Chronological Review of Events/October 2013 – DPR review

Division for Palestinian Rights

Chronological Review of Events Relating to the

Question of Palestine

Monthly media monitoring review

October 2013  

1 

Palestinian medical sources reported that a Palestinian child was shot and injured by an Israeli rubber bullet at the entrance of Jalazone refugee camp, north of Ramallah. (IMEMC) 

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu told the General Assembly that his country sought a historic compromise by which a demilitarized Palestinian State and a Jewish State of Israel could live side by side. Like previous Israeli prime ministers, he was willing to make painful concessions, but so far, the Palestinian leaders were not prepared to offer their own painful concessions, he said. ( www.un.org) 

United Nations Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon met with Mr. Netanyahu to discuss regional issues including the Israeli-Palestinian peace talks.  (The Jerusalem Post)

During a visit to the Foreign Service Institute in Arlington, Virginia, Palestine Liberation Organization (PLO) Executive Committee member Hanan Ashrawi met and discussed the ongoing negotiations and Israeli violations on the ground with some 100 Department of State diplomats who were preparing to travel to the region.  (Palestine News Network)

Israeli police shut down the office of Al-Quds University in the Old City of Jerusalem to prevent Palestinian groups from holding a meeting opposed to negotiations, according to reports.  (WAFA)

Officials at the Rafah crossing confirmed that Egypt had allowed almost 100 truckloads of building materials donated by Qatar to enter the Gaza Strip. (Middle East Monitor)

The lives of 10 Palestinian children were put in danger when the Israeli army failed to dispatch a patrol to escort them from school to home past settlements, international peace group Operation Dove said.  (WAFA)

Suspected Israeli extremists vandalized a Christian cemetery, destroyed a tombstone and sprayed racist slogans on the outer walls of the Latin Monastery in Silwan in East Jerusalem.  They also punctured the tyres of five Palestinian cars in Silwan and sprayed graffiti reading “price-tag” on nearby walls.  (Ma’an News Agency)   

Settlers from “Yizhar” set fire to a Palestinian car in the village of Burin in Nablus.  (Ma’an News Agency)

2 

Seven Hamas policemen were injured in an explosion east of Gaza City during a training session.    (Ma’an News Agency)  

Israeli forces arrested 10 Palestinians in Bethlehem, Nablus, Qalqilya and Hebron, according to security sources.  Palestinian medical sources reported that several residents had been treated for   tear gas inhalation after Israeli soldiers invaded Al-Khadr, south of Bethlehem.  (Ma’an News Agency, IMEMC)

Israeli forces shot and injured a Palestinian farmer in the Gaza Strip, locals said.  An Israeli army spokeswoman said that there had not been any “unusual activity” along the Gaza border.  (Ma’an News Agency)

Egyptian security officials announced that the Egyptian army had established a [contingency] plan for military intervention in the Gaza Strip if attacks on Egyptian troops in the Sinai intensified.  Air strikes and the destruction of more smuggling tunnels were considered and sources highlighted that “all options are open”.  (Ma’an News Agency)

Jordan’s Minister for Foreign Affairs Nasser Judeh recently sent a letter to Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon regarding the ongoing Israeli violations in the Al-Haram Al-Sharif compound.  (Petra)   

Israel opened a language school in East Jerusalem to teach residents Hebrew.  (Ynetnews) 

Local sources in the Nabi Samuel village, north-west of East Jerusalem, reported that a number of extremist settlers attacked and destroyed a car wash.  (IMEMC)

The World Zionist Organization condemned “price-tag” attacks carried out by extremist settlers.  (Palestine News Network)

Fatah Central Committee member Mohammad Shtayyeh, who was also a member of the Palestinian negotiating team, said that $500 million was needed to close the budget gap of the Palestinian Authority (PA) until the end of the year.  Funds from Arab States should arrive following the latest meeting of donors.  However, he revealed that some [European] donors had warned that they would cut aid if no progress is made in the negotiations with Israel.  (Middle East Monitor)

Egyptian authorities will open the Rafah crossing with Gaza until 4 October to allow pilgrims and humanitarian cases to cross, an Egyptian official said.  (Ma’an News Agency

The spokesperson of the health authorities in Gaza, Ashraf Al-Qedra, had said that the health sector was facing a crisis as basic medicines were starting to run out.  “The closure of the Rafah crossing has multiplied the deterioration of our situation," he said.  (Middle East Monitor)

Israeli authorities informed residents of the town of Yatta, south of Hebron, of their intention to demolish 10 water wells in the area, according to a local activist.  (WAFA)

According to local sources, Israeli authorities ordered the expulsion of several Palestinian families from their homes in the village of al-Oja, in the Jordan Valley, and in the town of Yatta, south of Hebron, in order to demolish their houses and animal barns.  (WAFA)

Two days after Palestinian and international activists were able to rebuild the Khirbet Makhoul Bedouin dwellings in the Northern Jordan Valley, Israeli bulldozers demolished the village for the fourth time, said a local official.  (Ma’an News Agency, WAFA)

Human Appeal International, an Emirati non-governmental organization, and the United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees in the Near East (UNRWA) signed an agreement covering provision of in-kind assistance for Palestine refugees who had fled from Syria to Jordan.  (www.unrwa.org)

A man who had been convicted for murder was hanged in the Gaza Strip despite protests by human rights activists who claimed that the territory's Hamas-run legal system was flawed.  (AP, Haaretz)

PA liaison officials in Nablus secured the release of five Palestinian children detained by Israel.  (Ma’an News Agency)

The National Committee for Boycott, Divestment and Sanctions against Israel had called upon Saudi Arabia to stop dealing with the British security company G4S, arguing that the latter had been involved in Israel’s violations of human rights in the Occupied Palestinian Territories.  (Middle East Monitor)

3 

Clashes broke out between Palestinian youths and Israeli forces at the entrance of the Fawwar refugee camp south of Hebron.  According to witnesses, five Palestinians were shot and injured and several others suffered from tear gas inhalation.  (Palestinian Media Agency)

Israeli soldiers raided Al-Khadr town and Husan village in the Bethlehem district, and arrested a youth and a 14-year-old child, according to an unnamed source.  (Palestinian Media Agency)

Five Israeli soldiers were wounded by stone-throwing in Ramallah.  Israeli police had begun an investigation.  (Palestinian Media Agency)

Zahava Gal-On, Chairwoman of the Meretz party, met with Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon in New York and discussed the progress of the peace talks.  Ms. Gal-On said that Israel must immediately end the occupation and work towards a two-State solution.  (Ynetnews)

According to an unnamed source, Israeli and Palestinian negotiating teams would be meeting during the day.  US Special Envoy for Israeli-Palestinian Negotiations Martin Indyk would also attend.  (Haaretz)

Head of the German Representative Office to the Palestinian Authority Barbara Wolf, at a reception marking the Day of German Unity, said that “one lesson we learnt from the German unity is that history change comes unexpectedly and that dividing lines can come down again”. She expressed support for the renewed negotiations between the Palestinian and Israeli sides. (WAFA) 

The Ambassador of the Russian Federation to Palestine, Alexander Rudakov, speaking to Palestinian intellectuals and politicians, expressed his country’s continued support for the Palestinian State. (Palestine News Network) 

Israeli Permanent Representative to the UN Ron Prosor said that Israel plans to run for a rotating seat on the Security Council for the 2019 to 2020 term. It would be the first time that Israel would put itself in line for a Security Council seat. (Haaretz) 

In a speech to over a thousand Hamas officers in Khan Younis, Hamas Political Bureau member Mahmoud al-Zahar stated that resistance is the only mean to liberate Palestine, and that his movement will not allow anybody to jeopardize that resistance. (IMEMC) 

Israeli Minister for Environmental Protection Amir Peretz had frozen a plan to create a new national park on the slopes of Jerusalem’s Mount Scopus, saying that the area had no “particularly sensitive natural value”.  (Haaretz)

Although Egyptian authorities announced the opening of the Rafah crossing with Gaza, the tunnels remained closed.  (The Daily Star)

Several armoured Israeli military vehicles and six armoured bulldozers entered the Khuzha’a area in Khan Yunis, in the southern part of the Gaza Strip, and in the Zeitoun neighbourhood in the east of Gaza Strip, and uprooted Palestinian lands.  (Palestinian Media Agency)

Palestinian farmers returned to their land in the West Bank village of Burka for the first time. After more than two years of court petitions by the Israeli rights group Yesh Din, the Israeli military the previous week lifted access restrictions on the land that had been vacated by settlers following Israel’s withdrawal from “Homesh” settlement, along with three others in the West Bank, that were razed in 2005. Since then however, Palestinians had not been allowed to return to their lands after the demolition because the Israeli military had not rescinded the land seizure order and had prevented access to the area.  (Al-Jazeera, Xinhua, Ynetnews) 

A number of extremist Israeli settles burned a Palestinian grapevine near the “Kharseena” settlement in Hebron. (IMEMC)

Israeli settlers closed the western entrance of Ya’bod village, near Jenin, and raided the area while insulting the residents and chanting disturbing slogans.  Israeli soldiers then invaded the village and broke into a store.  (IMEMC)

According to local sources, a group of Israeli settlers raided and destroyed over 50 olive trees in the south Hebron Hills.  The settlers also attacked a Palestinian farmer in the north of the West Bank and stole his olive crops.  (Ma’an News Agency, WAFA)

Palestinian activists demolished the gate of the wall separating the Cremisan Monastery and Al-Walaja village in the West Bank city of Beit Jala, enabling the residents to reach and cultivate their land, said Munther Ameera, director of Aida Youth Activity Centre.  (Palestine News Network)

A poll conducted by the Palestinian Centre for Public Opinion showed that 58 per cent of Palestinians believed that an intifada would break out if the peace talks with Israel failed.  (Palestine News Network, Xinhua)

The Parents Circle – Families Forum organized an exchange visit programme that allowed both Palestinians and Israelis to attend a reconciliation event in Israel.  (Ynetnews)

4

Israeli forces detained some 30 members of the Salhab family residing near the settlement of “Beit Hagai”, south of Hebron, on charges of stone-throwing. (Palestine News Network)

In a raid on Nablus and nearby villages, Israeli forces detained four Palestinians, including two leaders of the Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine, Zaher al-Shashteri, 47, and Thabet Nassar, 37. (IMEMC, Ma’an News Agency)

Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas met with US Special Envoy Indyk in Ramallah to discuss the ongoing negotiations with Israel and efforts to create an atmosphere conducive to making progress.  (The Times of Israel) 

Egypt allowed the third and the final batch of Hajj pilgrims from the Gaza Strip to pass through its territory en route to Saudi Arabia and back to Gaza before closing the crossing at the end of the day.  (Ma'an News Agency, Egypt Independent)

Israeli Minister of Housing Uri Ariel, addressing settlers near the “Shilafim” settlement in the West Bank, said that “all the area located to the west of the Jordan River is owned by Israel and it will continue to be under Israeli control forever”. (Middle East Monitor)

The Committee on the Exercise of the Inalienable Rights of the Palestinian People elected three additional Vice-chairs to its Bureau: H.E. Mr. Desra Percaya (Indonesia), H.E. Wilfried Emvula (Namibia) and H.E. Maria Rubiales de Chamorro (Nicaragua). (Division for Palestinian Rights)

Human rights groups Al-Haq and the Palestinian Centre for Human Rights presented a legal opinion to International Criminal Court Prosecutor Fatou Bensouda, arguing that the Court can take action without Palestine formally signing up to the body, and calling on the Court to begin an investigation based on "the mass of evidence and documentation attesting to the widespread commission of crimes in Palestine, and the environment of total impunity for the perpetrators". (The Guardian) 

Maariv reported that Pope Francis plans to visit the Holy Land in November, with a tour to include sites in the West Bank and in Israel. (Ma’an News Agency)

The Executive Board of the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) adopted six resolutions strongly condemning Israeli aggression against Palestinian cultural and historical heritage. They were tabled by the State of Palestine and Jordan. (Middle East Monitor, unesco.org) 

5 

A 9-year-old girl was shot outside her home in the “Psagot” settlement, in what Israeli authorities suspected was an attack by a Palestinian from one of the surrounding villages.  She was in stable condition at a Jerusalem hospital, officials said.  (The New York Times)

According to eyewitness accounts, Israeli forces raided al-Bireh leading to clashes with locals.  (Ma'an News Agency)

A Palestinian vehicle rammed a checkpoint near the settlement of “Elon Moreh” injuring two Israeli Border Police officers and then sped away.  (The Times of Israel) 

Bassem Naim, foreign affairs adviser to Hamas leader Ismail Haniyeh, called upon the Egyptian authorities to have a meeting to discuss the crisis over the border between Gaza and Egypt.  (Middle East Monitor)

According to eyewitness accounts, a group of vandals from an Israeli settlement in the West Bank damaged dozens of olive trees just as the annual harvest had begun.  (arabnews.com)

6 

According to eyewitness reports, Israeli forces clashed with Palestinians near Jalazone refugee camp north of Ramallah.  (Ma'an News Agency)

According to local sources, Israeli forces arrested nine Palestinians, including seven minors, from Hebron and Bethlehem.  (WAFA)

Hamas called upon the PA to stop peace talks with Israel.  Spokesman Sami Abu Zuhri said that the PA should instead focus on national unity.  (israelnationalnews.com)

The Palestinians must “recognize Israel as the State of the Jewish people” in order to achieve real peace, Israeli Prime Minister Netanyahu said in a speech at Bar Ilan University, and “abandon their refusal to recognize the right of the Jewish people to their national State”.  (AFP)

The Secretary-General of the Organization of Islamic Cooperation, Ekmeleddin Ihsanoglu, and PLO Chief Negotiator Erakat condemned the statement by the President of the Czech Republic, Milos Zeman, in which he contemplated moving his country’s embassy in Israel from Tel Aviv to Jerusalem.  In his letter of protest to Prague, Mr. Erakat said that such a move would undermine the peace process.  He also requested an Arab League extraordinary meeting at the ministerial level to support the Palestinian stance.  (The Jerusalem Post, oic-oci.org)

Likud Ministers urged the Israeli Government to cancel the release of Palestinian prisoner after the shooting incident in the “Psagot” settlement. Energy and Water Minister Silvan Shalom (Likud) told Israel Radio that the incident would prompt the Government to reconsider its decision to free Palestinians serving lengthy jail sentences for violent crimes against Israelis.  (The Jerusalem Post) 

7 

Israeli forces arrested six Palestinians from across the West Bank, according to security sources.  (WAFA)

President Abbas condemned an attack on a 9-year-old Israeli girl the previous day in “Psagot”.  He told a group of Israeli Knesset members visiting his headquarters in Ramallah, “We oppose, on principle, aggression against anyone, and the spilling of blood.”  (AFP)

The IDF detained two brothers in Bireh, near Ramallah, suspected in the “Psagot” shooting. Meanwhile, clashes broke out between Palestinians and the IDF near al-Amari refugee camp near Bireh with the soldiers firing tear gas canisters and rubber-coated bullets. No injuries were reported. (Ma’an News Agency, The Jerusalem Post)

Israeli and Palestinian negotiators held a new round of talks.  A senior Palestinian official said that their discussions had been intensifying, with the negotiating teams agreeing to meet for up to eight hours a day and to meet more regularly.  He said that Washington would evaluate the situation in the next two months, adding, “So far, we have achieved nothing.”  (Reuters)

In his meeting with Israeli Knesset members, President Abbas expressed optimism that a peace agreement could be reached in the nine months allotted to the current round of negotiations, and  referred only briefly to settlements.  (The New York Times)

Palestinian Prime Minister Rami Hamdallah met in Ramallah with a delegation of businessmen from the Gaza Strip.  He said that now was the time to finalize reconciliation and that he would be ready to create a joint committee of Palestinian officials and the private sector to be tasked with addressing all issues related to Gaza. (Ma’an News Agency)

Israeli military authorities ordered residents of a village near Yatta, south of Hebron, to remove solar cells, their only source of electricity in the area, according to a local activist.  (WAFA)

Ireland’s Minister of State for Development and Trade, Joe Costello, visited the UNRWA Headquarters in Lebanon and a refugee camp to familiarize himself with the challenges faced by the Agency due to the influx of Palestine refugees from Syria.  He announced a contribution of €500,000 to the Agency.  The Minister was scheduled to visit UNRWA's operations facilities in the Gaza Strip.  (Lebanese Ministry of Information)

According to local officials, Israeli forces issued house demolition orders to six Palestinian families living in Bardala village in the northern Jordan Valley. (Ma'an News Agency)

A group of Israeli settlers cut olive trees, torched two Palestinian cars and attacked a mosque in Beit Iksa village, north-west of Jerusalem.  (IMEMC, WAFA)

According to a press release, a 13-year-old minor from Hebron told the Prisoners’ Club that he was beaten when he was arrested and ridiculed while in custody in an Israeli prison.  (WAFA)

8 

An IDF force opened fire at a Palestinian man trying to cross the separation wall near the West Bank village of Beit Amin. The man sustained moderate wounds.  (Ynetnews)

An Israeli army spokeswoman said that the IDF raided several regions of the West Bank and detained 8 people overnight, 4 in the Nablus area, 3 in Beit Awa, and one in Beit Ummar.  Ten other people were issued summons to report to Israeli intelligence headquarters in the Hawara military base.  (Ma’an News Agency)

According to the Israeli army, a rocket was fired into Israel from the Gaza Strip and landed close to the border fence.  No injuries or damage were reported.  (Ma’an News Agency)

Pakistan’s Foreign Secretary, Jalil Abbas Jilin, presented a cheque for $1 million to Palestinian Ambassador Walid Abu Ali for the construction of Palestine’s Embassy in Islamabad.  (The Indian Express)

A World Bank study stated that more than half the land in the West Bank Area C, much of it agricultural and resource-rich, was inaccessible to Palestinians, and cost the Palestinian economy some $3.4 billion annually. The report also said that if restrictions were lifted, the Palestinian gross domestic product could expand by as much as 35 per cent. ( www.worldbank.org) 

During a meeting with Turkish Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdoğan, Hamas leader Khaled Mashaal called for convening an urgent national Palestinian conference in order to establish a national strategy against the “Judaization of Jerusalem” and the harm done to the Al-Aqsa Mosque.  He also called for a “real military force” to liberate Jerusalem.  (Ynetnews)

In a statement, the PLO Arab Affairs Department called upon Palestinians to boycott the Israeli municipal elections in East Jerusalem, and not to vote or run for seats.  The statement said that the Municipality supported settlements in East Jerusalem, thus turning it into a “Jewish city” and that “Participating in these elections will be considered normalization with the Israeli occupation authority, which means legitimizing the annexation of Jerusalem.”  (WAFA)

The Al-Aqsa Foundation for Endowment and Heritage said that more than 80 female Israeli soldiers entered the Al-Aqsa Mosque compound and listened to a short lecture. They later toured the compound along with 30 Israeli intelligence officers and six rightist Israelis.  Israeli police Spokesman Micky Rosenfeld said: “There were no disturbances or incidents whatsoever and regular visits took place on the Temple Mount.”  (Ma’an News Agency)

In a meeting with senior Italian officials in Rome, Knesset Speaker Yuli Edelstein said that “[settlement] construction is not an obstacle to peace.  The proof for that is that we left northern Gaza in 2005.  Unilateral plans did not prove themselves and only brought death to Israeli civilians.”  Furthermore, the Speaker asked his Italian counterpart to enlist Italy’s Chamber of Deputies against the European Union boycott of [settlements].  (The Jerusalem Post, Ynetnews)

The UN Department of Public Information opened its two-day International Media Seminar on Peace in the Middle East in Istanbul, organized in cooperation with the Turkish Ministry of Affairs.  At the opening session, the Under-Secretary-General for Communications and Public Information, Peter Launsky-Tieffenthal, delivered a message from Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon.  The keynote address was delivered by the UN Special Coordinator for the Middle East Peace Process, Robert Serry.  (UN press release PAL/2165-PI/2069)

9 

Israeli gunboats opened fire upon Palestinian fishermen near the Gaza Strip.  According to an Israeli army spokeswoman, a fishing boat had “deviated from the designated fishing area and an IDF boat fired warning shots in the air”.  No injuries were reported.  (Ma’an News Agency)

Israeli forces detained four men, including a minor, in the West Bank villages of al-Khadr and Ni’lin, locals said.  (Ma’an News Agency)

Palestinians were seriously considering declaring the failure of the peace talks with Israel, Hanna Amireh, a member of the PLO Executive Committee, said. Mr. Amireh accused Israel of seeking to “win time” and to blame the Palestinians for the failure of the talks, and criticized Justice Minister and Chief Israeli Negotiator Tzipi Livni for stating that the talks may extend beyond the nine-month deadline set by the US Administration.  (The Jerusalem Post)

President Abbas met with Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister of Greece Evangelos Venizelos in Ramallah. Palestinian Minister for Foreign Affairs Malki also met with Mr. Venizelos and they agreed to form a joint Palestinian-Greek ministerial committee to promote   cooperation in fields such as health, education, sports, and agriculture.  (WAFA)

Following a meeting between Greek Foreign Minister Venizelos and Deputy Israeli Foreign Minister Ze’ev Elkin, Mr. Elkin said that Greece supported the Israeli position regarding the EU settlement guidelines.  Greece will hold the rotating presidency of the EU starting 1 January 2014.  (The Jerusalem Post)

During a meeting of the Inter-Parliamentary Union (IPU) in Geneva, Knesset members Meir Sheetrit and Aliza Lavie impeded an “emergency motion” inserted by Palestinians that called for all Parliaments to boycott Israel and condemned settlement construction.  (Israel Hayom Newsletter)

US Special Envoy Indyk expanded his team to the Israeli-Palestinian talks by recruiting four new members.  (The Jerusalem Post)

Palestinian sources said that a group of Israelis raided the village of Jaloud, near Ramallah, and tried to break into a school.  Failing to do so, they vandalized six cars and set fire to a Palestinian olive grove.  The IDF was investigating the incident.  (Ynetnews)

Hundreds of refugees held a demonstration in the Gaza Strip against recent aid cuts by UNRWA. Adnan Abu Hasna, an UNRWA spokesman, said that UNRWA was facing a $55 million budget shortfall for the year. Some 9,500 families had been removed from the food programme because their economic situations had improved, while 5,400 poorer families had been added. An additional 4,000 had their benefits increased.  Mr. Hasna said that the distribution of food was fair, adding that 830,000 people in Gaza — almost half the population — received rations every three months. (The New York Times)

According to the latest statistics issued by the Israel Prisons Service, Israel held 4,762 Palestinian prisoners, including 134 in administrative detention, 12 female prisoners and 149 minors: 53 between 16 and 18 years of age, 30 between 14 and 16 and one less than 14.  (WAFA)

Israel rejected Palestinian and American requests to release a second group of Palestinian prisoners ahead of schedule, before the feast of Eid al-Adha.  The prisoners would be released on 29 October, as planned.  (UPI)

The Secretary-General of the United Nations Conference on Trade and Development (UNCTAD), Mukhisa Kituyi, offered his congratulations to two staff members of the Palestinian Ministry of National Economy as they completed a three-week training programme in Geneva.  (unctad.org)

10

Israeli forces arrested two teenagers in the Silwan neighbourhood, a local group said.  (Ma’an News Agency)

In response to reports by the Palestinian Quds Net News Agency that President Abbas had dropped his pre-conditions and agreed to meeting with Prime Minister Netanyahu, a source in President Abbas’ office said that it was “premature” to talk about a summit between the two.  (The Jerusalem Post) 

The League of Arab States condemned remarks made by Czech President Zeman about moving his country's embassy from Tel Aviv to Jerusalem, calling it a violation of Palestinian rights and international resolutions, and called for summoning the Czech Ambassador in Cairo.  Czech officials, however, reaffirmed that the country had no plans to move its embassy.  (AP, Ma’an News Agency)

PA Minister of Planning Muhammad Abu Ramadan and Dutch Representative to the PA Birgitta Tazelaar signed an agreement for a €10 million grant to support the Palestinian Red Crescent Hospital in Hebron.  (WAFA)

A long-mooted $1 billion project to develop natural gas fields off the Gaza Strip was being revived as part of a drive to develop the Palestinian economy and reduce its reliance on foreign aid. An Israeli official said that Prime Minister Netanyahu’s Government was involved in the talks and “very supportive” of the project, which would see the fields exploited on behalf of the PA by investors led by [UK based] BG Group, and Athens-based, Palestinian-owned Consolidated Contractors Company. The fields could produce gas by 2017, bringing in $6 to $7 billion in revenues per year.  (The Financial Times)

Israelis, along with members of the ruling Likud party, carried out several provocative tours of the Al-Aqsa Mosque under heavy police protection, following calls to hold Jewish rituals in the Mosque compound to celebrate a Jewish event, according to witnesses.  Three Palestinian worshipers were arrested while trying to prevent Israelis from holding prayer in the mosque yards. (WAFA)

Abbas Zaki, a member of the Central Committee of Fatah, met with Syrian President Bashar Assad the previous week.  They agreed to cooperate to protect Palestinian refugees remaining in Syria and to create safe passages to refugee camps, Mr. Zaki said.  He added that Palestine’s policy of non-intervention in internal Syrian affairs had protected Palestinian refugee camps from attacks by Government forces.  (Ma’an News Agency)

The Government of Japan announced a contribution of $5 million to help UNRWA continue responding to the emergency caused by the ongoing conflict in Syria. (unrwa.org)

In a statement, Palestinian Chief Negotiator Erakat strongly condemned the approval of 58 new housing units in the East Jerusalem settlement of “Pisgat Ze’ev” by the Israeli Government. “Settlement construction in occupied East Jerusalem, Ariel and Kiryat Arba is illegal and undermines the prospects of a negotiated two-State solution,” he added. (WAFA)

Israeli settlers from the so-called “price-tag” group sprayed racist graffiti on a mosque in the village of Borqa, north-east of Ramallah, and set fire to three Palestinian cars in the area, according to a local activist. (WAFA)

In an interview, President Abbas said that he will turn to international organizations should Israel renege on the agreement to release Palestinian prisoners who were imprisoned prior to the Oslo Accords.  (Ynetnews) 

The IPU renewed its demands for the Israeli Government to immediately release all Palestinian parliamentarians including Marwan Barghouti and Ahmed Saadat.  “The arrest and trials of the parliamentarians are invalid,” said the IPU.  (Middle East Monitor)

A lawyer from the Palestinian Prisoners’ Society confirmed that the Israeli Magistrate Court in Jerusalem had ordered investigators to question Palestinian children in the presence of their parents.  (Palestine News Network)

11 

Israeli warships opened fire towards Palestinian fishing boats off the Gaza coast.  No injuries were reported.  (Palestine News Network) 

Israeli police spokesman Rosenfeld told AFP that suspected Palestinian militants beat to death a settler, a retired Israeli army colonel, in the settlement of “Brosh” in the northern Jordan Valley.  His wife was also injured in the night-time attack on their home.  An army spokeswoman said that it was still too early to say what the motive was.  The IDF confirmed that Shin Bet was holding 5 suspects for questioning.  (AFP) 

Israel’s Minister for Construction and Housing Minister Uri Ariel (Jewish Home party) called upon Israel to halt direct talks with the Palestinians following the fatal attack in “Brosh”, Army Radio reported.  The Minister vowed to “populate the area and turn it into a flourishing settlement in the Jordan Valley”.  (The Jerusalem Post)

Some 100 settlers from the settlement of “Efrata” entered the Solomon’s Pools area in Bethlehem under Israeli soldiers’ protection.  (Palestine News Network) 

Kenneth O'Keefe, an Irish-Palestinian anti-war activist who was on board of “Mavi Marmara” aid ship,  told a Turkish court that Israeli commandos opened fire from a helicopter during the 2010 raid, countering Israeli assertions that the soldiers had acted in self-defence.  The trial in absentia of four retired Israeli commanders, including the former head of the army, opened in Istanbul last November and resumed on 10 October.  (Reuters)

12 

Nimr Hamad, political adviser to President Abbas, met with the Italian Consul-General in Jerusalem, David Achchilaa, in Ramallah.  Regarding statements made by Italian Minister of Tourism and Culture Massimo Bray during his visit to Hebron, Mr. Achchilaa stressed that they did not represent his country's official position, the visit had nothing to do with solidarity with settlers, and the encounter with the latter was unintended.  (WAFA)

Israeli settlers attacked residents of the Hebron district village of Susiya while they were picking olives, injuring three Palestinians, a village councilman said.  (Ma’an News Agency)

13 

Seven Israeli military vehicles entered the Palestinian village of Jaba in the Jenin district.  Clashes subsequently broke out and dozens of Palestinians suffered from tear gas inhalation, witnesses said.  (Ma’an News Agency) 

Israel displayed what it called a Palestinian "terror tunnel" running into its territory from the Gaza Strip and said that it was subsequently freezing the transfer of building material to the enclave.  Israeli Minister of Defense Minister Moshe Ya’alon accused Hamas of being behind the construction of the 2.5-km. tunnel.  (Reuters)

Tawfi Al-Tirawi, head of a Palestinian committee investigating President Arafat’s death, dismissed the British medical journal The Lancet's report that linked the late President’s death to poisoning.  He told Xinhua that “There are no leaks from the [pending] results and we are still waiting for the official test findings,” adding that there was no official time set for receiving the results.  (Xinhua)

Hamas leader Haniyeh denied that his movement had been meddling in the internal affairs of Egypt.  Another Hamas leader, Osama Hamdan, accused Fatah of inciting the Egyptians against Hamas.  (The Jerusalem Post)

14 

Israeli forces detained four Palestinians in Beit Ummar, north of Hebron.  (Ma’an News Agency)

"For the first time in Israel’s existence, there is an understanding in the Arab world that Israel is not the enemy of the Arabs," Prime Minister Netanyahu told the Knesset.  “On many issues, we are united.  This may open new possibilities and I hope it will help the peace process with the Palestinians.”  Netanyahu added, “Peace must be based on security and mutual recognition.  A future agreement must focus on no right of return and ending any national demands on the territory and sovereignty of Israel”.  (Haaretz)

“The economic situation is really difficult, and the main reason is the Israeli occupation,” President Abbas told official PA TV.  “Israel exploits our resources and lands which increased our economic deficit,” he continued.  He also expressed concern that the PA would be unable to pay salaries for its employees in November as a result.  (The Jerusalem Post)

The Sunday Times reported that, according to a yet to be published report by the Luxembourg-based European Court of Justice, £1.95 billion worth of EU aid funds to the Palestinians may have been misspent, wasted, or lost to corruption. The Court’s spokesman had declined to comment.  (Ynetnews)

President Abbas was expected to visit Germany, Italy, Lithuania and Belgium during the week to discuss activating EU regulations against settlements, a Palestinian official in Ramallah said.  Israeli and EU representatives were in the midst of negotiations to find compromise language that would mitigate some of the regulations’ impact.  (Ynetnews, DPA) 

The Israeli High Court was set to rule on the forced expulsion of all of the residents of the village of Khirbat Zanuta, southwest of Hebron, five years after the initial order to demolish the village.  That decision was put on hold when an appeal was filed on behalf of the villagers by the Association for Civil Rights in Israel.  (IMEMC)

The Action Group for Palestinians in Syria said that over 200 Palestinian refugees fleeing from Syria had been aboard the boat from Libya which capsized off Malta's coast the previous week.  Some 70 survived and were now in Malta, with the rest unaccounted for, the group said.  (Ma’an News Agency) 

UNRWA deplored the violence in Dera’a refugee camp in southern Syria that reportedly claimed the lives of seven Palestine refugees and severely damaged UNRWA’s Health and Women’s Programme Centres.  (UNRWA)

15 

The Israeli military said that it had found and destroyed a second tunnel dug from the Gaza Strip into Israel.  (AP)

Maariv reported that the Israeli-Palestinian peace talks were in jeopardy after the Palestinian side rejected the idea of Israel maintaining a military presence in the Jordan Valley.  (www.algemeiner.com)  

16 

Prime Minister Netanyahu told the Knesset that the Israeli Government must ensure a strong IDF presence in the West Bank.  He said, “We do not want an Iranian offshoot in Judea and Samaria [West Bank].  This requires a security border in the Jordan Valley.”  (The Jerusalem Post)

Israeli Minister of Strategic Affairs Yuval Steinitz said in the Knesset that Palestinian incitement was ruining the chances of ending the conflict.  (The Jerusalem Post)

The Egyptian army destroyed a smuggling tunnel in the Rafah area, security officials said.  (Ma’an News Agency)

The Jerusalem District Attorney’s Office filed an indictment with the district court against 11 Jewish teens for “price-tag” attacks in August and September in Sheikh Jarrah in East Jerusalem.  (The Jerusalem Post)

PA officer in charge of monitoring settlement activity in the northern West Bank Ghassan Daghlas reported that settlers from the “Yizhar” settlement threw stones at passing cars on a nearby road, damaging at least 20 cars.  The following day, Mr. Daghlas said that a hundred settlers from the same settlement attacked Palestinians and activists picking olives on the Palestinians’ land.  (Ma’an News Agency, WAFA)

A Palestinian Ministry of Detainees press release stated that Israel was currently holding 5,200 Palestinians in 17 prisons, detention camps and interrogation facilities.  (IMEMC)

Dozens of IDF soldiers broke into the Negev detention camp reportedly to install new iron gates, leading to clashes with Palestinian detainees who protested the move.  (IMEMC)

The IDF detained three Palestinian brothers at a checkpoint near the “Beit Hagai” settlement, south of Hebron, and took them into custody.  (Ma’an News Agency)

The United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF) released a first progress report on its briefing paper “Children in Israeli military detention” that it published in March 2013, saying that reports of violations were ongoing.  (www.unicef.org)

17 

The IDF raided a Palestinian funeral in Beit Ummar, north of Hebron, causing injuries to two Palestinians who were hit by steel rubber-coated bullets.  (WAFA)

The IDF arrested four Palestinians, including three minors, from Jenin and Hebron.  (WAFA)

A Palestinian man driving a bulldozer was fatally shot by an Israeli soldier at an army base north of Jerusalem.  According to the IDF, the Palestinian had attempted to break into the base and to run over a soldier.  He was reportedly the brother of another Palestinian who had tried to run over police officers with a bulldozer in Jerusalem in 2009.  His uncle believed that he had been mistaken for a terrorist after erroneously driving into the base.  (Haaretz, New York Times, Xinhua, Ynetnews)

Ma’ariv reported that the negotiations with the Palestinians, taking place amidst a media blackout, had now reached a deadlock.  It was reported that the two sides fundamentally disagreed over borders: the Israelis offering to lease the Jordan Valley from the Palestinian Government over a period of decades, and the Palestinians rejecting the proposal.  Palestinian sources said that Israel was determined to control the borders with Jordan, and refused to presence of an international task force.  (Ma’ariv, Israeli Radio)

Malta’s Prime Minister Joseph Muscat, on an official three-day visit to Israel and Palestine, said that Malta had offered its assistance to help Palestine in education, tourism, and infrastructure.  Following a meeting with Palestinian Prime Minister Rami Hamdallah, he said that the Embassy of Palestine in Malta was cooperating with the Maltese authorities regarding the 41 Palestinians [from a refugee boat] who were saved at sea by Maltese forces.  (The Malta Independent, www.maltastar.com)

President Abbas met with former Italian Prime Minister Massimo D'Alema and briefed him on the latest developments on the ground, including the dire economic situation and the current peace talks.  He also met with Pope Francis and invited him to Palestine.  (Qatar News Agency, Reuters)

The Palestinian Government rejected any Israeli plans to retain territory or even maintain a security presence on any portion of the West Bank, including East Jerusalem, after the establishment of an independent Palestinian State.  (The Jerusalem Post)

US Ambassador to Israel Dan Shapiro visited the 1.7 km long tunnel leading from the southern Gaza Strip into Israel that the IDF had uncovered.  (The Jerusalem Post)

Israeli and European officials were reportedly nearing an agreement that would allow Israeli institutions to continue operating in the West Bank while enjoying EU grants.  The new directives would enable Israeli companies and institutions to divert money into investments in settlements and [settlement] enterprises through subsidiaries or divisions, while receiving EU grants through their main operational budgets. (Ma’ariv, +972mag) 

Israeli Deputy Minister of Defense Danny Danon said, at an event in support of Israeli settlements in the West Bank, that an interim agreement would mean giving away land and getting nothing in return, and that the Likud party would not allow it.  (The Jerusalem Post)

The anti-settlement organization Peace Now released a report stating that there had been a 70 per cent increase in the construction of Israeli settlements in the West Bank, including East Jerusalem, in the first half of this calendar year that included 1,708 new homes, compared with 995 in the first half of 2012.  (AFP)

An Israeli court accepted the request of the Israeli Prison Service to release Hassan Turbi, 22, from Qalqilya, who was arrested on suspicion of throwing Molotov cocktails and stones and possessing weapons.  The release request was filed because of Mr. Turbi’s seriously medical condition.  (Ynetnews)

18 

US Secretary of State John Kerry will travel to Paris, London, and Rome from 21 to 24 October.  In Paris, Secretary Kerry will meet with representatives of the Arab League's Follow-up Committee to update them on the Israeli-Palestinian negotiations.  In Rome, he will meet with Israeli Prime Minister Netanyahu to discuss ongoing final status negotiations with the Palestinians. (www.state.gov)

President Abbas met with Chancellor Angela Merkel in Berlin.  She urged Israel to restrain settlement construction stating that the “construction of Jewish settlements in West Bank areas has cast a cloud over the direct peace negotiations”.  (The Jerusalem Post, QNA, Ynetnews)

In an exclusive interview, British Consul General to Jerusalem Sir Vincent Fean said that Israel's continued construction of settlements on Palestinian lands throughout the peace negotiations was "killing opportunities" for peace.  He expressed optimism about the possibility of a comprehensive political agreement being reached with Israel in spring 2014 that could lead to the establishment of "Palestinian statehood".  (Ma’an News Agency)

19 

Ismail Mashni, 23, was shot in both feet by the IDF in the Wadi al-Khalil area, south of Hebron, a Red Crescent official said.  An Israeli army spokeswoman said that the man was seen “damaging the security fence” near the Israeli town of Meitar. (Ma’an News Agency)

In an interview with German television channel DW, President Abbas rejected reports that peace talks with Israel were at a dead end.  “The negotiations are difficult, but they are not at a dead end. We're just getting started and we have plenty of time to deal with the main issues that make the talks difficult," Mr. Abbas said. (The Jerusalem Post)

During the commemoration in Gaza City of the second year of the prisoners swap, Hamas Leader Haniyeh called on Palestinians to oppose the renewed negotiations with Israel because they violated Palestinian rights and national consensus.  In order to protect Palestinian rights, he said, "Negotiations must stop and the Oslo approach must be ignored. Political forces must together find a new national strategy adopting diverse visions and means. … Such strategy must include armed and popular resistance as well as political and diplomatic means, including academic and diplomatic divestment using all regional and international platforms.” He said that Hamas remained committed to reconciliation agreements, but any plan regarding the Gaza Strip that was not based on the specific issues of the liberation in Palestine would fail.  (Ma’an News Agency)

20 

The IDF arrested four Palestinian farmers working on their land on the evacuated settlement of “Tarsala”, south of Jenin.  Israeli forces also arrested nine Palestinians from across the West Bank and the Jerusalem area. (WAFA)

A Palestinian man pulled a knife in a public bus outside Jerusalem and ran down the length of the bus threatening to stab travelers, then hopped off the bus and fled away.  (The Times of Israel)

A Ministerial Knesset Committee approved a draft bill that would require a two-thirds majority of Knesset members to approve negotiations on the future of Jerusalem. The draft was approved by a 5-4 majority within the nine-member Committee responsible for preparing draft legislation to put to Parliament. The text of the bill read: “Since there have been occasions in the past when talks have begun on handing over parts of the city, we must legislate to ensure that this possibility does not arise”. (AFP) 

The Israeli Cabinet approved the construction of a new X-ray system at the Allenby Border Terminal between Israel and Jordan that could help increase Palestinian exports to neighbouring Arab countries by 30 per cent, according to Prime Minister Netanyahu’s Office. Moreover, as of 24 October, the hours of operation at the terminal would be expanded by two hours, the office of the Coordinator of Government Activities in the Territories (COGAT) announced separately. In addition, the Allenby crossing will be open overnight to accommodate returning Eid Al-Adha pilgrims from Mecca.  “This is one of the steps and gestures for the Palestinian Authority, which is taken due to the commitment of COGAT during the Donor Conference in New York,” COGAT said. (The Jerusalem Post)

In Hebron, the Israeli authorities announced that there would be a restriction of access to the Ibrahimi Mosque for Muslims on 25 and 26 October to allow for the observance of the Jewish holiday of "Shabbat Chayei Sarah".  Head of the Islamic Endowment of Hebron, Taysir Abu Sneineh, said that the closure was part of a larger campaign by Israel to change the features of the Mosque into a Jewish temple.  (Ma’an News Agency)

A Molotov cocktail was thrown at a settler's car passing near Huwwara, south of Nablus. The Israel's army said that no injuries had been reported. (Ma’an News Agency)

Settlers from “Yizhar” attacked a group of Palestinians and international volunteers harvesting olives in the Nablus village of Burin, said settlements monitoring official Daghlas. He said that the settlers had attacked the group with iron rods, causing slight injuries.  (Ma’an News Agency)

The IDF issued stop-work orders for a recreational park west of Bethlehem on the grounds that it was being constructed without a licence.  (Ma’an News Agency)

21 

Hamas’ military wing, the Izz ad-Din Al-Qassam Brigades, said that they had masterminded a tunnel that ran from Gaza into Israel. According to Israel, the tunnel had been dug up to kidnap Israeli soldiers.  The Brigades’ spokesman, Abu Obeida, told Hamas' Al-Aqsa Radio, "This tunnel was made by the hand of the fighters of Al-Qassam and they will not sleep in their efforts to hit the occupation and kidnap soldiers".  He said that they were working on the ground and underground to release Palestinian prisoners and that kidnapping soldiers was the only way to succeed against the Israeli occupation. (AFP)

The IDF discovered an explosive device that had been placed adjacent to the border fence that separated Israel and the southern Gaza Strip. According to an IDF spokesperson, there had been no damages or injuries in the disposal of the bomb.  (The Jerusalem Post)

The IDF infiltrated the Gaza Strip borders reaching the eastern part of the mid Gaza City of Deir al-Balah. Witnesses said that four Israeli tanks, three army bulldozers and seven military vehicles entered Gaza and razed agricultural land.  No injuries were reported. (WAFA)

Palestinian and Israeli negotiators have held a new round of peace talks in Jerusalem. The water resources and rights was one of the core issues that had been discussed, said a Palestinian official. (Ma’an News Agency)

The Russian Federation’s Ambassador to Israel, Sergey Yakovlev, stated that the Soviet Union had voted in favour of the partition in the 1947 UN vote that led to the establishment of Israel in 1948. That resolution had stressed that it would be two States — one Arab State and the other Jewish. “Why should [Russia] again recognize the Jewish State of Israel? We did it in ‘48.”  (The Times of Israel)

The Prime Minister of Lithuania, Algirdas Butkevičiu, the current President of the Council of the European Union, met with Palestinian President Abbas to discuss EU-Palestinian relations and the bilateral Lithuanian-Palestinian cooperation. The Middle East peace process was also on the agenda. (www.lrv.lt/en/news, global post)

Malta’s Minister of Tourism, Karmenu Vella, met in Ramallah with his Palestinian counterpart, Rula Ma’ayah. During the meeting, Mr. Vella said that Malta would support and assist Palestine in drawing up a tourism development plan. He also invited Palestine to send students to Malta for tourism-related studies and Information Technology Services.   (The Malta Independent)

Israeli Justice Minister Livni said that she would file an appeal objecting to a bill that was approved a day earlier by the Knesset that would require two-thirds majority for negotiations on the future of Jerusalem.  Ms. Livni, who had voted against the bill, would now put it to the full 22-member Cabinet, in a move that would significantly reduce its chances of going forward. The final decision on whether to put it to a vote, however, rests with Prime Minister Netanyahu who has the final say, according to Israeli Daily Maariv.  (channelnewsasia.com)

According to eyewitness accounts, clashes broke out during the night that continued into the following morning after Israeli forces demolished a Palestinian home in the Jerusalem town of Abu Dis. (Ma'an News Agency)

The British Government announced that it would provide GBP 15.5 million ($25 million) to UNRWA to deliver support to Palestinian refugees inside Syria and those who had fled to neighbouring countries as a result of the conflict in that country. (KUNA)

Seven Palestinians from the West Bank, including five from the town of Bani Naeem, east of Hebron, and two from an area north of the Jordan Valley, were arrested by Israeli forces after having been chased by settlers. (WAFA)

Palestinian and Israeli sources said that Israel was expected to release a second group of 30 Palestinian prisoners on 29 October as part of ongoing peace efforts. They would include more members of the group of 104 pre-Oslo Peace Accords inmates whom Israel had pledged to release, contingent on progress in the talks. The most dangerous prisoners would be sent to the Gaza Strip, Yedioth Ahronoth reported.  The Prime Minister’s office declined to confirm the reports, but said that a public notice would be sent in advance. (The Times of Israel)

Under the auspices of the Committee on the Exercise of the Inalienable Rights of the Palestinian People and its Working Group, Avner Gvaryahu, a former IDF soldier presented the book “Our Harsh Logic” at UN Headquarters. The presentation was followed by a Q&A session. (DPI)

A coalition of Palestinian civil society organizations called upon the Palestinian Authority and the PLO to withdraw from the World Bank-sponsored project with Jordan and Israel called the Red Sea – Dead Sea Conveyance Project, a statement said. The organizations claimed that the initiative undermined Palestinian water rights and legitimized Israel's unilateral control of water resources.  (Ma’an News Agency)

22

According to eyewitness accounts, at least four Israeli military vehicles entered border areas in the northern and eastern Gaza Strip, razing land along the buffer zone. (Ma'an News Agency)

Mohammad Assi, a member of Islamic Jihad who was suspected of planning a bomb attack on a bus in Tel Aviv on 21 November 2012 that injured 29 people, was shot dead by Israeli troops during a gunfight near the village of Bilin, an army spokesman said. (BBC News)

Five Israelis were slightly injured in their vehicles after being attacked by Palestinian rock throwers near Beit Sahur, east of Bethlehem. (The Jerusalem Post)

During a tour of Hebron, Israeli Defense Minister Ya'alon warned that an “infectious wave of terror attacks” was being seen in the West Bank over the past month. However, he stressed that he did not see signs of a third intifada, as the six terror attacks that had taken place in the West Bank over the past month had been carried out by individuals not having an organization such as Fatah or Hamas behind them. (The Jerusalem Post)

An Israeli police officer employed a tear gas launcher during clashes with Palestinian stone throwers near the West Bank village of Bilin, near Ramallah. The clashes broke out after Israeli forces killed an armed Palestinian militant Israel's Shin Bet security service said was wanted for his involvement in a Tel Aviv bus bombing in 2012. (Reuters, The Washington Post)

According to diplomatic sources, Palestinian President Abbas called Turkey's Prime Minister Erdoğan and expressed his content regarding the recent release of the two kidnapped Turkish pilots. The leaders also discussed the Middle East peace process with Israel and agreed to be in touch with respect to regional developments. (Cihan News Agency)

During a visit to Lithuania, Palestinian President Abbas warned that Israel would be to blame if the ongoing peace talks collapsed over its military control of a border with Jordan. (AFP)

During its weekly meeting chaired by Prime Minister Hamdallah, the Palestinian Cabinet stressed that Jerusalem was the key to peace: "No State of Palestine without East Jerusalem as its eternal capital". The Cabinet also stressed that the international community needed to put an end to the constant Israeli violations in Jerusalem, especially against the Al Aqsa Mosque. It also addressed the issues of settlement expansion.  (Palestine News Network)

During a roundtable discussion hosted by the Global Diplomatic Forum, a British non-governmental organization, Former British Foreign Secretary Jack Straw said that the “unlimited” funding and intimidation of American politicians by the American Israel Public Affairs Committee was one of the main barriers to peace between Israelis and Palestinians.  He added that Germany’s “obsession” with defending Israel was another impediment to peace. (The Jerusalem Post)

US Secretary of State Kerry announced that the Government of Qatar had agreed to provide $150 million in debt relief to the PA. (Reuters) 

The Italian Consulate in Jerusalem said in a press statement that the three-day visit to Palestine of a delegation from the Italian Ministry of Justice aimed to “identify steps forward for the implementation of the Memorandum of Understanding signed in November 2012 by the Italian and the Palestinian Ministries of Justice”. The visit also set up the basis for Italian technical assistance to legislative drafting in the fields of family protection and the preservation and safeguarding of Palestinian cultural heritage. (WAFA)

According to eyewitness reports, a number of Israeli settlers used sewage water to flood Palestinian farmland in Al-Khader town, south of the West Bank city of Bethlehem. (IMEMC) 

According to a statement made by the PA Minister for Prisoners’ Affairs, Issa Qaraqe, the Israeli Government had refused requests for the release of prisoners facing serious health problems.  Israel had also refused to reveal the names of the 26 prisoners expected to be released on 29 October. (Ma’an News Agency)

The Under-Secretary-General for Political Affairs, Jeffrey Feltman, briefed the Security Council on the situation in the Middle East, including the Palestinian question. The latter said that “despite the difficult regional context and the challenges on the ground between Israel and Palestine, this is not an opportunity that either can afford to lose”. Mr. Feltman also acknowledged that “despite the intensification of negotiations, there have been worrisome developments on the ground that we cannot ignore.”  (UN press release SC/11155) 

23 

According to local sources, dozens of soldiers invaded the southern West Bank district of Hebron and detained four people after raiding and searching their houses. A 13-year-old child was also detained in Nablus. (IMEMC)

Israel's Chief Negotiator, Justice Minister Livni, warned:  "Stalemate can lead to a Palestinian State that would be forced on us − not as the outcome of negotiations that represent the Israeli interest… I believe in the peace process not as a favour to Europe or to the United States of America. It is our own interest," she said.  (AFP)

Hamas spokesman in Gaza Fawzi Barhoum said in an official declaration that UN Under-Secretary-General for Political Affairs Feltman’s statement during a briefing of the Security Council concerning the underground tunnels from Gaza into Israel that he described as “a violation to the ceasefire” agreement brokered by Egypt in 2012 between Hamas and Israel, was “showing a clear biased position”. He added that Mr. Feltman “doesn't see the daily Israeli violations on our people and the violence practiced against our farmers and fishermen”. (China.org.cn)

According to local sources, clashes broke out between local residents and a large group of settlers from the illegal settlement of Nokadeem who prevented farmers from reaching their lands in Taqou and harvest their olives. No injuries or arrests were reported. (WAFA)

Following PLO Executive Committee member Ashrawi’s demand that the EU investigate the misleading report by The Sunday Times that Palestine may have misspent $3.13 billion of EU financial aid between 2008 and 2012, an official European source declared that “what was reported in The Sunday Times and raised in the media about the existence of corruption and misuse of European funds provided to the Palestinian Authority is baseless and false”. (Palestine News Network, WAFA)

24 

An Israeli army spokesman said that Israeli forces detained 12 Palestinians across the West Bank. (Ma’an News Agency)

Israeli forces for the second day raided Tulkarm and searched cars and people, a Palestinian security source said. (Ma’an News Agency)

Israeli President Shimon Peres, speaking at the Jerusalem Post's annual diplomatic conference near Tel Aviv, praised President Abbas for his commitment to peace. For her part, Chief Negotiator and Justice Minister Livni said:  "I would like to hear from those who oppose the two-State solution what they offer".  Minister of Finance Yair Lapid said that the negotiators on both sides should agree on a map of the final borders between Israel and the future Palestine, stating that the map "would not involve Jerusalem" but would require the removal of thousands of settlers.  (New Europe Online) 

A statement from the Office of EU High Representative for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy Catherine Ashton reaffirmed support for Palestinian State-building, and pointed at the need for national reconciliation "as an important element for the unity of a future Palestinian State and for reaching a two-State solution." (AFP)

League of Arab States Spokesperson Nassif Hitti said:  "As of now there is little indication of positive signs of progress [in talks]," after returning from a meeting with US Secretary of State Kerry in Paris. Mr. Hitti added that “The US has promised to act if no progress is made until January. In addition, it also promised to present ideas for projects that could break the stalemate in negotiations.”  (Ynetnews)

Mohamed Mustafa, Palestinian Deputy Prime Minister and aide to President Abbas for economic policy, told Xinhua that a comprehensive economic plan aimed at recovering the Palestinian economy in parallel with progress in peace talks had been ratified and will soon be implemented.  “The first [phase] includes small projects for infrastructure, agriculture and public services," said Mustafa, adding that about $150 million would be needed for it.  The first nine-month phase will start in three weeks, and about 350 small-scale projects will be carried out.  "The second phase of Kerry's plan will focus on a long-run economic plan with strategic dimensions," said Mr. Mustafa, adding that plans will be drawn up to back housing, construction, agriculture, tourism, communications, data technology, energy, water and light industry. (Xinhua)

Turkey donated $850,000 to reduce the energy needs of the Gaza Strip and was preparing to send 10 tonnes of flour to Gaza, the Foreign Ministry said. (Today’s Zaman)  

Japan would finance water and electricity projects in the villages of Azzoun and Bidya in the West Bank with a total value of almost $200,000, a press release by Japan’s Representative Office in Ramallah said. (WAFA) 

A conference on "The Role of Trade for the Development of Palestinian Economy" will open in Istanbul, to be attended by Egypt, Jordan, Morocco, Palestine, Turkey and other Mediterranean countries, and delegations of the EU, the United Nations Development Programme and the International Labour Organization.  A protocol on Turkey-Palestine economic cooperation was expected to be signed.  (ANSAmed)

Swiss and Russian experts who participated in exhuming and testing the remains of the late Palestinian leader, Yasser Arafat, ruled out in their report that radioactive polonium caused his death in 2004, local sources said.  Tawfiq Al-Tirrawi, head of the Palestinian committee investigating Arafat's death, declined to comment, but said that a press conference will be held soon to reveal the results of the report. (Xinhua)

Israel's Minister of Housing, Uri Ariel, called for doubling the number of settler homes in   Hebron.  Mr. Ariel, who leads the Jewish Home party and lives in a settlement himself, told Army Radio that he supported "concrete plans for the construction of 100 [new] homes in Hebron." (AFP)

A violent clash was reported in the Israeli [settlement] of “Yizhar” between Palestinians supported by foreign activists and settlers. (Israel National News)

Israeli settlers attacked several farmers harvesting olives in the Nablus district, PA settlement monitoring official Daghlas said. Meanwhile, settlers hurled rocks at Palestinian cars near the Huwwara military checkpoint, south of Nablus, damaging several vehicles.  (Ma’an News Agency)

"I call on European companies and foreign companies doing business in the settlements to put an end to their activities," President Abbas said after a meeting with European Council President Herman van Rompuy in Brussels.  "Such activities are a violation of international law," he said.  “Both Israel and Palestine can contribute significantly to reinforcing regional stability by solving their differences,” Mr. van Rompuy said. (AFP, consilium.europa.eu)

Palestinian senior economic official and negotiator Mohammad Shtayyeh told The Financial Times that the Palestinian Minister of Foreign Affairs had begun sending letters the previous month to 50 countries that were home to 504 companies with business in settlements, “asking them to withdraw their investment or freeze their activities”. (The Financial Times)  

Israeli local media said that new building tenders in existing settlements could be announced the following week, as Prime Minister Netanyahu sought to soften opposition in his Government to a planned release of Palestinian prisoners. (Reuters)

Israeli authorities notified residents of Barta'a al-Sharqiya, a village south-west of Jenin, of their intentions to demolish a public park in the village, according to a local official.  (WAFA)

Hamas authorities in Gaza unveiled a new textbook which for the first time referred to "armed resistance" and the liberation of Palestine, to be taught at schools run by Hamas. The curriculum for UN-run or private schools would remain unchanged. (Xinhua)

The Israeli authorities must drop all charges against Palestinian human rights lawyer Anas Bargouthi who was released on bail the previous night, Amnesty International said.  (www.amnesty.org) 

25

During intensive activities near Hebron, PA security authorities arrested Hamas activists and uncovered a network in advanced stages of developing an improvised drone carrying explosives, intended to strike targets in Israel.  Israeli defence officials confirmed the report and noted that PA security forces had recently had other impressive achievements. (The Times of Israel)

The Palestinian Return Centre hosted an event in honour of Richard Falk, who is currently serving his last term as UN Special Rapporteur on the situation of human rights in the Palestinian territories occupied since 1967. During the event, Mr. Falk emphasized the disastrous imbalance between the parties and cited the fact that Palestinians made their biggest concession, by recognizing Israel within 1967 borders. (Palestine News Network)

A Palestinian near the northern West Bank village of Yabad hurled an improvised explosive device at an Israeli settler school bus, the Israeli army said. No injuries and no damage to the bus were reported.  (Ma'an News Agency)

Israeli Ministers would meet on 27 October to approve the release of a second batch of 26 Palestinian prisoners, the same number of prisoners released in August. On the same day, the Ministerial Committee on Legislation would vote on a bill that would prevent the release of terrorists as "gestures" to the PA, tabled by the Jewish Home faction and Likud. (AFP, Israel National News) 

The international campaign for the release of Marwan Barghouthi and all Palestinian political prisoners is to be launched in South Africa by the Ahmed Kathrada Foundation on 27 October. (Mail and Guardian)

Israel will return 36 bodies of Palestinian militants to their families as part of the agreement first publicized on Ynetnews in August. In early November, the families of the deceased were to give DNA samples for the identification of bodies. (Ynetnews) 

26 

According to security sources, clashes broke out between the Palestinian residents of Jenin and Israeli soldiers who raided the town, fired tear gas and caused damage to property. Several Palestinians suffered from tear gas inhalation. (WAFA)

Yasser Abed Rabbo, PLO Secretary-General, denied that Israeli would release a second batch of Palestinian prisoners under the terms of the renewed peace talks and would be allowed to build more settlements in exchange. (Ma’an News Agency)

In a statement, Fatah condemned the Israeli ban on a visit by a European Parliament delegation to the Gaza Strip that aimed to study the impact of the Israeli blockade imposed on the Gaza Strip and to meet activists in social, political and academic spheres in Gaza. (WAFA)

In a statement, Palestinian Prime Minister Hamdallah said that Palestinians whose olive trees had been damaged by Israeli settler attacks would be compensated by 750,000 olive trees that would be planted across the West Bank. (Ma’an News Agency) 

27 

According to a confidential document, between 11 September 2013 and 20 October 2013, some 1,000 olive trees had been destroyed − set on fire or chopped down − in the West Bank where the IDF had full security responsibility. (Haaretz)

A Palestinian youth was detained for allegedly attempting to stab an IDF soldier at a security checkpoint in the West Bank. (Ynetnews)

According to Ratib al-Jbour, the coordinator of the Popular and National Committees South of Hebron and East of Yatta, Israeli forces assaulted and beat up a Palestinian bus driver, causing bruises all over his body, while he was picking up school children in the Masafer region, east of Yatta. (Ma’an News Agency)

During the weekly Cabinet meeting, Prime Minister Netanyahu reiterated Israeli preconditions and demands for the recognition of Israel as a Jewish State. He said that the unity of Jerusalem was important and Palestinians could not have a right of return into Israel in any final status agreement for a two-State solution. “We ascribe importance to the unity of Jerusalem and, of course, to the cancellation of the right of return” said Mr. Netanyahu. (The Jerusalem Post, IMEMC)

After an 18-month boycott and strong international pressure, Prime Minister Netanyahu said that Israel would renew its ties with the UN Human Rights Council by attending its forthcoming meeting. Israel, however, announced two conditions: the first was joining the meeting as a full member of the Western European and Others Group, for which no binding commitment had been made by European States. To date, Israel had not been part of any regional group. Second, Israel demanded that Western European countries do not speak for the next two years under the Council’s agenda item 7 “Human rights situation in Palestine and other Arab territories”. (AP, Haaretz) 

Egypt's closure of tunnels used to smuggle goods into the Gaza Strip “caused heavy losses to the industry, commerce, agriculture, transport and construction sectors" of about $230 million monthly, said Hatem Oweida, deputy economy minister of the Hamas-appointed authorities in Gaza. (Aljazeera)

According to the Jewish newspaper Maariv, the Israeli Government would soon issue permits for the construction of 1,700 new housing units in Jerusalem and the West Bank. Some 200 units would be built in the West Bank while the rest would be built in “Shlomo” settlement in Jerusalem. (Middle East Monitor)

According to Jawad Siam, director of the Wadi Hilweh Information Center, the Israeli West Jerusalem Municipality handed six demolition orders and several other stop-work orders to Palestinian houses and a grocery store claiming that the properties had been built without licenses. The demolition of the houses would displace at least 14 Palestinians. (Ma’an News Agency)

According to a local source, a group of settlers from the illegal “Efrat” settlement set fire to dozens of Palestinian-owned olive trees in the town of al-Khader, south of Bethlehem, and cut down around 20 apricot, peach and almond trees. (WAFA) 

Human Rights Watch called on the Israeli military to stop harassing and imposing restrictions on Addameer, a human rights association that provides legal services and advocates for the rights of Palestinians in detention. (RT)

Israel had agreed and publicized the names of the 26 long-serving Palestinian prisoners to be released as part of a US-brokered deal that had led to the resumption of the peace talks. The prisoners would comprise the second batch of pre-Oslo convicted prisoners to be freed. (The Jerusalem Post)

28 

Israeli forces arrested 22 Palestinians, including Parliament members Nizar Ramadan and Maher Badir, after raiding their homes in Hebron. According to the Prisoner’ Club, following the two recent arrests, the total number of Palestinian parliamentarians held in prison in Israel had increased to 15. (WAFA)

The Israeli Air Force launched a strike on the northern Gaza Strip just hours after militants from the area had fired rockets at a southern Israeli coastal city. Witnesses said that the attack targeted a Hamas training camp which was empty at the time, leaving no casualties. (AFP)

A territorial swap between Israel and the Palestinians, which would be part of a future permanent peace deal, remained undecided, said Fatah Central Committee Member Mahmoud al-Aloul, denying Israeli media reports that the Palestinians presented the Israelis their vision of a permanent peace deal that included a limited territorial swap. He said, however, that the idea of limited land swap had been proposed previously. (Xinhua)

Prime Minister Netanyahu spoke on the phone with US President Obama discussing the peace talks and wider Middle East issues. (The Jerusalem Post)

The Ministry of Health in the besieged Gaza Strip said that the lives of hundreds of patients were at risk over the lack of medication due to the Israeli blockade. “The situation is disastrous especially in the health sector. Years of blockade have deteriorated the situation in Gaza. This illegal blockade must be lifted to save the patients’ lives,” said Samir Zaqout, an official from Al-Mezan Center for Human Rights. (Press TV)

In an interview with the Voice of Palestine radio, Palestinian Minister for Prisoners’ Affairs Qaraqe deplored the fact that he had not been consulted beforehand about which prisoners were to be released by the Israeli Government and that the decision had been made without Palestinian consent. An unnamed source reported that 3 of the released prisoners would be from Hamas, 4 from the Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine and the rest from Fatah. (Israel National News)

President Abbas said that he would pursue his efforts to secure the release of more Palestinians from Israeli prisons. He said, “We won’t have comfort until they are all released.”  Mr. Abbas’ remarks came shortly after Israel announced that it would release 26 Palestinian prisoners the following day.  He said that more prisoners would be freed from Israeli jails “very soon”.  (The Jerusalem Post)

Some 2,000 people protested against the upcoming release of 26 Palestinian security prisoners outside the Ofer prison, Israel Radio reported.  Members of the Knesset from the Bayit Yehudi party, who had objected to the release of prisoners as part of the ongoing peace talks, attended the protest.  The Almagor Terror Victims Association said that 7 of the 16 victims’ families had not been notified which Palestinian prisoners had been slated for release.  (AFP)

29 

Five Israeli military vehicles entered the town of Silat al-Harithiya in Jenin, firing tear gas and setting up a checkpoint to search vehicles while Palestinians threw stones and empty bottles at them.   The soldiers also took pictures of the home of Ragheb Jaradat, who was killed in 2002 and whose body was still being held in Israel. An Israeli spokeswoman said that she was not “familiar” with the incident. (Ma’an News Agency)

A 17-year-old Palestinian man was shot and injured after fierce clashes had broken out between Israeli troops and young men in the village of Tuqu, east of Bethlehem. Israeli military vehicles stormed the village firing gunshots, rubber-coated bullets and tear gas canisters after a Molotov cocktail was hurled at a settler bus traveling on the main road in the village. Witnesses said that the front of the bus had caught fire. (Ma’an News Agency)

According to the Israel Radio, Palestinian President Abbas had toned down his opposition to an interim agreement after three months of negotiations and was no longer “rejecting out of hand” the possibility of such an agreement despite his public pronouncements.  (The Jerusalem Post)

Israeli bulldozers demolished a water tank, two rooms, a wall, and several agricultural properties in the al-Taweel area south of Nablus, Palestinian settlement monitor Daghlas, said.  (Ma’an News Agency)

Israeli bulldozers demolished an apartment building in Beit Hanina, north of Jerusalem, officials said. The building belonged to the Palestinian Rushdi Shwaidi and housed 20 people, including women and children. The Israeli forces said that the structure was unlicensed. (Ma'an News Agency)

The IDF entered the African neighbourhood of the Old City of Jerusalem, detaining Moayyad Salaymeh, 22, which led to clashes and pepper gas spraying by the Israeli forces, a local official said. (Ma’an News Agency)

Philip Gordon, US National Security Council Coordinator for Middle East Policy, in an address to the annual gala dinner of the American Task Force on Palestine, emphasized perceived Israeli transgressions in describing the difficulties afflicting renewed Israeli-Palestinian peace talks. “The United States does not accept the legitimacy of continued Israeli settlement expansion,” Mr. Gordon said, an apparent reference to new housing starts announced by Israel in recent weeks. Citing attacks by settlers on Palestinian olive groves, he said, “We also strongly condemn settler violence.” (www.jta.org)

More than 40 Jewish settlers entered the Al-Aqsa Mosque compound through the Bab al-Magharbeh Gate under the protection of Israeli police while Palestinian worshipers and students were at the Mosque.  (Palestine News Network)

Palestinian Minister for Prisoners’ Affairs Qaraqe said that the 26 Palestinian prisoners would be released around midnight. The prisoners would be taken from the Ofer Prison to the Presidential Compound in Ramallah, where President Abbas and senior Palestinian officials were expected to greet them. Five prisoners would be returning to the Gaza Strip.  (The Jerusalem Post)

Mohammad Mahdi Suleiman, the 15-year-old Palestinian from the West Bank district of Salfit could face a life-term in prison sentence  for “throwing stones at the soldiers, and endangering their lives” when he appears at a military court in the next few days.  The Wa’ed Society for Detainees reported that the Israeli prosecution’s intention to ask for the highest penalty was unprecedented. It called upon UNICEF and international human rights groups to intervene, and perform their legal duty to protect the children.  Wa'ed said that “the child” was being held under very tough conditions, facing torture and abuse.  (IMEMC)

30

Palestinian Chief Negotiator Erakat stated that Palestinian President Abbas had never accepted a transitional solution to the conflict, and would never abandon the legitimate rights of the Palestinian.  “The current talks we are holding with Tel Aviv are on all core, final status, issues,” Mr. Erakat said. “We never discussed transitional solutions, including a state with temporary borders; the Palestinian leadership rejects transitional solutions”, he added.  (IMEMC) 

Israel’s negotiating position with the Palestinians in the ongoing US-sponsored peace talks was the toughest it had taken since before the 1993 Oslo Accords, PLO official Rabbo, said. “The current Israeli negotiating position is the worst in more than 20 years,” adding that there had been “no tangible progress” in talks that had resumed in July after a hiatus of nearly three years. “They want security first, and that the borders of the State of Palestine should be set out according to Israeli security needs that never end, and that will undermine the possibility of establishing a sovereign Palestinian State," Mr. Rabbo said. (AFP)

During its weekly meeting chaired by Palestinian Prime Minister Hamdallah, the Cabinet stressed that in the coming weeks, it would commence the implementation of the first phase of the plan of reviving the economy, which would include pressuring the Israeli side to ensure the collection of taxes, and continue its work with donor countries in order to ensure the implementation of their obligations and aid deadlines. (Palestine News Network) 

Israel's Interior Ministry announced that it would proceed with a plan for 1,500 new housing units in Ramat Shlomo, a settlement in an area of the West Bank that Israel considered part of Jerusalem. The plans were first announced in 2010, clouding a visit to Israel at the time by US Vice-President Joe Biden, who condemned the project that was subsequently shelved. (Reuters, AP)

The Spokesperson for Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon said in a statement: “The Secretary-General deplores the announcements today of further Israeli settlement plans in the West Bank, including East Jerusalem.  Settlement activity is contrary to international law and constitutes an obstacle to peace. Any measures that prejudge final status issues will not be recognised by the international community.”  (UN News Centre)

Israeli police forces demolished a three-story building in the East Jerusalem neighbourhood of Beit Hanina, the second in 24 hours, saying that it had been built without a permit, according to the owner of the building, who said that he had not received a prior notice regarding the demolition. (WAFA)

Israeli forces distributed five orders to demolish houses in Silwan in East Jerusalem.  (Ma’an News Agency)

Israeli settlers cut down around 600 olive trees in the village of Aynabus, south of Nablus, according to local sources. (WAFA)

Israel freed 26 Palestinian prisoners as part of a limited amnesty demanded by the Palestinians to revive long-stalled negotiations, but hours later announced plans to build more homes for Jewish settlers, in an apparent move to appease hardliners. (Reuters, AP)

Special Rapporteur on the situation of human rights in the Palestinian territories occupied since 1967 Falk introduced his report to the General Assembly Third Committee, noting that during the five years of his mandate, he was only able to make one visit to the territories due to consistent non-cooperation of the Government of Israel, which had hampered his mandate. He said that his report described the activities of international corporations in relation to Israeli settlements using two case studies: the first examined loans granted by an Israeli subsidiary of the European banking group Dexia to Israeli settlements; the second examined the promotion, advertising and sale of properties in Israeli settlements by the US-based Re/Max real estate company. Mr. Falk presented a set of recommendations: that the General Assembly should request an advisory opinion from the International Court of Justice as to the legal consequences of the prolonged occupation of State of Palestine if current diplomacy failed to produce a solution to the Israeli-Palestinian conflict; Israel should cease the creation and expansion of settlements, return Israeli settlers to the Israeli side of the Green Line and provide reparations to Palestinians who had suffered damages from settlement-related activities since 1967. All companies enjoying relationships with settlements comparable to those used as case studies should review their arrangements to ensure they were in accordance with international law and the Guiding Principles on Business and Human Rights, adding that Belgium and France should compensate Palestinians who had been negatively affected by Dexia Israel’s involvement with settlements. (www.un.org)

During a press conference at UN Headquarters, UN Special Rapporteur Falk warned that financial institutions and real estate companies involved with housing settlements in Palestine, such as Dexia and Re/Max might be held criminally accountable.  (UN News Centre)

Israel defended its record before the UN Human Rights Council, marking an end to its 18-month boycott of the body over scrutiny of the situation in the occupied Palestinian territories. “Our record is before you. It is not a perfect record,” Israeli Ambassador Eviator Manor told the Council. “Israel has been regularly subject to significant, and often politically motivated, scrutiny over the years, disproportional to the worldwide human rights situation,” Israel's Deputy Attorney General Shai Nitzan said. A string of European countries also took the floor, with Britain saying it was “deeply concerned” about the situation in the territories. The United States praised a “strong commitment and track record in upholding human rights, political freedom and civil liberties” but also sounded a critical note on domestic policy, urging Israel to boost resources for Israeli Arab and Bedouin communities, and guard against the clout of Orthodox rabbis in determining policies that could discriminate against non-Orthodox Jews and non-Jews. (AFP)

31 

Israeli troops shot dead a 21-year-old Palestinian man during a clash near Jenin.  According to an Israeli military spokesperson, the soldiers were on an overnight raid in a village near Jenin when some 50 Palestinians started hurling rocks at them.  Ahmed Imad Yusef was shot in the chest during the confrontation.  Locals said that he was not a militant.  (Reuters)

Israeli forces said in a statement that during an operation to destroy part of a mile-long tunnel running beneath the border from Gaza into Israel, Hamas detonated an explosive device that wounded five Israeli soldiers and that soldiers fired back in response. Following the incident, Israeli military strikes killed four members of Hamas military wing. (The New York Times, Reuters) 

Israeli forces arrested five Palestinians from Ramallah and Bethlehem and seven others from Jerusalem.  (WAFA)

An Israeli military vehicle reportedly deliberately hit a Palestinian vehicle parked on the side of a road near Jenin. (Ma'an News Agency) 

Israeli forces closed Huwwara checkpoint south of Nablus after a gunmen fired at an Israeli settler’s vehicle nearby. (Ma'an News Agency)

The Israeli Government would begin advancing a series of construction plans for some 5,000 new housing units in East Jerusalem and the West Bank in an effort to “offset” the release of Palestinian prisoners.  In addition to finally implementing a prior plan to build 1,500 apartments in “Ramat Shlomo” in East Jerusalem, the Government will also market land for the immediate construction of over 800 new housing units in the major settlement blocks.  It will also advance plans to build 2,500 new housing units throughout the West Bank, but those will still have to go through several additional stages of the planning process.  (Haaretz)

EU High Representative for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy Ashton said in a statement: “The EU has repeatedly stated that settlements are illegal under international law.  It has also called upon Israel to end all settlement activity, including natural growth, and to dismantle outposts erected since March 2001.  The EU deplores the recent settlement announcements.  Any actions that could hamper or undermine the on-going negotiations must be avoided.”  (http://eeas.europa.eu)

Settlers from “Qarni Shomron” destroyed over 300 olive trees in the village of Azzun in Qalqilya.  (Ma’an News Agency, WAFA)

The European Coordination Committee for Palestine (ECCP) reported that, in response to a written question submitted on behalf of the International Campaign to Protect Palestinian Residency in Jerusalem (Jerusalemites Campaign) and the ECCP, EU High Representative for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy Ashton had stated: “On the issue of residency revocation in Jerusalem, the EU continues to stress with the Israeli Government its concerns about Israeli policy on East Jerusalem (including residency and permit regimes, restrictions on building and lack of services).” (www.eccpalestine.org)

During demonstrations marking the anniversary of the Balfour Declaration, Palestinian activists organized sit-ins at international organizations in Gaza. (Ma'an News Agency)

____________