Latest news with #AliSawafta
Yahoo
28-05-2025
- General
- Yahoo
Israeli forces kill third Palestinian in West Bank in 24 hours, Palestinian sources say
By Ali Sawafta RAMALLAH, West Bank (Reuters) -Israeli forces shot dead a Palestinian in the West Bank on Wednesday, the local health ministry said, the third reported killed by Israeli forces in 24 hours in the occupied territory where there has also been a new spate of settler attacks on Palestinian villages. The Palestinian Authority also reported a spike in moves by Jewish settlers to establish new footholds in the West Bank, saying they had erected tents in seven locations in the last 10 days in an unprecedented burst of activity. Jewish settlement building has accelerated in the West Bank - territory Palestinians seek for a future state - since the start of the Gaza war, and violence has also surged there. Jassem Ibrahim, 20, was killed when Israeli troops stormed his home in the village of Jit after midnight, said his cousin, Ahmed al-Sedda, describing a blood-stained mattress, blanket and pillow in his bedroom. That followed the killing by Israeli forces of a 20-year-old Palestinian during a raid in Jericho on Tuesday, the Palestinian official news agency WAFA reported. Another Palestinian man was killed by Israeli forces in the city of Nablus on Tuesday, according to the Palestinian health ministry. Israel's military did not immediately respond for comment. During the military's months-long operation in the West Bank, settler attacks have picked up against Palestinian villages while new building has accelerated under the right-wing government of Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu. RACIST SLOGANS In their latest attack on Wednesday, Jewish settlers torched several vehicles in the village of Rammun, east of Ramallah, and daubed racist slogans on homes, Palestinian news agency WAFA said. On Tuesday in the village of Qaryout near Nablus, residents said settlers had thrown stones at houses and torched cars. Palestinians' crops were torched during another attack on Tuesday in the village of al-Mughayyir near Ramallah. Attacks spiked earlier this month after a pregnant settler was killed by Palestinian militants in the West Bank. The West Bank, which Palestinians want as the core of a future state along with Gaza and East Jerusalem, was seized by Israeli forces in the 1967 Middle East war and has been under military occupation ever since. Most countries consider settlements to be illegal. Israel disputes that, citing historical and Biblical connections of the Jewish people to the area. Amir Daoud, a Palestinian Authority official who monitors settlement activity, said settlers had pitched tents in seven locations - five near Ramallah, one in Jericho and another near Nablus - in the last 10 days. "This is an unprecedented and ongoing escalation," he told Reuters. The Israeli military earlier this year launched its largest operation in the West Bank since the Second Intifada, or uprising, two decades ago. The operation, focused in the northern cities of Jenin and Tulkarm, has displaced more than 40,000 Palestinians, according to the U.N. (Writing by Tom Perry; Editing by Andrew Cawthorne)
Yahoo
23-05-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
Israeli settlers raid West Bank village close to where pregnant woman killed
By Ali Sawafta BRUQIN, West Bank (Reuters) -Israeli settlers torched Palestinian vehicles and houses in the occupied West Bank, Israel's army and villagers said, the latest in a series of attacks on the village of Bruqin, close to the location where a pregnant settler was killed this month. Palestinian residents in Bruqin, who say they have faced constant attacks and abuse from Israeli settlers nearby, said a large group had shown up during the night, throwing Molotov cocktails and beating anyone in their way. Akram Sabra, a resident of the village, said he had left his home to watch as dozens, possibly a hundred, people burned cars belonging to him and his family and threw a Molotov cocktail incendiary at his son's house. "I saw my vehicles were burned and then they beat me on the head and I am still dizzy," he said. The Israeli military said it had received a report on Thursday that Israeli civilians had vandalised property in the area of the village, in the northern part of the West Bank. "Upon receiving the report, IDF (Israel Defence Force) soldiers were dispatched to the scene. The suspects fled prior to the arrival of IDF soldiers," it said, adding that no injuries were reported and the incident was under review. Israeli forces have imposed a strict lockdown in and around Bruqin following the killing of Tzeela Gez, a heavily pregnant resident of the nearby settlement of Bruchin. The Israeli military said this week troops searching the area near Bruqin had killed her attacker, who it said had previously served a prison sentence for being a member of the militant group Hamas, and arrested several others suspected of helping with the attack. Since the killing of Gez, Palestinians have reported multiple attacks in the area by settlers who have burned cars, thrown stones and incendiary devices at houses and bulldozed land belonging to Palestinians. "They come at us almost on a daily basis, even sometimes several times a day," said Mustafa Khater, 45, another Bruqin resident. "They attack us with stones and abuse." The United Nations humanitarian organization OCHA said more than 11,000 Palestinians in Bruqin and Kafr ad Dik towns were blocked in, with 28 attacks by settlers resulting in injury or property damage reported in the week to May 19. In all, it said there were 1,449 attacks last year, the highest level in more than 20 years. DISPLACEMENT Settler attacks against Palestinian villages in the West Bank have intensified sharply since the start of the Gaza war, as new settlement building has accelerated under the right-wing government of Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu. The latest attacks took place as the Israeli military has been conducting its largest operation in the West Bank since the Second Intifada, or uprising two decades ago. The operation, which has focused on refugee camps in volatile northern cities including Jenin and Tulkarm, has displaced more than 40,000 Palestinians, according to United Nations figures, and added to fears among many Palestinians of a wider drive towards a full Israeli takeover of the West Bank. Several leading ministers in Netanyahu's government, including the pro-settler Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich, have called openly for the annexation of the West Bank and the displacement of large sections of the Palestinian population. The West Bank, which Palestinians want as the core of a future independent state along with Gaza and East Jerusalem, was seized by Israeli forces in the 1967 Middle East war and been under military occupation ever since. Most countries consider settlements to be illegal under international law. Israel disputes that, citing historical and Biblical connections of the Jewish people to the area. (Writing by James MackenzieEditing by Gareth Jones)
Straits Times
23-05-2025
- Politics
- Straits Times
Israeli settlers raid West Bank village close to where pregnant woman killed
A burned Palestinian vehicle is seen after an Israeli settlers' attack in Bruqin village near Salfit in the Israeli-occupied West Bank May 23,2025. REUTERS/Ismael Khader A burned cycle is seen after an Israeli settlers' attack in Bruqin village near Salfit in the Israeli-occupied West Bank May 23, 2025. REUTERS/Ismael Khader A burned Palestinian vehicle is seen after an Israeli settlers' attack in Bruqin village near Salfit in the Israeli-occupied West Bank May 23, 2025. REUTERS/Ismael Khader Israeli flags are placed over a demolished Palestinian house after an Israeli settlers' attack in Bruqin village near Salfit in the Israeli-occupied West Bank May 23,2025. REUTERS/Ismael Khader A Palestinian man shows damage after an Israeli settlers' attack in Bruqin village near Salfit in the Israeli-occupied West Bank May 23, 2025. REUTERS/Ali Sawafta BRUQIN, West Bank - Israeli settlers torched Palestinian vehicles and houses in the occupied West Bank, Israel's army and villagers said, the latest in a series of attacks on the village of Bruqin, close to the location where a pregnant settler was killed this month. Palestinian residents in Bruqin, who say they have faced constant attacks and abuse from Israeli settlers nearby, said a large group had shown up during the night, throwing Molotov cocktails and beating anyone in their way. Akram Sabra, a resident of the village, said he had left his home to watch as dozens, possibly a hundred, people burned cars belonging to him and his family and threw a Molotov cocktail incendiary at his son's house. "I saw my vehicles were burned and then they beat me on the head and I am still dizzy," he said. The Israeli military said it had received a report on Thursday that Israeli civilians had vandalised property in the area of the village, in the northern part of the West Bank. "Upon receiving the report, IDF (Israel Defence Force) soldiers were dispatched to the scene. The suspects fled prior to the arrival of IDF soldiers," it said, adding that no injuries were reported and the incident was under review. Israeli forces have imposed a strict lockdown in and around Bruqin following the killing of Tzeela Gez, a heavily pregnant resident of the nearby settlement of Bruchin. The Israeli military said this week troops searching the area near Bruqin had killed her attacker, who it said had previously served a prison sentence for being a member of the militant group Hamas, and arrested several others suspected of helping with the attack. Since the killing of Gez, Palestinians have reported multiple attacks in the area by settlers who have burned cars, thrown stones and incendiary devices at houses and bulldozed land belonging to Palestinians. "They come at us almost on a daily basis, even sometimes several times a day," said Mustafa Khater, 45, another Bruqin resident. "They attack us with stones and abuse." The United Nations humanitarian organization OCHA said more than 11,000 Palestinians in Bruqin and Kafr ad Dik towns were blocked in, with 28 attacks by settlers resulting in injury or property damage reported in the week to May 19. In all, it said there were 1,449 attacks last year, the highest level in more than 20 years. DISPLACEMENT Settler attacks against Palestinian villages in the West Bank have intensified sharply since the start of the Gaza war, as new settlement building has accelerated under the right-wing government of Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu. The latest attacks took place as the Israeli military has been conducting its largest operation in the West Bank since the Second Intifada, or uprising two decades ago. The operation, which has focused on refugee camps in volatile northern cities including Jenin and Tulkarm, has displaced more than 40,000 Palestinians, according to United Nations figures, and added to fears among many Palestinians of a wider drive towards a full Israeli takeover of the West Bank. Several leading ministers in Netanyahu's government, including the pro-settler Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich, have called openly for the annexation of the West Bank and the displacement of large sections of the Palestinian population. The West Bank, which Palestinians want as the core of a future independent state along with Gaza and East Jerusalem, was seized by Israeli forces in the 1967 Middle East war and been under military occupation ever since. Most countries consider settlements to be illegal under international law. Israel disputes that, citing historical and Biblical connections of the Jewish people to the area. REUTERS Join ST's Telegram channel and get the latest breaking news delivered to you.
Asahi Shimbun
15-05-2025
- Politics
- Asahi Shimbun
VOX POPULI: A portrait of Palestine's neighborhoods before May 1948
Palestinians gather during a march to commemorate Nakba Day, the "catastrophe" of their mass dispossession in the 1948 war surrounding Israel's creation, in Ramallah in the Israeli-occupied West Bank on May 14. REUTERS/Ali Sawafta Once upon a time, it was an established Friday evening custom for young Arabs in the Old City of Jerusalem to visit the homes of their Jewish neighbors and light their lamps for them. That was because during the Sabbath, which starts at sundown on Friday and ends at sundown on Saturday, devout Jews do not kindle or use fire in their dwellings. On feast days, the neighbors gifted one another with sweets and breads. When it was time for a landlord to collect rent, they would be welcomed by their tenant with a convivial chat over a cup of coffee. They practiced different faiths, but that didn't stop them from looking out for one another and just living their daily lives as fellow citizens. And all that is what one gathers from 'O Jerusalem!' co-authored by American writer Larry Collins (1929-2005) and French author Dominique Lapierre (1931-2022). This tour de force chronicles the birth of the state of Israel in 1948 based on testimonies by more than 2,000 people. The authors note that the Arabs and Jews of Palestine were tied loosely to one another by 'poverty, the most natural of bonds.' When did that change? An Arab youth named Nadi grabbed a gun, enraged by the Palestine Partition Plan. When he fired it in the dark of the night, a woman's voice told him to stop. And an elderly resident of the Jewish home he used to visit every Friday shouted, 'Weren't we neighbors?' For Palestinians, May 15 is Nakba Day. It commemorates the Palestinian Catastrophe of some 700,000 people being driven out of their homeland in the First Arab-Israeli War that followed the Israeli Declaration of Independence. Looking back at history, everyone realizes that, in the beginning, there was no hatred. What tore neighbors apart and for what purpose? How long must the people of Gaza continue to suffer? Thinking of them, I bite my lip. —The Asahi Shimbun, May 15 * * * Vox Populi, Vox Dei is a popular daily column that takes up a wide range of topics, including culture, arts and social trends and developments. Written by veteran Asahi Shimbun writers, the column provides useful perspectives on and insights into contemporary Japan and its culture.
Yahoo
21-04-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
Palestinian Red Crescent says Israeli probe into Gaza aid workers' killings not enough
By Ali Sawafta RAMALLAH (Reuters) - The Palestinian Red Crescent called on Monday for a "serious investigation" into the killing of 15 aid workers in Gaza last month, a day after the Israeli military admitted "professional failures" and disciplined two officers over the incident. Younish Al-Khatib, chairman of the Palestinian Red Crescent, said he did not consider the measures taken by the Israeli military, which reprimanded one officer and dismissed another from his position, as sufficient. "This looks like the management of a company taking administrative measures against its employees who made some kind of a mistake," he told Reuters. "When you kill 15 medical staff and civil defence personnel, these can't be called 'measures'." "There has to be proper accountability and a stop to impunity that Israel has taken for granted for so many years," he added. On Sunday, the Israeli military said members of a special forces unit in Gaza had made a number of errors in three separate incidents on March 23, during which they fired on ambulances, a fire truck and a UN vehicle. It issued a formal reprimand to a brigade commander and said the deputy battalion commander who was on the ground when the incident occurred would be relieved of his post over the mix of professional failures and breaches of orders, as well as a failure to fully report the incident. After initially saying the soldiers opened fire on a number of unmarked vehicles that approached their position, the military confirmed that they were clearly marked as emergency vehicles. The investigation found, however, that the soldiers had been unable to see clearly in the dark. The military advocate general's office may now take further action, including possible criminal action against the soldiers, the military said. Killing of the aid workers drew condemnation worldwide, piling pressure on the military to clarify what had occurred and to hold those responsible to account. Al-Khatib said the army's investigation, headed by former Major General Yoav Har-Even did not match the seriousness of the incident, which added to a toll of more than 400 Palestinian emergency and health workers killed in the conflict, including 44 from the Red Crescent. "We don't look at it as a proper investigation," Al-Khatib said, urging an independent international investigation. He said the Red Crescent would continue to work in Gaza, the West Bank and Jerusalem. Separately, Hamas issued a statement saying the Israeli military investigation was "nothing but a blatant attempt to evade full responsibility for this heinous crime". (Writing by James Mackenzie; Editing by Bill Berkrot)
