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Its report was based on the letters of soldiers, unpublished contemporary memoirs, minutes of political party meetings and other historical records, which confirm that Israeli leaders were aware of the bloody events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



Iraq's Population Reaches 45.4 Million in First Census in over 30 Years

Workers prepare to collect information from the public as Iraq began its first nationwide population census in decades, in Baghdad, Iraq Wednesday, Nov. 20, 2024. (AP)
Workers prepare to collect information from the public as Iraq began its first nationwide population census in decades, in Baghdad, Iraq Wednesday, Nov. 20, 2024. (AP)
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Iraq's Population Reaches 45.4 Million in First Census in over 30 Years

Workers prepare to collect information from the public as Iraq began its first nationwide population census in decades, in Baghdad, Iraq Wednesday, Nov. 20, 2024. (AP)
Workers prepare to collect information from the public as Iraq began its first nationwide population census in decades, in Baghdad, Iraq Wednesday, Nov. 20, 2024. (AP)

Iraq's population has risen to 45.4 million, according to preliminary results from a national census, Iraqi Prime Minister Mohammed Shia al-Sudani said on Monday.
The census, conducted on Nov. 20, was Iraq's first nationwide survey in more than three decades, marking a crucial step for future planning and development.
Prior to the census, the planning ministry estimated the population at 43 million.
The last census, conducted in 1997, did not include the Iraqi Kurdistan region, which has been under Kurdish administration since the 1991 Gulf War.
It counted 19 million Iraqis and officials estimated there were another 3 million in the Kurdish north, according to official statistics.