US envoy support for new Israeli settlements contrary to international law: Palestinian Authority
The Palestinian Authority’s presidential spokesperson Nabil Abu Rudeineh has rejected comments made by US envoy Mike Huckabee in support of illegal Israeli settlements in the occupied West Bank.
The US ambassador to Israel had said there is no need to react to Israel’s approval of 19 new settlements on occupied Palestinian territory since it is “neither an annexation nor a declaration of sovereignty”.
The PA representative said the statement is rejected and condemned since it is “contrary to the international consensus that voted in Resolution 2334 against settlements and considered them all illegal, stressing that no one is authorised to give legitimacy to the occupation and its policies”.
“We demand that the US administration adhere to international law and international legitimacy resolutions if it is interested in stopping violence and escalation and achieving a just and lasting peace in the Middle East, stressing that recognising legitimate Palestinian rights is the only way to achieve peace and security for all.”
What’s the latest in the occupied West Bank?
Israeli soldiers launched a series of violent raids late last night across the occupied West Bank, as reported by local sources including the Wafa news agency:
- Israeli forces stormed Tubas, spreading out across multiple neighbourhoods and raiding homes.
- Israeli authorities hit el-Bireh and a village northeast of Ramallah, without any arrests reported.
- The Aqbat Jabr refugee camp and several neighbourhoods of Jericho city were also hit, with Israeli soldiers firing tear gas canisters.
- Another raid took place in Tammun, located southeast of Tubas.
- Bethlehem was targeted as well, with Israeli forces storming the town of Tuqu and firing sound bombs and tear gas.
Israeli forces storm occupied West Bank’s Nablus
At dawn, Israeli forces stormed the Old City of Nablus in the occupied West Bank, according to the Wafa news agency. Local sources told Wafa that a number of Israeli patrols stormed the city of Nablus, raiding areas inside the Old City, amid a widespread deployment of infantry units in its alleys.
Israeli forces arrests at least four Palestinians in occupied West Bank
The Israeli army has launched a series of new raids across the occupied West Bank, arresting at least four people this morning, according to the Palestinian Prisoners’ Media Office (ASRA).
A young man was arrested in Tulkarem by Israeli soldiers in an attempt to make his father turn himself in. Two separate arrests were made in raids on Qalqilya, while another man was arrested in a neighbourhood of Jenin.
According to the Wafa news agency, another Israeli raid targeted the Old City of Nablus at dawn, but no arrests were reported.
Israeli forces storm home in occupied West Bank’s el-Bireh city
Local sources have told the Wafa news agency that Israeli soldiers stormed a home in the occupied West Bank’s el-Bireh city but no arrests were reported. Israeli forces also stormed a petrol station in the city and impeded the movement of residents.
More than 1,600 Palestinian olive trees destroyed in a week in West Bank: Ministry
A report published on the Palestinian Ministry of Agriculture’s Facebook account says there has been a significant increase in attacks by Israeli settlers and the Israeli army against Palestinian farmers in various parts of the occupied West Bank, as Israel continues its expansion on Palestinian land.
The ministry’s report revealed that the total number of olive trees uprooted between December 4 and 11 was 1,608, with 477 of them destroyed in Hebron in the southern occupied West Bank.
“The violations committed included land razing, uprooting trees, damaging irrigation networks, stealing agricultural equipment and preventing access to land during the olive harvest season,” according to the ministry.
The Israeli army’s intensified attacks on farmers and their land destroyed thousands of olive trees during the harvest season in recent weeks.
Palestinian families evacuate homes under Israeli demolition threat in Nablus
The Wafa news agency is reporting that six families evacuated their homes in the at-Taawon area of Nablus, in the north of the occupied West Bank, after the Israeli High Court ordered them demolished by the end of the year.
One of the affected residents, Laith Abed, told the Palestinian outlet that the Israeli authorities are arguing that the buildings are located in Area C, an area that accounts for about 60 percent of the West Bank and falls under complete Israeli control.
But the families say the homes are in Area B, an area in which Palestinians have civil authority but that remains under overall Israeli security control.
The looming demolitions come as the UN’s humanitarian agency warned this week that more than 1,000 Palestinians have been displaced in Area C so far this year due to Israeli demolition orders – the second highest total since 2009.
