United Nations demands Israel curb settler violence against Palestinian farmers

The United Nations is demanding that Israel take further action to stop settler violence targeting Palestinian farmers, Al Jazeera reported on Wednesday. At the same time, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu warned that enemies of Israel are planning an attack before upcoming elections. Political opponents in Israel dismissed the warning from the prime minister as a political maneuver, according to Al Jazeera. [1]

Separately, Israel and Colombia restored their free trade deal to strengthen diplomatic and economic relations, JNS.org reported. The agreement follows a meeting in Washington on July 15 between Israeli Foreign Minister Gideon Sa'ar and Colombian Foreign Minister Omar Bula Escobar. The two nations completed an exchange of diplomatic notes on Tuesday to formalize the decision, according to JNS.org. [2][3]

The trade restoration comes ahead of an inauguration for a Colombian embassy in Jerusalem, JNS.org reported. Relations between the two countries had previously deteriorated during the administration of former Colombian president Gustavo Petro. [3]

In the West Bank, Israeli forces recently raided non-governmental organizations in Ramallah, Modern Ghana reported. Modern Ghana provided few additional details about the raids, but as FTMQ News reported earlier, Israeli forces have conducted raids on NGO offices and detained dozens of Palestinians across the West Bank territory. [4][9]

Settler actions in the region include physical assaults, vandalism, arson, and shootings, largely directed against Palestinians in the West Bank. Both Israel and Palestine claim Jerusalem as their capital city, although neither claim has wide international recognition. [5][6]