Meta CEO Mark Zuckerberg and Spotify Criticize EU AI Regulations

ByDimitra Gkatzelaki
September 1, 2024

Meta CEO Mark Zuckerberg standing against a blue background with the word “privacy” written on it in white font. Zuckerberg and Spotify CEO Daniel EK issued a joint statement on Meta’s website criticizing EU AI regulations. 

Credit: Anthony Quintano / Flickr CC BY 2.0

Last Friday, August 23rd, the CEOs of Meta and Spotify, Mark Zuckerberg and Daniel Ek, issued a joint statement on Meta’s website expressing their growing concern over and criticizing strict EU AI regulations.

Specifically, Zuckerberg and Ek spoke about how, in today’s world, access to the latest technologies remains largely unequal across different regions. To bridge this gap and “democratize” tech access, they argue that open-source AI is essential—referring to models where the weights are publicly shared under a permissive license.

They believe that by making this technology accessible, startups with limited resources can compete on equal footing with larger companies. This would in turn accelerate innovation and drive progress not only when it comes to technology but also science and society.

However, Europe has imposed strict regulations to avoid the uncontrollable use of open-source AI. In their joint statement, Zuckerberg and Ek push back against these rules and maintain that Europe should ease its stance or risk falling behind in tech innovation.
Zuckerberg and Ek criticize European AI regulations

In their statement, Zuckerberg and Ek openly criticized Europe’s tight AI regulations, arguing that its “fragmented regulatory structure, riddled with inconsistent implementation” stifles innovation—not only in AI but also when it comes to economic growth.

They view these regulations on open-source AI as “pre-emptive” measures aimed at “theoretical harms” in emerging technologies, which can hold Europe back in the tech sector and beyond.

Though they talk about innovation and progress, their statement heavily focuses on the economic benefits, suggesting that Europe stands to gain “big rewards” from AI. As major players in the tech industry, it is evident they have much to gain from this, as well, but Europe’s AI regulations are holding them back.

EU privacy regulators told Meta to delay user data AI training

Meta CEO Zuckerberg and Spotify CEO Ek also criticized how the EU’s General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) is being applied, particularly in Meta’s case. The GDPR ordered Meta to pause training its AI models on publicly shared content from Facebook and Instagram users. Zuckerberg claims Meta hasn’t violated any laws but that regulators are uncertain about how to move forward.

The delay mainly affects Meta’s Llama AI model and its upcoming multimodal version, which can interpret images. The CEOs warned this could leave European citizens with “AI built for someone else.”

Meta’s earlier plans to use Facebook and Instagram posts to train AI

In May 2024, Meta revealed that starting June 24th, it would update its privacy policy to permit the use of public posts and photos from Facebook and Instagram for AI training. This adjustment aligns with GDPR, which allows data use based on “legitimate interest”—in this case, improving Meta’s AI.

While users in the EU and UK could opt out through a form, those elsewhere with public profiles had no option to prevent their data from being used in this way.

Digital rights groups quickly condemned Meta’s AI training plans. In early June, the European Center for Digital Rights (Noyb) filed eleven complaints across Europe to block the initiative. Co-founder Max Schrems argued that by broadly using any data for any AI technology, Meta has “clearly left almost the entire GDPR framework. We counted violations of at least ten Articles of the law.”

Although Meta has been told to delay its user data training, the situation is far from settled. For now, the outcome remains uncertain.

COLD TURKEY  

On the first day without X, many Brazilians say they feel disconnected from the world

GABRIELA SÁ PESSOA
Sat 31 August 2024 


Tesla and SpaceX chief executive officer Elon Musk listens to a question as he speaks at the SATELLITE Conference and Exhibition in Washington, March 9, 2020. 

(AP Photo/Susan Walsh, File)

SAO PAULO (AP) — The blocking of social media platform X in Brazil divided users and politicians over the legitimacy of the ban, and many Brazilians on Saturday had difficulty and doubts over navigating other social media in its absence.

The shutdown of Elon Musk’s platform started early Saturday, making it largely inaccessible on both the web and through mobile apps after the billionaire refused to name a legal representative to the country, missing a deadline imposed by Supreme Court Justice Alexandre de Moraes. The blockade marks an escalation in a monthslong feud between Musk and de Moraes over free speech, far-right accounts and misinformation.

Brazil is one of the biggest markets for X, with tens of millions of users.


“I've got the feeling that I have no idea what’s happening in the world right now. Bizarre,” entertainment writer and heavy X user Chico Barney wrote on Threads. Threads is a text-based app developed by Instagram that Barney was using as an alternative. “This Threads algorithm is like an all-you-can-eat restaurant where the waiter keeps serving things I would never order.”

Bluesky, a social media platform that was launched last year as an alternative to X and other more established sites, has seen a large influx of Brazilians in the past couple of days. The company said Friday it has seen about 200,000 new users from Brazil sign up during that time, and the number “continues to grow by the minute.” Brazilian users are also setting records for activities such as follows and likes, Bluesky said.

Previous users of other platforms welcomed Brazilians to their ranks. “Hello literally everyone in Brazil,” a user wrote on Threads. “We're a lot nicer than Twitter here,” said another.

Platform migration isn't new for Brazilians. They were huge adopters of Orkut and, when Orkut went kaput, they very gladly moved to other platforms.

X is not as popular in Brazil as Facebook, Instagram, YouTube or TikTok. However, it remains an important platform on which Brazilians engage in political debates and is highly influential among politicians, journalists and other opinion makers.

It's also where they share their sense of humor. Many of the country’s most famous memes originate from posts on X before spreading to other social networks. Last week, for instance, Brazilians collaboratively crafted an absurd storyline for a fictional telenovela, complete with a theme song created using artificial intelligence tools.

Pop stars and their fanbases were also hit by Brazilians being left off the platform.

“Wait a lot of my fan pages are Brazilian!!! Come back hold up!!,” Cardi B said Friday on X. A fan page dedicated to Timothée Chalamet, known by the handle TimotheeUpdates, said it would temporarily cease updating as all of its administrators are Brazilian.

De Moraes said X will stay suspended until it complies with his orders, and he also set a daily fine of 50,000 reais ($8,900) for people or companies using virtual private networks, or VPNs, to access it. Some legal experts questioned the grounds for that decision and how it would be enforced. Others suggested the move was authoritarian.

The Brazilian Bar Association said Friday in a statement that it would request the Supreme Court review the fines imposed on all citizens using VPNs or other means to access X without due process. Brazil's bar association argued that sanctions should never be imposed summarily before ensuring an adversarial process and the right to full defense.

“I’ve used VPNs a lot in authoritarian countries like China to continue accessing news sites and social networks,” Maurício Santoro, a political science professor at the State University of Rio de Janeiro, said on the platform before its shutdown. “It never occurred to me that this type of tool would be banned in Brazil. It’s dystopian.”

A search Friday on X showed hundreds of Brazilian users inquiring about VPNs that could potentially enable them to continue using the platform by making it appear they are logging on from outside the country.

“Tyrants want to turn Brazil into another commie dictatorship but we won’t back down. I repeat: do not vote on those who don’t respect free speech. Orwell was right,” right-wing congressman Nikolas Ferreira, one of former President Jair Bolsonaro’s closest allies, published before X went off. Musk replied with an emoji suggesting agreement: “100”.

Ferreira is a 28-year-old YouTuber who received the most votes of the 513 elected federal lawmakers in the 2022 election. De Moraes ordered the block of his social media accounts after a mob of Bolsonaro supporters attacked Brazil’s Congress, presidential palace and Supreme Court in January 2023 seeking to overturn the election.

Lawmaker Bia Kicis said “the consequences of Alexandre de Moraes’ attacks to Elon Musk, X and Starlink will be regrettable for Brazilians.” She also urged Rodrigo Pacheco, the president of the country’s Senate, to act. Kicis has repeatedly urged Pacheco to open impeachment proceedings against the Supreme Court justice.

“We need to leave this state of apathy and stop the worst from happening,” the pro-Bolsonaro lawmaker, whose profiles were temporarily blocked by de Moraes in 2022, also said.

The former president said Saturday on Instagram that X's departure from Brazil was “another blow to our freedom and legal security.”

“It not only affects our freedom of expression, but also undermines the confidence of international companies in operating on Brazilian soil, with impacts ranging from national security to the quality of the information that reaches our citizens,” Bolsonaro said.

On Friday, President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva backed de Moraes’ decision and took aim at Musk for positioning himself as though he was above the law during an interview with Radio MaisPB.

“Any citizen, from anywhere in the world, who has investments in Brazil, is subject to the Brazilian Constitution and Brazilian laws. Therefore, if the Supreme Court has made a decision for citizens to comply with certain things, they either have to comply or take another course of action,” Lula said. “It’s not because the guy has a lot of money that he can disrespect it.”

Ana Júlia Alves de Oliveira, an 18-year-old student, shared that many young people like her no longer watch newscasts or read newspapers, relying solely on social media platforms like X for their news. Without this platform, she felt disconnected.

“I kind of lost touch with what’s going on around the world,” she said. “I saw a lot of entertainment there too, so this is a new reality for me.”

___

Associated Press writer Mauricio Savarese contributed from Sao Paulo.

Gaza war has expanded to Jerusalem, West Bank, Lebanon: EU foreign policy chief

Josep Borrell highlights worsening tragedy in Gaza, says Israeli operations came with heavy humanitarian cost

Ahmet Gençtürk |30.08.2024 -  TRT/AA


ATHENS

EU foreign policy chief on Friday warned that the war in Gaza has expanded to Jerusalem and the West Bank as well as Lebanon.

“Since the summer, violence has spread in the West Bank in Jerusalem and in the border between Lebanon and Israel,” said Josep Borrell during a news conference in Brussels following the EU defense ministers’ informal meeting.

In reference to the situation in Gaza, Borrell maintained Israeli operations aiming to eliminate Hamas came with a heavy humanitarian cost.

“These operations have undoubtedly considerably weakened Hamas, but the extent of consequences and extent of destruction and the human losses still to be known,” he said.

He went on by saying: “War has triggered an unprecedented humanitarian crisis, which in turn has led to an extremely serious health crisis.”

Borrell remarked: “The conflict is being extended to the West Bank and Jerusalem, because they are at the heart of the conflict, because they combine both the territory and the symbolism, fight for the territory, but also for the symbols."

On Wednesday, the Israeli army launched the largest military offensive since 2002 in the cities of Tulkarm and Jenin, as well as in the Al Fara refugee camp near Tubas, killing 20 Palestinians, according to Palestinian figures.

Tension has been running high across the occupied West Bank amid a brutal Israeli offensive on the Gaza Strip, which has killed more than 40,600 Palestinians, mostly women and children, since Oct. 7 last year.

At least 670 Palestinians have since been killed, nearly 5,400 others injured and over 10,300 arrested in the occupied territory, according to Palestinian figures.

Stressing that the international community generally failed to stop the war in Gaza, Borrell revealed that a high-level meeting during UN General Assembly session in September can be held with participation of Arab countries, the US and any party which wants to participate, including Israel.

SO MUCH FOR NEUTRAL ITY

Swiss foreign minister faces protests over his ‘pro-Israeli stance'

Ignazio Cassis, Swiss government complicit in Israeli war crimes in Gaza, say pro-Palestinian protestors

Muhammet Ikbal Arslan |27.08.2024 - TRT/AA


GENEVA

Swiss Foreign Minister Ignazio Cassis faced a backlash over his "pro-Israeli stance" from pro-Palestinian protesters in front of the UN’s Geneva Office on Monday.

The Swiss Foreign Ministry organized an event in front of the office to mark the 75th anniversary of the adoption of the Geneva Conventions.

The program was held with the participation of UN Security Council officials from New York, country representatives in Geneva, UN officials and several Swiss officials.

When Cassis came to the podium to give a speech, around 100 protesters began chanting slogans.

The protesters, waving Palestinian flags, criticized Cassis and the Swiss government for "taking a stance supporting Israel,” which continues its attacks in Gaza.

They chanted slogans in English and French, including "Cassis the collaborator" and "Shame on you.”

Some of the protesters laid on the ground for a while to symbolize the civilians who died in Gaza.

Some of the them also carried banners saying "Cassis has blood on his hands," "Resign" and "Stop the genocide.”

One of the protestors, Steve Lemercier, said: "We are here today to protest Cassis, who supports the genocide against Palestinians."

“There is a very difficult situation in Gaza. I cannot find the words to describe it. It is a terrible situation. We are trying to change something. We want Cassis to understand that not everyone is happy with his policy. We want Switzerland to recognize Palestine,” he added.

Israel has continued its brutal offensive on the Gaza Strip following an attack by the Palestinian group Hamas last Oct. 7, despite a UN Security Council resolution calling for an immediate cease-fire.

The onslaught has resulted in over 40,400 Palestinian deaths, mostly women and children, and over 93,500 injuries, according to local health authorities.

An ongoing blockade of Gaza has led to severe shortages of food, clean water and medicine, leaving much of the region in ruins.

Israel faces accusations of genocide at the International Court of Justice, which has ordered a halt to military operations in the southern city of Rafah, where over one million Palestinians had sought refuge before the area was invaded on May 6.

UNRWA

Israel accused of using Google ads to undermine UN body

UN official claims misinformation campaign targets Palestinian refugee agency

Mohammed Al-Rajawi |31.08.2024 - TRT/AA



ISTANBUL

The Israeli government has been accused of purchasing Google ads to discredit the United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees in the Near East (UNRWA) and discourage donations, according to a statement made by the agency's commissioner-general on Saturday.

Philippe Lazzarini, the UNRWA commissioner-general, took to X (formerly Twitter) to denounce what he described as a "misinformation campaign" by Israel amidst the ongoing conflict in Gaza. "The spread of misinformation and disinformation continues to be used as a weapon in the war in Gaza," Lazzarini stated.

He accused the Israeli government of buying Google ads in an effort to block users from donating to the agency and to carry out a defamation campaign against UNRWA. "UNRWA is the largest humanitarian organization responding to the crisis in Gaza," Lazzarini noted, stressing that the campaign not only damages the agency’s reputation but also endangers the lives of its staff.

Lazzarini called for an end to these "deliberate efforts" to spread misinformation and urged for an investigation into the matter. He also criticized companies, including social media platforms, for profiting from the dissemination of disinformation, underscoring the need for stronger regulations to combat these practices.

Israel has long sought the closure of UNRWA, which is the only UN agency specifically mandated to address the basic needs of Palestinian refugees. Established by a UN resolution in 1949, UNRWA provides assistance and protection to refugees in Jordan, Syria, Lebanon, the occupied West Bank, and the Gaza Strip.

*Writing by Ikram Kouachi

WAR CRIMINAL RHETORIC

Israel’s Ben-Gvir renews call to kill Palestinian detainees, restrict movement in West Bank

Israel’s national security minister calls for occupying more Palestinian lands

Khaled Yousef |01.09.2024 - TRT/AA


JERUSALEM

Israel’s far-right National Security Minister Itamar Ben-Gvir renewed his call Sunday for restricting the movement of Palestinians in the occupied West Bank and advocated for the killing of Palestinian detainees in Israeli jails.

In a post on his X account, Ben-Gvir called for “increasing the number of military checkpoints in the West Bank and halting the movement of Palestinians on its streets.”

His call followed the death of three police officers in a shooting attack near Hebron in the southern West Bank early Sunday.

"The right of Israelis to live takes precedence over the freedom of movement of Palestinian Authority residents," Ben-Gvir said as he inspected the site of the attack.

The extremist minister also called for adding the death penalty for Palestinian prisoners to the agenda of the Israeli security cabinet meeting on Sunday.

While calling for occupying more Palestinian lands and establishing a Jewish-only settlement in Gaza, Ben-Gvir accused the Ramallah-based Palestinian Authority of “inciting terrorism and paying salaries to those who kill Jews.”

His call came as Israel continued a large-scale military operation in the northern West Bank, killing at least 26 Palestinians, arresting dozens, and inflicting huge financial losses on the territory.

Tensions have been running high across the occupied West Bank amid a brutal Israeli offensive on the Gaza Strip, which has killed more than 40,700 Palestinians, mostly women and children, since Oct. 7 last year.

At least 676 Palestinians have been killed, nearly 5,600 injured and 10,400 others detained in the occupied territory, according to Palestinian figures.

In a landmark opinion on July 19, the International Court of Justice declared Israel's decades-long occupation of Palestinian land unlawful and demanded the evacuation of all settlements in the West Bank and East Jerusalem.

*Writing by Rania Abu Shamala

Finland slams Israel's forced eviction of Palestinians in West Bank as against 'international law'

'We are concerned by the increased violence in the West Bank and are monitoring the situation closely,' says Finnish Foreign Ministry

Leila Nezirevic |30.08.2024 - TRT/AA

Forces block medical team to enter of the area as they patrol the streets and avenues of the refugee camp in Jenin, West Bank on August 31, 2024.

LONDON

The Finnish Foreign Ministry on Friday condemned Israel's military assault on the occupied West Bank, saying forced evictions of Palestinians "are against international law."

The escalation of Israeli military offensives in Jenin is exacerbating an already fragile situation, it said.

“The expansion of settlements as well as the alarmingly increased settler violence and forced evictions of Palestinians are against international law and run counter to international efforts to de-escalate the situation,” the Foreign Ministry responded to Anadolu's questions via email.

The ministry’s comments come after Israel faced a backlash from European Union and US, with EU foreign policy chief Josep Borrell saying on Thursday that he will urge all 27 member states in the bloc to support sanctions against Israeli ministers accused of spreading hatred toward Palestinians.

“We are concerned by the increased violence in the West Bank and are monitoring the situation closely. We urge all parties to de-escalate the situation and refrain from provocative actions and statements.

“The EU has adopted sanctions against violent settlers and is providing an emergency financial support package of 400 million euros to address the Palestinian Authority’s financial needs and to support its reform agenda,” the ministry said.

On Wednesday, the Israeli army began military raids in the occupied territories, described as the largest attack on the West Bank since 2002.

Tensions have been running high across the West Bank since Israel launched its brutal war on Gaza Strip on Oct. 7.

More than 40,600 Palestinians have been killed in Gaza, most of them women and children, while over 93,000 others are injured, according to Gaza’s local health authorities.

Nearly eleven months into the Israeli war, vast tracts of Gaza lay in ruins amid a crippling blockade of food, clean water, and medicine.

Israel stands accused of genocide at the International Court of Justice (ICJ), which in its latest ruling has ordered Tel Aviv to immediately halt its operation in the southern city of Rafah, where over a million Palestinians had sought refuge from the war before it was invaded on 6 May.

UN rapporteur rejects Israel's military offensive in West Bank as 'self-defense,' citing ICJ ruling

'This claim has no validity,' Francesca Albanese says in response to Israel's attempt to justify its military offensive in occupied West Bank which claimed 19 Palestinian lives as of Friday

Mohammad Sio |30.08.2024 -



ISTANBUL

The United Nations Special Rapporteur on the occupied Palestinian territories on Friday sharply criticized Israel for attempting to justify its military offensive in the occupied West Bank, saying Tel Aviv cannot claim self-defense for its occupation and actions in the region.

Since early Wednesday, the Israeli army has been conducting a large-scale and ongoing military offensive in the cities of Tulkarm, Jenin, and Tubas in the northern West Bank, which is the most extensive since 2002.

As of Friday afternoon, at least 19 Palestinians have been killed by Israeli military assaults.

"Israel claims that what it is doing in the West Bank is justified under the law of self-defense," Francesca Albanese said in a statement on X, rejecting it with the words: "This claim has no validity."

She highlighted that the International Court of Justice (ICJ) ruled 20 years ago that Israel could not invoke self-defense under Article 51 of the UN Charter to justify constructing the Wall in occupied Palestinian territory.

Albanese further highlighted that the ICJ recently reaffirmed its position, indicating that “Israel’s very presence in the occupied Palestinian territories is itself unlawful.”

She argued that Israel’s occupation could not be justified by any claim of “self-defense,” adding, “As an ongoing unlawful use of force, Israel’s occupation of the occupied Palestinian territories cannot be justified by any claim of self-defense.”

The UN official condemned Israel's manipulation of international law, saying, “Israel’s perversion of the law on self-defense must be recognized for what it is: a brazen attempt to provide an imprimatur of ‘legality’ to the maintenance of its unlawful aggression against the territorial integrity and political independence of the State of Palestine.”

Albanese stressed that Israel withdraw from the occupied territories to achieve genuine security, adding, “If Israel truly wants to achieve its claimed security, the best and most obvious way to do that would be to cease its colonization of another people’s land, withdraw from all of it, and make appropriate reparation for damage caused (as requested by the ICJ), while being sure to apologize to its victims on the way out.”

Tensions have been running high across the occupied West Bank amid a brutal Israeli offensive on the Gaza Strip, which has killed more than 40,600 Palestinians, mostly women and children, since Oct. 7 last year.

At least 673 Palestinians have been killed, nearly 5,400 others injured, and over 10,300 arrested in the occupied territory, according to Palestinian figures.

In a landmark opinion on July 19, the International Court of Justice declared Israel's decades-long occupation of Palestinian land unlawful and demanded the evacuation of all settlements in the West Bank and East Jerusalem.

UN rights office condemns Israeli minister’s call to displace people from West Bank
These statements only serve to escalate already ‘very dire situation,’ says spokesperson

Beyza Binnur Donmez |30.08.2024 - 

Israeli army patrols at the streets during raid on Nur Shams near the city of Tulkarm after launching a large-scale military offensive in the West Bank, on August 29, 2024.


GENEVA

The UN human rights office on Friday condemned an Israeli minister’s call to displace people from the West Bank, saying these statements only serve to escalate an already “very dire situation.”


“On these statements that have been made by some officials that may amount to incitement to commit human rights violations, we roundly condemn these statements,” spokesperson Ravina Shamdasani told a UN briefing in Geneva in response to Anadolu’s question.

On Wednesday, Israeli Foreign Minister Israel Katz called for applying Gaza-style measures in the northern West Bank, including temporary evacuations of Palestinians, amid a major military operation in the area, the largest in two decades.

“These can only serve to escalate an already very dire situation,” Shamdasani said.


She said that the office is “extremely concerned” about the “catastrophic” situation.


Recalling the “long-standing impunity” in the West Bank for violations that have been committed against Palestinians, she stressed that there has been settler violence, violence by Israeli security forces, hundreds of arbitrary detentions of Palestinians, however “very little accountability.”


“What that does is it creates a climate of impunity,” she said.

“So, the situation was already very, very volatile, and what we've seen in the past few days is a real deepening of this, as we said, catastrophic situation,” she warned.

“We've seen raids, we've seen killings. We've also seen damage to infrastructure, essential infrastructure, including water supplies of the communities that reside there,” Shamdasani said.


She called on Israel to abide by its obligations under international law as the occupying power.


“Israeli security forces use of airstrikes and other military weapons and tactics violates human rights norms and standards applicable to such law enforcement operations, and any unlawful killings must be thoroughly independently investigated, and those responsible must be held to account,” she said.

West Bank assault: ‘Israel accelerating ethnic cleansing for absolute and permanent control’

Israeli government has very clearly spelled out that its overarching goal is the annexation of the West Bank, says political analyst Nour Odeh

Rabia Ali |30.08.2024 -  TRT/AA

Israeli forces detain a Palestinian a raid on Al-Faria Refugee Camp near the city of Tubas, West Bank on August 28, 2024.

‘The whole of the West Bank is on the Israeli right-wing radar. They want it all,’ says OdehWe are seeing the ‘Gaza-fication’ of the West Bank and an attempt to turn Gaza into the West Bank, says Palestinian analyst‘Israel’s war on the Palestinians is comprehensive. It doesn’t distinguish between Palestinians depending on where they live,’ says Odeh

ISTANBUL

Israel is carrying out a major military assault on the occupied West Bank, just miles away from Gaza, where its deadly offensive has already killed and wounded over 135,000 Palestinians.

Since Wednesday, hundreds of Israeli soldiers, armored vehicles, drones, fighter jets and bulldozers have been deployed in northern parts of the West Bank, particularly targeting the cities of Jenin, Tulkarem and Tubas.

This is Israel’s largest military operation in the West Bank in more than two decades. Its forces have killed and wounded scores of Palestinians in the past two days, adding to the over 6,000 casualties in the occupied territory since the Gaza war began on Oct. 7.

They have also destroyed several Palestinian homes and properties, along with critical infrastructure including roads, water and sewage networks, and electricity poles.

For Palestinian political analyst Nour Odeh, the major escalation in the West Bank is a clear reflection of an Israeli mentality seeking “absolute and complete control that is permanent.”

“It is very clearly spelled out in the Israeli government program, which says that the overarching goal of the government is the annexation of the West Bank,” Odeh told Anadolu.

She dismissed Israeli attempts at “framing this assault as a response to escalating attacks by Palestinian fighters.”

“Strategically and realistically, this is not about combating Palestinian resistance, which is nominal in the West Bank. It is extremely limited and with very little effect on Israel per se, in comparison with what is happening in Gaza,” she said.

‘Accelerating steps to facilitate ethnic cleansing’

Israeli Foreign Minister Israel Katz has called on the army to replicate measures it has taken to devastating effect in Gaza, saying in a Wednesday statement that the West Bank operation involves the “temporary evacuation of Palestinian residents.”

“When you hear the Israeli foreign minister saying … we need to strike the way we’re fighting in Gaza, that gives an idea of the mindset that is operating or making these decisions,” said Odeh.

“That’s why you see the Israeli army obstructing paramedics, surrounding hospitals, deciding who gets treatment ... destroying civilian infrastructure, cutting off water and electricity, and so on. You see a ‘Gaza-fication’ almost, if you will, of the West Bank.

“In the reverse, there is an attempt to turn Gaza into the West Bank … by dissecting it, by fragmenting it, obstructing movement from north to south, and by talking about the appointment of a military ruler.”

What Israel is doing in the West Bank, she said, is “accelerating steps to facilitate ethnic cleansing, to drive out as many Palestinians as possible from their homes and communities.”

“They (Israeli officials) do not mince their words about that, and this does not target one area specifically in the West Bank. The whole of the West Bank is on the Israeli right-wing radar. They want it all,” she said, reiterating that their objective is “ultimate control.”

“Militarily, Israel has supreme rule over the West Bank, over the movement of Palestinians, the movement of goods in Palestine, the supply of water. They control every aspect of life,” Odeh asserted.

Israel’s current escalation is “paving the way to not just decimating heavily populated population centers like Tulkarem, Jenin and others, but also facilitating the reconstruction of settlements in those areas, especially in Jenin, where there are very few settlements,” she added.

All of this is happening on “the heels of two record-breaking years of Israeli violence in the West Bank, breaking the record of the number of Palestinians killed, the number of homes demolished, the numbers of land confiscated,” she continued.

Since Oct. 7, Israel has killed at least 670 Palestinians and wounded nearly 5,400 others in the West Bank, apart from arresting some 10,300 more.

Expansion of settlements, which are all illegal under international law, has also been ramped up, along with the seizure of Palestinian land.

Last month, Israel approved the largest land seizure in the occupied West Bank since the Oslo Accords, with Israeli anti-settlement watchdog PeaceNow warning that “the year 2024 marks a peak in the extent of declarations of state land.”

“They’ve taken over more land than they’ve done since the beginning of the Oslo process,” said Odeh, a former spokesperson of the Palestinian Authority.

“It really speaks to the program of the Israeli government and what it intends to do, which is to completely take over the West Bank … For that complete takeover, it considers settlement construction and expansion to be a high national goal.”

‘Irreversible and complete colonization’

​​​​​​​In a landmark advisory opinion on July 19, the International Court of Justice (ICJ) declared Israel’s occupation of Palestinian land unlawful and demanded the evacuation of all existing settlements in the West Bank and East Jerusalem.

The ICJ is also separately evaluating Israel’s actions in Gaza, a case brought by South Africa, to determine whether they constitute a genocide. The court’s deliberations are expected to take years to conclude.

“What is, I think, interesting and ironic at the same time about everything that is happening, is that it has pushed the highest court of the world … to not only declare that the Israeli occupation in the West Bank and Gaza is illegal, but that it must end and it must be dismantled in all its manifestations, including the military presence and the settlements, which are a war crime,” said Odeh.

“They (ICJ judges) even talk about Israeli settler attacks, and they consider it to be part of the structure of violence and the illegal structure of occupation that employs extreme violence and racism against Palestinians in order to entrench control.”

Another aspect addressed by the ICJ was the complicity of countries and their obligation “to stop aiding or abetting, in any way, the continued illegal occupation of Palestinian territory and the continuous military assault on Palestinians, which is a necessary component of maintaining this occupation,” she added.

Odeh said that while some countries might be saying the rights things now instead of staying silent or completely buying into the Israeli narrative, the crucial thing remains concrete action to pressure Israel.

“As long as there are no actions, the right actions, Israel will not feel any pressure to cease its military assault in the West Bank, to stop its genocide in Gaza, to rein in the settlers, to stop taking over land,” she said.

“This will continue on the path that the Israeli right has started, which is irreversible and complete colonization.”

Odeh also urged caution against Israel’s “masterful attempt at fragmenting the picture.”

“I think it’s important to call out what the overall Israeli actions are, and to always remember that Gaza and the West Bank are not two separate worlds or two separate entities,” she said.

“Israel’s war on the Palestinians is comprehensive. It doesn’t distinguish between Palestinians depending on where they live. We are equal targets in the Israeli right-wing mind, and everybody is a target for ethnic cleansing and forced displacement, because the ultimate goal of this government, and of the political reality that it represents, is Palestine without the Palestinians.”

JENIN IS A CITY NOT A CAMP

Israel destroyed 70% of Jenin's streets, infrastructure, says municipality

'Water has been cut off from 80% of the city and the entire camp due to the destruction of networks,' says Jenin Municipality official

Awad Rjoob |01.09.2024 - 



RAMALLAH, Palestine

The Israeli army destroyed about 70% of the streets and infrastructure in Jenin city in the northern West Bank during its ongoing military offensive for the fourth consecutive day, the local municipality said on Saturday.

“The occupying (Israeli) forces have demolished more than 70% of the city's streets completely (...) to a depth of approximately one to one-and-half meters, which has led to the destruction of water and sewage networks, as well as communication and electricity cables, in the areas that were demolished, initially estimated to cover 20 kilometers,” the Palestine news agency Wafa reported, citing Bashir Matahen, the director of Public Relations and Media at the Jenin Municipality.

He noted that “water has been cut off from 80% of the city and the entire camp due to the destruction of networks and the inability of technical teams to reach these networks to redirect them to other areas.”

Matahen continued: “The municipality teams are unable to access the damaged network areas despite their attempts, during which they were subjected to gunfire from the occupying (Israeli) forces.”

He also pointed out that the Israeli forces “have burned parts of the central vegetable market in the city, and initial estimates of the damage to the market and its commercial shops indicate that they have suffered severe damage, in addition to the destruction of hundreds of homes and vehicles.”

On Wednesday, the Israeli army launched its largest military offensive since 2002 in the cities of Tulkarm and Jenin, as well as in the Al-Fara refugee camp near Tubas, killing 22 Palestinians, according to Palestinian figures.

Tensions have been high across the occupied West Bank amid a brutal Israeli offensive on the Gaza Strip, which has resulted in over 40,600 Palestinian deaths, mostly women and children, since Oct. 7 last year.

At least 675 Palestinians have been killed, nearly 5,400 injured, and over 10,300 arrested in the occupied territory, according to Palestinian figures.

In a landmark opinion on July 19, the International Court of Justice declared Israel's decades-long occupation of Palestinian land unlawful and demanded the evacuation of all settlements in the West Bank and East Jerusalem.

*Writing by Rania Abu Shamala

Two Israelis killed in West Bank shooting amid deadly Jenin raids

Man and woman killed, third man critically injured in checkpoint shooting near Tarqumiyah, south of Hebron.

Hebron shooting [Screengrab/Al Jazeera]

Published On 1 Sep 2024

At least two Israeli security personnel have been killed and another injured in a shooting at a checkpoint in Hebron, as Israel brought reinforcements in the occupied West Bank city of Jenin as part of its ongoing deadly raids.

The shooting took place as the Israeli army continued its deadly assault on Jenin for a fifth consecutive day killing at least 24 Palestinians. Israel has killed more than 500 people as it intensified operations in the West Bank since it launched war on Gaza on October 7. More than 40,000 Palestinians have been killed in Gaza in the past 11 months.

Israeli national emergency service Magen David Adom said on Sunday that a man and a woman were killed and that a third man in his 50s was being transferred to hospital in critical condition following the attack near the Tarqumiyah checkpoint, south of Hebron.

The Israeli army said it was conducting raid on the Palestinian village of Idna close to the scene of the shooting.

The Maariv newspaper reported that the three casualties were policemen working at the Hebron station who were shot at from a Palestinian car driving past.

“Attacks so far have been centered around the northern West Bank and in the Jordan Valley area and now we see more of them coming from the south of the West Bank,” Al Jazeera’s Niba Ibrahim, reporting from Ramallah in the occupied West Bank, said.

Meanwhile, Israeli siege on the city of Jenin has left Palestinians with no food, water, electricity and internet access.

Israeli forces stormed northern cities of Jenin, Tulkarem and Tubas backed by tankers, drones and bulldozers as part of its largest operations in the West Bank since the second intifada in 2002.

The Israeli army maintains that its intent is to target armed groups there to prevent future attacks. Gun battles have been reported in several locations and Hamas said at least 10 of its fighters, including a top commander, were killed this week.

However, the trail of destruction the Israeli army left behind from areas it has withdrawn from, including Tulkarem and Tubas, have raised concerns among residents that the army’s intent is to extend the war in Gaza into the West Bank and to push Palestinians out of their homes.

The Israeli army has severely destroyed infrastructures, water pipelines, and the electricity system.