30 apr 2014
Israeli bulldozers demolished on Wednesday morning two Palestinian homes in Aroub refugee camp to the north of al-Khalil. Israeli forces escorted bulldozers into al-Bas area on the outskirts of the camp, and demolished two homes under the pretext of being built without permit.
Violent clashes erupted as inhabitants tried to prevent the demolition process, eyewitnesses told the PIC reporter, adding that Israeli soldiers fired tear gas and sound bombs and metal bullets at the protestors.
The Israeli forces prevented ambulance crews and journalists' access to the area, they said.
The eyewitnesses underlined that IOF soldiers handed notifications for the demolition of all Palestinian homes in the same area under the pretext of being built without permit.
Local sources said that many citizens suffered breathing problems after inhaling tear gas and were transferred to hospital for treatment.
Meanwhile, Israeli patrols stormed last night Askar refugee camp east of Nablus. Violent clashes broke out between soldiers and Palestinian youths in the camp.
PIC correspondent said that breathing problems were reported among the citizens after inhaling tear gas while gathering to perform dawn prayers.
On the other hand, the occupation forces were deployed in the industrial area near the camp and broke into Palestinian homes.
Furthermore, Israeli soldiers stormed a Palestinian house in Awarta town south of Nablus and turned it to a military watchtower.
The Israeli forces prevented children in that house from going to school, and cut its telephone line.
Violent clashes erupted as inhabitants tried to prevent the demolition process, eyewitnesses told the PIC reporter, adding that Israeli soldiers fired tear gas and sound bombs and metal bullets at the protestors.
The Israeli forces prevented ambulance crews and journalists' access to the area, they said.
The eyewitnesses underlined that IOF soldiers handed notifications for the demolition of all Palestinian homes in the same area under the pretext of being built without permit.
Local sources said that many citizens suffered breathing problems after inhaling tear gas and were transferred to hospital for treatment.
Meanwhile, Israeli patrols stormed last night Askar refugee camp east of Nablus. Violent clashes broke out between soldiers and Palestinian youths in the camp.
PIC correspondent said that breathing problems were reported among the citizens after inhaling tear gas while gathering to perform dawn prayers.
On the other hand, the occupation forces were deployed in the industrial area near the camp and broke into Palestinian homes.
Furthermore, Israeli soldiers stormed a Palestinian house in Awarta town south of Nablus and turned it to a military watchtower.
The Israeli forces prevented children in that house from going to school, and cut its telephone line.
several Israeli military jeeps and bulldozers invaded the al-Bass area, in Shiokh al-‘Arroub, north of the southern West Bank city of Hebron, and demolished two Palestinian homes.
Head of the Popular Committee in the Al-‘Arroub refugee camp, Ahmad Abu al-Kheiran, told the Radio Bethlehem 2000 that the army and personnel of the military-run Civil Administration Office, invaded the area, south of the al-Aroub refugee camp, and isolated the al-Qosour neighborhood.
He said that several heavy vehicles invaded the area, including farmlands, fired several gas bombs and concussion grenades at the residents, and demolished two homes.
Abu al-Kheiran added that the two demolished homes belong to residents Mohammad Hilmy Abu Ghazy, and Hasan Abu Ghazy.
The homes are more than 200 square/meters each; the soldiers also demolished walls around the properties, and uprooted olive and fig trees, and grape vines.
Head of the Popular Committee in the Al-‘Arroub refugee camp, Ahmad Abu al-Kheiran, told the Radio Bethlehem 2000 that the army and personnel of the military-run Civil Administration Office, invaded the area, south of the al-Aroub refugee camp, and isolated the al-Qosour neighborhood.
He said that several heavy vehicles invaded the area, including farmlands, fired several gas bombs and concussion grenades at the residents, and demolished two homes.
Abu al-Kheiran added that the two demolished homes belong to residents Mohammad Hilmy Abu Ghazy, and Hasan Abu Ghazy.
The homes are more than 200 square/meters each; the soldiers also demolished walls around the properties, and uprooted olive and fig trees, and grape vines.
29 apr 2014
The so-called Civil Administration Office, run by the Israeli military in the occupied Palestinian territories, designated around 28,000 Dunams of Palestinian lands, beyond the Annexation Wall, as state lands. The move will be later followed by constructing and expanding Jewish settlements.
Israeli daily, Haaretz, has reported that Maj. Gen. Yoav Mordechai, who coordinates his government’s activities in the occupied territories, told a subcommittee of the Knesset, last week, that the 28,000 Dunams (Around 6.199 Acres) received the approval the Civil Administration’s taskforce “for demarcating state land”.
The taskforce, known as “Blue Line Task Force”, was created by the Israeli government, back in 1999, to reexamine lands shoddily considered in the 1980’s as lands “that belong to Israel.”
The Israeli paper further stated that most of the lands, recently declared as “belonging to the state”, hold a strategic value to the settlers, and could lead settlements close to the Green Line, the line between historic Palestine and the West Bank, to be linked to Israeli towns.
Israel intends to confiscate around 3,476 Dunams of Palestinian lands near Ariel settlement, in the northern part of the West Bank, adding that around 2,302 Dunams in the southern Hebron Hills of the occupied West Bank have been claimed by Israel as “state land”.
Talking to Haaretz, Dror Etkes of Rabbis for Human Rights said the Israeli decision is another indication that Tel Aviv is not interested in peace talks with the Palestinians.
He said that the illegal activities of the Israeli government, and adding more lands to the jurisdiction of Jewish settlements, indicate that the Israeli Government of Benjamin Netanyahu believes there is no Oslo agreement, no Wall and no peace negotiations with the Palestinians.
Etkes told Haaretz that the amount of lands, and their locations in the occupied territories, shows that the Civil Administration believes all lands in Area C, (under full Israeli military control in the occupied West Bank, and should become part of the Palestinian State) are all designated for settlement activities.
He added that this has been taking place on the ground over the past twenty years. Such activities prevent the establishment of a viable and contiguous Palestinian State as the occupied territories became fragmented and isolated by the Annexation Wall, and Israel’s illegitimate settlements.
Israeli Peace Now Movement said that, during the 9 months of direct talks mediated by US Secretary of State, John Kerry, Israel advanced plans and tenders for constructing more than 13,851 units in Jewish settlements, in occupied East Jerusalem.
Israel’s illegitimate settlements and the Apartheid Wall are preventing the Palestinians access to what is left of their orchards and lands.
They have isolated entire Palestinian communities and turned them into ghettos, fragmented and isolated.
Such activities are also meant to keep and boost Israel’s hold on all vital areas in occupied Palestine, especially in and around occupied Jerusalem, the Jordan Valley and its fertile lands, hilltops and all areas with natural resources, including water.
Peace Now Report on Israeli Settlement Activities during the Nine Months of Talks;
9 Months of Talks, 9 Months of Settlement Development
Israeli daily, Haaretz, has reported that Maj. Gen. Yoav Mordechai, who coordinates his government’s activities in the occupied territories, told a subcommittee of the Knesset, last week, that the 28,000 Dunams (Around 6.199 Acres) received the approval the Civil Administration’s taskforce “for demarcating state land”.
The taskforce, known as “Blue Line Task Force”, was created by the Israeli government, back in 1999, to reexamine lands shoddily considered in the 1980’s as lands “that belong to Israel.”
The Israeli paper further stated that most of the lands, recently declared as “belonging to the state”, hold a strategic value to the settlers, and could lead settlements close to the Green Line, the line between historic Palestine and the West Bank, to be linked to Israeli towns.
Israel intends to confiscate around 3,476 Dunams of Palestinian lands near Ariel settlement, in the northern part of the West Bank, adding that around 2,302 Dunams in the southern Hebron Hills of the occupied West Bank have been claimed by Israel as “state land”.
Talking to Haaretz, Dror Etkes of Rabbis for Human Rights said the Israeli decision is another indication that Tel Aviv is not interested in peace talks with the Palestinians.
He said that the illegal activities of the Israeli government, and adding more lands to the jurisdiction of Jewish settlements, indicate that the Israeli Government of Benjamin Netanyahu believes there is no Oslo agreement, no Wall and no peace negotiations with the Palestinians.
Etkes told Haaretz that the amount of lands, and their locations in the occupied territories, shows that the Civil Administration believes all lands in Area C, (under full Israeli military control in the occupied West Bank, and should become part of the Palestinian State) are all designated for settlement activities.
He added that this has been taking place on the ground over the past twenty years. Such activities prevent the establishment of a viable and contiguous Palestinian State as the occupied territories became fragmented and isolated by the Annexation Wall, and Israel’s illegitimate settlements.
Israeli Peace Now Movement said that, during the 9 months of direct talks mediated by US Secretary of State, John Kerry, Israel advanced plans and tenders for constructing more than 13,851 units in Jewish settlements, in occupied East Jerusalem.
Israel’s illegitimate settlements and the Apartheid Wall are preventing the Palestinians access to what is left of their orchards and lands.
They have isolated entire Palestinian communities and turned them into ghettos, fragmented and isolated.
Such activities are also meant to keep and boost Israel’s hold on all vital areas in occupied Palestine, especially in and around occupied Jerusalem, the Jordan Valley and its fertile lands, hilltops and all areas with natural resources, including water.
Peace Now Report on Israeli Settlement Activities during the Nine Months of Talks;
9 Months of Talks, 9 Months of Settlement Development
The Mosque that was demolished today, April 29, 2014, in Khirbet Tawil
The Israeli occupation forces (IOF) at dawn Tuesday demolished the Mosque of Khirbet Tawil hamlet to the east of Aqraba town, south of Nablus, in addition to six homes and several structures used for keeping livestock.
Hamza Deeriya, a senior official of the defense committee for Yanoun and Tawil hamlets, told the Palestinian information center (PIC) that more than 250 Israeli soldiers encircled and stormed Tawil hamlet at about three o'clock in the morning as the residents were asleep and used bulldozers they brought with them to demolish the only Mosque in the area.
Deeriya explained further that the Israeli bulldozers knocked down the Mosque entirely in addition to six houses and several livestock shacks.
He said that the Israeli army notified the residents of its intention to demolish their Mosque in 2007, noting that 80 Palestinian civilians live in Tawil hamlet.
He added that the Israeli army seeks to expel all Tawil residents from the area, but the natives are determined to stay on their land and rebuild everything demolished by the Israelis.
Over the past years, the Israeli army handed the natives 17 demolition orders against their homes, water wells, electricity network and livestock structures and razed some of them.
The Israeli occupation forces (IOF) at dawn Tuesday demolished the Mosque of Khirbet Tawil hamlet to the east of Aqraba town, south of Nablus, in addition to six homes and several structures used for keeping livestock.
Hamza Deeriya, a senior official of the defense committee for Yanoun and Tawil hamlets, told the Palestinian information center (PIC) that more than 250 Israeli soldiers encircled and stormed Tawil hamlet at about three o'clock in the morning as the residents were asleep and used bulldozers they brought with them to demolish the only Mosque in the area.
Deeriya explained further that the Israeli bulldozers knocked down the Mosque entirely in addition to six houses and several livestock shacks.
He said that the Israeli army notified the residents of its intention to demolish their Mosque in 2007, noting that 80 Palestinian civilians live in Tawil hamlet.
He added that the Israeli army seeks to expel all Tawil residents from the area, but the natives are determined to stay on their land and rebuild everything demolished by the Israelis.
Over the past years, the Israeli army handed the natives 17 demolition orders against their homes, water wells, electricity network and livestock structures and razed some of them.
28 apr 2014
Israeli bulldozers demolished Monday morning a Palestinian house in ''Rafat'' town, north of occupied Jerusalem. Palestinian security sources said that 40 occupation military vehicles, accompanied by several bulldozers, demolished a house owned by Samer abu-Ghazaleh.
Abu-Ghazaleh said the occupation demolished his house and erased his grape field and the surrounding fence of his farm.
Since 1967, about 27,000 Palestinian homes and other structures (livestock pens and fencing for example) crucial for a family’s livelihood, have been demolished in the Occupied Palestinian Territories (OPT).
In 2013, Israel destroyed 99 buildings in annexed East Jerusalem, leaving 298 people homeless, according to United Nations humanitarian affairs agency OCHA.
IOF soldiers demolish house in OJ, raid school in Yatta
Israeli occupation forces (IOF) razed a Palestinian house in Rafat village, to the north west of occupied Jerusalem, on Monday. Palestinian police in Ramallah said in a statement that IOF soldiers in 40 army vehicles escorted military bulldozers into the village and razed the house of Samer Abu Ghazala.
It pointed out that the house contained only a single room and a bathroom, adding that the bulldozers destroyed grapevines and a fence surrounding the house in the process.
Abu Ghazala, the house owner, said that the soldiers bulldozed his simple house and the vineyards that used to provide him and his family with a source of living.
Meanwhile, IOF soldiers served a notice to a Palestinian man in a hamlet near Yatta town, south of al-Khalil, that he should tear down his tent.
Local activists also said that IOF soldiers with maps broke into Fakhit school in Yatta and took photos of its buildings without giving an explanation for the act.
Abu-Ghazaleh said the occupation demolished his house and erased his grape field and the surrounding fence of his farm.
Since 1967, about 27,000 Palestinian homes and other structures (livestock pens and fencing for example) crucial for a family’s livelihood, have been demolished in the Occupied Palestinian Territories (OPT).
In 2013, Israel destroyed 99 buildings in annexed East Jerusalem, leaving 298 people homeless, according to United Nations humanitarian affairs agency OCHA.
IOF soldiers demolish house in OJ, raid school in Yatta
Israeli occupation forces (IOF) razed a Palestinian house in Rafat village, to the north west of occupied Jerusalem, on Monday. Palestinian police in Ramallah said in a statement that IOF soldiers in 40 army vehicles escorted military bulldozers into the village and razed the house of Samer Abu Ghazala.
It pointed out that the house contained only a single room and a bathroom, adding that the bulldozers destroyed grapevines and a fence surrounding the house in the process.
Abu Ghazala, the house owner, said that the soldiers bulldozed his simple house and the vineyards that used to provide him and his family with a source of living.
Meanwhile, IOF soldiers served a notice to a Palestinian man in a hamlet near Yatta town, south of al-Khalil, that he should tear down his tent.
Local activists also said that IOF soldiers with maps broke into Fakhit school in Yatta and took photos of its buildings without giving an explanation for the act.
Al-Kakal a Zionist organization is launching a cold war through buying the Palestinian lands secretly in a way similar to Mossad’s. Israeli channel 10 revealed that the organization appoints an Arab deputy, his name is kept anonymous, to buy Negev lands and gave him in return large amounts of money.
The channel reported that there are serious corruption issues inside al-Kakal including scam, exploitation, buying receivables within the institution called "Jewish National Fund" (JNF).
“Kakal owes 12% of the Palestinian lands as a private property. No Governmental or judicial party dare to object it or use the lands it controls.” Head of the popular committee for the defense of land and housing Ahmed Melhem said.
The Kakal was established in 1901. It is specialized in collecting the funds to buy the Palestinian lands for the construction of Israeli colonial settlements.
The channel reported that there are serious corruption issues inside al-Kakal including scam, exploitation, buying receivables within the institution called "Jewish National Fund" (JNF).
“Kakal owes 12% of the Palestinian lands as a private property. No Governmental or judicial party dare to object it or use the lands it controls.” Head of the popular committee for the defense of land and housing Ahmed Melhem said.
The Kakal was established in 1901. It is specialized in collecting the funds to buy the Palestinian lands for the construction of Israeli colonial settlements.
Israeli ministers Gilad Erdan of Likud and Naftali Bennett of the Jewish Home ultra-orthodox settler party calls for an annexation of Area C in the West Bank, media sources report.
The annexation would mean that Palestinians in Area C should obtain Israeli passports and thereby, legally, be pushed even further away from their legitimate representatives, the PLO.
Already, the Israeli occupation has civilian and security control over Area C, leading to serious hardships for the Palestinian population living there. They are cut of from the Palestinian Police forces, who is not allowed to enter the area, and building permits are extremely difficult to obtain, preventing the development of the areas. Because of their proximity to settlements, Palestinians from Area C often experience harassment from Israeli settlers.
According to Bennett, the rest of the West Bank could not obtain full independence, but the goal should be to make "conditions as livable as possible," and he was quoted to say that "[Palestinians] have the best life in the entire Arab world, "seriously understating the severe and inhumane conditions that most Palestinians of the West Bank have to live with every day because of the oppressive regime that Bennet himself represents. This belittlement of the Palestinian suffering shows the obliviousness and neglect of many Israelis when it comes to the situation in the West Bank.
The annexation would mean that Palestinians in Area C should obtain Israeli passports and thereby, legally, be pushed even further away from their legitimate representatives, the PLO.
Already, the Israeli occupation has civilian and security control over Area C, leading to serious hardships for the Palestinian population living there. They are cut of from the Palestinian Police forces, who is not allowed to enter the area, and building permits are extremely difficult to obtain, preventing the development of the areas. Because of their proximity to settlements, Palestinians from Area C often experience harassment from Israeli settlers.
According to Bennett, the rest of the West Bank could not obtain full independence, but the goal should be to make "conditions as livable as possible," and he was quoted to say that "[Palestinians] have the best life in the entire Arab world, "seriously understating the severe and inhumane conditions that most Palestinians of the West Bank have to live with every day because of the oppressive regime that Bennet himself represents. This belittlement of the Palestinian suffering shows the obliviousness and neglect of many Israelis when it comes to the situation in the West Bank.
27 apr 2014
The 'tire school' in al-Khan al-Ahmar
A school made of tires in the sensitive E1 area east of Jerusalem is slated for destruction by Israel, but its case is being reviewed by the Supreme Court, a local spokesman told Ma'an.
Eid Khamis Sweilim, a spokesman of Bedouin communities in Jerusalem district, told Ma'an that the school in the Bedouin village of al-Khan al-Ahmar houses 128 pupils aged eight to 13 from five different Bedouin communities.
Shortly after it was built, Israeli settlers from nearby Kfar Adumim appealed to Israeli courts requesting the school be demolished, and it has since faced repeated demolition threats, Sweilim said.
The Area-C village's residential structures have also been threatened with demolition, as they were built without Israeli permission after their construction permit applications were denied by Israeli authorities.
"A structural plan for the Bedouin communities has been submitted to the Israeli Civil Administration, but it was rejected," Sweilim said, adding that the plan was funded by the British consulate-general in Jerusalem.
Bedouins in al-Khan al-Ahmar appealed to the Israeli Supreme Court against demolition threats, and a decision on the matter is expected to be made on May 15, Sweilim said.
The school was built by villagers and international volunteers in 2009, constructed using tires, clay, and a wooden roof because Israeli authorities forbade the use of stone and concrete.
Funding for the school was provided by European donors.
A school made of tires in the sensitive E1 area east of Jerusalem is slated for destruction by Israel, but its case is being reviewed by the Supreme Court, a local spokesman told Ma'an.
Eid Khamis Sweilim, a spokesman of Bedouin communities in Jerusalem district, told Ma'an that the school in the Bedouin village of al-Khan al-Ahmar houses 128 pupils aged eight to 13 from five different Bedouin communities.
Shortly after it was built, Israeli settlers from nearby Kfar Adumim appealed to Israeli courts requesting the school be demolished, and it has since faced repeated demolition threats, Sweilim said.
The Area-C village's residential structures have also been threatened with demolition, as they were built without Israeli permission after their construction permit applications were denied by Israeli authorities.
"A structural plan for the Bedouin communities has been submitted to the Israeli Civil Administration, but it was rejected," Sweilim said, adding that the plan was funded by the British consulate-general in Jerusalem.
Bedouins in al-Khan al-Ahmar appealed to the Israeli Supreme Court against demolition threats, and a decision on the matter is expected to be made on May 15, Sweilim said.
The school was built by villagers and international volunteers in 2009, constructed using tires, clay, and a wooden roof because Israeli authorities forbade the use of stone and concrete.
Funding for the school was provided by European donors.
Al-Khan al-Ahmar is a Bedouin village surrounded by the illegal Israeli settlements of Maale Adumim and Kfar Adumim.
E1 is an area northeast of Jerusalem and west of the illegal Israeli settlement of Maale Adumim. Israeli plans for settlement construction in the area have been strongly opposed by the international community, including the US.
Critics say Israeli settlement construction in E1 would divide the West Bank in two and make the creation of a contiguous Palestinian state -- as envisaged by the internationally backed two-state solution to the Palestinian-Israeli conflict -- virtually impossible.
Israel rarely grants Palestinians permits to build in the West Bank, including East Jerusalem. It has demolished at least 27,000 Palestinian homes and structures since occupying the West Bank in 1967, according to the Israeli Committee Against House Demolitions.
More than 500,000 Israeli settlers live in settlements across the West Bank and East Jerusalem, in contravention of international law.
The internationally recognized Palestinian territories of which the West Bank and East Jerusalem form a part have been occupied by the Israeli military since 1967.
E1 is an area northeast of Jerusalem and west of the illegal Israeli settlement of Maale Adumim. Israeli plans for settlement construction in the area have been strongly opposed by the international community, including the US.
Critics say Israeli settlement construction in E1 would divide the West Bank in two and make the creation of a contiguous Palestinian state -- as envisaged by the internationally backed two-state solution to the Palestinian-Israeli conflict -- virtually impossible.
Israel rarely grants Palestinians permits to build in the West Bank, including East Jerusalem. It has demolished at least 27,000 Palestinian homes and structures since occupying the West Bank in 1967, according to the Israeli Committee Against House Demolitions.
More than 500,000 Israeli settlers live in settlements across the West Bank and East Jerusalem, in contravention of international law.
The internationally recognized Palestinian territories of which the West Bank and East Jerusalem form a part have been occupied by the Israeli military since 1967.
26 apr 2014
Israeli occupation forces (IOF) forced Palestinian farmers out of their land south of al-Khalil on Friday night after detaining them for a while. WAFA news agency quoted Ratib al-Jabour, the coordinator of the popular committees against the wall and settlement in south of al-Khalil, as saying that the soldiers detained the farmers along with their families.
He said that the farmers were expelled from their land to the north east of Yatta town, a permanent area of IOF harassment.
The soldiers told the farmers that their land was confiscated to pave the way for building a road linking settlements in the area, he said, adding that the project would seize hundreds of dunums of agricultural land.
He said that the farmers were expelled from their land to the north east of Yatta town, a permanent area of IOF harassment.
The soldiers told the farmers that their land was confiscated to pave the way for building a road linking settlements in the area, he said, adding that the project would seize hundreds of dunums of agricultural land.
24 apr 2014
Israeli forces transgressed the south-east Gaza border and razed the countryside east of Khan Yunes, Palestinian News Agency (WAFA) reports.
Reportedly the Israeli forces brought bulldozers and armored vehicles and went 200 meters into the Gaza strip to destroy farmland. The also opened fire towards nearby homes and deployed drones for reconnaissance. These kinds of operations are a very common sight in the Gaza strip, and farmers are almost daily harassed by Israeli forces, seeking to keep them away from their property.
Reportedly the Israeli forces brought bulldozers and armored vehicles and went 200 meters into the Gaza strip to destroy farmland. The also opened fire towards nearby homes and deployed drones for reconnaissance. These kinds of operations are a very common sight in the Gaza strip, and farmers are almost daily harassed by Israeli forces, seeking to keep them away from their property.
21 apr 2014
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Israel has launched a crackdown on Palestinian vendors in East al-Quds (Jerusalem) as part of what it calls the “Judaize Jerusalem” campaign.
Jerusalem City Councilor Arieh King has taken credit for the action, calling it part of Israel’s plan to “Judaize Jerusalem.” King, who is the head of the right-wing United Jerusalem party, has on his Facebook page thanked the municipal authority for confiscating dozens of Palestinian bread stalls near the Old City’s Jaffa Gate. “We promised to deal with the Judaization of Jerusalem, and we are trying to meet our obligations to our voters,” he wrote in a Facebook statement. |
He said that the move had also to do with leavened products Jews traditionally forgo during the weeklong Passover.
However, a municipality official has denied King’s claims, saying the stalls were confiscated for licensing issues.
Israel has long been accused of plotting to Judaize East al-Quds especially the al-Aqsa Mosque complex there.
Over the past decades, Israel has tried to change the demographic makeup of al-Quds by constructing illegal settlements, destroying historical sites and expelling the local Palestinian population.
The Tel Aviv regime has increased its illegal settlement expansion following an upgrade of Palestine’s status at the UN to a non-member observer state on November 29, 2012.
More than half a million Israelis live in over 120 settlements built since the 1967 Israeli occupation of the West Bank and East al-Quds. The international community considers the settlements illegal.
The United Nations and most countries regard the Israeli settlements as illegal because the territories were captured by Israel in a war in 1967 and are hence subject to the Geneva Conventions, which forbid construction on occupied lands.
However, a municipality official has denied King’s claims, saying the stalls were confiscated for licensing issues.
Israel has long been accused of plotting to Judaize East al-Quds especially the al-Aqsa Mosque complex there.
Over the past decades, Israel has tried to change the demographic makeup of al-Quds by constructing illegal settlements, destroying historical sites and expelling the local Palestinian population.
The Tel Aviv regime has increased its illegal settlement expansion following an upgrade of Palestine’s status at the UN to a non-member observer state on November 29, 2012.
More than half a million Israelis live in over 120 settlements built since the 1967 Israeli occupation of the West Bank and East al-Quds. The international community considers the settlements illegal.
The United Nations and most countries regard the Israeli settlements as illegal because the territories were captured by Israel in a war in 1967 and are hence subject to the Geneva Conventions, which forbid construction on occupied lands.
18 apr 2014
Settlers on Shuhada Street in Hebron, which is closed to Palestinians.
The Jewish residents of Hebron will look back at the 13th of April 2014 and smile in nostalgia at the second time they managed to deceive an entire country. With the Israeli Defense Minister’s approval, a group of settlers entered and seized the Rajabi family’s home in Hebron last week. Three decades after the last Hebron settlement was erected, this event marks a new chapter in the story of Israeli settlement in the city of our forefathers and mothers.
There is nothing new under the sun. With deliberate symbolism, settler leaders have returned to the original trick they used to establish the first Hebron settlement during the Passover of 1968. At the same time of year, several months after the start of Israel’s occupation of the West Bank in the wake of the Six-Day War, Rabbi Moshe Levinger asked the government to allow him to spend Passover in Hebron, together with a number of his supporters.
The government agreed, so Levinger and his comrades invited the public to join the celebration. In a message to a religious Zionist newspaper, they added a small request: “bring refrigerators!” Since refrigeration was obviously not a necessity for the holiday itself, the message exposed the settlers’ preconceived plans to extend their stay.
Indeed, at the end of the holiday, Levinger and his followers refused to vacate, leaving the government ministers scratching their heads.
The state’s response in the spring of ’68 paved the way for the establishment of Israeli settlements in the heart of the Palestinian city of Hebron. After allowing the settlers to remain in the city, the government spent the next decade acquiescing to settler demands time after time. At the end of the day, the Hebron settlers received the official state recognition they sought, while their territory expanded throughout the 1980’s.
The existence of an Israeli settlement in the heart of Hebron, the largest Palestinian city in the West Bank, exacts a high price on the local population. The lack of law enforcement against settler violence, the Israeli separation policy restricting Palestinian movement in the city center and the IDF activity in neighborhoods surrounding the settlement have all caused the heart of Hebron to virtually empty of its Palestinian residents.
Hebron’s commercial center, which served as the social and cultural center for more than half-a-million nearby residents, stands deserted today. Stars of David and racist settler graffiti adorn the doors of Palestinian shops, closed due to military orders.
An IDF officer in the Nahal Brigade describes the Palestinian routine in the city to Breaking the Silence: “The Palestinians there are submissive and know these things. I mean… they know to get out of the way when an IDF patrol comes by. They know I can enter their homes and they are used to it. Soldiers have passed through every home there thousands of times.”
The new Rajabi House tenants hung giant banners reading “House of Peace” on the building’s walls after their arrival, yet the new settlement bodes anything but peace. Alongside the clear political significance of establishing the first new settlement in the city since the 1980’s, Israeli presence in the Rajabi House poses a grim future for Palestinians living in the surrounding areas. Just like the consequences caused by previous settlements in the city, with the introduction of settler neighbors come restrictions on movement, IDF patrols inside homes and violent attacks on passersby.
Populating the Rajabi House will in effect empty the Palestinian neighborhoods around it. This claim is not based on unfounded prophecies but simply upon the fact that history repeats itself. Even today, only 24 specific Palestinian vehicles have permission to drive on the road where the Rajabi House is located. It is reasonable to predict that these restrictions will be expanded, in order to comply with the principle of separation according to which the Israeli security forces operate in Hebron.
As in Passover of 1968, likewise in Passover of 2014; the settlers have forced the hand of the Israeli government and stuck another wedge in the heart of Hebron.
Hundreds of soldiers have provided testimony to Breaking the Silence regarding the price we pay for settling the city. A soldier who served in Hebron exemplifies how removed Passover is there from the holiday’s emphasis on liberation: “On Passover, many Jews arrive during an Arab event and we had to be there in their (Palestinian) home for two or three days… So we arrive at six in the morning, our platoon commander arrives who speaks no Arabic, and tells the family that they have to leave their home. They don’t understand what he wants, they don’t want to leave, the whole clan is in the house, tons of people. He yells at them and it is really stupid… Yet this is shit, kicking them out for 48 hours. What are they supposed to do? Go to their neighbors?”
The image being projected from the territories should rile every person who values justice and human rights. This is because the story of the settlement in Hebron does not revolve solely around our historical Jewish connection to the city, but also around the terrible price we pay – and force others to pay – in order to maintain Israeli control of the heart of a Palestinian city. Just like in 1968, in 2014 a small band of settlers sets the agenda for us, IDF soldiers, and for the rest of the country. Meanwhile, this agenda exacts an unimaginable toll on Palestinians living in the city.
The author served as a combat soldier in the Levi Battalion of the Israeli military. Today, he serves as the Director of Research at Breaking the Silence.
The Jewish residents of Hebron will look back at the 13th of April 2014 and smile in nostalgia at the second time they managed to deceive an entire country. With the Israeli Defense Minister’s approval, a group of settlers entered and seized the Rajabi family’s home in Hebron last week. Three decades after the last Hebron settlement was erected, this event marks a new chapter in the story of Israeli settlement in the city of our forefathers and mothers.
There is nothing new under the sun. With deliberate symbolism, settler leaders have returned to the original trick they used to establish the first Hebron settlement during the Passover of 1968. At the same time of year, several months after the start of Israel’s occupation of the West Bank in the wake of the Six-Day War, Rabbi Moshe Levinger asked the government to allow him to spend Passover in Hebron, together with a number of his supporters.
The government agreed, so Levinger and his comrades invited the public to join the celebration. In a message to a religious Zionist newspaper, they added a small request: “bring refrigerators!” Since refrigeration was obviously not a necessity for the holiday itself, the message exposed the settlers’ preconceived plans to extend their stay.
Indeed, at the end of the holiday, Levinger and his followers refused to vacate, leaving the government ministers scratching their heads.
The state’s response in the spring of ’68 paved the way for the establishment of Israeli settlements in the heart of the Palestinian city of Hebron. After allowing the settlers to remain in the city, the government spent the next decade acquiescing to settler demands time after time. At the end of the day, the Hebron settlers received the official state recognition they sought, while their territory expanded throughout the 1980’s.
The existence of an Israeli settlement in the heart of Hebron, the largest Palestinian city in the West Bank, exacts a high price on the local population. The lack of law enforcement against settler violence, the Israeli separation policy restricting Palestinian movement in the city center and the IDF activity in neighborhoods surrounding the settlement have all caused the heart of Hebron to virtually empty of its Palestinian residents.
Hebron’s commercial center, which served as the social and cultural center for more than half-a-million nearby residents, stands deserted today. Stars of David and racist settler graffiti adorn the doors of Palestinian shops, closed due to military orders.
An IDF officer in the Nahal Brigade describes the Palestinian routine in the city to Breaking the Silence: “The Palestinians there are submissive and know these things. I mean… they know to get out of the way when an IDF patrol comes by. They know I can enter their homes and they are used to it. Soldiers have passed through every home there thousands of times.”
The new Rajabi House tenants hung giant banners reading “House of Peace” on the building’s walls after their arrival, yet the new settlement bodes anything but peace. Alongside the clear political significance of establishing the first new settlement in the city since the 1980’s, Israeli presence in the Rajabi House poses a grim future for Palestinians living in the surrounding areas. Just like the consequences caused by previous settlements in the city, with the introduction of settler neighbors come restrictions on movement, IDF patrols inside homes and violent attacks on passersby.
Populating the Rajabi House will in effect empty the Palestinian neighborhoods around it. This claim is not based on unfounded prophecies but simply upon the fact that history repeats itself. Even today, only 24 specific Palestinian vehicles have permission to drive on the road where the Rajabi House is located. It is reasonable to predict that these restrictions will be expanded, in order to comply with the principle of separation according to which the Israeli security forces operate in Hebron.
As in Passover of 1968, likewise in Passover of 2014; the settlers have forced the hand of the Israeli government and stuck another wedge in the heart of Hebron.
Hundreds of soldiers have provided testimony to Breaking the Silence regarding the price we pay for settling the city. A soldier who served in Hebron exemplifies how removed Passover is there from the holiday’s emphasis on liberation: “On Passover, many Jews arrive during an Arab event and we had to be there in their (Palestinian) home for two or three days… So we arrive at six in the morning, our platoon commander arrives who speaks no Arabic, and tells the family that they have to leave their home. They don’t understand what he wants, they don’t want to leave, the whole clan is in the house, tons of people. He yells at them and it is really stupid… Yet this is shit, kicking them out for 48 hours. What are they supposed to do? Go to their neighbors?”
The image being projected from the territories should rile every person who values justice and human rights. This is because the story of the settlement in Hebron does not revolve solely around our historical Jewish connection to the city, but also around the terrible price we pay – and force others to pay – in order to maintain Israeli control of the heart of a Palestinian city. Just like in 1968, in 2014 a small band of settlers sets the agenda for us, IDF soldiers, and for the rest of the country. Meanwhile, this agenda exacts an unimaginable toll on Palestinians living in the city.
The author served as a combat soldier in the Levi Battalion of the Israeli military. Today, he serves as the Director of Research at Breaking the Silence.
The Israeli occupation forces (IOF) raided Yabud, Kfirat and Daher al-Abed villages south of Jenin and harassed their Palestinian residents. Eyewitnesses told the Palestinian information center (PIC) that several houses were suspiciously photographed by IOF soldiers in Abou Shamla, Raas, and Malloul quarters.
The invading troops created a military checkpoint at Kfirat’s main entrance, where several vehicles have been searched. The incident coincided with extensive combing operations carried out by soldiers in Daher al-Abed.
In a related context, Palestinian activists reported that IOF troops confiscated the tents provided by the Red Crescent for the farmers of Khirbet Jaouana east of Nablus, which was demolished last week by the Israeli army.
Beit Fourik’s mayor Aref Hanani, who accompanied Red Crescent crews during the distribution of tents and blankets, confirmed that the IOF raided the area once again and confiscated everything that had been provided as relief aid for the villagers.
The invading troops created a military checkpoint at Kfirat’s main entrance, where several vehicles have been searched. The incident coincided with extensive combing operations carried out by soldiers in Daher al-Abed.
In a related context, Palestinian activists reported that IOF troops confiscated the tents provided by the Red Crescent for the farmers of Khirbet Jaouana east of Nablus, which was demolished last week by the Israeli army.
Beit Fourik’s mayor Aref Hanani, who accompanied Red Crescent crews during the distribution of tents and blankets, confirmed that the IOF raided the area once again and confiscated everything that had been provided as relief aid for the villagers.
The Aqsa foundation for endowment and heritage warned of an Israeli plan to build as of next June a huge theme park over the remaining area of the historical Mamanullah cemetery. The plan comes as part of the entertainment project undertaken by the municipality.
In a statement on Thursday, the Aqsa foundation described the project as the largest in a series of other tourist projects to be built in occupied Jerusalem.
According to the foundation, the IOA and its executive sectors held sway over Mamanullah cemetery entirely in the past few months, where a public park was built in place of a large number of graves.
The cemetery has been a target for Israeli vandalism and desecration crimes since the 1948 Nakba.
The foundation called on any company intending to undertake the project to steer clear of any construction plan targeting the Islamic holy sites in occupied Palestine.
In a statement on Thursday, the Aqsa foundation described the project as the largest in a series of other tourist projects to be built in occupied Jerusalem.
According to the foundation, the IOA and its executive sectors held sway over Mamanullah cemetery entirely in the past few months, where a public park was built in place of a large number of graves.
The cemetery has been a target for Israeli vandalism and desecration crimes since the 1948 Nakba.
The foundation called on any company intending to undertake the project to steer clear of any construction plan targeting the Islamic holy sites in occupied Palestine.
15 apr 2014
The Palestinian ministry of tourism and antiquities has accused Israel of ruining an archeological cemetery between Nablus and Tulkarem in the northern West Bank near the village of Deir Sharaf.
Director of the ministry’s department of antiquities protection Salih Tawafsha told Ma’an that the Israeli antiquities authority escorted with Israeli forces “stole all the contents of the cemetery” after they carried out “illegal” excavations while the Israelis refurbished the main road.
Director of the ministry’s department of antiquities protection Salih Tawafsha told Ma’an that the Israeli antiquities authority escorted with Israeli forces “stole all the contents of the cemetery” after they carried out “illegal” excavations while the Israelis refurbished the main road.
Such procedures, says Tawafsha, mark a violation of heritage-related international conventions.
He highlighted that experts from the Palestinian ministry of tourism and antiquities went to the cemetery to do excavations, but the Israelis denied them access.
He highlighted that experts from the Palestinian ministry of tourism and antiquities went to the cemetery to do excavations, but the Israelis denied them access.
Israeli Occupation Forces (IOF) fired shells at Johr al-Dik town in the Gaza Strip on Monday evening. No casualties have been reported.
Quds Press reported said Israeli artillery stationed east of Johr al- Dik town fired two shells at the landfill east of the town. Palestinian houses in the region were also targets of Israeli bullets.
According to Quds Press, the incident came at a time when Israeli military equipment were deployed in the area under heavy drone flights.
In the same context, the Palestinian resistance opened fire at Israeli engineering crews performing renewal activities east of Johr al-Dik in the Gaza Strip.
Other IOF shootings have been documented along the border fence.
The Hebrew radio station said that IOF raised alert levels along the borders of the Gaza Strip after two mortar shells were fired at an Israeli patrol on Monday morning near the border fence. No casualties have been documented.
The radio quoted chairman of two local Israeli settlement councils, adjacent to the Gaza Strip, as saying that settlers near Gaza are bracing themselves to celebrate the first day of Passover tonight.
Quds Press reported said Israeli artillery stationed east of Johr al- Dik town fired two shells at the landfill east of the town. Palestinian houses in the region were also targets of Israeli bullets.
According to Quds Press, the incident came at a time when Israeli military equipment were deployed in the area under heavy drone flights.
In the same context, the Palestinian resistance opened fire at Israeli engineering crews performing renewal activities east of Johr al-Dik in the Gaza Strip.
Other IOF shootings have been documented along the border fence.
The Hebrew radio station said that IOF raised alert levels along the borders of the Gaza Strip after two mortar shells were fired at an Israeli patrol on Monday morning near the border fence. No casualties have been documented.
The radio quoted chairman of two local Israeli settlement councils, adjacent to the Gaza Strip, as saying that settlers near Gaza are bracing themselves to celebrate the first day of Passover tonight.
