19 mar 2018

40 Palestinians were killed by the Israeli occupation forces since the US President Donald Trump declared Jerusalem as the capital of the self-proclaimed Israeli state, on December 6, 2017.
According to data by the Jerusalem Center of Studies of Israeli-Palestinian Affairs, Gaza topped the list of post-December 6 casualties with 22 victims, including two resistance fighters. A Gazan fisherman was killed by Israeli navy off Gaza seashore.
Six Palestinians from Nablus were also killed by the occupation forces during the same period, one among them breathed his last inside Israeli jails due to preplanned medical neglect.
The list also included three Palestinians from al-Khalil, three from Jenin, two in Jericho, two in Ramallah, one Palestinian in Qlaqilya, and another in Occupied Jerusalem.
Among the casualties were also 11 children below 18-years-old, including Mohamed al-Dahoudh, 14, and 18-year-old fisherman Ismail Abu Reyala.
75-year-old elderly woman Hamda Wahsh was killed during the same period after Israeli army troops rolled into Zbeidat town and showered civilian homes with teargas canisters. Nine-year-old girl Dalal Louleh died after Israeli forces prevented her family from reaching a hospital for urgent treatment.
33-year-old Yassin al-Saradeeh, from Jericho, died shortly after he was arrested by Israeli forces. Medical investigations showed that he was shot from zero distance and had been made to endure heavy beating.
According to data by the Jerusalem Center of Studies of Israeli-Palestinian Affairs, Gaza topped the list of post-December 6 casualties with 22 victims, including two resistance fighters. A Gazan fisherman was killed by Israeli navy off Gaza seashore.
Six Palestinians from Nablus were also killed by the occupation forces during the same period, one among them breathed his last inside Israeli jails due to preplanned medical neglect.
The list also included three Palestinians from al-Khalil, three from Jenin, two in Jericho, two in Ramallah, one Palestinian in Qlaqilya, and another in Occupied Jerusalem.
Among the casualties were also 11 children below 18-years-old, including Mohamed al-Dahoudh, 14, and 18-year-old fisherman Ismail Abu Reyala.
75-year-old elderly woman Hamda Wahsh was killed during the same period after Israeli army troops rolled into Zbeidat town and showered civilian homes with teargas canisters. Nine-year-old girl Dalal Louleh died after Israeli forces prevented her family from reaching a hospital for urgent treatment.
33-year-old Yassin al-Saradeeh, from Jericho, died shortly after he was arrested by Israeli forces. Medical investigations showed that he was shot from zero distance and had been made to endure heavy beating.
16 mar 2018

Israel’s Nature Authority staff members on Thursday morning stormed Bab al-Rahma Cemetery, adjacent to the holy al-Aqsa Mosque.
Israel’s Nature Authority crews, escorted by armed troops, stormed the cemetery, marked Muslims’ graves, and took measurements of the cemetery’s edges.
Director-General of the Islamic Endowment, Aazzam al-Khatib, showed up in the area to keep tabs on the Israeli assault.
A few days earlier, Israeli military forces assaulted Bab al-Sahira Cemetery, in Occupied Jerusalem, where bodies of Palestinian protesters killed in the 2015 anti-occupation intifada have been buried.
The aggression culminated in the destruction of the headstones of the tombs of over 10 Palestinians murdered by the occupation forces during the uprising.
Israel’s Nature Authority crews, escorted by armed troops, stormed the cemetery, marked Muslims’ graves, and took measurements of the cemetery’s edges.
Director-General of the Islamic Endowment, Aazzam al-Khatib, showed up in the area to keep tabs on the Israeli assault.
A few days earlier, Israeli military forces assaulted Bab al-Sahira Cemetery, in Occupied Jerusalem, where bodies of Palestinian protesters killed in the 2015 anti-occupation intifada have been buried.
The aggression culminated in the destruction of the headstones of the tombs of over 10 Palestinians murdered by the occupation forces during the uprising.
12 mar 2018

Israeli Hebrew sources said that Paraguay and Honduras informed the Israeli occupation government that they are both ready to move their embassies from Tel Aviv to Occupied Jerusalem, provided that Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu first makes an official visit to their countries.
In December, sources in Occupied Jerusalem were quoted by the Ynet new website as saying that the two Latin American countries were expected to be among the small group of countries following the US in moving their embassies from Tel Aviv to Occupied Jerusalem.
Honduras was one of eight countries that opposed a UN General Assembly resolution condemning US President Donald Trump’s December recognition of Jerusalem as Israel’s capital while Paraguay, however, refrained from voting.
In December, sources in Occupied Jerusalem were quoted by the Ynet new website as saying that the two Latin American countries were expected to be among the small group of countries following the US in moving their embassies from Tel Aviv to Occupied Jerusalem.
Honduras was one of eight countries that opposed a UN General Assembly resolution condemning US President Donald Trump’s December recognition of Jerusalem as Israel’s capital while Paraguay, however, refrained from voting.

Israeli police forces stormed Monday morning al-Mujahidin cemetery in occupied Jerusalem and vandalized the graves of Palestinian martyrs, the PIC field reporter said.
Several Palestinian gravestones at the cemetery were found desecrated early today, according to our reporter.
Earlier Sunday, an Israeli police officer was seen filming a number of graves at the cemetery belonging to the martyrs Abdul Malik Abu Kharoub, Thaer Abu Ghazala, Baha' Alian, Mohammed Abu Khalaf, Abdul Mohsen Hassouna and Mohammed Jamal Al Kalouti.
The attack came as part of Israeli attempts to prevent any sort of glorifying resistance fighters.
Several Palestinian gravestones at the cemetery were found desecrated early today, according to our reporter.
Earlier Sunday, an Israeli police officer was seen filming a number of graves at the cemetery belonging to the martyrs Abdul Malik Abu Kharoub, Thaer Abu Ghazala, Baha' Alian, Mohammed Abu Khalaf, Abdul Mohsen Hassouna and Mohammed Jamal Al Kalouti.
The attack came as part of Israeli attempts to prevent any sort of glorifying resistance fighters.
11 mar 2018

Hundreds of Palestinians marched in Nablus city on Sunday morning in the funeral of the Palestinian martyr Amir Shehada, 19, who died on Saturday evening after being shot by Israeli settlers in Urif village south of Nablus.
The PIC reporter said that the funeral procession set off from Rafidia Hospital west of Nablus toward Shehada's family house in Urif village.
He added that the funeral witnessed a wide participation by Nablus residents and representatives of Palestinian factions.
Shehada was injured by a live bullet to the chest during clashes between Palestinian citizens and Israeli settlers at the entrance to Urif village. He was transferred to Rafidia Hospital while in a critical condition shortly before the Ministry of Health announced his death.
The PIC reporter said that the funeral procession set off from Rafidia Hospital west of Nablus toward Shehada's family house in Urif village.
He added that the funeral witnessed a wide participation by Nablus residents and representatives of Palestinian factions.
Shehada was injured by a live bullet to the chest during clashes between Palestinian citizens and Israeli settlers at the entrance to Urif village. He was transferred to Rafidia Hospital while in a critical condition shortly before the Ministry of Health announced his death.
10 mar 2018

The Hamas leader in Jenin province Nazih Abu Oun said on Friday that the attacks and violations committed by the Palestinian Authority (PA) security forces in the West Bank serve only the Israeli occupation.
Abu Oun in a press statement called on all factions to pressure Fatah to stop its ceaseless violations against the Palestinian people including imposing sanctions on Gaza, evading the reconciliation obligations, forcing some teachers into early retirement and abducting and torturing Palestinian activists.
He continued to say that the PA is required to work to confront the Israeli settlement and Judaization projects as well as the daily raid and arrest campaigns in the West Bank instead of adding insult to injury.
He called on the Palestinian families affected by the PA oppressive policies to stage regular protests at the PA detention centers where their sons and relatives are arbitrarily held.
Abu Oun in a press statement called on all factions to pressure Fatah to stop its ceaseless violations against the Palestinian people including imposing sanctions on Gaza, evading the reconciliation obligations, forcing some teachers into early retirement and abducting and torturing Palestinian activists.
He continued to say that the PA is required to work to confront the Israeli settlement and Judaization projects as well as the daily raid and arrest campaigns in the West Bank instead of adding insult to injury.
He called on the Palestinian families affected by the PA oppressive policies to stage regular protests at the PA detention centers where their sons and relatives are arbitrarily held.
9 mar 2018

Mohammad al-Jaabari, 24
Thousands of Palestinians in al-Khalil city on Friday evening bade farewell to the Palestinian martyr Mohammad al-Jaabari, 24, who was killed by Israeli gunfire in the clashes that erupted earlier on Friday in Bab al-Zawiya area.
The participants in the funeral rallied to the martyrs’ cemetery at al-Sheikh neighborhood while carrying the martyr’s body on shoulders and chanting for revenge and resistance.
Thousands of Palestinians in al-Khalil city on Friday evening bade farewell to the Palestinian martyr Mohammad al-Jaabari, 24, who was killed by Israeli gunfire in the clashes that erupted earlier on Friday in Bab al-Zawiya area.
The participants in the funeral rallied to the martyrs’ cemetery at al-Sheikh neighborhood while carrying the martyr’s body on shoulders and chanting for revenge and resistance.
6 mar 2018

By Yara Hawari
Having managed to conquer the west of Jerusalem in 1948, Israel occupied the rest of the city less than two decades later in the 1967 war. Since then, it has been creating "realities on the ground" through annexation and settlements building to cement its claim over the entire city.
Indeed, Israel, in its foundational essence as a settler-colonial project, is both aggressively expansionist and exclusionary. The recently postponed "Greater Jerusalem Bill" which seeks to expand Jerusalem's municipal boundaries to include more illegal settlements and exclude Palestinian neighbourhoods is testament to this expansionism.
Meanwhile, US President Donald Trump's declaration on the US embassy's move from Tel Aviv to Jerusalem not only breaks with international law, it also provides support and backing for Israel's continued colonisation of the city.
Aggressive campaign
Yet annexation and settlement building are not the only way in which Israel is exercising its absolute control over the city. Accelerating with the occupation of the West Bank and Gaza in 1967, Israel has been conducting an aggressive campaign to appropriate or destroy Palestinian heritage sites in order to support its narrative of exclusive ownership.
This narrative is heavily based on a biblical discourse which purposefully aims to make religion as the key point of contention. This is acutely visible in the Old City of Jerusalem which - under international law - is considered unequivocally as Palestinian land.
Indeed, just days after it was occupied, Israel began altering the physical landscape of Jerusalem by destroying one of the oldest neighbourhoods in the city.
Harat al Magharibeh (the Moroccan quarter), which lay in front of the Western Wall in the old city, was promptly bulldozed just a few days after the Israeli occupation of the city. Israeli authorities' justification for the move was that it was done in order to make room for Jewish worshippers.
The quarter dated back nearly 800 years and was not only home to some Ayyubid and Mamluk buildings, but also some 650 people. The residents were given just a few hours' notice to leave before their homes were reduced to rubble. Indeed, it is often said that Israeli archaeologists are the only archaeologists in the world to use bulldozers.
Haram al-Sharif in danger
More recently, Israel has been conducting excavations in the area under and around the Haram Al-Sharif - the compound that houses the Dome of the Rock and the Al Aqsa Mosque. These excavations were heavily condemned by UNESCO which issued a resolution in 2016 criticising Israel for its overall policies towards the compound.
Israel's attempts to gain total control of the Haram Al-Sharif, which continues to be under the custodianship of Jordan as an Islamic waqf, have intensified. These efforts are coming from both the government and fanatical settler groups who are hoping to destroy the Dome of the Rock and the Al Aqsa mosque and build a third Jewish Temple.
In the summer of 2017, the situation reached a crescendo when the Israeli authorities placed electronic gates at the entrance to the compound. After weeks of sustained protests by Palestinians, the gates were eventually removed.
Yet the situation remains tense and there are real fears from Palestinians that the Haram Al-Sharif is in danger.
In terms of archaeological practice, international law is clear: Israel is not permitted to carry out excavations at any sites in occupied territories. Yet, according to a Diakonia report, Israel has excavated 980 archaeological sites in the West Bank since 1967 and has appropriated many archaeological artefacts.
One of the most aggressively excavated sites is that of Silwan, a neighbourhood just outside the Jerusalem Old City walls and south of the Haram al-Sharif.
On Monday, Palestinian residents of East Jerusalem's Silwan area protested over new structural damage to homes due to what they say is Israeli digging and archaeological excavations.
Residents of Wadi Hilweh confronted workers of the Israel Antiquities Authority and Ir David foundation, two bodies excavating sites in the area close to Al-Aqsa mosque and the southern wall of the Old City.
Abusing archaoelogy
The biblical narrative considers Silwan to be the original site of the city of David, and the first excavations in search of this original city were conducted by British colonialists in the late 1800s.
Today, the excavation site is operated by the extreme right organisation El-Ad, which is attempting to take over and judaise the whole of Silwan. They have a huge amount of funds and Russian-Jewish oligarchs Lev Leviev and Roman Abramovich have been present at their events.
El-Ad has been conducting "salvage excavations" which have allowed them to avoid getting permits from the government.
These excavations involve digging and tunnelling under Silwan and stretch as far as the land around the Al-Aqsa mosque. Many Palestinian homes as a result have begun sinking into the hillside.
Archaeology is but one of the many mechanisms in which Israel maintains domination over the Palestinian people. The use of this biblical narrative is being manipulated as a smokescreen for the Zionist settler-colonial project.
Furthermore, the practice of carrying a bible in one hand and a trowel in the other, which began with the British colonial archaeologists, is being continued by Israel.
To this end, Israel wants to manipulate the historical narrative to serve its interests in the present and to eliminate the possibilities of a Palestinian future.
- Yara Hawari is the Palestine Policy Fellow for Al Shabaka - The Palestinian Policy Network. She completed her PhD at the University of Exeter in Middle East politics and frequently writes for various media outlets. Her article appeared in the Middle East Eye.
Having managed to conquer the west of Jerusalem in 1948, Israel occupied the rest of the city less than two decades later in the 1967 war. Since then, it has been creating "realities on the ground" through annexation and settlements building to cement its claim over the entire city.
Indeed, Israel, in its foundational essence as a settler-colonial project, is both aggressively expansionist and exclusionary. The recently postponed "Greater Jerusalem Bill" which seeks to expand Jerusalem's municipal boundaries to include more illegal settlements and exclude Palestinian neighbourhoods is testament to this expansionism.
Meanwhile, US President Donald Trump's declaration on the US embassy's move from Tel Aviv to Jerusalem not only breaks with international law, it also provides support and backing for Israel's continued colonisation of the city.
Aggressive campaign
Yet annexation and settlement building are not the only way in which Israel is exercising its absolute control over the city. Accelerating with the occupation of the West Bank and Gaza in 1967, Israel has been conducting an aggressive campaign to appropriate or destroy Palestinian heritage sites in order to support its narrative of exclusive ownership.
This narrative is heavily based on a biblical discourse which purposefully aims to make religion as the key point of contention. This is acutely visible in the Old City of Jerusalem which - under international law - is considered unequivocally as Palestinian land.
Indeed, just days after it was occupied, Israel began altering the physical landscape of Jerusalem by destroying one of the oldest neighbourhoods in the city.
Harat al Magharibeh (the Moroccan quarter), which lay in front of the Western Wall in the old city, was promptly bulldozed just a few days after the Israeli occupation of the city. Israeli authorities' justification for the move was that it was done in order to make room for Jewish worshippers.
The quarter dated back nearly 800 years and was not only home to some Ayyubid and Mamluk buildings, but also some 650 people. The residents were given just a few hours' notice to leave before their homes were reduced to rubble. Indeed, it is often said that Israeli archaeologists are the only archaeologists in the world to use bulldozers.
Haram al-Sharif in danger
More recently, Israel has been conducting excavations in the area under and around the Haram Al-Sharif - the compound that houses the Dome of the Rock and the Al Aqsa Mosque. These excavations were heavily condemned by UNESCO which issued a resolution in 2016 criticising Israel for its overall policies towards the compound.
Israel's attempts to gain total control of the Haram Al-Sharif, which continues to be under the custodianship of Jordan as an Islamic waqf, have intensified. These efforts are coming from both the government and fanatical settler groups who are hoping to destroy the Dome of the Rock and the Al Aqsa mosque and build a third Jewish Temple.
In the summer of 2017, the situation reached a crescendo when the Israeli authorities placed electronic gates at the entrance to the compound. After weeks of sustained protests by Palestinians, the gates were eventually removed.
Yet the situation remains tense and there are real fears from Palestinians that the Haram Al-Sharif is in danger.
In terms of archaeological practice, international law is clear: Israel is not permitted to carry out excavations at any sites in occupied territories. Yet, according to a Diakonia report, Israel has excavated 980 archaeological sites in the West Bank since 1967 and has appropriated many archaeological artefacts.
One of the most aggressively excavated sites is that of Silwan, a neighbourhood just outside the Jerusalem Old City walls and south of the Haram al-Sharif.
On Monday, Palestinian residents of East Jerusalem's Silwan area protested over new structural damage to homes due to what they say is Israeli digging and archaeological excavations.
Residents of Wadi Hilweh confronted workers of the Israel Antiquities Authority and Ir David foundation, two bodies excavating sites in the area close to Al-Aqsa mosque and the southern wall of the Old City.
Abusing archaoelogy
The biblical narrative considers Silwan to be the original site of the city of David, and the first excavations in search of this original city were conducted by British colonialists in the late 1800s.
Today, the excavation site is operated by the extreme right organisation El-Ad, which is attempting to take over and judaise the whole of Silwan. They have a huge amount of funds and Russian-Jewish oligarchs Lev Leviev and Roman Abramovich have been present at their events.
El-Ad has been conducting "salvage excavations" which have allowed them to avoid getting permits from the government.
These excavations involve digging and tunnelling under Silwan and stretch as far as the land around the Al-Aqsa mosque. Many Palestinian homes as a result have begun sinking into the hillside.
Archaeology is but one of the many mechanisms in which Israel maintains domination over the Palestinian people. The use of this biblical narrative is being manipulated as a smokescreen for the Zionist settler-colonial project.
Furthermore, the practice of carrying a bible in one hand and a trowel in the other, which began with the British colonial archaeologists, is being continued by Israel.
To this end, Israel wants to manipulate the historical narrative to serve its interests in the present and to eliminate the possibilities of a Palestinian future.
- Yara Hawari is the Palestine Policy Fellow for Al Shabaka - The Palestinian Policy Network. She completed her PhD at the University of Exeter in Middle East politics and frequently writes for various media outlets. Her article appeared in the Middle East Eye.
5 mar 2018

Israeli forces have completed the construction of three watchtower checkpoints at the entrance to Bab al-Amoud, the main gate into al-Aqsa Mosque in the Old City of Occupied Jerusalem.
Israel began to install the watchtower checkpoints last June aiming at further restricting Palestinian access to the holy site where a considerable number of Palestinians have been shot and killed in the area by Israeli forces.
Jamal Amer, who is concerned with the architecture of the occupied city of Jerusalem, told the PIC reporter that the Israeli measure aims at shutting the most significant religious and commercial hub in the city as Bab al-Amoud gate (Damascus Gate) is the main entrance to al-Aqsa Mosque and al-Qiama Church as well as to the historic markets in the Old City.
He added that it constitutes another step through which Israel is Judaising the ancient city, limiting access to Muslims and Christians and in order to expel Jerusalemites out of the city.
Israel began to install the watchtower checkpoints last June aiming at further restricting Palestinian access to the holy site where a considerable number of Palestinians have been shot and killed in the area by Israeli forces.
Jamal Amer, who is concerned with the architecture of the occupied city of Jerusalem, told the PIC reporter that the Israeli measure aims at shutting the most significant religious and commercial hub in the city as Bab al-Amoud gate (Damascus Gate) is the main entrance to al-Aqsa Mosque and al-Qiama Church as well as to the historic markets in the Old City.
He added that it constitutes another step through which Israel is Judaising the ancient city, limiting access to Muslims and Christians and in order to expel Jerusalemites out of the city.

The Guatemalan President, Jimmy Morales, a close ally of the US, told the American Israel Public Affairs Committee Sunday that he plans to move his country’s embassy in Israel from Tel Aviv to Jerusalem in May.
The announcement came just after a Guatemalan judge ruled in Morales’ favor following a legal challenge to his decision to follow Trump’s lead in moving his country’s embassy.
According to Morales, Guatemala will move its embassy in Israel to Jerusalem two days after the United States relocates its embassy to the city.
Morales told the Zionist lobbying group, “As a sovereign decision, we recognize Jerusalem as the capital of Israel. In May of this year, we will celebrate Israel’s 70th anniversary, and under my instructions, two days after the United States moves its embassy, Guatemala will return and permanently move its embassy to Jerusalem.”
Donald Trump’s announcement in December that he would be moving the US Embassy in Israel from Tel Aviv to Jerusalem was met by widespread protests. Over 50 Palestinians have been killed in the three months since that announcment, most of them unarmed civilians killed by Israeli soldiers while participating in non-violent protests in the West Bank, including Jerusalem, and the Gaza Strip.
Guatemalan lawyer Marco Vinicio Mejia challenged the Guatemalan President’s decision in court, arguing that moving the embassy would be a violation of international law.
The US government provides Guatemala with a large amount of financial aid, $297,000,000 each year, according to USAID. This ranks Guatemala #11 in US aid, with Israel being first, receiving $6 billion/year, and Egypt being second, receiving $1.2 billion/year.
The announcement came just after a Guatemalan judge ruled in Morales’ favor following a legal challenge to his decision to follow Trump’s lead in moving his country’s embassy.
According to Morales, Guatemala will move its embassy in Israel to Jerusalem two days after the United States relocates its embassy to the city.
Morales told the Zionist lobbying group, “As a sovereign decision, we recognize Jerusalem as the capital of Israel. In May of this year, we will celebrate Israel’s 70th anniversary, and under my instructions, two days after the United States moves its embassy, Guatemala will return and permanently move its embassy to Jerusalem.”
Donald Trump’s announcement in December that he would be moving the US Embassy in Israel from Tel Aviv to Jerusalem was met by widespread protests. Over 50 Palestinians have been killed in the three months since that announcment, most of them unarmed civilians killed by Israeli soldiers while participating in non-violent protests in the West Bank, including Jerusalem, and the Gaza Strip.
Guatemalan lawyer Marco Vinicio Mejia challenged the Guatemalan President’s decision in court, arguing that moving the embassy would be a violation of international law.
The US government provides Guatemala with a large amount of financial aid, $297,000,000 each year, according to USAID. This ranks Guatemala #11 in US aid, with Israel being first, receiving $6 billion/year, and Egypt being second, receiving $1.2 billion/year.
4 mar 2018

Elad settler group has revealed that it is preparing for the implementation of 11 new settlement projects approved in 2017 and 2018.
Elad said in a statement that some of these projects do not require the approval of the Israeli government or the Jerusalem municipality, but the settler group still enjoys the support of both parties.
In response to an objection filed by the Israeli National Fund against a permit given by the Jerusalem municipality to Elad to establish a 784-meter zip-line in the city, the municipality affirmed that the approval was legal.
This project is part of a series of settlement projects adopted by Elad in the Old City of Jerusalem, including the establishment of a restaurant and a cable car, under the pretext of promoting foreign and domestic tourism.
Palestinian lawyer Ehab Abu Ghoush said that the new projects target large areas of Palestinian land in East Jerusalem which was occupied in 1967; therefore, any Israeli settlement activity in these areas is illegal and violates international law.
Abu Ghoush affirmed that the disagreement between the Israeli National Fund and Elad group is fake and it is only an attempt to legalize the confiscation of occupied Palestinian lands.
Elad said in a statement that some of these projects do not require the approval of the Israeli government or the Jerusalem municipality, but the settler group still enjoys the support of both parties.
In response to an objection filed by the Israeli National Fund against a permit given by the Jerusalem municipality to Elad to establish a 784-meter zip-line in the city, the municipality affirmed that the approval was legal.
This project is part of a series of settlement projects adopted by Elad in the Old City of Jerusalem, including the establishment of a restaurant and a cable car, under the pretext of promoting foreign and domestic tourism.
Palestinian lawyer Ehab Abu Ghoush said that the new projects target large areas of Palestinian land in East Jerusalem which was occupied in 1967; therefore, any Israeli settlement activity in these areas is illegal and violates international law.
Abu Ghoush affirmed that the disagreement between the Israeli National Fund and Elad group is fake and it is only an attempt to legalize the confiscation of occupied Palestinian lands.

In a renewed attempt to torpedo the Palestinian reconciliation, a senior Palestinian Authority (PA) official has unveiled that there are fundamental disagreements obstructing the efforts to end the national division.
According to al-Araby al-Jadeed, the official said that the weapons of the Palestinian resistance and the issue of employees are the main reasons that disrupt the reconciliation, affirming that the PA wants to disarm the resistance.
Describing the PA as a state, the official affirmed that “there is no system in the world allowing weapons to be in the hands of several parties in the country.”
He also described the file of civil servants who had been appointed over the years of the national division as a main contentious issue, downplaying the recent talks between Hamas and Egyptian officials.
According to al-Araby al-Jadeed, the official said that the weapons of the Palestinian resistance and the issue of employees are the main reasons that disrupt the reconciliation, affirming that the PA wants to disarm the resistance.
Describing the PA as a state, the official affirmed that “there is no system in the world allowing weapons to be in the hands of several parties in the country.”
He also described the file of civil servants who had been appointed over the years of the national division as a main contentious issue, downplaying the recent talks between Hamas and Egyptian officials.
3 mar 2018

About 2,982 Israeli violations were reported in February 2018 against Palestinians in the West Bank including 374 violations in Jerusalem alone.
The Israeli occupation forces (IOF) carried out 1,241 raids and break-ins in addition to 26 demolition and confiscation operations during the same period.
According to statistics by Hamas's information department in the West Bank, the IOF in February killed five Palestinians in the West Bank and injured 468 others, twice the number of those injured in January.
The same statistics revealed that 129 arrests were documented in Jerusalem, 84 in Ramallah, 72 in Bethlehem, 62 in Nablus, 59 in Jenin, 55 in al-Khalil, 25 in Qalqilya, 25 in Salfit, 24 in Tulkarem, 17 in Jericho and 6 in Tubas.
The IOF demolished 8 houses, expelled 3 Palestinians from Jerusalem and prevented 211 Palestinians from travel, while nearly 24 break-ins were reported into al-Aqsa Mosque by Israeli settlers.
Five Palestinians were killed by the IOF in February named Ahmad Abu Obeid, 19, Ahmad Jarrar, 22, Khalid al-Tayeh, 22, Hamza Zama'ra, 19, and Yasin al-Saradih, 33, who died after being severely beaten by the Israeli soldiers during his arrest.
The Israeli occupation forces (IOF) carried out 1,241 raids and break-ins in addition to 26 demolition and confiscation operations during the same period.
According to statistics by Hamas's information department in the West Bank, the IOF in February killed five Palestinians in the West Bank and injured 468 others, twice the number of those injured in January.
The same statistics revealed that 129 arrests were documented in Jerusalem, 84 in Ramallah, 72 in Bethlehem, 62 in Nablus, 59 in Jenin, 55 in al-Khalil, 25 in Qalqilya, 25 in Salfit, 24 in Tulkarem, 17 in Jericho and 6 in Tubas.
The IOF demolished 8 houses, expelled 3 Palestinians from Jerusalem and prevented 211 Palestinians from travel, while nearly 24 break-ins were reported into al-Aqsa Mosque by Israeli settlers.
Five Palestinians were killed by the IOF in February named Ahmad Abu Obeid, 19, Ahmad Jarrar, 22, Khalid al-Tayeh, 22, Hamza Zama'ra, 19, and Yasin al-Saradih, 33, who died after being severely beaten by the Israeli soldiers during his arrest.