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SvennoJ on 24 March 2024
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EU ‘will not recognise changes to 1967 borders’ after Israeli confiscation of land

The European Union is “urging” Israel to reverse its illegal confiscation of more than 800 hectares (1,976 acres) of Palestinian land and declaring it Israeli state land.

“In line with its longstanding common position and UN Security Council Resolutions, the EU will not recognise changes to the 1967 borders unless agreed by the parties,” it said in a statement.

“This position goes hand in hand with the EU’s commitment to Israel’s security and to ensuring that the horrific attacks against Israeli civilians on 7 October will never be repeated. The EU is determined to fight such terrorism in word and deed, by continuously condemning Hamas in the strongest possible terms and through sanctions and other measures.”

“Settlement expansion runs counter to this objective. It fuels tensions and undermines prospects for a two-state solution, which remains the only sustainable guarantee for the long-term security of both Israelis and Palestinians,” the EU says as Israel continues to reject a two-state solution.





Western double standards

UN special rapporteurs decry underreporting of sexual violence against Palestinians

As accounts of sexual violence against Palestinian women in Gaza are coming out, two women special rapporteurs of the UN say the issue is underreported and undervalued.

Reem Alsalem, the UN special rapporteur on violence against women and girls, said in a post on X that it is “abhorrent” that reports of rape by Israeli forces keep coming out without any consequences.

“Rape and other forms of sexual violence can constitute war crimes, crimes against humanity or a constitutive act with respect to genocide! It must stop!”

Francesca Albanese, the UN special rapporteur on the occupied Palestinian territory, said, “I lost count of how many renowned journalists interviewed me on the alleged mistreatment of/sexual abuse against Palestinian women by Israeli forces, and never published any article on this”.




US official accuses Israel of ‘systematic’ sexual abuse of Palestinians: report

A senior US Department of State official has accused Israel of “systematic” sexual abuse of Palestinian women, an Israeli army general has said in an interview.

Brigadier General Amir Avivi said he was shocked when the person in charge of the Israel-Palestine file at the US State Department made this accusation during a meeting, reports the Jerusalem Post, citing a 103FM interview.

Avivi was quoted as saying, “This is absolutely disconnected from reality. But without hesitation, she said, ‘The UN presented evidence to the Israeli government. I told her, ‘Does it make sense that this phenomenon would exist and the media would never have reported on it?’ I wanted there to be greater awareness… about what is really happening in the US State Department.”

“When we meet with a State Department official holding the Israeli-Palestinian portfolio, every word she utters, as far as I’m concerned, is an official US position. Ultimately, she is a government official,” Avivi continued.

As we reported earlier, Al Jazeera has spoken with a woman living near the besieged al-Shifa Hospital who said Israeli soldiers are raping and killing Palestinian women in the area.

Suppress the media reporting on it makes it not true, that's Israel's reasoning. Yes it makes a lot of sense seeing how Western media has been reporting the genocide in Gaza.




Some stories are too much to imagine, this hits hard

Palestinian boy describes executions inside al-Shifa Hospital

Teenage Palestinian boy Farouk Mohammed Hamd tells Al Jazeera he witnessed Israeli soldiers executing a group of eight people, including his father and brother, inside al-Shifa Hospital.

He said he and the others were stripped of their clothing and moved several times inside the al-Shifa Hospital building in central Gaza over the course of hours before being taken to the top floor of the facility.

“They left us for about three hours, then they said, ‘You are safe. You can go south’,” he said. “We stood up, but then they opened fire. We all laid down on the floor again. Then, the snipers entertained themselves by shooting us one after the other.”

He said his father told him before being killed to run away if he could, and he managed to run, but not before seeing the unresponsive bodies of the executed group.



Guterres asks for staff access, safety amid record UN death toll

UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres has met with humanitarian staff working in dangerous conditions in the Gaza Strip. “Some of them, with decades of experience, said they have never encountered a situation as difficult as this,” he wrote in a post on X.

“Aid workers need resources, access and safety – now.”

A record number of at least 168 members of the UN’s agency for Palestinian refugees (UNRWA) have been killed by the Israeli military since the start of its war on Gaza.

Israeli forces storm Al-Aqsa Mosque

A video posted on X by Al Jazeera Arabic correspondent Suheib Alassa shows the incursion of Israeli soldiers into the al-Qibli prayer hall inside the Al-Aqsa Mosque. According to Alassa, the soldiers assaulted and expelled worshippers inside who were engaged in the practice of Itikaf, which entails spending nights inside a mosque with the aim of devoting oneself to worship.

Israel has again placed restrictions on entry to the Islamic holy site during the holy month of Ramadan, drawing the criticism of Muslim leaders worldwide.