MIDDLE EAST:

TEL AVIV: Prime Minister, Benjamin Netanyahu, has defended or excused further ceasefire violations in Gaza during the festive season, the arrest by Israeli police of a Palestinian man dressed as Santa at a Christmas party in Haifa, and actions by Israeli soldiers as well as illegal Israeli settlers in the West Bank to attack or displace Palestinians.

Reliable news media reports* today say the Israeli Defence Force (IDF) has killed one Palestinian in Jabalia in northern Gaza and injured several others.

The IDF has also issued a new forced evacuation order for hundreds of residents in eastern parts of Gaza City to enable the demolition of an entire residential block and the expansion of Israeli-held land by moving the “yellow line” ceasefire boundary by more than 100 metres.

In Haifa, Israel’s third-largest city located on the Mediterranean coast, police raided a Christmas party and arrested a Palestinian man dressed as Santa Claus. (below)

In the West Bank, the Israeli Defence Forces shot a 17-year-old boy in the thigh and teargassed dozens of Palestinians during an army raid on the town of Beit Furik on Christmas Day.

Meanwhile violent attacks by illegal Israeli settlers elsewhere in the West Bank at Masafer Yatta, south of Hebron, resulted in the arrests of three Palestinians.

In the same village the IDF arrested another local Palestinian after raiding and vandalising homes and tents belonging to local residents.

Also on Christmas Day on Thursday, illegal Israeli settlers reportedly injured an eight-month-old baby when they raided Palestinian homes after descending on the town of Sa’ir, near Hebron in the southern end of the West Bank. The baby sustained head and facial injuries and was taken to hospital for treatment.

Israeli forces have today reportedly begun building a new settlement road on Palestinian-owned land in the town of al-Dhahiriya, south of Hebron in the West Bank.

In addition, local news outlets reported that a young man was shot in the leg by the IDF soldiers when he attempted to cross the wall separating Israeli and Palestinian sectors in the town of Ar-Ram, north of Jerusalem.

In Tel Aviv, Mr Netanyahu addressed concerns raised about the ceasefire violations, seemingly deliberate targeting of Palestinians, and moves to assist the expansion by violent means of illegal settlements.

“There’s no need to worry about any of those things,” he said while signing personal greeting cards to be sent to Gaza residents. (main picture)

“It’s just our way of celebrating the traditional ChristHamas season. Any criticisms of any of these traditional holiday observances is clearly antisemitic.”

* Not including The Australian, obviously.

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