[This is a roundup of news articles and other materials circulating on Palestine and reflects a wide variety of opinions. It does not reflect the views of the Palestine Page co-editors or of Jadaliyya. You may send your own recommendations for inclusion in each roundup to Palestine@jadaliyya.com.]
The Occupation Forces
Undercover Israeli Forces Kidnap Palestinian in Bethlehem Undercover Israeli forces stormed a gas station and kidnapped a Palestinian man near the Dheisheh refugee camp, in the occupied West Bank district of Bethlehem, on Tuesday. Local sources identified the kidnapped Palestinian as Tamer Abu Sadoud. Sources added that Sadoud was kidnapped by undercover Israeli forces from a local gas station, where he was working.
Israel Delivers Demolition Notices to Palestinian Homes in Issawiya Muhammad Abu al-Hummus, member of a local follow-up committee, said that staff members from the Israeli Civil Administration along with Israeli forces stormed Issawiya and delivered demolition notices. Al-Hummus added that the notices mentioned that the demolition would be carried out under the pretext that it was built without the difficult-to-obtain Israeli permit.
Israeli Tanks Open Fire in Northern Gaza Israeli tanks heavily opened fire, on Tuesday, after shots were fired at Israeli forces near the security border fence in the northern besieged Gaza Strip. Hebrew-language news outlets reported that Israeli forces along the Israel-Gaza security border fence were allegedly shot at by Palestinians from Gaza.
IOF Launches Air-raid on Gaza Killing One Palestinian Israeli tanks fired into the northern portion of the besieged Gaza Strip on Tuesday, killing twenty-four-year-old Mahmoud al-Abed al-Nabahin, The Israeli military claims it targeted a post belonging to the Palestinian resistance movement Hamas after a group of Palestinians shot and injured an Israeli officer across the border with the occupied territories.
Palestinian Man Shot Dead at Military Checkpoint Near Nablus A Palestinian man on Monday evening was shot dead by Israeli Occupation Forces at Huwwara military checkpoint, south of Nablus, under claims of a stabbing attempt. According to security sources, Israeli soldiers at the checkpoint fired at the young man, Mohammed Adawi, thirty-six, from the village of’ Azzun ‘Atma in Qalqiliya governorate, immediately shooting him to announce his death later. The occupation closed the checkpoint in both directions following the shooting.
Domestic Policy
Fatah Official Says Legislative Elections Will Be Held After Commission Says It is Ready Legislative elections will be held after the Central Elections Commission says it is ready, member of Fatah Central Committee, Hussein al-Sheikh, said on Monday to Palestinian Authority-owned news agency Wafa. He expressed hope that Hamas will agree to the elections, which he said is the only way to insure democracy and the rule of the people.
Government Sets Up a Committee to Investigate Minister’s Comments on anti-social Security Law Protests The Palestinian government decided on Saturday to set up a ministerial committee to look into statements by minister of local government, Hussein al-Araj, regarding the leaders of the anti-social security protests. The remarks by Araj seem to have insulted the anti-social security movement in the city of Hebron, in the south of the West Bank, who strongly protested his remarks in which he accused some workers’ leaders of the anti-social security movement of being agents for Israel.
Israeli Minister Calls for Expelling International Observers from Hebron Israeli Minister of Internal Security Gilad Erdan has called for international observers to be expelled from Hebron, claiming the mission is “hostile to Israel rather than a neutral force, and harmful to both the Israeli soldiers stationed in Hebron and the Jewish settlers that live there.”
Senior Likud MK: Netanyahu Understands There Will Be No Palestinian State Senior Likud Member of Knesset Avi Dichter rejected the idea of a Palestinian state in remarks made on Sunday and said Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu shares his views, reported the Jerusalem Post. “As far as I am concerned, there will be no Palestinian state alongside the State of Israel,” said Dichter, who chairs the Knesset’s Foreign Affairs and Defense Committee.
PA Continues Arresting, Torturing Palestinians in West Bank Palestinian Authority (PA) continues arresting and torturing Palestinians for their political affiliation, targeting members of Hamas, news reports and Hamas officials have said. Hamas, along with several rights groups said that the detainees are subject to severe torture in violation of international and local laws.
New Israeli Airport to Open Near Jordanian Border Israel has officially inaugurated a new international airport on Monday near the Red Sea resort town of Eilat, a few kilometers from the Jordanian border. In the future, the airport plans to host jumbo jets from around the globe and will also serve as an emergency alternative to Tel Aviv's Ben-Gurion airport.
Ahmad Tibi Has A Plan to Unseat Netanyahu, But It Means Leaving His Palestinian Partners Dr. Ahmad Tibi, who heads the Arab Movement for Renewal faction, also known as Ta’al, made a surprising announcement last week, declaring he would run independently from the Joint List in the upcoming elections. He claims that Ta’al running independently will increase competition and therefore turnout for Palestinian citizens of Israel, as well as increase the chances of having a centrist coalition to block another right-wing government.
Foreign Policy
Italy Donates €1.5 Million to UNRWA The Italian government donated 1.5 million euros to the United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees which would allow the agency to provide medical services for Palestinian refugees in Lebanon. The Italian government’s donation will allow UNRWA to provide hospital services and financial support to around one thousand five hundred Palestinian refugees moving from Syria to Lebanon.
USAID to End All Palestinian Projects on Jan. 31st The United States Agency for International Development will end all its projects in the occupied West Bank and the besieged Gaza Strip on 31 January following the US administration’s decision to cut funding to the Palestinians.
EU Calls for Democratic Elections, Urges PA to Fully Resume in Gaza The European Union’s Representative issued a statement on Monday dealing with the dissolution of the Palestinian Legislative Council in agreement with the EU Heads of Mission in Jerusalem and Ramallah. The statement expressed the concern of the European Union over the dissolution of the only elected governing body of the Palestinian Authority, which had not been in session since 2007.
UN Officials Say Forcible Transfer of Palestinians a Breach of Geneva Convention After visiting on Tuesday the Palestinian Sabbagh family facing eviction from its home in Sheikh Jarrah neighborhood of occupied Jerusalem for the benefit of Israeli settlers, United Nations and other officials warned that forced eviction and transfer of Palestinians are a breach of Fourth Geneva Convention.
Greenblatt Says Published Details on Trump’s Plan are Inaccurate The American envoy to the Middle East, Jason Greenblatt, on Thursday said that leaks published by Channel Ten, on the American plan to settle the Palestinian issue, known as media “Deal of the Century” as “inaccurate.” The news channel cited a source briefed by Americans, saying that the plan would entail Israel annexing Jewish settlement blocks with territorial swaps and a Palestinian capital in East Jerusalem.
Russia to Grant $10 Million in Aid to Palestinian Refugees Russia will grant ten million dollars in financial aid for Palestinian refugees, a Russian official said on Tuesday, Anadolu Agency reports. Konstantin Kosachev, who heads Foreign Affairs Committee of the Russian Federation Council’s Foreign Affairs Committee, promised both financial and political support for Palestine.
Settlers and Illegal Settlements
Israeli Settlers Chop Down Dozens of Olive Trees Near Ramallah Israeli settlers chopped down forty Palestinian-owned olive trees, on Friday, in the al-Mughayyir village in the central occupied West Bank district of Ramallah. Sources mentioned that the village faces increased attacks carried out by Israeli settlers, such as running over flocks of sheep, uprooting of trees, seizure of land, and burning local mosques.
A New Settlement Bloc Crossing the West Bank Toward Palestinian Valleys The National Bureau for Defending Land and Resisting Settlements said, that Israel is planning to implement a new settlement bloc project in the center of the West Bank toward Palestinian Valleys. Israeli Minister of Science and Technology Ophir Akunis advocated the imposition of Israeli sovereignty over the whole of the occupied West bank in order to accelerate settlement construction.
Palestinian Rejects $100m Israel Offer to Buy his Hebron Home An inhabitant of the West Bank city of Hebron, Abdul Raouf al-Mohtaseb rejected an Israeli offer worth one hundred million dollars for his house and shop, located in the center of the old neighborhood of al-Sahla, Hebron, Arabi 21 reported on Friday. Al-Mohtaseb has rejected all previous Israeli offers made to him for his house and shop, which overlook Ibrahimi Mosque in the center of the old city.
Boycott, Divest, and Sanction Movement
Asked to Reverse anti-BDS Stance, Justin Trudeau Doubles Down Justin Trudeau reaffirmed his opposition to the Boycott, Divestment and Sanctions movement, saying he would "continue to condemn" the Palestinian campaign for human rights, which he says “singles out” Israel. These comments come less than a year before a federal election in Canada.
Law
Jailed Palestinian Who Sold Land to Israelis Set to Be Freed A Palestinian man who received a life sentence for selling property in the occupied territory to Israelis is set to be released and sent to the United States, Israeli media reported. Isaam Akel, who holds a dual US citizenship, is expected to leave the occupied West Bank to be transported to the United States in the coming days, according to Haaretz.
Shaked Faces Calls to Resign As Sex Scandal Rocks Israel Judiciary Shaked Thursday hit back at accusations that she bore responsibility for the scandal, in which the head of the Israel Bar Association, Efraim (Efi) Nave, allegedly helped appoint judges in return for sexual favors. Nave is thought to be a powerful ally of Shaked in the judicial system, with both on the Judicial Appointments Committee. Shaked’s opponents are now claiming she allowed Nave to allegedly abuse his power under her watch in order to promote her own political interests.
Israel Court Places Lien on Yasser Arafat’s Land in Jerusalem An Israeli court in Jerusalem today placed a temporarily lien on land in occupied Jerusalem which is partly owned by former Palestinian leader Yasser Arafat. The land in the Mount of Olives covers an area of 2.7 dunams. The order comes in response to a compensation claim by Israelis who say they are “victims of terrorism” and filed a lawsuit against the Palestinian Authority and Arafat’s estate.
Environment, Economy, and Other
Over 3 Million Tourists Visited Palestine in 2018 The Palestinian Minister of Tourism and Antiquities Rola Maaya announced, on Saturday, that more than three million tourists visited Palestine in 2018. The date by PCBS also predicted that based on indicators the number of tourists in 2019 is going to exceed that of last year.
'Catastrophic situation' Imminent as Gaza's Children Hospitals Nearly Out of Fuel A spokesperson for Gaza's health ministry has warned of a "catastrophic situation" as hospitals, including ones for children, are forced to close down due to a lack of fuel. "Hundreds of patients at Gaza hospitals will be facing an unknown fate when their electric generators shut down due to the fuel crisis," said Ashraf al-Qedra.