All articles tagged with #palestinian territories
In Qusra, West Bank, Israeli settlers besieged Palestinian homes, residents huddled indoors with dwindling food and water, and some bystanders accused the IDF of not intervening, highlighting tensions among settlers, the army, and Palestinian communities amid broader Middle East conflict.
Belgium's government approved 88 measures before the summer break, including an import ban on goods from illegally occupied Palestinian territories, part of broader EU pressure on Israel. Details of the ban are still unclear, while the EU weighs options like licensing, tariffs, or a total ban. France, Belgium, Ireland, the Netherlands, and Spain favor a full ban, whereas Germany and Italy oppose. If treated as foreign policy, the move would require unanimous backing. Belgian Foreign Minister criticized the EU for slow progress on stricter steps.
Israel’s parliament approved a law making death by hanging the default penalty for West Bank Palestinians convicted of murdering Israelis in a terrorist act, signaling a major expansion of capital punishment that rights groups call discriminatory; the measure does not apply retroactively to Oct. 7 attacks and faces legal challenges.
Israeli air strikes hit two Hamas-led police checkpoints in Khan Younis, Gaza, killing at least six Palestinians—three policemen and three civilians including a girl—and wounding others, in a flare-up that persists despite a ceasefire more than five months old.
More than 80 UN member states (from 85) condemned Israel's moves to expand control in the West Bank, calling unilateral steps a violation of international law and possibly a de facto annexation. They urged reversal, opposing changes to the territory’s demographic and legal status after Israel advanced measures including land registration as state property and tighter control over areas administered by the Palestinian Authority; the UN secretary-general also urged reversal, citing destabilising and unlawful implications.
Six Canadian MPs and a delegation were denied entry by Israel to the West Bank, citing security concerns linked to their organization's alleged ties to a proscribed group, prompting Canada's objections and raising tensions amid recent diplomatic disputes.
Members of the UN commission investigating Israel resigned, citing bias and prejudice against Israel, with critics claiming the inquiry was unfairly targeted and ignoring other groups like Hamas and Hezbollah.
The article discusses Israel's covert military activities in the West Bank, highlighting a quiet but ongoing conflict in the region, with a focus on the strategic and political implications of these operations.
Support for Hamas as a political party has dropped to 34% among Palestinians in Gaza and the West Bank, while satisfaction with its war performance remains high at 70%. The war has led to significant shifts in Palestinian views on armed struggle and diplomatic solutions, with support for a two-state solution jumping by 27 points to 62%. Despite the war's brutality, face-to-face polling in Gaza revealed the diverging opinions on Hamas as a governing body and as a symbol of Palestinian resistance against Israeli occupation. Satisfaction with the United States' handling of the war is nearly nonexistent at 1%, while Yemen garnered the highest approval ratings due to the Houthis' actions in solidarity with the Palestinian cause.
The U.N. human rights chief reported a record expansion of Israeli settlements in the occupied Palestinian territories, warning that it could eliminate the possibility of a viable Palestinian state. The report documented a surge in Israeli housing units and a rise in violence against Palestinians, with over 400 Palestinians killed since deadly Hamas attacks in October. The U.S. Biden administration has deemed the settlements "inconsistent" with international law, while Israel asserts a biblical birthright to the land. The report will be presented to the Human Rights Council in late March.
Five people were killed and 10 injured in Gaza when a pallet of aid, parachuted into the territory as part of a humanitarian airdrop, hit a group of people after the parachute failed to deploy properly. The casualties were taken to a hospital in Gaza City, and the government media office in Hamas-run Gaza criticized airdrops as "futile". Aid agencies' efforts to deliver humanitarian aid have been severely hampered by logistic obstacles, a breakdown of public order, and lengthy bureaucracy imposed by Israel, prompting calls for unimpeded humanitarian land access and more border crossings for aid deliveries.
The U.N. human rights office has released a report stating that the establishment and expansion of Israeli settlements in the West Bank and east Jerusalem amount to a war crime under international law, with roughly 24,300 housing units in existing settlements advanced in the past year. The report deplores an increase in the building of new settlement homes and warns that settler violence and settlement-related violations are reaching shocking new levels, risking the practical possibility of establishing a viable Palestinian state. Israel's diplomatic mission in Geneva criticized the report for overlooking violence by Palestinian extremists against Israelis, while much of the international community considers the settlements to be illegal under international law.
U.S. Rep. Madeleine Dean, after a recent trip to Israel and Palestinian territories, has called for a bilateral cease-fire in Gaza, expressing concerns over Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's response to the conflict. Dean, a Democrat representing Montgomery County, emphasized the urgency of the situation ahead of Ramadan and urged her colleagues to join her in calling for peace, regardless of the terminology used. The issue has sparked varying opinions among Democrats, with some explicitly calling for a cease-fire and others advocating for humanitarian pauses or negotiated stops.
The International Court of Justice hearings on the Israeli occupation of Palestinian territories concluded with only the US, UK, Hungary, and Fiji defending Israel's practices, while 45 countries and three organizations testified against it. Legal experts and representatives from various nations presented evidence against the occupation, arguing that it is unlawful and must end, despite the US and UK's claims that it is merely a "dispute" between the two sides. The hearings took place amid Israel's ongoing bombardment of Gaza and plans to build new settlements in the West Bank, with the US framing compliance with international law as an impediment to the political process.
Palestinian Authority Prime Minister Mohammad Shtayyeh resigned and dissolved the PA government, signaling an acknowledgment of the need for change amid international and internal pressure. The move comes ahead of planned negotiations for a unity government between Fatah and Hamas and amidst ceasefire talks between Israel and Hamas. However, the resignation may not lead to immediate material change, as the PA's internal and external legitimacy is waning, and President Mahmoud Abbas remains in power with little internal support. The dissolution of the PA government faces significant hurdles, including Israel's opposition and the need for a clear path toward Palestinian statehood for Arab states to fund Gaza's reconstruction.