A Palestinian Media Comment
on a Possible Truce has been
added below on Mar 4, 2024
Watch the speech of Abu Hamza, spokesman for the Al-Quds Brigades, on the 148th day of the Israeli war on Gaza.
شاهد كلمة أبو حمزة الناطق باسم سرايا القدس في اليوم 148 من حرب إسرائيلي على غزة
Abu Hamza, spokesman for the al-Quds Brigades, the military wing of Islamic Jihad, said that a few days earlier, they had killed and shredded all members of an Israeli force in the Zeitoun neighborhood.
قال أبو حمزة الناطق باسم سرايا القدس، الذراع العسكرية لحركة الجهاد الإسلامي إنهم أوقعوا قبل أيام جميع أفراد قوة إسرائيلية في حي الزيتون قتلى وأشلاء
Video Quotation Insert:
Spokesman for the Al-Quds Brigades: We continue our steadfastness in front of the Zionist war machine and the clear war of extermination.
الناطق باسم سرايا القددس: نواصل ثباتنا امام آلة الحرب الصهيونية و حرب الإبادة الواضحة
Please Note:
Information on military proceedings and progress of the so-called 'Axis of Resistance' in Gaza, included in this blogspot, cannot be independently confirmed. The authenticity of the above video, however, seems to have been verified by voice comparison. It is presented by 'Al-Jazeera', the state-owned TV station in Qatar and which can be regarded as a usually reliable source.
This information comes at a time when urgent need for troops has become an item of public discussion in Israel. As some orthodox Jews are violently insisiting on their right to refrain from military service, plans to treat them as ordinary citizens when it comes to the drawing of troops now divide public opinion in Israel. [German TV]
Extensive listing of Resistance Operations in Feb 2024, followed by a summary of important events:
[الميادين, pro-Iranian news center in Lebanon, on 2nd March]
On the Chances of a Possible Truce between Hamas & Israel
Everyone is anticipating the outcome of the new round of negotiations between Hamas and Israel in Cairo, on which hopes of reaching a truce before Ramadan are pinned, and while positive signs loom on the horizon with the pressure exerted by Washington on Netanyahu on the one hand, coinciding with pressure from Doha on Hamas leaders on the other, it can be said that the Gaza Strip is close to getting out of the bottleneck.......
أمد/ الجميع في ترقب لما ستسفر عنه الجولة الجديدة من المفاوضات بين حماس واسرائيل في القاهرة والتي تعلق عليها الآمال في التوصل الى هدنة قبل شهر رمضان، وفيما تلوح المؤشرات الإيجابية في الأفق مع وجود ضغط تمارسه واشنطن على نتنياهو من جهة يتزامن معه ضغط من الدوحة على قادة حماس من جهة أخرى فإنه يمكن القول أن قطاع غزة يقترب من الخروج من عنق الزجاجة
......
It is too early to talk about the future of Gaza and the form and content of the government that will control things, but there are suggestions that the PA has already begun to prepare for the post-war phase and that Moscow's meeting between Palestinian factions may be the last chance for Hamas to ensure its survival in the Palestinian political scene under the umbrella of the Palestine Liberation Organization, which will enable it to withdraw from the rule of Gaza by saving face rather than saying that it has been defeated.
من السابق لأوانه الحديث عن مستقبل غزة وعن شكل ومضمون الحكومة التي ستتولى ضبط الأمور، لكن ثمة هنالك ايحاءات تشير الى أن السلطة الفلسطينية قد بدأت فعليا في الاستعداد لمرحلة ما بعد الحرب وأن لقاء موسكو ما بين الفصائل الفلسطينية قد يكون آخر فرصة لحماس لضمان بقاءها في المشهد السياسي الفلسطيني تحت مظلة منظمة التحرير الفلسطينية وهو ما سيمكنها من الانسحاب من حكم غزة بحفظ ماء الوجه بدل أن يقال أنها هزمت
[AMAD, Palestinian news site, allegedly opposed to Palestinian Authority President Mahmud Abbas and run from Cairo, on March 3, 2024]
Major General Adel Al-Omda, advisor to the Military Academy for Postgraduate and Strategic Studies, said that there are international warnings from all countries of the world to Israel against launching a military operation in the Palestinian city of Rafah, and Egypt rejects the idea of forced displacement and calls for open fire.
...............
Adel Al-Omda explained that Israel is emphasizing pressure on the Gaza Strip through the city of Rafah, and in return, Egypt has a firm opinion regarding the Palestinian issue, and its decisions are in favor of the issue, pointing out that Netanyahu’s continued statements about implementing the operation to storm Rafah into Palestine are to calm the Zionist interior.
He stressed that Egypt has taken measures on its part to provide aid through natural and legal outlets for the Palestinians, ensure security and stability for it, and preserve its national security, because it considers these borders a red line, and it is taking thoughtful measures according to the situation’s data.
[Youm7, Egypt, on Feb. 17]
القاهرة - مباشر: قال محافظ شمال سيناء محمد عبد الفضيل شوشة، إن القوات المسلحة تقيم منطقة لوجستية لاستقبال المساعدات لصالح غزة؛ وذلك لتخفيف الأعباء عن السائقين والتكدسات الموجوده بالعريش، وعلى الطرق بجانب تسهيل عمل الهلال الأحمر المصري
وأكد المحافظ، اليوم السبت، أن المنطقة التي يجري إقامتها وتجهيزها، تضم أماكن لانتظار الشاحنات ومخازن مؤمنة ومكاتب إدراية وأماكن مبيت للسائقين وتزويدها بوسائل المعيشية والكهرباء، وفقا لوكالة أنباء الشرق الأوسط
وأشار، إلى أن القوات المسلحة هي من تقوم بإنشاء المنطقة اللوجستية في رفح
وأعلن المحافظ عن وصول المساعدات الخاصة بقطاع غزة إلى المحافظة عن طريق البر والبحر والجو؛ حيث تصل إلى المحافظة الشاحنات بالطريق البري، بجانب وصول السفن عن طريق ميناء العريش البحري مع وصول الطائرات عبر مطار العريش الدولي
Cairo - Live: North Sinai Governor Mohamed Abdel Fadil Shusha said that the armed forces are establishing a logistical area to receive aid for Gaza. This is to reduce the burden on drivers and the crowds in Al-Arish and on the roads, in addition to facilitating the work of the Egyptian Red Crescent.
The governor confirmed today, Saturday, that the area being constructed and equipped includes parking areas for trucks, secured warehouses, administrative offices, and accommodation for drivers, and is provided with means of living and electricity, according to the Middle East News Agency.
He pointed out that the armed forces are establishing the logistics zone in Rafah.
The governor announced the arrival of aid for the Gaza Strip to the governorate by land, sea and air. Trucks arrive at the governorate by land, ships arrive via Al-Arish sea port, and planes arrive via Al-Arish International Airport.
[مباشر on Feb. 17]
التقى نائب رئيس الوزراء ووزير الخارجية وشؤون المغتربين أيمن الصفدي، اليوم، عدداً من نظرائه والمسؤولين الدوليين المشاركين في أعمال مؤتمر ميونخ للأمن، في سياق الجهود التي يبذلها الأردن لحشد موقف دولي فاعل يوقف الحرب المستعرة على غزة وما تنتجه من معاناة وكارثة إنسانية غير مسبوقة
وشدد الصفدي، خلال اللقاءات، على موقف المملكة الرافض لتهجير الفلسطينيين داخل أرضهم أو إلى خارجها، وعلى ضرورة ضمان إيصال المساعدات الإنسانية الكافية والمستدامة لجميع أنحاء القطاع، وعلى أن السبيل الوحيد لتحقيق الأمن والاستقرار والسلام في المنطقة هو حل الدولتين الذي يلبي طموحات وتطلعات الشعب الفلسطيني الشقيق في الحرية والدولة المستقلة ذات السيادة على خطوط الرابع من حزيران لعام ١٩٦٧ وعاصمتها القدس المحتلة
Deputy Prime Minister and [Jordanian] Minister of Foreign Affairs and Expatriates Ayman Safadi met today with a number of his counterparts and international officials who are participating in the Munich Security Conference, as part of Jordan's efforts to mobilize an effective international position to stop the raging war on Gaza and the unprecedented suffering and humanitarian catastrophe it produces.
During the meetings, Safadi stressed the Kingdom's position rejecting the displacement of Palestinians inside or outside their land, and the need to ensure the delivery of adequate and sustainable humanitarian aid to all parts of the Gaza Strip, and that the only way to achieve security, stability and peace in the region is the two-state solution that meets the aspirations and aspirations of the brotherly Palestinian people for freedom and an independent and sovereign state on the lines of the fourth of June 1967 with occupied Jerusalem as its capital.
US newspaper "The New York Times" revealed, on Wednesday, that President Joe Biden decided to use his executive powers to protect thousands of Palestinians in America from deportation during the next 18 months.
The newspaper said that about 6,000 Palestinians are eligible for a postponement under the immigration program called “Deferred Forced Departure”.
The paper added that Biden based this step on the danger to which civilians are exposed in Gaza.
Ambassador Nazih Al-Najari, Ambassador of the Arab Republic of Egypt to Moscow, met with Ambassador Mikhail Bogdanov, Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs of Russia, and President Putin's envoy to the Middle East and Africa, according to a statement issued by the Egyptian Embassy in Moscow.
...............
Ambassador Nazih Al-Najari also confirmed to the Russian Deputy Foreign Minister Egypt’s rejection of any operation targeting the city of Rafah in the Gaza Strip because it confirms efforts to liquidate the Palestinian issue and leads to a further threat to the stability of the region. In addition, it reflects intentions to displace the Palestinians from their lands on which international law guarantees the establishment of their independent state.
The Egyptian Ambassador and Ambassador Bogdanov agreed on the necessity of making all efforts to prevent further aggravation of the situation, and to contribute to the preparation of an atmosphere for the resumption of the peace process that should lead to the establishment of an independent Palestinian state on the borders of June 4, 1967, in accordance with decisions of international legitimacy, as it is the only way to guarantee long-term stability and coexistence in the region.
[Al-Balad, Egypt, on Feb. 16]
قطر والأردن تبحثان تطورات غزة
استقبلَ جلالةُ الملك عبدالله الثاني ابن الحسين ملك المملكة الأردنيَّة الهاشميّة الشّقيقة، أمسِ، معالي الشّيخ محمَّد بن عبدالرحمن بن جاسم آل ثاني رئيس مجلس الوزراء وزير الخارجيَّة، وذلك على هامش مُؤتمر ميونخ للأمن.
جرى خلال المقابلة، استعراضُ عَلاقات التعاون بين البلدَين الشقيقَين، وآخر المستجدات في قطاع غزة والأراضي الفلسطينية المحتلة، ومناقشة سبل تعزيز الجهود الإقليمية والدولية للوقف الفوري لإطلاق النار، وتسريع دخول المساعدات الإنسانية إلى مناطق القطاع كافةً دون عوائق، بالإضافة إلى عددٍ من الموضوعات ذات الاهتمام المُشترك
Qatar, Jordan discussing Gaza developments
His Majesty King Abdullah II bin Al Hussein of the Hashemite Kingdom of Jordan yesterday received [Qatari] Prime Minister and Minister of Foreign Affairs Sheikh Mohammed bin Abdulrahman bin Jassim Al Thani on the sidelines of the Munich Security Conference.
During the meeting, they reviewed the cooperation relations between the two brotherly countries, the latest developments in the Gaza Strip and the occupied Palestinian territories, and discussed ways to enhance regional and international efforts for an immediate ceasefire, and accelerate the unhindered entry of humanitarian aid to all areas of the Gaza Strip, in addition to a number of issues of common interest.
[Al-Raya, semi-official source from Qatar on Feb. 17]
Breaking News Update added below on February 10 / 11
تحذيرات دولية من كارثة
قالت ناديا هاردمان، الباحثة في قسم حقوق اللاجئين والمهاجرين في "هيومن رايتس ووتش"، إنّ "إجبار أكثر من مليون فلسطيني نازح في رفح على الإخلاء مرّةً أخرى، من دون العثور على مكان آمن يذهبون إليه، سيكون غير قانونيّ، وقد تنتج عنه عواقب كارثيّة
وحذّرت وزارة الخارجيّة الأميركيّة هذا الأسبوع من أنّ "تنفيذ عمليّة مماثلة الآن في رفح، بلا تخطيط وبقليل من التفكير، في منطقة يسكنها مليون شخص، سيكون كارثة
وفي انتقاد ضمنيّ نادر لإسرائيل منذ بدء الحرب بينها وبين حماس قبل أربعة أشهر، قال الرئيس الأميركي جو بايدن إنّ "الردّ في غزّة مُفرط"، مؤكّدا أنّه بذل جهودًا منذ بدء الحرب لتخفيف وطأتها على المدنيّين
International warnings of disaster
“Forcing more than a million displaced Palestinians in Rafah to evacuate again, without finding a safe place to go, would be illegal and could have catastrophic consequences,” said Nadia Hardman, a researcher in the refugee and migrant rights division at "Human Rights Watch".
The US State Department warned this week that “carrying out a similar operation now in Rafah, without planning and with little thought, in an area inhabited by a million people, would be a disaster”.
In a rare implicit criticism of Israel since the start of the war between it and Hamas four months ago, US President Joe Biden said that “the response in Gaza is excessive,” stressing that he had made efforts since the beginning of the war to reduce its impact on civilians.
[Erem News, Abu Dhabi, on Feb. 10]
In a breaking news story, a Cairo News Channel reported about the European Union saying that decisions regarding a [decisive] attack on Rafah, southern Gaza, by Israel's military are alarming.
وتواصل قوات الاحتلال شن مئات الغارات والقصف المدفعي وتنفيذ جرائم في مختلف أرجاء قطاع غزة، وارتكاب مجازر دامية ضد المدنيين، وتنفيذ جرائم مروعة في مناطق التوغل، وسط وضع إنساني كارثي نتيجة الحصار ونزوح أكثر من 90 % من السكان
ودمَّرت طائرات الاحتلال الإسرائيلي مربعات سكنية كاملة فى قطاع غزة، ضمن سياسة التدمير الشاملة التي ينتهجها الاحتلال في عدوانه المستمر على قطاع غزة
ولا يزال آلاف الشهداء والجرحى لم يتم انتشالهم من تحت الأنقاض؛ بسبب تواصل القصف وخطورة الأوضاع الميدانية، في ظل حصار خانق للقطاع وقيود مُشددة على دخول الوقود والمساعدات الحيوية العاجلة للتخفيف من الأوضاع الإنسانية الكارثية
The Israeli occupation forces continue to launch hundreds of raids, artillery shelling and crimes throughout the Gaza Strip, committing bloody massacres against civilians, and carrying out horrific crimes in the areas of incursion, amid a catastrophic humanitarian situation as a result of the siege and the displacement of more than 90% of the population.
The Israeli occupation warplanes destroyed entire residential blocks in the Gaza Strip, as part of the comprehensive destruction policy pursued by the occupation in its ongoing aggression on the Gaza Strip.
Thousands of martyrs and wounded have still not been recovered from the rubble due to the continued shelling and the seriousness of the situation on the ground, in light of a suffocating siege of the Gaza Strip and severe restrictions on the entry of fuel and urgent vital aid to alleviate the catastrophic humanitarian situation.
[AL-Youm - The 7th Day, Egypt, on Feb. 9]
Moody's downgrades Israel's rating - World Business Watch
BREAKING: In its announcement on Friday, US rating agency Moody’s cited the impact of Israel’s ongoing war with Hamas in Gaza, changing Israel's credit rating from A1 to A2, with a negative credit outlook, meaning further downgrades are possible, due to “the risk of an escalation” with Lebanese terror group Hezbollah along Israel’s northern border.
On Saturday, Israel's Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich brushed off Moody’s downgrade of Israel’s credit rating, saying the decision linked to the Gaza war was not based on sound economic reasoning and was a pessimistic “manifesto.”
[The Times of Israel on Feb. 10]
Under the Cover of War - Israel Plans to Build New Neighborhood for Jews in East Jerusalem
Nofei Rachel is one of four neighborhoods set to add 3,000 new residential units for Jews to East Jerusalem. In recent years, the Justice Ministry has become a key player in advancing plans to construct these Jewish neighborhoods.
Israel is moving forward with plans for a new Jewish neighborhood in East Jerusalem, located on the doorstep of a Palestinian neighborhood. Right-wing activists are participating in the planning of the new Nofei Rachel neighborhood, which will be established just meters from Palestinian homes in Umm Tuba.
..........
Nofei Rachel is the fourth new neighborhood for Jews in East Jerusalem moved along by the Administrator General [of the Justice Ministry] in recent years. It follows one planned inside the Palestinian village of Umm Lisan; [another one in] Givat Hashaked, adjacent to the Palestinian town of Beit Safafa; and Kidmat Zion, between the Ras al-Amud neighborhood and the separation fence.
..........
According to organizations that monitor construction in the West Bank's settlements, all of these neighborhoods – planned to have a combined 3,000 residential units – are being swiftly advanced. Since the war in the Gaza Strip began on October 7, these neighborhoods have particularly benefitted from exceptionally rapid approvals by zoning authorities.
Update added on February 3:
Brandnew French language video on Israel bombing Rafah in southern Gaza tonight,
leaving 100 civilians dead in a region densely packed with Palestinian refugees.
=> 'Le point après les frappes israéliennes sur Rafah' • FRANCE 24 <=
[Lebanon Files on Feb. 2]
Belgian Foreign Minister Hajjah Lahbib announced on Thursday night that she had summoned Israel's ambassador [woman] to Belgium after raids that “destroyed” the offices of the Belgian Development Agency ENABEL in the Gaza Strip.
ENABEL director Jan van Wetter wrote on Twitter/X:
“All of us at ENABEL are shocked. As a government agency working for the public good within the framework of international humanitarian law, we cannot accept this”. He posted two photos, one of the building where the agency’s offices were located before the alleged bombing, and the other of a pile of rubble.
Destruction of ENABEL locations in Gaza:
Belgium summons the Israeli ambassador.
The two photos provided by ENABEL director Jan van Wetter, today shown
on the website of Belgian Radio Television for the French community RTBF.
Belgian Foreign Minister Hajjah Lahbib
wrote on her Twitter/X account tonight:
" The offices of Enabel, the Belgian development agency in Gaza, were bombed and destroyed.
Targeting civilian buildings is unacceptable.
With @carogennez, we are summoning the ambassador of Israel to clarify the matter. "
@carogennez is another minister of the Belgium government involved in the subject:
......................
Israeli bombing of Rafah left 100 civilians dead
La ville de Rafah, où se sont réfugiés plus d'un million de Palestiniens menacés par la guerre à Gaza, est le théâtre d'intenses frappes israéliennes. Le ministère de la Santé du Hamas a annoncé le décès d'au moins 100 civils dans la soirée et la nuit, dont 14 tôt samedi dans des frappes sur deux résidences de Rafah.
The city of Rafah, where more than a million Palestinians threatened by the war in Gaza have taken refuge, has been the scene of intense Israeli strikes. Hamas' health ministry announced the deaths of at least 100 civilians in the evening and night, including 14 early Saturday in strikes on two Rafah residences.
[French language video provided by France 24 on Saturday Feb. 3]
Identified regions of visitor origin and / or
regional internet nodes for January 2024
followed by a choice of 2 recent visitors
who are interested in Israeli proceedings
and the latest count of page views related
to visitors from Israel on February 7, 2024.
Update added on Jan. 27, anniversary of the
Liberation of Auschwitz Concentration Camp
& International Holocaust Remembrance Day.
South Africa's President Cyril Ramaphosa speaks
after ICJ orders Israel to prevent acts of genocide.
[Broadcast begins 01:50 minutes after video start]
محكمة العدل الدولية تطلب من إسرائيل منع ارتكاب "إبادة" في غزة
وكانت جنوب إفريقيا طلبت قرارا بإجراءات عاجلة تتضمن وقفا للعمليات العسكرية في قطاع غزة، إلا أن القرار لم يلحظ ذلك
...............
وتابعت أن على إسرائيل "اتّخاذ جميع الإجراءات الممكنة لمنع التحريض المباشر والعلني على ارتكاب إبادة والمعاقبة عليه"، و"عليها أن تمنع كل أعمال الإبادة المحتملة في قطاع غزة
"
و
رفعت بريتوريا الدعوى متهمة إسرائيل
بانتهاك اتفاقية الأمم المتحدة لمنع جريمة الإبادة الجماعية والمعاقبة
عليها المبرمة في العام 1948
كرد عالمي على محرقة اليهود إبان الحرب العالمية الثانية
...............
International Court of Justice asks Israel to prevent 'genocide' in Gaza
South Africa had requested a resolution for urgent measures, including a cessation of military operations in the Gaza Strip, but the resolution did not take this into account.
...............
Israel must "take all feasible measures to prevent and punish direct and public incitement to commit genocide," and "it must prevent all possible acts of genocide in the Gaza Strip."
Pretoria filed the lawsuit accusing Israel of violating the 1948 U.N. Convention on the Prevention and Punishment of the Crime of Genocide as a global response to the Holocaust during World War Two.
...............
"عالم رأسا على عقب"
وكانت المحامية عادلة هاشم من
وفد جنوب إفريقيا إلى المحكمة
قالت خلال جلسات سابقة هذا الشهر
أمام هذه المحكمة أدلة تم جمعها خلال الأسابيع الـ13 الماضية تُظهر بصورة لا تقبل الشك نمطًا من السلوك والنوايا يبرّر الادعاء المعقول بارتكاب أعمال إبادة
وقبل انعقاد الجلسة الجمعة، أعربت
وزيرة خارجية جنوب إفريقيا ناليدي باندور
عن
"أمل"
بلادها، مؤكدة على أهمية تسليط الضوء على
مصير الأبرياء في فلسطين
ووصفت
وزارة الخارجية في جنوب إفريقيا
القرار بعد صدوره
بـالانتصار الحاسم
للقانون الدولي و
خطوة على طريق الألف ميل في البحث عن العدالة للفلسطينيين
"Upside Down World"
Lawyer Adela Hashim of the South African delegation to the court said during earlier hearings this month: "Before this court is evidence gathered over the past 13 weeks that unequivocally shows a pattern of conduct and intent that justifies a reasonable allegation of genocide."
Ahead of Friday's session, South African Foreign Minister Naledi Pandor expressed her country's "hope", stressing the importance of highlighting "the fate of innocent people in Palestine."
South Africa's foreign ministry called the resolution a "decisive victory" of international law and "a step on the road to a thousand miles in the search for justice for the Palestinians."
[Lebanon Files ليبانون فايلز on Jan. 26]
...............
Timeline - The Warsaw Ghetto
International Holocaust Remembrance Day on Jan. 27
The Warsaw ghetto uprising was an act of resistance by the Jewish population in Nazi-occupied Poland during World War II in an effort to stop transportation of their people to the extermination camps in Majdanek and Treblinka.
For 10 years now, an empty streetcar has rolled silently through the streets of Warsaw on January 27. Instead of a route number, it has a large Star of David on the roof. Its route takes it through the part of the city that Poland's Nazi occupiers turned into Europe's largest Jewish ghetto in 1940.
و"كالات" : في وقت يسعى الاتحاد الأوروبي خلال مباحثاته لإنشاء دولة فلسطينية على أساس أنها السبيل الوحيد الموثوق لتحقيق السلام في الشرق الأوسط، فوجئ المشاركون باقتراح اسرائيل بناء
جزيرة للفلسطينيين في عرض البحر الأبيض
وكان الاتحاد الأوروبي أعرب فعلا عن قلقه إزاء الرفض الواضح لرئيس الوزراء الإسرائيلي بنيامين نتنياهو لفكرة إنشاء الدولة الفلسطينية سابقا
وبحسب مصادر، فإن وزير الخارجية الاسرائيلي تجاهل المقاربة الأوروبية التي شرحها عدد من الوزراء في جلسة تحولت الى مشهد سريالي
ولم تتردد اسرائيل بعرض
مقترحها بناء جزيرة في عرض البحر الأبيض
حيث ينقل اليها سكان قطاع غزة، في موقف أثار استغرابا واسعا في القاعة وانتقادات من دول عدة منها بلجيكا والبرتغال
وقال دبلوماسي أوروبي
إن النقاشات مع الجانب الاسرائيلي كانت بمثابة
حوار الطرشان
من جهة أخرى فند رئيس الوزراء الإسرائيلي بنيامين نتنياهو أمس الاثنين فيما يبدو تكهنات إعلامية ذكرت أن جهودا تجري لإبرام اتفاق هدنة جديد في غزة
Netanyahu: Hamas has not made any serious proposal
[According to News] "Agencies": At a time when the European Union seeks during its talks to establish a Palestinian state on the basis that it is the only reliable way to achieve peace in the Middle East, participants were surprised by Israel's proposal to build an island for Palestinians in the Mediterranean.
The European Union has already expressed concern over Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's apparent rejection of the idea of founding a Palestinian state.
According to sources, the Israeli foreign minister ignored the European approach explained by a number of ministers in a session that turned into a surreal scene.
Israel did not hesitate to present its proposal to build an island in the Mediterranean, where residents of the Gaza Strip would be transferred, a position that raised wide eyebrows in the hall and criticism from several countries, including Belgium and Portugal.
A European diplomat said the discussions with the Israeli side were tantamount to a dialogue between two deaf.
Separately, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu on Monday appeared to have refuted media speculation that efforts were underway to conclude a new truce agreement in Gaza.
[The Morning السباح, Kuwait, early morning edition on January 23 (local date)]
Israel-E.U. Meeting on Gaza’s Future
Yields Division and Confusion
Europeans, insisting on Palestinian statehood, are frustrated by Israel’s opposition and lack of a postwar plan for the devastated Gaza Strip. [New York Times on late Jan. 22 (local time)]
South Africa that lived through the experience of an Apartheid regime for decades
is now going to try Israel for the actual genocide of the Palestinian people as the
ultima ratio of an Apartheid regime that has lasted longer than since Oct. 7, 2023,
the day of an unexpected Hamas attack. South Africa is therefore expected to go
back in time to the very foundation of the State of Israel and which would bring up
a case of suppression of a people that had been expelled from its homeland long
before violence escalated to the actual level. [Videos: Al-Jazeera/BBC on Jan. 11]
أعلنت وزارة الصحة في قطاع غزة في بيان اليوم الجمعة إن 23708 فلسطينيين على الأقل لقوا حتفهم
وأصيب 60005 آخرين في الغارات الإسرائيلية على قطاع غزة منذ السابع من أكتوبر
وقالت الوزارة إن نحو 151 فلسطينيا قتلوا وأصيب 248 خلال الساعات الأربع والعشرين الماضية
The Ministry of Health in the Gaza Strip announced in a statement on Friday
that at least 23,708 Palestinians have been killed and 60,005 injured in Israeli
raids on the Gaza Strip since October 7. Some 151 Palestinians were killed
and 248 wounded in the past 24 hours, the ministry said.
[MENAFN, Middle East and North Africa Financial Network, publisher: Al-Bawaba, on Jan. 12]
Editor of Israel's Newspaper Haaretz Condemns Netanyahu's Government
Gideon Levy in an interview with DemocracyNow.org two months ago.
The member of Haaretz editorial board has also accused Israel's army
of indiscriminate killing in Gaza, live on Israeli TV only three days ago.
Ofer Cassif, far-left member of Israel's parliament Knesseth declared his support
of South Africa accusing Israel for genocide at the International Court of Justice.
Malaysia, Turkey and Bolivia recently joined South Africa in its appeal to the ICJ.
[Hindustan Times on Jan. 8, 2024]
Major Mossad Activities - Successful or Foiled -
Turkish police detained 33 people suspected of spying for Israel's Mossad intelligence service and of targeting foreigners living in Turkey, Interior Minister Ali Yerlikaya said on Tuesday (January 2).
Police raided 57 locations in eight provinces as part of an investigation - dubbed "Operation Mole" - launched by the Istanbul prosecutor's counter-terrorism bureau and the MIT intelligence agency, Yerlikaya said.
He said on social media platform X that the suspects were believed to be aiming to identify, monitor, assault and kidnap foreign nationals living in Turkey. The state-run Anadolu news agency said authorities were seeking 13 others.
Last month, Turkish officials warned Israel of "serious consequences" if it tried to hunt down members of the militant group Hamas living outside Palestinian territories, including in Turkey. President Tayyip Erdogan warned that would be a mistake.
[Times & Sunday Times on Jan. 2, 2024]
Hamas says its deputy leader Saleh al-Arouri has been killed in
an explosion in the Lebanese capital Beirut which is infuriating
Lebanon's government. - News Report and Political Analysis.
[Channel 4, British TV station, on Jan. 2, 2024]
ماذا تعرف عن الشهيد الأقرع الذي اغتيل رفقة العاروري؟
كان وقع خبر استشهاد القيادي البارز في كتائب القسام، عزام الأقرع صادما على عائلته ورفاقه، وهو الذي نجح على مدار 35 عاما من الإفلات، رغم المطاردة المستمرة من قبل قوات الاحتلال وأجهزته الاستخبارية.يعد الأقرع الذي يبلغ 54 عاما من العمر أحد أبرز قيادات كتائب القسام في الساحات الخارجية، لا سيما لبنان التي عاش أكثر من نصف حياته فيها، بعد أن نفاه الاحتلال خارج بلدته الأصلية قبلان عام 1992، إبان حملة الملاحقة التي تعرضت لها قيادة حركة حماس آنذلك، وجرى إبعاد المئات إلى منطقة مرج الزهور جنوب لبنان.
What do you know about the martyr Al-Aqra' who was assassinated together with Al-Arouri?
The news of the martyrdom of the prominent leader of the Qassam Brigades, Azzam Al-Aqra, was shocking to his family and comrades, who succeeded over 35 years of escape, despite the continuous pursuit by the occupation forces and his intelligence services.Al-Aqra, 54 years old, is one of the most prominent leaders of the Qassam Brigades in the external arenas, especially Lebanon, where he lived more than half of his life, after the occupation exiled him outside his native town of Qabalan in 1992, during the campaign of persecution against the leadership of Hamas was then deported to the Marj al-Zuhur area in southern Lebanon.
[Beirut Time on Jan. 6, 2024]
The assassination of Mahmoud al-Mabhouh in a hotel room in Dubai
on 19 January 2010. => The Complete Timeline of a Murder <= in a
31 minutes sequence of videos registered by surveillance cameras.
The Mossad team could be identified and arrested at Dubai airport.
Please note: One member of the killing team is still wearing a single
protection glove while hurriedly leaving Al-Bustan hotel. [The Guardian]
On 25 September, 1997, Israel's spy agency attempted to assassinate
Palestinian political leader Khaled Meshaal in Amman, the capital of Jordan.
The brazen attempt on the life of the then 41-year-old head of the Hamas
Political Bureau sparked a diplomatic row which threatened to wreck the
newly-signed peace deal between Jordan and Israel. The crisis ended with
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu making a number of humiliating
concessions. [Middle East Monitor 2020]
Independently from the above listed assaults on prominent members of Hamas, Iran's nuclear program was subsequently targeted by Mossad. While Israel's own nuclear arsenal remains an unspoken reality and was never openly contested, Iranian efforts are thoroughly scrutinized by many Western nations. And there have been press reports about Mossad operations that were intended to prevent Iran from reaching their goal: Four assassinations of nuclear scientists in Iran, accomplished since 2010, and several sophisticated activities to destroy Iran's ability to produce weapons-grade Uranium.
The last killing of an Iranian scientist is dating back to November 2020 when top nuclear scientist Mohsen Fakhrizadeh was assassinated in a sophisticated hit led by a Mossad team. The team reportedly deployed a computerized machine gun using artificial intelligence, required no on-site operatives, took less than a minute, and did not injure anyone else, including the scientist’s wife who was with him at the time. [Times of Israel in September 2021]
Germany's Rigid Policy
Organized by the United Palestinian National Committee, nearly 1,200 protesters held a solidarity demonstration at Adenauerplatz [Adenauer Square in Berlin]. They decried Germany's stance on Israel, with crowd chanting slogans such as "Shame on German Chancellor Olaf Scholz" and "Shame on (Foreign Minister) Annalena Baerbock".
The participants later held a march on Kurfurstendamm, one of Berlin's most famous avenues, while shouting pro-Palestinian slogans. Along with a large Palestinian flag, the protesters also carried signs, some of which read: "Cease-fire now" and "stop the genocide".
Chancellor Olaf Scholz has repeatedly said that Israel's security is non-negotiable, and in the current conflict with Hamas, Germany “has only one place,” and that is “firmly at the side of Israel."
.................
A recent poll revealed that the German government's pro-Israel stance on the Gaza conflict is seemingly not supported by the public. Some 43% of those surveyed said that Germany should stay out of the conflict, and only 34% said they agree with the view that Germany bears special responsibility for Israel due to its Nazi past.
[Yeni Safak, Turkey, on Dec. 31]
Palestine - An Alarming Development
An opinion poll proves increasing support for Hamas organization
in the occupied Westbank where Hamas used to be in opposition
to the Palestinian administration of Mahmud Abbas in Ramallah.
[Deutsche Welle, German National Radio, on Dec. 31]
Far-right Israeli minister calls for resettlement of Gaza after the war
saying this is a beautiful land to be rebuilt by and for Israeli settlers
after Palestinian emigration. [Al-Jazeera on Dec. 31]
Israel - Judicial Chaos and Accusation of Genocide
Israel's High Court strikes down Netanyahu's judicial reform law
[TRT World, Turkey, on Jan. 2, 2024]
The Palestinian Gaza Strip health department said on December 31 that Israeli attacks on the Gaza Strip in the past 24 hours resulted in a total of 150 deaths. Since the outbreak of a new round of conflict between Palestine and Israel on October 7, Israeli military operations in the Gaza Strip have resulted in approximately 21,000 deaths and more than 56,000 injuries.
[Youth Net 青年网 on Dec. 31]
Sultan Barakat, a professor of public policy at Hamad Bin Khalifa University, says that the genocide case filed by South Africa against Israel at the International Court of Justice [ICJ] will be “the most important instrument of international pressure against Israel”.
“The way that South Africa has addressed this issue is that they are purely focused on the fact that Israel, by December 29 when the case was filed, has murdered more than 20,000 civilians without achieving any clear goal, in that they seem to be pursuing a genocide against the Palestinian people and specifically within Gaza,” Barakat said.
The ICJ works slightly differently from the International Criminal Court [ICC] in that its mandate covers all the state members of the United Nations, Barakat explained.
“And Israel for them it’s very important to be recognised as a state. This is the only country in the world that talks about the right to exist, [whereas] every other state is comfortable within their own foundation.”
[Al-Jazeera,Qatar, on Jan. 2, 2024]
I recently found fresh poetry about Ghaza written in French. Palestinian poetry seems to have a long tradition in France, beginning with Mahmoud Darwish, the famous Palestinian writer and who had been translated and published in France and Germany. The recent outbreak of hostilities in the frame of a long-standing conflict between the State of Israel and Hamas, the dominant party in Ghaza, has given new impetus to the writing of poems related to Ghaza. Now, a weekend session dedicated to the poetry of Ghaza, has been embedded in this year's Week of the Arabic Language in Paris. Organised by the Arabic speaking community of Paris and IMA (*) as its cultural center, this event is the annual reminder of an outstanding semitic language serving, both, religious and worldly purposes. => (*) IMA = Institut du Monde Arabe
Aussi, l’ennemi la hait-il,
tant et tant d’elle il a peur
qu’il ira bien jusqu’au meurtre,
jusqu’au crime par noyades
sous la mer, et sous les sables
et dans les baquets de sang !
As well, the enemy hates her,
so much as he is afraid of her,
willing to go so far as to murder,
to the crime of drowning her
in the sea, and under the sands
and in tubs of blood !
Mahmoud Darwish - Le Silence de Ghaza - The Silence of Ghaza
In his famous poem, Darwish speaks of the Palestinian resistance
in Ghaza during the first years of the occupation (i.e. 1967-1974).
Here is my English version of some text lines. - Wolfgang Wiesner
Les Samedis de la Poésie - Décembre 16, 2023, à L'Institut du Monde Arabe, Paris.
