Israeli Army Warns of Jewish Terrorist Attacks against Palestinians

The interior of the Dawabsheh family house after it was burnt down by Hilltop Youth” terrorist group (File photo: Reuters)
The interior of the Dawabsheh family house after it was burnt down by Hilltop Youth” terrorist group (File photo: Reuters)
TT

Israeli Army Warns of Jewish Terrorist Attacks against Palestinians

The interior of the Dawabsheh family house after it was burnt down by Hilltop Youth” terrorist group (File photo: Reuters)
The interior of the Dawabsheh family house after it was burnt down by Hilltop Youth” terrorist group (File photo: Reuters)

Far-right Jewish groups are planning to execute a number of terrorist attacks against Palestinians in the West Bank, according to Israeli military sources.

They indicated that the so-called “Hilltop Youth” group could execute terrorist operations similar to the one they carried out against al-Dawabsheh in 2015 when the terrorist settlers burned the family's home while its members were asleep.

Walla military correspondent, Amir Bohbot, reported that some Israeli military officials and other security forces believe that a number of settlers could pressure the political leadership to resume the implementation of the annexation plan of Palestinian areas and impose Israeli sovereignty over the settlements.

As part of their campaign, the settlers will start with violent protests and later carry out terrorist operations that will shock the region.

Last week, a “Hilltop Youth” member was killed following a car crash as he tried to flee police after throwing rocks at Palestinians in the central West Bank.

Settlers took to the streets and members of the organization attacked Palestinians, threw rocks at their cars, and punctured the tires of a car that was transporting Palestinian workers in the Hebron area.

A number of Palestinians filed a complaint indicating that five to seven “Hilltop Youth" terrorists threw stones and attacked a shepherd in the northern West Bank, leaving him with severe injuries.

Since last Tuesday, the Israeli army has increased its reinforcements in the West Bank.

Following a full assessment of the situation, the army assigned guards to monitor the settlements and nearby roads to prevent Palestinian-Israeli clashes and ensure that no extremist settlers will carry out attacks against Palestinians or the Israeli occupation forces.

Meanwhile, Palestinians warned of a dangerous escalation in settlers' attacks and refused to consider the army's position neutral.

They said that the settlers would not have dared to carry out attacks had it not been for the army's protection and support.

They emphasized that since the beginning of this year, the Israeli occupation authorities, along with the army intelligence and settlers, had escalated attacks against Palestinians in various locations.

They indicated that several Palestinian farmers were targeted in different regions of the northern Jordan Valley, in an attempt to seize their lands and deprive them of their source of livelihood.

Settlers directly carry out the attacks under the protection - and sometimes - support of the Israeli army.

Contractor Ayman Gharib, who works in road construction, said that the occupation authorities have seized several of his bulldozers during the past two months while they were paving agricultural roads in Atouf and al-Maleh areas.

He said that he suffered significant losses this year due to the fines he pays to recover his equipment, noting that the longer the detention period, the higher the fine.

Gharib also reported that the drivers and workers were beaten and arrested.

The occupation authorities seized this year 27 tractors and five bulldozers while they were paving agricultural roads in several areas of the Jordan Valley.

Human rights activist Aref Daraghmeh reported that the occupation regularly seizes tractors and equipment from Ibziq, al-Ras al-Ahmar, al-Farsiyah, Humsa, and al-Maleh.

The occupation aims to prevent basic services and ban Palestinians from accessing their lands for cultivation, according to Daraghmeh, who noted that Israeli forces also want to terrorize the citizens and threaten their existence.



Long Waits for Canadian Visas Leave Gazans in Limbo

Reem Alyazouri and her husband, Ashraf Alyazouri, who escaped Gaza and reached Toronto, pose for a photograph in Toronto, Ontario, Canada, September 30, 2024. REUTERS/Carlos Osorio
Reem Alyazouri and her husband, Ashraf Alyazouri, who escaped Gaza and reached Toronto, pose for a photograph in Toronto, Ontario, Canada, September 30, 2024. REUTERS/Carlos Osorio
TT

Long Waits for Canadian Visas Leave Gazans in Limbo

Reem Alyazouri and her husband, Ashraf Alyazouri, who escaped Gaza and reached Toronto, pose for a photograph in Toronto, Ontario, Canada, September 30, 2024. REUTERS/Carlos Osorio
Reem Alyazouri and her husband, Ashraf Alyazouri, who escaped Gaza and reached Toronto, pose for a photograph in Toronto, Ontario, Canada, September 30, 2024. REUTERS/Carlos Osorio

Reem Alyazouri's escape from a bombarded Gaza City through Egypt ended in Toronto on Sept. 4.
But as she and her family wrestle with applications for work permits and health insurance, her mother and father remain stuck in Cairo waiting for Canadian visas after fleeing Israel's war in the Palestinian enclave of Gaza seven months ago, Reuters said.
"My mind is busy with my parents," she said. "I feel guilty, believe me. When I came here and I left them behind they told us, 'Go and start your life. ... Don't worry about us.'"
The family is trying to come to Canada through a temporary residence program for Gazans with relatives here. Alyazouri's brother Hani Abushomar, a Canadian citizen, applied for six of his family members to join him in Canada hours after the program was launched in January.
Nine months and a harrowing exit from Gaza later, his mother and father remain stranded in Cairo. They completed the last major step of the visa application process - submitting biometric information - six months ago.
They are among thousands of Palestinians waiting for visas from Canada, a country that prides itself on welcoming people from around the world.
Canada said in May it would bring in up to 5,000 Gazans - expanding on a pledge in December to take in 1,000 from the Palestinian enclave. Months later, just over 300 have arrived, with 698 applications approved out of over 4,200 submitted.
Reuters spoke with multiple applicants who said they have been waiting for months since submitting biometric information, dashing their hopes of a swift reunion with relatives in Canada.
Canada has made no promises on how long it would take to process visas for Gazans fleeing the conflict and says it has little control over who is able to leave the enclave.
A cross-border attack by Hamas militants on Oct. 7 last year, in which Israel says 1,200 people were killed and over 250 taken hostage, ignited the war that has flattened most of Gaza, displacing most of its 2.3 million people and killing more than 41,800 people, according to Gaza health authorities.
Canada's focus "is on keeping families together and bringing them to safety as quickly as possible," immigration department spokesperson Julie Lafortune wrote in an email. The primary barrier is getting out of Gaza, she added.
Application processing times vary "based on the details and complexity of each file, and many factors are outside of the IRCC's control," Lafortune said, referring to the Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada department.
The immigration department would not say how many applicants have submitted biometric information and are waiting in Egypt.
BARRIERS TO ENTRY
Immigration lawyers say the wait for Gazans is longer than those faced by other groups fleeing conflict or disaster, and that the small numbers approved contrast with hundreds of thousands of visas granted to Ukrainians under a similar program offering temporary status.
One Canadian immigration expert said some of the visa requirements for Gazans - such as having to provide employment information dating back to when they were 16 - are unusual.
"Canada has a lot of experience in designing temporary, ad hoc programs and this one has an inordinate amount of barriers and hurdles for people to meet," said University of Ottawa law professor Jamie Chai Yun Liew, who focuses on immigration.
Liew said the Gaza program is moving slower than other Canadian temporary immigration programs, including those for Ukranians and survivors of the 2023 earthquake in Syria and Türkiye.
As of April, Canada had approved nearly 963,000 applications under the Canada-Ukraine authorization for emergency travel since March 2022. So far nearly 300,000 people have arrived in Canada under that program.
Australia has granted about 3,000 visitor visas to people from Gaza since October 2023 and about 1,300 have arrived in the country, said Graham Thom, advocacy coordinator with the Refugee Council of Australia, a research and advocacy group.
'EVERYTHING IS UNCERTAIN'
Gazans who have managed to get to Egypt live in limbo, surviving off savings or donations, without access to government services, said immigration lawyer Debbie Rachlis, adding she represents dozens in that position. Many are survivors of trauma.
They beat the odds just by getting that far, and for most, the escape came at great personal risk. The Gaza City neighborhood where Alyazouri and Abushomar's family lived has been "erased," he said. They were forced to flee from their home multiple times. Alyazouri's daughter was injured.
"Something in my heart is broken," Alyazouri said.
The Canadian government said it continues to put forward the names of applicants to local Israeli officials, "but does not ultimately decide who can exit Gaza."
"Israel has agreed to Canada's request for the exit of extended family members in Gaza as part of their expanding humanitarian efforts. However, at present, the Rafah border crossing is closed,” Lafortune wrote, referring to the main entry point between Gaza and Egypt.
Abushomar has been waiting with his mother and father for visas in Egypt, where people in their position lack papers to work, access health care or open a bank account. He says he will eventually have to return to Canada to work and worries for his parents, especially his mother, who has dementia and joint problems.
For now, Abushomar says, "Everything is uncertain."