[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
71 More Gaza Protesters Injured, 33 By Live Fire Seventy-one Palestinian civilians, including twenty-eight children, were injured due to Israeli soldiers’ excessive use of force against peaceful protesters at the 78th Great March of Return, Friday, 11 October 2019.
More than 1,000 Palestinians in Gaza Have Bone Infections After Being Shot By Israeli Forces More than 7,400 Palestinians have been injured by live ammunition during protests in Gaza. About half of those suffering from open fractures, in which the bone is broken near the wound. More than one thousand of them have developed bone infections; these serious and complex wounds require months – if not years – of dressing, surgery, and physiotherapy.
Israel Frees Governor of Jerusalem, Senior Fatah Leader Israel yesterday released the governor of Jerusalem Adnan Ghaith and the Fatah part’s Secretary-General Shadi Mutwar after arresting and detaining them for several hours. Mohammed Mahmud, the lawyer for the senior Palestinian figures, stated that they were arrested during dawn raids in their homes in occupied East Jerusalem for “carrying out sovereign acts of the Palestinian Authority in Jerusalem”.
Israel Police Recording: Issawiya Raids Designed Purely to ‘provoke’ Israeli police officers were caught on camera in Issawiya, occupied East Jerusalem, admitting that the persistent and violent raids on the community were designed only to provoke residents. The recording captures several officers saying the goal was “causing more problems.”
Domestic Policy
Gazans Challenge Occupation By Planting Olive Trees Every October, Gazans come together to celebrate the ancient tradition of olive harvest where families, farmers and children experience picking olives. This festival is considered as a revival for the symbolic, national and economic importance of the holy tree. Hundreds of thousands of olive trees have been uprooted during wars imposed by Israeli Forces against Gaza. Palestinians held the festival near the buffer zone to condemn the Israeli violations of the agricultural lands in Gaza.
Israel Threatens to Ban Palestinian Products Yesterday, the Israeli government threatened to officially ban Palestinian products from the Isreali markets unless the Palestinian boycott of Israeli calves and sheep is lifted. Major General Kamil Abu Rukun, coordinator of the occupation, stated that “Israel will not allow boycotts of any kind against Israeli produce.”
Israel Launches Plan to Force Its Own Bedouin Citizens Into Refugee Camps In January 2019, Israel's Bedouin Development and Settlement Authority announced a plan for the forced displacement of thirty six thousands Bedouin citizens to make way for "economic projects" and the expansion of live-fire training areas for the Israeli military. Now, Israel is taking the first steps towards establishing desert refugee or displacement camps designed to hold tens of thousands of Bedouin citizens whom it plans to "urgently" displace.
Vital Medicines Run Out in Gaza Euro-Mediterranean Human Rights Monitor published the findings of its research on Palestinian children recently, stating that most parents of children with autism noted that treatment and support was far too expensive for them. Another report by the World Health Organization states that of the five hundred sixteen items on Gaza’s essential medicines list, nearly half had less than a month’s stock remaining in 2018.
With Time Running Out, No Signs of Progress in Efforts to Form Israel Unity Government Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu declined to negotiate with any potential coalition partners for the 12th consecutive day ahead of the 24 October deadline. Citing “sources in Likud”, the Jerusalem Post suggested that one of the reasons Netanyahu is stalling on negotiations is due to the schedule for Attorney-General Avichai Mandelblit to make his final decision on indicting the prime minister.
PA Freezes Accounts of NGOs, Charities in Gaza The Palestinian NGO Network (PNGO Network) expressed “deep concerns” following the Palestinian Authority’s decision to freeze the accounts of scores of NGOs and charities in the Gaza Strip.
Palestine PM: We’ll Prevent Israel Army From Raiding ‘Area A’ Palestinian Authority Prime Minister Mohammed Shtayyeh has claimed that Palestinian forces will prevent the Israeli army from raiding “Area A” of the occupied West Bank. “We won’t do this through violence, but with our bodies. Israel invades the areas of the Palestinian Authority, and the signed agreements don’t allow these incursions. We will break this fait accompli,” he continued.
Foreign Policy
Jordanian Foreign Ministry Demands Israeli Regime Release Two Citizens Sufyan al-Qudah, a spokesman for the foreign ministry, said on Monday that Jordanian Ambassador in Tel Aviv Walid Obeidat, had demanded the immediate release of Heba Abdel-Baqi and Abdurrahman Marei and their repatriation. According to her attorney, Abdel-Baqi is suspected of ties with Hezbollah. Marei is still waiting to hear any reason for his detention.
Japan Funds Six Grassroots Human Security Projects in Palestine Grant contracts for six grassroots human security projects were signed today by Masayuki Magoshi, Ambassador for the Palestinian Affairs and Palestinian representatives of several projects. The projects, which cover issues like solid waste management, agriculture, and youth organizations, amount to almost half a million US dollars.
New Tunisia President: We Will Support the Just Palestine Cause Tunisia’s new President Kaies Saied said on Sunday that he “will work within the framework of the constitution and support the just causes, including that of Palestine.” Saied, a political outsider but well-known revolutionary lawyer, won in a landslide with over seventy per cent of the vote, while running a bare campaign based on decentralization and “a revolution within the framework of the constitution.”
Settlers and Illegal Settlements
Settlers Attack Palestinians Marking Annual Olive Harvest Season in OPT In spite of the prospect of good production of olive oil production this year, the army and settler herds’ attack on olive trees will minimize it as they began earlier this year uprooting about 1,090 olive trees.
Israel to Construct Over 250 New Settler Units in Occupied West Bank The head of the Committee against the Wall and Settlements in Bethlehem, Hassan Bureijia, said in a statement on Sunday that High Planning Committee of the Israeli Civil Administration has approved the construction of one hundred forty-six housing units in Gush Etzion settlement south of Bethlehem, while one hundred five settler homes will be built in Kfar Eldad settlement south of Jerusalem.
Extremist Settlers Puncture Tires, Spray Racist Graffiti Near Salfit Extremist Israeli settlers last night punctured the tires of five Palestinian-owned vehicles and spray-painted racist slogans in the village of Marda, in the center of the occupied West Bank, according to local sources.
Boycott, Divest, and Sanction Movement
Massachusetts Activists Defeated An Unconstitutional anti-BDS Bill Last Year. It’s Back Anyway. Bill H.1685 (or the Act Prohibiting Discrimination in State Contracts) was filed in 2017 by State Representatives Steve Howitt (R) and Paul McMurtry (D), but it was drafted by the pro-Israel Jewish Community Relations Council. Over one hundred Massachusetts faith and civil rights organizations formed a coalition called Freedom to Boycott to oppose the bill. Members from these groups, as well as constitutional lawyers and the ACLU of Massachusetts successfully defeated the bill. However, it has been reintroduced by Howitt, and Jewish Voice for Peace is mounting a new campaign against it.
Trail Blazers Deny BDS Pressure Ended Relationship With IDF-linked Company Last month, the Portland Trail Blazers announced that they would no longer partner with an Oregon-based company that supplies the Israel Defense Forces with rifle scopes. The move came after a campaign by local activists and organizations which lasted for over a year.
Bollywood Stars Urged to Boycott Festival in Israel Bollywood celebrities are being called out by the Boycott, Divestment and Sanctions movement to cancel their attendance and performance at a festival taking place in Israel. The Indo Fest TLV festival hosted by India-based event organizers Universal Events in association with Research Media Group, will start tomorrow in Tel Aviv and end on Thursday.
Law
Hunger-striking Detainee in Critical Situation After 82 Days of Hunger Strike Palestinian prisoner in Israeli jails Ismail Ali, who has been on hunger strike for eighty-two days in protest of his illegal administrative detention, is in a critical health situation, today said the Palestinian Authority’s Detainees Affairs Commission. Ali has reached a very critical stage and is suffering from a sharp drop in heart beats, loss of weight, inability to move limbs, and severe headache and stomachache.
On Their Day of Release, Israel Places Palestinian Prisoners in Administrative Detention Israeli Occupation authorities are placing Palestinian prisoners in administrative detention on the last day of their formal sentence, reported human rights group B’Tselem. “The prisoners were notified of their transfer to administrative detention just prior to their release, when they were already preparing to reunite with their families,” B’Tselem stated.
Environment, Economy, and Other
Gaza’s Red Gold: High Production And Growing Challenges The Gaza Strip has over 250,000 palm trees, mostly planted in the southern areas, with 150,000 trees producing an average of 100-300 kg of red dates. Abu Tamer Baraka, seventy, said that the red dates harvest season is the most important for many farmers in the Gaza Strip as it is their only source of livelihood.
Facebook Takes Down Page of Palestine News Site Facebook on Wednesday deleted the page of the Palestinian Information Centre in a move, the news site says, which is part of its war on Palestinian content on social media networks. The site’s management said Facebook provided them with no prior warning before deleting the page, which had nearly five million followers, without any justification.
Gaza Launches ‘Return Park’ Along Israel Fence The Committee of the Great Return March opened a park east of Gaza city in an effort to encourage residents to use the area near the Gaza fence. The park, located near the fence between Gaza and Israel, has been set up in the area which has been deemed “unlivable” as a result of Israeli violence in the area. Called the “Return Park”, the area includes a playground.