RAMALLAH: Israeli troops shot and killed a Palestinian teenager on Wednesday in clashes in the occupied West Bank sparked by the lockdown of 150,000 residents of a refugee camp on the outskirts of East Jerusalem.
Osama Adawi, 18, was killed in Al-Aroub refugee camp north of Hebron, and another Palestinian was seriously injured by Israeli fire during clashes at a military checkpoint near Ramallah.
The clashes erupted during a “day of anger” called by Palestinians over the Israeli blockade of the Shuafat camp and the town of Anata. Israeli forces have locked down Shuafat since Oct. 8 in the hunt for a man they say killed a soldier in a checkpoint gun attack.
They have been accused of using sound bombs and rubber bullets against the camp’s residents. “This is collective punishment, an unjust, uncivilized, inhuman siege, and 150,000 citizens should not be punished to pursue one young man,” Sheikh Ekrima Sabri, the veteran imam of Al-Aqsa Mosque and former Grand Mufti of Jerusalem, told Arab News.
The Israeli lockdown prevented about 20,000 students from reaching their schools in East Jerusalem and more than 35,000 workers from getting to their jobs outside the camp.
Hundreds in Shuafat protested against the Israeli curbs on Wednesday. “We have decided that our dignity is more important than accepting collective abuse and punishment. We will continue our protests until the closure of the camp and the neighboring town of Anata is ended,” resident Yousef Mukhaimer told Arab News.
Jibril Rajoub, a Fatah official, said Palestinians were defending themselves and their property against attacks by the Israeli army and settler gangs, whether in Shuafat or the rest of the West Bank. He said the Israeli government’s continued aggression had ignited the protests.
In East Jerusalem, schools and shops closed their doors, and the city’s streets emptied as Palestinians showed solidarity with Shuafat.
There were also fears of looming clashes further north, in Nablus. Taysir Nasrallah of the Fatah Revolutionary Council told Arab News the situation was volatile after Israel closed roads into the city and began drone patrols — signs of an impending large-scale military operation.
“Israel and its army do not work for any solution other than a security solution, so the violent Palestinian reaction will continue,” he said. “The Palestinian Authority cannot ask the people to calm down and stop the protests against Israeli aggression. We are not an insurance company that guarantees Israel’s security.”
Palestinian teen shot dead in Israeli siege of refugee camp
https://arab.news/vx269
Palestinian teen shot dead in Israeli siege of refugee camp
- Violent clashes on ‘day of anger’ as occupiers place 150,000 in lockdown
- Hundreds in Shuafat protested against the Israeli curbs on Wednesday
Palestinian health ministry says 4 killed in Israeli West Bank strike
The ministry announced that the Palestinians were killed “as a result of the (Israeli) bombing of a vehicle in Tulkarem camp,” which the Israeli army did not immediately confirm to AFP.
Turkiye, Iran leaders at Muslim summit in Cairo
- Relations between Egypt and Iran have been strained for decades, but diplomatic contacts have intensified since Cairo became a mediator in the war in Gaza
CAIRO: The leaders of Turkiye and Iran were in Egypt on Thursday for a summit of eight Muslim-majority countries, meeting for the first time since the ouster of Syria’s president Bashar Assad.
Turkiye historically backed the opposition to Assad, while Iran supported his rule.
The gathering of the D-8 Organization for Economic Cooperation, also known as the Developing-8, was being held against a backdrop of regional turmoil including the conflict in Gaza, a fragile ceasefire in Lebanon and unrest in Syria.
In a speech to the summit, Turkiye’s Recep Tayyip Erdogan called for unity and reconciliation in Syria, urging “the restoration of Syria’s territorial integrity and unity.”
He also voiced hope for “the establishment of a Syria free of terrorism,” where “all religious sects and ethnic groups live side by side in peace.”
Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian urged action to address the crises in Gaza, Lebanon and Syria, saying that it is a “religious, legal and human duty to prevent further harm” to those suffering in these conflict zones.
Pezeshkian, who arrived in Cairo on Wednesday, is the first Iranian president to visit Egypt since Mahmoud Ahmadinejad, who visited in 2013.
Relations between Egypt and Iran have been strained for decades, but diplomatic contacts have intensified since Cairo became a mediator in the war in Gaza.
Foreign Minister Abbas Aragchi visited Egypt in October, while his Egyptian counterpart Badr Abdelatty traveled to Tehran in July to attend Pezeshkian’s inauguration.
Ahead of the summit, the Iranian top diplomat said he hoped it would “send a strong message to the world that the Israeli aggressions and violations in Gaza, Lebanon and Syria” would end “immediately.”
Erdogan was in Egypt earlier this year, and discussed with President Abdel Fattah El-Sisi economic cooperation as well as regional conflicts.
Established in 1997, the D-8 aims to foster cooperation among member states, spanning regions from Southeast Asia to Africa.
The organization includes Egypt, Turkiye, Iran, Nigeria, Pakistan, Bangladesh, Indonesia and Malaysia as member states.
Iraq begins repatriating Syrian soldiers amid border security assurances
DUBAI: Iraq has begun the process of returning Syrian soldiers to their home country, according to state media reports on Wednesday.
Lt. Gen. Qais Al-Muhammadawi, deputy commander of joint operations, emphasized the robust security measures in place along Iraq’s borders with Syria.
“Our borders are fortified and completely secure,” he said, declaring that no unauthorized crossings would be permitted.
Muhammadawi said that all border crossings with Syria are under tight control, stating: “We will not allow a terrorist to enter our territory.”
Turkiye won’t halt Syria military activity until Kurd fighters ‘disarm’
ISTANBUL: Turkiye will push ahead with its military preparations until Kurdish fighters “disarm,” a defense ministry source said Thursday as the nation faces an ongoing threat along its border with northern Syria.
“Until the PKK/YPG terrorist organization disarms and its foreign fighters leave Syria, our preparations and measures will continue within the scope of the fight against terrorism,” the source said.
Hamas says Israeli strikes in Yemen ‘dangerous development’
GAZA: Palestinian militant group Hamas said Thursday that Israel’s strikes in Yemen after the Houthi rebels fired a missile at the country were a “dangerous development.”
“We regard this escalation as a dangerous development and an extension of the aggression against our Palestinian people, Syria and the Arab region,” Hamas said in a statement as Israel struck ports and energy infrastructure in Yemen after intercepting a missile attack by the Houthis.
