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An Israeli warplane on Wednesday struck an area east of the Bureij refugee camp in the central Gaza Strip, according to an Anadolu Agency correspondent based in the area.
No casualties were reported as a result of the airstrike.
According to the correspondent, the targeted area had been used by Palestinian activists as a staging area from which to fly incendiary kites and balloons into Israeli territory.
The Israeli army has yet to comment on the reported air raid.
Analysts have played down a decision by the umbrella Palestine Liberation Organization (PLO) to suspend its recognition of Israel as “symbolic”.On Monday, the PLO said it was suspending its recognition of Israel until Tel Aviv recognized a Palestinian state on the pre-1967 borders with East Jerusalem as its capital.This came in a decision taken during a two-day meeting by the Palestinian Central Council (PCC), which functions as part of the PLO, in Ramallah.The council also decided to end security coordination and suspend economic agreements between Israel and both the PLO and the Ramallah-based Palestinian Authority.The PCC said the decisions were made “in light of Israel’s continued denial of the signed agreements”.The decision must be approved by Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas and the PLO Executive Council.“These decisions cannot be applied at once,” Palestinian analyst Talal Okal told Anadolu Agency on Wednesday.“They need a plan and mechanisms in order to implement them,” he said.PLO suspends recognition of IsraelPolitical messagesSulaiman Basharat, the chairman of the Yabous Center for Consulting and Strategic Studies, described the outcome of the PCC meeting as “symbolic”.“The decisions are nothing but political messages that cannot be applied for several reasons,” he opined.He cited that the Palestinian Authority itself was established as a result of the Oslo Accords.“Accordingly, it enjoys international support on both political and economic aspects and ending commitment to it would mean abolishing international support to the PA,” he said.Basharat also described the decision to end security coordination and economic agreements with Israel as “unrealistic”.“On the ground there is a state of integration in the political, security, economic and health fields,” he said, citing dozens of memorandums of understanding that have been signed recently between the PA and Israeli authorities."There is a tangled situation that has arisen since the Oslo Accords, whether in settlement expansion and the living conditions of the Palestinians … which means that they cannot be separated,” Basharat added.Basharat said that Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas has reiterated commitment to peace negotiations and security coordination with Israel.“This means that these decisions cannot be activated by Abbas,” he said.For his part, Farid Abu Dheir, a professor of journalism at An-Najah National University, said “there is no political will on the part of the executive authority to implement these repeated decisions.”"These decisions are not easy and need policies and mechanisms to implement them," he added.PLO urges ICC probe into Gaza child killings by Israel
PLO suspension of Israel recognition symbolic: Analysts
Israeli forces rounded up six Palestinians in overnight raids across the occupied West Bank, according to the Israeli military on Wednesday.The individuals were arrested for “suspected involvement in popular terrorist activities”, the army said in a statement, without elaborating on the nature of these activities.The Israeli army frequently carries out wide-ranging arrest campaigns across the occupied West Bank on the pretext of searching for “wanted” Palestinians.According to Palestinian figures, some 6,500 Palestinians continue to languish in Israeli detention facilities, including scores of women and hundreds of minors.Asian parliamentarians voice support for PalestinePalestinians in East Jerusalem boycott Israeli polls
Israel arrests six Palestinians in West Bank
Palestinian residents of East Jerusalem generally boycotted Israel’s municipal elections Tuesday, with turnout only around 2-5 percent, local media reported. Jerusalem had the lowest turnout of the elections overall, with only 32 percent of residents heading to the polls.Meanwhile, Israeli police arrested four Palestinians who attempted to block the installation of polling boxes in East Jerusalem.More than 6.6 million Israelis were eligible to vote in the elections.According to the Israeli Interior Ministry, around 11,000 polling stations opened in 251 municipalities across the country for the vote.A total of 863 candidates vied for some 251 city, town and regional councils nationwide.Local elections are held every four years in Israel amid partisan rivalries.Like every year, attention is drawn to the Israeli-occupied city of East Jerusalem, where the vast majority of Palestinians have boycotted the vote since Israel captured the city during the 1967 Middle East war.Palestinians, who are considered "permanent residents" under Israeli law, are entitled to cast a ballot but not to run in the elections.According to Israeli official figures, Palestinians make up around 40 percent of Jerusalem's population in both its eastern and western parts.In recent weeks, Palestinian religious figures have urged Palestinian residents of Jerusalem to boycott the vote.Palestinians view participation in Israeli elections as an endorsement of the Israeli occupation of the holy city.Palestine to sever ties with Israel ‘gradually’: ErekatIsrael orders criminal probe into Gaza medic’s deathIsraelis vote in local polls amid Palestinian boycott
Palestinians in East Jerusalem boycott Israeli polls