Israeli settlers kidnap, attack Palestinian-American brothers in West Bank village
Israeli settlers kidnapped and tortured two Palestinian-American brothers from the village of Burqa near Ramallah in the occupied West Bank, the Wafa official Palestinian news agency reports.
Ghassan and Imad Jaber were visiting relatives in al-Mughayyir village when the Israeli settlers started assaulting them, al-Mughayyir mayor Sayel Canaan told Arabic media. The brothers were later released and evacuated to a nearby hospital for medical treatment.
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Middle East Eye
7 hours ago
- Middle East Eye
Hezbollah can recover after its costly war with Israel, senior official says
Hezbollah can recover from the heavy military defeat it suffered at the hands of Israel because it still has the backing of the Lebanese people, Ibrahim Mousawi, a sitting MP from Hezbollah's parliamentary bloc, has told Middle East Eye. Speaking in the Lebanese capital Beirut, Mousawi, a member of the Loyalty to the Resistance bloc, however, accepted that Hezbollah was facing several hurdles after much of its leadership was wiped out, and after it lost control of key assets such as Beirut airport and smuggling routes along the Syrian border. "Everybody knows we are in a difficult situation," Mousawi said. "[But how] did we start the resistance? We built it ourselves little by little. It is one of the miracles of history, the sacrifice for our land. It's very difficult and [we are in] tough times - but we will continue to struggle," he added. On 8 October 2023, a day after Israel launched its war on Gaza, Hezbollah opened a limited battlefront with Israel in support of Hamas and Palestinians under attack in the besieged enclave. New MEE newsletter: Jerusalem Dispatch Sign up to get the latest insights and analysis on Israel-Palestine, alongside Turkey Unpacked and other MEE newsletters For nearly a year, the conflict was mostly limited to clashes in the border areas between Lebanon and Israel. But in September, Israel exploded thousands of pagers used by Hezbollah members before launching a widespread bombing campaign across the country followed by a ground invasion. Dozens of villages were erased and more than 3,900 Lebanese killed, including the group's charismatic and long-time leader Hassan Nasrallah. After Hezbollah signed up to a lopsided ceasefire on 27 November, Israel has repeatedly flaunted its dominance over Lebanon by occupying five strategic points in the south. Walid Jumblatt says Arab leaders must wake up to Israeli expansionism Read More » It has also repeatedly carried out air strikes on areas in the south and in late March, conducted its first raid on Beirut in four months. According to the Armed Conflict Location and Event Data project (ACLED), an American NGO which tracks violence, Israel carried out at least 330 aerial attacks between 27 November and 10 January 2025, destroying at least 260 properties in the first 60 days of the truce. Mousawi said that Hezbollah was shouldering its responsibility towards Lebanon and covering the costs of rehousing southerners made homeless by Israel's war. He said the movement had spent more than $1bn on rents and salaries for those displaced by the violence. "We have done a great part in the recovery process," he said. "It's not there yet and in some aspects it is not estimated that we will [get back to where we were]," he added. 'The Israelis want our land' Mousawi said that despite the destruction, which saw countless social, financial and medical Hezbollah-run institutions destroyed, the movement would continue to remain active and resist Israeli expansionism. "When you lose one battle, the important thing to recognise is that the environment of resistance is still there and so is Hezbollah's social matrix," he said. "Why do we have a resistance? Because the Israelis want our land. When you don't have a strong army to defend you, and America continues to deprive the Lebanese army of the means to defend itself, you are left with no other option than resistance," Mousawi added. While Israel is yet to complete its withdrawal from southern Lebanon, which was scheduled under the terms of the ceasefire for 18 February, Mousawi confirmed that Hezbollah had handed over its arms and pulled back its forces from their positions south of the Litani River in accordance with UN Resolution 1701 passed after their previous war with Israel in 2006. But he denied the movement was in talks with Joseph Aoun, the Lebanese president and former chief of staff of the Lebanese army to hand over the rest of its arsenal of heavy weapons. "Hezbollah has handed over its arms south of the Litani [River]. When you talk about other arms, this is a sovereign discussion which is going to be discussed at a national level. "This is something for the Lebanon president who is prudent. The way he is handling the issues, it gives you an indication of what kind of man he is." Mousawi framed those discussions as Hezbollah's part in a "National Strategy Security Plan" to make sure that Lebanon can defend itself. Mousawi also heaped praise on the Lebanese army, despite it choosing to sit out Israel's war and battles with Hezbollah. "Who are the Lebanese army? They are brave people," he said. "My father was in the Lebanese army. My brother was in the Lebanese army. Some of them are martyrs but they are not being given the orders to fight and they don't have the equipment. "Our Lebanese army are strong and brave and they can do the mission if they have the right orders. We will be with them, the people of the land." 'We will work with anyone against Israel' Still, Mousawi was bitterly critical of the committee chaired by US General Jasper Jeffers, whose job it is to monitor the ceasefire, which he said gave Israel the scope to continue carrying out attacks in the south of the country. "We are under some kind of American mandate. This can give Lebanon scores of issues, but one thing I am sure of, the Americans won't succeed." Mousawi also said the fall of Syria's former president, Bashar al-Assad, presented a major change in the balance of power. Israel's aggression in Syria advances a century-long plan to co-opt the Druze Read More » "What happened in Syria is a major loss for the axis of resistance," he said. "It was in power for nearly 60 years and it went in days and hours." Syrian rebels, led by the now dissolved Hay'at Tahrir al-Sham (HTS), seized the capital Damascus early on 7 December, as Assad fled to Russia, ending more than five decades of brutal dynastic rule. In the space of 10 days, the rebels captured Aleppo, Hama and Homs, with little resistance from demoralised Syrian troops. Assad's forces also pulled out of Deir Ezzor in the east, which was then taken by the Kurdish-dominated Syrian Democratic Forces. When asked whether Hezbollah would work with President Ahmed al-Sharaa or any future Syrian administration, Mousawi said the Shia movement was prepared to "work with anyone against Israel". But he said there were certain new realities that Sharaa would have to face. "I believe that no ruler, no president can oppose the unanimous will of his people. We believe in Arab nationalism. Let us hope that Syria will stay in the right position to be part of those who oppose the occupation. "In Hezbollah we are open to anyone to gain arms to oppose Israel. This is a period of rebuilding your capabilities in order to come back to your previous strength. Israel cannot get a hold of this region. The soul of revolution will always fight back," he added. 'No one in the camps is giving up their arms' Separately, a Palestinian source in southern Lebanon told MEE that whilst Hezbollah fighter fought bravely on the ground, the blows it received in Beirut and elsewhere "had a huge effect" on its fighting units. "Many of the fighters fled with their families, which gave Hezbollah an indication that they could not hold their positions on the ground much longer," the source, who is close to resistance groups, said. "Hezbollah were desperate to sign the ceasefire agreement because they could not have held on for even one month longer." 'The arms are a symbol of our cause and our resistance. The moment we give up our arms, is the moment we have given up our cause' - Palestinian Islamic Jihad source In April, a Hezbollah source told the AFP news agency that the movement had ceded 190 out of 265 military positions south of the Litani River to the Lebanese army. Meanwhile, informed sources outside of Hezbollah told MEE that the disarmament of all armed groups in Lebanon was a long way off, despite Washington imposing excessive pressure on the Lebanese government. Palestinian Authority (PA) President Mahmoud Abbas was recently in Beirut on a three-day mission, and Palestinian and Lebanese sources told MEE that the trip was intimately tied to disarming Palestinian factions in the country's refugee camps. After meeting President Aoun, a joint statement released on the Lebanese presidency's X (formerly Twitter) account said there was a commitment by "both sides to the principle that all weapons in the country must be controlled by state authorities'. However, several sources told MEE that Palestinian factions, who largely posses a range of light to medium weapons, would refrain from relinquishing their weapons due to fears of potential massacres. This was confirmed by interviews MEE conducted in Beirut's Burj al-Barajneh camp. Najwa refused to leave her village so Israeli troops shot her in her home Read More » Palestinians in Lebanon vividly remember the 1982 Sabra and Shatila massacre, when Israel-backed Christian Lebanese militiamen killed between 800 and 3,500 civilians, mostly women, children, and the elderly. "No one in the camps is giving up their arms," Zaki, a man affiliated with Islamic Jihad, told MEE. "The arms are a symbol of our cause and our resistance. The moment we give up our arms, is the moment we have given up our cause. All factions of the resistance received a hit but will come back much stronger, as they have done in the past." A Palestinian academic source summed up the mood of all Palestinian factions in the camps, telling MEE: "How is it only the question of Palestinian arms?" "All the main political parties, even the Druze, have their own arms," he said. "If every single party has its own arms, what is the problem of Palestinians defending themselves? "Palestinians don't have heavy weapons. So let us talk about the problem of arms in the whole of the Lebanese community before we talk about any one group disarming," he added.
Middle East Eye
9 hours ago
- Middle East Eye
French mayor bans Palestine flag and protests after PSG victory incidents
The mayor of Chalon-sur-Saone, in west-central France, has announced that he was banning the Palestinian flag in the city, calling it a "rallying sign" following the urban "riots" that broke out after Paris Saint-Germain's (PSG) victory on Saturday night. The Parisian football club's win in the Champions League final against Inter Milan was marred by unrest and violence in various cities across the country, which led to more than 550 arrests - including 490 in Paris. Hundreds of cars were torched in the capital and fireworks set off, while youths clashed with police, reports said. "Events of the most extreme gravity took place last night in our city," Mayor Gilles Platret wrote in a statement on Sunday. "Individuals chose to seize the opportunity to create disorder on a political basis," he said, adding that "one of the riot leaders" was "conspicuously displaying a Palestinian flag as a rallying sign". New MEE newsletter: Jerusalem Dispatch Sign up to get the latest insights and analysis on Israel-Palestine, alongside Turkey Unpacked and other MEE newsletters "The Palestinian flag has become the symbol of the rioters, the rallying sign of Islamist gangs determined to defy republican institutions," the mayor said. Platret announced a decree banning the Palestinian flag from the town of 45,000 inhabitants as well as its sale in markets starting Monday. The decree also prohibits "all pro-Palestine demonstrations in Chalon". The mayor justified the move "by a need for security", citing video surveillance footage. On Monday evening, Platret reiterated his comments on X: "What if we talked a little about what is hiding behind the Palestinian flag? […] Strategies are established, infiltration is planned, interference is at work. Muslim Brotherhood? Islamic Republic of Iran? Or another hostile state?' 'The hypotheses are numerous, even intersecting. But the fact remains: the Palestinian flag has become the catalyst for unrest among the youth of the neighbourhoods with the aim of fracturing the country," he wrote. Platret's decision sparked an outcry from left-wing political groups and NGOs. Aline Mathus-Janet, co-president of the local branch of the Ligue des Droits de l'Homme, denounced the measure as unjust and "totally illegal". Islamist 'entryism': French Muslims refuse to be labelled 'enemies' within Read More » The only Palestinian flag seller in the city centre also reacted by asking why the Palestinian flag was banned and not the others. "Perhaps only because these people are dark-skinned and that bothers the right-thinking people [...] the pro-Zemmour crowd, convicted multiple times of incitement to hatred [...] history will judge," he said. The vendor was referring to Eric Zemmour, president of the far-right Reconquete! party and former candidate in the 2022 presidential election, who has been convicted of incitement to religious hatred against Muslims and incitement to racial hatred, among other offences. "Selling Palestinian flags had no other purpose than to show my support for a people who has been subjected to genocide, which should be the reflex of every human being worthy of the name," he added. Late on Monday afternoon, around 250 people came to defy the ban on demonstrations in front of the town hall to protest the municipal decree. Some demonstrators flew the Palestinian flag or displayed its colours on their clothing. 'Grossly illegal' The Ligue des Droits de l'Homme and various local politicians have indicated they are considering legal action to have the municipal decree overturned. Legal experts have challenged the legality of the order and predicted its rapid suspension by the administrative courts. Nicolas Hervieu, a lawyer specialising in public and European human rights law, denounced the decree as "grossly illegal" and "completely disproportionate". "The question here is to determine whether displaying or selling a flag can be presented as the cause of the unrest," he told TF1info. Netanyahu 'unsettled' by Macron's push to recognise Palestinian statehood Read More » "The answer is clearly no," the lawyer said, adding that flying a flag is protected as a right to freedom of expression. The situation would be different, he explained, if the flag bore symbols prohibited by law, such as those of the Nazi party. In July 2014, the courts suspended, due to its "disproportionate nature", an order by the right-wing mayor of the southern city of Nice, Christian Estrosi, prohibiting the "ostentatious use" of foreign flags during the World Cup. The order implicitly targeted Algerian supporters. Platret, who has been the mayor of Chalon-sur-Saone since 2014, is no stranger to issuing controversial decrees, most of which were overturned by the courts. He notably banned pork-free menus in school canteens, tried to impose the use of French on construction sites and refused to validate a French-Turkish wedding, before being forced to do so by the courts. The mayor, a former vice-president of the right-wing Les Republicains (LR) party who was reportedly tempted to align himself with Zemmour, has repeatedly positioned himself as a defender of the "French people" against the "ethnic cleansing" allegedly practised by "Muslim blocs".
ARN News Center
11 hours ago
- ARN News Center
At least 27 Palestinians killed near Gaza aid site; UN demands investigation
At least 27 Palestinians were killed and dozens wounded by Israeli fire near a food distribution site in the southern Gaza Strip on Tuesday, health officials said, in a third day running of chaos and bloodshed to blight the aid operation. The Israeli military said its forces had opened fire on a group of people who had left designated access routes near the distribution centre in Rafah and approached their positions. It added it was still investigating what had happened. The deaths came hours after Israel said three of its soldiers had been killed in fighting in the northern Gaza Strip, as its forces pushed ahead with a months-long offensive against Hamas that has laid waste to much of the enclave. Reuters could not independently verify the reports in northern and southern Gaza. A spokesperson for the International Committee of the Red Cross told Reuters that its field hospital in Rafah had received 184 casualties, adding that 19 of those were declared dead upon arrival, and eight died of their wounds shortly after. Video showed injured people, including at least one woman, being rushed to a medical centre on carts drawn by donkeys, before being transferred onto stretchers or into ambulances. The United Nations human rights office in Geneva said on Tuesday the impediment of access to food relief for civilians in Gaza might constitute a war crime and described attacks on people trying to access food aid as "unconscionable". The head of the UN agency, Volker Turk, urged a prompt and impartial investigation into the killings. "Attacks directed against civilians constitute a grave breach of international law, and a war crime," he said in a statement. The US-backed Gaza Humanitarian Foundation launched its first distribution sites last week in an effort to alleviate widespread hunger amongst Gaza's war-battered population, most of whom have been forced to abandon their homes to flee fighting. The Foundation's operation, which bypasses traditional aid groups, has come under fierce criticism from the United Nations and established charities which say it does not follow humanitarian principles. The private group, which is endorsed by Israel, said it had distributed 21 truckloads of food early on Tuesday and stressed that the reported violence had not happened within its site. "This was an area well beyond our secure distribution site and control. We recognise the difficult nature of the situation and advise all civilians to remain in the safe corridor when traveling to our distribution sites." Palestinians who collected food boxes on Tuesday described scenes of pandemonium, with no-one overseeing the handover of supplies or checking IDs, as the crowds jostled for provisions. "It is complete chaos and humiliation, and people have no choice but to keep coming because there is no food in Gaza," said one Palestinian, who declined to be named, adding that he was lucky to have survived the shootings outside the aid centre. MASS EVACUATIONS There have been reports of repeated killings over the past three days near Rafah as crowds gather before dawn. On Sunday, Palestinian and international officials said at least 31 people were killed and dozens more injured. On Monday, three Palestinians were reportedly killed by Israeli fire. The Israeli military has denied targeting civilians and called reports of deaths during Sunday's distribution "fabrications" by Hamas. On Tuesday, it said IDF forces had identified "a number of suspects" moving towards them while deviating from the access routes. "The forces fired evasive shots, and after they did not move away, additional shots were fired near the individual suspects who were advancing towards the forces," it said. The Israeli military issued new evacuation orders to residents of several districts in Khan Younis in the southern Gaza Strip late on Monday, warning that the army would act forcefully against militants operating in those areas. The military told residents to head west towards the Mawasi humanitarian area. Palestinian and United Nations officials say there are no safe areas in the enclave, and that most of its 2.3 million population has become internally displaced. The territory's health ministry said on Tuesday that the new evacuation orders could halt work at the Nasser Hospital, the largest, still-functioning medical facility in the south, endangering the lives of those being treated there. Israel launched its military campaign in Gaza following the October 7, 2023 assault in which Hamas-led gunmen killed 1,200 people and took 251 hostages, by Israeli tallies. In the subsequent fighting, more than 54,000 Palestinians have been killed, local health authorities say. Meanwhile, recent efforts to secure a ceasefire appear to have stalled. Israel has said it accepts a US-backed temporary truce to release hostages, while Hamas wants a permanent end to the war and the withdrawal of Israeli troops from Gaza.
