| | CMEP Weekly Bulletin: US Calls for Accountability After Palestinian Teen Likely Killed by Errant IDF Fire A look at calls for accountability, updating laws, 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: Jana Majdi Assam Zakarna, 16, who was killed during a gun battle between Israeli troops and Palestinian gunmen in the West Bank city of Jenin, December 11, 2022. (Social media) | | | US calls for accountability after Palestinian teen likely killed by errant IDF fire Times of Israel “The US on Monday (December 12) called for accountability after the IDF said an Israeli soldier likely accidentally shot dead a 16-year-old Palestinian girl during a firefight in Jenin over the weekend. State Department spokesman Ned Price was asked about the incident by a Palestinian reporter who regularly asks him to condemn Israeli actions at press briefings.” | | | | | | | |  | Image: Ambassador Gilad Erdan, Permanent Representative of Israel to the United Nations, speaks during a news conference at UN Headquarters in New York, in April. (Anthony Behar/Sipa/AP) | | | UN agency says Israel is delaying new visas for its staff
CNN “A United Nations agency that operates in the West Bank and Gaza says Israel is not processing visas for its newly recruited staff, while Israeli officials accuse the agency of ‘ignoring Israeli victims of terror’ in East Jerusalem and the occupied West Bank, a charge the agency denies. A spokesperson for the United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs in the Occupied Palestinian Territories (OCHAoPt) accused Israeli authorities last week of delaying issuing new visas for the agency though adding it remains ‘engaged with the authorities to resolve the situation.’” | | | | | | | |  | Image: An ecstatic Benjamin Netanyahu greets Likud supporters celebrating the election victory last month. (Marc Israel Sellem/The Jerusalem Post) | | | Likud will not agree to change in Israel's Law of Return - report J-Post “The Likud will not agree to a demand by all of its coalition negotiation partners to cancel the ‘grandfather clause’ in the Law of Return, and instead offered to form a committee to prevent the exploitation of rights given to new immigrants to Israel, Walla reported on Tuesday (December 13). The report was not confirmed by the Likud. The grandfather clause grants the right of immigration to Israel to anyone who has a Jewish grandparent, even if they are not Jewish according to Halacha (Jewish law).” | | | | | | | | | | | | | |  | Action Alert: Contact Your Senators Now: Ask Them to Support the Yemen War Powers Resolution Right now, over 21 million people in Yemen are in desperate need of humanitarian assistance. Instead of continuing to support the Saudi-led coalition, the Biden Administration must advance policies that will help bring stability and meet the humanitarian needs of the Yemeni people. It is Congress’ responsibility to hold the Biden Administration and Saudi Arabia accountable by passing the Yemen War Powers Resolution. | | | | |  | Public Statement: November 23, 2022: The Violence Must Stop: CMEP calls on Palestinian and Israeli Leaders to Protect Children and Pursue Peace Churches for Middle East Peace (CMEP) continues to be dismayed by the escalation of violence in the West Bank and Jerusalem and its devastating impact on children. CMEP calls on Palestinian and Israeli leaders to protect children and pursue peace. | | | | |  | Freedom of Movement Trip to the Occupied Palestinian Territories: March 7-16, 2023 CMEP invites you to visit Palestine/ Israel to participate in the annual "Freedom of Movement" marathon (half-marathon, 10k, and 5k available for walkers and runners). This trip will focus on issues related to the UN-sanctioned "right to liberty of movement" and environmental injustice in the occupied Palestinian territories. In addition to the marathon, participants will spend several days hiking in the West Bank with the option of staying with families. The geographical focus of the trip is Bethlehem and the West Bank, including a day in Jerusalem, with an optional 2-day extension in the North of Israel. Individuals and local groups are welcome to join this trip. | | | | | | | | End of year giving: As 2022 comes to a close, we remain committed to educating others on the issues in the Middle East, elevating the voices of those most affected by the conflict, and advocating for policies that will help create a holistic peace in the Holy Land. We could only continue this work with the help of friends like you. We have some lofty goals for 2023, and your financial support would be invaluable. | | | | | | | | | |  | Image: Palestinian journalists hold posters during a protest in Gaza against the killing of Al Jazeera journalist Shireen Abu Akleh, shot dead by an Israeli sniper on May 11 in the West Bank. (Ashraf Amra (c) APA Images) | | | Biden administration opposes ICC investigating Shireen Abu Akleh killing
Mondoweiss “Al Jazeera is submitting a case to the International Criminal Court (ICC) over the killing of journalist Shireen Abu Akleh. The request includes a dossier on the network’s six-month investigation into the death of their reporter along with new material. Lina Abu Akleh, the niece of Shireen, made a public statement about the move during a press conference at The Hague. ‘It is clear that Israel has a history and a de facto state policy of targeting Palestinians journalists like my aunt in order to silence their reporting on Israel’s human rights violations against Palestinians,’ she told reporters. ‘Israeli soldiers are almost never held responsible for their war crimes, which creates a culture of impunity that allows these atrocities to continue. But enough is enough. We must end impunity for Israeli war crimes. It’s past time for justice for Shireen and for every Palestinian that’s been killed by the Israeli army.’” | | | | | | | |  | Image: Left: Soldiers carry the coffin of Staff Sgt. Ido Baruch, killed in a shooting attack in the West Bank, at a military cemetery in Gedera, October 12, 2022. Right: Palestinian gunmen and mourners carry the body of Raafat Ayassah, killed during clashes with Israeli security forces, during his funeral in the West Bank village of Sanur, near Jenin, November 10, 2022. (Avshalom Sassoni; Nasser Ishtayeh/Flash90) | | | 2022 among the deadliest years in recent memory for Israelis and Palestinians
Times of Israel “With a series of deadly terror attacks and near-nightly clashes between the Israeli military and Palestinian gunmen as the army has ramped up operations in the West Bank, 2022 is shaping up to be the deadliest year for both Israelis and Palestinians in years. According to data from the Shin Bet security agency, 27 Israeli civilians and foreigners were killed in terror attacks committed by Palestinian or Arab Israeli terrorists in Israel or the West Bank so far this year. Another three soldiers were killed in attacks directed against troops, and one police commando was killed during clashes with Palestinian gunmen in a West Bank operation.” | | | | | | | |  | Image: A girl walks among graves at a cemetery for war victims on Aug. 5, 2022 in Sanaa, Yemen. (Mohammed Hamoud/Getty Images) | | | Bernie Sanders pulls Yemen War Powers Resolution amid opposition From White House
The Intercept “The White House and Sen. Bernie Sanders clashed Tuesday (December 13) in the run-up to a Senate vote on the war powers resolution, put forward by the Vermont independent, banning U.S. support for Saudi-led offensive operations in its war on Yemen. By the evening, Sanders had agreed to withdraw his resolution, saying on the Senate floor he would enter negotiations with the White House on compromise language. ‘I’m not going to ask for a vote tonight,’ Sanders concluded. ‘I look forward to working with the administration who is opposed to this resolution and see if we can come up with something that is strong and effective. If we do not, I will be back.’” | | | | | | | | 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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