| | CMEP Weekly Bulletin: Israeli Restrictions on Foreign Travel Into Occupied West Bank Take Effect Despite Criticisms A look at restrictions, conflict, and more news in this week’s bulletin. CMEP’s Bulletin is a weekly round-up of news from the Middle East and represents an array of perspectives on the issues we cover. CMEP does not necessarily agree with all the views expressed in the articles, and they do not speak on CMEP’s behalf. | | | |  | Image: Palestinian Passport. (Mondoweiss) | | | Israeli restrictions on foreign travel into occupied West Bank take effect despite criticisms Mondoweiss “A draconian set of rules and restrictions on the entry of foreigners into the occupied West Bank are set to go into effect today, despite months of condemnations by rights groups and legal efforts to stop the restrictions from being enforced. Entitled the ‘Procedure for entry and residence of foreigners in the Judea and Samaria area,’ the 90-pages of restrictions engineered by Israel’s Coordinator of Government Activities in the Territories (COGAT), seeks to severely restrict the ability of foreigners, including those of Palestinian origin living abroad, to enter the West Bank for the purpose of business, education, humanitarian work, and even visiting family.” Read CMEP’s statement on these rules here: https://cmep.salsalabs.org/stopnewcogatrules/index.html. | | | | | | | |  | Image: Wadee al-Houh (left) the leader of the Nablus-based Lion's Den, is seen with Ibrahim al-Nabulsi (right). Al-Houh was killed in an Israeli raid in the West Bank city on October 25, 2022 and al-Nabulsi was killed in a similar raid in August. (Social media) | | | IDF: Lion’s Den leader, 4 other gunmen killed, bomb factory destroyed in Nablus raid
Times of Israel “Israeli soldiers killed the leader of a Nablus-based terror group and destroyed an explosives workshop in the West Bank city, the military said early Tuesday (October 25), in an extensive raid that sparked intense clashes, leaving another four gunmen dead, and over 20 injured, according to Palestinian health officials. The Israel Defense Forces said 31-year-old Wadee al-Houh led the Lion’s Den terror group in Nablus and was responsible for numerous attacks. The group mourned him as a ‘leader’ in a later statement.” | | | | | | | |  | Image: Al-Jazeera's veteran TV journalist Shireen Abu Akleh was killed by Israeli forces while reporting from the Jenin refugee camp. (File: AFP) | | | Shireen Abu Akleh’s family meets Pope Francis at the Vatican Aljazeera “The family of the veteran Al Jazeera journalist Shireen Abu Akleh has been received by Pope Francis at the Vatican, nearly six months after she was shot dead by Israeli forces while covering an army raid in the Jenin refugee camp in the occupied West Bank. The relatives on Wednesday (October 25) were among a group of guests attending a general audience in Vatican City, a weekly appointment in which the pontiff greets pilgrims. Al Jazeera’s Stefanie Dekker, reporting from Rome, described the brief meeting.” | | | | | | | | | | | | | |  | Webinar Series: A Land Full of God: A Land Full of God gives American Christians an opportunity to promote peace and justice in the Israeli-Palestinian conflict. It shows them how to understand the enmity with brief, digestible, and comprehensive essays about the historical, political, religious, and geographical tensions that have led to many of the dynamics we see today. This mini-course will feature several of the book's contributors in a panel discussion on a different topic each week. We've also invited an additional guest who was not a book contributor to respond to the information shared. We'll end each session with an audience Q & A time. Reading the book is not required for participation. | | | | |  | Webinar Series Coming to an End: American Complicity in the Israeli Occupation: A Series of Educational Events, organized in collaboration with American Friends of Combatants for Peace. Join us on November 2nd for the last of three different webinars focusing on American complicity in the Israeli Occupation. We'll hear from several different experts on topics such as how American religious and political institutions sustain the occupation and how the upcoming US midterm elections will influence the future of Israel, Palestine, and the Occupation. | | | | |  | Public Statement: October 25, 2022: Churches for Middle East Peace (CMEP): The U.S. Government Must Respond to Abuses Against Palestinian Children and Escalating Tensions in West Bank CMEP calls on the US government to press the Israeli government to de-escalate tensions by reigning in settler violence and reassessing its rules of engagement and use of force guidelines in confrontations with Palestinians. | | | | | | | | Support the work of CMEP: We couldn't continue in the work of holistic peacebuilding and advocacy without the support of friends like you. Make supporting peace a regular routine part of your month by joining CMEP's Sustainer Circle today! | | | | | | | | | |  | Image: (L-R) US President Joe Biden and Israeli President Issac Herzog meet during the former's visit to Israel. (Haim Zach/GPO) | | | Herzog departs to US on official visit
J-Post “President Issac Herzog departed to the United States Monday night (October 24) for an official visit after being invited by US President Joe Biden. Herzog will be meeting with Biden at the White House as well as meeting with American-Jewish community organizations and Congressional leadership. ‘I am departing tonight to the United States for an official visit at the invitation of my friend, President Joe Biden whom I was delighted to host during his visit to Israel a few months ago,’ Herzog said in a statement before his departure. ‘The United States is Israel's greatest ally and our strategic partnership is both enduring and unshakeable.’” | | | | | | | |  | Image: Former Israeli prime minister Benjamin Netanyahu is seen on a Likud election banner in Tel Aviv on Thursday. The text reads: “Netanyahu, strong right wing for four years.” (Oded Balilty/AP) | | | Netanyahu poised for possible return to power, dividing Israel again
Washington Post “The unusual Israeli government that was formed last June had one job: to pry Benjamin ‘Bibi’ Netanyahu from the prime minister’s office. Netanyahu was clinging to power after four inconclusive elections, fighting multiple corruption indictments and, critics say, wreaking havoc on Israel’s democratic institutions. In stepped the unlikely ‘change coalition’ of right-wing, left-wing and Arab parties that agreed on almost nothing but the need to oust Netanyahu and pull Israel out of its spiraling political crises.” | | | | | | | |  | Image: An explosion is seen during an Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) ground forces military drill in the Aras area, East Azerbaijan province, Iran, October 19, 2022. (IRGC/WANA (West Asia News Agency)/Handout via REUTERS) | | | Iran holds drills on border with Azerbaijan
J-Post “Iran is expressing its concern to Azerbaijan about any changes in the border region by holding military drills in the area. Iranian regime media has emphasized this in the last several days, noting that Iran has moved its forces to the border region. According to the reports units of the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps held a drill for three days, centered on the border strip of Ardabil and East Azerbaijan provinces of Iran, which border the countries of the Republic of Azerbaijan and Armenia.” | | | | | | | | CMEP's Bulletin is a weekly round-up of news from the Middle East and represents an array of perspectives on the issues we cover. CMEP does not necessarily agree with all the views expressed in the articles, and they do not speak on CMEP's behalf. | | | | Churches for Middle East Peace (CMEP)
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