Israeli settlers attack West Bank Christian village
JERUSALEM : Israeli settlers attacked the Christian Palestinian village of Taybeh in the occupied West Bank, torching cars and spray-painting threatening graffiti, the Palestinian Authority said today.
'Israeli colonial settlers launched a terror attack tonight on the Christian Palestinian village of Taybeh (Ramallah), setting fire to Palestinian vehicles and spray-painting racist threats in Hebrew on homes and property', the Ramallah-based authority wrote on X.
A Taybeh resident, speaking anonymously for safety reasons, told AFP the attack occurred at about 2am, with at least two vehicles burned.
They said one vehicle belonged to a journalist, while noting the damage appeared to target Palestinian property broadly.
A photo shared by a Palestinian government agency on X showed graffiti on a Taybeh wall that read: 'Al-Mughayyir, you will regret', referring to a nearby village that was also attacked by settlers earlier this year.
The Palestinian Authority's foreign ministry condemned the attack, calling it 'settler terrorism'.
Germany's ambassador to Israel, Steffen Seibert, also condemned it, writing on X: 'These extremist settlers may claim that God gave them the land. But they are nothing but criminals abhorrent to any faith'.
Taybeh and its surroundings have experienced several bouts of settler violence in recent months, including an arson attack at an ancient Byzantine church.
The village – home to about 1,300 mostly Christian Palestinians, many holding US dual citizenship – is known for its brewery, the oldest in the Palestinian territories.
Settlers have attacked neighbouring communities in recent months, resulting in three deaths, damage to Palestinian water wells and the displacement of at least one rural herding community.
Israel has occupied the West Bank since 1967.
The territory is home to about 3 million Palestinians and around 700,000 Israeli settlers, including about 200,000 in east Jerusalem.
Last week, 71 members of Israel's 120-seat parliament, or Knesset, passed a motion calling on the government to annex the West Bank.
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
New Straits Times
3 minutes ago
- New Straits Times
Bravery under fire: Malbatt praised for professionalism in Lebanon
KUALA LUMPUR: Malaysian peacekeepers in Lebanon have earned praise for their professionalism under fire when Israel attacked the country last year. Armed Forces Joint Forces Commander Lieutenant-General Datuk Zahani Zainal Abidin said he was never more proud of his men as he reflected on the Malaysian Battalion's (Malbatt) service in southern Lebanon under the United Nations Interim Force in Lebanon (Unifil). "During the 'Northern Arrow' (by the Israeli Defence Forces) escalation in September 2024, our troops swiftly activated bunker drills and coordinated with Unifil to maintain zero casualties despite cross-border exchanges. "Two months later, in November, an Israeli airstrike caused collateral damage to a Unifil convoy, injuring several Malaysian peacekeepers. "Our rapid medical evacuation and continued mission focus drew praise from the UN and troop-contributing nations," Zahani said, noting that these incidents reinforced the importance of discipline and rapid response protocols. HOLDING THE LINE He said Malbatt operated under the mandate of UN Security Council Resolution 1701, which called for monitoring the cessation of hostilities, supporting Lebanese armed forces deployments and ensuring its area of responsibility was free from hostile activity. Zahani said Malbatt had adopted stringent force-protection measures to safeguard personnel in a demanding threat environment. "Troops remain in fortified encampments and bunker drills are activated whenever cross-border hostilities spike. All patrols and logistical movements are suspended under Unifil directives to minimise exposure. "Regular checks on defensive structures and rapid-access shelters ensure immediate lockdown capability against indirect fire or drone incursions," Zahani said. He said under Unifil's mandate, Malbatt operated with strictly defensive rules of engagement. "Troops may return fire only if directly attacked. Offensive operations remain prohibited. We embed this principle through live-simulation, ensuring split-second decision-making under stress. "This clarity is vital in a theatre marked by multiple actors and asymmetrical threats." EYE ON THREATS, HEART WITH COMMUNITIES Zahani said intelligence and coordination were central to Malbatt's readiness. "The battalion's intelligence cell collated inputs from Unifil's Joint Operations Centre, the Lebanese armed forces and civilian informants. "Frequent 'snap' briefs are also held to update commanders on signs of Hizbollah escalation, Iranian drone flights, or suspected proxy-force staging areas." He said daily video-teleconferences with Unifil Sector West and adjacent battalions ensured rapid dissemination of new directives, including no-movement orders and escalation thresholds. While force protection was critical, Zahani added that civil-military engagement remained the cornerstone of Unifil's mandate. "Our engineers partner with municipal councils to repair schools and water systems in Marakah, Tibnin and surrounding villages. "Periodic town halls are also held to explain Unifil's peacekeeping objectives to residents, reducing the risk of agitators exploiting grievances," he said. Zahani added that this trust-building helped maintain early warning networks and blunt militia influence. MODERNISATION AND STRATEGIC READINESS In response to escalating risks along the Israel-Lebanon border, Zahani said the armed forces had modernised Malbatt's capabilities. "We replaced our ageing Condor armoured vehicles with 20 Turkish-made Panthera 4×4 platforms in 2023. These offer higher mobility, remote weapon station capability and improved troop protection. "Further upgrades are already in motion. By mid-2026, Malbatt will add 60 High-Mobility Light Tactical Vehicles (HMLTVs) to its fleet, enhancing agility and enabling rapid repositioning along the volatile Blue Line," Zahani said, referring to the 120km section of the southern Lebanese border that Unifil oversees. "These acquisitions are part of a broader plan to strengthen survivability and operational flexibility in one of the UN's most complex theatres." He said Malbatt had also introduced specialised capabilities, such as explosive ordnance disposal (EOD) teams and women's engagement modules. "These units not only address evolving operational requirements — from neutralising improvised explosive threats to fostering trust with local communities — but also reinforce the multidimensional nature of peacekeeping under the UN mandate." Training and readiness were also prioritised, Zahani said, as all personnel would go through an eight-week Force Integration Training (FIT) programme in Port Dickson before deploying to Lebanon with Malbatt. "This covers peacekeeping doctrine, cultural awareness, and scenario-based drills aligned with UN standards." He added that diplomatic coordination remained central to sustaining mission credibility. "Malaysia maintains a permanent liaison with the UN Department of Peace Operations (DPO) in New York to ensure real-time alignment of operational priorities with Malaysia's foreign policy principles — multilateralism, civilian protection and peaceful conflict resolution. "This strategic outlook was reinforced at the UN Peacekeeping Ministerial Conference in Berlin in May, where Malaysia pledged to deploy an additional infantry battalion, EOD teams and police units for future missions. "This underscores Malaysia's long-term investment in robust, multidimensional peace operations and its continued role as a trusted troop-contributing nation," Zahani said.
Daily Express
3 minutes ago
- Daily Express
Deal a dangerous precedent: Academics see it as Trump's model for controlling varsities
Published on: Sunday, August 03, 2025 Published on: Sun, Aug 03, 2025 By: AFP Text Size: Academics from Columbia and beyond have expressed concerns that the deal. WASHINGTON: Columbia University's $200 million agreement with President Donald Trump's administration marks the end of a months-long showdown, but academics warn it is just the first round of a government 'assault' on higher education. Academics from Columbia and beyond have expressed concerns that the deal — which makes broad-ranging concessions and increases government oversight — will become the blueprint for how Trump brings other universities to heel. The New York institution was the first to be targeted in Trump's war against elite universities, for what the US president claimed was its failure to tackle anti-Semitism on campus in the wake of pro-Palestinian protests. It was stripped of hundreds of millions of dollars of federal funding and lost its ability to apply for new research grants. Labs saw vital funding frozen, and dozens of researchers were laid off. But Columbia last week agreed to pay the government $200 million, and an additional $21 million to settle an investigation into anti-Semitism. According to Ted Mitchell, president of the American Council on Education, the lack of due process — with the government slashing funding before carrying out a formal investigation — left Columbia in an 'untenable position.' Columbia law professor David Pozen agreed, saying the 'manner in which the deal was constructed has been unlawful and coercive from the start' and slamming the agreement as giving 'legal form to an extortion scheme.' The deal goes beyond addressing anti-Semitism and makes concessions on international student admissions, race and ethnicity considerations in admissions and single-sex spaces on campus, among other issues. Columbia also agreed to appoint an independent monitor to implement the deal, share ethnicity admissions data with the government and crack down on campus protests. Many of the provisions 'represent significant incursions onto Columbia's autonomy,' said Pozen. 'What's happened at Columbia is part of a broader authoritarian attack on civil society,' he said, pointing to similar pressures on law firms and media organizations to fall in line. According to the law professor, the deal 'signals the emergence of a new regulatory regime in which the Trump administration will periodically and unpredictably shake down other schools and demand concessions from them.' In the coming weeks, Pozen said he expected the 'administration will put a lot of pressure on Harvard and other schools to follow suit.' Harvard University has pushed back against the government, filing a lawsuit in a bid to reverse sweeping funding cuts. But Steven Levitsky, a professor of government at Harvard, said that 'in terms of academic freedom and in terms of democracy, the (Columbia) precedent is devastating.' Education Secretary Linda McMahon said she hoped the Columbia deal would be a 'template for other universities around the country.' * Follow us on our official WhatsApp channel and Telegram for breaking news alerts and key updates! * Do you have access to the Daily Express e-paper and online exclusive news? Check out subscription plans available. Stay up-to-date by following Daily Express's Telegram channel. Daily Express Malaysia
The Sun
2 hours ago
- The Sun
US envoy meets Israeli hostage families amid Gaza war tensions
TEL AVIV: US envoy Steve Witkoff met with distraught relatives of Israeli hostages still held in Gaza on Saturday, amid growing concerns over their survival nearly 22 months after Hamas's October 2023 attack. The meeting took place as international pressure mounts for a resolution to the conflict. Witkoff was greeted by hundreds of protesters in Tel Aviv, some applauding while others pleaded for assistance. Videos circulating online captured the emotional scene, with families chanting 'Bring them home!' and 'We need your help.' The envoy later held a closed-door discussion with representatives from the Hostages and Missing Families Forum. The gathering followed Witkoff's visit to a US-backed aid station in Gaza, where he assessed efforts to deliver food to the war-torn Palestinian territory. 'The war needs to end,' said Yotam Cohen, whose 21-year-old brother Nimrod remains captive. 'The Israeli government will not end it willingly. It has refused to do so.' Of the 251 hostages taken during the initial Hamas assault, 49 are still believed to be in Gaza, with 27 declared dead by Israeli authorities. After the meeting, the Forum released a statement confirming Witkoff's personal commitment to securing their release, alongside US President Donald Trump. Hamas intensified psychological pressure on families by releasing a second video of hostage Evyatar David, 24, appearing emaciated in a tunnel. His family condemned the footage as 'vile propaganda,' accusing Hamas of deliberate starvation. French Foreign Minister Jean-Noel Barrot denounced the video as 'despicable,' urging unconditional release and Hamas's disarmament. Ceasefire negotiations mediated by the US, Egypt, and Qatar collapsed last month, leaving Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu under domestic and international scrutiny. Meanwhile, UN agencies warn of famine in Gaza, with over two million civilians at risk. Israeli military chief Lieutenant General Eyal Zamir rejected claims of intentional starvation, calling them 'deceitful accusations.' However, displaced Gazans like Modallala Dawwas reported severe malnutrition, with her daughter's weight plummeting from 25kg to 10kg. The conflict has claimed 1,219 Israeli lives, mostly civilians, and over 60,332 Palestinian lives, per Gaza's health ministry. Recent Israeli strikes killed 34, including five near a food distribution site. - AFP
