Monday: two Palestinians shot dead after stabbing two women in an Israeli settlement

Two Palestinians were shot dead after allegedly stabbing and injuring two Israeli women in the illegal Israeli settlement of Beit Horon, west of Ramallah in the central occupied West Bank, Israeli police said.
Israeli police spokesperson Luba al-Samri said "two terrorists approached a grocery store in Beit Horon and stabbed a woman, then they fled the scene. As they were fleeing the two then stabbed another woman before a security guard neutralized them,'' Al-Samri said" 
One Israeli woman, 40, was seriously injured after being stabbed in the "upper part" of her body, while another woman, 60, sustained light wounds. Al-Samri added that two explosive devices were also found after police searched the area.

Palestinian teen killed by prematurely exploded bomb

Mohammed Halabiyya

Israeli military sources have reported that a Palestinian teen was killed, on Saturday evening, in Abu Dis town east of occupied Jerusalem, when an explosive he allegedly was preparing to throw at an Israeli military outpost, detonated prematurely.
The explosion did not lead to any casualties among the soldiers. The body of the slain Palestinian was severely mutilated due to the blast. The Palestinian Red Crescent said its medics rushed to the scene, but Israeli soldiers prevented them from approaching the Palestinian, and declared the area a closed military zone.
The slain Palestinian was later identified Mohammad Nabil Halabiyya, 16 years of age, from Abu Dis town.

Curfew in Tunisia after days of unrest over unemployment

Photo Moncef Tajouri/AP
 
Tunisia's Prime Minister Habib Essid has held an emergency cabinet meeting to discuss a wave of protests and rioting over growing unemployment.The meeting on Saturday came a day after the government declared a nationwide curfew after four days of violence.
"People should understand that we can reach a solution, yet this requires a great amount of patience and positiveness. And, as I said, many dark ideologies are taking advantage of the peaceful demonstrations and the enthusiasm of many youth," Essid told a press conference.
"Many enemies do not wish to Tunisia or Tunisians successful. They feel undermined by the democratic process. They are doing all they can to disturb the harmony of our democracy and the historic transition period Tunisia has seen. The transition is inevitable. The transition is irreversible," Essid added.
Thousands of dissatisfied people have taken to the streets in recent days, demanding immediate action against unemployment and poor economic conditions.

Saturday: Brave Israeli guard from settlement kills dangerous 14 year old female terrorist

Israeli sources reported Saturday, that an armed guard of the settlement “Anatot” north of Jerusalem, shot dead a Palestinian child after she allegedly pulled a knife on him.
The child has been identified as Roqayya Eid Abu Eid (al-Yattawi), 14, from the Palestinian town of ‘Anata, in the Jerusalem district.‘Anatot’ is constructed on land taken illegally from ‘Anata.
According to the Israeli newspaper “Jerusalem Post” the incident took place outside Anatot settlement on Saturday morning. Acccording to the guard ''he approached her to ask for identification, and question her, but she pulled a knife and tried to stab him.” The guard was not harmed.
The child initially suffered very serious wounds, and later died. Palestinian sources said the child’s extended family is from Yatta town, in the southern West Bank district of Hebron. The family moved to ‘Anata ten years ago.

Jerusalem municipality demolishes house

Bulldozers of the Israeli Municipality of Jerusalem Wednesday demolished a Palestinian-owned under construction house in Wadi Qadoom neighborhood in the East Jerusalem town of Silwan, under the pretext there was no licence for the building.

Wadi Hilweh Information Center reported that Israeli police forces, accompanied with bulldozers, and a municipal staff, stormed the town of Silwan in the pre-dawn hours, sealed off Wadi Qadoom and surrounding areas, before proceeding to demolish the 300-square-meters house, which was built only three months ago and belonged to local Samer Nassar.

The Nassar family said that the demolition took place without any prior notice, noting that the building costs amounted to 180 thousand Israeli Shekels (over 35 thousand Dollars).

One female Israeli settler killed, another one wounded in stabbing attacks

A pregnant Israeli woman was wounded in a stabbing attack in the West Bank settlement of Tekoa, in Gush Etzion, according to initial reports. Medical personal said she suffered moderate-to-serious wounds.
The woman was in a warehouse when she was attacked by a Palestinian man, who was shot by a settlement resident. The attacker, who was previously reported killed, is now said to be in serious condition.
She suffered injuries to her upper body. They said that the woman was fully conscious before she was taken to hospital for further treatment.
The incident took place inside the settlement, as did another stabbing on Sunday. 39-year-old Dafna Meir was stabbed to death inside her home in the West Bank settlement of Otniel after a struggle with the attacker.

Sunday: Israelis kill at Huwwara checkpoint 159th Palestinian

Wisam Qasrawi

Israeli soldiers shot dead a young Palestinian man on Sunday afternoon, man, allegedly after attempting to stab a soldier, at the Huwwara military roadblock, south of the northern West Bank city of Nablus.
Palestinian medical sources said the young man has been identified as Wisam Marwan Qasrawi, 21, from Msalya village, southeast of the northern West Bank city of Jenin.
The Israeli military reported no injuries among the soldiers, pushed dozens of additional troops into the area, and closed the roadblock.
His father refuted the Israeli claims of an "attempting stabbing attack", and said Wisam headed to his work at the brick factory, where he has been working for several years, and accused the military of executing him.He added that his slain son was helping the family provide livelihood for his five brothers, including children.
Qasrawi is the 159th Palestinian to be killed by Israeli fire since October 1, 2015.

Yes, Israel Is Executing Palestinians Without Trial

by Gideon Levy, Haaretz

We should call it like it is: Israel executes people without trial nearly every day. Any other description is a lie. If there was once discussion here about the death penalty for terrorists, now they are executed even without trial (and without discussion). If once there was debate over the rules of engagement, today it’s clear: we shoot to kill – any suspicious Palestinian.

Public Security Minister Gilad Erdan outlined the situation clearly when he said, “Every terrorist should know he will not survive the attack he is about to commit” – and almost every politician joined him in nauseating unison, from Yair Lapid on up. Never have so many licenses to kill been handed out here, nor has the finger been so itchy on the trigger.

In 2016, one doesn’t have to be Adolf Eichmann to be executed here – it’s enough to be a teenage Palestinian girl with scissors. The firing squads are active every day. Soldiers, police and civilians shoot those who stabbed Israelis, or tried to stab them or were suspected of doing so, and at those who run down Israelis in their cars or appear to have done so.

Friday: Israelis kill two in Gaza

Israeli forces, on Friday afternoon, shot dead a two Palestinianx in the Gaza -Strip. One was killed during a military invasion of al-Bureij refugee camp, in the central Gaza Strip, the other  was shot during a protest in Khan Younis, in which protesters threatened a portion of the border fence.
Doctors said that 19-year-old Mohammad Abu Zayed from al-Bureij had been shot in the head. His body was taken to the al-Aqsa Martyrs Hospital in Deir al-Balah.Medics added that at least 10 other Palestinian youths had been shot and wounded by live fire during the clashes.
Some hours later, a second Palestinian died after being shot in the stomach.Gaza’s Ministry of Health spokesman Ashraf al-Qidra identified the man as Mohammad Majdi Qaita, 26, from Khan Younis. Qaita was pronounced dead shortly after being taken to the al-Aqsa Martyrs Hospital, the spokesman added.

Thursday: Israeli soldiers kill two Palestinians, one from Sa'ír, the 12th from this town since 1 October

The dead Moayyad Jabarin.

Updated. Israeli soldiers shot and killed, two Palestinians on Thurday. One was killed at an Israeli military checkpoint nearby the Palestinian village of Asira ash-Shamaliya, north of the occupied West Bank city of Nablus. Israel’s army said that he attacked a military vehicle before stabbing and injuring an officer when the forces exited the vehicle. Israeli forces then opened fire on him and killing him on site. He was identified by locals as Haitham Mahmoud Abd al-Jalil, 31.The Israeli was ''very lightely'' wounded, the army said.
Somewhat earlier on the same day the Israeli army killed a young Palestinian close to the Beit 'Anoun Junction, east of the southern West Bank city of Hebron. Palestinian medical sources said the slain Palestinian has been identified as Moayyad Awni Jabarin, 20, from Sa’ir town, northeast of Hebron.
The Israeli army claimed the soldiers "thwarted an attack when the young man attempted to stab them, causing no injuries among soldiers. He was the twelfth Palestinian, from Sa’ir town  to be killed since October 1, 2015

Pension fund of American Methodist Church put Israeli banks on a blacklist

The pension fund of the American United Methodist Church declared the five largest Israeli banks off limits for investment and has divested from the two that it held in its portfolios, due to their deep involvement with financing illegal settlement building in the occupied Palestinian territories.

Sign on a wall in Bethlehem, (Photo AFP)

 

The fund, called the General Board of Pension and Health Benefits, excluded Bank Hapoalim, Bank Leumi, First International Bank of Israel, Israel Discount Bank, and Mizrahi Tefahot Bank, according to the pension board's website.
It is  a succes for the Boycott, Divestment, and Sanctions movement, It acknowledges the deep connections between Israeli banks and the settlement enterprise. In effect, it is an acknowledgment that responsibility for ongoing abuses of Palestinian rights does not stop at the Green Line.

The Church is sure to face intense backlash for this decision - especially given that in just 5 months, the Church will consider divestment from Caterpillar, Motorola Solutions, and Hewlett Packard at their General Conference.

Wednesday: one Palestinian killed and three injured by Israeli missile in Gaza

Mousa Zeiter

Palestinian medical sources have reported, Wednesday, that one Palestinian was killed and three others were injured, at least one seriously, after an Israeli drone fired a missile into an area, west of Beit Lahia town, in the northern part of the coastal region.
The sources said Mousa Z'eiter, 23, was instantly killed in the attack, while another Palestinian suffered a serious injury, and two others suffered mild wounds.They were all moved to Kamal Adwan Hospital in Beit Lahia.
In addition, Israeli navy boats fired three shells into the bombarded area, while many armored bulldozers and vehicles invaded it and uprooted Palestinian lands.
The Israeli army claimed it targeted Palestinian fighters, allegedly planting explosives on a military road, behind the border fence.

Tuesday: Israeli military kill three Palestinians

Adnan Halayqa

Updated. Israeli soldiers shot and killed, Tuesday, two Palestinians, including one teen, near Beit 'Anoun village junction, east of the southern West Bank city of Hebron, while a third Palestinian was shot and injured, and many others suffered the effects of tear gas inhalation.
 Dr. Sharif at-Tarda, head of the Emergency Unit in the Al-Mezan Hospital in Hebron, said the soldiers shot Adnan Ayed Hamed al-Halayqa, 17, with a live round in the right side of his chest, and another Palestinian teen, who initially remained unidentified, as the soldiers held his body.
Al-Halayqa, from the towwn of Shuiukh near Hebron, died of his serious injury in the al-Mezan Medical Center in Hebron city, Palestinian medical sources said.
The second slain Palestinian was later identified as Mohammad Ahmad Kawazba, 23, from th town of Sa’ir  near Hebron. He is the eleventh Palestinian from Sa’ir, to be killed by the army since October, 2015.

Saturday: Israeli soldiers kill two Palestinian salesmen at checkpoint near Nablus

Hamra checkpoint

Israeli forces on Saturday shot and killed two Palestinian men at the al-Hamra military checkpoint in the northern Jordan Valley, witnesses said.
Witnesses told Ma’an that the two men were stopped at the checkpoint and asked by forces to exit their vehicle, at which point the forces shot them dead.The witnesses said they did not see the men wielding knives and told Ma’an the two were “killed in cold blood.” The men sold wholesale goods and were reportedly on their way to distribute merchandise to grocery shops, witnesses added.
An Israeli army spokeswoman told Ma’an that two assailants attempted to stab Israeli soldiers stationed at the security crossing who opened fire in response to the attack.

Olof Palme Prize 2015 for Gideon Levy and Mitri Raheb

The jury of the Swedish Olof Palme Prize has awarded the prize to two outspoken opponents of the Israeli occupation: Gideon Levy of the Israeli newspaper Haaretz  and the Palestinian Luthera pastor Mitri Raheb from Bethlehem. The juriy announced on Thursday that they wille receive the prize for their "courageous and indefatigable fight against occupation and violence." The award ceremony will take place on 29 January in Stockholm.
Levy is a journalist who relentlessly critisizes the occupation, Israels xonophoby and its policy towards the Palestinians. He is a member of Haartez' editorial board. He writes a weekly Twilight Zone feature, which covers the Israeli occupation in the West Bank and Gaza and also authors political editorials. In 2010 he published a book, The Punishment of Gaza.
Raheb works for the Lutheran church in Bethlehem, and founded the Dar al-Kalima University College of Arts and Culture that offers young people an opportunity to investigate their Palestinian identity.

Israel demolishes houses and restaurant in Jerusalem and five Bedouin dwellings east of the city

The destroyed part of the restaurant in Beit Safafa.

Israeli bulldozers under army escort on Thursday demolished three Palestinian structures built without construction permits in the Jerusalem neighborhoods of Silwan and Beit Safafa, the owners told Ma'an.
Nadia Abu Diab said that Jerusalem municipality excavators tore down a two-story building and unfinished apartment belonging to her family in Silwan in occupied East Jerusalem.She said the 125-square meter apartment had been under construction since September last year, and that her family had been in the process of obtaining a license. She said the Jerusalem municipality demolished the apartment without prior notice.
Separately, in Beit Safafa, a Palestinian neighborhood divided between East and West Jerusalem, Israeli bulldozers demolished part of a restaurant belonging to local resident Imad Burqan. Burqan told Ma'an the Jerusalem municipality demolished an extension of the Mediterranean Restaurant made of tin sheets and steel bars that he had added to the building about three months ago.Construction licenses are very expensive and difficult to obtain for Palestinians, notably in the Jerusalem area, in a bid by Israeli authorities to force Palestinians out and change the demographic balance of the city.

Thursday: Israelis kill four Palestinians from the same town, three of them cousins of each other

Updated . Israeli forces shot dead four Palestinians on Thursday night. Three were killed after an alleged stabbing attempt at the Gush Etzion Junction in the southern occupied West Bank, Israeli and Palestinian sources said. 
A forth boy of 16 was later killed at another junction. The first thre were cousisns of auch other, all gfour were from the town of Sair.
An Israeli army spokesperson alleged that all three Palestinians were"armed with knives" and had attempted to "attack Israeli soldiers guarding the Gush Etzion Junction."She said Israeli forces "thwarted" the attack and "responded to the imminent danger" by opening fire on the Palestinians.

Tuesday: Palestinian boy of 18 shot dead near Gush Etzion settlements

 Ahmad Younis Kawazba.

An 18-year-old Palestinian was shot dead after he reportedly stabbed an Israeli soldier south of Bethlehem in the occupied West Bank, Israel's army said.
An Israeli army spokeswoman told Ma'an that an assailant stabbed and lightly wounded a soldier stationed at the Gush Etzion junction."Israeli forces responded to the attack and shot the assailant, resulting in his death," she said, adding that the soldier had been evacuated for medical treatment. Palestinian security sources later identified the Palestinian as Ahmad Younis Kawazba, 18, from the town of Sair north of Hebron. Kawazba is the sixth resident of Sair to be shot dead by Israeli forces since a wave of unrest swept the occupied Palestinian territory at the beginning of October.

Israel destroys two homes of families of Palestinian attackers in Jerusalem

Israeli forces on Monday demolished the family home of a Palestinian attacker killed in October and sealed off the home of another attacker's family with cement, the families told Ma'an.
The homes, in the Jabal al-Mukabbir neighborhood of East Jerusalem, belonged to relatives of Alaa Abu Jamal and Baha Elayyan who were both shot dead on Oct. 13 after carrying out separate attacks that left four Israelis dead. The Israeli authorities have been holding the bodies of Alaa Abu Jamal and Baha Elayyan since they were shot dead in another controversial Israeli practice that has been seen by some as further raising tensions.
Israeli forces reportedly stormed the homes and ordered the families to evacuate them before they proceeded with the demolitions. Abu Jamal's family told Ma'an that Israeli forces sealed with cement the home of Safa Abu Jamal, Alaa's sister, after claiming to have secret information that it belonged to her slain brother.The home consisted of one floor and three apartments. It was inhabited by Safa, her husband, and their two children.

Israel indicts two for murdering Dawabshe family

Amiram Ben Uliel (Times of Israel)

Israeli prosecutors filed murder charges on Sunday against a man and a minor for an arson attack in the occupied West Bank that killed three members of a Palestinian family and helped fuel the fiercest eruption of street violence in years.
The attack on July 31 killed 18-month-old Ali Dawabsheh and his parents Saad and Riham.
Amiram Ben-Uliel, a 21-year-old from a Jewish settlement in the West Bank, was charged with three counts of racially motivated murder at Lod court near Tel Aviv. A second Jewish defendant, whose name was withheld due to his age, was charged as an accessory.
Defence lawyers said the pair had given false confessions under torture in close-door interrogations, an allegation denied by Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and the Shin Bet security agency.

S-Arabia executes 47, among them leading Shiite cleric Al-Nimr from Qatif-area

The executed sheikh Nimr al-Nimr. A nephew of Nimr was not executed but still in custody.

Saudi Arabia executed a prominent Shi'ite Muslim cleric and dozens of al Qaeda members on Saturday, signaling it would not tolerate attacks by either sunni jihadists or minority shi'ites seeking equality, but stirring sectarian anger across the region.

Scores of Shi'ite Muslims marched through the Qatif district of Saudi Arabia's Eastern Province in protest at the execution of cleric Nimr al-Nimr, an eyewitness said. They chanted "down with the Al Saud", the name of the ruling Saudi royal family.

But most of the 47 executed in the kingdom's biggest mass execution for decades were Sunnis convicted of al Qaeda attacks in Saudi Arabia a decade ago. Four, including Nimr, were Shi'ites accused of shooting policemen.

The executions took place in 12 cities in Saudi Arabia, four prisons using firing squads and the others beheading. In December, al Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula threatened to retaliate against Saudi Arabia for any execution of its members.  Saudi Grand Mufti Sheikh Abdulaziz Al al-Sheikh appeared on television soon after to describe the executions as just. The executions are Saudi Arabia's first in 2016. At least 157 people were put to death last year, a big increase from the 90 people killed in 2014.

Two Israelis killed and seven wounded in attack at cafe in Tel Aviv

 
Two people were shot dead and six others wounded in a shooting at a crowded pub on 130 Dizengoff Street in Tel Aviv on Friday afternoon in what is suspected to be a terror attack. Israeli forces were searching for the shooter, who fled the scene. A massive search is currently underway for the perpetrator.

Two of the wounded have been hospitalized in serious condition. Two more were moderately wounded, one lightly-to-moderately wounded and another lightly wounded. Some of the injured were hit by glass shards broken by the bullets, and some were wounded from the chaos that broke out, said Yehuda Hildeshaim, a volunteer with United Hatzalah.

"When I got to the scene I found one person who was critically wounded and unconscious after being shot. Several of us from the Hatzalah unit gave him first aid and he was evacuated to Ichilov Hospital in Tel Aviv.

"Following that we continued to treat other wounded at the scene."

Two Palestinian die: one three weeks after having been abused, another shot during alleged attack

Shadi Ghabeish, the now deceased man, arguing with soldiers and consecutively severely beaten. Palestinian tv broadcasted these images at the time. 

The Palestinian Health Ministry has reported that a Palestinian man died on Thursday night of severe wounds suffered several weeks ago, after the soldiers invaded the al-Jalazoun refugee camp, north of Ramallah.  
The sources said that, three weeks ago, Shadi Ghbeish, 38 years of age, was repeatedly beaten by several soldiers after they fired many gas bombs at his home, causing his family to suffer severe effects of tear gas inhalation.
He argued with the soldiers who started continuously kicking and beating him; the soldiers were beating Ghbeish with their guns on his head and various parts of his body.
Somewhat earlier on Thursday a Palestinian was shot dead after a suspected vehicular attack near the Huwwara military checkpoint in the northern occupied West Bank district of Nablus, Israel’s army said.