Epal European Palestinian Media Center Bulletin, Issue No. 2447, Date: Thursday, May 21, 2026

1. Occupation government approves plan to seize West Bank land under the cover of “archaeology and heritage”**

The occupation government approved a broad plan worth 250 million shekels aimed at taking control of archaeological sites in the West Bank, in a move observers see as exploiting the “archaeology and heritage” file to advance annexation plans and strengthen Israeli control over occupied Palestinian land.
The decision came in a joint statement issued by the office of the occupation prime minister and the ministries of finance, tourism, heritage, and settlement affairs, which described the plan as “unprecedented.”

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**2. Warnings of a “compensatory raid” on Al-Aqsa Mosque during the “Feast of Weeks”**

Palestinian warnings are increasing over a new escalation at Al-Aqsa Mosque coinciding with the so-called Jewish “Feast of Weeks,” amid expectations of attempts to impose Talmudic rituals inside its courtyards, alongside signs of growing settler incursions and efforts to alter the mosque’s identity and historic administration.
Jerusalem affairs researcher Ziad Ibhais warned in a Facebook post of expected incursions during the “Feast of Weeks,” or “Shavuot” in Hebrew, which falls on Friday, May 22, despite the fact that settler incursions into Al-Aqsa usually do not take place on Fridays.

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**3. Prisoners’ Media Office: Repression with gunfire and widespread disease in “Janot” prison**

The Prisoners’ Media Office confirmed that prisoners in “Janot” prison are living under extremely harsh conditions amid ongoing repression, starvation, and the spread of diseases and fungi inside the prison sections.
The office stated that the prison administration carried out a repression operation two days ago using pepper spray and live ammunition, in addition to assaulting prisoners during the recreation period and sometimes canceling it altogether.
It explained that the food is poor and insufficient, while several prisoners suffer from emaciation and shortages of clothing and blankets, alongside the spread of scabies and fungal infections, amid reports that the prison could be closed due to the outbreak.

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**4. Human rights center: Destruction of what remains of homes in Gaza is a tool to entrench genocide**

The Palestinian Center for Human Rights stated that the escalating targeting by Israeli occupation forces of the remaining residential homes in the Gaza Strip constitutes another stage in the policy of systematic destruction of civilian property and depriving residents of the minimum means of survival.
The center explained that this comes as occupying forces have destroyed more than 80% of homes in the Strip during 31 months of continuous military attacks, forcing hundreds of thousands of citizens to live in worn-out tents, beside the rubble of their homes, or inside damaged and collapsing houses, in the absence of any safe housing alternatives.

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**5. Widespread Palestinian condemnation of occupation abuse and Ben Gvir’s assaults against “Steadfastness Fleet” activists**

Palestinian factions and institutions condemned the Israeli occupation navy’s interception of the ships of the “Global Steadfastness Fleet” and the forced transfer of international activists to Ashdod port, describing what happened as “maritime piracy” and a criminal act reflecting the brutality of the occupation system.
The factions stated in a press release that the scenes of abuse and humiliation supervised by extremist minister Itamar Ben Gvir against detained solidarity activists reflect the “moral degradation” of the entity’s leaders, in a desperate attempt to deter them from their humanitarian role in breaking the siege on Gaza.

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**6. Warnings of widening hunger: Reduction in “World Central Kitchen” meals threatens a quarter million families in Gaza**

The reduction of operations by the “World Central Kitchen” (WCK) in the Gaza Strip has worsened the fragile humanitarian situation at an extremely dangerous stage due to the rapid decline in the ability of humanitarian institutions to provide services amid a severe funding crisis and sharp depletion of operational resources.
The reduction in meals provided by the kitchen has directly worsened conditions for hundreds of thousands of citizens who rely entirely on daily aid amid the ongoing war, siege, and near-total collapse of the basic necessities of life.

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**7. Occupation forces violate the sanctity of Palestinian homes in Jerusalem**

#Photos… Terrifying families and elderly residents inside their homes… Occupation forces raid homes in the town of Hizma, northeast of occupied Jerusalem, subject residents to field interrogations, and arrest 20 Palestinians during a wide-scale raid campaign.

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### *European*

**8. Calls in Britain to boycott the “Tesco” group for complicity with the occupation**

British pro-Palestinian activists and organizations launched calls for protest actions and a boycott campaign targeting Tesco Bank and Tesco stores in the city of Plymouth in protest against the group’s involvement in supporting the Zionist occupation economy.
The economic protest movement will begin outside the company’s branch on New George Street in Plymouth and will include speeches and distribution of informational materials encouraging consumers to boycott Tesco Bank and stores.

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**9. Player Asaad Al-Hamlawi celebrates Romanian league title while raising the Palestinian flag**

#Watch… Palestinian player Asaad Al-Hamlawi, striker for the Palestinian national football team, participated in the celebrations of his club “Universitatea Craiova” after winning the Romanian Premier League title.
Al-Hamlawi made sure to drape himself in the Palestinian flag on the official podium and among the fans as a strong message of solidarity highlighting the Palestinian cause and bringing the voice of his homeland to European and international stadiums amid the ongoing aggression against the Palestinian people.

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**10. 87 international activists begin hunger strike in occupation prisons after being abducted**

The Steadfastness Fleet announced that at least 87 international activists have begun an open hunger strike in protest against their abduction in international waters.
The move came after all 430 solidarity activists from 44 countries were abducted and forcibly taken away.
The Israeli action comes as the occupation continues violating the ceasefire agreement through ongoing aerial and artillery bombardment and obstruction of aid deliveries.

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**11. #Video… Occupation abuses Freedom Fleet activists at Ashdod port**

#Watch… Under the supervision of extremist minister Ben Gvir… Circulating footage shows occupation authorities abusing hundreds of activists from the “Global Steadfastness Fleet,” whom they abducted from international waters while they were sailing to break the siege imposed on the Gaza Strip.

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**12. #Video… Female activist from the Steadfastness Fleet challenges Ben Gvir with the phrase “Free Palestine”**

#Watch… A female activist from the “Steadfastness Fleet” challenged extremist Israeli National Security Minister Itamar Ben Gvir with the phrase “Free Palestine” in a video documenting assaults on several activists after their arrival at Ashdod port following their abduction from international waters.
The video showed Steadfastness Fleet activists handcuffed with their faces to the ground while the Israeli anthem was broadcast through loudspeakers.

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### *International*

**13. Disruption of former Google chairman’s conference in Washington over company complicity in genocide**

Activists from the “No Tech for Apartheid” campaign in cooperation with the “Code Pink” movement disrupted former Google chairman Eric Schmidt’s speech during the Defense and Artificial Intelligence Exhibition and Conference held at the Walter E. Washington Convention Center.
Demonstrators inside the conference hall chanted slogans including: “Shame on you… your AI is being used in genocide,” before security forces suppressed the activists and removed them from the venue.

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**14. Carlson: Israel is not a democracy and Trump is subordinate to Netanyahu**

American conservative media figure and political analyst Tucker Carlson accused Israel of committing “genocide” in the Gaza Strip, saying it is “not a democratic state in any sense,” and also accused U.S. President Donald Trump of yielding to pressure from Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu.
Carlson made the remarks during an interview with Israel’s Channel 13 on Tuesday evening, his first appearance with an Israeli media outlet in years.

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**15. Human Rights Watch: Gaza under humanitarian siege and aid below minimum levels**

Human Rights Watch stated that the humanitarian infrastructure keeping Palestinians alive in the Gaza Strip remains under threat despite more than six months passing since the ceasefire agreement concluded in October 2025, warning of the continued deterioration of humanitarian and health conditions in the Strip.
The organization added that occupation authorities are “undermining relief efforts in Gaza” as the “Peace Council” prepares to brief the UN Security Council regarding its latest report on progress made over the past six months toward implementing the war-ending plan.

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**16. Washington imposes sanctions on supportive organizations and activists in the Steadfastness Fleet**

The U.S. Treasury Department approved sanctions against several human rights and civil organizations and pro-Palestinian figures.
The decision included the Association of Palestinian Scholars and its president Marwan Abu Ras, the “Samidoun” network and its European coordinator in Belgium Mohammed Al-Khatib, in addition to activists in the “Steadfastness Fleet” to break the siege, including activist Saif Abu Kashk, who resides in Spain.
The U.S. State Department claimed the targeted groups were linked to Hamas and the Popular Front.

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**17. George Mason University expels graduates who raised the Palestinian flag**

The administration of George Mason University in the U.S. state of Virginia expelled and escorted a group of graduating students out of the official graduation ceremony hall this week after they raised the Palestinian flag on the honors stage.
The targeted students confirmed that the move constitutes a blatant violation of their fundamental freedoms and civil rights, while Western university administrations continue rejecting student demands to divest from and sever ties with the occupation system.

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**18. University of Texas students sue administration over suppression of peaceful movement**

Students at the University of Texas filed a lawsuit in the federal court for the Northern District of Dallas against university leaders and police officers over what they described as repressive arrests and the freezing of the “Students for Justice in Palestine” chapter.
The lawsuit accuses campus police of using excessive force during arrest campaigns targeting students who demonstrated solidarity with the Gaza Strip last year.

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**19. Israeli incitement campaign against art exhibition in Jersey City depicting the Palestinian cause**

The Zionist platform “StopAntisemitism” launched a broad incitement campaign against the “Mana Contemporary” art institution in Jersey City, USA, because it hosted artworks supporting the Palestinian cause and highlighting the resilience of the Palestinian people.
The campaign targeted works by international artist Robert Roest, which depicted resistance tunnels in the Gaza Strip as a symbol of confronting the Zionist war of genocide, with the platform demanding the exhibition’s closure and the suspension of the artist’s profits.

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**20. International condemnation over Israel’s assault on “Steadfastness Fleet” activists**

The international arena witnessed widespread condemnation of the Israeli occupation’s assault on detained activists from the “Global Steadfastness Fleet.”
French Foreign Minister Jean-Noël Barrot said he summoned the Israeli ambassador in Paris to express dissatisfaction and seek explanations regarding the actions of occupation government National Security Minister Itamar Ben Gvir toward detained fleet activists.
In the same context, the Italian government stated that Israel’s treatment of the Global Steadfastness Fleet activists, who were attempting to deliver aid to the Gaza Strip, was unacceptable.
Meanwhile, the Spanish Foreign Ministry summoned the Israeli chargé d’affaires in protest against unacceptable actions toward participants in the fleet.
The Canadian Foreign Ministry also summoned the Israeli ambassador to protest the unacceptable treatment of Steadfastness Fleet members.

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**21. Steadfastness Fleet: Ben Gvir’s assault on solidarity activists reflects the “Nazism” of the occupation**

The spokesperson for the “Steadfastness Fleet” in Gaza, engineer Nour Rami Saad, strongly condemned the assault carried out by the so-called extremist “Israeli National Security Minister” Itamar Ben Gvir against activists and international solidarity supporters aboard the fleet, describing the behavior as “barbaric” and reflective of organized state terrorism.
Saad stated in a press release issued today that what Ben Gvir did is a clear expression of the “Nazi” mentality governing the hardline Israeli right-wing government, emphasizing that this behavior represents the policy of the entire entity and is not an isolated act.