Climbing Death Toll in Gaza, Occupied West Bank
May 15, 2021
Israel has hit a refugee camp in an airstrike killing at least 10 Palestinians, including eight children. Al Jazeera reports that bodies were still being pulled out from under the rubble on Saturday morning. Israel has been bombarding the Gaza Strip for six consecutive days now.
According to al Jazeera, Tamara Alrifai, director of strategic communications and spokeswoman at the United Nations Relief and Works Agency, the agency was “extremely shocked and devastated” at the news of the bombardment of the Shati refugee camp. She added, “What’s happening in Gaza cannot be disassociated with what’s happening in the West Bank, the protests and the indiscriminate use of force by the Israeli security forces that were the trigger for the events in Gaza and for what is now a humanitarian catastrophe in Gaza”.
The images and reports coming from Israel, Jerusalem and Gaza in recent days are shocking. They are also surprising to those who thought the 2020 Abraham Accords and subsequent agreements to normalize relations between Israel and the United Arab Emirates, Bahrain, Morocco, and Sudan would place the conflict between Israelis and Palestinians permanently on the backburner.
As someone who has been writing and teaching about the Middle East for more than 30 years, I had no such illusions. The reason for this is that at its heart, the so-called “Arab-Israeli conflict” has always been about Israelis and Palestinians. And no matter how many treaties Israel signs with Arab states, it will remain so.
Help Palestinian Civilians In Need By Donating To Charity
There is a humanitarian crisis happening and Palestinians are in need. Hereâs how you can help.
May 15, 2021 at 9:21AM PDT
As you may have seen in the news, Palestinian civilians are currently being subjected to great suffering. Significant numbers have been injured or killed in the West Bank, Gaza, and Jerusalem after being bombarded by Israeli forces. Areas are now without electricity and water, making the lives of the already helpless and wounded people much more difficult.
Recent events compound decades worth of damage and destruction that has left the people in the areas affected in dire need. There is a very real humanitarian crisis in Palestine and we wanted to highlight a number of charities that are operating in the worst affected areas. These organizations are accepting donations, which are used to provide aid to those desperately in need, so please consider lending your support.
A protester wears a face mask reading “Free Palestine” during a protest in solidarity with Palestinians in Paris
KUALA LUMPUR – Malaysia will call for the Organisation for Islamic Cooperation (OIC) to take tougher stand and maximum possible efforts to protect Palestinians from Israel’s hostile acts, during the OIC virtual extraordinary meeting on Sunday.
Foreign Minister Datuk Seri Hishammuddin Tun Hussein who will be representing Malaysia to the meeting said said Malaysia will continue to stand in strong solidarity with the people of Palestine in wake of Israeli aggression.
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“At the meeting tomorrow, I will convey Malaysia’s strong and unequivocal stand against Israel’s aggressions to the OIC,” he said in a statement on Saturday.