From PressTV
Israeli troops kill two Palestinians, injure 22 others
Israeli troops have killed two Palestinians and wounded at least 22 others during clashes in the town of Rahat in the Negev desert.
The scuffles broke out on Sunday when Palestinians gathered to hold a funeral for Sami al-Ja’ar, a young Palestinian Bedouin who was shot dead by Israeli forces near a junction between the cities of Bethlehem and al-Khalil (Hebron) on January 14.
A large number of people attended the event, which stretched from the central Rahat mosque to the town’s cemetery.
Israeli forces attacked the mourners, firing toxic teargas at them.
Following the killing of Ja’ar, officials in Rahat declared three days of mourning and called for an investigation into his death. A general strike was also announced by Negev’s Palestinian communities on Sunday.
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From PressTV
UN envoy cancels trip to Palestine over Israel visa denial
United Nations Special Rapporteur on Violence against Women, Rashida Manjoo, has been forced to cancel a trip to the occupied Palestinian territories after Israeli officials refused her a visa.
“For the past six weeks, I have repeatedly sought the cooperation of Israel to facilitate access to the occupied Palestinian territory for me to undertake this visit. Regrettably, I did not receive the necessary support, including a visa by Israel,” Manjoo said in a statement.
The statement added, “It is unfortunate that I have been denied the opportunity to engage directly with women survivors of violence, and that the exercise of my mandate has been hindered by the unwillingness of Israel, as the occupying power, to facilitate access to the occupied Palestinian territory.”
“My intention, as per practice during my country visits, was to support the Palestinian Authority to strengthen its capacity to protect and promote women’s rights and to meet its international human rights obligations,” she continued.
“The program of the visit included meetings with Palestinian officials, law enforcement agents, representatives of civil society organizations and survivors of violence in different locations. It also included visits to prisons, refugee camps and shelters for women survivors of violence, among others,” Manjoo pointed out.
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From PressTV
Israel to lobby against ICC amid war crimes probe
The Israeli regime has started lobbying member states of the International Criminal Court (ICC) to cut their funding to the body in retaliation for its bid to launch a probe into Israeli war crimes.
Hawkish Israeli Foreign Minister Avigador Lieberman announced on Sunday that the Tel Aviv regime hopes to undermine the funding of the tribunal, which is mainly drawn from the 122 member-nations, according to the size of their economies.
“We will demand of our friends in Canada, in Australia and in Germany simply to stop funding it,” Lieberman said in an interview with Israel Radio.
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From the Jewish Telegraphic Agency
Reports: Israel fired missiles on Syrian village killing five Hezbollah members
JERUSALEM (JTA) — An Israeli helicopter has fired two missiles on the Syrian village of Quneitra in the Golan Heights, Lebanese media is reporting.
The Israel Defense Forces did not confirm the strikes, saying it does not comment on foreign media reports. Syrian media also did not report the alleged air strikes.
It is believed the rockets struck armed vehicles, which may have belonged to the Lebanese terror group Hezbollah.
At least five Hezbollah members were killed in the attack, including the son of thhe late Hezbollah military leader Imad Mughniyah, Reuters reported Sunday afternoon.
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From the Jewish Telegraphic Agency
Palestinian protesters throw shoes, eggs at Canadian FM in Ramallah
JERUSALEM (JTA) — Palestinian protesters threw shoes and eggs at Canadian Foreign Minister John Baird in Ramallah after he met with his Palestinian counterpart.
Baird was not hurt during Sunday’s demonstration, though an egg struck the top of his car as it left the foreign ministry compound in Ramallah in the West Bank following a meeting with Palestinian Authority Foreign Minister Riyad al-Malaki, Reuters reported.
The protest was organized by the youth department of the Fatah movement to express opposition to the Canadian government’s positive stance toward Israel, the Palestinian Maan news agency reported.
Protesters held signs reading: “Baird you are not welcome in Palestine.”
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From the Jewish Telegraphic Agency
Israel rejects ICC prosecutors’ decision to open war crimes inquiry
JERUSALEM (JTA) — Israel rejects the “absurd” decision by prosecutors at the International Criminal Court to open an inquiry into possible war crimes in Palestinian territories, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said in a statement.
“It’s absurd for the ICC to ignore international law and agreements, under which the Palestinians don’t have a state and can only get one through direct negotiations with Israel,” Netanyahu said Saturday night, a day after the ICC’s announcement of the first formal step that could lead to charges against Palestinian or Israeli officials.
Prosecutors from the ICC, a United Nations tribunal which is based in The Hague, will determine whether the inquiry’s preliminary findings merit a full investigation into alleged atrocities which could result in charges against individuals on either the Israeli or Palestinian side.
Netanyahu said Sunday at the beginning of the regular Cabinet meeting that launching the inquiry “gives legitimacy to international terrorism. We will fight it every way possible and we will also recruit others to fight this absurdity, and they are already being recruited. We will not allow IDF soldiers to face international tribunals. I would also like to say that these steps will not deter us from doing what is necessary to defend the State of Israel and its citizens.”
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From PressTV
All Israeli war crimes will be documented, says Palestinian premier
The Palestinian prime minister says all Israeli war crimes against Palestinians will be documented and Palestine will move to join more international organizations.
Rami Hamdallah made the comments during a ceremony to mark Palestinian Martyr Day in the West Bank city of Ramallah on Saturday.
Palestine is set to become a member of the International Criminal Court (ICC) as of April 1.
The senior Palestinian official added that Palestinians will not allow their martyrs to be forgotten, as Israel desires.
“We will not accept that our martyrs be turned into numbers, names, or be forgotten as Israel wants,” he said.
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From the Jewish Telegraphic Agency
Britain must work to eliminate anti-Semitism, Home Secretary says
(JTA) — The attacks in Paris are a reminder of the “serious terrorist threat” in Britain, the country’s Home Secretary Therese May said.
“I never thought I would see the day when members of the Jewish community in the United Kingdom would say they were fearful of remaining here in the United Kingdom. And that means we must all redouble our efforts to wipe out anti-Semitism here in the United Kingdom,” May said Sunday at a memorial service in London for the victims of the attacks earlier this month in Paris, including the Jan. 9 attack on a kosher supermarket that left four Jewish men dead.
The program was organized by the Board of Deputies of British Jews.
Her call came two days after Scotland Yard Assistant Police Commissioner Mark Rowley, who is also a national spokesman on anti-terrorism, announced that police patrols of Jewish communities in the United Kingdom, and especially Jewish schools, would be increased over rising concern of the risk of an attack.
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From the Jewish Telegraphic Agency
Mossad working with Belgium to find terror attack mastermind
JERUSALEM (JTA) – Israel’s Mossad intelligence agency is working with Belgian officials to track down the man behind the thwarted terror attack in Belgium.
The Mossad is also working with American intelligence services after the uncovering of the terror cell in the country late last week, the country’s Le Dernière Heure newspaper reported.
The attack’s mastermind, reported to be Abdelhamid Abaaoud, 27, is believed to be hiding in Greece or Turkey.
The Israeli cooperation has not officially been acknowledged.
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From Ynet News
Japanese PM arrives in Israel as Netanyahu eyes Asian market
‘I hope to send a message that Japan will offer support in non-military fields to contribute to regional peace and stability,’ says Abe.
Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe and Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu on Sunday called for greater bilateral economic cooperation during a meeting in Jerusalem.
Abe arrived in Israel as part of a six-day tour in the Middle East. He was accompanied by an entourage of some 100 people, including government officials and 30 Japanese company executives arriving to discuss investment opportunities in the country.
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From the Jewish Daily Forward
Israeli Couple Welcomes Birth of 100th Great-Grandchild
Calls New Baby and Other Kids ‘Our Answer to Hitler’
Michael Mittwoch, 92, and his wife Marion, 90, celebrated the bris of Dagan Raz last week, according to Israeli media reports. They called the new baby and their other great-grandchildren “our answer to Hitler,” Ynet reported.
The Mittwochs were born in Germany and each fled to England after the Nazis came to power.
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