Israeli soldiers throw sound bombs as they clash with Palestinians during a search for suspects of a shooting attack yesterday in the West Bank City of Ramallah, Monday, December 10, 2018. AP
Israeli soldiers throw sound bombs as they clash with Palestinians during a search for suspects of a shooting attack yesterday in the West Bank City of Ramallah, Monday, December 10, 2018. AP

Israel raids Palestinian news agency as manhunt for settler killers goes on



Israeli forces wounded three Palestinians in intense West Bank clashes on Tuesday as they continued a manhunt for suspected gunmen behind the shooting of seven Israelis outside a settlement two days earlier.

The Israeli military has created new checkpoints around the West Bank town of Ramallah and surrounding villages in the West Bank in a bid to find those behind the shooting.

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, attending a road opening ceremony in the occupied West Bank on Tuesday, vowed to avenge the shooting.

"We will chase down the perpetrators and settle the account with them."

Mr Netanyahu said that the Palestinian attacks were aimed at scaring Israelis into leaving the West Bank.

"We will prove to them that their will to uproot us from our land will be met with a fortified wall," he said. "As long as I'm prime minister of Israel, no Jew will be uprooted from his home."

On Monday, they raided the official Palestinian news agency Wafa in broad daylight and entered Ramallah to within hundreds of metres of the residence of Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas.

The Palestinian leader called for an international reaction to the raids and encroachment of Ramallah, which lies in Area A of the West Bank, the section that falls under the civilian and security control of the Palestinian Authority.

Elsewhere in the West Bank on Tuesday,  Israeli forces shot dead a Palestinian near the flashpoint city of Hebron, Palestinian officials said.

Wafa identified the dead man as Omar Awwad, 27, and said he was shot by Israeli forces near Hebron. The health ministry confirmed he had died after being taken to hospital.

Israeli police said a man was shot after his car "drove towards border police" at a checkpoint.

"Shots were fired at the suspect vehicle. No injuries to officers," spokesman Micky Rosenfeld said in a statement, adding that the incident was under investigation.

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Police later said the Israeli forces had approached Awwad's village Idna to take action against illegal copper smelting.

"A Palestinian car driven by the suspect tried to escape the security forces, the car hit the supervisor's car and headed toward a border police officer who was securing the event," a statement said.

"The officer fired at the car, hitting the man suspected of attempting to run him over," it added, confirming the driver had died.

Palestinians have carried out a series of attacks against Israelis in recent years in protest against the military’s continued occupation of the West Bank, where Israel has developed a network of settlements that now host around 400,000 Jewish settlers.

Palestinians say the settlement enterprise is intended to prevent the contiguity of any future sovereign state. Israel’s right-wing government and many nationalist Israelis believe the West Bank to be the biblical home of the Jewish people. Palestinians fear that Israel seeks to annex the entire West Bank and create a greater Israel.

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  • The UAE government announced a retirement savings plan for private and free zone sector employees in 2023.
  • Dubai’s savings retirement scheme for foreign employees working in the emirate’s government and public sector came into effect in 2022.
  • National Bonds unveiled a Golden Pension Scheme in 2022 to help private-sector foreign employees with their financial planning.
  • In April 2021, Hayah Insurance unveiled a workplace savings plan to help UAE employees save for their retirement.
  • Lunate, an Abu Dhabi-based investment manager, has launched a fund that will allow UAE private companies to offer employees investment returns on end-of-service benefits.
Takreem Awards winners 2021

Corporate Leadership: Carl Bistany (Lebanon)

Cultural Excellence: Hoor Al Qasimi (UAE)

Environmental Development and Sustainability: Bkerzay (Lebanon)

Environmental Development and Sustainability: Raya Ani (Iraq)

Humanitarian and Civic Services: Women’s Programs Association (Lebanon)

Humanitarian and Civic Services: Osamah Al Thini (Libya)

Excellence in Education: World Innovation Summit for Education (WISE) (Qatar)

Outstanding Arab Woman: Balghis Badri (Sudan)

Scientific and Technological Achievement: Mohamed Slim Alouini (KSA)

Young Entrepreneur: Omar Itani (Lebanon)

Lifetime Achievement: Suad Al Amiry (Palestine)

360Vuz PROFILE

Date started: January 2017
Founder: Khaled Zaatarah 
Based: Dubai and Los Angeles
Sector: Technology 
Size: 21 employees
Funding: $7 million 
Investors: Shorooq Partners, KBW Ventures, Vision Ventures, Hala Ventures, 500Startups, Plug and Play, Magnus Olsson, Samih Toukan, Jonathan Labin

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