27 mar 2018
A little over a year after the illegal Amona outpost was evacuated by the Israeli government, 25 Israeli settler families from Amona moved into their new homes in the illegal Amichai settlement — the first official Israeli-government sanctioned settlement to be built in the occupied West Bank in 25 years.
Israeli media reported that the settlers would inaugurate their homes in an official ceremony, on Monday.
The Amona outpost — which, like other settlement outposts, are illegal both under international and Israeli law — was slated for demolition following a 2008 Israeli Supreme Court decision, after eight Palestinians from neighboring villages successfully petitioned to remove the outpost on grounds that the construction was carried out on privately owned Palestinian land.
After years of appeals from right-wing Israeli government officials, and attempts by Amona settlers to prove they had legally purchased the land, an Israeli police investigation in May 2014 found the entirety of the outpost to have been built on private Palestinian lands, and that the documents used by Amona residents to try claim their “purchases” were in fact forged.
According to Ma’an News Agency, in February 2017, Israeli authorities evacuated the Amona settlers, who aggressively resisted their evacuation, resulting in the injury of dozens of Israeli soldiers who did little to suppress the violence.
Israeli news website Ynet reported that 15 other settler families will move into the Amichai settlement after the upcoming Passover holiday, adding that the settlement is set to be home to 1,100 families in the future.
“Amichai has been in full swing with connections created to power, sewage and water systems, at an estimated cost of tens of millions of shekels,” Ynet reported.
While the Amichai settlement, which was built in violation of international law in occupied Palestinian territory, has access to electricity and running water, dozens of Palestinian communities across the West Bank live in Area C — under full Israeli security and civilian control — and are prevented from accessing water and electric infrastructures.
Meanwhile, plans for Shvut Rachel East — another illegal Israeli settlement to be established between the existing Shvut Rachel settlement and what is to be Amichai — were advanced in February, also under the pretext of compensating residents of the Amona outpost, despite Amona’s evacuees refusing the relocation plan.
Shvut Rachel East has been referred to as a “neighborhood of Shilo settlement,” by Israeli authorities and not considered an entirely new settlement, despite its considerable distance from the built up area of Shilo.
Israeli media reported that the settlers would inaugurate their homes in an official ceremony, on Monday.
The Amona outpost — which, like other settlement outposts, are illegal both under international and Israeli law — was slated for demolition following a 2008 Israeli Supreme Court decision, after eight Palestinians from neighboring villages successfully petitioned to remove the outpost on grounds that the construction was carried out on privately owned Palestinian land.
After years of appeals from right-wing Israeli government officials, and attempts by Amona settlers to prove they had legally purchased the land, an Israeli police investigation in May 2014 found the entirety of the outpost to have been built on private Palestinian lands, and that the documents used by Amona residents to try claim their “purchases” were in fact forged.
According to Ma’an News Agency, in February 2017, Israeli authorities evacuated the Amona settlers, who aggressively resisted their evacuation, resulting in the injury of dozens of Israeli soldiers who did little to suppress the violence.
Israeli news website Ynet reported that 15 other settler families will move into the Amichai settlement after the upcoming Passover holiday, adding that the settlement is set to be home to 1,100 families in the future.
“Amichai has been in full swing with connections created to power, sewage and water systems, at an estimated cost of tens of millions of shekels,” Ynet reported.
While the Amichai settlement, which was built in violation of international law in occupied Palestinian territory, has access to electricity and running water, dozens of Palestinian communities across the West Bank live in Area C — under full Israeli security and civilian control — and are prevented from accessing water and electric infrastructures.
Meanwhile, plans for Shvut Rachel East — another illegal Israeli settlement to be established between the existing Shvut Rachel settlement and what is to be Amichai — were advanced in February, also under the pretext of compensating residents of the Amona outpost, despite Amona’s evacuees refusing the relocation plan.
Shvut Rachel East has been referred to as a “neighborhood of Shilo settlement,” by Israeli authorities and not considered an entirely new settlement, despite its considerable distance from the built up area of Shilo.
“Under the disguise of ‘compensation’ to the Amona settlers, two new settlements, located one next to the other, are now in the making,” Israeli NGO Peace Now said of Amichai and Shvut Rachel East last month.
Noting the strategic location of the two new settlements between Shilo and Shvut Rachel to the west and a cluster of several illegal outposts to their east, Peace Now wrote that Amichai and Shvut Rachel East “are located in a region that serves as focal point of settler land takeover and settler violence, preventing Palestinians from reaching their lands.”
Israeli human rights organization B’Tselem has also argued that settlers acted as “envoys” of the Israeli government in pushing land grabs in the occupied Palestinian territory, allowing the government to officially detach themselves from the settlers’ violent and illegal actions, while avoiding or blocking any legal penalties that could be imposed on the settlers, except in the most extreme of cases.
Noting the strategic location of the two new settlements between Shilo and Shvut Rachel to the west and a cluster of several illegal outposts to their east, Peace Now wrote that Amichai and Shvut Rachel East “are located in a region that serves as focal point of settler land takeover and settler violence, preventing Palestinians from reaching their lands.”
Israeli human rights organization B’Tselem has also argued that settlers acted as “envoys” of the Israeli government in pushing land grabs in the occupied Palestinian territory, allowing the government to officially detach themselves from the settlers’ violent and illegal actions, while avoiding or blocking any legal penalties that could be imposed on the settlers, except in the most extreme of cases.
21 feb 2018
Israeli settlers began, on Wednesday morning, building a new settlement to the south of Nablus, in the occupied northern West Bank, a settlement that was recognized as a substitute for the outpost Amona, which was evacuated last year.
According to Al Ray, settlers brought many residential caravans to the outpost near the settlement of Shilo, located between Nablus and Ramallah, where the settlement is expected to house 300 settlers, in the first stage.
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu promised colonial settlers that he would build a new settlement in place of the evacuated settlement, while the settlers chose their location near the settlement of “Shilo”, in the mountains south of Nablus, and called the settlement “Amihai”.
According to Al Ray, settlers brought many residential caravans to the outpost near the settlement of Shilo, located between Nablus and Ramallah, where the settlement is expected to house 300 settlers, in the first stage.
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu promised colonial settlers that he would build a new settlement in place of the evacuated settlement, while the settlers chose their location near the settlement of “Shilo”, in the mountains south of Nablus, and called the settlement “Amihai”.
On Wednesday morning, the Israeli company “Kelvon” began installing mobile homes at the work site of the new “Amihai” settlement, on the lands of Jalud village, in Nablus governorate.
Ghassan Douglass, who is responsible for the settlement files in the northern West Bank, said that the southern area of the village of Jalud has been witnessing, since the morning hours, an active movement of trucks carrying mobile homes, amid intensive presence of settlers and occupation forces in the region.
He explained, according to the PNN, that 50 of these houses are placed at the site of “Amihai” settlement in basin 16, known as “Mount Abu al-Rukhm”, to temporarily housing the residents of “Amona” until the completion of the new settlement.
Daghlas warned of the high rate of settlement and the seizure of more Palestinian land.
Ghassan Douglass, who is responsible for the settlement files in the northern West Bank, said that the southern area of the village of Jalud has been witnessing, since the morning hours, an active movement of trucks carrying mobile homes, amid intensive presence of settlers and occupation forces in the region.
He explained, according to the PNN, that 50 of these houses are placed at the site of “Amihai” settlement in basin 16, known as “Mount Abu al-Rukhm”, to temporarily housing the residents of “Amona” until the completion of the new settlement.
Daghlas warned of the high rate of settlement and the seizure of more Palestinian land.
20 feb 2018
The Israeli occupation forces (IOF) on Tuesday morning started to remove a settlement outpost recently established by Israeli settlers in Beita town south of Nablus city.
Eyewitnesses told the PIC reporter that a large number of IOF soldiers stormed Jabal Sbeih in Beita town accompanied by Israeli bulldozers to remove the caravans erected by the settlers in the area.
They added that a group of Israeli settlers rallied in the area to protest the removal of the outpost and attacked Palestinian vehicles passing on a nearby road.
Israeli settlers in recent weeks have set up a number of caravans in preparation for the establishment of a new settlement outpost named Avitar on privately-owned Palestinian lands belonging to the villages of Beita, Qabalan and Yatma.
Eyewitnesses told the PIC reporter that a large number of IOF soldiers stormed Jabal Sbeih in Beita town accompanied by Israeli bulldozers to remove the caravans erected by the settlers in the area.
They added that a group of Israeli settlers rallied in the area to protest the removal of the outpost and attacked Palestinian vehicles passing on a nearby road.
Israeli settlers in recent weeks have set up a number of caravans in preparation for the establishment of a new settlement outpost named Avitar on privately-owned Palestinian lands belonging to the villages of Beita, Qabalan and Yatma.
14 dec 2017
Jewish settlers who were evicted last February from the illegal West Bank outpost of Amona because it was established on privately owned land are now being moved to mobile homes on a land that was previously expropriated from individual Palestinian owners for public use.
According to Haaretz website, the plot of land is situated near the West Bank settlement of Ofra.
However, Haaretz has learned that no public buildings have ever been constructed on this land, although it was seized by the Israeli authorities for public use.
Some of the trailer homes were installed several weeks before Amona was forcibly evacuated, but Amona’s evacuees said then they would not live in them, so work on installing the trailers there was halted at the time.
The evacuation of Amona last February, the largest unauthorized Jewish outpost in the West Bank, came after a prolonged legal and political fight. Israel’s high court of justice had ordered and delayed its evacuation several times.
Recently, work on installing more than 10 trailers resumed at the site, which is adjacent to the Givat Zvi neighborhood of Ofra, north of Occupied Jerusalem.
Settlers said the trailers will later be relocated again to the settlement of Amihai, which is being developed for the former Amona residents, once infrastructure there is finished.
The Israeli army’s civil administration in the West Bank halted work at Givat Zvi after residents of Amona refused to relocate to the trailer homes there, and visitors in recent months to the site, which is only several hundred meters from where Amona stood, found it empty and abandoned.
Infrastructure for four additional trailers had been put in place, but the mobile homes themselves were never installed.
Now, however, the Mateh Binyamin regional council, the local government in the area, has resumed work on this seized Palestinian land, and this week workmen were seen again at the site, where several additional trailers have now been installed.
Maps belonging to the civil administration indicate that some of the trailers have indeed been placed on land that had been expropriated for public purposes but no public buildings have ever been built there.
In addition, trailer homes that were installed there were placed without permits of any kind.
According to Haaretz website, the plot of land is situated near the West Bank settlement of Ofra.
However, Haaretz has learned that no public buildings have ever been constructed on this land, although it was seized by the Israeli authorities for public use.
Some of the trailer homes were installed several weeks before Amona was forcibly evacuated, but Amona’s evacuees said then they would not live in them, so work on installing the trailers there was halted at the time.
The evacuation of Amona last February, the largest unauthorized Jewish outpost in the West Bank, came after a prolonged legal and political fight. Israel’s high court of justice had ordered and delayed its evacuation several times.
Recently, work on installing more than 10 trailers resumed at the site, which is adjacent to the Givat Zvi neighborhood of Ofra, north of Occupied Jerusalem.
Settlers said the trailers will later be relocated again to the settlement of Amihai, which is being developed for the former Amona residents, once infrastructure there is finished.
The Israeli army’s civil administration in the West Bank halted work at Givat Zvi after residents of Amona refused to relocate to the trailer homes there, and visitors in recent months to the site, which is only several hundred meters from where Amona stood, found it empty and abandoned.
Infrastructure for four additional trailers had been put in place, but the mobile homes themselves were never installed.
Now, however, the Mateh Binyamin regional council, the local government in the area, has resumed work on this seized Palestinian land, and this week workmen were seen again at the site, where several additional trailers have now been installed.
Maps belonging to the civil administration indicate that some of the trailers have indeed been placed on land that had been expropriated for public purposes but no public buildings have ever been built there.
In addition, trailer homes that were installed there were placed without permits of any kind.
22 oct 2017
The Hebrew newspaper Maariv reported on Sunday that members of Israeli Knesset of the government coalition intend to present a new bill to the Ministerial Committee for Legislation blocking the eviction of Jewish-only settlements in the northern West bank.
According to the newspaper, both MKs Shuli Mualem, of the Jewish Home, and David Bitan, head of the government coalition of Likud party, will present the bill based on an agreement with Head of the Shomron Regional Council Yossi Dagan.
The bill will allow Jewish settlers to return to the settlements that were evicted in 2005 including Sanur, Kadim, Homesh and others.
According to the newspaper, both MKs Shuli Mualem, of the Jewish Home, and David Bitan, head of the government coalition of Likud party, will present the bill based on an agreement with Head of the Shomron Regional Council Yossi Dagan.
The bill will allow Jewish settlers to return to the settlements that were evicted in 2005 including Sanur, Kadim, Homesh and others.
3 oct 2017
Despite repeated assurances from Interior Minister Deri and PM himself, work on Amichai, settlement for Amona evacuees, stalls once again when money to pay contractor runs out. Binyamin council appeal to ministry for continuing work without tende refused.
Work on the construction of the Amichai settlement, intended for Amona evacuees and restarted just a month ago after being halted, stalled again due to the Ministry of the Interior's refusal to exempt the Binyamin Regional Council from a tender process, preventing them from paying the contractor performing the work.
"First they stabbed us in the back, and now they're turning the knife. If (works stop again—ed), we'll all make a pilgrimage to Amichai on Sukkot," evacuees said.
The decision to halt construction was made following an instruction by the Chairman of the Binyamin Regional Council Avi Roeh, who ordered the contractor laying down the groundwork for Amichai to immediately desist until further notice.
The contractor won the bidding on a NIS 15 million tender to carry out various construction projects around the Binyamin council, but money ran out and the works stopped.
The council then contacted the Ministry of the Interior to continue working with him on the Amichai project without releasing an additional tender, but the ministry refused.
"After the refusal, we had no choice but to instruct the contractor to stop working," a council source said, who said Interior Ministry officials toured the site earlier this week and were made aware of the issue.
It is not the first time work on the settlement long promised to Amona evacuees has been brought to a halt. Two months ago, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu announced he'd instructed his bureau to personally handle the matter. Ministry of the Interior officials, including Interior Minister Aryeh Deri himself, also expressed their concern for the future settlement's residents, but work has nevertheless once again been halted.
"We simply refuse to believe this is happening again. If someone thinks they can give us the runaround, they don't know how wrong they are. We won't tolerate any more delays in the settlement's construction work. We've been wedged—six, seven or eight people— into one room in youth hostels, parents with children, for nine months," one Amona evacuee complained.
"Where's the prime minister? Where are the Likud ministers? Where's Bennett? How could they let this happen? We're sick and tired of all the talk and promises. In Sukkot we'll be going to Amichai and not leaving again," Amona evacuees declared.
Speaking about the matter, the Ministry of the Interior said, "The tender for carrying out development work on the creation of the Amichai settlement are performed in full coordination and understanding between the ministry and the Binyamin Regional Council in charge of the work, with the aim of persistently pushing through a permanent solution for Amona evacuees."
"Having said that, there's no getting around the fact every action must be carried out in accordance with the law, including the provisions relating to local authority contract work. Considering the above, the Ministry of the Interior examined the required contractual obligations and a mechanism was created to carry them out, including exemptions for certain applicable cases conforming with the law," the ministry concluded.
Work on the construction of the Amichai settlement, intended for Amona evacuees and restarted just a month ago after being halted, stalled again due to the Ministry of the Interior's refusal to exempt the Binyamin Regional Council from a tender process, preventing them from paying the contractor performing the work.
"First they stabbed us in the back, and now they're turning the knife. If (works stop again—ed), we'll all make a pilgrimage to Amichai on Sukkot," evacuees said.
The decision to halt construction was made following an instruction by the Chairman of the Binyamin Regional Council Avi Roeh, who ordered the contractor laying down the groundwork for Amichai to immediately desist until further notice.
The contractor won the bidding on a NIS 15 million tender to carry out various construction projects around the Binyamin council, but money ran out and the works stopped.
The council then contacted the Ministry of the Interior to continue working with him on the Amichai project without releasing an additional tender, but the ministry refused.
"After the refusal, we had no choice but to instruct the contractor to stop working," a council source said, who said Interior Ministry officials toured the site earlier this week and were made aware of the issue.
It is not the first time work on the settlement long promised to Amona evacuees has been brought to a halt. Two months ago, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu announced he'd instructed his bureau to personally handle the matter. Ministry of the Interior officials, including Interior Minister Aryeh Deri himself, also expressed their concern for the future settlement's residents, but work has nevertheless once again been halted.
"We simply refuse to believe this is happening again. If someone thinks they can give us the runaround, they don't know how wrong they are. We won't tolerate any more delays in the settlement's construction work. We've been wedged—six, seven or eight people— into one room in youth hostels, parents with children, for nine months," one Amona evacuee complained.
"Where's the prime minister? Where are the Likud ministers? Where's Bennett? How could they let this happen? We're sick and tired of all the talk and promises. In Sukkot we'll be going to Amichai and not leaving again," Amona evacuees declared.
Speaking about the matter, the Ministry of the Interior said, "The tender for carrying out development work on the creation of the Amichai settlement are performed in full coordination and understanding between the ministry and the Binyamin Regional Council in charge of the work, with the aim of persistently pushing through a permanent solution for Amona evacuees."
"Having said that, there's no getting around the fact every action must be carried out in accordance with the law, including the provisions relating to local authority contract work. Considering the above, the Ministry of the Interior examined the required contractual obligations and a mechanism was created to carry them out, including exemptions for certain applicable cases conforming with the law," the ministry concluded.
4 sept 2017
A group of illegal Israeli colonists invaded, Monday, privately-owned Palestinian lands in Jaloud village, south of the northern West Bank city of Nablus, and installed mobile homes and a tent, in an area just a few meters away from a new under-construction colony.
Ghassan Daghlas, a Palestinian Authority official who monitors settlement activities in the northern West Bank, told the WAFA Palestinian News Agency that the colonists prepared a road leading to the newly installed homes, which were set up on nearly 30 Dunams of agricultural lands.
Daghlas added that the Israeli army recently prevented the Palestinians from entering their lands to harvest their wheat, and today, the colonists started installing their new colony on the same lands, just meters away from “Amichai” under-construction illegal colony, which is being built to relocate colonists who were removed from Amona colonialist outpost this past February.
Ghassan Daghlas, a Palestinian Authority official who monitors settlement activities in the northern West Bank, told the WAFA Palestinian News Agency that the colonists prepared a road leading to the newly installed homes, which were set up on nearly 30 Dunams of agricultural lands.
Daghlas added that the Israeli army recently prevented the Palestinians from entering their lands to harvest their wheat, and today, the colonists started installing their new colony on the same lands, just meters away from “Amichai” under-construction illegal colony, which is being built to relocate colonists who were removed from Amona colonialist outpost this past February.
19 aug 2017
Israeli Prime Minister’s Office is seeking to increase by tens of millions of shekels the budget for evacuating and resettling residents of the illegal West Bank outpost of Amona, according to Haaretz Hebrew newspaper.
It asked the Finance Ministry this week for a further 30-70 million shekels ($8.25-$19.25 million) on top of what is already allocated to develop Amichai, the new settlement for those being moved from Amona.
Haaretz has learned that if the requested increase is paid fully, the state will have invested close to a quarter of a billion shekels to evacuate and resettle 40 families who had built homes without permits and against the law in Amona.
A spokesman for the Prime Minister’s Office denied this report, but other sources familiar with the matter have confirmed it.
The sources said the prime minister’s chief of staff, Yoav Horowitz, asked for the added sum at a meeting this week with officials from several ministries involved in building the new settlement. The meeting was held due to the halt in the new settlement’s construction, caused by the lack of funds which none of the ministries was willing to pay.
Until now some 160 million shekels were earmarked for Amona’s evacuation and building Amichai. The sum consists of about 60 million shekels for infrastructure and public structures and 40 million shekels to compensate the evacuated Amona settlers.
It asked the Finance Ministry this week for a further 30-70 million shekels ($8.25-$19.25 million) on top of what is already allocated to develop Amichai, the new settlement for those being moved from Amona.
Haaretz has learned that if the requested increase is paid fully, the state will have invested close to a quarter of a billion shekels to evacuate and resettle 40 families who had built homes without permits and against the law in Amona.
A spokesman for the Prime Minister’s Office denied this report, but other sources familiar with the matter have confirmed it.
The sources said the prime minister’s chief of staff, Yoav Horowitz, asked for the added sum at a meeting this week with officials from several ministries involved in building the new settlement. The meeting was held due to the halt in the new settlement’s construction, caused by the lack of funds which none of the ministries was willing to pay.
Until now some 160 million shekels were earmarked for Amona’s evacuation and building Amichai. The sum consists of about 60 million shekels for infrastructure and public structures and 40 million shekels to compensate the evacuated Amona settlers.
26 july 2017
The Israeli occupation authority (IOA) has resumed the construction of a new settlement for Amona settlers whose illegal West Bank outpost was evacuated a few months ago following a court order.
Israel’s Channel 7 said on Tuesday that premier Benjamin Netanyahu gave orders in this regards to the competent authorities and minister of construction Yoav Galant.
The construction of the settlement already started last month, but it was suspended because the Israeli government did not transfer the needed funds.
The new settlement, known as Amichai, is being built to house about 300 hardline residents of the illegal West Bank Jewish outpost of Amona who were evicted by police in February after a court ruled their houses were established on privately owned Palestinian land.
Part of the new settlement, however, will be built on Palestinian-owned land, southeast of Nablus city.
Amichai will be the first entirely new state-approved settlement constructed in the Palestinian territories since the Israeli-Palestinian Oslo peace accords were signed in 1993, although illegal outposts have been constructed in that period and other settlements have expanded.
Israel’s Channel 7 said on Tuesday that premier Benjamin Netanyahu gave orders in this regards to the competent authorities and minister of construction Yoav Galant.
The construction of the settlement already started last month, but it was suspended because the Israeli government did not transfer the needed funds.
The new settlement, known as Amichai, is being built to house about 300 hardline residents of the illegal West Bank Jewish outpost of Amona who were evicted by police in February after a court ruled their houses were established on privately owned Palestinian land.
Part of the new settlement, however, will be built on Palestinian-owned land, southeast of Nablus city.
Amichai will be the first entirely new state-approved settlement constructed in the Palestinian territories since the Israeli-Palestinian Oslo peace accords were signed in 1993, although illegal outposts have been constructed in that period and other settlements have expanded.
