Israeli soldiers killed two young Palestinian demonstrators, transfer of West Bank towns to local control was halted and a Palestinian security chief said militants will not be disarmed -- signs that a three-month truce might be coming unraveled.
Palestinian security officials said youths were throwing rocks after nightfall Wednesday at troops guarding the separation barrier Israel is building near the village of Beit Lakia, and the soldiers opened fire, killing two 17-year-old cousins.
Israeli military officials said about 300 Palestinians threw rocks and iron bars at soldiers, who fired warning shots in the air before shooting at the Palestinians. Demonstrations by Palestinians and Israeli sympathizers at barrier construction sites are a daily occurrence. Palestinians call the barrier an "apartheid wall" and complain that it cuts into the West Bank. Israel says it's needed to stop suicide bombers and other infiltrators.
The Palestinian Authority issued a statement calling the killing a violation of the ceasefire. The truce has considerably reduced violence, but incidents have been increasing steadily in recent weeks.
The truce trouble came as Palestinians in key locations like Hebron in the West Bank and Rafah in Gaza were to go to the polls Thursday to elect local leaders, balloting that could give indications of trends in advance of parliamentary elections, set for July 17.
Under terms of the ceasefire, declared Feb. 8 at a gala summit in an Egyptian resort, both sides were to halt violence, Israel would transfer five West Bank towns to Palestinian security control and free 900 prisoners, and Palestinian security would disarm fugitive militants in the towns reverting to its control.
‘GREAT OPPRTUNITY’: The Paraguayan president made the remarks following Donald Trump’s tapping of several figures with deep Latin America expertise for his Cabinet Paraguay President Santiago Pena called US president-elect Donald Trump’s incoming foreign policy team a “dream come true” as his nation stands to become more relevant in the next US administration. “It’s a great opportunity for us to advance very, very fast in the bilateral agenda on trade, security, rule of law and make Paraguay a much closer ally” to the US, Pena said in an interview in Washington ahead of Trump’s inauguration today. “One of the biggest challenges for Paraguay was that image of an island surrounded by land, a country that was isolated and not many people know about it,”
DIALOGUE: US president-elect Donald Trump on his Truth Social platform confirmed that he had spoken with Xi, saying ‘the call was a very good one’ for the US and China US president-elect Donald Trump and Chinese President Xi Jinping (習近平) discussed Taiwan, trade, fentanyl and TikTok in a phone call on Friday, just days before Trump heads back to the White House with vows to impose tariffs and other measures on the US’ biggest rival. Despite that, Xi congratulated Trump on his second term and pushed for improved ties, the Chinese Ministry of Foreign Affairs said. The call came the same day that the US Supreme Court backed a law banning TikTok unless it is sold by its China-based parent company. “We both attach great importance to interaction, hope for
‘FIGHT TO THE END’: Attacking a court is ‘unprecedented’ in South Korea and those involved would likely face jail time, a South Korean political pundit said Supporters of impeached South Korean President Yoon Suk-yeol yesterday stormed a Seoul court after a judge extended the impeached leader’s detention over his ill-fated attempt to impose martial law. Tens of thousands of people had gathered outside the Seoul Western District Court on Saturday in a show of support for Yoon, who became South Korea’s first sitting head of state to be arrested in a dawn raid last week. After the court extended his detention on Saturday, the president’s supporters smashed windows and doors as they rushed inside the building. Hundreds of police officers charged into the court, arresting dozens and denouncing an
‘DISCRIMINATION’: The US Office of Personnel Management ordered that public DEI-focused Web pages be taken down, while training and contracts were canceled US President Donald Trump’s administration on Tuesday moved to end affirmative action in federal contracting and directed that all federal diversity, equity and inclusion (DEI) staff be put on paid leave and eventually be laid off. The moves follow an executive order Trump signed on his first day ordering a sweeping dismantling of the federal government’s diversity and inclusion programs. Trump has called the programs “discrimination” and called to restore “merit-based” hiring. The executive order on affirmative action revokes an order issued by former US president Lyndon Johnson, and curtails DEI programs by federal contractors and grant recipients. It is using one of the
RSS