The Israeli Palestinian Conflict

Spotlight on Terrorism and the Israeli-Palestinian Conflict (August 23 –29, 2023)

This past week there was one shooting attack no casualties were reported. Before the Friday prayer at al-Aqsa Mosque, Palestinians rioted and clashed with Israeli police forces; several policemen and Palestinians were injured. Israeli security forces continued counterterrorism activities, detaining Palestinians suspected of terrorist activities and confiscating weapons and propaganda material. Palestinians made three attempts to cross the border security fence from the Gaza Strip into Israeli territory. Two rockets were launched towards the sea, what the Palestinian organizations called experiments to "improve rocket capabilities.". A demonstration was held in the east of Gaza City where demonstrators approached the security fence and clashed with IDF forces. The decision made by Israel's Political-Security Cabinet to target terrorists and their dispatchers raised concern among the Palestinians.
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The City of Jerusalem in the Palestinian Authority Schoolbooks

This research discusses the image of the city of Jerusalem as revealed in the Palestinian Authority's schoolbooks currently used the PA schools in the West Bank, the Gaza Strip and East Jerusalem. Seventy textbooks for grades 1-10 were examined for the purpose of this study. These are the most updated versions, mostly published in 2020 (see the List of Sources at the end of this study). Jerusalem's image, as reflected in the books is strongly one-sided, in sharp contrast to its image in the Israeli schoolbooks, which emphasize its holiness to the three monotheistic religions and treat its Arab inhabitants as the city's integral.
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The PLO Anti-Discrimination and Apartheid Department to hold an international conference at the end of 2023

In recent months the PLO Anti-Discrimination and Apartheid Department, headed by Ramzi Rabah, a member of the PLO Executive, has been organizing an international conference against "Israeli apartheid," expected to take place in South Africa at the end of 2023. Its objective is to "build a global front against 'Israeli apartheid' with extensive Arab and international participation, which will adopt an operational strategy and common vision for action to condemn and boycott the Israeli government and demand it be held accountable for its 'crimes' against the Palestinians, their land and their rights." During June 2023, in preparation for the conference, senior figures of the PLO Anti-Discrimination and Apartheid Department visited several European countries to form sympathetic fronts while promoting a European forum before the international conference had been held. After the visits the decision was made to hold the European forum in Belgium on October 15, 2023. In July 2023 senior Department members met with government and political figures and senior members of the BDS movement in South Africa to prepare and coordinate the conference. It will be the second annual conference organized by the PLO Anti-Discrimination and Apartheid Department; it held the first in al-Bireh on December 11, 2022.
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Spotlight on Terrorism and the Israeli-Palestinian Conflict (August 16 –22, 2023)

This past week Palestinians carried out four shooting attacks, two of them deadly. The Israeli security forces continued counterterrorism activities. A laboratory and a warehouse with 15 IEDs ready for use were located in the Balata refugee camp in Nablus,.The terrorist organizations in the Gaza Strip, led by Hamas, continue to develop and improve their rockets and other weapons capabilities. On August 17, 2023, Hamas fired fifty Ayash 250 rockets towards the sea. On two consecutive days the Iron Dome aerial defense system intercepted UAVs flying over the Gaza Strip. About a thousand security prisoners began a hunger strike. Sources in Hamas, Fatah and the Palestinian Authority (PA) warned Israel not to harm the prisoners. According to reports, all the operatives of the Balata Battalion in Nablus surrendered to the national security forces. PA Prime Minister Muhammad Shtayyeh continued diplomatic activity for recognition of a Palestinian state and to enlist international aid. On August 20, 2023, the school year began for Palestinian children.
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Revealing Maps: The Palestinian Vision as Taught in PA Schools (Dr. Arnon Groiss)

The present research deals with some 115 maps of the country appearing in the latest edition of schoolbooks issued by the Palestinian Authority and used in the PA schools, including UNRWA schools. Its source material included 125 books of grades 1-10 in the subjects of Arabic, English, Social Studies, Islamic Education, Mathematics, Sciences and Technology. The research aimed at checking the way this country – Israel/Palestine – is presented, in view of the ongoing conflict between the two nations that claim to be its owners. The basic hypothesis of this research was that the two parties see this country in its entirety as their homeland, which should be expressed in the maps appearing in their respective schoolbooks Indeed, there were found in the Israeli textbooks maps that present the country as one unit with no internal boundaries under the name "Israel" when those maps were not of political character.
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Spotlight on Terrorism and the Israeli-Palestinian Conflict (August 9-15, 2023)

This past week Palestinians carried out five terrorist attacks; there were no Israeli casualties. Shots were fired at an IDF post near Ya'bad on three different occasions. The Israeli security forces continued their counterterrorism activities, focusing on Jericho, Tulkarm and Nablus; four Palestinians were killed. The Israeli Security Agency recently exposed two terrorist squads. This week the seventh attempt was made to launch a rocket at the settlement of Shaked. The Gaza Strip remains relatively quiet. On a recent visit to the Gaza Strip, senior Hamas figure Musa Abu Marzouq said the most recent meeting of the Palestinian organizations' leadership in Egypt had not yielded results. A summit meeting was held in Egypt attended by Mahmoud Abbas, the president of Egypt and the king of Jordan, promising full support for the Palestinian issue. In an unprecedented step, Saudi Arabia appointed its ambassador to Jordan as a non-resident ambassador to the Palestinian Authority (PA) and consul general in Jerusalem.
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