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German Defense Minister Cancels Iraq Trip over Protests

Protesters wave national flags during a protest outside the to the fortified Green Zone where the Danish embassy is, located in Baghdad, Iraq, Saturday, July 22, 2023, following reports of the burning of a holy Quran carried out by a ultranationalist group in front of the Iraqi Embassy in Copenhagen. (AP)
Protesters wave national flags during a protest outside the to the fortified Green Zone where the Danish embassy is, located in Baghdad, Iraq, Saturday, July 22, 2023, following reports of the burning of a holy Quran carried out by a ultranationalist group in front of the Iraqi Embassy in Copenhagen. (AP)
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German Defense Minister Cancels Iraq Trip over Protests

Protesters wave national flags during a protest outside the to the fortified Green Zone where the Danish embassy is, located in Baghdad, Iraq, Saturday, July 22, 2023, following reports of the burning of a holy Quran carried out by a ultranationalist group in front of the Iraqi Embassy in Copenhagen. (AP)
Protesters wave national flags during a protest outside the to the fortified Green Zone where the Danish embassy is, located in Baghdad, Iraq, Saturday, July 22, 2023, following reports of the burning of a holy Quran carried out by a ultranationalist group in front of the Iraqi Embassy in Copenhagen. (AP)

German Defense Minister Boris Pistorius has cancelled a planned trip to Iraq and Jordan, a ministry spokesperson said on Sunday, citing security concerns after the Swedish Embassy in Baghdad was set alight last week in a protest over burnings of the holy Quran.

On Saturday, several thousand Iraqis demonstrated in Baghdad over the recent burning or damaging of the Quran during anti-Islam protests in Sweden and Denmark.

The cancellation of Pistorius' trip, which was supposed to last for several days, was also in response to violent protests against a Danish non-governmental organization in Iraq, the spokesperson said.

This, along with the risk of further protests in coming days, prompted German security forces to advise on cancelling the trip, the spokesperson said, adding it would take place at a later date, possibly during the fourth quarter of the year.

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Palestinians in Jenin Observe a General Strike

A Palestinian police officer attempts to disperse demonstrators during a protest against clashes between Palestinian security forces and militants in the northern occupied West Bank city of Jenin on December 21, 2024. (Photo by Jaafar ASHTIYEH / AFP)
A Palestinian police officer attempts to disperse demonstrators during a protest against clashes between Palestinian security forces and militants in the northern occupied West Bank city of Jenin on December 21, 2024. (Photo by Jaafar ASHTIYEH / AFP)
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Palestinians in Jenin Observe a General Strike

A Palestinian police officer attempts to disperse demonstrators during a protest against clashes between Palestinian security forces and militants in the northern occupied West Bank city of Jenin on December 21, 2024. (Photo by Jaafar ASHTIYEH / AFP)
A Palestinian police officer attempts to disperse demonstrators during a protest against clashes between Palestinian security forces and militants in the northern occupied West Bank city of Jenin on December 21, 2024. (Photo by Jaafar ASHTIYEH / AFP)

Palestinians in the volatile northern West Bank town of Jenin are observing a general strike called by militant groups to protest a rare crackdown by Palestinian security forces.
An Associated Press reporter in Jenin heard gunfire and explosions, apparently from clashes between militants and Palestinian security forces. It was not immediately clear if anyone was killed or wounded. There was no sign of Israeli troops in the area.
Shops were closed in the city on Monday, the day after militants killed a member of the Palestinian security forces and wounded two others.
Militant groups called for a general strike across the territory, accusing the security forces of trying to disarm them in support of Israel’s half-century occupation of the territory.
The Western-backed Palestinian Authority is internationally recognized but deeply unpopular among Palestinians, in part because it cooperates with Israel on security matters. Israel accuses the authority of incitement and of failing to act against armed groups.
The Palestinian Authority blamed Sunday’s attack on “outlaws.” It says it is committed to maintaining law and order but will not police the occupation.
The Palestinian Authority exercises limited authority in population centers in the West Bank. Israel captured the territory in the 1967 Mideast War, and the Palestinians want it to form the main part of their future state.
Israel’s current government is opposed to Palestinian statehood and says it will maintain open-ended security control over the territory. Violence has soared in the West Bank following Hamas’ Oct. 7, 2023 attack out of Gaza, which ignited the war there.