's economic prospects are "dim under (the) status quo," and called for the removal of "obstacles to growth (such as) Israeli restrictions," including on imports to the Palestinian territories.
Gaza's economy has been hit hard by the recent heavy crackdown on the smugglers' tunnels, the economic lifeline to Gaza which has been reeling under a seven-year-old blockade.
Oxfam said in its recent report released in September that the Gaza economy alone had lost about $76m annually because of Israeli restrictions on farmers and fishermen.
Intifada Youth Coalition called on late September for mass protests across Palestine against Israel's gross violations of human rights and continued brutal occupation of Palestine.
While a recent poll found that Fifty-eight percent of Palestinians expect a third intifada if the peace talks with Israel fail.
The poll conducted by The Palestinian Center for Public Opinion surveyed 1,110 Palestinians representing a demographic sample of adults in the West Bank, east Jerusalem and Gaza Strip.
Hamas politburo member Dr. Mousa Abu Marzuok said a few days earlier "the four billion dollars plan would not succeed in saving the Palestinian Authority from political failure and would not abort a third intifada, which is in the offing,"
While PFLP leader Khalida Jarrar said on October 3 that security coordination between the PA and the occupation hinders the outbreak of a third popular Intifada in the West Bank. She urged the PA to immediately halt the 'peace talks' and put a resistance strategy to defend the Palestinian people.
However, the PA's response to such escalating calls was clearly outspoken opposition. Asharq Alawsat newspaper quoted late September Palestinian security sources in Ramallah as saying the Palestinian Authority won’t allow an intifada against Israel in the West Bank.
The PA's role seems to be going far more than just putting down a Palestinian uprising. The Israeli overnight assassinations against Karim Abu Sbeih, Majd Lahlouh, and Islam Tubasi all of PA-controlled Jenin city have passed without PA security forces’ intervention.
Moreover, recently in early October, the camp witnessed hundreds of Palestinian security forces launching arrests of several Islamic Jihad operatives.
On the other hand, political analyst Abdul Sattar Qassem believe that internal division inhibits a third intifada because such an event could not be unless it's a popularly-propelled.
Is a third Palestinian Intifada is being held in the PA's custody? Could it be possible under the absence of, at least politically, united Palestinian people? What form, in case it occurred, could characterize an upcoming intifada?
6 oct 2013
Talab al-Sani'a, head of the Arab Democratic Party in the 1948 Palestine, said the situation of Palestinians in the 1948 territories has worsened since the Al-Aqsa Intifada in 2000. He stressed that the Israeli aggression against the Arab citizens inside the Green Line has increased.
Sani'a told Quds Press on Saturday that the Israeli practices against the Palestinians in the 1948 territories, especially the violation of their fundamental rights, are paving the way for the outbreak of a new Intifada.
The former MK pointed out that in case the Israeli government decided to proceed with its plans to displace the Arab citizens from their lands, a new Intifada will break out in the 1948 Palestine.
He added that a lot of indicators show that the Palestinians in the occupied territories are on the threshold of a new wave of anger which may turn into permanent confrontations that will be more severe and longer than the confrontations that erupted earlier.
Sani'a told Quds Press on Saturday that the Israeli practices against the Palestinians in the 1948 territories, especially the violation of their fundamental rights, are paving the way for the outbreak of a new Intifada.
The former MK pointed out that in case the Israeli government decided to proceed with its plans to displace the Arab citizens from their lands, a new Intifada will break out in the 1948 Palestine.
He added that a lot of indicators show that the Palestinians in the occupied territories are on the threshold of a new wave of anger which may turn into permanent confrontations that will be more severe and longer than the confrontations that erupted earlier.
5 sept 2013
Israeli occupation forces stormed on Saturday parts of the City of Ramallah, the Seat of the Palestinian Authority, following a non-fatal shooting of a Jewish settler girl at the nearby colony of Bsagot.
Palestinian sources and eyewitnesses reported that hundreds of Israeli troops, backed by armored vehicles, stormed the town of al-Bireh, Ramallah's twin city, searching residential homes and arresting youngsters from the streets.
One eyewitness from the Sath Marhaba neighborhood described Israeli soldiers' behavior as "violent and nervous."
Earlier, a young Israeli settler was wounded from gunfire the Israeli occupation army said originated in surrounding Palestinian localities. Israeli occupation sources also suspected infiltration by Palestinian resistance activists into the Jewish settlements.
The Israeli media spoke of a "Ramallah sniper"
This is the third incident of its kind in less than two weeks. On 22 September, an Israeli occupation soldier was shot a killed in Hebron at the hands of "a professional Palestinian sniper."
Israeli troops launched an aggressive manhunt campaign to apprehend the suspected Palestinian sniper but to no avail.
A day earlier, another soldier was killed near the northern Palestinian town of Kalkilya by a Palestinian who reportedly wanted to exchange the soldier's body for the release of his brother who is spending a heavy sentence in an Israeli jail.
It is still uncertain if these resistance attacks which Israel calls terrorist attacks are individualistic in nature or constitute a definite portent for an outbreak of a new intifada or uprising against the Israeli occupation.
Palestinians are facing difficult political and economic conditions and speculations that a new intifada is in the offing are rife in many quarters.
According to Saleh Aruri, a high ranking Hamas official, the latest attacks show that there is a state of bitterness and disenchantment prevailing in the West Bank .
"We have the failed peace process, the continued settlement expansion; a growing settler population in the West Bank …along with relentless Israeli efforts to take over the Aqsa Mosque….These things provoke ordinary Palestinian and push them to rise up against the occupation."
Aruri, who was speaking during an interview with the al-Aqsa TV Saturday evening, said Israeli behavior and PA conduct were leaving the Palestinian masses very little hope.
"It is not important who is carrying out these acts. The important thing is that they are happening despite the scandalous security coordination between Israel and the PA regime in Ramallah.
Last month Hamas official Mousa Abu Marzouk was quoted as saying that "We are already on the eve of an intifada."
Moreover, one Fatah official was quoted by al-Jazeera as saying that "an uprising of some sort is inevitable."
"You surely don't expect me to tell you an uprising will take place on a given day and time. But I can tell you with a high degree of certitude that an intifada is coming, perhaps sooner than many of us think," Abu Jihad, Fatah grass-roots leader.
Both Israeli and Palestinian spokespersons are expressing pessimism over the recently presumed talks between Israel and the PA.
Most observers note that a "miracle" would be required for the talks to succeed given the extremely insurmountable problems facing these talks.
Others readily contend that there is no real chance left for the creation of a viable and territorially contiguous Palestinian state on the West Bank , thanks to unmitigated Jewish settlement activities and the Judaizing of East Jerusalem.
Palestinian sources and eyewitnesses reported that hundreds of Israeli troops, backed by armored vehicles, stormed the town of al-Bireh, Ramallah's twin city, searching residential homes and arresting youngsters from the streets.
One eyewitness from the Sath Marhaba neighborhood described Israeli soldiers' behavior as "violent and nervous."
Earlier, a young Israeli settler was wounded from gunfire the Israeli occupation army said originated in surrounding Palestinian localities. Israeli occupation sources also suspected infiltration by Palestinian resistance activists into the Jewish settlements.
The Israeli media spoke of a "Ramallah sniper"
This is the third incident of its kind in less than two weeks. On 22 September, an Israeli occupation soldier was shot a killed in Hebron at the hands of "a professional Palestinian sniper."
Israeli troops launched an aggressive manhunt campaign to apprehend the suspected Palestinian sniper but to no avail.
A day earlier, another soldier was killed near the northern Palestinian town of Kalkilya by a Palestinian who reportedly wanted to exchange the soldier's body for the release of his brother who is spending a heavy sentence in an Israeli jail.
It is still uncertain if these resistance attacks which Israel calls terrorist attacks are individualistic in nature or constitute a definite portent for an outbreak of a new intifada or uprising against the Israeli occupation.
Palestinians are facing difficult political and economic conditions and speculations that a new intifada is in the offing are rife in many quarters.
According to Saleh Aruri, a high ranking Hamas official, the latest attacks show that there is a state of bitterness and disenchantment prevailing in the West Bank .
"We have the failed peace process, the continued settlement expansion; a growing settler population in the West Bank …along with relentless Israeli efforts to take over the Aqsa Mosque….These things provoke ordinary Palestinian and push them to rise up against the occupation."
Aruri, who was speaking during an interview with the al-Aqsa TV Saturday evening, said Israeli behavior and PA conduct were leaving the Palestinian masses very little hope.
"It is not important who is carrying out these acts. The important thing is that they are happening despite the scandalous security coordination between Israel and the PA regime in Ramallah.
Last month Hamas official Mousa Abu Marzouk was quoted as saying that "We are already on the eve of an intifada."
Moreover, one Fatah official was quoted by al-Jazeera as saying that "an uprising of some sort is inevitable."
"You surely don't expect me to tell you an uprising will take place on a given day and time. But I can tell you with a high degree of certitude that an intifada is coming, perhaps sooner than many of us think," Abu Jihad, Fatah grass-roots leader.
Both Israeli and Palestinian spokespersons are expressing pessimism over the recently presumed talks between Israel and the PA.
Most observers note that a "miracle" would be required for the talks to succeed given the extremely insurmountable problems facing these talks.
Others readily contend that there is no real chance left for the creation of a viable and territorially contiguous Palestinian state on the West Bank , thanks to unmitigated Jewish settlement activities and the Judaizing of East Jerusalem.
3 oct 2013
Fifty-eight percent of Palestinians expect a third intifada if the peace talks with Israel fail, a poll published on Wednesday showed.
The Palestinian Center for Public Opinion conducted the survey, which covered a random sample of 1,110 Palestinians representing a demographic sample of adults in the West Bank, east Jerusalem and Gaza Strip. It has a margin of error of 2.9 percentage points.
Fifty percent of Palestinians support the resumption of the peace negotiations with Israel, while 39% oppose it, the survey showed.
Asked how an agreement with Israel should be ratified, 46% said that it should be approved through a referendum, while 25% said that a decision by the Palestinian Authority would be sufficient.
When asked whether they anticipate the outbreak of a third intifada in case the peace process ended in failure, 58% replied in the affirmative, while 26% said they did not expect violence.
Asked what rating they would give the performance of PA President Mahmoud Abbas in managing the talks with Israel, on a scale from 1 to 10, the average rating Palestinians gave was 6.
More than 60% of respondents said they were satisfied with the way Abbas was dealing with his post.
Also on Wednesday, Nimer Hammad, political adviser to Abbas, said that if the current peace talks fail, the result would be a one-state solution such as the one that existed in South Africa.
Hammad told the Quds Net News Agency that the talks with Israel still haven't reached a dead-end. However, he said, they were "facing difficulties here and there."
Commenting on {Israeli} Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu's Tuesday address to the United Nations General Assembly, Hammad said: "The speech is far from reflecting sincerity and a serious desire in telling the truth."
This article was originally publsihed on The Jerusalem Post
The Palestinian Center for Public Opinion conducted the survey, which covered a random sample of 1,110 Palestinians representing a demographic sample of adults in the West Bank, east Jerusalem and Gaza Strip. It has a margin of error of 2.9 percentage points.
Fifty percent of Palestinians support the resumption of the peace negotiations with Israel, while 39% oppose it, the survey showed.
Asked how an agreement with Israel should be ratified, 46% said that it should be approved through a referendum, while 25% said that a decision by the Palestinian Authority would be sufficient.
When asked whether they anticipate the outbreak of a third intifada in case the peace process ended in failure, 58% replied in the affirmative, while 26% said they did not expect violence.
Asked what rating they would give the performance of PA President Mahmoud Abbas in managing the talks with Israel, on a scale from 1 to 10, the average rating Palestinians gave was 6.
More than 60% of respondents said they were satisfied with the way Abbas was dealing with his post.
Also on Wednesday, Nimer Hammad, political adviser to Abbas, said that if the current peace talks fail, the result would be a one-state solution such as the one that existed in South Africa.
Hammad told the Quds Net News Agency that the talks with Israel still haven't reached a dead-end. However, he said, they were "facing difficulties here and there."
Commenting on {Israeli} Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu's Tuesday address to the United Nations General Assembly, Hammad said: "The speech is far from reflecting sincerity and a serious desire in telling the truth."
This article was originally publsihed on The Jerusalem Post
Dozens of Palestinian youths staged a sit-in in front of the UN headquarters on Wednesday afternoon in Gaza City to demand the United Nations to shoulder its responsibilities vis-à-vis the suffering of the Palestinian people. Intifada Youth Coalition handed a letter directed to the UN to one of its representatives in Gaza, in which the young people urged the organization to intervene to stop the Judaization of Jerusalem, to lift the Gaza siege and to remove the restrictions imposed on the citizens of the West Bank.
The youths informed the representative of the United Nations of their intention to break the naval blockade imposed on the Gaza Strip and called for providing the participants in the event with international protection, especially after the occupation announced the deployment of advanced battleships off the coast of Gaza.
The coalition demanded the Palestinian masses to head to all points of contact next Friday and confront the occupation soldiers and armed settlers.
It also stressed on its intention to break the barrier of the 6 nautical miles imposed on Gaza fishermen, and said it held consultations with foreign activists and some human rights organizations in the Strip regarding the implementation of the activity expected in the coming days.
The youths informed the representative of the United Nations of their intention to break the naval blockade imposed on the Gaza Strip and called for providing the participants in the event with international protection, especially after the occupation announced the deployment of advanced battleships off the coast of Gaza.
The coalition demanded the Palestinian masses to head to all points of contact next Friday and confront the occupation soldiers and armed settlers.
It also stressed on its intention to break the barrier of the 6 nautical miles imposed on Gaza fishermen, and said it held consultations with foreign activists and some human rights organizations in the Strip regarding the implementation of the activity expected in the coming days.
Khalida Jarrar, a leading figure in Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine (PFLP), said that security coordination between the Palestinian Authority and the occupation represents one of the key factors that hinders the outbreak of a third popular uprising in the West Bank. Jarrar noted in a press statement that the security coordination with the occupation still continues "despite the Israeli continuing attacks against the Palestinians, their properties and holy sites."
She said that there are attempts to deprive the Palestinians from their right to express their rejection of the occupation policies against them, and pointed out that these attempts represent "the main cause that prevents the outbreak of confrontations with the occupation."
Regarding the outbreak of a third Intifada, she stressed that it needs many factors; mainly national unity and an end to the state of internal division, in addition to a unified field leadership of the uprising and continued events rejecting the occupation of the land.
The PFLP official also considered that "the negotiations serve only the occupation’s interests. "The occupation aims through the negotiations to mislead the international public opinion in light of its persistent violations against the Palestinian citizens."
She urged the Authority and its negotiating team to immediately halt the negotiations with the occupation and to put a resistance strategy to defend the Palestinian people, their rights and their holy places.
"The Palestinian people have the right to defend their rights with all means. All the attempts to suppress the people and restrict their freedom must be immediately removed to help them confront the occupation and its racism," Jarrar added.
She said that there are attempts to deprive the Palestinians from their right to express their rejection of the occupation policies against them, and pointed out that these attempts represent "the main cause that prevents the outbreak of confrontations with the occupation."
Regarding the outbreak of a third Intifada, she stressed that it needs many factors; mainly national unity and an end to the state of internal division, in addition to a unified field leadership of the uprising and continued events rejecting the occupation of the land.
The PFLP official also considered that "the negotiations serve only the occupation’s interests. "The occupation aims through the negotiations to mislead the international public opinion in light of its persistent violations against the Palestinian citizens."
She urged the Authority and its negotiating team to immediately halt the negotiations with the occupation and to put a resistance strategy to defend the Palestinian people, their rights and their holy places.
"The Palestinian people have the right to defend their rights with all means. All the attempts to suppress the people and restrict their freedom must be immediately removed to help them confront the occupation and its racism," Jarrar added.
30 sept 2013
The Palestinian Authority won't allow an intifada against Israel in the West Bank, Palestinian security sources in Ramallah said on Sunday.
The sources told the London- based Asharq Alawsat newspaper that the West Bank "won't be the scene of chaos to serve any private agendas."
The sources emphasized that despite calls by Hamas and Islamic Jihad, "there is no orientation toward a new intifada in the West Bank."
The paper said that the PA and Fatah view the calls by the two groups "with mistrust and suspicion."
According to the report, the calls by Hamas and Islamic Jihad last weekend for launching a third intifada have fallen on deaf ears in spite of a number of violent incidents that took place in east Jerusalem and some parts of the West Bank.
Hamas opponents have accused the movement of seeking to ignite a third intifada as a way of ridding itself from its crisis in the aftermath of the downfall of the Muslim Brotherhood regime in Egypt.
They said that Hamas is seeking to embarrass the PA leadership in the West Bank by calling on Palestinians to initiate violent confrontations with Israel.
The sources said that Hamas wants an intifada in the West Bank while it is preventing terror attacks against Israel from the Gaza Strip.
"The Israelis are sitting in the surroundings of the Gaza Strip and if Hamas wants it could ignite an intifada there," the sources pointed out.
This article was originally published by the Jerusalem Post
The sources told the London- based Asharq Alawsat newspaper that the West Bank "won't be the scene of chaos to serve any private agendas."
The sources emphasized that despite calls by Hamas and Islamic Jihad, "there is no orientation toward a new intifada in the West Bank."
The paper said that the PA and Fatah view the calls by the two groups "with mistrust and suspicion."
According to the report, the calls by Hamas and Islamic Jihad last weekend for launching a third intifada have fallen on deaf ears in spite of a number of violent incidents that took place in east Jerusalem and some parts of the West Bank.
Hamas opponents have accused the movement of seeking to ignite a third intifada as a way of ridding itself from its crisis in the aftermath of the downfall of the Muslim Brotherhood regime in Egypt.
They said that Hamas is seeking to embarrass the PA leadership in the West Bank by calling on Palestinians to initiate violent confrontations with Israel.
The sources said that Hamas wants an intifada in the West Bank while it is preventing terror attacks against Israel from the Gaza Strip.
"The Israelis are sitting in the surroundings of the Gaza Strip and if Hamas wants it could ignite an intifada there," the sources pointed out.
This article was originally published by the Jerusalem Post