RE settler raid
In a separate incident, a 15-year-old boy was killed by the Israeli army in the northern West Bank town of Al-Yamoun, amid a surge of violence and near-daily confrontations between settlers and Palestinians.
Three Palestinians were killed and seven wounded in the violence in Kafr Malik on Wednesday, north-east of Ramallah, the Palestinian health ministry said.
An Israeli military statement said dozens of Israelis set fire to property, and military and police forces were dispatched to the scene after receiving a report of ensuing violence that included an exchange of stone-throwing.
The military statement alleged that several Palestinians opened fire and hurled rocks at the forces, who returned the fire. Five Israeli suspects were arrested. An Israeli army officer was lightly wounded.
Video footage showed at least two cars had been set ablaze. Reuters could not independently verify the video.
Hussein al-Sheikh, the deputy to Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas, posted on X: 'The government of Israel, with its behaviour and decisions, is pushing the region to explode.'
'We call on the international community to intervene urgently to protect our Palestinian people,' he said.
Earlier on Wednesday, a Palestinian boy was shot dead by the Israeli army during a raid on Al-Yamoun, a West Bank town west of Jenin, the Palestinian Red Crescent said.
The Ramallah-based health ministry said in a statement: 'The child Rayan Tamer Houshiyeh was killed after being shot in the neck by soldiers' in Al-Yamoun, north-west of Jenin.
The Al-Yamoun incident marked the second time a teenager has been reported killed in the West Bank in two days.
On Monday, the health ministry said Israeli fire killed a 13-year-old it identified as Ammar Hamayel, also in Kafr Malik.
Earlier this month, the army confirmed it had killed a 14-year-old who threw rocks in the town of Sinjil.
In a similar incident in April, a teenager who held US citizenship was shot dead in the neighbouring town of Turmus Ayya.
The mayor of Turmus Ayya, Adeeb Lafi, said that Omar Mohammad Rabea, 14, was shot along with two other teenagers by an Israeli settler at the entrance to Turmus Ayya. The Israeli military said it had killed a 'terrorist' who threw rocks at cars.
Israel has occupied the West Bank since 1967, and violence in the territory has soared since the Hamas attack on 7 October, 2023 that triggered the Gaza war.
Since then, Israeli troops or settlers have killed at least 941 Palestinians, including many militants, according to the health ministry.
Over the same period, at least 35 Israelis have been killed in Palestinian attacks or during Israeli military operations, according to Israeli figures.
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Daily Mail
3 hours ago
- Daily Mail
Palestine Action lose 11th-hour appeal to stop being banned as a terror group after High Court judge refused a bid to temporarily halt them being outlawed
Palestine Action has lost its 11-hour appeal to stop it from being banned as a terror group, less than two hours after losing a bid to halt it come coming into force. Earlier today, Huda Ammori, co-founder of Palestine Action, failed in her bid to get the High Court to temporarily block the Government from classifying the group as a terrorist organisation. This came before a potential legal challenge to the decision to proscribe the group under the Terrorism Act 2000. The ban is set to take effect at midnight after Judge Mr Justice Chamberlain denied the request for a temporary block. In a late twist, Ms. Ammori's legal team appealed the decision at the Court of Appeal on Friday evening. However, around 10:30pm, the Court also refused to grant the temporary injunction, paving the way for the controversial move to proceed. The founder's representative told the court that the ban would have a 'chilling effect on free speech'. But Lady Chief Justice Baroness Carr said: 'The judge was entitled to take the view that the harm identified... would be the product of an individual's decision not to comply with the order.' She added that there was 'no real prospect of a successful appeal'. Raza Husain KC, for Ms Ammori, made a bid to have the case certified as a 'point of general public importance' to allow a Supreme Court bid. Baroness Carr, sitting with Lord Justice Lewis and Lord Justice Edis, added: 'You are not going to get to the Supreme Court before midnight.' The judge said that any application should be made before 4pm on Monday and refused a bid for a stay. In his decision refusing the temporary block, High Court Mr Justice Chamberlain said: 'I have concluded that the harm which would ensue if interim relief is refused but the claim later succeeds is insufficient to outweigh the strong public interest in maintaining the order in force.' Blinne Ni Ghralaigh KC, for Ms Ammori, told the Court of Appeal that the judge wrongly decided the balance between the interests of her client and the Home Office when deciding whether to make the temporary block. She said: 'The balance of convenience on the evidence before him, in our respectful submission, fell in favour of the claimant having regard to all of the evidence, including the chilling effect on free speech, the fact that people would be criminalised and criminalised as terrorists for engaging in protest that was not violent, for the simple fact that they were associated with Palestine Action.' She also told the Court of Appeal that Mr Justice Chamberlain 'failed properly to consider' that banning the group 'would cause irreparable harm'. Ms Ni Ghralaigh said: 'There was significant evidence before him to demonstrate the chilling effect of the order because it was insufficiently clear.' She continued that the ban would mean 'a vast number of individuals who wished to continue protesting would fall foul of the proscription regime due to its lack of clarity'. Ben Watson KC, for the Home Office, told appeal judges that Mr Justice Chamberlain gave a 'detailed and careful judgment' which was 'all the more impressive given the time constraints'. He added that the judge 'was entitled to reach the conclusion that he did'. The barrister said: 'The judge conducted a very careful analysis of all the matters he relied upon.' Mr Watson also said that the judge was 'alive' to the possible impacts of the ban, including the potential 'chilling effect' on free speech. 'There was no error by the judge in concluding that there was a serious question to be tried while at the same time acknowledging that he couldn't, on the material in front of him, say that it had strong prospects of success,' he added. The proposal for the ban which had been approved by both the House of Commons and the House of Lords earlier this week, will make membership and support for the direct action group a criminal offence, punishable by up to 14 years in prison. High Court judge Mr Justice Chamberlain said: 'I have concluded that the harm which would ensue if interim relief is refused but the claim later succeeds is insufficient to outweigh the strong public interest in maintaining the order in force.' Ms. Ammori's legal team was also denied permission to appeal and was advised to take their case directly to the Court of Appeal. Currently, 81 organisations are already proscribed under the 2000 Act, including Hamas, al Qaida, and National Action. During the hearing, Raza Husain KC, representing Ms. Ammori, argued for the suspension of what he called the 'ill-considered' and 'authoritarian abuse of statutory power' until a hearing scheduled for around July 21. Mr Husain told the London court: 'This is the first time in our history that a direct action civil disobedience group, which does not advocate for violence, has been sought to be proscribed as terrorists.' The barrister said that his client had been 'inspired' by a long history of direct action in the UK, 'from the suffragettes, to anti-apartheid activists, to Iraq war activists'. The hearing later in July is expected to deal with whether Ms Ammori can bring a High Court challenge over the planned proscription. Blinne Ni Ghralaigh KC, also representing Ms Ammori, told the court that there was no 'express provision' to protect lawyers representing her in the potential legal challenge from criminal consequences if the ban came into effect. She also said that if the ban came into effect the harm would be 'far-reaching', could cause 'irreparable harm to large numbers of members of the public', including causing some to 'self-censor'. Ms Ni Ghralaigh later named Normal People author Sally Rooney, who lives abroad and 'fears the ramifications for her, for her work, for her books, for her programmes' if she shows support for Palestine Action. 'Is the Prime Minister going to denounce her, an Irish artist, as a supporter of a proscribed organisation?' 'Will that have ramifications for her with the BBC, etc?' Ms Ni Ghralaigh asked. In his written judgment, Mr Justice Chamberlain said it was 'ambitious' for Palestine Action to claim it was not 'concerned in terrorism', as the 'action which immediately preceded the announcement of the decision to lay a proscription order was against an RAF base'. He also said that Ms Ammori's arguments 'contain at least one serious issue to be tried, namely that the order is a disproportionate interference with the rights of the claimant and others' under the European Convention on Human Rights. But he ruled that issuing a temporary block on the ban 'even for a short period' would 'deny the public important protections which the order is intended to confer'. He said: 'In my judgment, some of the consequences feared by the claimant and others who have given evidence are overstated.' He continued: 'It will remain lawful for the claimant and other persons who were members of Palestine Action prior to proscription to continue to express their opposition to Israel's actions in Gaza and elsewhere, including by drawing attention to what they regard as Israel's genocide and other serious violations of international law. 'They will remain legally entitled to do so in private conversations, in print, on social media and at protests.' He added: 'It follows that it is hyperbole to talk of the claimant or others being "gagged" in this respect, as the claimant has alleged. 'They could not incur criminal liability based on their past association with a group which was not proscribed at the time. 'That said, there is no doubt that there will be serious consequences if the order comes into effect immediately and interim relief is refused.' In a statement issued following the judgement, the co-founder said the public were being left 'in the dark about their rights to free speech'. She said the 'We are seeking an urgent appeal to try to prevent a dystopian nightmare of the Government's making which would see thousands of people across Britain wake up tomorrow to find they had been criminalised overnight for supporting a domestic protest group which sprays red paint on warplanes and disrupts Israel's largest weapons manufacturer to disrupt the flow of arms to Israel's genocidal war machine. 'We will not stop fighting to defend fundamental rights to free speech and protest in our country and to stand up for the rights of the Palestinian people. 'The Home Secretary is rushing through the implementation of the proscription at midnight tonight despite the fact that our legal challenge is ongoing and that she has been completely unclear about how it will be enforced, leaving the public in the dark about their rights to free speech and expression after midnight tonight when this proscription comes into effect.' She went on to say: 'Hundreds of thousands of people across the country have expressed support for Palestine Action by joining our mailing list, following and sharing our social media content and signing petitions, and many, including iconic figures like Sally Rooney, say they will continue to declare 'we are all Palestine Action' and speak out against this preposterous proscription, demonstrating how utterly unworkable it will be. 'As Justice Chamberlain acknowledged in court today, it is unclear what expressions of support could lead to arrest and potential prosecution with sentences of up to 14 years in prison. 'We would only have only a few hours to disband our entire organisation and dismantle all of our infrastructure, including closing bank accounts and deleting our mailing list and social media platforms. 'This is despite the fact that we have not had the opportunity to defend our fundamental rights in court and challenge this unlawful, authoritarian and utterly absurd proscription. 'If we ultimately succeed in overturning the proscription, we would have to start from scratch, having lost everything we have painstakingly built over five years.' Ben Watson KC, for the Home Office, told the High Court there was an 'insuperable hurdle' in the bid to temporarily block the ban of Palestine Action. The barrister also said that if a temporary block was granted, it would be a 'serious disfigurement of the statutory regime'. He said Palestine Action could challenge the Home Secretary's decision at the Proscribed Organisations Appeal Commission, a specialist tribunal, rather than at the High Court. Friday's hearing comes after an estimated £7million worth of damage was caused to two Voyager planes at RAF Brize Norton on June 20, in an action claimed by Palestine Action. Amy Gardiner-Gibson, 29, Jony Cink, 24, Daniel Jeronymides-Norie, 36, and Lewis Chiaramello, 22, are accused of conspiracy to enter a prohibited place knowingly for a purpose prejudicial to the safety or interests of the United Kingdom, and conspiracy to commit criminal damage. They were remanded into custody after appearing at Westminster Magistrates' Court and will appear at the Old Bailey on July 18. The hearing before Mr Justice Chamberlain will conclude later on Friday, with the High Court judge expected to give his decision at the end of the hearing. A further hearing to decide whether Ms Ammori will be given the green light to challenge the decision to ban Palestine Action is expected to be heard later this month. Home Secretary Yvette Cooper announced plans to proscribe Palestine Action on June 23, stating that the vandalism of the two planes was 'disgraceful' and that the group had a 'long history of unacceptable criminal damage'.
NBC News
4 hours ago
- NBC News
Hamas gives 'positive response' to Gaza ceasefire mediators
Hopes for an end to the bloody fighting in Gaza appeared to brighten Friday when Hamas announced that it had given a thumbs-up to the latest ceasefire proposal, but added that further talks were needed. 'Hamas has completed its internal consultations with Palestinian factions and forces regarding the mediators' latest proposal to halt the aggression against our people in Gaza,' the Palestinian militant group said in a statement. 'The movement has submitted a positive response to the mediators,' the statement added. 'The movement is fully prepared to immediately enter into a round of negotiations on the mechanism for implementing this framework.' The development came just days after President Donald Trump said Israel has 'agreed to the necessary conditions' to finalize a 60-day ceasefire deal in the Israel-Hamas war. But in his first remarks since Trump's announcement on Tuesday, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu did not confirm Trump's claim and once again called for the elimination of Hamas. 'There will be no Hamas,' Netanyahu said. 'There will be no Hamastan. We are not going back to that. It is over. We will release all our hostages.' Netanyahu is scheduled to visit to the White House on Monday, where he is expected to discuss the situation in Gaza with Trump. Hamas has been weighing the new ceasefire proposals that it had received from the Egyptian and Qatari mediators for several days. In a statement Wednesday, Hamas said it would be 'conducting national consultations' with the final aim of ending the fighting, ensuring the withdrawal of Israeli forces and delivering 'urgent relief' to the people of Gaza. The war in Gaza erupted on Oct. 7, 2023, after Hamas launched a bloody surprise attack on Israel that left more than 1,200 people dead. Hamas also took 251 people hostage. And of the remaining hostages in captivity, 28 are presumed to be dead. Meanwhile, Israel's attacks in Gaza have killed more than 56,000 people and created a humanitarian crisis in the densely populated Palestinian territory, where most of the 2 million residents have been forced from their homes.
BreakingNews.ie
5 hours ago
- BreakingNews.ie
Hamas says it has given ‘positive' response to latest ceasefire proposal
Hamas says it has given a 'positive' response to the latest proposal for a ceasefire in Gaza but said further talks were needed on implementation. It was not clear if Hamas' statement meant it had accepted the proposal from US President Donald Trump for a 60-day ceasefire. Advertisement Hamas has been seeking guarantees that the initial truce would lead to a total end to the war, now nearly 21 months old. In a statement issued late Friday, Hamas said it has 'delivered the response to the mediators, which was positive'.
