Chronological Review of Events/July 2015 – DPR review

Division for Palestinian Rights

Chronological Review of Events Relating to the

Question of Palestine

Monthly media monitoring review

July 2015

1

Israel’s Shin Bet security service said it had arrested 40 Hamas operatives in the West Bank. (AP)

Several Israeli bulldozers entered a border area in the central Gaza Strip. Shots were fired at Palestinians on agricultural land, with no injuries reported. (Ma’an News Agency)

The Ministry of Interior in the Gaza Strip deployed forces along the border with Egypt after attacks in Sinai by militants affiliated with the Islamic State reportedly killed over 70 people on the Egyptian side. (Ma’an News Agency)

Three Palestinians were shot and injured by Israeli forces in the Duheisha refugee camp south of Bethlehem during an Israeli detention raid. (Ma’an News Agency)

Israeli forces welded shut the family home of Udai Abu Jamal, one of the attackers on a Jerusalem synagogue on 18 November 2014, in which five Israelis were killed and twelve others wounded. Soldiers then poured concrete into the building, which is located in the Jabal al-Mukabbir neighbourhood of East Jerusalem. The Israeli Supreme Court had ruled that the homes of both attackers, Udai Abu Jamal and his cousin, who had both been killed during the attack, are to be demolished. (PNN)

The Constitution, Law and Justice Committee of the Israeli Knesset approved a new regulation to allow the Israel Prison Service to ban phone access and employment for security prisoners held pending trial or pre-indictment. These restrictions have effectively been in place for years already, just not officially codified. During the session the Committee was informed that since 2011 the number of Palestinians in Israeli prisons has grown by 26 per cent, reaching 5,686 prisoners as of 1 July. Of those, 1,610 are detainees. (Haaretz, The Jerusalem Post)

The Hebron branch of the Palestinian Prisoners’ Society informed that since the beginning of the year Israeli forces have detained 550 Palestinians from the Hebron district, including 7 women and 105 teenagers. In total, 225 of the detainees were sentenced without trial through Israel’s frequent use of administrative detention. (Ma’an News Agency)

Ahmad Majdalani, member of the Executive Committee of the PLO, said that a cabinet reshuffle on the national consensus government will be taking place in a few days and include five ministers, some new and some reassigned from the previous cabinet. President Abbas had assigned PM Rami Hamdallah to make “slight changes” to the existing government, while talks regarding forming a new national consensus government are still ongoing. (Ma’an News Agency)

The United Nations International Meeting in Support of Israeli-Palestinian Peace, convened under the auspices of the Committee on the Exercise of the Inalienable Rights of the Palestinian People, opened in Moscow. In a message delivered by UN Special Coordinator for the Middle East Peace Process Nickolay Mladenov, Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon said, “As the Middle East faces a vicious tide of terror and extremism, we must maintain our focus on the urgent need to resolve the Israeli-Palestinian conflict and realize the legitimate right of Palestinians to their own State, and of Israelis and Palestinians to live in peace and security. Failing to do so can further destabilize the region. The nearly half a century-long occupation must end, and the two-state solution is the only viable way forward.” (Office of the SG Spokesperson, UN press release GA/PAL/1336) 

2

According to Haaretz, the Palestinian resolution that will be brought to a vote in the United Nations Human Rights Council concerning the international commission of inquiry’s report into Operation Protective Edge is expected to be harshly critical of Israel but will not contain a demand for sanctions or any concrete moves against Israel. (Haaretz)

4

Adnan Dmeiri, spokesman for the Palestinian Security Forces in the West Bank said that the arrest of dozens of West Bank Hamas members the past few days were carried out for security reasons. He accused Hamas of plotting to create instability in the West Bank and saying the arrests would continue “as long as there is a threat to the security of our homeland.” (Ma’an News Agency)

5

The Palestine Liberation Organization said in a report that 23 Palestinians had been killed, 2,156 had been detained and 131 Palestinian homes had been destroyed by Israel since 1 January 2015. (Anadolu Agency)

The al-Quds Brigade, the military wing of Islamic Jihad, announced that it has built an eight-meter watch tower in Khuza’a in the eastern part of the Gaza Strip next to the border with Israel. It was intentionally built directly across from an IDF structure 500 meters away from the border. (The Jerusalem Post)

Hamas Leader Ismail Haniyeh said that Israel had informed some international parties that it would not wage a new war on the Gaza Strip. He said those parties had supported the war on Gaza a year ago but decided recently to open up to the Gaza Strip. He also affirmed that there were ongoing contacts with Egypt, which will contribute to the humanitarian situation in Gaza. He expressed his optimism about the future of the Gazans. (The Palestinian Information Centre)

Amin Maqboul, a senior Fatah official, said that talks with Hamas are ongoing to form a unity government, despite Hamas’ precondition – to pay civil servants salaries of 2014 – and objections that the process lacks a cross-party consensus. He said that the consensus government formed following a reshuffle last week will stick to its schedule regarding the reconstruction of Gaza. (Ma’an News Agency)

In a speech at an Iftar dinner hosted by Israel’s President, Mr. Reuven Rivlin said he does not know if it would be possible to implement a two-State solution on the 1967 and 1948 borders. Mr. Rivlin said: “Peace must be based on open borders and joint interests because these two nations were born to live together in this land and do not need to be forced to.” (Middle East Monitor)

6

The IDF arrested three Palestinian men after they breached the border fence near the Kerem Shalom crossing between the southern Gaza Strip and Israel, Israel’s army said. An Israeli army spokeswoman said the three men were taken in for questioning and have yet to be released. (Ma’an News Agency)

The European Union and the Netherlands announced a contribution of around US$ 20 million to the Palestinian Government for the June 2015 civil servant salaries and pensions. In Ramallah, EU Representative John Gatt-Rutter said in this regard, “This contribution to salaries and pensions is another evidence of our strong support for the efforts of the Palestinian Authority to provide essential public services to the Palestinian people in both the West Bank and Gaza.” (WAFA)

Fifteen Palestinians, including four children, from the Gaza Strip visited their family members jailed in Israel’s Eshel prison, the spokeswoman of the International Committee of the Red Cross said. (Ma’an News agency)

According to the Palestinian Prisoners Society, Yasser Tarwa, a Palestinian from Hebron who was shot and detained by the IDF on 21 June, has been in a state of unconsciousness since the date of his arrest. Mr. Tarwa is held in the Hadasa hospital, where he is kept under tight Israeli custody. (International Middle East Media Centre)

According to the Committee of Prisoners’ Affairs, Mutasem Raddad, a Palestinian prisoner in Israeli jails diagnosed with bowel cancer has been denied family visits. Mr. Raddad from Tulkarm is being hospitalized in the Ramla Hospital under tight Israeli supervision along with 16 other ailing prisoners have been denied family visitation for months. (WAFA)

The United Nations Human Rights Council called on Israel and the Palestinians to prosecute alleged war crimes committed in the 2014 Gaza war and to cooperate with the International Criminal Court’s preliminary investigation. The Council adopted a resolution, presented by the Palestinian delegation, by a vote of 41 in favor, one against and five abstentions. (Reuters)

Israeli soldiers detained 13 Palestinians in the West Bank and East Jerusalem. (IMEMC)

A group of Israelis assaulted three Palestinians in East Jerusalem, and one of the Palestinians suffered head injuries after being hit with a rod. (Ma ‘an News Agency)

Save the Children said that children living in Gaza’s hardest-hit areas during last year’s conflict were still showing signs of severe emotional distress, including high levels of bed wetting and nightmares. (www.savethechildren.org.uk)

Israel’s Supreme Court gave 30 days to the Interior Minister to reach a final decision on the possible deportation from East Jerusalem of three Palestinian lawmakers and a former Palestinian Jerusalem Affairs Minister. (Ma ‘an News Agency)

7

Israeli forces detained 10 Palestinians in the West Bank and Jerusalem, including two minors. (WAFA)

Israeli navy boats opened fire at Palestinian fishing boats while sailing off the coast of Khan Yunis in the southern Gaza Strip, arrested six fishermen and seized their boats. No casualties were reported. (WAFA)

One year after the escalation of hostilities in Gaza, the Humanitarian Coordinator for the occupied Palestinian territory, Robert Piper, expressed continuing concern over the ongoing humanitarian situation and the slow pace of reconstruction in the Gaza Strip. “The 51-day hostilities left $1.4 billion in direct and indirect damages and $1.7 billion in economic losses to Gaza,” OCHA OPT said in a statement, adding, “Today some 100,000 people remain internally displaced, hosted in temporary accommodation or in make-shift shelters. 120,000 people are still waiting to be reconnected to the city water supply.” (www.ochaopt.org)

According to a report drafted by Israel’s Finance Ministry in mid-2013 and made public last week, Israel’s economy could lose up to NIS40 billion (USD10.5 billion) per year if the country is subject to a full international boycott. (Times of Israel)

A source in the Israeli Southern Command said, “Hamas is getting closer to finishing restoring its stock of mortar shells and short-range rockets. They don’t yet have the amount of medium- and long-range rockets (that can reach Tel Aviv, Jerusalem, and further north) it had.” (Ynetnews)

Palestinian Foreign Minister Riad Malki claimed that France had dropped a bid for a UN resolution to relaunch the peace process due to US and Israeli pressure. However, Palestinian officials later said that the Foreign Minister’s remarks were more his interpretation than information based on an official decision by the French. (Haaretz)

The Palestinian Ambassador to India said he was “shocked” at India’s abstention on the resolution passed at the UN Human Rights Council based on the findings of the commission that investigated last summer’s war in Gaza. “We were very happy with the UN resolution, but the voting of India has broken our happiness,” he said. Following the vote, the Indian External Affairs Ministry issued a statement saying, “There is no change in India’s long-standing position on support to the Palestinian cause,” and explained that its vote had to do with the fact that India was not a signatory to the Rome Statute, which was referenced in the resolution. (The Jerusalem Post)

8

Senior Israeli military officers have recommended to Defense Minister Moshe Ya’alon that the opening of border crossings between Israel and the Gaza Strip be expanded. Recommendations
involve allowing “thousands of Palestinians to travel abroad by entering Israel via the Erez crossing and leaving the country to Jordan via the Allenby Bridge,” as well as permitting “merchandise into Gaza through the Karni crossing and expanding the use of the Kerem Shalom crossing.” They would also involve issuing permits “for Palestinians from the Gaza Strip to work in Israeli communities near the border.” (Haaretz, WAFA)

According to Israeli army and local sources, Israeli forces arrested 10 Palestinians in raids carried out across the West Bank. (Ma’an News Agency)

The Vatican has rejected requests by Israeli diplomats to see the text of the agreement signed between the Holy See and the State of Palestine two weeks ago. According to Haaretz, the Israeli Foreign Ministry is concerned that the treaty between the Vatican and the State of Palestine contradicts a similar treaty that already exists between the Vatican and Israel. (Middle East Monitor)

A year after the Gaza conflict, UNRWA Commissioner-General Pierre Krähenbühl issued a statement warning that the root causes of the conflict remained unaddressed. He further stated, “315 days on from the ceasefire, not a single totally destroyed house, of which there are over 12,000, has been rebuilt. This leaves some 120,000 people homeless. Coming in addition to high levels of unemployment and a lack of prospects for Gaza’s youth, this situation represents a time bomb for the region. Resolute political action is required on a number of fronts to achieve the necessary change of paradigm in the Strip, starting with a lifting of the blockade, ensuring rights and security for all, allowing increased exports from Gaza to stimulate economic recovery, and freedom of movement for civilians.” (UNRWA)

The Regional Planning and Construction Committee of the Jerusalem City Council approved on 7 July a plan to expand the “French Hill” settlement in East Jerusalem by confiscating 25 dunams (6.17 acres) of Palestinian land. (IMEMC)

The Israeli Supreme Court approved the building of a new section of the separation wall in the Cremisan Valley near Beit Jala to the south of Jerusalem. The attorney representing Beit Jala Municipality and Palestinian residents said that they would appeal against the court’s decision. (WAFA)

Amnesty International and Forensic Architecture have launched an online tool for mapping 2,500 Israeli strikes during the Gaza war last summer. (Haaretz)

Israeli settlers chased down and assaulted the Palestinian workers on in East Jerusalem. (IMEMC)

9

Israeli forces arrested 11 Palestinians in Hebron, Bethlehem, Nablus, Ramallah and Jenin. (Petra News)

Israel believes that two of its citizens, an Ethiopian Israeli and an Israeli Arab, are held in Gaza. The former, Mr. Mengistu, is believed to have entered the enclave out of his own accord. The Israeli government is working to secure their safe return and has appealed to international and regional bodies for help. Hamas stated that Mr. Mengistu is not mentally stable and refused to go back to Israel. He is believed to later have crossed into Egypt via a tunnel. (BBC, The Jeruslem Post)

Israel’s Civil Administration delivered dozens of eviction and stop-work orders to Palestinian Bedouins east of Jerusalem. Israeli security forces raided the Abu al-Nawwar dwellings and issued orders notifying Bedouin families that they must move to the Bawwabat al-Quds (Jerusalem Gate) area within a month. The area is on the outskirts of Abu Dis where Israeli authorities plan to relocate Bedouin families currently living in the E1 zone, an area northeast of Jerusalem and west of the Israeli settlement of “Maale Adumim”. (Ma’an News Agency)

Israel has decided to reverse its policy and open talks with the prosecutor at the International Criminal Court (ICC) in The Hague, Netherlands, over the ICC preliminary examination into Operation Protective Edge in the Gaza Strip last summer, as well as the situation in the West Bank and East Jerusalem. A senior Israeli official said that Israel’s reason for opening contacts with the ICC’s Office of the Prosecutor is only to make its position clear to the court – that the ICC does not have any authority to hear Palestinian complaints on the matter because Palestine is not a state. (Haaretz)

Israeli forces detained a 17-year-old Palestinian after he allegedly attempted to stab an Israeli soldier at the Qalandiya checkpoint. (Ma’an News Agency)

Israeli Prime Minister Netanyahu called on the international community to deliver a clear call for the return of the two Israelis being held in Gaza. (The Jerusalem Post)

Hamas said that it would provide information on the two missing Israelis in the Gaza Strip only if the Palestinians who were rearrested after their release in the Gilad Schalit prisoner swap were freed. Israeli security officials said that there will be no prisoners release for two missing Israelis. (The Jerusalem Post, Ynetnews)

Israeli Vice Prime Minister Silvan Shalom, who is responsible for peace negotiations, at a security conference in Tel Aviv said that since it was first tabled in 2002, the Arab Peace Initiative was voted on several times at various Arab League summits and changed from its original format, bringing in three major changes – the Initiative now calls for any peace agreement to be based on the 1967 lines, calls for Israel to return the Golan Heights to Syria, and requires the full implementation of the Palestinians’ right of return. These changes make the Initiative unacceptable as a blueprint for peace agreement, he said. (Times of Israel)

Following the recent abstention of India from voting on the Gaza conflict at the Human Rights Council, an advisor to Palestinian President Abbas, Majdi Khaldi, told the media July that President Abbas has “accepted and understood that India’s vote was on technical and not political grounds”, adding that President Abbas hoped that “nothing has changed in Palestine’s traditional ties with India”. (The Gulf Today)

Palestinian prisoner Udai Steiti, who has been on a hunger strike for 22 days in protest of his administrative detention, was placed in solitary confinement by Israeli authorities, reported the Palestinian Prisoners Club. (WAFA)

After a year under administrative detention, Israeli authorities released Palestinian MP of the Hebron district Nayif al-Rujoub from the Ofer prison, reportedly for medical tests. (Ma’an News Agency)

An Israeli court in Jerusalem sentenced a 38-year-old Palestinian man to one year in prison and to six months of suspended sentence for the alleged use of Facebook for incitement. (IMEMC)

10

The IDF detained three Palestinians from Bethlehem and Nablus Districts. (WAFA)

Israeli forces at a main checkpoint in northern Bethlehem blocked Palestinian women between the ages of 16 and 30, as well as men between 30 and 50, from crossing to Jerusalem without permits for Friday prayers, under recently enforced entry restrictions. (Ma’an News Agency)

Palestinian President Abbas has recalled the Palestinian Ambassador to Chile for consultations, reportedly following anti-Semitic statements the envoy made at a Palestine Peace Conference held in Santiago two months ago. (Haaretz)

PLO Executive Committee Member Saeb Erakat, on the 11th anniversary of the ICJ opinion regarding the Wall, said in a press release that “international action in accordance with the ICJ opinion is long overdue,” adding that supporting the Palestinian right for self-determination should be “translated into tangible steps”. (WAFA)

Israeli forces shot and injured a 17-year-old Palestinian with a live bullet during a weekly protest in Kafr Qaddum village in the northern West Bank. (Ma’an News Agency)

11

Israeli forces detained six Palestinians from across the West Bank and a 17-year-old boy in East Jerusalem. (Ma’an News Agency)

A group of Israeli settlers drove bulldozers into orchards belonging to Palestinians in Deir Estia village in the central West Bank, uprooting more than 80 olive trees. (IMEMC)

A water desalination plant funded by a Turkish aid organization was inaugurated near the Al-Shati refugee camp in the Gaza Strip. It will allow the purification of seawater to provide some 5,000 camp residents with fresh drinking water. (Anadolu Agency)

12

A 45-year-old Palestinian lost his eye after being hit by a sponge-tipped bullet fired by Israeli forces in the Shu’fat refugee camp in East Jerusalem. The footage captured on a security camera clearly showed that the man was not among rioters who had thrown rocks towards Israeli forces. (Haaretz)

B’Tselem, an Israeli human rights group, released a video showing a high-ranking Israeli officer fatally shooting a fleeing Palestinian teenager who had thrown a rock at his vehicle on 3 July, smashing its windshield. The footage appears to undercut earlier claims by the military that the officer had opened fire because his life was in danger. (AP)

Israeli forces arrested six Palestinians, including two minors, in Hebron and Nablus. (WAFA)

The Israeli navy opened fire at Palestinian fishing boats sailing off the northern Gaza coast within the Israeli-imposed fishing zone. No injuries or damage were reported. (WAFA)

Israeli settlers set fire to dozens of olive trees belonging to a Palestinian in the village of Nahalin, west of Bethlehem. (WAFA)

Israel released Khader Adnan, a Palestinian prisoner who had recently ended a 55-day hunger strike. (AP)

The Knesset cancelled a scheduled vote on a bill that would allow the execution of Palestinian prisoners charged with killing Israelis, after Prime Minister Netanyahu announced his opposition to the bill at a meeting of the Likud Party. (MEMO)

Palestinian President Abbas issued a decree to form a national committee to investigate potential war crimes during last summer’s Gaza war. The committee will consist of seven legal experts and is expected to start its work on 20 July. (Ma’an News Agency)

13

Israeli forces stationed in military watchtowers on the border with Gaza opened fire towards Palestinian farmland east of Khan Yunis in the southern Gaza Strip. There were no reports of casualties. (WAFA)

Israeli forces detained five Palestinians after raiding their homes in Jerusalem’s Old City and Issawiya in East Jerusalem, and seven others in Hebron and Bethlehem. (Ma’an News Agency, WAFA)

Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon called on Palestinians in Gaza with knowledge of two missing Israeli civilians to provide information about their possible whereabouts and condition, and for prompt action to facilitate their safe return to their families. (Associated Press)

The Israeli newspaper Ha’aretz reported that last week the Israeli Government had told the European Union that it would agree to open talks with the EU about the situation in the West Bank, the first round of which is scheduled for September, but only if the topics remain on how to improve the Palestinians’ economic situation and do not deal with the issue of Israeli settlements. (Ha’aretz)

More than 350,000 worshipers conducted their prayer in Al-Aqsa Mosque on the evening, on the occasion of “Laylat al-Qadr”, when according to Islamic belief the first verses of the Quran were revealed to the prophet Muhammad. Among the worshippers were 800 Palestinians from Gaza the Israeli authorities had allowed to travel to Jerusalem for this event. However, the Israeli security forces did not allow the entrance of hundreds of Palestinians under the age of 50 into the city. (KUNA, Ma’an News Agency)

Palestinian Foreign Minister Riyad Malki said that a high-ranking delegation from the International Criminal Court (ICC) in The Hague is scheduled to visit Israel and the Palestinian territories at the end of July for a fact-finding mission. (Xinhua)

Senior Palestinian official Saeb Erekat took office as secretary-general of the PLO, replacing Yasser Abed Rabbo, who was dismissed nearly two weeks ago. Within the PLO Executive Committee, the position of secretary-general is second only to that of chair, held by President Mahmoud Abbas. (Ma’an News Agency)

As part of their regular and direct outreach to Arab states, the envoys of the Middle East Quartet met in Amman with Jordanian Foreign Minister Nasser Judeh and National Security Adviser Abdullah Wreikat to discuss how to preserve the two-state solution, and how to create conditions that will enable the parties to return to meaningful negotiations. The envoys noted the importance of the Arab Peace Initiative for a comprehensive resolution to the conflict. (Petra Jordan News Agency)

14

Israeli forces arrested two young Palestinians from East Jerusalem after a rifle was found in their car, according to Hebrew-language news media. Two men were arrested near the Zatara checkpoint in southern Nablus. (Ma’an News Agency)

Israeli naval vessels opened fire on Palestinian boats off Gaza, forcing them to return to shore. (Petra Jordan News Agency)

The Foreign Minister of the Netherlands, Bert Koenders, during a visit to the region asked Israel’s Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu to restart peace talks with the Palestinians. He also urged Israel to stop building new settlements on the West Bank and to do more to improve the economic situation in Gaza. Mr. Koenders will also hold high-level meetings with the Palestinian Government and visit UNRWA projects in Gaza. (DutchNews, The Jerusalem Post)

Arab Member of the Knesset Bassel Ghattas called on the Pope to refuse the selling of 1,000 dunam (ca. 250 acres) belonging to Latrun Monastery west of Jerusalem to an Israeli investment company that would use the land to build 5,000 housing units for ultra-orthodox Jews. He said that the deal came as part of Israeli attempts to displace Arabs from their homeland, pointing to the increasing numbers of Christian emigrants from Palestinian lands. (Palestinian Information Center)

The Spokesperson for the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights voiced concern that a bill that would permit the force-feeding of Palestinian hunger-striking prisoners was now advancing towards final approval by the Knesset. (OHCHR)

Three Palestinians working in Israeli industry near Tulkarm in Area C of the West Bank demanded that the Israeli National Labour Court recognize their right to work conditions equal to those for Israelis. (The Jerusalem Post)

An Israeli court sentenced Dirar Abu Sisi, a 46-year-old Palestinian engineer, to 21 years in prison for assisting Hamas with developing rockets. (International Middle East Media Center)

The Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights said it is “seriously concerned” about a 30-year-old Palestinian who has observed a hunger strike for close to 100 days to win his release from Palestinian detention. Relatives say Islam Hamed, a Hamas activist, remains jailed despite completing a three-year sentence by a Palestinian court for shooting at Israelis. (AP)

15

A young Palestinian woman was detained after having stabbed and lightly injured an Israeli soldier in Ramallah, in the West Bank. (Ma’an News Agency)

Israeli soldiers arrested four family members from Silwan, in East Jerusalem, and two Palestinians from Bethlehem and Jenin. (IMEMC)

A senior Israeli official reported that a series of meetings between senior Palestinian and Israeli officials had recently led to significant steps by both sides intended to defuse Israeli-Palestinian tension, and that these could lead to renewed negotiations. Palestinian measures have included halting, for the time being, applications to join UN agencies and other international bodies. Israeli authorities have slowed down construction in West Bank settlements and have increased permits for West Bank Palestinians to pray in the Al-Aqsa Mosque Compound during Ramadan. (The Times of Israel)

Seventy-three members of the European Parliament issued a letter to the High Representative of the European Union for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy Federica Mogherini and EU Director-General for Research and Innovation Jan Robert Smits, asking the EU to end its support to Israeli military companies. (WAFA)

Israeli soldiers handed warrants to families in a number of locations throughout the West Bank, ordering them to halt constructions of their property in preparation for demolition. (IMEMC)

The Israeli Public Prosecutor has revealed an Israeli settlement plan of 800 new units in Bethlehem in the West Bank. The plan had been approved by Housing and Construction Minister Ori at the end of last year. (Middle East Monitor)

UNRWA announced that USD 1.46 million in funding for outstanding rental subsidy payments and reintegration grants to replace lost household goods will reach 2,499 refugee families across the Gaza Strip. (UNRWA)

The Palestinian Prisoners Centre for Studies reported that the Israeli forces have arrested 78 Palestinian women in the first quarter of 2015, including several minors. It said that the year 2015 has seen a clear escalation in the detention of Palestinian women, including minors. (Fars News Agency)

According to a poll conducted jointly by the Harry Truman Research Institute and the Palestinian Center for Policy and Survey Research, since June 2014, support for the two-State solution has decreased among Israelis from 62 per cent to 51 per cent and among Palestinians from 54 per cent to 51 per cent. (Ma’an News Agency)

Medical sources reported that two Palestinian teenagers were injured when an Israeli Light Rail guard assaulted them in East Jerusalem. The two young men suffered cuts and bruises. (International Middle East Media Center)

Five Palestinian men, including at least three members of the military wing of Fatah, were arrested and accused of planning and executing a shooting in the West Bank on 19 June 2015, which killed one Israeli man and wounded another, the Israeli military said. (The New York Times)

16 

The Israeli Air Force attacked an infrastructure target in Gaza in response to a rocket attack from the Strip onto Ashkelon a few hours earlier. Residents said that a passerby had lightly been hurt in Gaza. (Ynetnews)

Photos taken recently by the Q-Press media centre showed that Israel turned a historic Islamic site beneath the western boundaries of the Al-Aqsa Mosque into a hall for Jewish occasions. (Palestinian Information Center)

Israeli organizations Rabbis for Human Rights and B’Tselem said that pressure from Israeli settlers had led to the Israeli authorities’ decision to demolish homes in the village of Khirbet Susiya, south of Hebron, after Ramadan. Although a high court hearing regarding the case has been scheduled for August, the Israeli Civil Administration, the Israeli army and the Coordination of Government Activities in the Territories announced the demolition order to the villagers in a meeting on 12 July. (Ma’an News Agency)

Judges at the International Criminal Court called on the Court’s Prosecutor to reconsider her decision not to investigate the storming by Israel of an aid flotilla heading to Gaza on 30 May 2010. Prosecutor Fatou Bensouda last year declined a request by the Union of the Comoros to launch a probe into the storming of one of the flotilla vessels, which was sailing under a Comoros flag. She said there was a “reasonable basis to believe that war crimes” were committed on the Mavi Marmara ship, where eight Turks and one Turkish-American were killed and several other pro-Palestinian activists wounded by Israeli commandos, but the case was not serious enough to merit an ICC case. Judges ruled that Ms. Bensouda made “material errors in her determination of the gravity” of the case. (AP)

19 

Human Rights Watch said that Israeli security forces had used unnecessary force to arrest or detain Palestinian children as young as 11 years old. “Security forces have choked children, thrown stun grenades at them, beaten them in custody, threatened and interrogated them without the presence of parents or lawyers, and failed to let their parents know their whereabouts,” the organization said. (www.hrw.org)

20 

Israeli police and soldiers arrested at least five Palestinians during predawn raids in Jerusalem and Hebron. (WAFA)

Israeli soldiers stationed in watch towers along the Gaza border opened gunfire towards farmlands and homes east of Gaza City. There were no reports of casualties. (WAFA)

The Council of the European Union adopted conclusions on the Middle East peace process, in which it said, “The EU, notably through the action of its recently appointed Special Representative for the Middle East Peace Process, will work actively on a renewed multilateral approach to the peace process in consultation with all relevant stakeholders, including partners in the Quartet, notably the US, in the region and the United Nations Security Council. The establishment of an international support group is a possible way to contribute to this end; the Council asks the High Representative to explore options for implementation of this initiative with regional and international actors and to report back in early September.” (www.consilium.europa.eu)

The Israeli Maariv newspaper reported that an Israeli military committee had recommended resentencing most of the more than 50 Palestinians who were re-detained by Israeli forces after their release in the 2011 Shalit deal. (Ma’an News Agency)

The Israeli parliament passed into law an amendment to the Penal Code that will enable those who throw stones at cars to be convicted and sentenced for up to 20 years without the state having to prove that they were trying to damage the cars or harm their occupants. (Haaretz)

ECOSOC adopted a resolution on “Economic and social repercussions of the Israeli occupation on the living conditions of the Palestinian people in the Occupied Palestinian Territory, including East Jerusalem, and the Arab population in the occupied Syrian Golan” (E/2015/L.22). Also, the Council voted down a draft resolution introduced by Israel that would have had the Council decide not to grant special consultative status to the non-governmental organization Palestinian Return Centre. (UN press release ECOSOC/6716)

21 

Israeli naval forces shot and critically injured a Palestinian fisherman in the back with a live bullet off the Gaza coast. (Ma’an News Agency)

Israeli forces detained at least 13 Palestinians from across the West Bank and East Jerusalem. (Ma’an News Agency)

Israel demolished three Palestinian-owned structures in the town of Idhna, west of Hebron, claiming that they had been built without a permit. (WAFA)

A French prosecutor recommended the closing of an investigation into the 2004 death in France of former Palestinian leader Yasser Arafat, whose widow alleged that he had been poisoned. (Reuters)

Israeli Justice Minister Ayelet Shaked established a committee that might legalize settlement outposts in the West Bank set up with the Government’s help. “It’s time to clear the legal fog and let residents who live in Judea and Samaria, most of them in communities set up by various Israeli Governments, to stop worrying about a constant threat to the ownership of their homes,” she said. (Haaretz)

22 

Israeli forces shot and killed a 21-year-old Palestinian, Muhammad Ahmad Alawneh, during clashes that broke out following an Israeli raid into the town of Burqin, west of Jenin. He was shot in the chest with a live bullet. (Ma’an News Agency)

Israeli forces detained at least 20 Palestinians across the West Bank overnight. (Ma’an News Agency)

Israeli tanks and bulldozers advanced at least 150 metres into the central Gaza Strip, uprooting agricultural land and firing rounds of live ammunition at homes in the area. (IMEMC)

Palestinian Housing Minister Mufid al-Hasayneh laid a brick for the first Gaza home to be rebuilt after last summer’s war. “We will see a lot of movement on the reconstruction front in the coming days,” he said in Shejaiya, thanking several Arab countries including Qatar and Saudi Arabia for their donations towards Gaza’s reconstruction. (AFP)

The Palestinian Ministry of Foreign Affairs condemned in a statement the Israeli Civil Administration’s approval of the construction of 886 settlement housing units in the West Bank. The Ministry also condemned Israeli Justice Minister Ayelet Shaked’s recent decision to form a Government committee to legalize settlement outposts in the West Bank. (WAFA)

The European Council on Foreign Relations, an influential European think-tank, issued a paper entitled “EU Differentiation and Israeli Settlements”, in which the organization argued that the EU was in breach of its own laws and it had to go further to distinguish its dealings with Israel from Israel’s activities in the West Bank and East Jerusalem. (Reuters)

The Israeli Civil Administration delivered five home demolition orders in the town of Jit in eastern Qaliqliya, claiming that the buildings were built without permission. The Administration also delivered four stop-work notices to Palestinians from the village of Zatara in eastern Bethlehem, claiming the buildings were not licensed. (Ma’an News Agency)

Israeli forces bulldozed around 20 dunums of Palestinian-owned agricultural land planted with olive trees in the town of Beit Ola, north-west of Hebron. (WAFA)

Israeli forces destroyed 450 olive trees, levelled land and demolished a Roman-era water well in the village of Beit Ula in north-western Hebron, after claiming that the land belonged to Israel. (Ma’an News Agency)

The Committee on the Exercise of the Inalienable Rights of the Palestinian People held a meeting where it approved the provisional programme for the United Nations International Meeting on the Question of Palestine to be held in Brussels on 3 and 4 September. In addition, the Committee heard a report on the United Nations International Meeting in Support of Israeli-Palestinian Peace that was held in Moscow on 1 and 2 July 2015. (UN press release GA/PAL/1341)

Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas said during a joint press conference with visiting Italian Prime Minister Matteo Renzi that he was pinning hopes on the EU and members of the Quartet to pave the way for the resumption of the stalled peace process. Abbas also said that he was working to form a Palestinian unity government – a step which, he added, would be followed by new elections in the Palestinian territories. (The Jerusalem Post)

The European Union is not planning to impose sanctions on Israeli banks, a senior EU official said, hours after an EU think tank released a report recommending such a course of action. The European Union had agreed this week to push ahead with labelling Israeli goods made in settlements in the West Bank, a move that has alarmed the Israeli government. (YNet News)

A spokesperson for United Nations Secretary-General voiced Mr. Ban Ki-Moon’s concern about the Israeli government’s plans to demolish Palestinian homes in Susya, a village south of Hebron in the occupied West Bank. “Demolishing the properties of the herding community in Susya,” the spokesperson said, “would place dozens of civilians at further risk of displacement. [The Secretary-General] hopes that the ongoing dialogue between the Israeli authorities and the herding community would protect the rights of the people affected.” The Israeli Supreme Court issued a judgement in June giving the Israeli Civil Administration the go ahead to demolish the homes in Susya under the pretext that the village was built illegally on land under Israeli control. However; human rights groups and the residents of the village say that the Israeli authorities have systematically refused to grant the Palestinians planning permission. (United Nations, Middle East Monitor)

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Israeli security forces Thursday raided a house in Beit Ummar, north of Hebron, and shot dead an unarmed Palestinian elderly man, Falah Abu Maria, while he provided first aid to his sons, who had initially been shot and injured with live bullets. The sons were subsequently arrested. A further 20 Palestinians were arrested during other predawn raids throughout the West Bank and in Jerusalem. (WAFA)

Israeli naval boats opened fire on Palestinian fishing boats off the north-western Gaza Strip, but no injuries were reported. (Petra Jordan News Agency)

The UN Security Council held its open debate on the situation in the Middle East. Nickolay Mladenov, United Nations Special Coordinator for the Middle East Peace Process, called for decisive action to reverse the growing perception that the two-State solution was dying a death “by a thousand cuts”. Speaking of the unprecedented financial crisis faced by UNRWA, Mladenov warned that the agency’s USD100 million shortfall needs to be closed in the coming weeks, otherwise, he said, “there is a serious risk that UNRWA schools, which educate 500,000 children throughout the Middle East, will not open.” (UN News Centre)

Settlement watchdog Peace Now said Israel’s Civil Administration announced plans for the development of 1,065 housing units in eight different settlements throughout East Jerusalem and the West Bank, reportedly approving 15 plans in various stages, including the legalization of 228 already existing housing units, as well as 541 new housing units to be constructed. PLO Chief Negotiator Saeb Erekat, at a meeting with Fernando Gentilini, the EU Special Representative for the Middle East Peace Process, called on the international community to immediately intervene and demand the Israeli government halt its illegal settlement activity. (Ma’an News Agency)

The Gaza Community Mental Health Program (GCMHP) said that around 51 per cent of Gaza’s children and 31 per cent of its adults suffer Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder. (WAFA)

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Israeli forces detained nine Palestinians from Jerusalem after raiding homes and delivering interrogation summons. (IMEMC, Ma’an News Agency)

Defence for Children International – Palestine (DCIP) said that Palestinian children detained by Israeli forces in the occupied West Bank during the first half of 2015 had suffered increasing levels of physical violence. Data compiled by DCIP since January 2015 showed that 86 per cent of Palestinian children had experienced some form of physical violence during their arrest or interrogation, a 10 per cent increase from 2014. (www.dci-palestine.org)

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Israeli forces stationed in watchtowers near the Gaza border opened fire at Palestinian farmers tending their crops near the Bureij refugee camp in the central Gaza Strip. No injuries were reported. (Ma’an News Agency)

Israeli settlers filled up an ancient agricultural well in the West Bank village of Deir Istiya, west of Salfit, with earth and rocks. (Ma’an News Agency)

26

Israeli troops detained five Palestinian men during raids in the West Bank. (Ma’an News Agency)

Israeli sources said that Israeli Interior Minister Silvan Shalom had recently held talks with Palestinian Chief Negotiator Saeb Erakat in Amman in a bid to calm tensions between the two sides. (The Times of Israel)

Dozens of Palestinian youths barricading themselves in Al-Aqsa Mosque clashed with Israeli police forces sent to the scene on the Jewish day of remembrance for the destruction of the First and Second Temples. According to Palestinian sources, Israeli forces broke into the Al-Aqsa Mosque compound firing stun grenades and rubber-coated bullets at Muslim worshippers as they cleared the way for Jewish visitors. Dozens of Palestinian worshippers were reportedly hit with rubber-coated bullets and suffered excessive tear gas inhalation, and at least three Palestinians were reportedly detained. (Haaretz, Ma’an News Agency, WAFA)

In a press release, the Palestinian Government said it strongly condemned the assault against the Al-Aqsa Mosque and worshipers and called upon the international community and the United Nations Security Council to compel Israel to put an end to these acts. (WAFA)

The Jordanian Government strongly denounced Israel’s assault against Al-Aqsa Mosque and worshipers, which left dozens injured, according to the Jordan News Agency (Petra). The Government’s official spokesperson, in a press statement, stated that violating the sanctity of Al-Aqsa Mosque and assaulting its guards and worshipers was a clear attempt by Israel to provoke Muslims’ feelings worldwide. (WAFA)

UNRWA held an extraordinary session of its Advisory Commission in Jordan to discuss the Agency’s most severe financial crisis ever. UNRWA said in a press release that it might have to delay the start of the academic year in some 700 schools for half a million students across the Middle East unless the deficit of US$101 million could be fully funded before the start of the school year. (www.unrwa.org)

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An 18-year-old Palestinian fell to his death from the roof of a building during an IDF raid at the Qalandiya refugee camp to arrest two Palestinians suspected of planning an attack within Israel. The IDF shot the fleeing suspect in the lower body after which he attempted to jump. However, his family refuted the Israeli claim, saying that he had been executed after being arrested alive. (Haaretz, Ma’an News Agency)

Israeli forces injured at 14 Palestinians, including six with live rounds, in clashes that broke out following the funeral of the 18-year-old Palestinian who was killed in the Qalandiya refugee camp. (Ma’an News Agency)

Israeli forces detained nine Palestinians during overnight raids in the West Bank. (Ma’an News Agency)

UN Special Coordinator for the Middle East Peace Process Nickolay Mladenov expressed in a statement his concern about the recent incidents and heightened tensions in and around the Holy Sites of the Old City of Jerusalem and called upon people on all sides to maintain calm. “Provocative actions and language carry the seed of violence and ultimately undermine the ability of worshippers of all faiths to have access to their respective Holy Sites. Respect for the status quo is in the interest of all and is essential for stability. I call upon all religious and political leaders to prevent extremist elements from abusing the sanctity of Holy Sites and the different religious sentiments of all people,” he said. (www.unsco.org)

ICC Prosecutor Fatou Bensouda appealed the recent ruling by a special panel of judges that she must reconsider her previous decision not to investigate alleged war crimes committed by IDF troops when they boarded Mavi Marmara ship in May 2010. (Haaretz)

Palestinian Chief Negotiator Saeb Erakat said that Arab League Foreign Ministers would meet in Cairo early next month to discuss clashes involving Israeli police at the Al-Aqsa Mosque compound in Jerusalem. (AFP)

A number of Israelis attacked a Palestinian driver working for an Israeli bus company with pepper spray, beat him up and tried to tie him to his seat, when the bus arrived at the “Ma’alot Dafna” settlement in East Jerusalem. (IMEMC)

Palestinian Ambassador to the Netherlands Nabil Abu Zened said that the planned visit of an ICC delegation to Palestine, initially slated for the end of July, had been postponed until the fall for technical and procedural reasons. (Anadolu Agency)

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas could address European heads of state in the near future as part of a push by the international community to jump-start the peace process. Cypriot President Nicos Anastasiades phoned President Abbas and briefed him on the initiative before talking to Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu on 28 July. (Ma’an News Agency, The Jerusalem Times)

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Israeli navy forces opened fire on Palestinian fishing boats as they sailed off the northern Gaza coast. No injuries or damage were reported. (Ma’an News Agency)

Israeli forces detained 11 Palestinians, including six children, in East Jerusalem, Hebron and Bethlehem. In East Jerusalem, a 15-yaer-old boy was assaulted by Israeli police and suffered internal bleeding and bruises. (Ma’an News Agency, WAFA)

During their meeting in Nicosia, Israeli Prime Minister Netanyahu accepted an invitation extended by Cypriot President Nicos Anastasiades to address EU leaders at a future summit in Brussels on prospects for Middle East peace. (The Times of Israel)

The first truckloads of Qatari-funded fuel left Egypt to the Gaza Strip. The fuel, shipped through the Kerem Shalom crossing, will be used to run the Gaza power plant for 45 days. (Ma’an News Agency)

A number of Israelis attacked an 85-year-old Palestinian woman while walking near the “Maali Zeiteim” settlement in East Jerusalem. She suffered cuts and bruises. (IMEMC)

Israeli military bulldozers demolished four stores belonging to Palestinians in Silwan in East Jerusalem. (Ma’an News Agency)

Israeli Prime Minister Netanyahu said that the Israeli Government opposed a High Court order to demolish illegal homes in the “Beit El” settlement and was taking legal recourse to prevent such action. (Haaretz)

Two United Nations human rights experts reiterated their call on the Israeli authorities to stop the process of legalizing force-feeding and medical treatment of prisoners and detainees on hunger strike against their will. Their call comes after the current Knesset decided to continue the legislative process of a bill to amend the Prisons Act (preventing damages due to hunger strikes) initiated by the previous legislature. The independent experts warned that the bill was expected to primarily affect Palestinians held by Israel, including those in administrative detention. The UN Special Rapporteur on torture and other cruel, inhuman or degrading treatment or punishment, Juan E. Méndez, stated, “Feeding induced by threats, coercion, force or use of physical restraints of individuals, who have opted for the extreme recourse of a hunger strike to protest against their detention, are, even if intended for their benefit, tantamount to cruel, inhuman and degrading treatment.” The UN Special Rapporteur on the right to health, Dainius Pûras, said, “Under no circumstance will force-feeding of prisoners and detainees on hunger strike comply with human rights standards. … Informed consent is an integral part in the realization of the right to health.” (www.ohchr.org)

An Israeli military court sentenced two Palestinian teenagers to four months jail time and imposed a fine of NIS 3,000 (ca. USD 800) The charges are unclear. (Ma’an News Agency)

Israeli forces detained 11 Palestinians from across the West Bank for illegal activities. (Ma’an News Agency)

Following the security incidents in the Al-Aqsa Mosque Compound on 26 July, and the arrests of two Jews who had shouted “Muhammad is a pig,”, a third Jewish suspect was arrested for incitement after repeating the religious slur, following a brief chase when he attempted to flee the scene just outside the Al-Aqsa Mosque Compound. (The Jerusalem Post)

The Palestinian General Federation of Trade Unions in the Gaza Strip said that 90 per cent of the remaining factories may have to stop production due to the power shortages. (Middle East Monitor)

The British Foreign Office condemned Israeli settlement plans announced last week and called on the Israeli government to drop them. Tobias Ellwood, the UK’s minister for the Middle East, said in a statement: “The UK is deeply concerned by reports that planning for 1,065 settlement units is being advanced, including possible retrospective approval of buildings built without permits or on private Palestinian land. […] The UK’s position on Israeli settlements is clear: they are illegal under international law and undermine the prospects for a two-state solution.” (Ma’an News Agency)

Germany has criticized Israel for approving the construction of more than a thousand settlements in occupied West Bank, terming the move a threat to the two-state solution. “The construction of settlements in occupied territories violates international law. This also hinders efforts to revive the peace process and threatens the basis of a two-state solution,” the German Foreign Ministry said in a rare statement that criticized its close ally Israel. (Anadolu Agency)

United States Senator Dianne Feinstein, in a letter to Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, urged him to stop Israel’s efforts to raze the Palestinian village of Sussia in the West Bank, saying that uprooting the village’s residents would further isolate Israel, increase tensions with the Palestinians and provoke unnecessary violence. (Haaretz)

The Israeli High Court of Justice upheld its decision to order the demolition of two structures in the West Bank settlement of Beit El, after the state appealed the order amid protests by settlers and right-wing politicians. Meanwhile, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu approved the construction of 800 units in Israeli settlements, 300 in Beit El and 500 in East Jerusalem. (WAFA)

The UN agency for Palestinian refugees (UNRWA) said that a decision to delay the school year in its 700 schools has not yet been taken, although a “tough decision” may be made if the agency’s budget deficit is not covered in coming weeks. (Ma’an News Agency)

The US government announced that it may weigh in on whether the Palestine Liberation Organization and Palestinian Authority must post a USD 655 million bond, while the groups appeal a finding by a New York federal court that they supported terrorist attacks in Israel. The US Justice Department stated that it would decide by 10 August. (The Jerusalem Post)

American and European officials warned Israel that its authorization of 300 new settler homes in the Beit El settlement was harmful to ongoing efforts to jumpstart the frozen peace process. The US State Department deputy spokesman said, “Settlement expansion threatens the two-state solution and calls into question Israel’s commitment to a negotiated resolution to the conflict. We continue to urge the Israeli government to refrain from unhelpful actions that undercut the possibility of a two-state solution.” The EU in a statement said that the decision calls into question Israel’s commitment to a two-state solution. “Moreover,” the statement read, “the governmental plans to approve unauthorized outposts across the West Bank would further undermine the practical possibility of implementing the two-state solution.” (The Jerusalem Post)

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From Gaza, Hamas called for a wide demonstration in the West Bank on Friday to highlight the Israeli threat to Jerusalem and the Al-Aqsa Mosque Compound. (International Middle East Media Center)

Eight Palestinians were arrested by Israeli security forces in the West Bank, four of them minors. According to the Palestinian Prisoner’s Club Israel arrests at least two Palestinian children in Jerusalem every day. (WAFA)

Israel’s negotiator with the Palestinians Silvan Shalom and his Palestinian counterpart Saeb Erekat met in Amman last week in an attempt to restart peace talks. The Jordanian government and officials of the European Union had been involved in the organisation of the meeting. (EU Reporter)

Israeli forces demolished several buildings, including a wedding hall, in the neighbourhood of Beit Hanina, north of Jerusalem. (WAFA)

In a report released by Amnesty International, the London-based group said there was “strong evidence” that Israel had carried out war crimes, and possibly crimes against humanity, in Rafah, during the 2014 Gaza War. (The New York Times)

Israeli security forces detained a group of Palestinian teenagers in the East Jerusalem neighbourhood of Issawiya, sparking fierce clashes between young residents and Israeli forces afterwards. (Ma’an News Agency)

Israeli right-wing activist Yehuda Glick was escorted under armed protection into the Al-Aqsa Mosque Compound as groups of right-wing Israelis entered the area for the third time this week. Mr. Glick as well as a group of 63 rightists entered the compound and carried out religious rituals. (Ma’an News Agency)

United Nations Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon condemned the announcement that Israel has approved construction of some 300 housing units in the West Bank settlement of Beit El, as well as the planning and construction of nearly 500 housing units in a number of settlements in East Jerusalem. “He reiterates that settlements are illegal under international law, an impediment to peace, and cannot be reconciled with the Government of Israel’s stated intention to pursue a two-state solution,” said the statement. The Secretary-General urged the Government of Israel to halt and reverse such decisions in the interest of peace and a just final status agreement. (UN News Centre)

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A 22-year-old Palestinian man was assaulted by an Israeli soldier at the Jabara police station crossing into Hebron, for simply wishing the soldier a “good day”. Following the assault, the Palestinian was detained and transferred to Etzion jail. (IMEMC)

Israeli security forces raided the Aida refugee camp, north of Bethlehem, and arrested three young Palestinian men. (IMEMC)

Israeli security forces prevented Palestinian children from entering the Al-Aqsa Mosque Compound while right-wing Israelis were visiting the site. (Ma’an News Agency)

Israeli forces ordered the halting of the construction of a UNDP-funded water well in Kardala, a village in the northern Jordan Valley. (WAFA)

The Israeli parliament approved a law allowing prisoners on hunger strike to be force-fed. According to the Association for Civil Rights in Israel, the majority of prisoners who go on hunger strike are Palestinians in administrative detention, under which they are held for renewable six-month periods without charge. The association was among 10 rights groups which had warned on 28 July that the law’s sole aim was “to break the spirit and body of administrative detainees and prisoners expressing protest in a non-violent way.” On 28 July, United Nations special rapporteur on torture Juan Méndez and UN special rapporteur on the right to health Dainius Puras had called on Israel to halt the legislation. The Head of the Palestinian Prisoner’s Affairs Committee, Issa Qaraqe, strongly condemned the law. The Israeli Medical Association called the law “damaging and unnecessary,” stressing its doctors would “continue to act according to medical ethics, which prohibit doctors from participating in torturing prisoners.” Physicians for Human Rights Israel said they would continue to oppose the law and its implementation, and “support anyone who will refuse to obey the law.” (AFP, Ma’an News Agency)

The Palestinian Authority announced that a reshuffle of the Palestinian Cabinet had been agreed upon. The new ministers would be sworn-in today after prayers in the Palestinian Presidential Headquarters in Ramallah. (Ma’an News Agency)

31 

A Palestinian toddler was burned to death and his 4-year-old brother critically injured in an arson attack on their home in the West Bank village of Duma that witnesses and officials attributed to Jewish extremists due to graffiti “Revenge!” in Hebrew sprayed on one wall, next to a Star of David. The UN Secretary-General strongly condemned the murder of a Palestinian child in the West Bank and called for the perpetrators of this terrorist act to be promptly brought to justice. The UN Special Coordinator for the Middle East Peace Process expressed his outrage over the “heinous murder” and the “terrorist crime” perpetrated against a Palestinian family in the West Bank. A spokesperson for EU High Representative for Foreign Affairs Federica Mogherini said “the Israeli authorities should…take resolute measures to protect the local population”, and called for “full accountability, effective law enforcement and zero tolerance for settler violence”. EU Ambassador to Israel Lars Faaborg-Andersen also condemned the attack. (UN News Centre, The Jerusalem Post, The New York Times, Israel National News)

Israeli soldiers raided homes in the West Bank districts of Jericho and Ramallah and detained two Palestinians. (IMEMC)

One Palestinian was injured in clashes with IDF soldiers in Hebron. (The Jerusalem Post)

EU has provided €2 million to support UNRWA’s emergency response for Palestine refugees from Syria living in Jordan. UNRWA said in a press release that the donation would help to preserve the resilience and mitigate the vulnerability of PRS in Jordan. The EU and UNRWA signed a Joint Declaration for 2014-2016 that foresees a core EU contribution during these years of some €246 million, depending on funds available in the annual EU budget. (UNRWA)

PLO Executive Committee member Zakaria Al-Agha said a committee within the Arab Peace Initiative would discuss UNRWA’s financial crisis at its upcoming meeting planned for 5 August 2015. (Ma’an News Agency)

Israeli forces shot and killed a 17-year-old Palestinian at the Atara checkpoint near Ramallah. An Israeli spokesperson said he had thrown a Molotov cocktail. (Ma’an News Agency)

Israeli forces shot and killed a 17-year-old Palestinian and injured another near Beit Lahiya in the northern Gaza Strip while they were walking near the “buffer zone”. (Ma’an News Agency)

Several Palestinians were injured, one seriously, in clashes with Israeli forces throughout Jerusalem, in the aftermath of the killing of an infant in Duma by Israeli settlers. In the Shu’fat refugee camp, a Palestinian was seriously injured in the head with a rubber-coated bullet and 11 others were injured. (Ma’an News Agency)

An Israeli settler deliberately ran over and injured a Palestinian with a car while he was praying in Ras al-Amud in East Jerusalem. (Ma’an News Agency)

Five new Ministers in the Palestinian Cabinet were sworn in: Hussein al-Araj, Minister of Local Governance; Sabri Saydam, Minister of Education; Samih al-Abed, Minister of Transportation; Sufian Sultan, Minister of Agriculture; Abeer Odeh, Minister of National Economy. (Ma’an News Agency)

The President of the Security Council issued a press statement expressing “profound outrage” and condemning “in the strongest terms the vicious terrorist attack in the village of Duma near Nablus, which killed a Palestinian child and injured his family members”. (UN press release SC/11994)

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