CrossFireArabia
Germany has condemned Israeli Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich’s remarks calling for the destruction of Palestinian cities like Jenin and Nablus in the West Bank, comparing them to the devastation of Jabalia in northern Gaza. Smotrich’s exact words were, “Funduq, Nablus, and Jenin must look like Jabalia,” sparking fears of further killings, forced displacement, and the erasure of Palestinian existence.
CrossFireArabia
Israeli occupation forces directly shot and killed 80-year-old Palestinian woman Halima Abu Lail during their raid earlier Thursday on the Balata refugee camp in Nablus, occupied West Bank.
According to local sources, 208 Palestinians have been killed by Israeli occupation forces in the occupied West Bank since the start of the Israeli genocidal war against Gaza on October 7, 2023.
CrossFireArabia
Coinciding with the Israeli onslaught on Gaza, the West Bank has witnessed a steep rise in Israeli violence since October 2023. Here’s an overview of the Palestinian casualties documented in the region since then.
CrossFireArabia
By Khaled Nusseibeh
She graced the hallowed soil
With the wanton spilling of her noble blood
Aysenur stands at a towering height
Carving in Palestine’s memory a story of heroic martyrdom
She answered the beckoning call of tremendous injustice
To stand in solidarity against iniquitous occupation
In the environs of the blessed city of Nablus
In the contiguous hamlet of Beita
The mischievous sniper’s fire targeted her
Inflicting the dying day on her living soul
Shall we sing an ode or an elegy?
To mourn the passing of Aysenur
Daughter of great Turkey and America
Whose only wrongdoing was to stand by
Those protesting nefarious and illegal settlement
Of the holy soil marking a day of immense grief
At the death of a righteous warrior
Struggling to lift injustice and affirm an incontrovertible truth
That Palestine is the abode of the steadfast and brave
Who show tremendous courage in the face of injustice
Only to rise from the ashes and light the torch of freedom and justice
Khaled Nusseibeh is a translator, writer and a poet with several published poetry collections to his name. He holds a BA and MA Degrees from Colombia and Princeton universities in the USA. Mr Nusseibeh was born in Amman in 1961 and is a Jordanian of Palestinian origin.
