11 apr 2015
The Israeli High Court of Justice will on Sunday rule on an appeal demanding the restoration of planning authority in Area C to Palestinians, sources told Ma'an on Saturday.
The appeal was lodged in 2011 by a range of organisations, including Rabbis for Human Rights, the Jerusalem Legal Aid and Human Rights Center, and the Israeli Committee Against House Demolitions, in addition to local Palestinian authorities.
The appeal points to the fact that Palestinian building permits are almost never approved in Area C, while those Palestinians who do build live under the constant threat of demolition, which Israeli forces carry out hundreds of times each year.
Meanwhile, nearly all building permits in illegal Israeli settlements are approved, the appeal says.
The appeal is directed against the Israeli Minister of Defense, Israel's West Bank military commander, the head of Israel's Civil Administration in the West Bank, and the Israeli High Planning Council.
Israeli authorities claim that the issue must be resolved through peace negotiations, but those who lodged the appeal say it is not a political issue, but one concerning planning and housing.
'An integral part of the occupied Palestinian Territories'
Under the terms of the 1993 Oslo Accords, Area C makes up 61 percent of the occupied West Bank and is under full military and administrative control by Israel.
According to the UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA), in 2014, "Israeli forces demolished 590 Palestinian-owned structures in Area C and East Jerusalem, displacing 1,177 people -- the highest level of displacement in the West Bank since OCHA began systematically monitoring the issue in 2008."
OCHA added in a January statement: "The planning policies applied by Israel in Area C and East Jerusalem discriminate against Palestinians, making it extremely difficult for them to obtain building permits. As a result, many Palestinians build without permits to meet their housing needs and risk having their structures demolished."
The statement concluded: "Palestinians must have the opportunity to participate in a fair and equitable planning system that ensures their needs are met."
Last month, EU representatives condemned Israel's failure to meet its obligations to Palestinians in Area C, as the EU donated €3.5 million ($3.83 million) for infrastructure projects to support Palestinian communities in Area C.
While the Israeli Civil Administration is nominally responsible for developing infrastructure in the area, nearly all development only supports Israeli settlers illegally living in the area, while efforts to develop existing Palestinian communities are thwarted.
As a result, Palestinians in Area C lack basic services and infrastructure including roads, waste treatment facilities, water facilities, and access to medical facilities, while gaining construction permits is generally impossible.
EU signer of the funding agreement Michael Kohler stressed the serious limitations faced by the Palestinian Authority in promoting social and economic development of Palestinian communities, while EU representative John Gatt-Rutter emphasized that Area C is an integral part of the occupied Palestinian territory, comprised of crucial natural resources and land for a viable Palestinian State.
Gatt-Rutter added: "Without this area, the two state solution -- that we have invested in for years -- will be impossible."
The appeal was lodged in 2011 by a range of organisations, including Rabbis for Human Rights, the Jerusalem Legal Aid and Human Rights Center, and the Israeli Committee Against House Demolitions, in addition to local Palestinian authorities.
The appeal points to the fact that Palestinian building permits are almost never approved in Area C, while those Palestinians who do build live under the constant threat of demolition, which Israeli forces carry out hundreds of times each year.
Meanwhile, nearly all building permits in illegal Israeli settlements are approved, the appeal says.
The appeal is directed against the Israeli Minister of Defense, Israel's West Bank military commander, the head of Israel's Civil Administration in the West Bank, and the Israeli High Planning Council.
Israeli authorities claim that the issue must be resolved through peace negotiations, but those who lodged the appeal say it is not a political issue, but one concerning planning and housing.
'An integral part of the occupied Palestinian Territories'
Under the terms of the 1993 Oslo Accords, Area C makes up 61 percent of the occupied West Bank and is under full military and administrative control by Israel.
According to the UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA), in 2014, "Israeli forces demolished 590 Palestinian-owned structures in Area C and East Jerusalem, displacing 1,177 people -- the highest level of displacement in the West Bank since OCHA began systematically monitoring the issue in 2008."
OCHA added in a January statement: "The planning policies applied by Israel in Area C and East Jerusalem discriminate against Palestinians, making it extremely difficult for them to obtain building permits. As a result, many Palestinians build without permits to meet their housing needs and risk having their structures demolished."
The statement concluded: "Palestinians must have the opportunity to participate in a fair and equitable planning system that ensures their needs are met."
Last month, EU representatives condemned Israel's failure to meet its obligations to Palestinians in Area C, as the EU donated €3.5 million ($3.83 million) for infrastructure projects to support Palestinian communities in Area C.
While the Israeli Civil Administration is nominally responsible for developing infrastructure in the area, nearly all development only supports Israeli settlers illegally living in the area, while efforts to develop existing Palestinian communities are thwarted.
As a result, Palestinians in Area C lack basic services and infrastructure including roads, waste treatment facilities, water facilities, and access to medical facilities, while gaining construction permits is generally impossible.
EU signer of the funding agreement Michael Kohler stressed the serious limitations faced by the Palestinian Authority in promoting social and economic development of Palestinian communities, while EU representative John Gatt-Rutter emphasized that Area C is an integral part of the occupied Palestinian territory, comprised of crucial natural resources and land for a viable Palestinian State.
Gatt-Rutter added: "Without this area, the two state solution -- that we have invested in for years -- will be impossible."
Israeli forces razed lands near al-Khader south of Bethlehem earlier this week in order to build a road to a new settlement, with 400 dunums of land threatened with future construction of a settlement outpost, according to Palestinian media.
Israeli settlers began to create the bypass road near the illegal settlement outpost Sidi Bou'ez close to al-Khader, local sources told Wafa news Thursday.
The settlers were eventually forced by local residents to stop their work.
Over 400 dunums of Palestinian land is now threatened with confiscation if the road and outpost are completed, according to Al Quds news.
The town of al-Khader has lost significant amounts of private land to Israeli forces and settlers over the years.
In June 2014, Israeli forces razed lands belonging to Palestinians in the area in order to connect the nearby Efrat settlement to others nearby, Ahmad Salah, coordinator of the popular committee against the wall and settlements in the village of al-Khader told Ma'an at the time.
After the incident, Salah told Ma'an that acts of razing and leveling lands near al-Khader had been occurring "constantly," highlighting that Israeli forces have frequently prevented local farmers from reaching their lands.
The settlement of Elazar was built in 1975 on land confiscated from a number of Palestinian families in nearby al-Khader, with 32 percent of the settlement land sitting directly on top of private Palestinian property, according to Israeli human rights group Peace Now.
Bypass roads and the construction of settlements are one of many obstacles inhibiting Palestinian movement throughout the West Bank.
Israeli authorities frequently establish bypass roads enabling Israel traffic, generally connecting illegal settlements, to bypass areas that passed through Palestinian jurisdiction.
Israeli settlers began to create the bypass road near the illegal settlement outpost Sidi Bou'ez close to al-Khader, local sources told Wafa news Thursday.
The settlers were eventually forced by local residents to stop their work.
Over 400 dunums of Palestinian land is now threatened with confiscation if the road and outpost are completed, according to Al Quds news.
The town of al-Khader has lost significant amounts of private land to Israeli forces and settlers over the years.
In June 2014, Israeli forces razed lands belonging to Palestinians in the area in order to connect the nearby Efrat settlement to others nearby, Ahmad Salah, coordinator of the popular committee against the wall and settlements in the village of al-Khader told Ma'an at the time.
After the incident, Salah told Ma'an that acts of razing and leveling lands near al-Khader had been occurring "constantly," highlighting that Israeli forces have frequently prevented local farmers from reaching their lands.
The settlement of Elazar was built in 1975 on land confiscated from a number of Palestinian families in nearby al-Khader, with 32 percent of the settlement land sitting directly on top of private Palestinian property, according to Israeli human rights group Peace Now.
Bypass roads and the construction of settlements are one of many obstacles inhibiting Palestinian movement throughout the West Bank.
Israeli authorities frequently establish bypass roads enabling Israel traffic, generally connecting illegal settlements, to bypass areas that passed through Palestinian jurisdiction.
9 apr 2015
A flock of Israeli settlers on early Thursday morning stormed Burak Suleiman (Solomon’s Pools) in al-Khader town, in Bethlehem, under the religious pretext.
Dozens of Israeli settlers, escorted by army officers, broke into the historic Burak Suleiman on allegations of intents to perform religious rituals and bathe in the holy pond waters, eye-witnesses told the Quds Press.
According to Israeli narratives, the three pools of Solomon were built with massive stones that date back to the time of King Herod, some 3,000 years ago, as part of endeavors to exploit to the full the available resources and supply Jerusalem with as much water as needed.
Historiographers, however, confirmed that historical records rather testify to the fact that the abundant water reservoirs were built by Suleiman the Magnificent in the 16th century.
Earlier, overnight Wednesday, the Palestinian natives of Bethlehem stood on their guard to Israeli attempts to build an access road near al-Khader town as part of intents to set the stage for Israel’s misappropriation of some 400 dunums in favor of illegal settlement outposts.
Ahmad Salah, coordinator for the popular committee against the wall and settlement in Khader, said the local mayor and himself managed to prevent the Israeli vehicles from carrying out the construction works, warning of the striking upsurge in Israel’s illegal misappropriation of Palestinian land tracts in favor of settlement construction.
Illegal Israeli Settlers Start Road Work On Palestinian Lands Near Bethlehem
Head of the Local Council of the al-Khader town, south of Bethlehem, has reported, Thursday, that a group of Israeli extremists from an illegal Israeli outpost started digging a road on Palestinian lands to link it with their outpost.
The mayor, Tawfiq Salah, said the assailants starting digging the road in Ein al-Qassis area, near their illegal Sidi Boaz outpost.
Salah added that local residents noticed the attackers, and managed to stop them after they leveled nearly 200 meters of lands.
The official said that completing this road would lead to the illegal annexation of an entire mountain of approximately 400 Dunams (98.84 Acres) of Palestinian lands, and would also lead denying the Palestinians access to their lands in Wadi al-Ghaweet area.
The area has been subject to frequent attacks that also included illegal annexation of lands, assaults on farmers, and uprooting dozens of trees.
Israel has been trying to illegally annex large areas of Palestinian lands, especially since al-Khader is near the Jerusalem-Hebron road, as Tel Aviv is aiming at using the lands in its so-called “Greater Jerusalem” colonialist project that extends, in this area, to the northern parts of the southern West Bank city of Hebron.
Dozens of Israeli settlers, escorted by army officers, broke into the historic Burak Suleiman on allegations of intents to perform religious rituals and bathe in the holy pond waters, eye-witnesses told the Quds Press.
According to Israeli narratives, the three pools of Solomon were built with massive stones that date back to the time of King Herod, some 3,000 years ago, as part of endeavors to exploit to the full the available resources and supply Jerusalem with as much water as needed.
Historiographers, however, confirmed that historical records rather testify to the fact that the abundant water reservoirs were built by Suleiman the Magnificent in the 16th century.
Earlier, overnight Wednesday, the Palestinian natives of Bethlehem stood on their guard to Israeli attempts to build an access road near al-Khader town as part of intents to set the stage for Israel’s misappropriation of some 400 dunums in favor of illegal settlement outposts.
Ahmad Salah, coordinator for the popular committee against the wall and settlement in Khader, said the local mayor and himself managed to prevent the Israeli vehicles from carrying out the construction works, warning of the striking upsurge in Israel’s illegal misappropriation of Palestinian land tracts in favor of settlement construction.
Illegal Israeli Settlers Start Road Work On Palestinian Lands Near Bethlehem
Head of the Local Council of the al-Khader town, south of Bethlehem, has reported, Thursday, that a group of Israeli extremists from an illegal Israeli outpost started digging a road on Palestinian lands to link it with their outpost.
The mayor, Tawfiq Salah, said the assailants starting digging the road in Ein al-Qassis area, near their illegal Sidi Boaz outpost.
Salah added that local residents noticed the attackers, and managed to stop them after they leveled nearly 200 meters of lands.
The official said that completing this road would lead to the illegal annexation of an entire mountain of approximately 400 Dunams (98.84 Acres) of Palestinian lands, and would also lead denying the Palestinians access to their lands in Wadi al-Ghaweet area.
The area has been subject to frequent attacks that also included illegal annexation of lands, assaults on farmers, and uprooting dozens of trees.
Israel has been trying to illegally annex large areas of Palestinian lands, especially since al-Khader is near the Jerusalem-Hebron road, as Tel Aviv is aiming at using the lands in its so-called “Greater Jerusalem” colonialist project that extends, in this area, to the northern parts of the southern West Bank city of Hebron.
8 apr 2015
Israeli forces, Wednesday, took over a thousand dunams of Palestinian-owned land located between the towns of Beit Ummar and Beit Fajjar, in the Hebron district, for the benefit of settlement expansion, according to a local activist.
Anti-settlement activists in Beit Ummar, Yousif Abu Maryya, informed WAFA Palestinian News & Info Agency that Israeli forces, along with settlers from the nearby illegal Israeli settlement of ‘Migdal Oz’, placed a 2,600-meter-long fence around one thousand dunams belonging to Palestinian farmers in the area to expand the aforementioned settlement.
He said that farmers and land owners gathered at the scene and attempted to prevent the bulldozers from razing the land, but were prevented by Israeli soldiers who denied them access to the area.
More than 500,000 Israeli settlers live in settlements across the West Bank and East Jerusalem, in contravention of international law.
Anti-settlement activists in Beit Ummar, Yousif Abu Maryya, informed WAFA Palestinian News & Info Agency that Israeli forces, along with settlers from the nearby illegal Israeli settlement of ‘Migdal Oz’, placed a 2,600-meter-long fence around one thousand dunams belonging to Palestinian farmers in the area to expand the aforementioned settlement.
He said that farmers and land owners gathered at the scene and attempted to prevent the bulldozers from razing the land, but were prevented by Israeli soldiers who denied them access to the area.
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) has been pursuing a demolition policy against Palestinian facilities; the latest such demolitions targeted 25 facilities in March.
According to a report issued by the Britain-based Arab Organization for Human Rights (AOHR), most demolition processes were carried out in Negev, Jerusalem, Nablus and Jenin where many houses, commercial shops, agricultural facilities, tents and sheep barns were demolished.
The report pointed to the main pretext Israel is using to justify its wanton demolitions, such as claiming that certain villages are unrecognized by the so-called Israeli Planning Department and this was the case in Sa'ura village and Araqib village, which was razed for the 82nd time.
Military zones
Another pretext used by Israel is that the areas are classified as military zones within the "C” area according to Oslo Accords, Khirbet Karzaleya in the Jordan Valley was flattened under this pretext.
Unlicensed construction
The IOA continues to knock down many residential facilities in many villages in Nablus, Tulkarem, Jenin and Jerusalem where about 20 residential facilities and agricultural barracks were razed at the pretext of unlicensed construction. At the same time, Israel refuses to grant construction permits to the Palestinians and all permits require lots of effort and money.
Demolishing economic establishments
The IOA demolished a quarry in Barta'a village in Jenin, a commercial shop in Laqiya town in Negev, and a water well in Taanach village in Jenin which used to provide the farmers in the village and in the surrounding villages with the water they need to irrigate their crops.
Jerusalemites' suffering
Jerusalemites are continuously suffering from the Israeli arbitrary practices, Nidhal Da'na was forced to demolish his own house near al-Aqsa Mosque in Jerusalem so as to avoid shelling out the heavy fine which would be imposed on him by the Israeli municipality in case it carried out the demolition process, and such fines often amount to 40,000 shekels.
The Israeli bulldozers destroyed the 80-square-meter house of Sharif Musa, which consists of two rooms and a small shop, under the guise of establishing a Jewish public square in Wadi al-Joz area in Jerusalem.
Moreover, the IOA bulldozers demolished the foundations of three residential apartments of the citizen Sa'ed al-Abassi in Jabal al-Mukabir village in Occupied Jerusalem under the pretext of unlicensed construction.
Uprooting trees
Even trees were not spared the Israeli destruction; in March more than 2000 trees, especially olive trees, were uprooted in different areas claiming that these areas are under Israeli sovereignty.
Jewish settlers of Asfar settlement in Shuyukh town in al-Khalil province uprooted 1200 olive trees, a settler uprooted 60 fruitful olive trees near the settlement outpost Adei Ad close to Turmus'ayya town on Nablus-Ramallah road and the IOA destroyed lots of olive trees in Taanach village in Jenin.
According to a report issued by the Britain-based Arab Organization for Human Rights (AOHR), most demolition processes were carried out in Negev, Jerusalem, Nablus and Jenin where many houses, commercial shops, agricultural facilities, tents and sheep barns were demolished.
The report pointed to the main pretext Israel is using to justify its wanton demolitions, such as claiming that certain villages are unrecognized by the so-called Israeli Planning Department and this was the case in Sa'ura village and Araqib village, which was razed for the 82nd time.
Military zones
Another pretext used by Israel is that the areas are classified as military zones within the "C” area according to Oslo Accords, Khirbet Karzaleya in the Jordan Valley was flattened under this pretext.
Unlicensed construction
The IOA continues to knock down many residential facilities in many villages in Nablus, Tulkarem, Jenin and Jerusalem where about 20 residential facilities and agricultural barracks were razed at the pretext of unlicensed construction. At the same time, Israel refuses to grant construction permits to the Palestinians and all permits require lots of effort and money.
Demolishing economic establishments
The IOA demolished a quarry in Barta'a village in Jenin, a commercial shop in Laqiya town in Negev, and a water well in Taanach village in Jenin which used to provide the farmers in the village and in the surrounding villages with the water they need to irrigate their crops.
Jerusalemites' suffering
Jerusalemites are continuously suffering from the Israeli arbitrary practices, Nidhal Da'na was forced to demolish his own house near al-Aqsa Mosque in Jerusalem so as to avoid shelling out the heavy fine which would be imposed on him by the Israeli municipality in case it carried out the demolition process, and such fines often amount to 40,000 shekels.
The Israeli bulldozers destroyed the 80-square-meter house of Sharif Musa, which consists of two rooms and a small shop, under the guise of establishing a Jewish public square in Wadi al-Joz area in Jerusalem.
Moreover, the IOA bulldozers demolished the foundations of three residential apartments of the citizen Sa'ed al-Abassi in Jabal al-Mukabir village in Occupied Jerusalem under the pretext of unlicensed construction.
Uprooting trees
Even trees were not spared the Israeli destruction; in March more than 2000 trees, especially olive trees, were uprooted in different areas claiming that these areas are under Israeli sovereignty.
Jewish settlers of Asfar settlement in Shuyukh town in al-Khalil province uprooted 1200 olive trees, a settler uprooted 60 fruitful olive trees near the settlement outpost Adei Ad close to Turmus'ayya town on Nablus-Ramallah road and the IOA destroyed lots of olive trees in Taanach village in Jenin.
7 apr 2015
The al-Aqsa Foundation for Endowment and Heritage warned of Israeli bids advised by the so-called temple mount organizations to officially turn the Tankaziya School's Chapel, at Muslims’ holy al-Aqsa Mosque, into a Jewish synagogue.
The Israeli occupation authority (IOA) turned the chapel into a synagogue for its enlisted soldiers and a military site for the so-called border guards since 1969.
In an urgent letter dispatched to the Jerusalem District Police, lawyer Aviad Visoly, head of the Temple Mount Coalition, pushed for allowing temple mount organizations to enter the Tankaziya School’s chapel on grounds that it is a synagogue and a holy site for Jews.
Israeli media sources said the lawyer threatened to sue the Israeli police in case his demand, based on the so-called Protection of Holy Places Law, is not met within 24 hours.
The lawyer reportedly wrote the letter after he was denied access into Muslims’ the al-Aqsa Mosque on Sunday and also after an Israeli officer banned him, along with a horde of Jewish settlers, from entering the Tankaziya School.
The lawyer claimed the Tankaziya building is a unique Jewish synagogue as it is the only holy site in the world located within the borders of the Temple Mount and the unique destination of a set of Jewish rituals.
Head of the al-Aqsa Foundation, Amir al-Khatib, meanwhile, warned of the serious repercussions of such sacrilegious moves.
“What should we understand of Israel’s frequent proposals and bids turning part of the al-Aqsa Mosque into a Jewish synagogue after it was misappropriated by the Israeli occupation and transformed into a military site and, at times, a synagogue?,” al-Khatib said.
He called on the concerned parties to immediately step in and work on thwarting such dangerous schemes.
Earlier Sheikh Raed Salah, the leader of the Islamic Movement in 1948 occupied Palestine, and the Aqsa Foundation warned of Israeli intents to Judaize the Tankaziya School and chapel and to establish the world’s largest synagogue over its roofs as part of a so-called Kedem Yerushalayim plan.
The Israeli occupation authority (IOA) turned the chapel into a synagogue for its enlisted soldiers and a military site for the so-called border guards since 1969.
In an urgent letter dispatched to the Jerusalem District Police, lawyer Aviad Visoly, head of the Temple Mount Coalition, pushed for allowing temple mount organizations to enter the Tankaziya School’s chapel on grounds that it is a synagogue and a holy site for Jews.
Israeli media sources said the lawyer threatened to sue the Israeli police in case his demand, based on the so-called Protection of Holy Places Law, is not met within 24 hours.
The lawyer reportedly wrote the letter after he was denied access into Muslims’ the al-Aqsa Mosque on Sunday and also after an Israeli officer banned him, along with a horde of Jewish settlers, from entering the Tankaziya School.
The lawyer claimed the Tankaziya building is a unique Jewish synagogue as it is the only holy site in the world located within the borders of the Temple Mount and the unique destination of a set of Jewish rituals.
Head of the al-Aqsa Foundation, Amir al-Khatib, meanwhile, warned of the serious repercussions of such sacrilegious moves.
“What should we understand of Israel’s frequent proposals and bids turning part of the al-Aqsa Mosque into a Jewish synagogue after it was misappropriated by the Israeli occupation and transformed into a military site and, at times, a synagogue?,” al-Khatib said.
He called on the concerned parties to immediately step in and work on thwarting such dangerous schemes.
Earlier Sheikh Raed Salah, the leader of the Islamic Movement in 1948 occupied Palestine, and the Aqsa Foundation warned of Israeli intents to Judaize the Tankaziya School and chapel and to establish the world’s largest synagogue over its roofs as part of a so-called Kedem Yerushalayim plan.
6 apr 2015
The Israeli occupation forces (IOF) on Sunday stormed the home of the Palestinian martyr Amer Abu Eisha in the southern West Bank city of al-Khalil and handed his family a notification banning the reconstruction of the destroyed building.
A PIC correspondent quoted local sources as reporting that the IOF soldiers stormed al-Seir area in al-Khalil in a flock of army jeeps, moments before they broke into Abu Eisha’s home and handed the family an order forbidding them from rebuilding their demolished house.
The assault generated a state of panic among women and children. No arrests among Palestinian citizens have been reported.
Earlier, the IOF knocked down Abu Eisha’s family home in the wake of the death of three Israeli soldiers in al-Khalil in June 2014. Both Abu Eisha and his friend Marwan al-Kawasmi were killed on September 23, 2014 at the hands of the IOF. Both men were accused of killing the soldiers.
A PIC correspondent quoted local sources as reporting that the IOF soldiers stormed al-Seir area in al-Khalil in a flock of army jeeps, moments before they broke into Abu Eisha’s home and handed the family an order forbidding them from rebuilding their demolished house.
The assault generated a state of panic among women and children. No arrests among Palestinian citizens have been reported.
Earlier, the IOF knocked down Abu Eisha’s family home in the wake of the death of three Israeli soldiers in al-Khalil in June 2014. Both Abu Eisha and his friend Marwan al-Kawasmi were killed on September 23, 2014 at the hands of the IOF. Both men were accused of killing the soldiers.
2 apr 2015
|
|
Israeli soldiers invaded, on Wednesday, a Palestinian Bedouin community in the al-Khan al-Ahmar area, north of the Israeli colony of Ma’aleh Adumim, and removed solar panels providing the community with power.
The soldiers surrounded the area before invading it, and proceeded to remove the solar panels. The Hebron Defense Committee said the solar panels were the only source of electricity to the residents, and provided power to a children's school. Israel repeatedly invades Palestinian Bedouin communities near occupied Jerusalem, the West Bank Northern Plains, Hebron, and several other |
areas in occupied Palestine.
Many communities have been repeatedly displaced after the soldiers demolished and removed their tents, residential structures and barns as Tel Aviv does not recognize them, although, similar to the Bedouin communities, displaced and rendered homeless dozens of times in the Negev, have existed before Israel was established in the historic land of Palestine in 1948.
The violations continue while Tel Aviv insists on building and expanding illegal colonies on Palestinian lands in different parts of occupied Palestine.
Many communities have been repeatedly displaced after the soldiers demolished and removed their tents, residential structures and barns as Tel Aviv does not recognize them, although, similar to the Bedouin communities, displaced and rendered homeless dozens of times in the Negev, have existed before Israel was established in the historic land of Palestine in 1948.
The violations continue while Tel Aviv insists on building and expanding illegal colonies on Palestinian lands in different parts of occupied Palestine.
The Palestinian Environment Quality Authority on Wednesday warned of Israel’s confiscation and destruction of Palestinians’ natural resources in Deir Ammar village, in the West Bank province of Ramallah.
The Environment Authority said in a press statement that the Palestinian natural resources in Deir Ammar and al-Nabi Aneir areas have been permanent targets of the Israeli occupation, pointing to the ongoing confiscations, misappropriation of water springs, and uprooting of olive trees as illustrative cases in point.
Dozens of dunums of Palestinian land tracts in the area have been seized by the Israeli occupation in favor of illegal settlement expansion, the Environment Authority further reported.
The targeted villages are rich with water pools that have long appealed to Israeli settlers allegedly due to their religious significance.
Meanwhile, a flock of Israeli bulldozers owned by extremist settlers crept into an old archaeological site craved into the rock west of Kafr al-Dik town, in Salfit.
Eye-witnesses said the bulldozers have been smashing the carved rocks and razing the land located near Deir Sam’an hamlet, resulting in a remarkable alteration of the very idiosyncrasy of the nearby archaeological sites, reportedly transformed into settler apartments and access roads.
Researcher Khaled Ma’ali stressed the historically profuse nature of Deir Sam’an’s cultural heritage, warning of Israeli intents to hold sway over the village and wipe out its Palestinian character in favor of illegal settlement construction.
The Environment Authority said in a press statement that the Palestinian natural resources in Deir Ammar and al-Nabi Aneir areas have been permanent targets of the Israeli occupation, pointing to the ongoing confiscations, misappropriation of water springs, and uprooting of olive trees as illustrative cases in point.
Dozens of dunums of Palestinian land tracts in the area have been seized by the Israeli occupation in favor of illegal settlement expansion, the Environment Authority further reported.
The targeted villages are rich with water pools that have long appealed to Israeli settlers allegedly due to their religious significance.
Meanwhile, a flock of Israeli bulldozers owned by extremist settlers crept into an old archaeological site craved into the rock west of Kafr al-Dik town, in Salfit.
Eye-witnesses said the bulldozers have been smashing the carved rocks and razing the land located near Deir Sam’an hamlet, resulting in a remarkable alteration of the very idiosyncrasy of the nearby archaeological sites, reportedly transformed into settler apartments and access roads.
Researcher Khaled Ma’ali stressed the historically profuse nature of Deir Sam’an’s cultural heritage, warning of Israeli intents to hold sway over the village and wipe out its Palestinian character in favor of illegal settlement construction.
The Israeli municipality in al-Ramla city, in the 1948 occupied territories, issued demolition orders against 30 Palestinian homes.
Palestinian residents of the 1948 occupied Palestine said the demolition orders were handed to the house owners without prior notifications.
A meeting was held Tuesday in al-Rabat neighborhood, in al-Ramla, between the house owners and lawyer Wissam Ghneiyem, head of the Soumoud association, to seek possible ways to cancel the demolition orders.
The owners of the targeted homes appealed, in a statement, to the Palestinian leadership inside of the Green Line, the Arab follow-up committee, and the heads of the Arab municipal councils to immediately step in and work on having such demolition orders rescinded before it is too late.
Palestinian residents of the 1948 occupied Palestine said the demolition orders were handed to the house owners without prior notifications.
A meeting was held Tuesday in al-Rabat neighborhood, in al-Ramla, between the house owners and lawyer Wissam Ghneiyem, head of the Soumoud association, to seek possible ways to cancel the demolition orders.
The owners of the targeted homes appealed, in a statement, to the Palestinian leadership inside of the Green Line, the Arab follow-up committee, and the heads of the Arab municipal councils to immediately step in and work on having such demolition orders rescinded before it is too late.
Israeli forces, Wednesday, injured a child during a raid on a West Bank Bedouin village, during which they also confiscated solar energy panels donated by a local sustainability organization, according to an official.
A prominent Fateh party member in Jahalin, an area in the central West Bank near Abu Dis, where large numbers of Bedouins live in small villages, said that Israeli soldiers raided the encampment near al-Khan al-Ahmar where 22 families live, Ma'an has reported.
He said that the soldiers seized 12 portable solar power panels which had been donated to them for their electricity needs by the Applied Research Institute Jerusalem, a Palestinian organization which focuses on sustainability and self-sufficiency for Palestinians.
During the raid, the Fatah official said, a child was assaulted and left with bruises. He was subsequently taken to a Jericho hospital unconscious.
The encampment raided by Israeli soldiers is one of 21 where Bedouins live in the Jahalin area.
Israeli forces have shut a number of roads into the area in the past, part of a wider effort to evict Bedouins from the area, which is close to the Jewish-only settlement of Maale Adumim.
The Jahalin area is located in the strategic E1 corridor which connects Jerusalem and Maale Adumim. Israeli authorities have frequently expressed their desire to build in the area, a move that would cut the occupied West Bank in half and effectively make any Palestinian state impossible.
Since early February, Palestinian activists have maintained a protest camp nearby set up in opposition to Israeli plans to displace Palestinian Bedouin families from their dwellings in the corridor.
Last summer, Israeli authorities in the occupied West Bank released a series of plans that would concentrate Bedouins in two places and destroy more than 20 of their current villages.
Rights groups slammed the plans, adding that the forcible transfer amounts to a massive land grab and an attempt by authorities to annex the crucial E1 area and effectively cut the West Bank in two.
A statement released in September co-signed by 42 Palestinian, international, and Israeli organizations said that the plans "include moving Bedouins out of the politically sensitive area referred to as the Jerusalem Periphery or 'E1,' where Israel has long-intended to demolish 23 Bedouin villages in order to expand and link settlements, established in violation of international law."
The majority of Bedouins in Israel and the West Bank live a relatively settled but still sometimes semi-nomadic lifestyle, residing in permanent villages but pasturing livestock in adjacent areas.
Israeli restrictions on movement -- in order to build Jewish settlements on Palestinian lands previously used by Bedouins or through the construction of the apartheid wall to cut through the West Bank -- have severely curtailed Bedouins' traditional nomadism.
A prominent Fateh party member in Jahalin, an area in the central West Bank near Abu Dis, where large numbers of Bedouins live in small villages, said that Israeli soldiers raided the encampment near al-Khan al-Ahmar where 22 families live, Ma'an has reported.
He said that the soldiers seized 12 portable solar power panels which had been donated to them for their electricity needs by the Applied Research Institute Jerusalem, a Palestinian organization which focuses on sustainability and self-sufficiency for Palestinians.
During the raid, the Fatah official said, a child was assaulted and left with bruises. He was subsequently taken to a Jericho hospital unconscious.
The encampment raided by Israeli soldiers is one of 21 where Bedouins live in the Jahalin area.
Israeli forces have shut a number of roads into the area in the past, part of a wider effort to evict Bedouins from the area, which is close to the Jewish-only settlement of Maale Adumim.
The Jahalin area is located in the strategic E1 corridor which connects Jerusalem and Maale Adumim. Israeli authorities have frequently expressed their desire to build in the area, a move that would cut the occupied West Bank in half and effectively make any Palestinian state impossible.
Since early February, Palestinian activists have maintained a protest camp nearby set up in opposition to Israeli plans to displace Palestinian Bedouin families from their dwellings in the corridor.
Last summer, Israeli authorities in the occupied West Bank released a series of plans that would concentrate Bedouins in two places and destroy more than 20 of their current villages.
Rights groups slammed the plans, adding that the forcible transfer amounts to a massive land grab and an attempt by authorities to annex the crucial E1 area and effectively cut the West Bank in two.
A statement released in September co-signed by 42 Palestinian, international, and Israeli organizations said that the plans "include moving Bedouins out of the politically sensitive area referred to as the Jerusalem Periphery or 'E1,' where Israel has long-intended to demolish 23 Bedouin villages in order to expand and link settlements, established in violation of international law."
The majority of Bedouins in Israel and the West Bank live a relatively settled but still sometimes semi-nomadic lifestyle, residing in permanent villages but pasturing livestock in adjacent areas.
Israeli restrictions on movement -- in order to build Jewish settlements on Palestinian lands previously used by Bedouins or through the construction of the apartheid wall to cut through the West Bank -- have severely curtailed Bedouins' traditional nomadism.
1 apr 2015
The Israeli occupation authorities (IOA) at noontime Tuesday knocked down the foundations of three Palestinian residential apartments in Jabal al-Mukabir village, in Occupied Jerusalem.
Sai’d al-Abassi said a flock of Israeli bulldozers, escorted by special army forces, demolished the foundations of three residential apartments under construction, belonging to his two sons and brother.
The Israeli municipality knocked down the buildings without prior notices, he added.
A few hours earlier, the Israeli bulldozers turned four horse corrals and a children’s playroom owned by the Jerusalemite citizen Hani Toteh to rubble.
The demolished rooms, covering some 80 square meters in total, were legally built 25 years ago.
Sai’d al-Abassi said a flock of Israeli bulldozers, escorted by special army forces, demolished the foundations of three residential apartments under construction, belonging to his two sons and brother.
The Israeli municipality knocked down the buildings without prior notices, he added.
A few hours earlier, the Israeli bulldozers turned four horse corrals and a children’s playroom owned by the Jerusalemite citizen Hani Toteh to rubble.
The demolished rooms, covering some 80 square meters in total, were legally built 25 years ago.
An Israeli settlers afternoon Tuesday bulldozed Palestinian cultivated land lots east of Salem town, in the northern West Bank city of Nablus.
Eye-witnesses told the PIC reporter that an Israeli settler, residing in the illegal Elon Moreh settlement, razed cultivated land tracts belonging to Palestinian families, for the third time running.
The Israeli occupation authorities claimed that the targeted lands are nature reserves.
The land owners informed the Palestinian Liaison Office about the ongoing bulldozing of their lands, estimated at some 170 tracts, covering an overall area of 1,000 dunums.
Earlier, a horde of Israeli extremist settlers uprooted over 300 olive trees in the targeted land lots.
Eye-witnesses told the PIC reporter that an Israeli settler, residing in the illegal Elon Moreh settlement, razed cultivated land tracts belonging to Palestinian families, for the third time running.
The Israeli occupation authorities claimed that the targeted lands are nature reserves.
The land owners informed the Palestinian Liaison Office about the ongoing bulldozing of their lands, estimated at some 170 tracts, covering an overall area of 1,000 dunums.
Earlier, a horde of Israeli extremist settlers uprooted over 300 olive trees in the targeted land lots.
