10 jan 2014
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Israeli forces have destroyed an entire village of Palestinian Bedouins in the Jordan Valley region of the occupied West Bank, Press TV reports.
The Israeli military forces backed by bulldozers entered the village of Khirbet Ein Karzaliyah on Thursday and destroyed the entire village, leaving 15 minors and 10 Palestinians homeless. They also destroyed the only water pipe leading into the village. The Israeli authorities denied entry to all human rights organizations and media into the village. “The people are living on the mountain and Israel has declared it a national park. The area was named after the Karzaliyah Bedouin family whose livelihood has now been destroyed,” said Iyad Haddad with non-governmental human rights organization B'Tselem. “These people have suffered under Israeli policy for many years. They tried to take the demolition orders to court but failed because the court supports these policies,” Haddad added. Dozens of people have now been left homeless following the demolitions. With nowhere to go, no access to water and all aid and media blocked by the Israeli army, rights groups say this could lead to a humanitarian crisis. “This is part of Tel Aviv’s plan to ethnically cleanse the entire Palestinian population in the Jordan Valley area,” said Salah al-Khawaja from Global March to al-Quds (Jerusalem), an international mobilization protesting |
Israel’s attacks on Palestinians in al-Quds and promising the return of refugees ethnically cleansed by its military forces.
Demolitions are commonplace in the Jordan Valley as Tel Aviv’s policy of settlement expansion is escalating in the area.
Over 90 percent of the Jordan Valley is under full Israeli military control.
Demolitions are commonplace in the Jordan Valley as Tel Aviv’s policy of settlement expansion is escalating in the area.
Over 90 percent of the Jordan Valley is under full Israeli military control.
Israeli forces on Friday issued a notice to a Palestinian family mandating they demolish their own house east of Jerusalem, a Fatah official told Ma'an.
The notice said that Ahmad Mohammad Hassan Helwa would have to demolish his house in the village of in Anata before Jan. 14, Mohammad Helwa said.
He added that Israeli demolition teams had destroyed Helwa's house and farm in the past, but that he had since rebuilt them.
Israel destroyed more than 663 Palestinian properties in the West Bank and East Jerusalem in 2013, displacing at least 1,103 people, according to UN figures.
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.
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.
The notice said that Ahmad Mohammad Hassan Helwa would have to demolish his house in the village of in Anata before Jan. 14, Mohammad Helwa said.
He added that Israeli demolition teams had destroyed Helwa's house and farm in the past, but that he had since rebuilt them.
Israel destroyed more than 663 Palestinian properties in the West Bank and East Jerusalem in 2013, displacing at least 1,103 people, according to UN figures.
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.
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.
Israel is excavating an archaeological site in the flashpoint West Bank city of Hebron, officials said Thursday, in a move critics say aims to legitimize Jewish settlement in Palestinian territory.
The excavations began on Jan. 5 during US Secretary of State John Kerry's 10th visit to the region to push Israel and the Palestinians towards an elusive peace deal.
The site is at Tel Rumeida, in the heart of Hebron's historic old city, a spokeswoman for Israel's Antiquities Authority (IAA) told AFP.
"The Israel Antiquities Authority is implementing a salvage excavation ... to develop an archaeological park in (Tel Rumeida) and prepare the ancient site for visits by the public," an IAA statement said.
"The excavation will be conducted in plots ... which are owned by Jews. The total area to be excavated will be approximately six dunams (1.5 acres)," the statement said.
"The excavation will not disrupt the lives of the local (Palestinian) residents and will allow them to go about their daily routine," it added.
But critics have said the dig is a deliberate political move in a highly sensitive area, aimed at legitimizing Jewish settlement of the occupied West Bank.
"Any excavation in a politically-charged area is automatically a political move," archaeologist Yonathan Mizrachi told AFP.
"In Tel Rumeida, excavating the land is a very sophisticated way of legitimizing the takeover of land by settlers. By saying that they're carrying out an archaeological excavation, settler groups can say it's not a political act," he said.
"If settlers built homes on land that used to be owned by Palestinians, they would continue to be viewed by much of the Israeli public as a group of extremists. But through creating archaeological sites, settlers can bring in tourists, representing themselves as people who are protecting the place."
The flashpoint city of Hebron, home to nearly 200,000 Palestinians, also comprises some 80 settler homes in the center of town housing about 700 Jews who live under Israeli army protection.
Israel's settlements in the West Bank are illegal under international law.
Mizrachi said the area was cultivated by Palestinians even after Israel occupied the West Bank in 1967, but that during the second Palestinian uprising in the early 2000s, they were barred from farming in the area.
The site is believed of house the tomb of the Jewish King David's father Yishai and great-grandmother Ruth.
The excavations began as Kerry was about to leave the region, having shuttled back and forth in four days of meetings between Israeli and Palestinian leaders, in an effort to push forward a faltering peace process.
Israel's occupation of the West Bank and the borders of a future Palestinian state is a key sticking point in the negotiations.
The excavations began on Jan. 5 during US Secretary of State John Kerry's 10th visit to the region to push Israel and the Palestinians towards an elusive peace deal.
The site is at Tel Rumeida, in the heart of Hebron's historic old city, a spokeswoman for Israel's Antiquities Authority (IAA) told AFP.
"The Israel Antiquities Authority is implementing a salvage excavation ... to develop an archaeological park in (Tel Rumeida) and prepare the ancient site for visits by the public," an IAA statement said.
"The excavation will be conducted in plots ... which are owned by Jews. The total area to be excavated will be approximately six dunams (1.5 acres)," the statement said.
"The excavation will not disrupt the lives of the local (Palestinian) residents and will allow them to go about their daily routine," it added.
But critics have said the dig is a deliberate political move in a highly sensitive area, aimed at legitimizing Jewish settlement of the occupied West Bank.
"Any excavation in a politically-charged area is automatically a political move," archaeologist Yonathan Mizrachi told AFP.
"In Tel Rumeida, excavating the land is a very sophisticated way of legitimizing the takeover of land by settlers. By saying that they're carrying out an archaeological excavation, settler groups can say it's not a political act," he said.
"If settlers built homes on land that used to be owned by Palestinians, they would continue to be viewed by much of the Israeli public as a group of extremists. But through creating archaeological sites, settlers can bring in tourists, representing themselves as people who are protecting the place."
The flashpoint city of Hebron, home to nearly 200,000 Palestinians, also comprises some 80 settler homes in the center of town housing about 700 Jews who live under Israeli army protection.
Israel's settlements in the West Bank are illegal under international law.
Mizrachi said the area was cultivated by Palestinians even after Israel occupied the West Bank in 1967, but that during the second Palestinian uprising in the early 2000s, they were barred from farming in the area.
The site is believed of house the tomb of the Jewish King David's father Yishai and great-grandmother Ruth.
The excavations began as Kerry was about to leave the region, having shuttled back and forth in four days of meetings between Israeli and Palestinian leaders, in an effort to push forward a faltering peace process.
Israel's occupation of the West Bank and the borders of a future Palestinian state is a key sticking point in the negotiations.
9 jan 2014
Hundreds of Palestinians with Israeli citizenship demonstrated in Beersheba outside of the office for The Authority for the Regulation of Bedouin Settlement in the Negev on Thursday to protest ongoing house demolitions.
The demonstrators chanted the Palestinian national anthem and waved Palestinian flags as Israeli police closed all roads leading to the office and deployed hundreds of officers in the area.
Protesters also carried signs with the names of 44 unrecognized Bedouin villages and chanted against the Prawer Plan.
Mayor of Rahat, Tala al-Qreinawi, told Ma'an that he joined the hundreds of protesters, describing the Israeli authority as "a second government which endeavors to displace the Bedouins and steal their lands."
Despite announcing that the Prawer Plan was scrapped in December, Israeli authorities have continued to implement it on the ground with ongoing demolitions and land confiscations, the mayor said.
"The bill is being studied in the Knesset and we can't see any intentions to stop it," al-Qreinawi added.
Sheikh Raed Salah, head of the Islamic Movement in northern Israel, said that the ongoing protests are a decisive battle and Israel is trying to impose a new Nakba on the Palestinians.
"The racist mentality which is trying to get rid of the Triangle and its residents, is trying to impose settlement policies in the Triangle, Galilee, Acre and other cities," he added.
The demonstrators chanted the Palestinian national anthem and waved Palestinian flags as Israeli police closed all roads leading to the office and deployed hundreds of officers in the area.
Protesters also carried signs with the names of 44 unrecognized Bedouin villages and chanted against the Prawer Plan.
Mayor of Rahat, Tala al-Qreinawi, told Ma'an that he joined the hundreds of protesters, describing the Israeli authority as "a second government which endeavors to displace the Bedouins and steal their lands."
Despite announcing that the Prawer Plan was scrapped in December, Israeli authorities have continued to implement it on the ground with ongoing demolitions and land confiscations, the mayor said.
"The bill is being studied in the Knesset and we can't see any intentions to stop it," al-Qreinawi added.
Sheikh Raed Salah, head of the Islamic Movement in northern Israel, said that the ongoing protests are a decisive battle and Israel is trying to impose a new Nakba on the Palestinians.
"The racist mentality which is trying to get rid of the Triangle and its residents, is trying to impose settlement policies in the Triangle, Galilee, Acre and other cities," he added.
Israeli settlements watchdog Peace Now has urged the government to dismantle an illegal outpost in the West Bank, after violent clashes in the area between settlers and Palestinians.
Israel must "enforce the law and remove Esh Kodesh, an illegal West Bank settlement established in violation of Israeli law", Peace Now said in a letter to the government, a copy of which was sent to AFP late on Wednesday.
Residents of the outpost in the northern West Bank near Nablus had "repeatedly attacked neighboring Palestinians", it said.
On Tuesday, Palestinians beat and detained around a dozen settlers from Esh Kodesh who had entered Qusra village south of Nablus, then released them after negotiating with Israeli soldiers.
Qusra is just a few kilometers north of Esh Kodesh and is the scene of frequent clashes between settlers and Palestinians.
"Esh Kodesh is an outpost that serves as launching ground for severe unlawful activity, and as such... it creates severe friction that causes harm to people and their property, and therefore heavily burdens the security authorities," Peace Now said.
After Tuesday's incident, police placed seven settlers under house arrest until Friday while they investigate why they were in the village in the first place, Israeli police spokesman Micky Rosenfeld said.
Peace Now slammed the government for failing to carry out existing demolition orders on many so-called "wildcat" outposts -- settlements which have not been formally approved and are therefore illegal.
Under international law, all settlement building in the occupied Palestinian territories is illegal.
Israel must "enforce the law and remove Esh Kodesh, an illegal West Bank settlement established in violation of Israeli law", Peace Now said in a letter to the government, a copy of which was sent to AFP late on Wednesday.
Residents of the outpost in the northern West Bank near Nablus had "repeatedly attacked neighboring Palestinians", it said.
On Tuesday, Palestinians beat and detained around a dozen settlers from Esh Kodesh who had entered Qusra village south of Nablus, then released them after negotiating with Israeli soldiers.
Qusra is just a few kilometers north of Esh Kodesh and is the scene of frequent clashes between settlers and Palestinians.
"Esh Kodesh is an outpost that serves as launching ground for severe unlawful activity, and as such... it creates severe friction that causes harm to people and their property, and therefore heavily burdens the security authorities," Peace Now said.
After Tuesday's incident, police placed seven settlers under house arrest until Friday while they investigate why they were in the village in the first place, Israeli police spokesman Micky Rosenfeld said.
Peace Now slammed the government for failing to carry out existing demolition orders on many so-called "wildcat" outposts -- settlements which have not been formally approved and are therefore illegal.
Under international law, all settlement building in the occupied Palestinian territories is illegal.
The Israeli occupation forces (IOF) on Thursday morning handed two Palestinian citizens in Khirbet Al-Hamma in the Jordan Valley demolition orders against their homes. Head of the Wadi Maleh municipal council Aref Daraghmeh told the Palestinian information center (PIC) that the Israeli army notified the two citizens about its intention to demolish their homes and one structure used for livestock.
The IOF also ordered the two citizens to leave the area within one week.
About 120 Palestinian Bedouins live in Khirbet Al-Hamma and depend on raising cattle and sheep and working their lands.
All the residents in this area already received demolition and displacement threats, but they insist on not leaving their lands.
The IOF also ordered the two citizens to leave the area within one week.
About 120 Palestinian Bedouins live in Khirbet Al-Hamma and depend on raising cattle and sheep and working their lands.
All the residents in this area already received demolition and displacement threats, but they insist on not leaving their lands.
Israeli occupation forces (IOF) raided southern Gaza Strip on Thursday morning and were met with mortar shells fired by resistance elements. Local sources told the PIC reporter that the soldiers escorted six bulldozers 150 meters into eastern Khuza’a town, east of Khan Younis, and started leveling land.
They said that sounds of explosions were heard in the area after resistance fighters fired mortar shells at the invading troops. The IOF retaliated by opening indiscriminate fire causing unspecified number of casualties.
They said that sounds of explosions were heard in the area after resistance fighters fired mortar shells at the invading troops. The IOF retaliated by opening indiscriminate fire causing unspecified number of casualties.
8 jan 2014
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The Israeli occupation authority (IOF) forced a Jerusalemite citizen in Um Toba village, south of occupied Jerusalem, to raze part of his home. Hamza Ibrahim Abu Tir said that the occupation municipality ordered him to raze the 50-square-meter room, built for his three children, and kitchen for building without permit or else face a huge fine.
He said that he built his house back in 1997 and since then he was repeatedly fined by the municipality, adding that he paid about 45,000 dollars fines in installments. He said that he would continue paying until 2015, recalling that he was also forced to do “community service” for three months at the beginning of 2013. Abu Tir said that he demolished part of the room and kitchen two months ago but the |
municipality insisted that he should raze them completely or else he would be jailed for six months and pay 15,000 dollars for municipal teams in return for razing them.
The Jerusalemite citizen said that he would close down the remaining part of his house, built over an area of about 70 square meters, to avoid more fines.
The Jerusalemite citizen said that he would close down the remaining part of his house, built over an area of about 70 square meters, to avoid more fines.
Israeli occupation forces (IOF) razed four sheds and two tents owned by four brothers in the Jordan Valley area of Kirziliya, which is east of Aqraba village to the south of Nablus, on Wednesday. Hamza Diriya, an anti-settlement activist in southern Nablus, told the PIC reporter that IOF escorted two bulldozers that destroyed the sheds and tents at the pretext of lack of construction permits.
He said that the soldiers evacuated families by force from the two big tents that used to provide shelter for 20 individuals including women and children.
Thousands of Palestinian shepherds inhabit the Jordan Valley area and are systematically targeted by the IOF in a bid to terrorize them into abandoning their ancestral land.
He said that the soldiers evacuated families by force from the two big tents that used to provide shelter for 20 individuals including women and children.
Thousands of Palestinian shepherds inhabit the Jordan Valley area and are systematically targeted by the IOF in a bid to terrorize them into abandoning their ancestral land.
7 jan 2014
The Israeli occupation authority (IOA) distributed new demolition notifications in Silwan, east of occupied Jerusalem, on Tuesday. The Wadi Hilwa information center said in a statement that occupation municipality, escorted by Israeli special forces, distributed notifications for the demolition of houses, commercial installations, sheds, and a playground in various Silwan suburbs at the pretext of lack of construction permits.
The center said that the Israeli municipal teams broke into six suburbs and took several photos of main entrances to them before posting the demolition notifications.
The center said that the Israeli municipal teams broke into six suburbs and took several photos of main entrances to them before posting the demolition notifications.
A group of Israeli settlers attacked on Tuesday afternoon, Palestinian farmers in Jeb al-Theb village, east of Bethlehem.
Hassan Breijiyeh, Coordinator of Popular Resistance Committee to Resist Wall and Settlement in Bethlehem, said that settlers, under the protection of Israeli Army, prevented farmers from reaching their land to cultivate it.
Breijiyeh told PNN that the popular committee, the National Farmers' Union (NFU) and residents from al-Zawahreh and al-Masa'deh families headed to cultivate their lands in the village within an activity organized to support the Palestinian residents in that area, but they were surprised to find a group of Israeli soldiers and settlers. He also said that the settlers prevented the farmers from entering their land.
Breijiyeh added that verbal altercations erupted between the farmers and settlers who were carrying weapons and escorted by dogs.
He pointed out that this activity bares a message to the Palestinian leadership and civil institutions that the Palestinians in these threatened lands must be supported and protected.
In a related context, Rateb al-Jbour, Coordinator of Popular Resistance Committee to Resist Wall and Settlement in Hebron, said that a group of settlers from Susiya illegal settlement demolished Monday night, a tent belonging to the Palestinian resident Izz Ghaith in Wad al-Rakhem, south of Yatta.
Al-Jbour condemned these brutal procedures that Israeli settlers and IOF forces committed against the Palestinian residents and their property, in an attempt to displace them and seize their land.
Hassan Breijiyeh, Coordinator of Popular Resistance Committee to Resist Wall and Settlement in Bethlehem, said that settlers, under the protection of Israeli Army, prevented farmers from reaching their land to cultivate it.
Breijiyeh told PNN that the popular committee, the National Farmers' Union (NFU) and residents from al-Zawahreh and al-Masa'deh families headed to cultivate their lands in the village within an activity organized to support the Palestinian residents in that area, but they were surprised to find a group of Israeli soldiers and settlers. He also said that the settlers prevented the farmers from entering their land.
Breijiyeh added that verbal altercations erupted between the farmers and settlers who were carrying weapons and escorted by dogs.
He pointed out that this activity bares a message to the Palestinian leadership and civil institutions that the Palestinians in these threatened lands must be supported and protected.
In a related context, Rateb al-Jbour, Coordinator of Popular Resistance Committee to Resist Wall and Settlement in Hebron, said that a group of settlers from Susiya illegal settlement demolished Monday night, a tent belonging to the Palestinian resident Izz Ghaith in Wad al-Rakhem, south of Yatta.
Al-Jbour condemned these brutal procedures that Israeli settlers and IOF forces committed against the Palestinian residents and their property, in an attempt to displace them and seize their land.
Israeli Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu said on Monday that he will not give up any settlements in an agreement, as they are considered an integral part of the Israeli State and that he disagrees about the annexation of the West Bank stating that “ I don't want to control 1.5-2 million Palestinians and neither do most Israelis.”
Netanyahu was addressed during a session with the Right-wing MKs about the latest developments, especially the peace talks with the Palestinians during the latest meeting with the US Secretary of State John Kerry in his last visit to the Middle East.
Netanyahu confessed that the negotiations have entered a critical stage, adding that difficult decisions might be taken at any moment.
Netanyahu said that he doesn’t want a bilateral state nor an Iranian, stressing that he will reject any proposal of giving Palestinians an Israeli ID, according to the Land swap plan that was proposed during negotiations.
In a related context, this Monday Israel has approved the construction of 272 new settler units in the occupied West Bank.
The Israeli Civil Authorization has authorized the construction of 250 new settler units which will be built within the Ofra settlement and 22 settler units that will be built in Karnei Shomron in the West Bank.
Anti-settlement group Peace Now criticized Israel's latest move, saying Tel Aviv had the option of suspending settlement plans and giving the so-called peace talks between the Israelis and the Palestinian Authority (PA) a chance, but instead chose to push ahead with the expansion of settlements, Jerusalem Post reported.
This latest announcement regarding the new settlement construction plans, came shortly after US Secretary of State John Kerry concluded his Middle East tour on Monday in an attempt to advance the peace talks.
Netanyahu was addressed during a session with the Right-wing MKs about the latest developments, especially the peace talks with the Palestinians during the latest meeting with the US Secretary of State John Kerry in his last visit to the Middle East.
Netanyahu confessed that the negotiations have entered a critical stage, adding that difficult decisions might be taken at any moment.
Netanyahu said that he doesn’t want a bilateral state nor an Iranian, stressing that he will reject any proposal of giving Palestinians an Israeli ID, according to the Land swap plan that was proposed during negotiations.
In a related context, this Monday Israel has approved the construction of 272 new settler units in the occupied West Bank.
The Israeli Civil Authorization has authorized the construction of 250 new settler units which will be built within the Ofra settlement and 22 settler units that will be built in Karnei Shomron in the West Bank.
Anti-settlement group Peace Now criticized Israel's latest move, saying Tel Aviv had the option of suspending settlement plans and giving the so-called peace talks between the Israelis and the Palestinian Authority (PA) a chance, but instead chose to push ahead with the expansion of settlements, Jerusalem Post reported.
This latest announcement regarding the new settlement construction plans, came shortly after US Secretary of State John Kerry concluded his Middle East tour on Monday in an attempt to advance the peace talks.
The Hashemite kingdom affirmed its refusal of any Israeli domination over the Jordan Valley or any solution that doesn’t consistent with its interests, media sources reported. “We don’t accept any arrangement the Palestinians don’t agree on and prevent the Palestinian domination on their lands,” the Jordanian foreign minister Naser Jodah said in a statement to the Jordanian TV.
Jodah mentioned that 1.2 million Palestinian lived in Jordan as Jordanian citizens therefore “Jordan is responsible for its interests in the area.”
He added that “our interests must be respected and we will not accept any solution that we have no clear idea about it.”
The minister said that Palestine must have “recognized boarders”.
The future of the Jordan Valley, a large agricultural area in the West Bank which Israel wants to keep under its military control after any future peace agreement, has emerged as a big irritant in the five-month-old talks.
Israel infuriated the Palestinians when a ministerial legislative committee approved a bill to annex the area, where a string of Israeli settlements established after the Six-Day war in 1967 stretches along the Jordanian frontier.
The Israeli occupation has defied numerous international demands to stop its expansionist policy in the occupied territories and continued illegal construction of settlements in West Bank and East al-Quds.
Jodah mentioned that 1.2 million Palestinian lived in Jordan as Jordanian citizens therefore “Jordan is responsible for its interests in the area.”
He added that “our interests must be respected and we will not accept any solution that we have no clear idea about it.”
The minister said that Palestine must have “recognized boarders”.
The future of the Jordan Valley, a large agricultural area in the West Bank which Israel wants to keep under its military control after any future peace agreement, has emerged as a big irritant in the five-month-old talks.
Israel infuriated the Palestinians when a ministerial legislative committee approved a bill to annex the area, where a string of Israeli settlements established after the Six-Day war in 1967 stretches along the Jordanian frontier.
The Israeli occupation has defied numerous international demands to stop its expansionist policy in the occupied territories and continued illegal construction of settlements in West Bank and East al-Quds.
6 jan 2014
The land research center in Bethlehem said that the Israeli occupation authority (IOA) had seized 14,204 dunums of Palestinian lands in 2013 in the occupied territories of Jerusalem and the West Bank and registered them in the names of Jewish settlers, settlement groups and companies. In a report, the research center stated that the IOA had demolished during last year 371 Palestinian-owned facilities and structures and issued demolition orders against 510 others in addition to the demolition of 246 homes accommodating 1,200 Palestinian citizens, including 650 children.
The center noted that the IOA issued demolition orders against 3,131 homes during the reporting year.
According to the report, the IOA and its settlers uprooted and destroyed under military protection 19,083 Palestinian-owned fruitful trees in different areas of the West Bank.
The IOA had also finished the building of 625 settlement units, approved the construction of 7,000 units and declared plans to build 25,000 others.
In a related context, Palestinian specialist in settlement affairs Khaled Ma'ali stated on Sunday that the Israeli commander of the central region Nitzan Alon had given orders to turn the illegal outpost of Brochan into an official settlement under the jurisdiction of the regional settlement council, pointing out that Alon had already declared the building of 550 new housing units in this colony.
Ma'ali added that Palestinian famers and eyewitnesses reported that settlement construction is already in the works in this outpost.
He noted that the name of this settlement is derived from the Palestinian village Bruqin and the settlers made changes to the real name in order to delude themselves into believing that they have a historical claim on the area.
The center noted that the IOA issued demolition orders against 3,131 homes during the reporting year.
According to the report, the IOA and its settlers uprooted and destroyed under military protection 19,083 Palestinian-owned fruitful trees in different areas of the West Bank.
The IOA had also finished the building of 625 settlement units, approved the construction of 7,000 units and declared plans to build 25,000 others.
In a related context, Palestinian specialist in settlement affairs Khaled Ma'ali stated on Sunday that the Israeli commander of the central region Nitzan Alon had given orders to turn the illegal outpost of Brochan into an official settlement under the jurisdiction of the regional settlement council, pointing out that Alon had already declared the building of 550 new housing units in this colony.
Ma'ali added that Palestinian famers and eyewitnesses reported that settlement construction is already in the works in this outpost.
He noted that the name of this settlement is derived from the Palestinian village Bruqin and the settlers made changes to the real name in order to delude themselves into believing that they have a historical claim on the area.
Israeli military forces issued demolition and stop-work orders to Palestinians in the Nablus village of Aqraba on Monday, a Palestinian Authority official said.
Ghassan Daghlas, who monitors settlement activity in the northern West Bank, told Ma'an that Firas Abu Khader was ordered to remove a steel structure, while Bahha Abdul-Ghani was issued orders to destroy a small house.
Another man, Atiyhe Bani Fadl, was ordered to remove an electricity pole.
Israeli forces also issued a stop-work order to a contractor who was refurbishing a street near the village school. Days earlier, Israeli forces confiscated a bulldozer belonging to the contractor.
In December, thirty-six international charities and human rights groups released a statement calling for an immediate end to the demolition of Palestinian homes in the occupied West Bank and East Jerusalem.
"Since the resumption of the peace process in July, Israel has destroyed 207 Palestinian homes and property in the occupied West Bank, displacing 311 Palestinians, over half of whom are children," a statement from the Association of International Development Agencies said.
"These demolitions, in areas under Israeli control, have driven Palestinian families from their communities and their land, increasing poverty and the need for humanitarian assistance."
Ghassan Daghlas, who monitors settlement activity in the northern West Bank, told Ma'an that Firas Abu Khader was ordered to remove a steel structure, while Bahha Abdul-Ghani was issued orders to destroy a small house.
Another man, Atiyhe Bani Fadl, was ordered to remove an electricity pole.
Israeli forces also issued a stop-work order to a contractor who was refurbishing a street near the village school. Days earlier, Israeli forces confiscated a bulldozer belonging to the contractor.
In December, thirty-six international charities and human rights groups released a statement calling for an immediate end to the demolition of Palestinian homes in the occupied West Bank and East Jerusalem.
"Since the resumption of the peace process in July, Israel has destroyed 207 Palestinian homes and property in the occupied West Bank, displacing 311 Palestinians, over half of whom are children," a statement from the Association of International Development Agencies said.
"These demolitions, in areas under Israeli control, have driven Palestinian families from their communities and their land, increasing poverty and the need for humanitarian assistance."
Minister of Awkaf and religious affairs in Gaza Dr. Ismail Ridwan has lashed out at the Israeli occupation authority (IOA) for serving demolition notifications in occupied Jerusalem. He said in a statement on Sunday that the notifications, distributed in Silwan town south of the Aqsa Mosque, fell in line with the IOA Judaization scheme of the holy city.
The minister charged that the IOA was trying to wipe out Islamic landmarks in Jerusalem and change its demographic status.
Ridwan urged the world community to assume its duties toward the occupied city of Jerusalem and its inhabitants and to restrict such “criminal practices”.
He also asked the Arab and Islamic countries to support the steadfastness of Jerusalemites in face of occupation schemes and to help them in confronting such “arbitrary measures”.
Israeli municipal teams, escorted by occupation forces, had served seven demolition notifications for houses and shops in four suburbs in Silwan at the pretext of being built without permit.
The minister charged that the IOA was trying to wipe out Islamic landmarks in Jerusalem and change its demographic status.
Ridwan urged the world community to assume its duties toward the occupied city of Jerusalem and its inhabitants and to restrict such “criminal practices”.
He also asked the Arab and Islamic countries to support the steadfastness of Jerusalemites in face of occupation schemes and to help them in confronting such “arbitrary measures”.
Israeli municipal teams, escorted by occupation forces, had served seven demolition notifications for houses and shops in four suburbs in Silwan at the pretext of being built without permit.
Khalil Tufkaji, director of the mapping department of the Arab studies society in occupied Jerusalem, said that the project of "greater Jerusalem" as a capital for two states, which was proposed by US secretary of state John Kerry constitutes 10 percent of the West Bank area. Tufkaji told Quds Press that Kerry's proposal of greater Jerusalem is a previous Zionist project.
He said that this greater Jerusalem, according to Kerry, would extend from Gush Etzion settlement units in southern Bethlehem to the settlement of Ma'aleh Adumim in east Jerusalem and the settlement of Givat Ze'ev in the northern part of the holy city as well as to Palestinian villages and towns near Bethlehem.
The mapping expert noted that the Palestinians have only 13 percent of Jerusalem area, which makes up 1.2 percent of the total area of the West Bank after the Israeli occupation regime had seized 87 percent of east Jerusalem.
He affirmed that there are 200,000 Jewish settlers living in east Jerusalem, which the Palestinians claim as a capital of their future state.
Kerry had tabled during his last meeting with de facto president Mahmoud Abbas a proposal calling for making greater Jerusalem a capital for Israel and Palestine in the framework of a solution to the conflict, but the Palestinian Authority refused the US overture, according to statements by some Palestinian officials in Ramallah.
He said that this greater Jerusalem, according to Kerry, would extend from Gush Etzion settlement units in southern Bethlehem to the settlement of Ma'aleh Adumim in east Jerusalem and the settlement of Givat Ze'ev in the northern part of the holy city as well as to Palestinian villages and towns near Bethlehem.
The mapping expert noted that the Palestinians have only 13 percent of Jerusalem area, which makes up 1.2 percent of the total area of the West Bank after the Israeli occupation regime had seized 87 percent of east Jerusalem.
He affirmed that there are 200,000 Jewish settlers living in east Jerusalem, which the Palestinians claim as a capital of their future state.
Kerry had tabled during his last meeting with de facto president Mahmoud Abbas a proposal calling for making greater Jerusalem a capital for Israel and Palestine in the framework of a solution to the conflict, but the Palestinian Authority refused the US overture, according to statements by some Palestinian officials in Ramallah.
5 jan 2014
Jerusalem municipality workers accompanied by Israeli police on Sunday issued demolition orders for houses, shops, storage buildings, and a sports field in the Silwan area of East Jerusalem, residents said.
The orders were for buildings in the neighborhoods of Wadi al-Hilweh, Wad Yasoul, Bir Ayub, Ein al-Lawza, al-Abbassiya, and Ras al-Amoud.
Resident Dawoud Siyam said that demolition orders in Beir Ayub were hung on a large building that has been standing since 1814, which currently houses four different shops.
He added that orders were posted on a shed that was built in 2002, and that each notice was accompanied by a 15-shekel fine.
In Wadi al-Hilweh, a demolition order was hung on 850-meter sports field which was build in 2002, locals said. Notices were also hung on four buildings on the field.
Jawad Siyam, the director of Wadi al-Hilweh information center, said he was also handed a demolition order for his house, which was built in 1952.
Additionally, Israeli authorities handed Khalid al-Zeer a demolition order for his home in al-Abassiya neighborhood.
Al-Zeer said he built the home for his seven-member family after their house was demolished in August last year. He said an Israeli judge granted him permission to build the new home.
Israeli forces also handed demolition orders to three houses and a cattle ranch in the neighborhoods of Wad Yasoul, Ein al-Lawza, and Ras al-Amoud, locals said.
A spokesman for Israel's Coordination of Government Activities in the Territories -- the unit within Israel's Ministry of Defense that heads up home demolitions -- did not immediately return calls or emails seeking comment.
In October, Israeli municipality officials issued demolition orders for the homes of over 15,000 Palestinians in the East Jerusalem neighborhoods of Ras Khamis and Ras Shahada. The buildings have yet to be demolished.
Israel destroyed more than 500 Palestinian properties in the West Bank and East Jerusalem in 2013, displacing over 850 people, according to UN figures.
Israel rarely grants Palestinians permits to build in the West Bank and 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.
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.
The orders were for buildings in the neighborhoods of Wadi al-Hilweh, Wad Yasoul, Bir Ayub, Ein al-Lawza, al-Abbassiya, and Ras al-Amoud.
Resident Dawoud Siyam said that demolition orders in Beir Ayub were hung on a large building that has been standing since 1814, which currently houses four different shops.
He added that orders were posted on a shed that was built in 2002, and that each notice was accompanied by a 15-shekel fine.
In Wadi al-Hilweh, a demolition order was hung on 850-meter sports field which was build in 2002, locals said. Notices were also hung on four buildings on the field.
Jawad Siyam, the director of Wadi al-Hilweh information center, said he was also handed a demolition order for his house, which was built in 1952.
Additionally, Israeli authorities handed Khalid al-Zeer a demolition order for his home in al-Abassiya neighborhood.
Al-Zeer said he built the home for his seven-member family after their house was demolished in August last year. He said an Israeli judge granted him permission to build the new home.
Israeli forces also handed demolition orders to three houses and a cattle ranch in the neighborhoods of Wad Yasoul, Ein al-Lawza, and Ras al-Amoud, locals said.
A spokesman for Israel's Coordination of Government Activities in the Territories -- the unit within Israel's Ministry of Defense that heads up home demolitions -- did not immediately return calls or emails seeking comment.
In October, Israeli municipality officials issued demolition orders for the homes of over 15,000 Palestinians in the East Jerusalem neighborhoods of Ras Khamis and Ras Shahada. The buildings have yet to be demolished.
Israel destroyed more than 500 Palestinian properties in the West Bank and East Jerusalem in 2013, displacing over 850 people, according to UN figures.
Israel rarely grants Palestinians permits to build in the West Bank and 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.
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.
The Israeli occupation authority (IOA) demolished at dawn Sunday a Palestinian-owned house in Umm Al-Fahm town to the north of the 1948 occupied lands at the pretext of unlicensed construction. Local sources said that bulldozers belonging to the Israeli interior ministry under military and police protection stormed at two o'clock in the morning a Palestinian house owned by Sadeq Abu Haluk in Ein Al-Sha'ra neighborhood in the town and forced its residents to evacuate it before embarking on demolishing it.
The IOA had demolished dozens of homes in Umm Al-Fahm and Wadi Ara at the pretext of unlicensed construction and already issued dozens of demolition orders against others.
In a separate incident, extremist Jewish settlers at an early hour today established an outpost in Tel Armideh area in Al-Khalil city.
Human rights sources told Quds Press that Jewish settlers placed a prefabricated house on a piece of agricultural land belonging to the family of Abu Haikal in Tel Armideh a few days after they uprooted and destroyed its olive and almond trees.
They added that the settlers used bulldozer to uproot the remaining trees and level the land before they put their mobile house.
In an earlier incident, a Palestinian citizens named Hamza Abu Tir was forced by an Israeli court on Saturday to demolish a huge part of his house, about 50 square meters, in Umm Tuba village near Abu Ghuneim Mount in Jerusalem.
Abu Tir told the Palestinian information center (PIC) that he had to knock down part of his house in order to avoid paying huge demolition expenses to the Israeli occupation authority.
The IOA had demolished dozens of homes in Umm Al-Fahm and Wadi Ara at the pretext of unlicensed construction and already issued dozens of demolition orders against others.
In a separate incident, extremist Jewish settlers at an early hour today established an outpost in Tel Armideh area in Al-Khalil city.
Human rights sources told Quds Press that Jewish settlers placed a prefabricated house on a piece of agricultural land belonging to the family of Abu Haikal in Tel Armideh a few days after they uprooted and destroyed its olive and almond trees.
They added that the settlers used bulldozer to uproot the remaining trees and level the land before they put their mobile house.
In an earlier incident, a Palestinian citizens named Hamza Abu Tir was forced by an Israeli court on Saturday to demolish a huge part of his house, about 50 square meters, in Umm Tuba village near Abu Ghuneim Mount in Jerusalem.
Abu Tir told the Palestinian information center (PIC) that he had to knock down part of his house in order to avoid paying huge demolition expenses to the Israeli occupation authority.
Israeli soldiers violently assaulted several Palestinians in Um Al-Kheir village, east of Yatta, near the southern West Bank city of Hebron. Rateb Jabour, coordinator of the Popular Committee Against the Wall in Hebron, stated that dozens soldiers invaded the village and attacked several residents.
Two of the attacked Palestinians have been identified as Hajj Suleiman Al-Hathaleen and Sofian Al-Hathaleen.
The soldiers said they invaded the village because Israeli settlers, of the nearby Karmiel illegal settlement, “were annoyed” with noises coming from the village’s bakery.
Jabour said that, nearly a month ago, extremist settlers demolished a clay oven that belongs to members of the Al-Hathaleen family despite an Israeli High Court order against its destruction.
The clay oven provides bread for more than 40 residents in the village.
In related news, Israeli settlers placed several mobile homes in the Tal Romeida neighborhood after bulldozing a land that belongs to members of the Abu Haikal family.
The land, planted with almond trees, is nearly 5 Dunams (1.23 Acres).
Abdul-Hady Kantash, a Palestinian expert in maps and Israeli settlements, said that the settlers aim at expanding the Ramat Yishai illegal outpost.
Two of the attacked Palestinians have been identified as Hajj Suleiman Al-Hathaleen and Sofian Al-Hathaleen.
The soldiers said they invaded the village because Israeli settlers, of the nearby Karmiel illegal settlement, “were annoyed” with noises coming from the village’s bakery.
Jabour said that, nearly a month ago, extremist settlers demolished a clay oven that belongs to members of the Al-Hathaleen family despite an Israeli High Court order against its destruction.
The clay oven provides bread for more than 40 residents in the village.
In related news, Israeli settlers placed several mobile homes in the Tal Romeida neighborhood after bulldozing a land that belongs to members of the Abu Haikal family.
The land, planted with almond trees, is nearly 5 Dunams (1.23 Acres).
Abdul-Hady Kantash, a Palestinian expert in maps and Israeli settlements, said that the settlers aim at expanding the Ramat Yishai illegal outpost.
4 jan 2014
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Palestinians being evicted from their cave homes in the village of Susia
Human Rights Watch (HRW) has urged Israel to stop the forced eviction of Palestinians from their homes in the occupied lands, calling the move discriminatory, illegal and a war crime. The rights body said that the Israeli military is illegally forcing 23 Palestinians, including 15 children, from three families to leave their homes near a West Bank settlement. “No Israeli authority, including the High Court of Justice, has justified this displacement as being a temporary measure for the protection of the residents themselves or for imperative military reasons. Under these circumstances, displacing the families would not only be discriminatory, |
but also a grave breach of Israel’s obligations as the occupying power, and a war crime,” HRW said in a statement on Friday.
Israel’s High Court of Justice on December 3, 2013, rejected a petition against the evictions and held that the military could evict the families on or after January 3, 2014. It did not refer to any of Israel’s duties under international human rights law or the law of occupation
“Israel’s military is ushering in 2014 by forcing more Palestinian families out of their homes,” said Sarah Leah Whitson, Middle East and North Africa director at Human Rights Watch.
In 2013, Israel forcibly displaced more than 1,100 Palestinians from the West Bank and demolished their homes.
More than half a million Israelis live in over 120 illegal settlements built since Israel’s occupation of the Palestinian territories of the West Bank and East al-Quds in 1967.
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 forbids construction on occupied lands.
Israel’s High Court of Justice on December 3, 2013, rejected a petition against the evictions and held that the military could evict the families on or after January 3, 2014. It did not refer to any of Israel’s duties under international human rights law or the law of occupation
“Israel’s military is ushering in 2014 by forcing more Palestinian families out of their homes,” said Sarah Leah Whitson, Middle East and North Africa director at Human Rights Watch.
In 2013, Israel forcibly displaced more than 1,100 Palestinians from the West Bank and demolished their homes.
More than half a million Israelis live in over 120 illegal settlements built since Israel’s occupation of the Palestinian territories of the West Bank and East al-Quds in 1967.
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 forbids construction on occupied lands.
2 jan 2014
Israeli inspectors of the Ministry of Interior’s department of monitoring unlicensed constructions on Thursday demolished three Bedouin houses in the Negev village of Wadi al-Niam.
Locals told Ma’an that large numbers of police officers escorted the inspectors who brought a bulldozer and demolished three houses in the “unrecognized” village.
Locals told Ma’an that large numbers of police officers escorted the inspectors who brought a bulldozer and demolished three houses in the “unrecognized” village.
Arab member in the Knesset Mohammed Baraka stressed the rejection of the Palestinians in the 1948 occupied territories to the proposal of "population exchange". The population exchange proposal is based on transferring the northern part of 1948 territories to the Palestinian Authority's control, in exchange for keeping the existing settlement blocs built on the occupied West Bank under Israeli control.
Baraka warned, in a press release on Wednesday, Israel's Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu of employing the proposal of the population exchange to equate between the illegal settlers and the indigenous owners of the land, stressing that the Palestinians are the only owners of the land.
He added that this proposal aims to legitimize the settlement activities and the settlers' presence in the West Bank.
The Arab MK stressed that the Palestinian masses are demanding the evacuation of settlements and returning the land to their rightful owners, and warned the Israeli government against adopting such proposals "that will never be realized on the ground."
Baraka warned, in a press release on Wednesday, Israel's Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu of employing the proposal of the population exchange to equate between the illegal settlers and the indigenous owners of the land, stressing that the Palestinians are the only owners of the land.
He added that this proposal aims to legitimize the settlement activities and the settlers' presence in the West Bank.
The Arab MK stressed that the Palestinian masses are demanding the evacuation of settlements and returning the land to their rightful owners, and warned the Israeli government against adopting such proposals "that will never be realized on the ground."
1 jan 2014
Israeli occupation forces (IOF) on Wednesday razed the tent village of Canaan 10 built by popular activists in the Jordan Valley to the east of the West Bank.
Local sources and eyewitnesses said that IOF soldiers destroyed the tents and arrested eight activists after chasing and assaulting them.
The sources said that the tent village was built in response to the Israeli ministerial committee’s decision to annex the Jordan Valley.
They said that the IOF soldiers set up seven roadblocks leading to the area of the village to block arrival of activists.
Local sources and eyewitnesses said that IOF soldiers destroyed the tents and arrested eight activists after chasing and assaulting them.
The sources said that the tent village was built in response to the Israeli ministerial committee’s decision to annex the Jordan Valley.
They said that the IOF soldiers set up seven roadblocks leading to the area of the village to block arrival of activists.
Israel has asked the United States to consider a land swap deal that would give Palestine a section of land in the Triangle area adjacent to the Green Line in exchange for keeping settlement blocs in the West Bank, Israeli media said Wednesday.
Israeli daily Maariv reported that recent talks between the US and Israel have involved suggestions to cede to a future Palestinian state areas of the Triangle -- a cluster of Palestinian towns in Israel's Central District -- in order to include West Bank settlements within the boundaries of Israel.
The discussions were not an official part of the main talks between Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and US Secretary of State John Kerry, the report said.
Israeli officials are reportedly exploring the logistics of the plan, including the question of what would happen to the current Triangle residents' Israeli citizenship.
The Triangle area is a concentration of Palestinian towns and villages in Israel adjacent to the Green Line. Approximately 300,000 Palestinian citizens of Israel live in the area.
Palestinians make up 20 percent of Israel's population.
Peace talks between Israelis and Palestinians were relaunched in July under the auspices of the United States after nearly three years of impasse.
Israel's government has announced the construction of thousands of housing units in illegal settlements since peace talks began.
More than 500,000 Israeli settlers live in settlements across the West Bank and East Jerusalem, in contravention of international law.
Israeli daily Maariv reported that recent talks between the US and Israel have involved suggestions to cede to a future Palestinian state areas of the Triangle -- a cluster of Palestinian towns in Israel's Central District -- in order to include West Bank settlements within the boundaries of Israel.
The discussions were not an official part of the main talks between Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and US Secretary of State John Kerry, the report said.
Israeli officials are reportedly exploring the logistics of the plan, including the question of what would happen to the current Triangle residents' Israeli citizenship.
The Triangle area is a concentration of Palestinian towns and villages in Israel adjacent to the Green Line. Approximately 300,000 Palestinian citizens of Israel live in the area.
Palestinians make up 20 percent of Israel's population.
Peace talks between Israelis and Palestinians were relaunched in July under the auspices of the United States after nearly three years of impasse.
Israel's government has announced the construction of thousands of housing units in illegal settlements since peace talks began.
More than 500,000 Israeli settlers live in settlements across the West Bank and East Jerusalem, in contravention of international law.
The Israeli occupation authority (IOA) plans to confiscate 300 dunums in Al-Khader village, south of Bethlehem, and turn them into “state land”. Local sources told the PIC reporter that the confiscation of the land would entail the annexation of 1,700 dunums near it to the Jewish settlement of Efrat, which was established on Palestinian land to the south of Bethlehem.
The sources said that annexing those lands would mean isolating Bethlehem city from its southern rural areas.
The sources said that the Israeli army verbally informed the farmers and land owners of the confiscation, adding that written notifications would be distributed in the few coming days.
The sources said that annexing those lands would mean isolating Bethlehem city from its southern rural areas.
The sources said that the Israeli army verbally informed the farmers and land owners of the confiscation, adding that written notifications would be distributed in the few coming days.
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