Palestinian PM Calls for Opening Israel's 1948 Archive

Palestinians seen during clashes with Israeli forces near Kafr Qaddoum in the West Bank on Friday, December 10, 2021. (AFP)
Palestinians seen during clashes with Israeli forces near Kafr Qaddoum in the West Bank on Friday, December 10, 2021. (AFP)
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Palestinian PM Calls for Opening Israel's 1948 Archive

Palestinians seen during clashes with Israeli forces near Kafr Qaddoum in the West Bank on Friday, December 10, 2021. (AFP)
Palestinians seen during clashes with Israeli forces near Kafr Qaddoum in the West Bank on Friday, December 10, 2021. (AFP)

Palestinian Prime Minister Mohammad Shtayyeh called for international intervention to halt Israeli settler terrorism against the Palestinian civilian population in the occupied territories.

Speaking at a weekly cabinet session on Monday, Shtayyeh said the government has sent letters to the United Nations and international human rights organizations, urging them to intervene to stop the acts of organized terrorism committed by Israeli settlers, protected by soldiers, and ensure protection for the Palestinian population.

He cited increased attacks in the Nablus-district villages of Burqa, Qaryout and Sebastia.

The premier held Israel fully responsible for this escalation and condemned its widespread and systematic shoot-to-kill policy targeting Palestinian civilians.

He called for disclosing the Israeli archives to an international commission of inquiry “to look into the massacres committed against our people in 1948 and the years that followed, the destruction of more than 480 towns and villages and the displacement of more than 900,000 Palestinians, who are still refugees.”

The investigation conducted earlier this month by some journalists, who took a look at the Israeli archives about the massacres, is the tip of the iceberg, Shtayyeh said.

Palestine’s oral and written history shows the extent of the massacres that were committed, he added, noting that thousands of survivors are still alive and can testify before an international commission.

Israel's Haaretz newspaper had published new testimonies and documents about unknown massacres committed during the 1948 Palestinian Nakba.

Its report was based on the letters of soldiers, unpublished contemporary memoirs, minutes of political party meetings and other historical records, which confirm that Israeli leaders were aware of the bloody events that took place during the occupation of Arab villages.

Separately, Shtayyeh said the government had concluded the resumed economic dialogue with the United States that was halted in 2016.

During the Palestinian-American dialogue that took place via videoconference, the Palestinian Authority said the political solution is the only way to end the conflict with Israel, underlining the importance of implementing international laws and resolutions.

The PA further stressed the need to protect the two-state solution, which Israel is systematically destroying through its colonial settlement programs.



Tunisians Protest Against President as Jailed Politicians Begin Hunger Strike

Figures detained on conspiracy charges in Tunisia - ( Ghazi Chaouachi official social media page)
Figures detained on conspiracy charges in Tunisia - ( Ghazi Chaouachi official social media page)
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Tunisians Protest Against President as Jailed Politicians Begin Hunger Strike

Figures detained on conspiracy charges in Tunisia - ( Ghazi Chaouachi official social media page)
Figures detained on conspiracy charges in Tunisia - ( Ghazi Chaouachi official social media page)

Hundreds of Tunisians staged two protest rallies on Wednesday against what they say is the authoritarian rule of President Kais Saied and demanded the release of political prisoners, while six detained opposition figures held a hunger strike.

Saied seized extra powers in 2021 when he shut down the elected parliament and moved to rule by decree before assuming authority over the judiciary. The opposition described his move as a coup, Reuters reported.

Supporters of the opposition Free Constitutional Party gathered in the capital Tunis to demand the release of their detained leader Abir Moussi. They chanted slogans such as "Saied, dictator, your turn has come," and "Free Abir".

"What is happening is true tyranny, no freedom for the opposition, no freedom for the media. Any word can send you to prison," one protester, Hayat Ayari, told Reuters.

Hundreds of supporters of another opposition party, the Salvation Front, staged a separate rally, also in Tunis, to demand the release of detained politicians, activists and journalists.

Six prominent opposition figures detained on conspiracy charges have begun a hunger strike in prison to protest against their impending trial, their lawyers said on Wednesday.

Abdelhamid Jelassi, Jawhar Ben Mbarek, Khiyam Turki, Ridha Belhaj, Issam Chebbi and Ghazi Chaouachi - all detained in 2023 during a crackdown on the opposition - have refused to participate in what they say is an "unfair trial".

Saied said in 2023 that the detainees were "traitors and terrorists" and that the judges who acquitted them were their accomplices.

The detainees have denied any wrongdoing and have said they were preparing an initiative aimed at uniting Tunisia's fragmented opposition.

Most leaders of political parties are now in prison including two of Saied's most prominent opponents, Moussi and Rached Ghannouchi, the head of the Ennahda party.

The government says there is democracy in Tunisia and Saied says he will not be a dictator, but that what he calls a corrupt elite must be held accountable.