Israeli forces attack funeral procession in the town of Beit Ummar. (Photo: via WAFA)

A Palestinian teenager was shot and injured on Tuesday with live ammunition as Israeli forces attacked a funeral procession in the town of Beit Ummar, near Hebron (Al Khalil), the official Palestinian news agency WAFA reported.

Local activist Mohammed Awad told WAFA that clashes broke out after Israeli forces attacked the funeral procession of a Palestinian resident.

Israeli forces attacked mourners with live fire and tear gas canisters, shooting and injuring a 17-year-old teenager in the foot with live ammunition. Dozens of other mourners were treated at the scene from tear gas suffocation.

Israeli forces also detained a 13-year-old boy and took him to an unknown destination. His identity remains unknown until this moment.

(WAFA, PC, SOCIAL)

Palestinians in Gaza mobilize following the murder of Shireen Abu Akleh. (Photo: Mahmoud Ajjour, The Palestine Chronicle)

By Palestine Chronicle Staff  

The United States Justice Department informed the Israeli Justice Ministry that the FBI has opened an investigation into the death of Palestinian American journalist Shireen Abu Akleh, Axios reported on Monday.

The FBI decision, which was first reported on Israeli Channel 14, could lead to a US request to investigate the Israeli soldiers who were involved in the operation, according to Axios.

Commenting on the news on Twitter, Israeli Defense Minister Benny Gantz said that “the US Justice Department decision to investigate the tragic death of Shireen Abu Akleh is a grave mistake”, adding that Israel “will not cooperate with an external investigation”.

Abu Akleh’s family praised the US decision to open a probe into her death.

“This is an important step,” the family said in a statement, adding that US authorities have a responsibility to investigate “when a US citizen is killed abroad, especially when they were killed, like Shireen, by a foreign military”.

US Congresswoman Rashida Tlaib also applauded the FBI decision, saying that this is “the first step towards real accountability for Shireen’s assassination.”

Abu Akleh was killed on May 11 while covering an Israeli army incursion in the occupied West Bank city of Jenin.

(PC, Axios, SOCIAL)

Mohammed Souf, 19, was killed by Israeli forces near Salfit. (Photo: via Social Media)

A nineteen-year-old Palestinian was shot and killed by Israeli forces inside the illegal Jewish settlement of Ariel, near Salfit, following an alleged stabbing attack, the official Palestinian news agency WAFA reported.

The Palestinian Ministry of Health said in a statement Mohammed Murad Souf, from the village of Haris, was killed after he allegedly carried out a stabbing attack inside the Ariel settlement, killing three illegal Jewish settlers.

Israeli forces reportedly stormed the town of Haris in the aftermath of the stabbing attack.

Omar Samara, head of the village council, told WAFA that Israeli forces deployed intensively at the western entrance to the village, before storming the village and besieging the Tal area.

(WAFA, PC, SOCIAL)

Former Israeli Prime Minister Yair Lapid. (Photo: Courtesy of the Spokesperson unit of the President of Israel, via Wikimedia Commons)

Mandating Likud Party leader and former Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu with forming the next government is a “black day for Israeli democracy”, outgoing Prime Minister Yair Lapid said on Sunday.

In a statement posted on his party’s Twitter account, Lapid said:

“It is a black day for Israeli democracy, when the prime minister-designate is being blackmailed by his partners, whose whole goal is to rid him of his trial and bring Israel backward.”

Since 2020, Netanyahu has been on trial in corruption cases related to bribery, breach of trust, and fraud.

“We will fight united in the Knesset, in the squares and on bridges until we replace the government of destruction with the government of change,” Yesh Atid’s statement said.

Earlier this month, the ruling coalition government led by Lapid won only 56 seats out of 120 in the Knesset, while Netanyahu’s camp, which includes far-right parties, won 64 seats, and was appointed to form a government.

Netanyahu now has 28 days to form a government, which President Isaac Herzog can extend for another 14 days, and in case he fails, Herzog will mandate another candidate to form a government.

This month’s elections are the fifth in less than four years, amid severe polarization and political instability in Israel.

(MEMO, PC, SOCIAL)

King Abdullah II of Jordan (L) and Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas at the welcoming ceremony in the occupied West Bank town of Ramallah. (Photo: via Abbas FB Page)

Palestinian economic empowerment is not a substitute for a political solution, Jordan’s King Abdullah II said on Sunday, according to The New Arab.

Addressing lawmakers in Jordan’s national assembly, the monarch spoke of Jordan’s duty in helping the Palestinian people until full statehood is achieved.

“Because we are the closest to them [Palestinians], we will strive to make them essential partners in regional projects. We do not accept their marginalization, and we reiterate that economic empowerment is not a substitute for a political solution,” he said.

King Abdullah’s remarks come against the backdrop of soaring violence in the occupied Palestinian territories, where Israel has carried out numerous raids this year.

In his speech, King Abdullah reaffirmed his commitment to Jordan’s role as the official custodian of the holy sites.

“In compliance with our historical responsibility, which we bear with all honesty, we will continue our role in protecting and caring for Islamic and Christian holy sites in Jerusalem, based on the Hashemite guardianship,” the king said.

(The New Arab, PC, SOCIAL)

Israeli soldiers in the occupied West Bank.(Photo: via QNN)

An Israeli soldier on Monday opened fire and killed another Israeli citizen after suspecting he was a Palestinian, Israeli media reported.

The soldier reportedly approached an Israeli civilian at a bus station in the town of Ranana, near Tel Aviv, and opened fire at him killing him instantly.

Israeli police confirmed the soldier opened fire after feeling “unsafe as a citizen approached in a suspicious manner”, also leaving two others injured.

The Israeli army did not immediately comment and police gave no details on the identity of the victim.

The Israeli media quoted the police spokesman saying that “the soldier opened fire believing the person was a Palestinian.”

(PC, WAFA, SOCIAL)

Sanaa al-Tal, 19, was killed by Israeli forces near Ramallah while she driving. (Photo: via Social Media)

Israeli forces on Monday killed a 15-year-old Palestinian girl during a military raid in the town of Beitunia, near Ramallah, according to the Palestinian Ministry of Health.

The Ministry said in a brief statement that Fulla al-Musalamah, from the town of al-Dahriyeh, in the southern West Bank, was shot in the head by Israeli soldiers and left bleeding to death.

Fulla al-Masalma was shot dead by Israeli forces a day before her 16th birthday.#Palestine #Israel pic.twitter.com/E5Szj29Soe

— Islam Channel (@Islamchannel) November 16, 2022

The official Palestinian news agency WAFA cited local sources as saying that “(Israeli) soldiers opened fire at a car in Beitunia without any apparent reason”.

Israeli soldiers injured another passenger, who was detained by the army, WAFA also reported.

(PC, WAFA, SOCIAL)

srael’s ambassador to Ukraine Michael Brodsky. (Photo: Scorlax, via Wikimedia Commons)

Israel’s ambassador to Ukraine has rebuked Kyiv for backing a UN resolution calling on the International Court of Justice (ICJ) to deliver an opinion on the legal consequences of Israel’s occupation of the Palestinian territories, The New Arab reported.

“Ukraine’s support of the UN resolution ‘Israeli Practices’, denying Jewish ties to Temple Mount and calling for ICJ advisory opinion is extremely disappointing,” Israeli envoy Michael Brodsky tweeted. “Supporting anti-Israeli initiatives in the UN doesn’t help to build trust”.

The draft resolution passed on Friday by 98-17 with 52 abstentions, amid vehement opposition from Israel. Allies of Israel, including the United States, Canada, Australia, Austria, and Germany voted against the motion.

Ukraine’s latest vote in support of ICJ involvement follows its backing of a motion urging Israel to renounce its nuclear arsenal in October.

#UNGA’s Fourth Committee Adopts Four Resolutions in Favor of #Palestine https://t.co/c0Uyzs3UHy via @PalestineChron pic.twitter.com/5shUlsjh5Z

— The Palestine Chronicle (@PalestineChron) November 12, 2022

Kyiv and Israel share close ties, however, relations have been tested over Russia’s invasion of Ukraine.

Israel has provided intelligence to help tackle Iranian-made drones deployed by Russia but has been cautious in the extent of its support due to Russia’s active military role in neighboring Syria and sensitivities regarding the large Russian Jewish community.

Israel has also not been willing to provide Ukraine with the Iron Dome, its defensive air umbrella developed with the United States.

Ukraine’s vote on Friday also angered one of its top rabbis, who slammed the move as “an unfriendly act and even as a stab in the back – and precisely at a time when Ukraine so needs Israeli military and other assistance”.

In an open letter to Ukrainian Foreign Minister Dmytro Kuleba, Rabbi Moshe Azman said the vote was “a terrible mistake that will cross out months and years of cooperation, support and negotiations” and “could undermine the efforts of all those who have worked so hard to expand aid to Israel in Ukraine.”

(The New Arab, PC, SOCIAL)

Jewish settler attacks against Palestinians are routine in the West Bank. (Photo: via Activestills.org)

Two Palestinians, including a child, were injured after they were assaulted and beaten by illegal Jewish settlers near Hebron (Al-Khalil), the official Palestinian news agency WAFA reported.

Local sources confirmed that a group of Jewish settlers assaulted Palestinian farmers west of the village of Dura. The settlers injured two Palestinians, including a child.

Settler violence against Palestinians and their property is routine in the West Bank and is rarely prosecuted by Israeli authorities.

Watch| At least two Palestinian youths sustained injuries after being assaulted by extremist Israeli settlers in Khallet Taha region in Dura town, south of the occupied West Bank city of Hebron. #FreePalestine pic.twitter.com/EeSvOt3Mp4

— Al-Jarmaq News (@Aljarmaqnetnews) November 13, 2022

“Jewish settler violence should not be analyzed separately from the violence meted out by the Israeli army, but seen within the larger context of the violent Zionist ideology that governs Israeli society entirely,” wrote Palestinian author and editor of The Palestine Chronicle, Ramzy Baroud.

“Settler violence has long since become part of Palestinians’ daily life under occupation,” according to the Human Rights Group B’tselem. “Israeli security forces enable these actions, which result in Palestinian casualties – injuries and fatalities – as well as damage to land and property. In some cases, they even serve as an armed escort, or even join in the attacks”.

Between 500,000 and 600,000 Israelis live in Jewish-only settlements across occupied East Jerusalem and the West Bank in violation of international law.

(PC, WAFA, SOCIAL)

Jewish settlers storm Al-Aqsa Mosque compound. (Photo: via Times of Gaza TW page)

Scores of Jewish settlers, guarded by Israeli forces, broke into the Al-Aqsa Mosque compound on Sunday, the official Palestinian news agency WAFA reported.

The Jordan-run Islamic Waqf Department, in charge of the holy site, said that Jewish settlers entered the compound through the Moroccan Gate in groups. They performed rituals and Talmudic prayers there, under the protection of Israeli occupation forces.

Since 2003, the Israeli authorities have been allowing settlers into the compound almost on a daily basis.

The Islamic Waqf has repeatedly described the settlers’ presence in Al-Aqsa Mosque as provocative, saying that Palestinian worshippers and guards at Al-Aqsa feel uncomfortable with the presence of Israeli forces and settlers touring the Islamic holy site.

(WAFA, PC, SOCIAL)