GAZA CITY: Palestinian farmer Hamza Abu Thabet is becoming more and more worried about Israel’s plans to annex parts of the West Bank and the Jordan Valley, on the borders between the West Bank and Jordan.
He has lived in his village, Froosh Beit Dajan, in the Jordan Valley for three decades. But he is increasingly anxious over his and his family’s future, which he feels is under threat and shrouded in uncertainty.
Israel’s annexation project has been given the green light by the US as part of President Donald Trump’s Vision for Peace plan. It could start as early as July 1 and incorporate up to 30 percent of the West Bank into Israel. Much of this land is already host to Israeli settlements considered illegal under international law, but is claimed by Palestinians for a future independent state of their own.
Abu Thabet follows everything related to the annexation plan with great interest and on a daily basis. Six families work on his 20 dunums (20,000 sq. meters) of agricultural land.
“I hear everyday the news and updates of the plan, but the most important thing is that I and the Jordan Valley residents do not know what will happen to us,” he told Arab News.
There are about 12,000 people in the Jordan Valley and most of them depend on agricultural work.
“Our lives are in the Jordan Valley and I cannot imagine living anywhere else,” said Abu Thabet, who inherited his trade from his father and grandfathers. “Over the years we have stood up in our homes and lands, despite the oppression, the Israeli aggressions, and the restrictions on us in all aspects of life. But today the matter has become vague and unknown, and we do not know what they are planning for us.”
He believed that the Palestinian Authority (PA) had a lot to do in order to strengthen the resilience of residents and farmers in the Jordan Valley in order to face the annexation plan, even though political agreements say that Israel controls the area and is responsible for its security.
On Wednesday, Palestinian Prime Minister Muhammad Shtayeh approved steps to support farmers in the Jordan Valley by paying their debts, pumping water from PA-owned wells and providing investors with easy loans.
Abu Thabet said that the PA should help Jordan Valley residents by developing infrastructure, water and electricity networks.
The Jordan Valley, an area of 450 square kilometers, constitutes 25 percent of the West Bank’s total area. It suffers from severe Israeli restrictions that hinder development and prevent the construction of homes and schools.
This tough reality was summed up by another farmer, Ameed Hajj Muhammad. “The Jordan Valley has been effectively annexed and completely controlled by Israel since the 1967 defeat,” he told Arab News. “Israel controls every detail of our daily life.”
Hajj Muhammad said that dozens of Israeli settlements, camps and checkpoints were spreading in the Jordan Valley and ruining their lives.
He owns a 15-dunum area of agricultural land where he grows vegetables and flowers, but struggles with irrigation and also has difficulties marketing his crop.
The Jordan Valley farmers depend on sourcing water from wells dating back decades as Israel prevents them from drilling new ones.
Hajj Mohamed said it was not just the PA who had a responsibility to help farmers out.
“Palestinians need to support us by consuming our products, such as vegetables, flowers and melons, so that the farmers can withstand the high costs resulting from the Israeli restrictions.”
Israel already controls 95 percent of the Jordan Valley area, according to Azim al-Hajj, who is director of the Agricultural Relief Association. Palestinian residents currently only benefit from 5 percent of the estimated 50,000 dunums of agricultural land.
Al-Hajj said that Israel’s most dangerous act against farmers and residents was denying them access to the 87 percent of water sources that it controlled.
Since the June 1967 war, Israel has issued 2,500 military laws to restrict Palestinian residents, and because of that, the population of Palestinians in the Jordan Valley has decreased from 250,000 to 12,000 over time.
The Jordan Valley has 36 Israeli settlements with a total population of 9,500 settlers, and most of these people work in agriculture.
Since 1967 the Israeli occupation has displaced more than 50,000 Palestinian residents from the Jordan Valley, sometimes entire communities, claiming that they live on military training grounds.
The annexation plan targets an area 10 to 15 km west of the Jordan River and includes dozens of villages and areas, according to Al-Hajj.
“What is required from the PA are real programs and a package of projects in the fields of agriculture, health and education. The results could be felt by residents in their daily life.”
Jordan Valley farmers fear for the future as Israel’s West Bank annexation looms
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Jordan Valley farmers fear for the future as Israel’s West Bank annexation looms
- Palestinian prime minister approves steps to support farmers in Jordan Valley by paying their debts
Lebanon says at least three killed in Israeli strike on Baalbek
- A ministry statement said body parts were recovered from the site
BEIRUT: Lebanon’s health ministry said at least three people were killed in an Israeli strike Thursday on the main eastern city of Baalbek.
“The Israeli enemy strike... in Baalbek killed three people, in an initial toll,” a ministry statement said, adding that “body parts were recovered from the site and their identities are being verified.”
Cafe in Libya champions recycling and sustainability
- Lamma, which means “gathering” or “hangout” in Arabic, has become a cultural hub for locals and other visitors
- Its central mission, its owner said, is raising awareness of an eco-friendly lifestyle in Libya
TRIPOLI: In Libya’s capital, a cafe’s sleek exterior gives little hint of the vibrant space inside, built entirely from recycled materials to promote sustainability in a country recovering from years of war.
Lamma, which means “gathering” or “hangout” in Arabic, has become a cultural hub for locals and other visitors, featuring an art gallery that showcases Libyan artists, and hosts events and workshops.
But its central mission, its owner said, is raising awareness of an eco-friendly lifestyle in Libya, where green initiatives are scarce as people grapple with the aftermath of a gruelling conflict.
“We use materials that were abandoned in the streets, such as rubber from tires, wood from trees and construction waste” to build the cafe, said Louay Omran Burwais, an architect who designed and founded Lamma.
“The idea is to show people that what is thrown in the street and may seem ugly or useless is actually still valuable,” he told AFP.
Libya was hurled into war after a NATO-backed uprising led to the overthrow and killing of dictator Muammar Qaddafi, followed by years of fighting between militias, mercenaries and jihadists.
Power remains split between a UN-recognized government and a rival authority in the east.
Behind the long, narrow door into Lamma, visitors are greeted with a kaleidoscope of colors and shapes.
The plant-covered walls contrast with a web of suspended metal scraps, alcoves and slide tunnels that children swoop down through.
“There are no places like this in Libya,” said Roula Ajjawi, Lamma’s art director. “We base everything on one aspect that we consider very important: recycling.”
Families gather at Lamma on Thursdays, the start of the Libyan weekend, when the cafe holds art workshops for children.
Others borrow books from the venue’s small library.
Burwais says his team hopes recycling and other eco-friendly practices, which remain rare, start up in Libya, which currently has no recycling facilities.
Visitors to Lamma will recognize familiar everyday objects repurposed throughout the space, Burwais said, but they will “start seeing them differently. We are here to foster a new mindset.”
In Libya, the plastic, metal, and glass left from over a decade of civil war destruction are rarely, if ever, reused or recycled, Ajjawi said.
More often, they are abandoned in nature and on the streets, occasionally washed into the Mediterranean by rain and wind.
But with initiatives like Lamma, objects once destined for the landfill are transformed into works of art — a concept now catching on with locals.
“I love this place,” said Riyad Youssef, now a Lamma regular. “The food is great, the service is excellent, and I appreciate the commitment to reducing waste. Every idea here is amazing.”
Turkiye probes event spending in opposition-run cities
- The office said late on Wednesday it would investigate “irregular spendings“
- The Ankara chief prosecutor’s office has also launched an investigation into two concerts
ISTANBUL: The Istanbul chief prosecutor’s office has opened a probe into allegations of illicit expenditures at some public events organized by the Istanbul municipality, marking the latest legal challenge to opposition-run districts in Turkiye.
The office said late on Wednesday it would investigate “irregular spendings” to determine whether the public experienced financial harm, without elaborating.
The Ankara chief prosecutor’s office has also launched an investigation into two concerts organized by the Ankara municipality on Republic Day celebrations on Oct. 29.
The municipalities, which are Turkiye’s two largest cities and both run by the main opposition Republican People’s Party (CHP), deny the allegations.
Speaking at a career fair on Thursday, Istanbul Mayor Ekrem Imamoglu — who is seen as a potential future challenger to President Tayyip Erdogan — said the probes amounted to “reputation assassination.” The Istanbul municipality did not comment further on the probe when contacted by Reuters.
Late last month the CHP mayor of Istanbul’s Esenyurt district was arrested and accused of belonging to the outlawed Kurdistan Workers’ Party (PKK), charges he and his party reject.
Since then, the interior ministry dismissed and replaced elected mayors from the pro-Kurdish DEM party in some southeastern cities for alleged ties to militants, charges they and their party also deny.
Israeli attacks on Syria’s Damascus kill 15, state media says
- The buildings are located in the suburbs of Mazzeh and Qudsaya, both west of the capital, the SANA report said
DUBAI: Fifteen people were killed and 16 injured in Israeli attacks on a number of residential buildings in suburbs of the Syrian capital Damascus on Thursday, state news agency SANA reported, citing a Syrian military source.
The buildings are located in the suburbs of Mazzeh and Qudsaya, both west of the capital, the SANA report said.
Israeli army radio said the targets of the attack in Damascus were a headquarters of the Palestinian militant group Islamic Jihad and what it described as other assets, without elaborating.
Israel has been carrying out strikes against Iran-linked targets in Syria for years but has ramped up such raids since last year’s Oct. 7 attack by Palestinian group Hamas on Israeli territory that sparked the Gaza war.
Commanders in Lebanon’s Hezbollah armed group and Iran’s Revolutionary Guards based in Syria have been known to reside in Mazzeh, according to residents who fled after recent strikes that killed some key figures from the groups.
Mazzeh’s high rise blocks have been used by the authorities in the past to house leaders of Palestinian factions including Hamas and Islamic Jihad.
UN resolutions back Palestinian sovereignty, compensation for Lebanon, Syria
- US, Argentina, Canada, Israel, Micronesia, Nauru, Palau vote against both resolutions
- Palestinian representative: Israel allowed to act ‘above the law with brazen impunity’
LONDON: The UN Economic and Financial Committee has approved resolutions calling on Israel to compensate Lebanon and Syria for an oil slick, and to hand sovereignty to the Palestinians over their natural resources.
The US, Argentina, Canada, Israel, Micronesia, Nauru and Palau voted against both resolutions.
The slick occurred after the Israeli Air Force struck storage tanks near the Jiyah electric power plant in 2006, covering two-thirds of Lebanon’s coastline with oil.
The draft resolution was introduced by Uganda’s representative, who highlighted the disastrous impact the slick has had on biodiversity and the local economy.
It reiterated the UN General Assembly’s “deep concern” over the negative impact the incident has had on Lebanon’s long-term sustainable development, and reaffirmed a UN report that damage to the country caused by the slick amounted to $856.4 million in 2014.
The resolution was passed by 161 votes in favor to seven against, with nine abstentions. It called for “prompt and adequate compensation” from Israel to Lebanon and Syria, which was also affected by the slick.
Lebanon’s representative thanked his country’s supporters at the UN, the World Bank and elsewhere.
He said the slick had hindered Lebanon’s ability to implement the UN’s Sustainable Development Goals by 2030, and Israel’s use of chemical and toxic substances in its ongoing military campaign could cause long-term agricultural, economic and biodiversity damage.
He called for an investigation into Israeli war crimes in Lebanon and for further compensation.
The Ugandan representative also introduced a draft resolution calling on Israel to “cease the exploitation, damage, cause of loss or depletion and endangerment of the natural resources in the Occupied Palestinian Territory, including East Jerusalem, and in the occupied Syrian Golan.”
The draft also recognizes the right of the Palestinian people to seek compensation for any illegal activity by Israel or Israeli settlers that exploits or damages their natural resources.
It cited an International Court of Justice advisory opinion from July 19, and reaffirmed “the principle of the permanent sovereignty of the peoples under foreign occupation over their natural resources and the applicability of the Geneva Convention on the protection of civilians in time of war.”
The committee passed the resolution with 159 states in favor. Seven countries opposed the motion, with 11 abstentions.
The Palestinian representative said Israel must be held accountable for crimes committed against her people and on their territory, saying it has “for over a year” violated the UN Charter with its “incomprehensible” acts in Gaza.
She added that Israel has been allowed to act as a state “above the law with brazen impunity, classifying all Palestinians as terrorists to justify its acts.”
The Syrian delegate said genocide, destruction and displacement committed by Israel “have also threatened to set fire to the entire region and beyond.” He blamed the US for preventing the UN Security Council from taking firm action.
The Algerian delegate said people living under occupation should have sovereignty over their natural resources, and damage caused by Israeli aggression will take years of reconstruction to undo.
