12 nov 2015
Tension escalated on Wednesday, between Palestinian locals and Israeli soldiers at the northern entrance of Bethlehem, as the latter violently quelled a rally marking the 11th anniversary of the death of late leader Yasser Arafat, according to a security source.
Clashes reportedly erupted in the vicinity of Bilal Bin Rabah Mosque, after soldiers attacked the rally, where they used concussion grenades and tear gas canisters against locals, leading to several suffocation cases among them.
Earlier Wednesday, according to WAFA, Israeli forces raided a boys’ secondary school in the town of Taqou’ to the east of Bethlehem, and threatened to shut down the school if students continue to throw stones at Israeli soldiers.
Israeli forces often resort to using force against Palestinians participating in peaceful rallies.
According to Palestine News Network, “The Palestinian Human Rights Organizations Council (PHROC) and the Civic Coalition for Palestinian Rights in Jerusalem (CCPRJ) have issued a joint statement condemning Israel’s attacks on civilians, saying the ‘root causes’ cannot be ignored.”
They said, “We deplore and condemn all forms of attacks on civilians, and emphasize that the current escalation in violence cannot be explained, addressed or remedied in a vacuum.”
“The human rights organizations strongly condemned the extreme measures that Israel has taken in recent weeks and calls on the international community to take action. Of specific concern is Israel’s arbitrary and expansive use of live fire, in part due to the recent relaxation of live-fire regulations for stone-throwers, and the excessive use of force against Palestinian demonstrators both by the IOF in the OPT and Israeli police in Israel.”
Meanwhile, the association for civil rights in Israel affirmed, “The right to demonstrate and to protest is part and parcel of the right to freedom of expression, and it is entrenched in international human rights law.”
“According to international human rights law, it is the obligation of the occupying power to enable the exercise of freedom of expression and protest in the Occupied Territories.”
Clashes reportedly erupted in the vicinity of Bilal Bin Rabah Mosque, after soldiers attacked the rally, where they used concussion grenades and tear gas canisters against locals, leading to several suffocation cases among them.
Earlier Wednesday, according to WAFA, Israeli forces raided a boys’ secondary school in the town of Taqou’ to the east of Bethlehem, and threatened to shut down the school if students continue to throw stones at Israeli soldiers.
Israeli forces often resort to using force against Palestinians participating in peaceful rallies.
According to Palestine News Network, “The Palestinian Human Rights Organizations Council (PHROC) and the Civic Coalition for Palestinian Rights in Jerusalem (CCPRJ) have issued a joint statement condemning Israel’s attacks on civilians, saying the ‘root causes’ cannot be ignored.”
They said, “We deplore and condemn all forms of attacks on civilians, and emphasize that the current escalation in violence cannot be explained, addressed or remedied in a vacuum.”
“The human rights organizations strongly condemned the extreme measures that Israel has taken in recent weeks and calls on the international community to take action. Of specific concern is Israel’s arbitrary and expansive use of live fire, in part due to the recent relaxation of live-fire regulations for stone-throwers, and the excessive use of force against Palestinian demonstrators both by the IOF in the OPT and Israeli police in Israel.”
Meanwhile, the association for civil rights in Israel affirmed, “The right to demonstrate and to protest is part and parcel of the right to freedom of expression, and it is entrenched in international human rights law.”
“According to international human rights law, it is the obligation of the occupying power to enable the exercise of freedom of expression and protest in the Occupied Territories.”
10 nov 2015
Deputy Head of Hamas political bureau Ismail Haniyeh said that handing over the house of the late Palestinian President Yasser Arafat is a proof that his assassination is still a national issue.
In a telephone conversation, Arafat’s widow Suha thanked Haniyeh and Hamas Movement for maintaining the house over the past eight years.
The house was handed over to a delegation of the Yasser Arafat Foundation following the official approval of Arafat's widow Suha.
The handover process was also attended by a number of Palestinian parties and carried out under the protection of Palestinian police.
Hamas leader Sami Abu Zuhri said that his party handed the house over to the Yasser Arafat Foundation following the official approval of Arafat's widow Suha.
Abu Zuhri considered the move a "national and positive signal that should be built on to achieve the national unity, which the Palestinian people need the most in this time."
Arafat is the former president of the PLO since 1969 and the first President of the PNA since its establishment in 1994.
Arafat died on Nov. 11, 2004 in a mysterious illness that claimed life of the 75-year-old man. Palestinians have accused Israel of assassinating their leader by poison.
In a telephone conversation, Arafat’s widow Suha thanked Haniyeh and Hamas Movement for maintaining the house over the past eight years.
The house was handed over to a delegation of the Yasser Arafat Foundation following the official approval of Arafat's widow Suha.
The handover process was also attended by a number of Palestinian parties and carried out under the protection of Palestinian police.
Hamas leader Sami Abu Zuhri said that his party handed the house over to the Yasser Arafat Foundation following the official approval of Arafat's widow Suha.
Abu Zuhri considered the move a "national and positive signal that should be built on to achieve the national unity, which the Palestinian people need the most in this time."
Arafat is the former president of the PLO since 1969 and the first President of the PNA since its establishment in 1994.
Arafat died on Nov. 11, 2004 in a mysterious illness that claimed life of the 75-year-old man. Palestinians have accused Israel of assassinating their leader by poison.
22 july 2015
French public prosecution said on Tuesday that France requires no further investigation into murder allegations of late PLO leader Yasser Arafat.
A prosecutor in Nanterre court, near Paris, concluded that the case regarding Arafat's alleged poisoning via polonium-210 to be closed.
Two weeks ago, the court in Nanterre announced that the judges involved in the case had finished their investigations on 30 April and that the case was turned to the public prosecution to take the necessary measures over a three-month period.
Arafat's widow Suha and his daughter Zahwa filed a complaint for alleged murder in 2012 after a medical team from Switzerland's University Centre for Legal Medicine analysed remains exhumed from Arafat's grave in November 2012 and found traces of the radioactive substance polonium-210.
At the beginning of this year, the three judges asked by French judiciary to probe the case ruled out the possibility that Arafat was poisoned by polonium.
In late 2013, a French medical report dismissed the possibility that Arafat was poisoned after analysing the same remains exhumed from his grave in November 2012.
The report said the above-average level of polonium-210 could result from natural sources in the environment.
PLS48.net said that earlier this year the Nanterre court returned an application by Arafat's wife to exhume his grave and retrieve further remains for testing. Then, the judges in the same court asked for more investigations, but now they have announced the case to be closed.
A prosecutor in Nanterre court, near Paris, concluded that the case regarding Arafat's alleged poisoning via polonium-210 to be closed.
Two weeks ago, the court in Nanterre announced that the judges involved in the case had finished their investigations on 30 April and that the case was turned to the public prosecution to take the necessary measures over a three-month period.
Arafat's widow Suha and his daughter Zahwa filed a complaint for alleged murder in 2012 after a medical team from Switzerland's University Centre for Legal Medicine analysed remains exhumed from Arafat's grave in November 2012 and found traces of the radioactive substance polonium-210.
At the beginning of this year, the three judges asked by French judiciary to probe the case ruled out the possibility that Arafat was poisoned by polonium.
In late 2013, a French medical report dismissed the possibility that Arafat was poisoned after analysing the same remains exhumed from his grave in November 2012.
The report said the above-average level of polonium-210 could result from natural sources in the environment.
PLS48.net said that earlier this year the Nanterre court returned an application by Arafat's wife to exhume his grave and retrieve further remains for testing. Then, the judges in the same court asked for more investigations, but now they have announced the case to be closed.
5 june 2015
File photo of late Yasser Arafat (R) during a visit at World Economic Forum
A majority of the town council in La Seyne-sur-Mer, on the Mediterranean coast, has voted in favour of naming one of its streets after late Palestinian leader Yasser Arafat. In a statement issued yesterday, city mayor and a member of the French Socialist Party Marc Vuillemot said that some council members opposed the decision saying Arafat was a controversial figure.
The municipal council also decided to name another street after late Israeli Prime Minister Yitzhak Rabin, Vuillemot added, pointing out that both leaders deserved the recognition because they won the Nobel Peace Prize.
This is the first time a French city names one of its streets after the Palestinian leader.
Arafat died on 11 November 2004, in a military hospital in the French capital, Paris.
Street to be named for Yasser Arafat in south of France
La Seyne-sur-Mer's city council overwhelmingly voted in favor of naming a street for Arafat; the socialist mayor of the town doesn't understand what the fuss is all about
A new street in the Berthe neighborhood of La Seyne-sur-Mer, a coastal city in the south of France, will be named after Yasser Arafat, according to French newspaper Var-Matin. The announcement was validated by the members of the city council on Tuesday.
The only other such case in France is in Bobigny, a suburb of Paris, which has a Yasser Arafat-Rabin Square. In 2013 the socialist mayor of Belfort, a city in eastern France, drew up plans to name a square for Yasser Arafat. But this plan was quashed by the Jewish community there, who vehemently opposed it.
Only a few voices of opposition were raised during the deliberations regarding the street naming. Some said that Arafat was a "controversial figure" while others labeled him a "terrorist". But in the end a very large majority voted in favor of naming the street for Yasser Arafat.
The socialist mayor of La Seyne-sur-Mer, Marc Vuillemont, explained that it was the elected officials of the city who made the decision in a democratic process. He also said that he was hard-pressed to understand the controversy, since there is already a Yitzhak Rabin Street in the city, and Yasser Arafat, after all, won the Nobel Prize together with Rabin. He joked that he hadn't gone out to measure both streets to see which of the two was longer.
In 2013, an uproar arose when the Communist mayor of Bezons, a suburb of Paris, decided to name Majdi Ihrima Al-Rimawi an honarary citizen.
Al-Rimawi, is the Palestinian whom an Israeli court condemned to life in prison and an additonal 80 years, due to his implication in the assassination of former Minister of Tourism Rechavam Ze'evi in 2001.
A majority of the town council in La Seyne-sur-Mer, on the Mediterranean coast, has voted in favour of naming one of its streets after late Palestinian leader Yasser Arafat. In a statement issued yesterday, city mayor and a member of the French Socialist Party Marc Vuillemot said that some council members opposed the decision saying Arafat was a controversial figure.
The municipal council also decided to name another street after late Israeli Prime Minister Yitzhak Rabin, Vuillemot added, pointing out that both leaders deserved the recognition because they won the Nobel Peace Prize.
This is the first time a French city names one of its streets after the Palestinian leader.
Arafat died on 11 November 2004, in a military hospital in the French capital, Paris.
Street to be named for Yasser Arafat in south of France
La Seyne-sur-Mer's city council overwhelmingly voted in favor of naming a street for Arafat; the socialist mayor of the town doesn't understand what the fuss is all about
A new street in the Berthe neighborhood of La Seyne-sur-Mer, a coastal city in the south of France, will be named after Yasser Arafat, according to French newspaper Var-Matin. The announcement was validated by the members of the city council on Tuesday.
The only other such case in France is in Bobigny, a suburb of Paris, which has a Yasser Arafat-Rabin Square. In 2013 the socialist mayor of Belfort, a city in eastern France, drew up plans to name a square for Yasser Arafat. But this plan was quashed by the Jewish community there, who vehemently opposed it.
Only a few voices of opposition were raised during the deliberations regarding the street naming. Some said that Arafat was a "controversial figure" while others labeled him a "terrorist". But in the end a very large majority voted in favor of naming the street for Yasser Arafat.
The socialist mayor of La Seyne-sur-Mer, Marc Vuillemont, explained that it was the elected officials of the city who made the decision in a democratic process. He also said that he was hard-pressed to understand the controversy, since there is already a Yitzhak Rabin Street in the city, and Yasser Arafat, after all, won the Nobel Prize together with Rabin. He joked that he hadn't gone out to measure both streets to see which of the two was longer.
In 2013, an uproar arose when the Communist mayor of Bezons, a suburb of Paris, decided to name Majdi Ihrima Al-Rimawi an honarary citizen.
Al-Rimawi, is the Palestinian whom an Israeli court condemned to life in prison and an additonal 80 years, due to his implication in the assassination of former Minister of Tourism Rechavam Ze'evi in 2001.
7 may 2015
Attorneys oppose decision to close investigation into claims the Palestinian leader was murdered by Israel, after failing to find new evidence of foul play.
Lawyers representing the widow of late Palestinian leader Yasser Arafat on Wednesday denounced a French decision to close a murder inquiry into his 2004 death and vowed to ensure the investigation continued.
Many Palestinians believe that Israel poisoned Arafat, with the complicity of people in his entourage.
"We do not approve of this decision... and we will obviously seek further investigation," said Suha Arafat's lawyers, Francis Szpiner and Renaud Semerdjian.
On Tuesday, judges reexamining evidence surrounding the historic leader's death wrapped up their investigations.
The prosecutor now has three months to prepare his submissions on whether to dismiss the case or forward it to court.
In the meantime interested parties can produce written depositions. However if, as is currently the case, there is no defendant's name attached to the proceedings, the case is likely to be dismissed.
"With all due respect to the judges and the prosecutor, no-one can say what Yasser Arafat died of nor explain the circumstances of his death," his widow's lawyers told AFP.
"This element alone means the inquiry should continue," they said, adding that they were "shocked at the speed" with which the investigation was closed.
Arafat died aged 75 on November 11, 2004, at the Percy military hospital in Clamart, close to Paris.
He was admitted there after developing stomach pains at his headquarters in the West Bank city of Ramallah, where he had lived since December 2001, surrounded by the IDF.
Arafat's widow Suha lodged a complaint at a court in Nanterre near Paris in 2012, claiming that her husband was assassinated. The complaint triggered a murder inquiry.
The same year, Arafat's tomb in Ramallah was opened for a few hours allowing French, Swiss and Russian investigators to collect samples from his remains.
French experts reexamining evidence had in March confirmed their earlier conclusion that Arafat's death was not the result of poisoning. The prosecutor for the western Paris suburb of Nanterre said the experts found there was no foul play in Arafat's death, which sparked immediate and enduring conspiracy rumors. A university in the Swiss city of Lausanne tested samples taken from his belongings given to his widow after his death in Paris, and found "abnormal levels of polonium", but stopped short of saying he had been poisoned by the extremely radioactive toxin.
French experts believe the polonium-210 found in his grave and remains was environmental in nature, Nanterre prosecutor Catherine Denis said last month.
Polonium-210 became famous in 2006 when a fugitive Russian intelligence officer turned opponent of President Vladimir Putin, Alexander Litvinenko, was killed in London by a strong dose of the hard-to-get radioactive isotope.
Lawyers representing the widow of late Palestinian leader Yasser Arafat on Wednesday denounced a French decision to close a murder inquiry into his 2004 death and vowed to ensure the investigation continued.
Many Palestinians believe that Israel poisoned Arafat, with the complicity of people in his entourage.
"We do not approve of this decision... and we will obviously seek further investigation," said Suha Arafat's lawyers, Francis Szpiner and Renaud Semerdjian.
On Tuesday, judges reexamining evidence surrounding the historic leader's death wrapped up their investigations.
The prosecutor now has three months to prepare his submissions on whether to dismiss the case or forward it to court.
In the meantime interested parties can produce written depositions. However if, as is currently the case, there is no defendant's name attached to the proceedings, the case is likely to be dismissed.
"With all due respect to the judges and the prosecutor, no-one can say what Yasser Arafat died of nor explain the circumstances of his death," his widow's lawyers told AFP.
"This element alone means the inquiry should continue," they said, adding that they were "shocked at the speed" with which the investigation was closed.
Arafat died aged 75 on November 11, 2004, at the Percy military hospital in Clamart, close to Paris.
He was admitted there after developing stomach pains at his headquarters in the West Bank city of Ramallah, where he had lived since December 2001, surrounded by the IDF.
Arafat's widow Suha lodged a complaint at a court in Nanterre near Paris in 2012, claiming that her husband was assassinated. The complaint triggered a murder inquiry.
The same year, Arafat's tomb in Ramallah was opened for a few hours allowing French, Swiss and Russian investigators to collect samples from his remains.
French experts reexamining evidence had in March confirmed their earlier conclusion that Arafat's death was not the result of poisoning. The prosecutor for the western Paris suburb of Nanterre said the experts found there was no foul play in Arafat's death, which sparked immediate and enduring conspiracy rumors. A university in the Swiss city of Lausanne tested samples taken from his belongings given to his widow after his death in Paris, and found "abnormal levels of polonium", but stopped short of saying he had been poisoned by the extremely radioactive toxin.
French experts believe the polonium-210 found in his grave and remains was environmental in nature, Nanterre prosecutor Catherine Denis said last month.
Polonium-210 became famous in 2006 when a fugitive Russian intelligence officer turned opponent of President Vladimir Putin, Alexander Litvinenko, was killed in London by a strong dose of the hard-to-get radioactive isotope.
6 may 2015
French judges re-examining the evidence surrounding the 2004 death of former president Yasser Arafat have concluded their investigations, the prosecutors office in the Paris suburb of Nanterre said Tuesday.
"The judges have closed their dossier and it was sent to the prosecutor on April 30," he said.The prosecutor now has three months to prepare his submissions on whether to dismiss the case or put it forward to court.
In the meantime interested parties can produce written depositions, however if, as is currently the case, there is no defendant's name attached to the proceedings, the case is likely to be dismissed.
Arafat died aged 75 on November 11, 2004, at the Percy de Clamart hospital, close to Paris. He had been admitted there at the end of October that year after developing stomach pains while at his headquarters in the West Bank city of Ramallah, where he had lived since December 2001, surrounded by the Israeli army.
Arafat's widow Suha lodged a complaint at a court in Nanterre in 2012, claiming that her husband was assassinated, sparking the inquiry.The same year, Arafat's tomb in Ramallah was opened for a few hours allowing three teams of French, Swiss and Russian investigators to collect around 60 samples.
Arafat's death and the subsequent confusion and lack of concrete information surrounding his death has led to ongoing theories regarding the cause. Many Palestinians believe that Israeli intelligence poisoned Arafat with the complicity of some people in his entourage.
A center in the Swiss city of Lausanne had tested biological samples taken from Arafat's personal belongings given to his widow after his death in Paris, and found "abnormal levels of polonium", but stopped short of saying that he had been poisoned by the extremely radioactive toxin.
However French experts "maintain that the polonium-210 and lead-210 found in Arafat's grave and in the samples are of an environmental nature," Nanterre prosecutor Catherine Denis said last month.This confirmed French findings from 2013, which also matched those of a Russian team, while a Swiss probe said at the time that the poisoning theory is "more consistent" with its test results.
Polonium-210 became famous in 2006 when a fugitive Russian intelligence officer turned opponent of President Vladimir Putin, Alexander Litvinenko, was killed in London by a strong dose of the hard-to-get radioactive isotope. Two Russian agents were the chief suspects for British police, but Moscow refused their extradition. The lawyer of Arafat's widow Souha Arafat could not be immediately contacted for comment.
"The judges have closed their dossier and it was sent to the prosecutor on April 30," he said.The prosecutor now has three months to prepare his submissions on whether to dismiss the case or put it forward to court.
In the meantime interested parties can produce written depositions, however if, as is currently the case, there is no defendant's name attached to the proceedings, the case is likely to be dismissed.
Arafat died aged 75 on November 11, 2004, at the Percy de Clamart hospital, close to Paris. He had been admitted there at the end of October that year after developing stomach pains while at his headquarters in the West Bank city of Ramallah, where he had lived since December 2001, surrounded by the Israeli army.
Arafat's widow Suha lodged a complaint at a court in Nanterre in 2012, claiming that her husband was assassinated, sparking the inquiry.The same year, Arafat's tomb in Ramallah was opened for a few hours allowing three teams of French, Swiss and Russian investigators to collect around 60 samples.
Arafat's death and the subsequent confusion and lack of concrete information surrounding his death has led to ongoing theories regarding the cause. Many Palestinians believe that Israeli intelligence poisoned Arafat with the complicity of some people in his entourage.
A center in the Swiss city of Lausanne had tested biological samples taken from Arafat's personal belongings given to his widow after his death in Paris, and found "abnormal levels of polonium", but stopped short of saying that he had been poisoned by the extremely radioactive toxin.
However French experts "maintain that the polonium-210 and lead-210 found in Arafat's grave and in the samples are of an environmental nature," Nanterre prosecutor Catherine Denis said last month.This confirmed French findings from 2013, which also matched those of a Russian team, while a Swiss probe said at the time that the poisoning theory is "more consistent" with its test results.
Polonium-210 became famous in 2006 when a fugitive Russian intelligence officer turned opponent of President Vladimir Putin, Alexander Litvinenko, was killed in London by a strong dose of the hard-to-get radioactive isotope. Two Russian agents were the chief suspects for British police, but Moscow refused their extradition. The lawyer of Arafat's widow Souha Arafat could not be immediately contacted for comment.
11 nov 2014
Hundreds of supporters of the Fatah movement gathered in al-Katiba square in Gaza City Tuesday despite the movement's decision to cancel the official festival commemorating the 10th anniversary of the death of Palestinian leader Yasser Arafat, locals said.
Palestinians carried pictures of the iconic Palestinian leader, waved Fatah flags, and chanted slogans celebrating Arafat's life.
Participant Mervat Abd al-Qader told Ma'an that the memory of Arafat's death is painful for Palestinians.
She said no one could prevent Palestinians from commemorating the death of the leader "who taught us that Palestinians are the decision makers."
Fatah announced Sunday that the official anniversary ceremony would be canceled in the wake of bomb blasts on Friday that targeted Fatah members' homes, without causing injuries.
The ceremony would have been the first official commemoration of Arafat's death allowed in the Strip since Hamas took power in 2007.
Arafat died on Nov. 11, 2004 in France. The circumstances behind his death remain a mystery.
Palestinians carried pictures of the iconic Palestinian leader, waved Fatah flags, and chanted slogans celebrating Arafat's life.
Participant Mervat Abd al-Qader told Ma'an that the memory of Arafat's death is painful for Palestinians.
She said no one could prevent Palestinians from commemorating the death of the leader "who taught us that Palestinians are the decision makers."
Fatah announced Sunday that the official anniversary ceremony would be canceled in the wake of bomb blasts on Friday that targeted Fatah members' homes, without causing injuries.
The ceremony would have been the first official commemoration of Arafat's death allowed in the Strip since Hamas took power in 2007.
Arafat died on Nov. 11, 2004 in France. The circumstances behind his death remain a mystery.
The fatal stabbing of an Israeli soldier and settler further heightened tensions as Palestinians were set Tuesday to commemorate the 10th anniversary of the death of iconic leader Yasser Arafat.
Monday's violence began in Tel Aviv, where a Palestinian teenager from the northern West Bank stabbed a soldier who later died of his wounds in hospital. The assailant fled but was arrested.
Hours later, another Palestinian attacked three Israelis outside the Alon Shvut settlement in the southern West Bank, killing a young woman and wounding two other people before a security guard shot and critically wounded him.
The bloodshed took place after months of clashes in and around annexed East Jerusalem, with the unrest spreading to Palestinian areas of Israel over the weekend after police shot dead a young Palestinian with Israeli citizenship during an arrest operation.
Events marking the 10th anniversary of Arafat's death have been cancelled in the Gaza Strip due to security concerns, but are expected to go ahead in the West Bank.
The Palestinian leader, who signed the 1993 Oslo peace accords with Israel but walked away from talks hosted by the US at Camp David in 2000, died aged 75 at a hospital in Paris in 2004.
His death remains clouded in mystery, with some research indicating he may have been poisoned by polonium, a theory which is accepted by many Palestinians.
'Situation could further deteriorate'
The knife attacks were condemned by the United States and the European Union.
"It is absolutely critical that parties take every possible measure to protect civilians and de-escalate tensions," said State Department spokeswoman Jen Psaki.
The office of EU foreign affairs chief Federica Mogherini warned the situation could further deteriorate "in the absence of political perspective."
A wave of violence has gripped annexed East Jerusalem for the past four months and has recently spread to Palestinian towns and villages inside Israel.
Anger initially boiled in Jerusalem in early July over the murder of a Palestinian teenager by young Jewish extremists.
It has been fueled by religious tensions at the flashpoint Al-Aqsa Mosque compound, as well as by moves to expand settler presence in the occupied eastern sector of the holy city.
Since July, police have arrested some 900 Palestinians for public order offences in East Jerusalem and indicted around a third of them.
The unrest spread at the weekend after police shot dead a 22-year-old Palestinian in Kufr Kana near the northern city of Nazareth, triggering a wave of rioting in Palestinian areas, some of which continued until early Monday.
Police claim the officers fired warning shots before shooting directly at him.
But relatives say Kheir Hamdan was killed "in cold blood," with CCTV images contradicting the official version and showing an officer shooting him as he was running away from the scene.
Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu vowed Sunday that anyone breaking the law would be "punished severely."
"We will not tolerate disturbances and riots. We will take determined action against those who throw stones, firebombs, and fireworks, and block roads, and against demonstrations that call for our destruction."
Monday's violence began in Tel Aviv, where a Palestinian teenager from the northern West Bank stabbed a soldier who later died of his wounds in hospital. The assailant fled but was arrested.
Hours later, another Palestinian attacked three Israelis outside the Alon Shvut settlement in the southern West Bank, killing a young woman and wounding two other people before a security guard shot and critically wounded him.
The bloodshed took place after months of clashes in and around annexed East Jerusalem, with the unrest spreading to Palestinian areas of Israel over the weekend after police shot dead a young Palestinian with Israeli citizenship during an arrest operation.
Events marking the 10th anniversary of Arafat's death have been cancelled in the Gaza Strip due to security concerns, but are expected to go ahead in the West Bank.
The Palestinian leader, who signed the 1993 Oslo peace accords with Israel but walked away from talks hosted by the US at Camp David in 2000, died aged 75 at a hospital in Paris in 2004.
His death remains clouded in mystery, with some research indicating he may have been poisoned by polonium, a theory which is accepted by many Palestinians.
'Situation could further deteriorate'
The knife attacks were condemned by the United States and the European Union.
"It is absolutely critical that parties take every possible measure to protect civilians and de-escalate tensions," said State Department spokeswoman Jen Psaki.
The office of EU foreign affairs chief Federica Mogherini warned the situation could further deteriorate "in the absence of political perspective."
A wave of violence has gripped annexed East Jerusalem for the past four months and has recently spread to Palestinian towns and villages inside Israel.
Anger initially boiled in Jerusalem in early July over the murder of a Palestinian teenager by young Jewish extremists.
It has been fueled by religious tensions at the flashpoint Al-Aqsa Mosque compound, as well as by moves to expand settler presence in the occupied eastern sector of the holy city.
Since July, police have arrested some 900 Palestinians for public order offences in East Jerusalem and indicted around a third of them.
The unrest spread at the weekend after police shot dead a 22-year-old Palestinian in Kufr Kana near the northern city of Nazareth, triggering a wave of rioting in Palestinian areas, some of which continued until early Monday.
Police claim the officers fired warning shots before shooting directly at him.
But relatives say Kheir Hamdan was killed "in cold blood," with CCTV images contradicting the official version and showing an officer shooting him as he was running away from the scene.
Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu vowed Sunday that anyone breaking the law would be "punished severely."
"We will not tolerate disturbances and riots. We will take determined action against those who throw stones, firebombs, and fireworks, and block roads, and against demonstrations that call for our destruction."
8 nov 2014
A number of Palestinian activists managed to breach a small section of the Israeli Annexation Wall, northwest of occupied East Jerusalem.
The activists said they demolished this section of the Wall to send a message that Jerusalem is an occupied Arab, Palestinian city, and to send a message to Israel that its army and offensives, and its wall, will never keep the Palestinians out of their city.
They added that this activity comes to mark the 25th Anniversary of the fall of Berlin’s Wall, and that “as the Berlin Wall fell, the Annexation will in Palestinian will fall, along with the occupation and its figures.”
The activists said the Palestinians in every part of Palestine are preparing for the era of the “Jerusalem Intifada,” and that this Intifada would be the final stage before liberation and independence.
They also said more activities will be held in the coming days, marking the death of late President Yasser Arafat, and the Declaration of Independence of November 14, 1988."
The activists said they demolished this section of the Wall to send a message that Jerusalem is an occupied Arab, Palestinian city, and to send a message to Israel that its army and offensives, and its wall, will never keep the Palestinians out of their city.
They added that this activity comes to mark the 25th Anniversary of the fall of Berlin’s Wall, and that “as the Berlin Wall fell, the Annexation will in Palestinian will fall, along with the occupation and its figures.”
The activists said the Palestinians in every part of Palestine are preparing for the era of the “Jerusalem Intifada,” and that this Intifada would be the final stage before liberation and independence.
They also said more activities will be held in the coming days, marking the death of late President Yasser Arafat, and the Declaration of Independence of November 14, 1988."
7 nov 2014
A number of explosions struck, on Friday dawn, around 15 homes, and cars, belonging of leaders of the Fateh movement in different parts of the Gaza Strip, and the podium that was installed ahead of the memorial ceremony of late Palestinian president of Yasser Arafat, west of Gaza City.
The Palestinian News & Info Agency (WAFA) has reported that the explosions targeted homes, belonging to senior Fateh leaders, and their cars, in the western area of the Gaza Strip.
The explosions also struck the podium that was placed to commemorate the tenth anniversary of the death of late President Yasser Arafat, west of Gaza city. The podium was placed ahead of the commemoration ceremony planed for November 11.
The explosions caused excessive property damage to homes and cars, but apparently no one was physically harmed.
A spokesperson of the Fateh movement Fayez Abu ‘Aita in Gaza told WAFA that an explosion also struck his home and car in Jabalia, in the northern part of the Gaza Strip.
On Thursday, Abu ‘Aita denounced what he called “statements of incitement by some Hamas leaders targeting President Abbas, and the Unity Government."
Meanwhile, in Hamas-affiliated Palestinian Information Center, has reported that the explosions are “part of internal conflicts within the Fateh movement.”
It added that, on Thursday, supporters of Abbas clashed with supporters of Fateh official, former head of the Preventative Security Forces, Mohammad Dahlan, in the al-Azhar University in Gaza.
The Palestinian News & Info Agency (WAFA) has reported that the explosions targeted homes, belonging to senior Fateh leaders, and their cars, in the western area of the Gaza Strip.
The explosions also struck the podium that was placed to commemorate the tenth anniversary of the death of late President Yasser Arafat, west of Gaza city. The podium was placed ahead of the commemoration ceremony planed for November 11.
The explosions caused excessive property damage to homes and cars, but apparently no one was physically harmed.
A spokesperson of the Fateh movement Fayez Abu ‘Aita in Gaza told WAFA that an explosion also struck his home and car in Jabalia, in the northern part of the Gaza Strip.
On Thursday, Abu ‘Aita denounced what he called “statements of incitement by some Hamas leaders targeting President Abbas, and the Unity Government."
Meanwhile, in Hamas-affiliated Palestinian Information Center, has reported that the explosions are “part of internal conflicts within the Fateh movement.”
It added that, on Thursday, supporters of Abbas clashed with supporters of Fateh official, former head of the Preventative Security Forces, Mohammad Dahlan, in the al-Azhar University in Gaza.
26 feb 2014
Director of the Russia's Federal Medical-Biological Agency (FMBA) Vladimir Uiba said that there is no need to form a new committee to examine the remains of the late Palestinian president Yasser Arafat.
The Arab League had filed a request for the formation of an international committee to re-examine the remains of Arafat after the Agency concluded that his death was due to natural causes, and not poisoning as previous examinations had suggested.
Russia Today quoted Uiba as saying, "we will not take part in this new committee," adding that scientists are satisfied with the results they previously found.
"The scientists in the community have accepted this, but others who assess things according to their feelings did not," he added.
In December, FMBA officials ruled that the late Palestinian leader died from "natural" causes. The tests followed a November report from Swiss scientists which "moderately supported the proposition that the death was the consequence of poisoning with polonium-210."
Arafat died in France on Nov. 11, 2004 at the age of 75, but doctors were unable to specify the cause of death. No autopsy was carried out at the time, in line with his widow Suha's request.
The Arab League had filed a request for the formation of an international committee to re-examine the remains of Arafat after the Agency concluded that his death was due to natural causes, and not poisoning as previous examinations had suggested.
Russia Today quoted Uiba as saying, "we will not take part in this new committee," adding that scientists are satisfied with the results they previously found.
"The scientists in the community have accepted this, but others who assess things according to their feelings did not," he added.
In December, FMBA officials ruled that the late Palestinian leader died from "natural" causes. The tests followed a November report from Swiss scientists which "moderately supported the proposition that the death was the consequence of poisoning with polonium-210."
Arafat died in France on Nov. 11, 2004 at the age of 75, but doctors were unable to specify the cause of death. No autopsy was carried out at the time, in line with his widow Suha's request.
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