Human Rights

25 Feb 2022; MEMO: Russia condemned Israel's settlements in the occupied Golan Heights after Israel slammed Moscow' invasion of Ukraine, Israel Hayom reported yesterday.

According to the paper, Russia said Israel's actions violate the Geneva Convention of 1949.

"Russia does not recognise Israel's sovereignty over the Golan Heights, which is part of Syria," the Russian statement said.

24 Feb 2022; MEMO: Palestinian Ahmed Manasra is suffering from a psychological disorder due to isolation and harsh prison conditions since his detention in 2015, his family said yesterday.

In a statement, Manasra's family stressed that he needs a proper and professional diagnosis, treatment with appropriate medications and an end to his isolation.

The family said that he was violently beaten when he was detained in 2015 when he was 13, and he had a fracture in his skull.

Mumbai, Feb 24 (PTI) Maharashtra Deputy Chief Minister Ajit Pawar and various other state ministers sat on a dharna here on Thursday to protest the arrest of their cabinet colleague Nawab Malik by the Enforcement Directorate in a money laundering case.

Pawar was the first to reach the protest site close to the statue of Mahatma Gandhi near the state secretariat Mantralaya.

22 Feb 2022; MEMO: Trade with settlements in Occupied Territories contributes to human rights abuses and must be banned, as part of a European Citizen's Initiative (ECI), Human Rights Watch (HRW) stated yesterday.

"The transfer of an occupying power's civilian population to a militarily occupied territory violates the Fourth Geneva Convention and, under the Rome Statute of the International Criminal Court, is a war crime," HRW said in a statement.

23 Feb 2022; MEMO: South Africa is looking into taking stricter measures against Israel to express its "displeasure" with the "continuous racist Israeli practices" against Palestinians, International Relations and Cooperation Minister Naledi Pandor has warned.

During a parliamentary meeting, Pandor reiterated that the South African ruling party had issued orders to reduce the operation level at the country's embassy in Israel.

23 Feb 2022; MEMO: Israeli occupation forces yesterday demolished the Arab village of Al-Araqeeb in the Negev for the 198th time since 2010, Assabeel newspaper reported.

According to the paper, this is the second time the Bedouin village has been demolished since the start of 2022, noting that it was demolished 14 times in 2021.

21 Feb 2022; MEMO: Palestinian church leaders and US lawmakers have raised concerns over a controversial plan to expand a national park and to nationalise a large section of the Mount of Olives, one of Christianity's holiest sites, which since ancient times has been a major site of pilgrimage for Catholics, the Eastern Orthodox and Protestants.

21 Feb 2022; MEMO: Leaders of Jerusalem churches, on Monday, warned of an Israeli plan to confiscate church-owned lands in the occupied city, Anadolu News Agency reports.

In a letter directed to Israeli Environmental Protection Minister, Tamar Zandberg, dated 18 February, the church leaders said there is a plan to expand an Israeli park onto the Olive Mount in East Jerusalem and called for halting it.

22 Feb 2022; MEMO: Head of the Islamic Movement in Israel, Sheikh Raed Salah, yesterday described the issue of Jerusalem and Al-Aqsa Mosque as the top priority, Anadolu reported.

During a speech he delivered at the inauguration of Al-Aqsa Week organised by the Palestinian Engineers' Syndicate in Nablus, Sheikh Salah said: "Jerusalem will win as it has been a winner throughout history. It will remain a winner until the day of judgement."

22 Feb 2022; MEMO: The Egyptian parliament has proposed banning non-specialists from discussing religion in the media following the launch of an investigation into a journalist accused of "contempt of religion."

Ibrahim Issa told viewers during a private TV show on Friday that the Prophet Mohammed's night journey from Makkah to Jerusalem was a "completely delusional story."