Australia Reverses Recognition of West Jerusalem as Israel’s Capital
- Australia had switched the recognition from Tel Aviv to West Jerusalem in late 2018, a year after the United States recognized Jerusalem as Israel’s capital (ABC)
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Latest News
Israeli-Palestinian Conflict
Two Palestinians Affiliated With Armed Groups Killed By Israeli Forces
- The Israeli army killed a Palestinian militant during a gun battle in the West Bank’s Jenin refugee camp, the Palestinian Health Ministry said; six other people were wounded, including a doctor (AP)
Palestinians Protest After Refugee Camp Gets Locked Down
- Palestinians in East Jerusalem have called a general strike to protest the Israeli crackdown in the Shuafat refugee camp in search of a suspect who attacked an Israeli checkpoint on October 9, killing one soldier; Palestinian shops, businesses, and schools have closed across the city (AP)
Israeli Soldier Killed in West Bank
- Palestinian militants claimed responsibility for killing an Israeli soldier in a roadside ambush near a Jewish settlement located between Nablus and Jenin (Al Jazeera)
- Additionally, a 12-year-old Palestinian boy died from gunshot wounds he received during an Israeli operation in Jenin on September 28 that killed four Palestinian gunmen and wounded forty others (Reuters)
Two Palestinians Killed in West Bank Raid
- Two Palestinians were killed during an Israeli raid in the West Bank city of Jenin over the weekend; a gunman killed one Israeli soldier in a subsequent attack on a security checkpoint in East Jerusalem (NYT)
Israeli Shooting Kills Palestinian Teenager in West Bank
- A Palestinian teenager was shot and killed by Israeli forces after a group of youth protestors broke through the concrete separation barrier between the West Bank and Israel (AP)
- Meanwhile, Prime Minister Mohammad Shtayyeh voiced concerns that the British embassy could be moved from Tel Aviv to Jerusalem after British Prime Minister Liz Truss announced the decision to review its location (Reuters)
Four More Palestinians Killed as Israeli Raid Campaign Continues in West Bank
- Israeli commandoes killed four Palestinian gunmen and wounded forty others in the town of Jenin during a raid to capture two Palestinians believed to be carrying out gun ambushes, triggering clashes elsewhere (Reuters)
- The U.S. has called for an investigation into the death of a seven-year-old Palestinian boy from the West Bank who was reported to have died from a heart attack after Israeli forces arrived to arrest his brothers (Reuters)
Two Palestinians Killed By Israeli Troops in West Bank
- A Palestinian fighter was killed in a confrontation with Israeli forces in the West Bank town of Nablus; Palestinian sources said the fighter was planning to attack Israelis visiting Joseph’s Tomb, which is under the jurisdiction of the Palestinian Authority (Al Jazeera)
- Another man was shot dead by Israeli forces when his car collided with a police vehicle; Israeli forces claim the incident was an “attempted ramming attack,” while Palestinian authorities claim it was a “traffic accident” (Al Jazeera)
Palestinian Refugees Arm Themselves for Violent Resistance
- Young men in the West Bank paraded black market arms around the Jenin Refugee Camp, sparking Israeli officials’ fears that Palestinians will engage in violent resistance during the upcoming Jewish holidays (The Washington Post)
Palestinian Authorities Kill One, Wound Seven in West Bank Raid
- A bystander was killed and seven people were wounded after Palestinian authorities conducted a raid in the West Bank to arrest operatives of Hamas, the militant group that governs the Gaza Strip (Haaretz)
Israeli Airstrike Hits Damascus Airport, Killing Five Soldiers
Israeli Military Says ‘High Probability’ Its Soldiers Accidentally Killed Journalist
- An unnamed official told reporters that the military identified a soldier who had “with very high likelihood” shot Palestinian-American journalist Shireen Abu Akleh in the West Bank in May due to having “misidentified” her. The military said it will not open a criminal investigation (Times of Israel)
Israeli Strikes Kill Forty Palestinians, Israel and PIJ Reach Truce
- An Egypt-brokered truce between Israel and the militant group Palestinian Islamic Jihad (PIJ) came into effect last night after Israeli missile strikes killed more than forty Palestinians, including two PIJ commanders and fifteen children according to Gazan officials; the PIJ responded by firing rockets at Israel, though no Israelis were killed (CNN)
Palestinian Teen Killed During Israeli Military Raid
- Israeli forces killed a Palestinian teenager in the occupied West Bank during a raid on Bassam al-Saadi, a senior leader of the Palestinian Islamic Jihad militant group; the Israeli army said they fired shots in response to live fire from the raid site (Al Jazeera)
Palestinian Teenager Killed Amid Clash Between Protesters and IDF
- Sixteen-year old Amjad Nashat Abu Alya was killed amid clashes between the Israeli Defense Forces (IDF) and Palestinians protesting against Israeli settler violence near Ramallah; it is unclear whether the shot was fired by the IDF or one of the Israeli settlers, who Palestinian witnesses say fired indiscriminately into the crowd of protesters who threw rocks (Al Jazeera)
- Separately, protests broke out in Gaza after Hamas raised taxes on imported clothes, office supplies, and other items to combat rising prices (Associated Press)
Abu Akleh Family Meets with Secretary Blinken
- The family of slain Palestinian-American journalist Shireen Abu Akleh met with U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken to demand a U.S. investigation that results in accountability for the journalist’s killing; the White House has reiterated its commitment to pursuit accountability but has not announced next steps (Al Jazeera)
Israel Demolishes Homes of Two Suspected Palestinian Attackers
- Israel demolished the homes of two Palestinians suspected of killing an Israeli security guard in a West Bank settlement (Associated Press)
- Meanwhile, the Israeli Supreme Court has ruled that “disloyal” citizens who commit crimes such as espionage, treason, or terrorism may be stripped of citizenship but must be granted permanent residence (Reuters)
Israeli Forces Kill Two Palestinian Fighters in West Bank Clash
- Israeli forces killed two Palestinian fighters claimed by the al-Aqsa Martyrs Brigade after being met by gunfire during an arrest raid, said Palestinian officials (The Guardian)
Biden pledges $316 Million for Palestinians
- U.S. President Joe Biden pledged funding for hospitals and the UN agency for Palestinian refugees (UNRWA) during his visit to the West Bank (Politico)
- Biden also reiterated his support for a two-state solution “on the 1967 lines” for the Israeli-Palestinian conflict but cautioned that “the ground is not ripe at this moment” (Times of Israel)
Biden Arrives in Israel for First Middle East Visit
- U.S. President Joe Biden arrives in Israel yesterday to kick off his first visit to the Middle East as president; he discussed Iran’s nuclear program and economic cooperation with Israeli officials before meeting with Palestinian officials in the West Bank and traveling to Saudi Arabia (Associated Press)
Israel’s Defense, Justice Ministers Announce Party Pact for November Vote
- The Blue and White party of Defense Minister Benny Gantz and the New Hope party of Justice Minister Gideon Sa’ar have announced their intention to run together in Israel’s November 1 elections; Gantz described the bloc as a centrist option for voters (Times of Israel)
- Meanwhile, Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas and acting Israeli Prime Minister Yair Lapid held a phone call to coordinate security measures ahead of U.S. President Joe Biden’s visit to Israel and the West Bank, their first call in years (ABC)
Israeli Knesset Votes to Dissolve Itself
- Israel’s Knesset unanimously voted to dissolve itself, paving the way for elections on November 1; incoming caretaker Prime Minister Yair Lapid will replace his coalition partner Naftali Bennett, who said he will not run in the upcoming elections (Haaretz)
- On a separate note, the U.S. State Department said the bullet that killed Palestinian-American journalist Shireen Abu Akleh was too damaged for a U.S. probe to be conclusive, and that officials found no evidence that the shooting was intentional, contradicting the investigative findings of CNN and the Palestinian Authority (CNN)
- Meanwhile, the European Union (EU) has informed two prominent Palestinian NGOs that it will resume funding them following a thirteen-month suspension prompted by what the EU has concluded to be unfounded terror allegations by Israel (Al Jazeera)
- Additionally, Israeli forces killed a Palestinian Islamic Jihad fighter during a raid (Al Jazeera)
- In a separate raid, a young Palestinian man was shot by Israeli forces in the West Bank (Al Jazeera)
Israel Forces Arrest Seventeen Palestinians in Overnight West Bank Raid
- Israeli forces arrested seventeen Palestinians in the West Bank, accusing the Palestinians of involvement in terrorism; the arrests mark a continuation of near-nightly raids since a wave of terror attacks by Palestinians hit Israel earlier this year (Haaretz)
- In a separate incident, a Palestinian teenager shot by Israeli forces while allegedly amongst a group of Palestinians throwing stones along a major highway died in Israeli custody, prompting a general strike in the village of Silwad (Al Jazeera)
- Meanwhile, three family members of a Palestinian man stabbed to death by an Israeli settler in a confrontation last week were arrested by Israeli security forces without official elaboration on the reason for the arrests (Times of Israel)
Israeli Governing Coalition Announces Intention to Dissolve
- Israeli Prime Minister Naftali Bennett and Foreign Minister Lair Lapid have announced their intention to voluntary dissolve Israel’s governing coalition following months of crises; the Knesset has begun its vote for dissolution, which could send Israel to its fifth general election in less than four years (Times of Israel)
- Meanwhile, several violent incidents have occurred in Israel, the West Bank, and Gaza, including the stabbing of a Palestinian man by an Israeli settler (Al Jazeera; the shooting of a Palestinian man accused by Israeli border patrol of vandalizing the security fence (Al Jazeera); and the exchange of rockets and air strikes between Israel and Hamas (France 24)
Palestinian Health Ministry: Israeli Forces Kill Three, Wound Ten in Jenin Raid
- The Palestinian health ministry said that Israeli forces killed three people and wounded ten more in a raid in Jenin in the West Bank (Al Jazeera)