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Palestinians struggling with water crisis
Israel Allocates Extra Funds to Illegal Settlements
http://en.farsnews.com/newstext.aspx?nn=13950421001366
Israel approved an additional 13 million dollars in funding for illegal settlements in the occupied West Bank in defiance of international calls against the construction of such settlements.
Israeli officials said the cabinet approved the allocation of some 50 million shekels (12.8 million dollars) to “strengthen” the settlements within Hebron as well as the settlement of Kiryat Arba on the city’s outskirts in the occupied West Bank, presstv reported. The funds will reportedly be allocated over three years.
On June 16, the Israeli regime had approved 18 million dollars in extra funding for the illegal settlements across the occupied Palestinian territories.
More than half a million Israelis live in over 230 illegal settlements built since the 1967 Israeli occupation of the Palestinian territories of the West Bank and Eastern Jerusalem. The UN and most countries regard the Israeli settlements as illegal because the territories they are built on were captured by Israel in a war in 1967 and are hence subject to the Geneva Conventions, which forbid construction on occupied lands.
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Has Turkey betrayed the Palestinians?
Israel and Turkey have ended a six-year rift over the killing by Israeli troops of 10 Turkish activists on a Gaza-bound aid ship, the Mavi Marmara. Turkey said the deal would see Israel pay 20 million dollars in compensation, and would also allow Turkey to send aid to Gaza and carry out infrastructure projects there. And Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said the agreement would help bring “stability” to the Middle East.
Turkey was once Israel’s closest ally in the region, and the two countries share many strategic interests – especially in the energy sector and tourism.
However, the families of the victims of the Mavi Marmara attack have condemned the normalization of relations. And some say that Turkey has sold out the Palestinian people.