Israeli soldiers take position during a protest to mark the 'Land Day' in Huwara village, near the West Bank city of Nablus. EPA
Israeli soldiers take position during a protest to mark the 'Land Day' in Huwara village, near the West Bank city of Nablus. EPA
Israeli soldiers take position during a protest to mark the 'Land Day' in Huwara village, near the West Bank city of Nablus. EPA
Israeli soldiers take position during a protest to mark the 'Land Day' in Huwara village, near the West Bank city of Nablus. EPA

Palestinians stage strike after two killed by Israeli army


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Palestinians in the occupied West Bank and East Jerusalem went on strike on Sunday in protest after two people were killed by the Israeli army.

Israeli forces in the West Bank shot dead a Palestinian man after what they said was a ramming attack that injured three soldiers.

A Palestinian official said the 23-year-old was a member of the Palestinian security forces.

Shops were shuttered across Palestinian towns on Sunday, the official Wafa news agency reported, in protest against the killing of another man who was shot dead by Israeli police near the Al Aqsa compound in East Jerusalem on Friday night.

The incidents come amid heightened tensions during the holy month of Ramadan and the approaching Jewish holiday of Passover, which is often marked by increased restrictions for Palestinians in Jerusalem and the West Bank.

Israeli police said Mohammed Elasibi, a Bedouin from southern Israel, had tried to steal a police officer's weapon, while Israeli newspaper Haaretz cited witnesses as saying he was shot 10 times at close range "without a justifiable reason".

According to police accounts, he grabbed an officer's weapon before firing it in the direction of border police officers.

Local authorities and schools joined the protest, Wafa reported, with vigils and calls for strikes in Palestinian towns in Israel.

Police said the incident took place at a spot not covered by security cameras. Footage of similar incidents in the past has usually surfaced within a short time.

"It’s unheard of for there to be no cameras at the Chain Gate," a police source told Haaretz, referring to the site of the shooting.

The Justice Ministry opened a probe into Mr Elasibi's death and allegations of police misconduct, but said it was not a formal investigation.

Mansour Abbas, a lawmaker whose United Arab List party is popular in his hometown of Hura, said the man was a medical student and questioned the police account.

"All we demand is the truth," he said.

The deaths are the latest in a year already marked by significant bloodshed, with regular Israeli military raids in the West Bank leading to dozens of deaths, particularly in flashpoint towns of Jenin and Nablus.

Since the start of the year, the conflict has claimed the lives of 88 Palestinians, including militants and civilians, and one Arab Israeli.

Fourteen other Israelis, including members of the security forces and civilians, and one Ukrainian have been killed over the same period, according to an AFP tally based on official sources from both sides.

The President's Cake

Director: Hasan Hadi

Starring: Baneen Ahmad Nayyef, Waheed Thabet Khreibat, Sajad Mohamad Qasem 

Rating: 4/5

The biog

Name: Mohammed Imtiaz

From: Gujranwala, Pakistan

Arrived in the UAE: 1976

Favourite clothes to make: Suit

Cost of a hand-made suit: From Dh550

 

Why it pays to compare

A comparison of sending Dh20,000 from the UAE using two different routes at the same time - the first direct from a UAE bank to a bank in Germany, and the second from the same UAE bank via an online platform to Germany - found key differences in cost and speed. The transfers were both initiated on January 30.

Route 1: bank transfer

The UAE bank charged Dh152.25 for the Dh20,000 transfer. On top of that, their exchange rate margin added a difference of around Dh415, compared with the mid-market rate.

Total cost: Dh567.25 - around 2.9 per cent of the total amount

Total received: €4,670.30 

Route 2: online platform

The UAE bank’s charge for sending Dh20,000 to a UK dirham-denominated account was Dh2.10. The exchange rate margin cost was Dh60, plus a Dh12 fee.

Total cost: Dh74.10, around 0.4 per cent of the transaction

Total received: €4,756

The UAE bank transfer was far quicker – around two to three working days, while the online platform took around four to five days, but was considerably cheaper. In the online platform transfer, the funds were also exposed to currency risk during the period it took for them to arrive.

The biog

Full name: Aisha Abdulqader Saeed

Age: 34

Emirate: Dubai

Favourite quote: "No one has ever become poor by giving"

U19 World Cup in South Africa

Group A: India, Japan, New Zealand, Sri Lanka

Group B: Australia, England, Nigeria, West Indies

Group C: Bangladesh, Pakistan, Scotland, Zimbabwe

Group D: Afghanistan, Canada, South Africa, UAE

UAE fixtures

Saturday, January 18, v Canada

Wednesday, January 22, v Afghanistan

Saturday, January 25, v South Africa

UAE squad

Aryan Lakra (captain), Vriitya Aravind, Deshan Chethyia, Mohammed Farazuddin, Jonathan Figy, Osama Hassan, Karthik Meiyappan, Rishabh Mukherjee, Ali Naseer, Wasi Shah, Alishan Sharafu, Sanchit Sharma, Kai Smith, Akasha Tahir, Ansh Tandon

Updated: April 02, 2023, 10:33 AM