10 jan 2016
The Israeli Occupation Authority (IOA) on Sunday confiscated 300 dunums of Palestinian agricultural lands in Yabad town in Jenin governorate and declared it as closed military zone.
Local sources revealed that Israeli army started fencing a part of agricultural lots adjacent to Mabo Dothan settlement, which is established over Yabad’s land, after handing confiscation notices to owners in the beginning of January.
The residents of the town asked the competent authorities to intervene for the sake of halting the ceaseless violations practiced by Israeli occupation forces and settlers against Palestinians.
President of municipality of Yabad Samer Abu Baker pointed out, in a press statement, that the town’s inhabitants are concerned about the possibility of confiscating more of their lands.
He explained that IOF soldiers have recently closed off the main road connecting Yabad and Barta towns to Jenin and Tulkarem cities. This coincided with installing an iron fence with the length of 900 meters and the depth of 100 meters inside Yabad's land, Abu Baker highlighted.
Local sources revealed that Israeli army started fencing a part of agricultural lots adjacent to Mabo Dothan settlement, which is established over Yabad’s land, after handing confiscation notices to owners in the beginning of January.
The residents of the town asked the competent authorities to intervene for the sake of halting the ceaseless violations practiced by Israeli occupation forces and settlers against Palestinians.
President of municipality of Yabad Samer Abu Baker pointed out, in a press statement, that the town’s inhabitants are concerned about the possibility of confiscating more of their lands.
He explained that IOF soldiers have recently closed off the main road connecting Yabad and Barta towns to Jenin and Tulkarem cities. This coincided with installing an iron fence with the length of 900 meters and the depth of 100 meters inside Yabad's land, Abu Baker highlighted.
Israeli forces have been leveling private Palestinian land south of the occupied West Bank town of Bethlehem, in preparation to build a military tower in the area, residents said.
A resident of the village of Tuqu, Issa Froukh, told Ma’an News Agency that Israeli excavators have leveled 2.5 dunams (0.6 acres) of land since Wednesday, covering the area with cement.
Froukh said that the forces plan to build a military tower on the privately owned land, adding that Israeli authorities uprooted olive trees in the area about twelve years earlier.
An Israeli army spokesperson was not immediately available for comment.
Last month, Israeli forces razed Palestinian lands in the Wadi Sair area, of the neighboring district of Hebron, also with the intention of constructing a new military tower.
Local activist Ahmad Halayqa said, at the time, that the tower would inhibit Palestinian movement in the area and would be located near the Asfar Israeli settlement, which was also built on Sair village land.
Since a wave of unrest spread across the occupied Palestinian territory in October, Israeli authorities have implemented flying checkpoints and road closures around Palestinian towns and villages, severely restricting movement.
The increased restrictions came in addition to the already-existing Israeli military infrastructure across the occupied area, where over 100 permanent military checkpoints are stationed, as well as temporary flying checkpoints which can number in the hundreds.
A resident of the village of Tuqu, Issa Froukh, told Ma’an News Agency that Israeli excavators have leveled 2.5 dunams (0.6 acres) of land since Wednesday, covering the area with cement.
Froukh said that the forces plan to build a military tower on the privately owned land, adding that Israeli authorities uprooted olive trees in the area about twelve years earlier.
An Israeli army spokesperson was not immediately available for comment.
Last month, Israeli forces razed Palestinian lands in the Wadi Sair area, of the neighboring district of Hebron, also with the intention of constructing a new military tower.
Local activist Ahmad Halayqa said, at the time, that the tower would inhibit Palestinian movement in the area and would be located near the Asfar Israeli settlement, which was also built on Sair village land.
Since a wave of unrest spread across the occupied Palestinian territory in October, Israeli authorities have implemented flying checkpoints and road closures around Palestinian towns and villages, severely restricting movement.
The increased restrictions came in addition to the already-existing Israeli military infrastructure across the occupied area, where over 100 permanent military checkpoints are stationed, as well as temporary flying checkpoints which can number in the hundreds.
The ongoing Israeli excavations under Palestinian homes in Wadi Hilweh, in Silwan town, south of the Al-Aqsa Mosque in occupied Jerusalem, forced a Palestinian family to leave their home after it became unsafe due to the excavations.
Um Mahmoud Siyam said that she and her family, with the help of relatives, have been forced to move out of their home and remove all of their furniture and belongings, after the property became completely unsafe due to the cracks in its walls and foundation resulting from the Israeli excavations underground.
"We sleep in fear, wake up in fear, that our property could collapse at any given moment," she said, "We had to disconnect the electricity in fear of fires."
She also stated that the walls in the kitchen, bathroom and one of the bedrooms are starting to collapse, in addition to the cracks in the floor and water flooding the property, as Israel continues to illegally dig and carry out excavations in the area.
"This is our family home, I live here with my two sons," Siyam said, "The cracks started appearing last month, but have significantly increased due to the rain; we appealed to various organizations, and filed complaints, but were never listened to."
Many Palestinian homes and buildings in Wadi Hilweh have been impacted by the ongoing Israeli excavations, with clear and dangerous cracks appearing in the walls and ground, rendering them unsafe and endangering the lives of dozens of Palestinians, who largely have no other alternatives, or financial resources.
Palestinian officials in occupied Jerusalem said the excavations, and the ongoing illegal Israeli policies of home demolitions and the removal of the indigenous Palestinians from many homes and residential and commercial buildings in the occupied city to replace them with Jewish settlers, are part of the illegal attempts to fully control the holy city.
Um Mahmoud Siyam said that she and her family, with the help of relatives, have been forced to move out of their home and remove all of their furniture and belongings, after the property became completely unsafe due to the cracks in its walls and foundation resulting from the Israeli excavations underground.
"We sleep in fear, wake up in fear, that our property could collapse at any given moment," she said, "We had to disconnect the electricity in fear of fires."
She also stated that the walls in the kitchen, bathroom and one of the bedrooms are starting to collapse, in addition to the cracks in the floor and water flooding the property, as Israel continues to illegally dig and carry out excavations in the area.
"This is our family home, I live here with my two sons," Siyam said, "The cracks started appearing last month, but have significantly increased due to the rain; we appealed to various organizations, and filed complaints, but were never listened to."
Many Palestinian homes and buildings in Wadi Hilweh have been impacted by the ongoing Israeli excavations, with clear and dangerous cracks appearing in the walls and ground, rendering them unsafe and endangering the lives of dozens of Palestinians, who largely have no other alternatives, or financial resources.
Palestinian officials in occupied Jerusalem said the excavations, and the ongoing illegal Israeli policies of home demolitions and the removal of the indigenous Palestinians from many homes and residential and commercial buildings in the occupied city to replace them with Jewish settlers, are part of the illegal attempts to fully control the holy city.
Rear Admiral John Kirby during a media briefing on October 15, 2014 at the Pentagon in Arlington, Virginia.
The United States came down, Friday, on a decision by Israeli Defense Minister Moshe Ya'alon to incorporate a southern West Bank church compound into the illegal Gush Etzion settlement bloc.
Spokesman for the US State Department John Kirby said during a press briefing that the US was “deeply concerned” about Ya'alon’s move, which “effectively creates a new settlement on 10 acres” of occupied West Bank land.
“Along with the regular retroactive legalization of unauthorized outposts and construction of infrastructure in remote settlements, actions such as this decision clearly undermine the possibility of a two-state solution,” Kirby said.
Kirby reiterated that the US views settlement activity as “illegitimate and counterproductive to the cause of peace."
“Continued settlement activity and expansion raises honest questions about Israel’s long-term intentions and will only make achieving a two-state solution that much more difficult,” Kirby continued.
The church compound, known as Beit al-Baraka, is situated on 38-dunams (9.3 acres) of Palestinian land in the Hebron district.
The compound’s incorporation into Gush Etzion enables the construction of a continuous line of settlements from the Gush Etzion settlement bloc south of Jerusalem to a cluster of settlements around Hebron.
An investigative report by Israeli daily Haaretz in May alleged that American millionaire Irving Moskowitz purchased Beit al-Baraka through a Swedish company years prior with the intention of turning it into a settlement outpost.
A pastor who headed the church that previously owned the compound thought it had been sold to a Swedish company, Scandinavian Seamen Holy Land Enterprises, that would revive its use as a church. It was later revealed that the company had been established in 2007 and used to cover up the sale and transfer of Beit al-Baraka.
The Swedish company registered the purchase with the Israeli Civil Administration in 2012 before handing over ownership to an American nonprofit organization that is funded by Moskowitz and works towards the eventual "Judaization" of occupied East Jerusalem.
The takeover brought ongoing demonstrations in front of the compound by local Palestinians, often with Palestinian political and religious leaders in attendance.
According to Ma'an, tshere are more than 500,000 Israelis living in illegal settlements across occupied East Jerusalem and the West Bank, making an independent and contiguous Palestinian state impossible.
While US leadership has repeatedly condemned Israeli settlement expansion, such condemnations have historically done little to curb their growth.
The United States came down, Friday, on a decision by Israeli Defense Minister Moshe Ya'alon to incorporate a southern West Bank church compound into the illegal Gush Etzion settlement bloc.
Spokesman for the US State Department John Kirby said during a press briefing that the US was “deeply concerned” about Ya'alon’s move, which “effectively creates a new settlement on 10 acres” of occupied West Bank land.
“Along with the regular retroactive legalization of unauthorized outposts and construction of infrastructure in remote settlements, actions such as this decision clearly undermine the possibility of a two-state solution,” Kirby said.
Kirby reiterated that the US views settlement activity as “illegitimate and counterproductive to the cause of peace."
“Continued settlement activity and expansion raises honest questions about Israel’s long-term intentions and will only make achieving a two-state solution that much more difficult,” Kirby continued.
The church compound, known as Beit al-Baraka, is situated on 38-dunams (9.3 acres) of Palestinian land in the Hebron district.
The compound’s incorporation into Gush Etzion enables the construction of a continuous line of settlements from the Gush Etzion settlement bloc south of Jerusalem to a cluster of settlements around Hebron.
An investigative report by Israeli daily Haaretz in May alleged that American millionaire Irving Moskowitz purchased Beit al-Baraka through a Swedish company years prior with the intention of turning it into a settlement outpost.
A pastor who headed the church that previously owned the compound thought it had been sold to a Swedish company, Scandinavian Seamen Holy Land Enterprises, that would revive its use as a church. It was later revealed that the company had been established in 2007 and used to cover up the sale and transfer of Beit al-Baraka.
The Swedish company registered the purchase with the Israeli Civil Administration in 2012 before handing over ownership to an American nonprofit organization that is funded by Moskowitz and works towards the eventual "Judaization" of occupied East Jerusalem.
The takeover brought ongoing demonstrations in front of the compound by local Palestinians, often with Palestinian political and religious leaders in attendance.
According to Ma'an, tshere are more than 500,000 Israelis living in illegal settlements across occupied East Jerusalem and the West Bank, making an independent and contiguous Palestinian state impossible.
While US leadership has repeatedly condemned Israeli settlement expansion, such condemnations have historically done little to curb their growth.
9 jan 2016
The Israeli occupation army at dawn Saturday demolished the house of martyr Muhannad al-Halabi in Sarda town, north of Ramallah city.
Local sources said that a large number of Israeli soldiers encircled and stormed the house of Halabi before heavy demolition vehicles embarked on knocking it down.
They added that local young men clashed with the invading troops in the vicinity of the house, and three of them suffered rubber bullet injuries.
Halabi was killed on the third day of al-Quds intifada (uprising), which started last October, after he carried out the first stabbing attack in Occupied Jerusalem.
Local sources said that a large number of Israeli soldiers encircled and stormed the house of Halabi before heavy demolition vehicles embarked on knocking it down.
They added that local young men clashed with the invading troops in the vicinity of the house, and three of them suffered rubber bullet injuries.
Halabi was killed on the third day of al-Quds intifada (uprising), which started last October, after he carried out the first stabbing attack in Occupied Jerusalem.
7 jan 2016
Screenshot of an Airbnb listing in the West Bank settlement of Anatot.
Fancy a vacation with breathtaking views of the Holy Land? Airbnb will let you rent out luxurious cottages atop barren hilltops, making no mention of the fact that they are in settlements on occupied land.
Airbnb, it has come to our attention, enables anyone to rent rooms and vacation homes in Israeli settlements in the West Bank. Anyone who is not of Palestinian descent, of course.
Without exception, the listings, some which appear to be luxurious cottages and others that are caravans sitting on barren hilltops, make no mention of the fact that they are in settlements on occupied land. Almost all claim to be in Israel, despite the fact that they lie beyond the country’s borders.
Exploring the Airbnb website turns up dozens of cheap rooms and homes with pastoral views and many just a short drive from Jerusalem — all pretty enticing. Especially if nobody tells you that you’re paying to be a settler few days.
Fifteen minutes from Jerusalem
Many of the listings we found appeared similar to the type of rural weekend getaway cabins — “tzimmerim” — one can find throughout northern and southern Israel. But we also found far more troubling listings.
For instance there was the caravan listed in Havat Gilad — “[a] small village really in the nature. It is very private place with a very fresh air and gorgeous view.” The price for one night: NIS 325 ($83).
What the listing fails to mention is that Havat Gilad is actually a settlement outpost, illegal even according to Israeli law. Someone making a reservation on Airbnb has no way of knowing that the outpost was — at least partially — illegally built on Palestinian land. There is no mention of the fact that more than one resident of Havat Gilad have been convicted of violent “price tag” attacks against Palestinians and their property.
Similarly, one can rent a room in the “Ma’ale Rehavam” outpost, which was also illegally built on private Palestinian land. The settlement outpost was named after Rehavam Ze’evi, one of Israel’s most famous proponents of population transfer. The “nice place in the Judean desert … about 15 minutes driving from Jerusalem” can be had for just NIS 239 ($60) a night. When we enquired about renting the room, however, the lister declined, citing the fact that “the government has yet to connect it to electricity.”
It is worth repeating that none of these listing mention the fact that they are located within the borders of the state 135 countries recognize as Palestine.
Declined due to the ‘political situation’
Israeli settlements in the West Bank are almost entirely Jewish-only communities for a number of reasons, including legal and military restrictions. We wanted to know whether Airbnb reservations would adhere to the local segregation regime. In order to test the theory, we created an online persona of an American citizen of Palestinian descent who wanted to come to visit and enjoy the quieter and cheaper option of staying in an Israeli settlement.
We attempted to make reservations at dozens of listings, contacting dozens of Airbnb hosts — and succeeded at securing one single room. Most of the time, Haled, the name we gave our would-be vacationer, was declined for no stated reason. Some hosts, however, were honest enough to say why they wouldn’t rent to Haled.
Fancy a vacation with breathtaking views of the Holy Land? Airbnb will let you rent out luxurious cottages atop barren hilltops, making no mention of the fact that they are in settlements on occupied land.
Airbnb, it has come to our attention, enables anyone to rent rooms and vacation homes in Israeli settlements in the West Bank. Anyone who is not of Palestinian descent, of course.
Without exception, the listings, some which appear to be luxurious cottages and others that are caravans sitting on barren hilltops, make no mention of the fact that they are in settlements on occupied land. Almost all claim to be in Israel, despite the fact that they lie beyond the country’s borders.
Exploring the Airbnb website turns up dozens of cheap rooms and homes with pastoral views and many just a short drive from Jerusalem — all pretty enticing. Especially if nobody tells you that you’re paying to be a settler few days.
Fifteen minutes from Jerusalem
Many of the listings we found appeared similar to the type of rural weekend getaway cabins — “tzimmerim” — one can find throughout northern and southern Israel. But we also found far more troubling listings.
For instance there was the caravan listed in Havat Gilad — “[a] small village really in the nature. It is very private place with a very fresh air and gorgeous view.” The price for one night: NIS 325 ($83).
What the listing fails to mention is that Havat Gilad is actually a settlement outpost, illegal even according to Israeli law. Someone making a reservation on Airbnb has no way of knowing that the outpost was — at least partially — illegally built on Palestinian land. There is no mention of the fact that more than one resident of Havat Gilad have been convicted of violent “price tag” attacks against Palestinians and their property.
Similarly, one can rent a room in the “Ma’ale Rehavam” outpost, which was also illegally built on private Palestinian land. The settlement outpost was named after Rehavam Ze’evi, one of Israel’s most famous proponents of population transfer. The “nice place in the Judean desert … about 15 minutes driving from Jerusalem” can be had for just NIS 239 ($60) a night. When we enquired about renting the room, however, the lister declined, citing the fact that “the government has yet to connect it to electricity.”
It is worth repeating that none of these listing mention the fact that they are located within the borders of the state 135 countries recognize as Palestine.
Declined due to the ‘political situation’
Israeli settlements in the West Bank are almost entirely Jewish-only communities for a number of reasons, including legal and military restrictions. We wanted to know whether Airbnb reservations would adhere to the local segregation regime. In order to test the theory, we created an online persona of an American citizen of Palestinian descent who wanted to come to visit and enjoy the quieter and cheaper option of staying in an Israeli settlement.
We attempted to make reservations at dozens of listings, contacting dozens of Airbnb hosts — and succeeded at securing one single room. Most of the time, Haled, the name we gave our would-be vacationer, was declined for no stated reason. Some hosts, however, were honest enough to say why they wouldn’t rent to Haled.
In the settlement of Tekoa, known for its relative openness, which the hosts described as “a sweet welcoming neighborhood with helpful people,” Haled was politely turned away. The host responded: “I’m very sorry but I don’t think that it’s possible … it’s very sensitive here … [I] hope that in [a] different life we could be good friends.”
In the settlement of Anatot, for a NIS 690 ($175) unit promoted as “Nature at its Best,” the hosts were more matter-of-fact: “I am sorry but we will not be able to confirm your reservation. Due to the political situation it is not possible at this time. All the best and happy holidays.”
In the settlement of Anatot, for a NIS 690 ($175) unit promoted as “Nature at its Best,” the hosts were more matter-of-fact: “I am sorry but we will not be able to confirm your reservation. Due to the political situation it is not possible at this time. All the best and happy holidays.”
This appears to be thinly veiled discrimination along ethnic or national lines. Even if the hosts reserve the right to refuse service to anyone they want, the decision to do so on an ethnic or national basis is problematic, to say the least.
The only place where our request was accepted was another listing in Tekoa, where Haled was told he would have to undergo a special security check at the entrance to the settlement. The host’s description of the special procedure as a “problem” suggests that it isn’t implemented for guests of other ethnic or national backgrounds:
The only place where our request was accepted was another listing in Tekoa, where Haled was told he would have to undergo a special security check at the entrance to the settlement. The host’s description of the special procedure as a “problem” suggests that it isn’t implemented for guests of other ethnic or national backgrounds:
Who profits?
Not only are settlers directly profiting from the occupation by renting out their rooms and guesthouses online, so is Airbnb, the American company that takes a 3 percent fee from hosts and a 6-12 percent fee from guests. All Israeli settlements are illegal under international law.
Airbnb’s website does not differentiate between rooms in Palestinian cities towns and those in Israeli settlements — its maps of the West Bank display no differentiation between areas under Israeli control, and those under Palestinian control.
The “Green Line” is delineated by an easily missed and not-clearly-labeled dotted line, which means that even a person who does not want to become a temporary settler has no way of knowing what they are getting into. Moreover, a search for units in the Jerusalem area brings up results of several rental options in nearby settlements — beyond the 1949 armistice line.
By charging for listings in illegal West Bank settlements, Airbnb enables Israelis and foreigners alike to financially support the settlement economy and even profits itself off the theft of private Palestinian land. By not clearly distinguishing what is a settlement and what isn’t, the company also runs the risk of misleading its customers into inadvertently lending their hand to that very theft.
There is no doubt that the Airbnb units in Israeli settlements feature breathtaking views, but the situation in the West Bank is anything but normal. The red-roofed settlement houses with luxurious pools and manicured gardens are real, but they also function as a facade. Behind every settlement is a village whose land was forcefully taken and Palestinian families whose children were hauled off to military prisons in the middle of the night. Depending on one’s nationality, there are even separate sets of laws in the West Bank.
It is needless to say that none of that information is offered to an unwitting tourist looking to Airbnb in order to find a cheap place to stay on the outskirts of Jerusalem.
Radio silence
We had about as much luck getting a response to this article from Airbnb as we did renting a room in a West Bank settlement outpost on the company’s website.
Despite repeated requests over several weeks, the California-based company never responded to our questions. We wanted to know whether the company was worried about the legal liabilities of doing business in Israeli settlements and whether it is concerned by the discrimination almost guaranteed to take place when renting housing units in the settlements.
After several weeks of radio silence, we contacted Airbnb again — this time as Haled, complaining about ethnic discrimination.
Within two minutes of sending that message, the company responded saying that it would put Haled in touch with a “community expert” — Airbnb’s most knowledgeable community members, who are selectively chosen to help hosts and guests with answers to their questions.
Sure enough, within a couple of minutes, a “community expert” sent Haled a message expressing how “upset” he was by the situation, and urging me to me to report the offending hosts to the company.
*John Brown is the pseudonym of an Israeli academic and a blogger. A version of this article was first published in Hebrew on Local Call, where he is a blogger. Read it here.
Not only are settlers directly profiting from the occupation by renting out their rooms and guesthouses online, so is Airbnb, the American company that takes a 3 percent fee from hosts and a 6-12 percent fee from guests. All Israeli settlements are illegal under international law.
Airbnb’s website does not differentiate between rooms in Palestinian cities towns and those in Israeli settlements — its maps of the West Bank display no differentiation between areas under Israeli control, and those under Palestinian control.
The “Green Line” is delineated by an easily missed and not-clearly-labeled dotted line, which means that even a person who does not want to become a temporary settler has no way of knowing what they are getting into. Moreover, a search for units in the Jerusalem area brings up results of several rental options in nearby settlements — beyond the 1949 armistice line.
By charging for listings in illegal West Bank settlements, Airbnb enables Israelis and foreigners alike to financially support the settlement economy and even profits itself off the theft of private Palestinian land. By not clearly distinguishing what is a settlement and what isn’t, the company also runs the risk of misleading its customers into inadvertently lending their hand to that very theft.
There is no doubt that the Airbnb units in Israeli settlements feature breathtaking views, but the situation in the West Bank is anything but normal. The red-roofed settlement houses with luxurious pools and manicured gardens are real, but they also function as a facade. Behind every settlement is a village whose land was forcefully taken and Palestinian families whose children were hauled off to military prisons in the middle of the night. Depending on one’s nationality, there are even separate sets of laws in the West Bank.
It is needless to say that none of that information is offered to an unwitting tourist looking to Airbnb in order to find a cheap place to stay on the outskirts of Jerusalem.
Radio silence
We had about as much luck getting a response to this article from Airbnb as we did renting a room in a West Bank settlement outpost on the company’s website.
Despite repeated requests over several weeks, the California-based company never responded to our questions. We wanted to know whether the company was worried about the legal liabilities of doing business in Israeli settlements and whether it is concerned by the discrimination almost guaranteed to take place when renting housing units in the settlements.
After several weeks of radio silence, we contacted Airbnb again — this time as Haled, complaining about ethnic discrimination.
Within two minutes of sending that message, the company responded saying that it would put Haled in touch with a “community expert” — Airbnb’s most knowledgeable community members, who are selectively chosen to help hosts and guests with answers to their questions.
Sure enough, within a couple of minutes, a “community expert” sent Haled a message expressing how “upset” he was by the situation, and urging me to me to report the offending hosts to the company.
*John Brown is the pseudonym of an Israeli academic and a blogger. A version of this article was first published in Hebrew on Local Call, where he is a blogger. Read it here.
Violent clashes broke out Thursday evening in Beit Awa town in al-Khalil when Israeli Occupation Forces (IOF) stormed in large numbers the town near the Apartheid Wall.
According to local sources, the clashes erupted after IOF stormed Beit Awa town amid heavy fire of tear gas bombs, causing several suffocation cases among the residents.
Daily clashes have been reported in the town between local youths and Israeli forces.
Meanwhile, Israeli forces notified two Palestinian citizens to stop construction work in their two houses in Beit Ummar, town north of al-Khalil.
Speaking to the PIC reporter, the local activist Mohamed Awad affirmed that IOF stormed two houses belonging to two brothers, east of the town, and handed both of them a notification to stop construction work in their houses under the pretext of being built without permit.
Israeli forces also confiscated building materials and equipment used in the construction work estimated at 10,000 shekels.
According to local sources, the clashes erupted after IOF stormed Beit Awa town amid heavy fire of tear gas bombs, causing several suffocation cases among the residents.
Daily clashes have been reported in the town between local youths and Israeli forces.
Meanwhile, Israeli forces notified two Palestinian citizens to stop construction work in their two houses in Beit Ummar, town north of al-Khalil.
Speaking to the PIC reporter, the local activist Mohamed Awad affirmed that IOF stormed two houses belonging to two brothers, east of the town, and handed both of them a notification to stop construction work in their houses under the pretext of being built without permit.
Israeli forces also confiscated building materials and equipment used in the construction work estimated at 10,000 shekels.
The Israeli Occupation Forces (IOF) confiscated Thursday evening a Palestinian land in Yabad town, south of the northern West Bank city of Jenin.
Local sources told a PIC reporter that Israeli forces stormed the area and distributed notifications declaring the land as confiscated.
The sources pointed out that tensions have recently been prevailing in the area as IOF seeks to impose a status quo by preventing local farmers from approaching their agricultural lands near the neighboring, illegal settlement of Mabo Dothan.
A month ago, the IOF declared a buffer zone with 100 meters width and 1 kilometer length to separate between the Israeli settlement and the Palestinian town.
However, Israeli forces stormed the area once again on Thursday in order to expand the confiscated land, a local activist told the PIC reporter.
Local sources told a PIC reporter that Israeli forces stormed the area and distributed notifications declaring the land as confiscated.
The sources pointed out that tensions have recently been prevailing in the area as IOF seeks to impose a status quo by preventing local farmers from approaching their agricultural lands near the neighboring, illegal settlement of Mabo Dothan.
A month ago, the IOF declared a buffer zone with 100 meters width and 1 kilometer length to separate between the Israeli settlement and the Palestinian town.
However, Israeli forces stormed the area once again on Thursday in order to expand the confiscated land, a local activist told the PIC reporter.
The Israeli occupation authority (IOA) on Thursday morning demolished three Palestinian homes in Silwan district, south of the Aqsa Mosque, and one restaurant in Beit Safafa town at the pretext of unlicensed construction
Local sources said that Israeli bulldozers escorted by policemen entered the neighborhoods of Ein Loza and Karam al-Sheikh in Silwan and razed a house belonging to the family of Abu Diyab as well as the foundations of two houses under construction.
Israeli bulldozers also knocked down parts of a restaurant in Beit Safafa town, southeast of Occupied Jerusalem.
The Wadi Hilweh Information Center said that the IOA in Jerusalem demolished 80 buildings and structures in 2015, including 22 houses and eight apartment buildings, and displaced 122 Palestinians, including 58 children.
Local sources said that Israeli bulldozers escorted by policemen entered the neighborhoods of Ein Loza and Karam al-Sheikh in Silwan and razed a house belonging to the family of Abu Diyab as well as the foundations of two houses under construction.
Israeli bulldozers also knocked down parts of a restaurant in Beit Safafa town, southeast of Occupied Jerusalem.
The Wadi Hilweh Information Center said that the IOA in Jerusalem demolished 80 buildings and structures in 2015, including 22 houses and eight apartment buildings, and displaced 122 Palestinians, including 58 children.
