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A6 WORLD NEWS
Thursday 3 February 2022
Israel upholds use of surveillance technology on protesters

JERUSALEM (AP) — Israel's further intervention in the
attorney general has up- matter.
held the Shin Bet security Tuesday was the final day
agency's use of mobile- of Mandelblit's six-year
phone tracking technology term. The Association for
to monitor and threaten Civil Rights in Israel, or ACRI,
Palestinian protesters at expressed disappointment
Jerusalem's most sensitive with the ruling.
holy site last year. "They say they have the au-
The decision, which came thority to continue sending
on Tuesday, drew harsh these kind of texts to peo-
criticism from the civil rights ple," said Gil Gan-Mor, who
group that challenged the heads the group's unit on
use of the technology. The human rights in the digital
group warned that it would age. "We think differently."
have a "chilling effect" on He said authorities have
the country's Arab minority. tools to investigate and
The attorney general's prosecute people suspect-
move was in response to a ed in violence, but sending
complaint over a series of threatening messages was
text messages sent out last not the way to maintain se-
May to hundreds of Pales- curity.
tinians at the height of one A Palestinian man runs away from tear gas during clashes with Israeli security forces in front of the "Obviously this will have a
of the city's most turbulent Dome of the Rock Mosque at the Al Aqsa Mosque compound in Jerusalem's Old City Monday, chilling effect, to say the
periods in years. At the time, May 10, 2021. least, on practicing legiti-
Palestinian protesters were Associated Press mate activities, like going
clashing with Israeli police to a protest or going to
at the Al Aqsa Mosque in of east Jerusalem, as well as ney General Avichai Man- said the use of the technol- pray somewhere," he said.
violence that helped spark Palestinian citizens of Israel. delblit, urging him to halt ogy was a legitimate secu- The group was studying the
an 11-day war between Is- While some recipients had the use of the technology. rity tool and that the secu- decision and would decide
rael and Hamas militants in participated in the clash- It cited the use of the tool rity service has revised its in the coming days wheth-
the Gaza Strip. es, many others, such as on a large group of people procedures to avoid similar er to file an appeal to the
Using its tracking technol- people who lived, worked and the threatening lan- mistakes in the future. Israeli Supreme Court, he
ogy, the Shin Bet sent a text or prayed in the area, re- guage of the text. "After discussions with us on added.
message to people who ceived the message erro- In its response, the attor- this subject, lessons were ACRI has previously filed le-
were determined to be in neously and said they were ney general's office ac- learned in the security gal challenges to the gov-
the area of the clashes and surprised or scared by the knowledged there had agency and guidelines for- ernment's use of the same
told them "we will hold you message. been problems with the mulated in various aspects Shin Bet tracking technol-
accountable" for acts of The Association for Civil message, both with its lan- with the goal of preventing ogy as a contact-tracing
violence. Rights in Israel, a civil-so- guage and because the a recurrence of problems tool to prevent the spread
The recipients included ciety group, filed a com- mass distribution included like this," said the opinion. It of the coronavirus early in
both Palestinian residents plaint to the office of Attor- unintended targets. But it said the office planned no the pandemic.q

Taliban reopen universities for Afghan women in 6 provinces

same harsh measures as Nangarhar and Kandahar regated system under the
during their 1990s rule of Af- were now open for women Taliban.
ghanistan, including ban- in what it described as a Earlier this week, Abdul
ning girls from education staggered process expect- Baqi Haqqani, the Taliban-
and women from the work- ed to see all students — appointed education
place and public life. men and women — even- minister, said that public
The Taliban have imposed tually return to university. universities elsewhere in
several restrictions, many of Later in the day, the Taliban Afghanistan, including the
them on women, since their spokesman for the minis- University of Kabul, would
takeover — women have try of higher education, reopen for both men and
been banned from many Ahmad Taqqi, said public women on Feb. 26.
jobs outside the health universities also reopened "All instructors and officials
and teaching sector, and Wednesday for women are advised to concen-
girls have not been able in four more provinces — trate on their responsibilities
Afghan girls participate a lesson at Tajrobawai Girls High School, to go to school after grade Helmand, Farah, Nimroz, and provide the required
in Herat, Afghanistan, Thursday, Nov. 25, 2021. six. The Taliban demand and Laghman. facilities for the students,"
Associated Press women wear headscarves The six provinces have Haqqani said in a recorded
but have stopped short of warmer climates than the video clip on Sunday.
By TAMEEM AKHGAR ing a major concession to imposing the burqa, the rest of Afghanistan where The United Nations mission
Associated Press international demands by head-to covering that was the winters are bitterly cold, in Afghanistan welcomed
ISLAMABAD (AP) — The Tal- the country's new rulers. compulsory under their pre- which the Taliban say is the his announcement, calling
iban on Wednesday said Since they swept into pow- vious rule. reason they are the first to it "important for Afghani-
they have reopened public er in mid-August, the inter- The Taliban-run culture and reopen. Men will attend stan" in a tweet Tuesday.
universities for women stu- national community has information ministry said classes in the morning and "So crucial that every young
dents in six of Afghanistan's watched to see whether Wednesday that public uni- women in the afternoon, person has equal access to
34 provinces, a move mark- the Taliban will impose the versities in the provinces of aligning with a gender-seg- education." q