Daily Archives: 18 June 2026

Israeli occupiers set fire to 2 mosques, army demolishes Palestinian home in occupied West Bank

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Palestinian residents inspect damage at a mosque in the village of Jiljilya after Israeli settlers set fire to the building, damaging the women’s prayer section and writing Hebrew graffiti on its walls in Ramallah, West Bank, Palestine on June 17, 2026. [Issam Rimawi – Anadolu Agency]

Israeli occupiers on Wednesday set fire to parts of two mosques in the villages of Jiljilya and Mazra’a al-Nubani, north of the central occupied West Bank city of Ramallah, and sprayed Hebrew slogans on their walls, while Israeli forces demolished an inhabited Palestinian home east of Yatta, Anadolu Agency reports.

A group of occupiers stormed Jiljilya at dawn and set fire to the village mosque, burning the women’s prayer hall and damaging the mosque’s exterior walls, local sources told Anadolu Agency.

The village has recently witnessed an escalation in occupier attacks, the sources said.

Last month, occupiers attacked the village and stole a flock of sheep.

In a separate incident, occupiers attacked Mazra’a al-Nubani and set fire to a mosque there, causing material damage. They also sprayed Hebrew slogans on the walls of both mosques.

Later on Wednesday, Israeli forces demolished an inhabited Palestinian home east of Yatta in the southern occupied West Bank near a settlement road under construction.

Israeli forces, accompanied by heavy machinery, raided the Barouq area between Irfaiya and Ad-Deirat, east of Yatta and south of Hebron, local activist Osama Makhamra told Anadolu Agency.

Israeli bulldozers demolished an inhabited 180-square-meter home belonging to Palestinian resident Hamza Kamel al-Adra, he said.

Ahmed al-Adra, a resident of the area, told Anadolu Agency that the demolition was carried out on the grounds that the home had been built without a permit in an area classified as Area C under the Oslo II agreement signed between the Palestine Liberation Organization and Israel in 1995.

READ: HRW: Israel escalating home demolitions, evictions in East Jerusalem

Under the agreement, the West Bank is divided into Areas A, B and C. Area A is under full Palestinian control.

Area B is under Palestinian civilian control and Israeli security control, while Area C is under full Israeli control and comprises about 60% of the West Bank.

Israeli authorities bar construction or land reclamation in Area C without permits, which Palestinians say are nearly impossible to obtain.

Earlier on Wednesday, Israeli forces raided the city of Qalqilya in the northern occupied West Bank, carrying out widespread home raids and arrests after sealing off one of the city’s neighborhoods amid heavy military reinforcements, local sources told Anadolu Agency.

During the raid, more than five Palestinians were detained, including a young man arrested after several roads in the city were closed, according to the sources.

On Tuesday evening, two Palestinians, including a journalist, were wounded by Israeli army fire during raids in the West Bank, while occupiers attacked two vehicles near the northern city of Salfit, local sources said.

Quds News Network correspondent Mutasem Saqf al-Hait was wounded while covering violent clashes that broke out between Palestinian youths and Israeli occupiers in the village of Deir Abu Mashal, the sources added.

In the town of Al-Mughayyir, east of Ramallah, a 15-year-old girl was wounded by a bullet in the shoulder during an Israeli army raid. She was taken to a hospital in Ramallah, where her condition was described as stable, medical sources told Anadolu Agency.

The occupied West Bank has witnessed escalating attacks by the Israeli army and occupiers against Palestinians and their property, including arson, land confiscation and restrictions preventing farmers from accessing their land, particularly in areas near settlements and outposts.

Since Oct. 8, 2023, the Israeli escalation in the West Bank has killed 1,169 Palestinians and injured 12,666 others, while around 23,000 have been arrested and 33,000 displaced, according to official Palestinian figures.

READ: Israel strips Hebron Municipality of planning and construction powers

This work by Middle East Monitor is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-ShareAlike 4.0 International License.

Keir Starmer objects to criticism of the IDF. He asks how could anyone object to them starving people to death, forced marches like the Nazis did, bombing Gaza's hospitals and universities, mass-murdering journalists, healthworkers and starving people queuing for food, killing and raping prisoners and murdering children. He calls for people to stop obstructing his genocide for Israel.
Keir Starmer objects to criticism of the IDF. He asks how could anyone object to them starving people to death, forced marches like the Nazis did, bombing Gaza’s hospitals and universities, mass-murdering journalists, healthworkers and starving people queuing for food, killing and raping prisoners and murdering children. He calls for people to stop obstructing his genocide for Israel.
Keir Starmer explains that UK is actively supporting Israel's genocidal expansion and repeats his previous quotation that he supports Zionism "without qualification". Keir Starmer said “I said it loud and clear – and meant it – that I support Zionism without qualification.” here: https://www.jewishnews.co.uk/keir-starmer-interview-i-will-work-to-eradicate-antisemitism-from-day-one/
Keir Starmer explains that UK is actively supporting Israel’s genocidal expansion and repeats his previous quotation that he supports Zionism “without qualification”. Keir Starmer said “I said it loud and clear – and meant it – that I support Zionism without qualification.” here: https://www.jewishnews.co.uk/keir-starmer-interview-i-will-work-to-eradicate-antisemitism-from-day-one/
Orcas discuss Genocide-supporting and complicit Zionists. Donald Trump, Keith Starmer, David Lammy, Rachel Reeves, Angela Rayner and Wes Streeting are acknowledged as evil genocide-complicit and supporting cnuts.
Orcas discuss Genocide-supporting and complicit Zionists. Donald Trump, Keith Starmer, David Lammy, Rachel Reeves, Angela Rayner and Wes Streeting are acknowledged as evil genocide-complicit and supporting cnuts.

Continue ReadingIsraeli occupiers set fire to 2 mosques, army demolishes Palestinian home in occupied West Bank

Is Israel Losing Its American Shield? | Palestine This Week with Mouin Rabbani

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This work by Middle East Monitor is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-ShareAlike 4.0 International License.

In this episode, we examine whether Gaza features in the Iran ceasefire calculation, the crisis facing Israel’s security doctrine and its fear of US abandonment.

In this episode, we examine whether Gaza features in the Iran ceasefire calculation, the crisis facing Israel’s security doctrine and its fear of US abandonment. We also discuss whether the Iran deal signals a deeper rupture in US-Israel relations, Al Jazeera’s shocking investigation into Israel’s abuse of Palestinian detainees and Israel’s strangling of the Palestinian Authority in the West Bank.

Get your copy of ‘Gaza Apocalypse’ by Mouin Rabbani: https://orbooks.com/catalog/gaza-apocalypse/

Watch the Al Jazeera documentary ‘Bodies of Evidence’ : https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=e3pApprHfrY 

WATCH: 100 Days In: Palestine, Iran, and the War Remaking the Middle East | Palestine This Week with Mouin Rabbani

This work by Middle East Monitor is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-ShareAlike 4.0 International License.

Keir Starmer objects to criticism of the IDF. He asks how could anyone object to them starving people to death, forced marches like the Nazis did, bombing Gaza's hospitals and universities, mass-murdering journalists, healthworkers and starving people queuing for food, killing and raping prisoners and murdering children. He calls for people to stop obstructing his genocide for Israel.
Keir Starmer objects to criticism of the IDF. He asks how could anyone object to them starving people to death, forced marches like the Nazis did, bombing Gaza’s hospitals and universities, mass-murdering journalists, healthworkers and starving people queuing for food, killing and raping prisoners and murdering children. He calls for people to stop obstructing his genocide for Israel.
Keir Starmer explains that UK is actively supporting Israel's genocidal expansion and repeats his previous quotation that he supports Zionism "without qualification". Keir Starmer said “I said it loud and clear – and meant it – that I support Zionism without qualification.” here: https://www.jewishnews.co.uk/keir-starmer-interview-i-will-work-to-eradicate-antisemitism-from-day-one/
Keir Starmer explains that UK is actively supporting Israel’s genocidal expansion and repeats his previous quotation that he supports Zionism “without qualification”. Keir Starmer said “I said it loud and clear – and meant it – that I support Zionism without qualification.” here: https://www.jewishnews.co.uk/keir-starmer-interview-i-will-work-to-eradicate-antisemitism-from-day-one/
Orcas discuss Genocide-supporting and complicit Zionists. Donald Trump, Keith Starmer, David Lammy, Rachel Reeves, Angela Rayner and Wes Streeting are acknowledged as evil genocide-complicit and supporting cnuts.
Orcas discuss Genocide-supporting and complicit Zionists. Donald Trump, Keith Starmer, David Lammy, Rachel Reeves, Angela Rayner and Wes Streeting are acknowledged as evil genocide-complicit and supporting cnuts.

Continue ReadingIs Israel Losing Its American Shield? | Palestine This Week with Mouin Rabbani

Israel cannot stop home demolitions in southern Lebanon: Ben-Gvir

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Israeli National Security Minister Itamar Ben-Gvir on January 24, 2023 [Saeed Qaq/Anadolu Agency]

Israel cannot stop home demolitions in southern Lebanon, Israeli National Security Minister Itamar Ben-Gvir said Wednesday, following statements by US Vice President JD Vance that a draft agreement with Iran includes Lebanon, Anadolu reports.

“Israel cannot stop the demolition of houses in southern Lebanon. We simply cannot stop, that’s all,” Ben-Gvir said in comments carried by the Knesset’s channel.

“We cannot allow the residents of southern Lebanon to return. We must continue to control the territory even if we disagree with (US President Donald) Trump, we are an independent state,” he added.

In statements early Wednesday, Vance described the agreement with Iran as “regional peace,” saying it “will include the Gulf states, Israel, and it will include Lebanon.”

“The basic idea is that this is a genuine regional peace agreement,” he added.

Tensions have continued to flare along the Lebanese-Israeli border despite a recent understanding between Washington and Tehran aimed at ending their military conflict that erupted after Israel and the United States launched attacks against Iran on Feb. 28.

READ: Ben Gvir attacks Trump-Iran deal: Israel ‘not bound by US agreement’

Iranian officials have repeatedly said that ending Israeli attacks across regional fronts, particularly in Lebanon, is among the main objectives of the memorandum of understanding expected to be signed between Tehran and Washington on Friday.

Israeli officials, however, have indicated that military operations in Lebanon will continue despite the agreement, raising doubts about prospects for a de-escalation on the Lebanese front.

Israel has been waging an offensive on Lebanon since March 2 that has left thousands killed and wounded and more than 1 million displaced, according to the latest official figures.

Israel occupies areas in southern Lebanon, some for decades and others since the previous war between 2023 and 2024. During the current offensive, Israeli forces pushed more than 10 kilometers into Lebanon.

READ: Trump says Israel’s Netanyahu must be ‘more responsible’ on Lebanon

This work by Middle East Monitor is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-ShareAlike 4.0 International License.

Keir Starmer objects to criticism of the IDF. He asks how could anyone object to them starving people to death, forced marches like the Nazis did, bombing Gaza's hospitals and universities, mass-murdering journalists, healthworkers and starving people queuing for food, killing and raping prisoners and murdering children. He calls for people to stop obstructing his genocide for Israel.
Keir Starmer objects to criticism of the IDF. He asks how could anyone object to them starving people to death, forced marches like the Nazis did, bombing Gaza’s hospitals and universities, mass-murdering journalists, healthworkers and starving people queuing for food, killing and raping prisoners and murdering children. He calls for people to stop obstructing his genocide for Israel.
Keir Starmer explains that UK is actively supporting Israel's genocidal expansion and repeats his previous quotation that he supports Zionism "without qualification". Keir Starmer said “I said it loud and clear – and meant it – that I support Zionism without qualification.” here: https://www.jewishnews.co.uk/keir-starmer-interview-i-will-work-to-eradicate-antisemitism-from-day-one/
Keir Starmer explains that UK is actively supporting Israel’s genocidal expansion and repeats his previous quotation that he supports Zionism “without qualification”. Keir Starmer said “I said it loud and clear – and meant it – that I support Zionism without qualification.” here: https://www.jewishnews.co.uk/keir-starmer-interview-i-will-work-to-eradicate-antisemitism-from-day-one/
Orcas discuss Genocide-supporting and complicit Zionists. Donald Trump, Keith Starmer, David Lammy, Rachel Reeves, Angela Rayner and Wes Streeting are acknowledged as evil genocide-complicit and supporting cnuts.
Orcas discuss Genocide-supporting and complicit Zionists. Donald Trump, Keith Starmer, David Lammy, Rachel Reeves, Angela Rayner and Wes Streeting are acknowledged as evil genocide-complicit and supporting cnuts.

Continue ReadingIsrael cannot stop home demolitions in southern Lebanon: Ben-Gvir