U.S. President Donald Trump
The Palestinian Authority (PA) has criticized an address delivered by U.S. President Donald Trump at Tuesday’s opening session of the UN General Assembly.
“What Trump said at the UN on the Palestinian-Israeli conflict deepens differences and sets back the chances for peace,” PA spokesman Nabil Abu Rudeina said in a statement carried by Palestine’s official WAFA news agency.
“Jerusalem will be the capital of a Palestinian state established on the pre-1967 borders, regardless of who accepts it or rejects it,” Abu Rudeineh said.
Palestine Liberation Organization (PLO) Secretary-General Saeb Erekat also blasted Trump’s speech, saying it had “closed the doors on peace”.
The Israeli army on Wednesday arrested prominent Palestinian author Israa Lafi, 34, from her home near the city of Hebron (Al-Khalil) in the occupied West Bank, according to Lafi’s father.An Israeli army force raided and searched Lafi’s home before arresting her, the author’s father told Anadolu Agency on Wednesday.He said his daughter had been threatened earlier by an Israeli intelligence officer because of her previous work with the Gaza-based Al-Aqsa television channel.Hundreds of Jewish settlers storm East J'lem's Al-AqsaBefore her arrest, Lafi had been posting media reports on her personal blog and writing for a number of Arab-language websites.In 2015, Israeli forces arrested prominent Palestinian poet Darin Tatour, 36, from her home in the northern Galilee region.The following year, an Israeli court slapped Tatour with five months behind bars after convicting her of “inciting violence”.Israeli army rounds up 15 Palestinians in W. Bank raids
Israel arrests Palestinian poet from West Bank home
“President Trump and his administration have closed the doors to peace; they cannot play a role in the peace process by moving their embassy to Jerusalem,” Erekat said in a statement.
“Because of the U.S. administration’s one-sided, pro-Israel decisions, peace between Palestinians and Israel has been derailed,” he added.
According to Erekat, the Trump administration “continues to reward those who violate international law and commit war crimes”.
He also lashed out at Trump for the latter’s rejection of The Hague-based International Criminal Court (ICC).
Hundreds of Jewish settlers on Wednesday forced their way into the Al-Aqsa Mosque compound in East Jerusalem, according to a Palestinian official.“Over 380 settlers and police officers stormed the mosque compound, where they performed Talmudic rituals,” mosque director Omar Kiswani told Anadolu Agency.“Divided into large groups, settlers forced their way into the compound through the Al-Mugharbah Gate and left through the Al-Silsila gate,” he said.According to Kiswani, dozens of Israeli police officers were deployed in Jerusalem’s Old City and at the gates of the Al-Aqsa compound.Israeli army rounds up 15 Palestinians in W. Bank raids“Police restricted the entry of Palestinian Muslim worshipers into the mosque by confiscating their ID cards at the compound gates,” he said.Since last Friday, over 2,000 Israeli settlers and policemen have entered the compound to mark the weeklong Jewish holiday of Sukkot, which will end on Sunday.Tension has mounted in the Palestinian territories -- including occupied East Jerusalem, where the Al-Aqsa is located -- since U.S. President Donald Trump recognized Jerusalem as Israel’s capital earlier this year.For Muslims, Al-Aqsa represents the world's third holiest site. Jews, for their part, refer to the area as the "Temple Mount", claiming it was the site of two Jewish temples in ancient times.Israel occupied East Jerusalem during the 1967 Middle East War. It annexed the entire city in 1980, claiming it as the capital of the Jewish state in a move never recognized by the international community.
Hundreds of Jewish settlers storm East J'lem's Al-Aqsa
“His rejection of the ICC is a rejection of international law,” Erekat said.
Hanan Ashrawi, a member of the PLO’s Executive Committee, described Trump’s speech as a “superficial defense of unilateralism, isolationism and plain bullying”.
Israeli officials, for their part, lauded Trump’s speech before the UN General Assembly.
Israeli Defense Minister Avigdor Lieberman said it had “been a while” since there was a world leader who understood the Middle East as well as Trump.
The Israeli army has rounded up 15 Palestinians from their homes across the occupied West Bank in overnight raids, according to an Israeli army statement released Wednesday morning.According to the statement, the Palestinians were detained for what the army described as “suspected involvement in popular terrorist activities”.The statement did not elaborate as to the meaning of “popular terrorist activities”.Detained individuals have since been remanded into custody for further investigation, according to the army.Israel frequently conducts sweeping arrest campaigns across the occupied territories on the pretext of searching for “wanted” Palestinians.According to Palestinian figures, some 6,500 Palestinians are currently languishing in Israeli prisons, including scores of women, some 350 minors and at least six lawmakers.Erdoğan: UNSC 'standing idle to oppressions in world'Palestinians protest UNRWA aid cuts, downsizing plansSettlers storm J'lem's Al-Aqsa, Palestinians detainedPalestinian martyred by Israeli soldiers in N. Gaza
Israeli army rounds up 15 Palestinians in W. Bank raids
“We have seen an impressive speech by U.S. President Donald Trump at the club of hypocrites and sycophants called the ‘United Nations’,” Lieberman tweeted.
“I hope world leaders will listen to and internalize Trump’s speech,” he added.
Israeli Ambassador to the UN Danny Danon, meanwhile, said Trump’s address had shown “that the U.S. is on the right side of history”.
“While standing on Israel’s side in the struggle for stability in the Middle East, the U.S. is leading the UN into a new era that ends its obsession with Israel and pushes back against the Iranian regime,” Danon said in a statement.