November 2020
UN General Assembly renews seven Resolutions
3/11/2020
The Fourth Committee of the UN General Assembly, which deals with political and
decolonisation affairs, voted today with overwhelming majorities in favour of seven
resolutions critical of Israel. Agenda items included assistance to Palestinian refugees, Israeli
settlements in the occupied territories (including east Jerusalem and the Golan Heights)
and Israeli practices impacting the human rights of the Palestinian populations. The
resolutions lambasted Israel for human rights violations against Palestinians in the West
Bank, Gaza and east Jerusalem and repressive measures against Syrians in the Golan Heights.
The seven resolutions have been passed each year for several years, more or less with
the same wording. The resolutions are expected to be approved by the UN General Assembly
later this month. Interestingly, the United Arab Emirates, Bahrain and Sudan —
which recently agreed to normalise ties with Israel — did not shift from their traditional
voting patterns and supported all seven resolutions.
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Israel razes village, leaves 41 children homeless
Tamara Nassar EI 5/11/2020
While all eyes were on the United States elections this week, Israel carried out the largest
demolition in occupied territory in years. Israeli forces arrived in the occupied West Bank
community of Khirbet Humsa on Tuesday and demolished 76 structures. This was “more
than in any other single demolition in the past decade,” said the interim UN humanitarian
coordinator Yvonne Helle.
Destroyed structures include homes, kitchens, bathrooms, animal shelters and solar
panels. More than 70 Palestinians were made homeless, including 41 children, totaling 11
families. Three quarters of the community’s population “lost their shelters,” Helle added.
It was “the largest forced displacement incident in over four years.”
Ancient Palestinian village struggles to survive settler attacks
Taghreed Ali Al Monitor 8/11/2020
On the road between Hebron and East Jerusalem, 5 kilometres from Bethlehem, the ancient village of Shushahla sits on a high mountain hill, defying settlement ambitions and the surrounding settlements of Efrat, Sidi Boaz, Eli Azar and Nefi Daniel.
In a house made of stacked stones and covered with tin ceiling panels, the three-member
Palestinian family of Muhannad Salah, 39, lives in the village without any electricity or water
supplies, let alone any paved roads.
The village residents abandoned it in the 1970s due to the continuous Israeli
restrictions. Shushahla is located in Area C of the West Bank, which is under Israeli control
and accounts for 61% of the West Bank,
Israel wants to deport me from my city of birth
Salah Hammouri EI 11/11/2020
I am currently at risk of deportation by Israel from my home city, Jerusalem, where I was
born to a Palestinian Jerusalemite father and a French mother and have lived all my life. My
wife, Elsa Lefort, is a French citizen. She was deported by Israel in 2016 while we were
expecting our first child. For four years, I have been separated from my wife and son.
Our lives have been completely upended as a result of Israel’s policies and the continued
false accusations and defamation intended to discredit my reputation and work as a human
rights defender.
The Israeli authorities have recently escalated their assault against me. On 3
September, I was notified that Israel’s interior minister intends to revoke my permanent
Jerusalem residency status, claiming that I allegedly “breached loyalty” to the State of Israel.
Israel is throwing the weight of the occupation against me, as it has countless other
Palestinians. And not for the first time.
Israeli forces kill PA officer, shoot teacher
Tamara Nassar EI 9/11/2020
Occupation forces shot a Palestinian man on Sunday at the entry of al-Fawwar refugee camp
near the West Bank city of Hebron.The Israeli army alleged that Ali Suleiman Amro, 40, was
attempting a stabbing attack when they opened fire. No Israeli soldiers were injured during
the incident, as in many previous cases in which an alleged Palestinian attacker was shot.The
army said that Amro was hospitalized, but Israeli media reported his condition was unknown.
UN agency runs out of money to pay salaries
9/11/2020
The UN agency for Palestinian refugees announced Monday it will not be able to
pay the salaries of thousands of employees through the end of the year.
The UN Relief and Works Agency (UNRWA) notified its staff of 28,000 that due to budget
shortfalls, it has run out of money to pay workers through November and December. Most of
those affected are refugees themselves and based in Jordan, Lebanon, Syria and the West
Bank, including East Jerusalem and the Gaza Strip.
Data On Demolition And Displacement In The West Bank
9/11/2020
Report by The United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs
(OCHA): The figures below reflect the demolition of Palestinian-owned structures and the
resulting displacement of people from their homes across the West Bank since 2009.
Together with other policies and practices, the threat of destruction of homes and sources of livelihood contributes to the generation of a coercive environment pressuring people to leave
their areas of residence.
Click, tap, or hover over charts to interact with data, or click here for more breakdowns.
Settlers visit Dubai to discuss business ties
Al Monitor 11/11/2020
A delegation of Israeli settlers from the West Bank is currently in Dubai to forge business ties with Emiratis. Palestinian officials are angry the United Arab Emirates (UAE) welcomed the group because the West Bank is considered occupied Palestinian territory.
The group included members of the Samaria Regional Council, which represents settlers in the northern West Bank. The delegation met with agriculture, pest control and plastic businesses, with the goal of increasing cooperation on water desalination and agronomy in particular, The Associated Press reported.
Why is the Palestinian Authority helping the occupation? – an opinion
Ahmed Abu Artema EI 25/11/2020
The Palestinian Authority is helping Israel’s military occupation once again.The step was taken, according to senior PA representative Hussein al-Sheikh, after commitments were received from Israel that it will respect previous agreements.
Why has the decision to stop “security cooperation” and other interactions with Israel made six months ago now been overturned? One major factor is that life has become markedly harder for Palestinians. Because of the decision, the PA stopped accepting customs duties and other tax revenues collected by Israel. Those revenues constitute approximately two-thirds of the PA’s budget. Without them, public sector employees cannot be – and have not been – paid.The victory of Joe Biden in the US presidential election is another factor.
Israel’s self-investigation
Maureen Clare Murphy EI 26/11/2020
. . . Meanwhile, Israel invented a baseless new paradigm of international law in which it treats the Great March of Return as governed by the laws of warfare, claiming that the civilian mass protests were orchestrated by Hamas, the political and resistance organization governing Gaza’s interior . . . By categorizing the Great March of Return as part of its armed conflict with Hamas, even though demonstrators were unarmed, Israel created a separate legal framework for handling complaints related to the protests. . .
Dehumanising: verdict on military invasions of Palestinian homes
Peter Beaumont The Observer 29/11/2020
Like checkpoints and the separation barrier it is part of the DNA of the occupation. For soldiers like myself it ended when we walked back to the jeep and went back to camp to sleep. But for the Palestinians it is a long term trauma. What it means is that you cannot feel safe in your own home or bed. For me the last memory is of the piercing looks of fear and hatred. . . . . . . . . What comes to my mind is that the process involves the dehumanisation of a whole society. [Its] point is to break their human spirit.
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