Water And Electricity Project In West Bank Completed In Cooperation With Japan

PNN/ Tulkarem

On 30th November, 2014, Mr. Junya Matsuura, Ambassador for the Palestinian Affairs and the Representative of Japan to the PA attended an opening ceremony for the project for “Replacement of Water Network in Qaffin City” with the participation of Tulkarem Governor, Dr. Abdallah Kmail and Minister of Local Government, Mr. Nayef Abu Khalaf. He also attended another ceremony in Seilat AL Harthiyeh for the project for “Rehabilitation and Upgrading of Electricity Network”. These two projects were funded by the Government of Japan through Japan’s Grant Assistance for Grassroots Human Security Projects (GGP).

A grant of USD 121,530 was extended for Qaffin Municipality to replace total 4,000 meters of underground water pipes in five different areas, benefiting 509 households (about 2,000 people). With the completion of this project, people now can have adequate and clean water supply as they suffered a lot from the previous damaged network in the past.

On the other hand, Seilat Harthiyeh Municipality had successfully rehabilitated and upgraded the electricity network with the amount of USD 120,450. Around 442 households (about 2700 residents) now will enjoy a stable and safe electricity supply after removing the dangerous naked wires and installing a new transformer.

Mr. Matsuura in his speech emphasized Japan’s firm commitment of supporting Palestinian people from human security perspective as well as the importance of implementing social and economic development projects needed for Palestinian communities.

Since 1993 the Government of Japan has extended its official development assistance exceeding $1.5 billion, to the Palestinians. GGP projects have been formulated in collaboration with the Palestinian Authority through MoPAD since 2010.

Headlines From Palestine: December 03, 2014

Gaza

Ma’an Images

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A Palestinian fisherman was critically injured on Wednesday after Israeli warships fired several shells toward the coast near Gaza City, a union official said.

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PA Security Officer Found Dead In Northern Gaza

A Palestinian Authority security officer was found dead in the northern Gaza Strip early Wednesday, an official told Ma’an.

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West Bank and Occupied Lands

Israeli Occupation Forces Shoot, injure 14-year-old Palestinian Ahmad Mazin Near Nablus

A Palestinian teenager was shot and injured by Israeli troops early Wednesday morning in clashes in Askar refugee camp east of Nablus in the northern West Bank.

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Ma’an Images

Israeli Occupation Forces Close Nablus Area School

Israeli troops on Wednesday morning shut down a secondary school which serves two Palestinian villages south of Nablus in the northern West Bank, a Palestinian official and locals said Wednesday.

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Ma’an Images

Israeli Occupation Forces Prepare To Demolish Ancient Palestinian Building In Shufat

Israeli forces broke into Shufat refugee camp in East Jerusalem Wednesday morning and deployed in the streets and on rooftops while troops surrounded 10 stores and an ancient building known locally as Cola building.

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Bedouin children of the Jahalin tribe near the Israeli settlement of Maale Adumim Reuters

West Bank Bedouin Fighting Israel’s Plan For Forcible Relocation(Ethnic Cleansing)

Twenty-six Bedouin communities petitioned the High Court of Justice on Monday asking that a plan to build a new Bedouin town north of Jericho be frozen.

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Israeli Occupation Forces to Demolish Residential Tents in Hebron Localities

Israeli forces Tuesday handed Palestinian residents of Massafer Yatta localities to the south of Hebron notices to demolish their residential tents, said a local activist.

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Political Prisoners

Ma’an Images

Israeli Occupation Forces Detain 12 Year Old Boy In East Jerusalem

Israeli forces detained a 12-year-old Palestinian boy from the courtyard of his family home and assaulted him during clashes in the East Jerusalem neighborhood of Jabal al-Mukabbir on Tuesday afternoon.

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Israeli Occupation Forces Detain 11 Teenage Boys In Bethlehem Area Village

Israeli forces carried out a major predawn detention raid in the Palestinian village of Tuqu in southeast Bethlehem Wednesday detaining 11 teenagers, officials told Ma’an.

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Politics

Israeli Occupation Trade Control Causes $310 MILLION Yearly Loss For Palestine

The Palestinian Authority lost at least $310 million in customs and sales tax in 2011 as a result of importing from or through Israel, the UN said Wednesday, urging a radical change to the system.

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Asian Parliamentary Assembly Condemns Israel’s Offensive on Palestinian Holy Sites

The plenary session of the Asian Parliamentary Assembly (APA), convened in the city of Lahore in Pakistan, condemned on Tuesday the Israeli violations on holy sites in the Palestinian Territory, particularly al-Aqsa Mosque compound in Jerusalem, including provocative visits by Jewish fanatics into the Muslim holy site.

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French MPs Vote In Favor Of Recognizing Palestine State

French lawmakers voted on Tuesday in favour of recognising Palestine as a state, following similar moves in Britain and Spain as European countries try to restart the stalled Middle East peace process.

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Belgian Government Parties Reportedly Agree To Recognize Palestine

The parties that make up Belgium’s federal government have agreed to recognize Palestinian statehood unilaterally, a Belgian daily reported.

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Asian Parliamentary Assembly Condemns Israel’s Offensive on Palestinian Holy Sites

LAHORE, December 2, 2014 (WAFA) – The plenary session of the Asian Parliamentary Assembly (APA), convened in the city of Lahore in Pakistan, condemned on Tuesday the Israeli violations on holy sites in the Palestinian Territory, particularly al-Aqsa Mosque compound in Jerusalem, including provocative visits by Jewish fanatics into the Muslim holy site.

The APA, composed of 58 Asian parliaments, denounced Israel’s ongoing attempts to divide al-Aqsa Mosque between Muslims and Jews, as well as the restrictions Israel imposes on Palestinians entry to the Mosque.

It called upon Israel not to change the status quo in the holy site, which has been under Jordanian administrative control since 1967.

Israel’s violations on Palestinian resources, especially water, and destruction of agricultural property for the benefit of settlement expansion, as well as its contamination of the Palestinian environment were also condemned.

It further condemned Israel’s enacting of racist laws, the latest of which was the bill proposed by the Israeli cabinet to enshrine Israel’s definition as the ‘nation-state’ of ‘the Jewish people’.

APA was presented in Islamabad ten years ago in November 2004 when the “Association of Asian Parliaments for Peace (AAPP) decided to transform itself into Asian Parliamentary Assembly.

M.N./T.R.

Palestine Football Team the Best in Asia for 2014

MANILA, November 30, 2014 (WAFA) – The Palestinian national football team was on Sunday awarded the Best National Team prize in Asia for the year 2014.

The honoring ceremony came on the sideline of the FIFA 60^th anniversary celebrations that were held in the Pilipino capital, Manila.

Head of the Palestine Football Federation, Jibril Rajoub, received the prize after Palestine won the Challenge Cup over North Korea’s Football Team for Juniors and Qatar National Team for Youth. The Palestinian national team also qualified for AFC Asian Cup for the first time in history.

The ceremony was attended by President of FIFA, Sepp Blatter, as well as other international football figures.

M.N./T.R.

Thai Government Affirms Support For Palestinians’ Rights On Occasion of International Day of Solidarity

RAMALLAH, November 29, 2014 – (WAFA) – On the occasion of the International Day of Solidarity with the Palestinian People, which is marked every year on the 29th of November, the Thai government reaffirmed its support for the Palestinian people in their quest for freedom and basic rights.

In an official message sent to the Permanent Observer Mission of the State of Palestine to the United Nations, Prime Minister of the Kingdom of Thailand General Prayut Chan-o-cha reaffirmed his government’s “support for the Palestinian people in their quest for freedom and basic rights, particularly the inalienable right to self-determination.”

He also expressed his government’s concerns over “the recent developments in the Palestinian territories”, particularly the Israeli onslaught on the Gaza Strip and its impact on the humanitarian situation, as well as his country’s hopes that Gaza ceasefire “will be permanent and can ultimately lead to a lasting solution to the question of Palestine.”

The United Nations observes the International Day of Solidarity with the Palestinian People on November 29 each year, a very meaningful and significant day to the Palestinian people. On that day in 1947, the UN General Assembly adopted resolution 181, which provided for the establishment of an “Arab State” and a “Jewish state” with Jerusalem as a corpus separatum under a special international regime.

According to the United Nations Information System on the Question of Palestine (UNISPAL) website, the Solidarity Day is meant to provide an opportunity for the international community to “focus its attention on the fact that the question of Palestine is still unresolved and that the Palestinian people is yet to attain their inalienable rights as defined by the GA, namely the right to self-determination without external influence, the right to national independence and sovereignty and the right to return to their homes and property from which they had been displaced.”

This day features worldwide events, such as the issuance of special messages of solidarity with the Palestinian people, the organization of meetings and photo exhibitions and the screenings of films.

In its resolution A/68/12 of 26 November 2013, the General Assembly decided to proclaim 2014 the International Year of Solidarity with the Palestinian People (IYSPP).

 

K.F./T.R.