Reuters and the Daily Mail report that Israeli troops shot and killed a Gazan youth on Tuesday during a protest on the Gaza border, and wounded seven others, a Palestinian medical official said. Reuters reports that Ashraf Al-Qidra, spokesman for Gaza’s Health Ministry, said 17-year-old Muntaser al-Baz died in hospital from being shot in the head by Israeli troops. An Israeli military spokeswoman said IDF soldiers had come under attack near the border fence and used riot dispersal means and live fire and that one Gazan who breached the fence trying to throw an explosive device at the troops was shot. The Daily Mail reports that the Israeli military says 200 protesters burned tyres and threw explosive devices toward the fence. It says Israeli troops opened fire at one protester who approached the fence and lobbed an explosive device. Hamas has held weekly protests along the frontier for the past six months, aimed at easing the crippling Israeli-Egyptian blockade. Recently, Hamas appears to be scaling back the protests amid renewed Egyptian efforts to broker a cease-fire with Israel.

 Reuters reports that Israeli troops killed a Palestinian man and wounded three others during a raid in a village in the West Bank on Wednesday, a Palestinian medical official said. The Israeli military said troops used live fire and “riot dispersal measures” after about 50 Palestinians threw rocks at them during an operation in the village of Taamun.

The BBC, Telegraph, Daily Mail and Business Insider via AP report that the Fatah-led Palestinian Authority (PA) in the West Bank and Hamas authorities in the Gaza Strip routinely arrest and torture peaceful critics and opponents, Human Rights Watch (HRW) says. A report based on interviews with former detainees alleges the rival factions have “established machineries of repression to crush dissent”. The BBC reports that security forces often taunt, threaten, beat, and put detainees in painful stress positions. The PA and Hamas deny the allegations. The 149-page report published by HRW on Tuesday was based on interviews with 147 witnesses, including ex-detainees and their relatives, and reviewed photographic and video evidence, medical reports and court documents. It says that in recent years both PA and Hamas security forces have carried out scores of arbitrary arrests for peaceful criticism, particularly on social media, among independent journalists, on university campuses, and at demonstrations. As the Fatah-Hamas feud deepened despite attempts at reconciliation, PA security services have targeted supporters of Hamas and vice-versa, it adds. “Palestinian authorities often rely on overly broad laws that criminalise insulting ‘higher authorities’, creating ‘sectarian strife’, or ‘harming the revolutionary unity’ to detain dissidents for days or weeks, only to release most of them without referring them to trial, but often leaving charges outstanding,” the report says. The Telegraph reports that the HRW called on Britain, the US, and the EU cut off funding for the PA’s security forces until they stop torturing detainees and investigate officers of accused of abuse. The group also called on Qatar, Iran, and Turkey to halt their funding for Hamas. In one of the most disturbing allegations, HRW said PA security forces arrested a 32-year-old civil servant and tied a cord around his genitals for eight hours, causing them to “swell and turn blue”. The man said his captors kept him in a small room known as “the closet”, roughly 60cm by 60cm, where he struggled to breath. He said he was kept in the room for 22 hours a day for 22 days in a detention facility in Jericho in the West Bank. The latest HRW report is unlikely to have much impact on Hamas, which is considered a terrorist group by the US and EU and is supported by states like Iran with dismal human rights records of their own. But the report may put strong pressure on the PA security forces, who are largely funded by the West. The Daily Mail reports that Omar Shakir, HRW’s Israel-Palestine director, said “systematic torture as part of (Hamas’s) a government policy is a crime against humanity”.

 

The BBC and Independent report that Jamal Khashoggi’s death is yet to be resolved. The BBC reports that Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan has told MPs the killing of Khashoggi was planned days in advance. He said Turkey had strong evidence Khashoggi was killed in a premeditated and “savage” murder at the Saudi consulate in Istanbul on 2 October. He also called for the suspects to be tried in Istanbul. He demanded Saudi Arabia provide answers about where Khashoggi’s body was, and who had ordered the operation. The Independent reports that US President Donald Trump has called the response to the killing of Khashoggi ”the worst cover-up” in history, adding that the US announced it would sanction Saudi Arabian officials who are implicated in the death. Trump was speaking hours after Turkish President Erdogan dismissed Riyadh’s efforts to blame Khashoggi’s death on “rogue operatives”. Erdogan called for Saudi Arabia to search from “top to bottom” to uncover those behind Khashoggi death. Asked in the Oval Office how the killing of Khashoggi could have happened, Trump said: “They had a very bad original concept. It was carried out poorly, and the cover-up was one of the worst in the history of cover-ups.”

The Express reports that a friend of Khashoggi has spoken out about the ruthless killing. Galip Dalay, a visiting scholar at the University of Oxford, was appearing on the BBC’s Newsnight programme when he spoke about the murder. Dalay claimed the attack could not have happened without the Saudi monarchy’s authorisation. He said: “By now it is clear what has happened.“It is a gruesome murder. It is a horrendous killing of a very gentle personality, an intellectual and a journalist. “It was intended, it was premeditated and it is state-sanctioned.” Dalay urged viewers to “think about the nature of this murder” and the fact “close and personal aides” of Crown Prince Mohammad bin Salman (MBS) were involved. The academic explained it was “now well established” that 15 people had arrived in Istanbul with the sole purpose of killing Khashoggi and Saudi diplomats had been fully aware of the heinous crime. He said: “It is well-established that the murder was conducted inside the consulate in Istanbul with the full knowledge of the Consul General himself.”

The BBC reports that Saudi Arabia’s investment conference has gone ahead, even though many invitees have boycotted the event. The Future Investment Initiative (FII) was due to feature 150 high-profile speakers from 140 firms. But 40 participants are understood to have pulled out.

The Telegraph reports that SoftBank chief Masayoshi Son, one of Saudi Arabia’s biggest business partners, has cancelled plans to speak at a major investment conference in Riyadh amid controversy surrounding the alleged murder of Khashoggi. Mr Son, whose giant tech investment fund has received billions from the Saudi Public Investment Fund, is the latest high profile executive to boycott the Future Investment Initiative, known as “Davos in the desert”.

In the Israeli media the Khashoggi murder case dominates the front pages. Israel Hayom quotes President Trump calling his death the “worst cover-up in history.” Haaretz focuses on Turkish President Erdogan’s speech where he claimed the murder was premeditated and that Saudi Arabian generals were involved. Yediot Ahronot has a photo of the handshake between Saudi Crown Prince Mohammad Bin Salman and Khashoggi’s son, declaring the “Crown Prince in the line of fire”. Among the commentary, Shimrit Meir refers to the episode as “the Sopranos, Saudi edition”. Also in the paper’s commentary, Ronen Bergman writes: “Without a doubt, the Saudi kingdom, particularly Mohammad Bin Salman, has taken a bad blow and it will have ramifications for the entire Middle East, including the party that stands out in its silence: Israel … we can perhaps try and guess why. On the tactical level, if the reports about a dialogue between Israel and Saudi Arabia were true, it could be that the Saudi agents who were reportedly arrested or who are to be investigated were Bin Salman’s close associates who are also perhaps promoting intelligence relationships with foreign countries … Bin Salman’s Saudi Arabia is a central component in the new vision of the Middle East of leaders like Trump and Netanyahu. This vision centres on the moderate Sunni axis that together with Israel — and with American support — promotes a dialogue that is aimed against Iran, Hezbollah, Assad and the jihadist organisations. Bin Salman promotes this vision, but now his wings will be clipped, if he even remains in power, and his ability to continue these secret doings and to enlist his espionage services — and his immense resources — against Iran and its satellites will be badly hurt.”

Kan Radio news reports that the Defence Minister’s office issued a statement yesterday saying that the Qatar-financed supply of fuel to the Gaza Strip would resume today. Defence Minister Avigdor Lieberman said ten days ago that the supply of fuel and gas to Gaza would not resume until the violence in the Gaza Strip came to a complete stop, including the flying fire balloons and burning tyres near Israeli towns. The statement said the Defence Minister decided to restart the supply at the recommendation of security officials. Incendiary terrorism from the Gaza Strip caused six fires in the Gaza periphery communities yesterday. Sources in Gaza reported that a Palestinian was killed and seven others were injured in clashes with IDF troops along the border fence.

Kan Radio news also quotes Palestinian sources claiming that a Palestinian was killed by IDF gunfire in the village of Tammun in Samaria. The 20 year-old Mohammed Basharat was reportedly shot after clashes with IDF troops who were conducting an operation in the village.

Maariv, Haaretz and Yediot Ahronot report a conference held yesterday marking the 70th anniversary of Israel’s legal system. Supreme Court President Esther Hayut delivered a fierce speech in which she criticised the political establishment for what she called its “violent discourse” against the judicial establishment. She lambasted politicians, presumably referring foremost to Justice Minister Ayelet Shaked, for not speaking out when other politicians made statements that were “far from professional and respectful” and “bordered on serious incitement” against Supreme Court judges. Hayut further said: “I would like to say that whoever takes it upon themselves to undermine the independence of the judicial branch will critically damage Israel’s democratic system of government. That is because one of the basic conditions for the survival of a true democracy, which champions constitutional-liberal values, is the existence of an independent judiciary, separate from the other branches.”

 Kan Radio news revealed that Shin Bet Director Nadav Argaman met last week in Ramallah with Palestinian Authority Chairman Mahmoud Abbas, with the knowledge of Prime Minister Netanyahu. The meeting took place at Abbas’ home. They discussed efforts to reach a ceasefire with Gaza and other issues. Abbas told Argaman that Israel was not abiding by the Oslo Accords and had violated the security coordination between the parties. “On what base do you continue to enter with your forces into the Palestinian cities and villages in Areas A and B? Who do you coordinate exactly with? You enter whenever you want.”

Maariv has an update on the investigations into Prime Minister Netanyahu. The paper cites sources in law enforcement agencies who said last night that the investigation into Case 4,000 was over and that Attorney General Avichai Mandelblit had given his final approval. The sources said that the process of summarising the cases summarising the case had begun. The sources also said that a decision about an indictment would be made in the first third of 2019.

Israel Hayom reports that Prime Minister Netanyahu decided not to call early elections because his close associates told him that President Reuven Rivlin would not let him form a government, even if he won the election, because he is under criminal investigation. The paper writes that Coalition Chairman David Amsalem will introduce a bill in the next few days seeking to change the law to restrict the President’s discretion after an election. Maariv reports that Jewish Home chairman Naftali Bennett told his faction that he believed that Netanyahu intended to dissolve the Knesset after the elections for local government and to call Knesset elections next February or March.

Yediot Ahronot reports that Israel has assigned an ultra-Orthodox ambassador for the first time. Rabbi Yoel Lion, a father of eight, is the new Ambassador to Ukraine. He said he is “proud to be the first rabbi to take this position”.