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Israel Braces for Palestinian ‘Day of Rage’ to Support Prisoners, Jailbreakers, Haaretz
“The Israeli military is preparing for a day of violence across flash points in the West Bank and beyond, after Palestinian groups called for a ‘day of rage’ on Friday in solidarity with prisoners and the six fugitives who sparked a countrywide manhunt after they broke out of Gilboa Prison…Wasel Abu Yousef, an executive member of the Palestinian Liberation Organization, said the various factions had reached an agreement to head to friction points in the West Bank, such as checkpoints and military presence around cities, and confront IDF troops.”
How The Events Of 9/11 Still Affect The Israeli-Palestinian Conflict, NPR
Daniel Estrin observes that the aftermath of the Sept. 11 attacks affected the decisions of Israeli and Palestinian leaders during the Second Intifada in ways that still have an impact.
West to decide on Iran censure after damning UN nuclear watchdog report, Guardian
European powers and the US will decide on Friday whether to censure Iran in response to a damning report by the UN nuclear inspectorate the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) showing that the new hardline government in Tehran had made it impossible for inspectors to oversee the country’s nuclear programme.
Palestinian teen describes brutal attack by Israeli settlers, Independent
Tareq Zubeidi says he was abducted and beaten by a group of Israeli settlers after they found him and his friends eating snacks near an evacuated hilltop settlement in the occupied West Bank.
COVID spread appears to ebb, fueling optimism for end of Delta blitz, Times of Israel
Israel recorded nearly 8,000 new coronavirus cases Thursday, but signs that the spread of the virus were slowing continued to feed optimism that the country may be on the road back to recovery following a significant bout with the Delta variant.
Gantz tells troops not to let hunt for fugitives harm other Palestinians, Times of Israel
Defense Minister Benny Gantz called for Israel’s security forces to avoid unnecessarily punishing innocent Palestinians during the ongoing manhunt for six fugitives who broke out of prison earlier this week, while promising that Israel would eventually catch the escapees.
In Moscow, Lapid Warns a Nuclear Iran Is a Global Danger, Haaretz
Foreign Minister Yair Lapid said that Iran and its nuclear capabilities pose a threat to the entire world, after meeting his Russian counterpart Sergey Lavrov in Moscow on Thursday.
Jailbreak from Israeli prison shakes up Palestinian public opinion, Al-Monitor
Daoud Kuttab observes, “The escape bolted public opinion in a way not seen for years. Palestinian Prime Minister Mohammad Shtayyeh told journalists that every prisoner wishes to be free and that Israel should free all prisoners. When Al Jazeera reporter Guevara Budeiri was asked about security coordination, she said that there was no coordination at all with the Israelis…Attempts at buying time and punting the political ball down the hill by providing humanitarian services will not work. On the contrary, by delaying the political process the United States and Israel are denying Palestinians hope, leading to unpredictable consequences.
Security Failures, Sleeping Guard: How Did Six Palestinians Manage to Escape Heavily-guarded Israeli Jail?, Haaretz
Josh Breiner reports, “The escape of six security prisoners from Gilboa Prison on Monday exposed a raft of failures in the work of the Prison Service. This begins with senior officials who apparently learned no lessons from an attempted breakout in the same prison seven years ago, as well as the failure to operate electronic measures where required, and the guard who fell asleep in the watchtower.”
Tensions ‘ready to explode’: Palestinian jailbreak sparks fears of escalation, Times of Israel
Aaron Boxerman writes, “For Palestinians, the fate of those detained by Israel for security offenses is of intense public concern. It is also intimately felt: many Palestinians have family and friends who have passed through Israel’s military court system, for offenses ranging from stone-throwing to incitement to involvement in deadly armed terror…A former Israeli security official added that the situation could become even more difficult for Ramallah should its security forces alight upon the fugitives themselves. To turn them in to Israel would be unthinkable in the face of overwhelming public opposition; to withhold them from Israel would be nearly impossible.”