Palestinian anger as Israel allows settlers to return to 4 outposts

A general view of the West Bank Jewish settlement of Efrat, on Jan. 30, 2023. (AP)
A general view of the West Bank Jewish settlement of Efrat, on Jan. 30, 2023. (AP)
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Updated 21 March 2023

Palestinian anger as Israel allows settlers to return to 4 outposts

A general view of the West Bank Jewish settlement of Efrat, on Jan. 30, 2023. (AP)
  • Jibril Rajoub, the Fatah Central Committee secretary general, told Arab News that settlers were trying to return to the Homesh settlement even before the law was passed

RAMALLAH: Palestinians on Tuesday voiced outrage after Israel approved a law that will allow Israeli settlers to rebuild four West Bank outposts evacuated almost two decades ago.

A bill overturning the so-called “separation law” in the West Bank and Gaza Strip was approved by an Israeli Parliament plenary on Monday.

Israel evacuated settlements in the occupied northern West Bank as part of the disengagement plan from Gaza in 2005.

Nabil Abu Rudeineh, the spokesperson for the Palestinian presidency, condemned the Knesset’s move, which he said “violates all resolutions of international legitimacy, especially Resolution (2334), which considers all settlements illegal in all Palestinian territories.”

Abu Rudeineh said that the Israeli government is working to thwart international efforts to prevent escalation.

He called on the international community, especially the US administration, to pressure the Israeli government to stop its unilateral policies that violate international laws and signed agreements.

Jibril Rajoub, the Fatah Central Committee secretary general, told Arab News that settlers were trying to return to the Homesh settlement even before the law was passed.

He accused Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu of ignoring the agreements of the Aqaba summit three weeks ago.

“It is likely that neither he nor his government will abide by the understandings of the Sharm El-Sheikh summit, and that tension will inevitably come during Ramadan,” Rajoub told Arab News.

Ahmed Majdalani, Palestinian minister of social development, said the Israeli law is a continuation of the Israeli government’s settlement expansion program.

Palestinians view Israeli settlement expansion as an existential threat to the two-state solution, which they have demanded since 1967.

More than 650,000 Israeli settlers live in the occupied West Bank and East Jerusalem in more than 150 settlements, all considered illegal by the UN and under international resolutions.

Former senior diplomat Nasser Al-Kidwa told Arab News that it is clear Israel will quickly annex the West Bank.

He added: “Perhaps the worst thing about it is that the Palestinian Authority gives it political cover by accepting to participate with it in the Aqaba and Sharm El-Sheikh meetings instead of boycotting and isolating it, and asking the world not to deal with it.”

The Saudi Ministry of Foreign Affairs expressed the Kingdom’s condemnation and denunciation of offensive and racist statements made by an official of the Israeli occupation government against Palestine and its people.

In a statement, the ministry affirmed the Kingdom’s position rejecting the statements of Israeli Minister of Finance Bezalel Smotrich.

The ministry said the comments are contrary to the truth, contribute to spreading hate speech and violence, and undermine efforts for dialogue.

It also renewed the Kingdom’s support for international efforts aimed at resolving the Palestinian issue based on the Arab peace initiative and ensuring the establishment of a Palestinian state on the 1967 borders with East Jerusalem as its capital.

Meanwhile, Israeli extremist settlers from the Price Tag group wrote racist slogans, painted a six-pointed star on a truck and two vehicles, and damaged more than five vehicles in the Sheikh Jarrah neighborhood in Jerusalem on Tuesday, according to Palestinian sources.

Anwar Al-Julani, a neighborhood resident, said that the Israeli police came to his house in the morning, demanded he check the surveillance cameras, and then confiscated the recording device from family members.

He added that police told him that two settlers vandalized cars and wrote slogans at 3 a.m.

 

 


UAE-Japan Committee for Women Career Development hosts 16th forum 

UAE-Japan Committee for Women Career Development hosts 16th forum 
Updated 05 June 2023

UAE-Japan Committee for Women Career Development hosts 16th forum 

UAE-Japan Committee for Women Career Development hosts 16th forum 
  • Forum was held under the patronage of Sheikha Fatima bint Mubarak

DUBAI: The UAE-Japan Friendship Committee for Women Career Development held its 16th forum in Abu Dhabi with the aim of empowering women in the energy industry, Emirates News Agency reported on Monday. 

The forum was held under the patronage of Sheikha Fatima bint Mubarak, chairwoman of the General Women’s Union. It was also attended by Dr. Maitha Salem Al-Shamsi, the UAE’s minister of state, executive director of Japan Cooperation Center Petroleum, Tsuyoshi Nakai, senior leaders at Abu Dhabi National Oil Co., as well as delegates from energy companies from the UAE, Japan and other Gulf countries.

During her address, Al-Shamsi reaffirmed her continuous support for forums which bolster ties between the UAE and Japan and which unlock women’s potential. 

“The oil and gas industry has made great progress towards gender diversity, but there is still a long way to go to ensure that women in this sector receive equal benefits in terms of performance and productivity,” Al-Shamsi said. 

“To achieve this, more opportunities need to be provided for women to participate and build confidence in their ability to work in the frontline and across all fields. 

“I commend ADNOC for recognising that the growth and success of the organization depends on a skilled, diverse, and committed workforce.”

As part of its 2030 Sustainability Strategy, ADNOC is striving to become a regional leader in diversity and employee development.

ADNOC Offshore CEO Tayba Al-Hashemi said: “Women are key to a more sustainable future. 

“Under the guidance of Dr. Sultan bin Ahmed Al-Jaber, minister of industry and advanced technology and ADNOC managing director and group CEO, ADNOC has made excellent progress empowering females, and we have ambitious plans to double female representation in technical positions to 25 percent by 2030.

“We need diverse thinking to deliver the maximum energy and minimum emissions the world needs, and in line with the UAE leadership’s vision, we will continue to empower women and ensure all our people can unlock their potential to help build a more sustainable future.”


Palestinian toddler shot by Israeli troops in West Bank dies of wounds

Palestinian toddler shot by Israeli troops in West Bank dies of wounds
Updated 05 June 2023

Palestinian toddler shot by Israeli troops in West Bank dies of wounds

Palestinian toddler shot by Israeli troops in West Bank dies of wounds
  • Mohammed Al-Tamimi was shot in the head near his village of Nebi Saleh
  • The Israeli military has opened an investigation into the incident

A 3-year-old Palestinian boy who was shot by Israeli troops in the occupied West Bank last week died of his wounds, Israeli hospital officials said Monday.
Mohammed Al-Tamimi was shot in the head last Thursday near his village of Nebi Saleh while riding in a car with his father. He was airlifted to Israel’s Sheba Hospital, which announced the boy’s death.
The Israeli military has said it opened fire after gunmen in the area shot at an Israeli guard post at a nearby Jewish settlement.
But the boy’s father, Haitham Al-Tamimi, told The Associated Press that he had just buckled up his son in the car and they were driving to visit an uncle when the bullet struck. The father was also shot and treated at a Palestinian hospital.
The Israeli military has opened an investigation into the incident.
Rights groups, however, say that such investigations rarely lead to prosecution or disciplinary action against soldiers.
The shooting was the latest bloodshed in a more than yearlong surge of violence in the occupied West Bank and east Jerusalem. That fighting has picked up since Israel’s new far-right government took office in late December.
Nearly 120 Palestinians have been killed in the two areas this year, with nearly half of them members of armed militant groups, according to an AP tally. The military says the number of militants is much higher. But stone-throwing youths and people uninvolved in violence have also been killed.
Meanwhile, Palestinian attacks targeting Israelis in those areas have killed at least 21 people.
Israel captured the West Bank and east Jerusalem, along with the Gaza Strip, in the 1967 Mideast war. Palestinians seek these territories for a future state.
Some 700,000 Israelis now live in settlements in the West Bank and east Jerusalem. Most of the international community considers these settlements illegal or obstacles to peace.


France seeks removal of Lebanese ambassador’s immunity after rape accusation

France seeks removal of Lebanese ambassador’s immunity after rape accusation
Updated 05 June 2023

France seeks removal of Lebanese ambassador’s immunity after rape accusation

France seeks removal of Lebanese ambassador’s immunity after rape accusation
  • The first former employee, aged 31, filed her complaint in June 2022 for a rape she says was committed in May 2020 in the ambassador’s private apartment
  • The second woman made a complaint last February after what she said was a series of physical attacks after she turned down sexual relations

PARIS: French authorities will on Monday ask Lebanon to lift the immunity of Beirut’s ambassador to Paris after an investigation was opened into alleged rape and intentional violence by the envoy, a source said.
“Steps in this direction will be taken during the day,” a French diplomatic source, who asked not to be named, told AFP.
The ambassador, Rami Adwan, is being investigated in France following complaints by two former embassy employees. He has diplomatic immunity but could face trial if Lebanon agrees to France’s request.
Lebanon’s foreign ministry said Saturday that it would send an investigation team to the embassy in Paris to question the ambassador and hear statements from embassy staff.
The first former employee, aged 31, filed her complaint in June 2022 for a rape she says was committed in May 2020 in the ambassador’s private apartment, according to sources close to the investigation, confirming a report by the Mediapart news site.
According to the complaint, she had a relationship with the ambassador, who carried out “psychological and physical violence with daily humiliations.”
The second woman, aged 28, made a complaint last February after what she said was a series of physical attacks after she turned down sexual relations.
She says Adwan tried to hit her with his car after an argument on the sidelines of last year’s Normandy World Peace Forum.
“In view of the seriousness of the facts mentioned, we consider it necessary for the Lebanese authorities to lift the immunity of the Lebanese ambassador in Paris in order to facilitate the work of the French judicial authorities,” the French foreign ministry told AFP late Friday.
Adwan’s lawyer Karim Beylouni has said his client “contests all accusations of aggression in any shape or form: verbal, moral, sexual.”
He said Adwan had had “romantic relationships” with the two women between 2018 and 2022 that were “punctuated by arguments and breakups.”


Israel jails Palestinian for life over West Bank killing

Israel jails Palestinian for life over West Bank killing
Updated 05 June 2023

Israel jails Palestinian for life over West Bank killing

Israel jails Palestinian for life over West Bank killing
  • The Israeli military court sentenced Moath Hamed, 39, to two life sentences for the attack

Jerusalem: An Israeli court on Sunday sentenced a Palestinian to life in prison for the 2015 killing of an Israeli settler in the occupied West Bank, the military said Monday.
The Israeli military court sentenced Moath Hamed, 39, to two life sentences for the attack, which he admitted to carrying out on behalf of the Palestinian Islamist movement Hamas, the army said.
On June 29, 2015 Hamed fired at a vehicle, killing Malachi Rosenfeld, 25, who was returning from a basketball game near Shilo, an illegal settlement in the West Bank.
Three other Israelis were also injured in the attack.
In July 2015, Israel’s Shin Bet internal security agency said it had arrested seven Palestinians in connection with the attack.
The Palestinian Prisoners’ Club said Hamed had been arrested by Israeli forces in April 2022 after being “pursued by the occupation (Israel) for seven years.”
Israel has occupied the West Bank since the Six-Day War of 1967.
Cases involving events in the West Bank are tried by Israeli military tribunals.
Nearly three million Palestinians live in the West Bank, as do around 490,000 Israelis in settlements that are considered illegal under international law.


Sudan battle rages as Saudi Arabia, US urge new truce talks

Sudan battle rages as Saudi Arabia, US urge new truce talks
Updated 05 June 2023

Sudan battle rages as Saudi Arabia, US urge new truce talks

Sudan battle rages as Saudi Arabia, US urge new truce talks

JEDDAH: Saudi Arabia and the US on Sunday made a renewed push for truce talks between Sudan’s warring generals as deadly fighting raged into its eighth week.

Envoys of Sudan’s regular army and paramilitary Rapid Support Forces or RSF have remained in Jeddah despite the earlier collapse of ceasefire talks, the Kingdom’s Foreign Ministry said.

The foreign mediators called for “the parties to agree to and effectively implement a new ceasefire, with the aim of building to a permanent cessation of hostilities,” it said.

Saudi Arabia and the US are keen to resume formal talks between the delegations, the ministry said.

Saudi Arabia and the US remain steadfast in their commitment to the people of Sudan, the statement added.

The Sudanese delegations in Jeddah continue to engage in daily negotiations, the ministry said.

“Those discussions are focused on facilitating humanitarian assistance and reaching agreement on near term steps the party must take before the Jeddah talks resume,” according to the statement.

It added: “Facilitators stand ready to resume formal talks and remind parties that they must implement their obligations under the May 11 Jeddah Declaration of Commitment to protect the civilians of Sudan.”

A five-day extension of a truce formally expired on Saturday with no signs of the conflict abating.

Upwards of 1,800 people have been killed, according to the Armed Conflict Location and Event Data Project, and the UN says 1.2 million have been displaced with more than 425,000 fleeing abroad.

The RSF on Sunday claimed it had shot down a fighter jet after the army “launched an audacious airborne assault upon our forces’ positions” in northern Khartoum.

A military source told AFP a Chinese-made jet crashed near Wadi Seidna base north of Khartoum because of a “technical malfunction.”

Witnesses said they saw an aircraft traveling from the south to the north of the capital with flames erupting from it.

Other witnesses spoke of airstrikes on RSF positions in the east of the city, with some civilian casualties reported.

Fighting in the capital has led to widespread damage and looting, a collapse in health services, power and water cuts, and dwindling food supplies.

Beyond the capital, deadly fighting has also broken out in the remote western region of Darfur, already grappling with long-running unrest and huge humanitarian challenges.