In the West Bank, Israeli settlers with military escort raided Halhul, vandalizing 1 mosque; Israeli forces shot and injured 2 Palestinians with live ammunition and others with baton rounds and...
In the West Bank, Israeli settlers opened a settlers-only road near Kisan. Israeli forces shot and injured 1 Palestinian man near the separation barrier west of Jenin; the man was treated at a...
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In the West Bank, Israeli settlers with military escort raided Halhul, vandalizing 1 mosque; Israeli forces shot and injured 2 Palestinians with live ammunition and others with baton rounds and tear gas when the Palestinians confronted the settlers. Israeli settlers also assaulted Palestinian farmers in Shufa, causing injuries. Elsewhere, Israeli settlers chased Palestinian herders off their land in al-Juwaya in the Masafer Yatta area and let their cattle graze on Palestinian crops. In East Jerusalem, Israeli settlers with Israeli police escort attacked 3 Palestinians in Silwan, causing hospitalizations, and vandalized 1 vehicle. Off the coast of Gaza, Israeli naval forces arrested 8 Palestinian fishermen and seized 2 boats within 3 nautical miles northwest of the Rafah seaport; 6 of the 8 fishermen were released on 6/1. (WAFA, WAFA, WAFA 5/31; PCHR 6/1)
Hamas’s military judicial authority sentenced 2 Palestinians for spying for Israel. 1 of the Palestinians was sentenced to life in prison while the other received a 7-year sentence. (JP 5/31)
An Israeli military court sentenced 1 Palestinian man to life in prison plus 25 years for the killing of an Israeli soldier in the West Bank on 8/2019 and ordered him to pay $450,000 to the family of the soldier. The Palestinian man was not present at the killing, but the court claimed that he had formed a cell that incited the murder of the Israeli man. (HA 5/31)
PA president Mahmoud Abbas spoke with U.S. secretary of state Antony Blinken in a phone call. According to Axios reporting, President Abbas pressed Secretary Blinken on Israeli attempts to change the Status Quo at the Haram al-Sharif compound, the lack of a political horizon, the Israeli settler march on 5/29, and the Biden administration’s failure to act on its campaign promises on Palestine. Abbas also asked the U.S. to remove the PLO from the U.S. list of terror organizations and to reopen the PLO mission in Washington D.C. Abbas also met with Jordanian foreign minister Ayman Safadi in Ramallah. (WAFA 5/31; AX, WAFA 6/1)
Haaretz reported that an Israeli plan to reduce the economic gaps between Palestinians and Israeli Jews living in Israeli cities had been postponed due to failure to fund the program. The plan was finalized in October 2021 in response to tensions between Palestinians and Israeli Jews in cities in which both populations reside. Additionally, some local governments have opposed earmarking funds exclusively for Palestinian communities in the cities they govern. (HA 5/31)
Israel and the UAE signed a free trade agreement removing tariffs on food, agriculture, cosmetics, medical equipment, and medicine. The agreement also defines tax rates, imports and intellectual property. The free trade agreement was part of the Israeli-UAE-U.S. normalization agreement. (REU 5/30; ABC, AJ, ALM, BB, HA, JP, MEMO, NBC, REU, TOI, WSJ 5/31; CNN 6/1; ALM, HA 6/2)
U.S. state department spokesperson Ned Price told reporters that the Biden administration remains committed to reopening the U.S. consulate to Palestinians in Jerusalem. The statement comes after reporting in the Times of Israel that the U.S. had given up on its plans due to the instability in the Israeli government coalition. (REU 5/31; MEMO 6/1; AX 6/4)
Lebanese parliament reelected Nabih Berri of the Amal Movement as speaker at the 1st parliamentary session of the newly elected parliament. Speaker Berri, who received 65 of 128 votes, has been the speaker of the parliament since 1992. (AJ, HA, MEMO, REU, REU 5/31)
In the West Bank, Israeli settlers opened a settlers-only road near Kisan. Israeli forces shot and injured 1 Palestinian man near the separation barrier west of Jenin; the man was treated at a hospital in Israel for his injuries. Israeli forces also fired tear gas at a wedding celebration in Silat al-Harithiya, causing tear-gas related injuries. Palestinians protested in Ramallah against the killing of PA critic Nizar Banat by PA forces on 6/24. 11 Palestinians were arrested by Israeli forces during raids in and around al-Yamun, Qiffin, Beita, Ni‘lin, Abu Dis, and Jaba‘. In East Jerusalem, 1 Israeli settler shot 1 Palestinian man in the leg in Sheikh Jarrah; Israeli police said the Palestinian man had entered the settler’s home, while Palestinian media said the man was part of a solidarity event for the residents of Sheikh Jarrah threatened by forced eviction. 5 Palestinians were arrested during raids in Sheikh Jarrah and Shu‘fat. Off the coast of Gaza, Israeli naval forces opened fire at Palestinian fishermen within 3 nautical miles west of al-Sudaniyya; no injuries were reported. In Gaza, Israeli forces opened fire at Palestinian farmers in al-Zaytun; no injuries were reported. Israeli forces also made incursions and leveled land east of al-Qarara. (MEE, WAFA, WAFA, WAFA, WAFA 8/2; AA, MEMO 8/3; PCHR 8/5)
The Israeli supreme court proposed that Palestinian residents under threat of eviction in Sheikh Jarrah become “protected residents” in what it considered a compromise. The proposition would allow the Palestinians to live in their homes in return for paying a rent fee to the settler organization, Nahalat Shimon, which claims to have acquired their property. The Palestinians agreed to the proposal but refused to accept the Nahalat Shimon’s demand that the families recognize its ownership of their properties, resulting in a stalemate. The court did not set a new date for the next hearing. Haaretz reported that Israeli officials had asked the Biden administration to put pressure on the Palestinian residents to agree to the compromise. The Jordanian government submitted documents to the court from before the 1967Day War, showing that the Jordanian government was in the process of registering the properties to their Palestinian residents, which was disrupted by the Israeli assault on its neighboring countries. U.S. state department spokesperson Ned Price later said that the U.S. is opposed to the plans to evict Palestinians from East Jerusalem, but that proposal from the supreme court is for the parties involved to consider. (HA 8/1; AJ, AJ, ALM, HA, MEE, MEMO, MEMO, MEMO, REU, WAFA, WAFA 8/2; MEMO, WAFA 8/3; HA 8/4; AA, MEMO 8/5; MEMO 8/6; WAFA 8/14)
Israel extended the ban of PA governor of Jerusalem Adnan Ghaith from moving freely within East Jerusalem. It was unclear how long the extension was set for. (WAFA 8/2)
The PA said that it and Qatar had agreed to a mechanism to transfer Qatari funds to Gaza. More than 100,000 Palestinians in Gaza will receive ATM cards with around $100, which can be withdrawn in Gaza. Hamas had previously agreed to have the PA supervise the transfer of the Qatari funds. It is unclear when the aid will reach Palestinians in Gaza. (MEMO 8/4)
Israel’s cabinet approved its 1st budget in 3 years; the Knesset will still have to approve it before it is implemented. A vote is expected to occur in November. Ra’am’s demands for a significant increase in spending for Palestinian Israeli communities was approved with $16 billion earmarked for advances, as opposed to the previous $5 billion under the Netanyahu government. The money is said to be spent on infrastructure, combatting crime, health care, education, and transportation. (MEMO 8/1; ALM, AX, JP 8/2; ALM 8/3)
Canada contributed $1.7 million to the UN World Food Programme to help its programming in Gaza. (WAFA 8/2)
