Palestinian Plight: Updates & Discussions | World Defense

Palestinian Plight: Updates & Discussions

Falcon29

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This will be main thread for updates on the situation in Palestine. I will create separate threads for major developments but for everything else it will be found here. :)
 

Falcon29

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French MPs vote in favor of recognizing Palestine state | Maan News Agency

PARIS (AFP) -- French lawmakers voted on Tuesday in favour of recognising Palestine as a state, following similar moves in Britain and Spain as European countries try to restart the stalled Middle East peace process.

The highly symbolic vote in the lower house National Assembly is not binding on French government policy but is likely to spark fury in Israel, whose Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has warned it would be a "grave mistake."

MPs voted 339 to 151 in favor of a motion that invites Paris to recognize the state of Palestine "as an instrument to gain a definitive resolution of the conflict."

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Falcon29

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Israel reportedly rejects Turkish maritime electricity for Gaza - Diplomacy and Defense Israel News | Haaretz

Israeli has rejected a proposal to have a Turkish floating power-generating ship stationed off the coast of the Gaza Strip coast to help solve the electricity crisis in the enclave, a Palestinian official said on Sunday.

"The Israeli rejection [of the proposal] requires us to exert greater efforts to solve the electricity problem in Gaza," Palestinian National Economy Minister Mohamed Mustafa said in a statement. A report on the statement was published by the Turkish newspaper Daily Salah.

Turkish Energy Minister Taner Yildiz announced in mid-August that Turkey was planning to send a 100 megawatt power-generating ship to Gaza, pending Israeli approval.

The Gaza Strip requires 360 megawatts of electricity to meet the needs of its roughly 1.9 million residents. Only some 200 megawatts are currently available.

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Falcon29

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Hamas chief gives great responses to Western Jewish journalist:

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Vanity Fair: I thought maybe we’d start with your thoughts about the allied campaign in Syria, which was formerly the home to Hamas. What are your thoughts about the U.S.-led coalition against ISIS?

Khalid Mishal: I spent some of the most important years of my life in Syria. A big part of Hamas’s course was shaped there, and I am pained by what the country is going through today. . . . Much of what’s happening does not serve the interests of regional countries and their people. Indeed, we are against ideological, political, or military extremism. We are for moderation. We are against any aggression, or any killing of innocent human beings, regardless of their beliefs or race.

We believe in the right to resistance against the occupation. This is a legitimate right of the people, as with the Palestinian people. Any people that come under foreign occupation have the right to resistance. But random killings on all fronts, and extremism, this is something we’re against. This, however, is not something that can be resolved by forming coalitions like the one we have today, which is led by the United States. . . . Biased U.S. foreign policies toward Israel, and its policies in the region over the last few years, is also a form of extremism. Extremism is condemned, irrespective of who is wielding it.

As for what happened this past summer, with the war in Gaza, the numbers are pretty high. Twenty-one hundred Palestinians are dead. Over 20,000 houses destroyed. Do you consider this summer’s war with Israel to be a victory?

Netanyahu, because of his cabinet’s internal problems and because of the public anger against him, opted to escalate the situation in Gaza. He sought to score a victory over his political opponents and in front of the Israeli people, so he carried out his aggression. . . .

Victims did fall, true. But, we did not launch a war based on some calculations, then discovered that we incurred losses. The war was imposed on us and we simply defended ourselves . . . we are saddened by the loss of lives, but who should bear responsibility? It’s the Israelis: politicians, military, and security leaders. As for us, we stood our ground in this war. We thwarted Netanyahu’s plot.

The steadfastness showcased by Gaza is a victory. It sent a message to the world that there is something called the “Palestinian cause” . . . that the occupation must be brought to an end, that the settlements’ expansions must stop, and that the blockade on Gaza must be lifted.

Let’s talk about something that played a key part in the war: the tunnels that begin in Gaza, go underneath the border, and into Israel. What was their objective?

In light of the balance of power, which is shifted toward Israel, we had to be creative in finding innovative ways. The tunnels were one of our innovations. The Israeli army is stronger than us. It possesses a great destructive power. It has airplanes, artillery. It possesses the strongest weapons arsenal in the region. Therefore, what Hamas and other resistance factions are doing in Gaza, with the full support of our people, is just an attempt to ensure the necessary means to protect our people. . . . The tunnels come in this context, that of putting more obstacles in the way of any Israeli attacks, and enabling the resistance in Gaza to defend itself.

These tunnels are routinely referred to in the Palestinian press as attack tunnels, offensive tunnels. They start in Gaza, and they exit near civilian communities, Kerem Shalom, Ein Hashlosha, and I think 14 different communities. How is that defending yourself? On multiple occasions in the last year, Hamas operatives I believe belonging to the “Nukhba” (Elite forces) tried to enter Israel to carry out attacks. What can you tell us about that?

Please note when we used these tunnels. We used them when Israel waged war against us. So the tunnels may have been outwardly called offensive tunnels, but in actual fact, they are defensive ones. If those were offensive tunnels, Hamas would have used them before the war. But, when Israel carried out its aggression against us, we used the tunnels to infiltrate behind the back lines of the Israeli army, which is waging war on Gaza. This is the first point.

The second one is, yes, true. There are Israeli towns adjacent to Gaza. Have any of the tunnels been used to kill any civilian or any of the residents of such towns? No. Never! [Hamas] used them either to strike beyond the back lines of the Israeli army or to raid some military sites such as Nahal Oz. Hamas filmed this operation and aired the footage on TV networks. This proves that Hamas is only defending itself, is engaged in a war of self-defense.

There are a number of sources who say Hamas actually planned to use these tunnels to carry out a mass attack, simultaneously sending operatives through the tunnels and into Israel. This was one of the justifications for the war [and] one of the reasons that Israel was worried about shutting down the tunnels. Did Hamas have a plan to attack civilian communities in Israel in parallel?

The Israeli leadership is lying. Evidence of this is that when they declared war on Gaza, they did not declare the tunnels as part of the military targets. But when they discovered the tunnels, this is when they started to raise the issue. This proves that they first started the war, and then looked for justifications. This is the first point.

The second one is, if what Israeli leaders are claiming is correct—that Hamas dug those tunnels to attack the Israeli towns and kill civilians—how come Hamas hasn’t done that during the war?

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Portion of it.
 

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French MPs vote in favor of recognizing Palestine state | Maan News Agency

PARIS (AFP) -- French lawmakers voted on Tuesday in favour of recognising Palestine as a state, following similar moves in Britain and Spain as European countries try to restart the stalled Middle East peace process.

The highly symbolic vote in the lower house National Assembly is not binding on French government policy but is likely to spark fury in Israel, whose Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has warned it would be a "grave mistake."

MPs voted 339 to 151 in favor of a motion that invites Paris to recognize the state of Palestine "as an instrument to gain a definitive resolution of the conflict."

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Its a shame that in the era of democracy and the right for self determination Palestine is still occupied.

The day that Europe as whole would officially recognize Palestine as a state is coming very soon. Nice step taken by France and Sweden so far. I hope the rest follow suit.
 
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Israeli forces demolish building, 20 stores in Shufat camp | Maan News Agency

JERUSALEM (Ma'an) -- Bulldozers heavily escorted by Israeli forces on Wednesday demolished 20 stores and an ancient structure in Shufat refugee camp in East Jerusalem, sources told Ma'an.

Locals said large numbers of Israeli police officers and troops from various divisions raided the camp and deployed in the streets and on rooftops.

Troops then surrounded an ancient building known as the Cola building and all adjacent stores, denying local residents access to the area before blowing up the main doors of all the stores.

The building and the stores belong to the Dajani family from Jerusalem. One of the owners, Abu al-Walid Dajani, told Ma'an Israeli authorities carried out the demolition without notifying the owners. He said excavators demolished the building and 20 adjacent stores.

The area where the demolitions took place measures about 800 square meters, Dajani said.

The building and the stores were built in 1963, he added. It had been populated and the stores were used as shops until the mid-1980s when the First Intifada broke out. Israeli authorities then prevented the family from using the structures.

Dajani denied Israeli claims that the building and the stores were built without permits. He said the Dajani family originally owned 11,500 square meters in Shufat camp before Israel confiscated 2,000 square meters for the construction of the separation wall. In 2008, Israel confiscated 6,000 square meters more, on which they set up a military checkpoint.

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In 2012, Israeli forces confiscated the rest of the land along with the structures built on it. Dajani attempted to reclaim his land and properties through Israeli courts, including the Supreme Court, to no avail. Courts always cited security pretexts, he told Ma'an.

Israeli authorities ordered him to pay a property tax of 485,000 shekels to the Israeli municipality of Jerusalem, he added.

A spokesman of the Fatah movement in Shufat camp, Thaer Fasfous, told Ma'an that four large excavators demolished the Cola building and 20 stores. He added that 10 of the demolished stores were open and running until the day they were demolished.

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Israeli warships 'shell Gaza coast,' critically injure fisherman | Maan News Agency

GAZA CITY (Ma'an) -- A Palestinian fisherman was critically injured on Wednesday after Israeli warships fired several shells toward the coast near Gaza City, a union official said.

Nizar Ayyash, head of the Gaza fishermen's union, told Ma'an that fisherman Fakher Nizar Abu Riyaleh, 32, was critically injured in the head by shrapnel from Israeli shells.

Abu Riyaleh was taken to al-Shifa hospital for treatment.

An Israeli army spokeswoman told Ma'an she was not familiar with any shells fired at the Gaza City coast.

She said that there was a Palestinian "vessel" that deviated from the "permitted fishing zone," and that Israeli forces fired warning shots in the air.

The spokeswoman said no shots were fired at the vessel and that there were no hits confirmed.

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The occupiers flexing muscles against children and helpless elders.



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Falcon29

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Israeli soldiers kill Palestinian during Ramallah arrest raid | Maan News Agency

RAMALLAH (Ma'an) -- Israeli soldiers shot and killed a young Palestinian man during a dawn detention raid in Qalandiya refugee camp near Ramallah, medics said Tuesday.

Mahmoud Abdullah Udwan, 21, was shot in the head while standing on the rooftop of his family home in the camp, medics said.

He was hit as Israeli soldiers ransacked homes to make arrests at around 3 a.m.

Clashes broke out as a result of the raid, with youths throwing stones at Israeli soldiers.

President Mahmoud Abbas denounced the killing and urged the international community to provide protection for the Palestinian people, a statement from his office said.

Despite the confrontations, Israeli soldiers managed to detain 26-year-old Mujahid Hamad, who works with the Palestinian football federation as a security guard at stadiums.

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Israel hands 11 demolition orders to houses in Silwan | Maan News Agency

JERUSALEM (Ma'an) -- The Israeli municipality on Wednesday distributed demolition orders to several houses, some as old as 30 years, in the Silwan neighborhood for "building without permits."

Member of the committee for the defense of Silwan lands and estates Fakhri Abu Diab told Ma'an that municipality workers distributed 11 orders for houses in the al-Hara al-Wosta, al-Bustan, Wadi al-Rababa, Ein al-Lawza, and al-Jisr areas which would leave 70 people homeless.

The houses belong to the Abu Sneineh, Awwad, Abbasi, Odeh, Al-Rishq, Abdo and Samareen families.

Abu Diab said that in the past few days more and more orders have been distributed, and in some cases the houses were built before the 1967 occupation of Jerusalem.

Abu Diab added that over 62 percent of houses in Silwan are under the threat of demolition, after orders were "randomly" distributed as "collective punishment," which he says aims to displace the residents and control the neighborhood.

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Scorpion

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Silwan is the alleged city of King Solomon the zionist entity want to revive.

Watch this if you want to know the reality of the so called Israel from A to Z.

 

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Israeli police shoot 5-year-old in the face while exiting school bus

Israeli police shoot 5-year-old in the face while exiting school bus
Published yesterday (updated) 24/12/2014 22:36

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JERUSALEM (Ma'an) -- Israeli forces on Wednesday afternoon shot a 5-year-old Palestinian child in the face with a rubber-coated steel bullet in East Jerusalem as he was getting out of a school bus on his way home, relatives said.

"An Israeli soldier fired a black rubber-coated bullet at the child from a close distance, injuring him under the eye," the uncle of 5-year-old Muhammad Jamal Ubeid told Ma'an.

The incident reportedly took place in the East Jerusalem village of al-Issawiya, where Muhammad's family lives.

The child's uncle said that Muhammad and his 14-year-old sister stepped out of a school bus and had started to walk home when the Israeli forces shot him.

The uncle said there were no confrontations at all in the area between Israeli forces and Palestinians at the time of the shooting.

An Israeli police spokesman did not return a request for comment.

Muhammad was evacuated to the nearby Hadassah Medical Center on Mount Scopus where medical authorities said he had a fracture in the bone below his eye.

The boy was later transferred to the Hadassah Medical Center in the Ein Karem neighborhood in West Jerusalem for treatment.

East Jerusalem neighborhoods like al-Issawiya have seen months of heavy police presence and widespread protests amid increasing anger over the Israeli occupation and perceived discrimination.

Palestinians in East Jerusalem have residency rights but not citizenship since Israel occupied the city in 1967, despite the fact that the vast majority are born and raised in the city and trace their heritage back generations.

Israel captured East Jerusalem from Jordan in 1967 and later annexed it in a move never recognized abroad. The international community sees East Jerusalem as Palestinian territory.

Israeli police shoot 5-year-old in the face while exiting school bus | Maan News Agency
 

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http://www.maannews.net/eng/ViewDetails.aspx?ID=752564

GAZA CITY (AFP) -- Living by candlelight with no electricity and reliant on sandbags to stop their ruined homes flooding, Gazans who survived last year's war are now struggling with a brutal winter storm.

As millions across Palestine and Israel hunkered down for the worst storm of the winter, freezing rain and gale-force winds battered the Gaza Strip where more than 100,000 homes were destroyed or damaged during the 50-day conflict.

Wael al-Sheikh, 37, lost his home during an Israeli air strike and now lives with his two sons in a tent pitched among the ruins.

But with no access to electricity, it is impossible to fend off the cold.

Fearing that the winds of 80 kilometers (50 miles) per hour would simply blow their makeshift home away, they have sought refuge with relatives.

Imad Mutlaq's home was also largely destroyed in the July-August war and the wind whistles through the cracks in the walls.

"We have no electricity or heating," he told AFP, describing the first night of the storm as "difficult."

Thirty-year-old Mohammed Ziyad, father to two young sets of twins, is trying to put on a brave face.

During a previous storm, the ground floor of the building where they live flooded, but this time he said the family is well prepared.

"We have stocked up on milk and nappies in case we find ourselves stuck indoors."

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How to come the whole world is whining about human rights but don't apply that to the Palestinians? It seems like the Palestinians belong to the zoo and not human beings.
 
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