Palestine

21 Dec 2021; MEMO: A number of European representatives and diplomats yesterday visited the Sheikh Jarrah neighbourhood in occupied East Jerusalem and met with Palestinian families threatened with eviction by occupation authotiries.

The European delegation was headed by EU representative in Palestine, Sven Kuhn von Burgsdorff, and included the consuls of Canada and Switzerland.

21 Dec 2021; MEMO: Palestinian administrative detainees in Israeli jails have decided to boycott Israeli courts from next month, Arab48 reported yesterday.

The announcement was made during a press conference held in the head office of the PLO's Prisoners and Freed Prisoners Commission in Ramallah.

20 Dec 2021; MEMO: The Parliamentary Friendship Committee between Uruguay and Palestine was established in the Uruguayan capital, Montevideo, last week.

The committee aims to mobilise popular and official support in Uruguay and Latin America to serve the Palestinian cause and the Palestinian people in all their places of existence. It was established during the Latin Palestine Forum.

RAFAH, Gaza Strip (AP) — Each month, hundreds of trucks heavy with fuel, cement and other goods cross a plowed no man’s land between Egypt and the Gaza Strip — and Hamas becomes stronger.

Hamas collects tens of millions of dollars a month in taxes and customs at the crossing in the border town of Rafah, according to estimates. The funds help it operate a government and powerful armed wing while international aid covers most of the basic needs of Gaza’s 2 million residents.

18 Dec 2021; MEMO: Tens of Israeli settlers on Friday raided the town of Burqa, north of the West Bank city of Nablus, and torched and opened fire on Palestinian homes, eyewitnesses and activists reported.

Ghassan Daghlas, who monitors Israeli settlement activities in the northern West Bank, said that scores of armed settlers attacked Burqa, indiscriminately opened live fire on the residents, attacked houses and set a shack on fire.

18 Dec 2021; MEMO: Israeli settlers on Friday attacked several Palestinian villages near Nablus city in northern occupied West Bank, Anadolu Agency reported.

Speaking to Anadolu Agency, Jihad Salah, the head of Burqa village council in northwestern Nablus, said the settlers assaulted the village using firearms.

He added that they set the village's barracks on fire and stoned a number of Palestinian homes.

18 Dec 2021; MEMO: Head of the Greek Orthodox Church in Jerusalem Archbishop Atallah Hanna announced on Friday that Christians must not stay silent regarding the Israeli occupation's crimes against Palestinians, Al-Quds Al-Arabi reported.

18 Dec 2021; MEMO: The Palestinian secular group Fatah on Friday called on Palestinians to unite and defend their land, homes and properties against the terrorism of the Israeli occupation army and settlers.

Wafa News Agency reported Fatah Spokesperson Osama Al-Qawasmi stating: "Israel and its settlers have escalated aggression and terrorism against Palestinians."

RAMALLAH, West Bank (AP) — Jewish settlers burst into several villages in the occupied West Bank on Friday, smashing homes and cars and beating up at least two people, Palestinian officials said. The attacks came a day after Palestinian gunmen killed an Israeli man in a shooting ambush in the territory.

15 Dec 2021; MEMO: American and Palestinian officials yesterday held the first economic meeting in five years, a statement issued by the US Department of State said.

A wide range of US and Palestinian Authority (PA) officials and agencies attended the meeting, which was held virtually. "They discuss[ed] current and future areas of economic cooperation," the statement said.