2 nov 2016

Sixteen buildings in Israeli settlement of Ariel have been built at the expense of a private Palestinian land in Salfit, Haaretz Hebrew newspaper revealed.
Sixteen buildings have gone up recently in an area not defined as state land, the paper said.
According to the source, the Israeli Civil Administration says it is examining the issue.
The Ariel municipality claimed that the so-called Blue Line team is responsible for outlining the boundaries of state land.
The paper said that aerial photographs showed that the Israeli civil administration has stolen private Palestinian lands and started the construction of 16 buildings.
The project was approved in 1994 and modified in 2005.
Sixteen buildings have gone up recently in an area not defined as state land, the paper said.
According to the source, the Israeli Civil Administration says it is examining the issue.
The Ariel municipality claimed that the so-called Blue Line team is responsible for outlining the boundaries of state land.
The paper said that aerial photographs showed that the Israeli civil administration has stolen private Palestinian lands and started the construction of 16 buildings.
The project was approved in 1994 and modified in 2005.

The Israeli Occupation Forces (IOF) on Wednesday morning demolished the Bedouin village of Araqib in Negev for the 105th time.
Local sources affirmed that the Israeli forces surrounded the village and started the demolition process early today.
Araqib is among some 51 Negev villages that Israeli authorities have deemed unrecognized, arguing that Palestinian Bedouins cannot prove land ownership.
Demolitions, in addition to denial of basic services and access to infrastructure, are part of an ongoing campaign by Israeli planning committees against Bedouin villages in the Negev desert, where roughly 250,000 Palestinians live.
Local sources affirmed that the Israeli forces surrounded the village and started the demolition process early today.
Araqib is among some 51 Negev villages that Israeli authorities have deemed unrecognized, arguing that Palestinian Bedouins cannot prove land ownership.
Demolitions, in addition to denial of basic services and access to infrastructure, are part of an ongoing campaign by Israeli planning committees against Bedouin villages in the Negev desert, where roughly 250,000 Palestinians live.

Israeli bulldozers at dawn Wednesday demolished an apartment building belonging to a Palestinian family in Beit Hanina, north of Occupied Jerusalem, without prior notice.
Local sources told the Palestinian Information Center (PIC) that the building was composed of two floors belonging to Suleiman Thalji.
They added that Israeli police troops encircled the building last night before bulldozers came at dawn and embarked on razing it.
The family said it had not received any demolition warning from the Israeli municipality, affirming that its lawyer was trying for long months to get a construction permit for the building, but to no avail.
Local sources told the Palestinian Information Center (PIC) that the building was composed of two floors belonging to Suleiman Thalji.
They added that Israeli police troops encircled the building last night before bulldozers came at dawn and embarked on razing it.
The family said it had not received any demolition warning from the Israeli municipality, affirming that its lawyer was trying for long months to get a construction permit for the building, but to no avail.

The Israeli occupation army on Tuesday evening carried out military exercises in Furush Beit Dajan village, east of Nablus, without any regard for the safety of the residents and their property.
Local farmers reported that they were surprised to see Israeli tanks and armored vehicles between their homes and in their cultivated fields.
They added that the Israeli army deliberately caused widespread damage to their crops after they deployed their military vehicles on their plots of land.
The Israeli army often carries out its military drills on the outskirts of the village and rarely inside its neighborhoods, according to the farmers.
Local farmers reported that they were surprised to see Israeli tanks and armored vehicles between their homes and in their cultivated fields.
They added that the Israeli army deliberately caused widespread damage to their crops after they deployed their military vehicles on their plots of land.
The Israeli army often carries out its military drills on the outskirts of the village and rarely inside its neighborhoods, according to the farmers.

Following a number of controversial excavations in recent weeks to Islamic holy sites, a new violation took place Tuesday by Israeli troops who accompanied Israeli government officials to demolish a Muslim cemetery.
The destruction took place at the historic Bab al-Rahmeh cemetery, near the al-Aqsa Mosque in east Jerusalem. Parts of the cemetery had been confiscated by the Israeli government in 2015.
The cemetery dates back more than 1400 years, and is considered one of the most significant Muslim historic sites in East Jerusalem, according to representatives of the Islamic Waqf of Jerusalem.
Mustafa Abu Zahra, the head of the Committee for the Preservation of Islamic Cemeteries, told the Anaolu News Agency that the Israeli officials were from the ‘Israeli Nature Authority’, and that a number of soldiers accompanied them into the cemetery with heavy equipment to carry out the destruction of the graves.
At least eight graves were destroyed, according to Abu Zahra.
The Director of the Al Aqsa Mosque, Sheikh Omar Al-Qiswani, told reporters, “Israel claims the graves are situated on land owned by the Israeli Nature Authority. But Israel has no historical – or legal – basis on which to claim any right to the cemetery. The site is an Islamic Waqf [endowment] and will remain so.”
The Israeli government plans to turn the area into a park for Israeli Jews, which will exclude Palestinian residents of the West Bank and Gaza.
The destruction took place at the historic Bab al-Rahmeh cemetery, near the al-Aqsa Mosque in east Jerusalem. Parts of the cemetery had been confiscated by the Israeli government in 2015.
The cemetery dates back more than 1400 years, and is considered one of the most significant Muslim historic sites in East Jerusalem, according to representatives of the Islamic Waqf of Jerusalem.
Mustafa Abu Zahra, the head of the Committee for the Preservation of Islamic Cemeteries, told the Anaolu News Agency that the Israeli officials were from the ‘Israeli Nature Authority’, and that a number of soldiers accompanied them into the cemetery with heavy equipment to carry out the destruction of the graves.
At least eight graves were destroyed, according to Abu Zahra.
The Director of the Al Aqsa Mosque, Sheikh Omar Al-Qiswani, told reporters, “Israel claims the graves are situated on land owned by the Israeli Nature Authority. But Israel has no historical – or legal – basis on which to claim any right to the cemetery. The site is an Islamic Waqf [endowment] and will remain so.”
The Israeli government plans to turn the area into a park for Israeli Jews, which will exclude Palestinian residents of the West Bank and Gaza.
1 nov 2016

Israeli Antiquity Authority staff members, escorted by armed police and soldiers, stormed on Tuesday morning Muslims’ Bab Al-Rahma Cemetery, in Occupied Jerusalem, and filled eight tombs with dust pile.
Head of the Islamic Cemeteries Committee, Sheikh Mustafa Abu Zahra, slammed the break-in.
“The Israeli occupation forces violated the sanctity of the cemetery and covered up eight graves prepared for the burial of dead Muslims,” Abu Zahara told the PIC.
“I headed to the cemetery and scrutinized the scale of destruction,” he stated, adding that a lawyer has been hired to file a lawsuit over the assault.
According to Abu Zahra, the Israeli Antiquity Authority claimed ownership of the Bab Al-Rahma Cemetery, which has been an Islamic property for over 1,400 years, as has been corroborated by documents and historical records.
The Israeli occupation authorities seized parts of Bab Al-Rahma Cemetery, adjacent to the holy Al-Aqsa Mosque, to build parks for Israeli settlers residing in illegal outposts across the occupied Palestinian territories.
Muslims have, meanwhile been banned from burying their dead relatives in the cemetery.
The Bab Al-Rahma Cemetery draws much of its sacred character from the fact that it has been a home to the cadavers of a number of Companions of the Prophet of Islamic, Mohamed (Peace Be Upon Him), including Ubada Ibn Al-Samet.
Head of the Islamic Cemeteries Committee, Sheikh Mustafa Abu Zahra, slammed the break-in.
“The Israeli occupation forces violated the sanctity of the cemetery and covered up eight graves prepared for the burial of dead Muslims,” Abu Zahara told the PIC.
“I headed to the cemetery and scrutinized the scale of destruction,” he stated, adding that a lawyer has been hired to file a lawsuit over the assault.
According to Abu Zahra, the Israeli Antiquity Authority claimed ownership of the Bab Al-Rahma Cemetery, which has been an Islamic property for over 1,400 years, as has been corroborated by documents and historical records.
The Israeli occupation authorities seized parts of Bab Al-Rahma Cemetery, adjacent to the holy Al-Aqsa Mosque, to build parks for Israeli settlers residing in illegal outposts across the occupied Palestinian territories.
Muslims have, meanwhile been banned from burying their dead relatives in the cemetery.
The Bab Al-Rahma Cemetery draws much of its sacred character from the fact that it has been a home to the cadavers of a number of Companions of the Prophet of Islamic, Mohamed (Peace Be Upon Him), including Ubada Ibn Al-Samet.

Six Palestinian fishermen were kidnapped by the Israeli occupation navy from Gaza’s northern shores on Tuesday morning.
Head of Gaza’s Fishermen Union, Nizar Ayyash, said the Israeli naval forces opened heavy machinegun fire on the Palestinian fishermen sailing off Beit Lahiya shore, in northern Gaza Strip, and kidnapped six fishermen before they confiscated their two boats.
Ayyash identified five arrested fishermen as the Abu Reyalas Mohamed, Shaher, Alaa, and Khaled, along with Hassan Abu Samaan.
Over recent years, the IOF has stepped up arbitrary abductions and crackdowns against Palestinian fishermen setting sail off the blockaded coastal territory for unknown reasons.
Head of Gaza’s Fishermen Union, Nizar Ayyash, said the Israeli naval forces opened heavy machinegun fire on the Palestinian fishermen sailing off Beit Lahiya shore, in northern Gaza Strip, and kidnapped six fishermen before they confiscated their two boats.
Ayyash identified five arrested fishermen as the Abu Reyalas Mohamed, Shaher, Alaa, and Khaled, along with Hassan Abu Samaan.
Over recent years, the IOF has stepped up arbitrary abductions and crackdowns against Palestinian fishermen setting sail off the blockaded coastal territory for unknown reasons.
31 oct 2016

Israeli bulldozers from the Leshem settlement, on Monday, continued leveling lands west of Salfit, in the northern occupied West Bank, while Israeli forces confiscated farming equipment in Tubas.
The bulldozers came, this time, to a new area near Deir Ballout town, to the west of Salfit.
Activist and expert in the settlement files, Khaled Ma’ali, said that the Leshem settlement, which was announced three years ago, was built on private Palestinian land used for agriculture and farming.
Ma’ali added that the settlement had erased archaeological sites and surrounded the Deir Sim’an, violating the international law.
In addition, one thousand Israeli settlers broke into Kafl Hares area and carried out Talmudic rituals under heavy protection of the Israeli army.
At about the same time, Israeli forces confiscated four tractors belonging to four families living near Tubas, in the northern West Bank.
The bulldozers came, this time, to a new area near Deir Ballout town, to the west of Salfit.
Activist and expert in the settlement files, Khaled Ma’ali, said that the Leshem settlement, which was announced three years ago, was built on private Palestinian land used for agriculture and farming.
Ma’ali added that the settlement had erased archaeological sites and surrounded the Deir Sim’an, violating the international law.
In addition, one thousand Israeli settlers broke into Kafl Hares area and carried out Talmudic rituals under heavy protection of the Israeli army.
At about the same time, Israeli forces confiscated four tractors belonging to four families living near Tubas, in the northern West Bank.
30 oct 2016

Israel’s settlement expansion and destruction of Palestinian homes have escalated during the current year, according to the National Bureau for Defending the Land and Resisting Settlement.
“As it is almost impossible for the Palestinians in the eastern part of Jerusalem to obtain construction permits from the occupation municipality, 166 structures have been demolished since the beginning of the current year,” the national bureau said in a report released on Saturday.
These razed structures included 112 apartments and homes as well as 54 commercial stores and warehouses.
Another 750 Palestinian homes, tents, structures were also removed or razed during the same period in Area C of the West Bank, especially in the Jordan Valley.
The national bureau noted that 78 homes in east Jerusalem and 453 others in the West Bank had been razed in 2015, which reflected that Israel escalated its demolition policy in 2016.
On the other hand, Israel stepped up its settlement construction in Jerusalem and the West Bank, the bureau stated.
This includes a plan to build 181 housing units in Gilo settlement in Occupied Jerusalem and another one to construct a 14-story apartment building for elderly settlers on a vast tract of annexed land in Masaha village of Salfit province.
The Israeli government also recently allowed settlers to establish an illegal outpost in the northern Jordan Valley near another illegal settler community called Givat Salit, which was created in 2001.
“As it is almost impossible for the Palestinians in the eastern part of Jerusalem to obtain construction permits from the occupation municipality, 166 structures have been demolished since the beginning of the current year,” the national bureau said in a report released on Saturday.
These razed structures included 112 apartments and homes as well as 54 commercial stores and warehouses.
Another 750 Palestinian homes, tents, structures were also removed or razed during the same period in Area C of the West Bank, especially in the Jordan Valley.
The national bureau noted that 78 homes in east Jerusalem and 453 others in the West Bank had been razed in 2015, which reflected that Israel escalated its demolition policy in 2016.
On the other hand, Israel stepped up its settlement construction in Jerusalem and the West Bank, the bureau stated.
This includes a plan to build 181 housing units in Gilo settlement in Occupied Jerusalem and another one to construct a 14-story apartment building for elderly settlers on a vast tract of annexed land in Masaha village of Salfit province.
The Israeli government also recently allowed settlers to establish an illegal outpost in the northern Jordan Valley near another illegal settler community called Givat Salit, which was created in 2001.
29 oct 2016

A group of extremist Israeli colonists invaded, earlier Saturday, a Palestinian olive orchard in Wad al-Harayeq area, south of Nahhalin town, west of Bethlehem, and cut more than 18 large olive trees.
The assailants apparently tried to cut more trees, but a fence that was around large areas of the orchard foiled their attempts.
Journalist Hani Fannoun told the Maan News Agency that the lands, owned by his family, are located close to the Gush Etzion settlement block, especially Beit Ayin colonialist outpost.
Fannoun added that the orchard, and the lands around it, were illegally confiscated by Israel, but the family managed to regain control over their orchards more than twenty years ago, after heading to the Israeli Supreme Court.
Fannoun also stated that the land in question is more than ten Dunams (2.47 Acres), and that the lands around it have been illegally confiscated by Israel and became part of Israeli colonies in the area.
It is worth mentioning that various orchards in the area have been subject to frequent similar attacks by groups of extremist Israeli colonizers, especially before and during the olive harvest season.
The assailants apparently tried to cut more trees, but a fence that was around large areas of the orchard foiled their attempts.
Journalist Hani Fannoun told the Maan News Agency that the lands, owned by his family, are located close to the Gush Etzion settlement block, especially Beit Ayin colonialist outpost.
Fannoun added that the orchard, and the lands around it, were illegally confiscated by Israel, but the family managed to regain control over their orchards more than twenty years ago, after heading to the Israeli Supreme Court.
Fannoun also stated that the land in question is more than ten Dunams (2.47 Acres), and that the lands around it have been illegally confiscated by Israel and became part of Israeli colonies in the area.
It is worth mentioning that various orchards in the area have been subject to frequent similar attacks by groups of extremist Israeli colonizers, especially before and during the olive harvest season.
28 oct 2016

The Israeli Occupation Forces (IOF) demolished 780 Palestinian-owned homes in Area C since the beginning of 2016, leaving 1,129 Palestinians homeless, Haaretz Hebrew newspaper reported.
At least 780 Palestinian-owned structures in Area C have been destroyed by Israel since the beginning of the year as of mid-October, compared to a total of 453 structures over the entirety of 2015, according to the paper.
The paper pointed out that 125 demolished structures were documented in occupied Jerusalem in 2016, compared to 78 demolished homes over 2015.
The demolished structures, including residential buildings, tents, and water tanks, were mainly reported in the Jordan Valley and occupied Jerusalem under the pretext of being built without permit.
The Oslo Accords, reached in 1993, divided the West Bank into three administrative divisions: the Areas A, B and C. The distinct areas were given a different status, according to their governance pending a final status accord.
Area A is exclusively administered by the Palestinian Authority, Area B is administered by both the Palestinian Authority and Israel, and Area C, which contains the Israeli settlements, is administered by Israel.
Area C comprises about 60% of the West Bank.
At least 780 Palestinian-owned structures in Area C have been destroyed by Israel since the beginning of the year as of mid-October, compared to a total of 453 structures over the entirety of 2015, according to the paper.
The paper pointed out that 125 demolished structures were documented in occupied Jerusalem in 2016, compared to 78 demolished homes over 2015.
The demolished structures, including residential buildings, tents, and water tanks, were mainly reported in the Jordan Valley and occupied Jerusalem under the pretext of being built without permit.
The Oslo Accords, reached in 1993, divided the West Bank into three administrative divisions: the Areas A, B and C. The distinct areas were given a different status, according to their governance pending a final status accord.
Area A is exclusively administered by the Palestinian Authority, Area B is administered by both the Palestinian Authority and Israel, and Area C, which contains the Israeli settlements, is administered by Israel.
Area C comprises about 60% of the West Bank.
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