PA Accuses Israel of Exploiting Jewish Holidays to Encourage Settlement

Israeli security forces in Jerusalem’s Old City, March 18, 2018. (Reuters)
Israeli security forces in Jerusalem’s Old City, March 18, 2018. (Reuters)
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PA Accuses Israel of Exploiting Jewish Holidays to Encourage Settlement

Israeli security forces in Jerusalem’s Old City, March 18, 2018. (Reuters)
Israeli security forces in Jerusalem’s Old City, March 18, 2018. (Reuters)

The Palestinian Authority (PA) accused Israel of exploiting Jewish holidays to encourage settlement projects in Palestinian territory.

The Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Expatriates said the Israeli authority has been working on “exploiting holidays in favor of provocative acts of aggression that would deepen the settlement and Judaization operations in the occupied Palestinian territory and intensify attacks on holy sites in Jerusalem.”

It cited a series of attacks against the Palestinian people and these sites, including the closure of the Bab al-Rahma prayer area, the constant storming of the al-Aqsa Mosque compound and the repeated Israeli calls for marches in the West Bank on the Jewish holiday of Sukkot.

The Ministry also accused Israel of “abducting” Palestinian nature either through the separation wall, barriers, barbed wire fences or flooding them with toxic waste. This has deprived the people of their right to enjoy nature walks.

It called on “countries that claim to be keen on the principles of human rights and that have not yet recognized the State of Palestine to do so as soon as possible, as a necessary step to confront the colonial settlement project and protect the two-state solution.”

It said it has been closely following the Israeli campaign in the Isawiya district in east Jerusalem, warning of its dangerous repercussions. It condemned the security forces’ night raids, murders, mass arrests, provocative checkpoints and other forms of “collective punishment.”



Lebanon: Three People Killed in Israeli Strike on Vehicle in the South

Debris is removed at the damaged site in the aftermath of Israeli strikes in Beirut southern suburbs, Lebanon, April 28, 2025. REUTERS/Mohamed Azakir
Debris is removed at the damaged site in the aftermath of Israeli strikes in Beirut southern suburbs, Lebanon, April 28, 2025. REUTERS/Mohamed Azakir
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Lebanon: Three People Killed in Israeli Strike on Vehicle in the South

Debris is removed at the damaged site in the aftermath of Israeli strikes in Beirut southern suburbs, Lebanon, April 28, 2025. REUTERS/Mohamed Azakir
Debris is removed at the damaged site in the aftermath of Israeli strikes in Beirut southern suburbs, Lebanon, April 28, 2025. REUTERS/Mohamed Azakir

Three people were killed in an Israeli drone strike in southern Lebanon, a local TV station said on Thursday.
The strike targeted a vehicle between the towns of Mays al-Jabal and Blida in south Lebanon, said the station. No further details were provided.
Lebanon’s state-run National News Agency reported that Israeli warplanes conducted overflights over the Hermel district and other villages in the northern Bekaa valley.
Earlier on Thursday, an Israeli drone flew at very low altitude over Beirut and the southern suburbs of the capital.

Despite a November 27 ceasefire that sought to halt more than a year of conflict between Israel and Iran-backed Hezbollah, Israel has continued to conduct near-daily strikes in Lebanon.

The Israeli military has said it was behind other attacks that it said killed Hezbollah members.

Hezbollah, significantly weakened by the war, insists it is adhering to the November ceasefire, even as Israeli attacks persist.