Jerusalem, July 4 (IANS) Israeli authorities have approved the appropriation of 12.7 square km of land in the occupied West Bank, marking the largest single appropriation in about three decades, an Israeli settlement monitor group has said.

Peace Now, an Israeli-based settlement watchdog, said in a statement on Wednesday that the Custodian of the State’s Property in the Civil Administration, an Israeli body that approves construction in the West Bank, recently declared the seizure of this large land in the Jordan Valley, Xinhua news agency reported.

According to the group, this is the largest area designated for appropriation since the Oslo Accords, a set of peace agreements signed between Israel and the Palestine Liberation Organization in 1993.

In 2024 alone, about 23.7 square km of the West Bank lands have been declared “State Lands” by Israel, reported Peace Now.

The declaration of “State Land” in the West Bank is a bureaucratic procedure used by the Israeli government to revoke Palestinian ownership rights to the declared lands, which would be leased exclusively to Israelis, for reshaping land use and building settlements.

Israel seized the West Bank in the 1967 Middle East war and expanded settlements there ever since. The international community widely considers the Israeli settlements in the West Bank, where the Palestinians wish to establish their future state, an obstacle to achieving peace between Israel and the Palestinians.

The move is likely to stoke further tensions in the region, which is already experiencing increasing violence following Israel’s onslaught in the Gaza Strip in retaliation for Hamas’ attack on southern Israel on October 7 last year.

–IANS

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San Francisco, July 4 (IANS) Wildfires spread in Northern California amid heatwaves, causing thousands to evacuate, officials have said.

About 70 miles (113km) north of California’s capital Sacramento, crews have been battling a wildfire in Butte County, Xinhua news agency reported.

Approximately 28,000 residents were under the evacuation order near Oroville on Wednesday due to the fast-moving fire, according to the Department of Forestry and Fire Protection of California (CAL FIRE).

The blaze, dubbed the Thompson Fire, broke out before Tuesday noon and grew to more than 3 square miles (10.6 square kilometres) by Wednesday morning, with zero containment.

Smoke from the fires has been blown towards Sacramento with hazy skies reportedly seen above the city.

The largest current blaze, the Basin Fire, was 26 per cent contained after burning some 22 square miles (56 square kilometres) of the Sierra National Forest in eastern Fresno County since it was sparked on June 26.

California’s heat was expected to spread from north to south over the week, focusing on interior areas such as the Sacramento and San Joaquin valleys and the southern deserts.

Sacramento is under an excessive heat warning expected to last until Sunday night, with temperatures forecasted to reach between 105 degrees and 115 degrees (40.5 and 46.1 Celsius).

There were 2,934 Wildfires in California, burning 139,590 Acres (565 square kilometres), as of Wednesday morning, CAL FIRE said.

Red flag fire warnings were issued across the state. The state governor’s office announced late Tuesday that federal funding had been approved to help with firefighting efforts.

The utility Pacific Gas & Electric implemented public safety power shutoffs in parts of 10 counties to prevent wildfires from being ignited by downed or damaged electrical wires.

–IANS

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Ottawa, July 4 (IANS) Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau has announced the appointment of Lt. Gen. Jennie Carignan as the first woman to lead the Canadian Armed Forces (CAF).

Carignan, who is currently chief of Professional Conduct and Culture and will be promoted to the rank of general, will replace the current chief of the Defence Staff, Gen. Wayne Eyre, who is retiring from the CAF, Trudeau said in a news release on Wednesday.

Carignan’s military career spans over 35 years and includes commanding two Combat Engineer Regiments and the 2nd Canadian Division, where she led more than 10,000 soldiers, Xinhua news agency reported, citing the release.

In 2008, Carignan became the first woman in the CAF history to command a combat arms unit. She deployed to Afghanistan the following year, and also served in Bosnia-Herzegovina and Syria. From 2019 to 2020, she led NATO Mission Iraq.

She was promoted to her current rank in 2021 and has served for the past three years as chief of Professional Conduct and Culture, leading efforts to transform the military culture.

The appointment will take effect at a ceremony to be held on July 18.

–IANS

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Jerusalem, July 4 (IANS) Israel’s Mossad intelligence agency has received Hamas’ response to a proposed deal aimed at securing a ceasefire in the Gaza conflict and the release of hostages, according to a statement released by the Israeli Prime Minister’s Office on behalf of Mossad.

The response, transferred by Egyptian and Qatari mediators with the backing of the US, is currently under review by Israel, Xinhua news agency reported.

“Israel is examining the response and will communicate its reply to the mediators in due course,” the statement noted on Wednesday.

This development marks a renewed effort to negotiate an end to the nearly nine-month-long conflict, which, according to the Gaza-based health authorities, has resulted in the deaths of more than 37,900 Palestinians in the strip.

Israel launched a large-scale offensive in the Gaza Strip following a Hamas rampage through the southern Israeli border on October 7, 2023, during which about 1,200 people were killed and 240 were taken hostage.

–IANS

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Jerusalem, July 3 (IANS) Israel’s Ministry of Environmental Protection and Ministry of Health revealed on Wednesday that it has detected, during a monitoring operation, mosquitoes that were later found to be infected with the West Nile virus.

Mosquitoes carrying the West Nile virus were captured in Tel Aviv, Herzliya, Kiryat Ono, Petah Tikva, the Lev Hasharon Regional Council, Central District, as well as in Eilat and the Aylot Regional Council in the south of the country.

In accordance with the results of the monitoring, the ministries asked the public to protect themselves against mosquitoes by following the issued guidelines to help the national effort to reduce the mosquito hazard.

Oren Ashet Kathabi, Director of the Department of Zoonotic Diseases in the Public Health Division of the Ministry of Health, explained that West Nile Fever is a disease that originates from animals and is also transmitted to humans.

It is caused by a virus found mainly in poultry, and is transmitted to humans and animals through mosquitoes that feed on infected birds. In most cases, it is a mild flu-like illness that goes away on its own.

The disease is often characterised by fever, headache, joint and muscle pain, conjunctivitis, and sometimes nausea and diarrhea. Rare complications are possible or meningitis, and rarely the disease ends in death.

To avoid mosquito bites and hazards, the Israeli ministry has recommended draining and drying stagnant water sources that may constitute habitats for mosquitoes.

–IANS

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