11 feb 2016
A Palestinian statistical report has said that Israel demolished last January 64 homes and structures in the occupied territories of the West Bank and Jerusalem.
The report, which was released on Wednesday by the Land Research Center, stated that Israel's demolition of homes last month displaced 180 people, including 93 children.
Israel also razed, during the reporting month, dozens of commercial facilities, livestock stores, agricultural rooms, and water wells as well as walls and one mosque.
Israel had demolished last year 645 Palestinian homes and structures, which displaced and affected the lives of 2,180 individuals, including 1,108 children.
The report, which was released on Wednesday by the Land Research Center, stated that Israel's demolition of homes last month displaced 180 people, including 93 children.
Israel also razed, during the reporting month, dozens of commercial facilities, livestock stores, agricultural rooms, and water wells as well as walls and one mosque.
Israel had demolished last year 645 Palestinian homes and structures, which displaced and affected the lives of 2,180 individuals, including 1,108 children.
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has hinted that a reinforced fence may be set up around the entirety of the occupied territories, a fence which is similar to the one it is currently building on the territories bordering Jordan.
Netanyahu visited the fence that is under construction on Tuesday, when he said, “At the end of the day,… there will be a fence like this one surrounding its (the occupied territories’) entirety,” The Times of Israel reported.
Israel came into existence in 1948, when it occupied Palestinian land along with vast expanses of other Arab territories during full-fledged military operations. The occupied lands also include Lebanon’s Shebaa Farms and Syria’s Golan Heights.
In 1967, it occupied and later annexed the Palestinian territories of the West Bank and East al-Quds (Jerusalem) in a move never recognized by the international community. Tel Aviv withdrew from the Palestinian enclave of the Gaza Strip in 2005, but has been keeping the territory under a crippling siege and regular deadly offensives.
Upon completion, the fence would close off all the occupied territories from non-occupied land, namely Gaza, as well as sovereign territories.
Trying to justify the move, the Israeli premier said, according to Press TV/Al Ray: “In our neighborhood, we need to protect ourselves from the carnivorous animals.”
Netanyahu visited the fence that is under construction on Tuesday, when he said, “At the end of the day,… there will be a fence like this one surrounding its (the occupied territories’) entirety,” The Times of Israel reported.
Israel came into existence in 1948, when it occupied Palestinian land along with vast expanses of other Arab territories during full-fledged military operations. The occupied lands also include Lebanon’s Shebaa Farms and Syria’s Golan Heights.
In 1967, it occupied and later annexed the Palestinian territories of the West Bank and East al-Quds (Jerusalem) in a move never recognized by the international community. Tel Aviv withdrew from the Palestinian enclave of the Gaza Strip in 2005, but has been keeping the territory under a crippling siege and regular deadly offensives.
Upon completion, the fence would close off all the occupied territories from non-occupied land, namely Gaza, as well as sovereign territories.
Trying to justify the move, the Israeli premier said, according to Press TV/Al Ray: “In our neighborhood, we need to protect ourselves from the carnivorous animals.”
Israeli forces, on Thursday, destroyed over 40 Palestinian homes and structures in the Tubas district of the occupied West Bank, as ongoing Israeli policies in the Jordan Valley continue to drive Palestinians out of their homes.
A Palestinian official from the governor’s office in Tubas, Mutaz Bsharat, said that Israeli forces and bulldozers stormed the Palestinian communities of al-Farisiya and Khallet al-Khader and demolished seven homes, displacing seven families.
Forces also demolished 35 structures in the Bardala and Ein al-Baida communities, Bsharat added. Tubas Mayor Rabih Khandaqji told Ma’an that local and international organizations were carrying out efforts to aid Palestinians displaced during the demolitions and to rebuild destroyed structures.
A spokesperson for Israel's Coordination of Government Activities in the Territories (COGAT) did not have immediate information on the demolitions.
Israel has carried out near-daily demolitions in the occupied Palestinian territory since the start of this month and destroyed 42 Palestinian-owned structures in the last week of January alone, displacing 168 people, including 94 children.
The communities targeted in Thursday’s demolitions are all located in Area C, the over 60 percent of the West Bank under full Israeli military control where building permits are near-impossible for Palestinians to obtain from Israel.
As a result, Palestinian communities are forced to build illegally and face the constant threat of demolition and displacement.
Threats of displacement for the thousands of Palestinian Bedouins living in the Jordan Valley in particular have reportedly increased dramatically since 2012, according to Ma'an News Agency.
Rights groups argue that Israel aims to fully annex the strategic area of land and is unlikely to return the occupied area to Palestinians.
In addition to demolition, Israeli rights group B’Tselem, earlier this month, pointed to the use of Israeli military training exercises as a means of forcible displacement of Palestinians from the Jordan Valley.
Palestinians are frequently ordered to evacuate their villages during military trainings, and B’Tselem reported that military exercises carried out last month caused severe damage to crops belonging to Palestinian communities.
The group said that while no Israeli official has ever issued statement regarding how military training grounds are chosen, “the apparent selectiveness uncovers the motivation behind it -- dispossession.”
Three weeks ago, Israel announced the confiscation of 1,540 dunams (380 acres), of land near Jericho in the Valleys,” adding that the lands are in the final stages of being declared state lands.”
This seizure is the largest appropriation in the West Bank since August of 2014, according to the PNN.
A Palestinian official from the governor’s office in Tubas, Mutaz Bsharat, said that Israeli forces and bulldozers stormed the Palestinian communities of al-Farisiya and Khallet al-Khader and demolished seven homes, displacing seven families.
Forces also demolished 35 structures in the Bardala and Ein al-Baida communities, Bsharat added. Tubas Mayor Rabih Khandaqji told Ma’an that local and international organizations were carrying out efforts to aid Palestinians displaced during the demolitions and to rebuild destroyed structures.
A spokesperson for Israel's Coordination of Government Activities in the Territories (COGAT) did not have immediate information on the demolitions.
Israel has carried out near-daily demolitions in the occupied Palestinian territory since the start of this month and destroyed 42 Palestinian-owned structures in the last week of January alone, displacing 168 people, including 94 children.
The communities targeted in Thursday’s demolitions are all located in Area C, the over 60 percent of the West Bank under full Israeli military control where building permits are near-impossible for Palestinians to obtain from Israel.
As a result, Palestinian communities are forced to build illegally and face the constant threat of demolition and displacement.
Threats of displacement for the thousands of Palestinian Bedouins living in the Jordan Valley in particular have reportedly increased dramatically since 2012, according to Ma'an News Agency.
Rights groups argue that Israel aims to fully annex the strategic area of land and is unlikely to return the occupied area to Palestinians.
In addition to demolition, Israeli rights group B’Tselem, earlier this month, pointed to the use of Israeli military training exercises as a means of forcible displacement of Palestinians from the Jordan Valley.
Palestinians are frequently ordered to evacuate their villages during military trainings, and B’Tselem reported that military exercises carried out last month caused severe damage to crops belonging to Palestinian communities.
The group said that while no Israeli official has ever issued statement regarding how military training grounds are chosen, “the apparent selectiveness uncovers the motivation behind it -- dispossession.”
Three weeks ago, Israel announced the confiscation of 1,540 dunams (380 acres), of land near Jericho in the Valleys,” adding that the lands are in the final stages of being declared state lands.”
This seizure is the largest appropriation in the West Bank since August of 2014, according to the PNN.
Reports were recently released on Israeli intents to build a Jewish synagogue beneath the Hamam al-Ein Islamic endowment property, a few meters away from Muslims’ the holy al-Aqsa Mosque.
Sponsors of the bid are set to inaugurate the project sometime in the spring, with the advent of Jewish holidays. Other excavations are expected to be carried out in the area to pave the way for the construction of the site.
The project is sponsored by the Wailing Wall Legacy Fund public company affiliated with Israeli premier Benjamin Netanyahu's office.
A series of pictures released by the Q-Press center shows the site as being built at the expense of the Islamic Mamlukiya historical hall beneath the Hamam al-Ein area, a few meters away from al-Aqsa’s Western Wall. A field visit to the area by the Q-Press team kept record of a set of Islamic sites and monuments dating back to the Ottoman Empire and which were transformed into Judaized halls and museums.
Since 2002, the Israeli occupation authorities have been digging beneath and above Hamam al-Ein area and its vicinity in an attempt to wipe out the area’s typically Islamic character.
Sponsors of the bid are set to inaugurate the project sometime in the spring, with the advent of Jewish holidays. Other excavations are expected to be carried out in the area to pave the way for the construction of the site.
The project is sponsored by the Wailing Wall Legacy Fund public company affiliated with Israeli premier Benjamin Netanyahu's office.
A series of pictures released by the Q-Press center shows the site as being built at the expense of the Islamic Mamlukiya historical hall beneath the Hamam al-Ein area, a few meters away from al-Aqsa’s Western Wall. A field visit to the area by the Q-Press team kept record of a set of Islamic sites and monuments dating back to the Ottoman Empire and which were transformed into Judaized halls and museums.
Since 2002, the Israeli occupation authorities have been digging beneath and above Hamam al-Ein area and its vicinity in an attempt to wipe out the area’s typically Islamic character.
Several Israeli military vehicles invaded, on Thursday at dawn, Qabatia town, south of Jenin, and kidnapped six Palestinians, while another Palestinian was kidnapped near Nablus, in the northern part of the West Bank. The army also demolished structures and sheds in The West Bank’s Northern Plains.
The soldiers invaded Qabatia town, south of Jenin, broke into and violently searched several homes, and kidnapped six Palestinians.
The kidnapped residents have been identified as Mahmoud Bassem Kameel, 17, Aladdin Mohammad Zakarna, 28, Aladdin Abdullah Hanthawi, 18, Dergham Fayez Zakarna, 18, Ahmad Abdul-Rahman Loubani, 18, and Mohammad Farouq Kameel.
The soldiers also invaded Beita village, south of the northern West Bank city of Nablus, and kidnapped Ra’ef Mahmod Aqel, after storming his home and ransacking it.
In addition, the soldiers invaded the homes of Ibrahim, Hmeid and Hammoud Aqel Sama’na, in the town, and violently searched them.
In Zawata nearby town, the soldiers invaded the home of al-Mo’tasembillah Jouda, and violently assaulted his brother Abdul-Karim.
In related news, the soldiers invaded Khallet Khadra area, in the West Bank’s Northern Plains, and demolished several residential structures, and sheds, including five tents and a barn.
The soldiers invaded Qabatia town, south of Jenin, broke into and violently searched several homes, and kidnapped six Palestinians.
The kidnapped residents have been identified as Mahmoud Bassem Kameel, 17, Aladdin Mohammad Zakarna, 28, Aladdin Abdullah Hanthawi, 18, Dergham Fayez Zakarna, 18, Ahmad Abdul-Rahman Loubani, 18, and Mohammad Farouq Kameel.
The soldiers also invaded Beita village, south of the northern West Bank city of Nablus, and kidnapped Ra’ef Mahmod Aqel, after storming his home and ransacking it.
In addition, the soldiers invaded the homes of Ibrahim, Hmeid and Hammoud Aqel Sama’na, in the town, and violently searched them.
In Zawata nearby town, the soldiers invaded the home of al-Mo’tasembillah Jouda, and violently assaulted his brother Abdul-Karim.
In related news, the soldiers invaded Khallet Khadra area, in the West Bank’s Northern Plains, and demolished several residential structures, and sheds, including five tents and a barn.
With the continuing settlement activity that has surrounded three sides the Jalud village, south of Nablus province, north of the occupied West Bank, the Palestinian citizens are increasingly heeding a popular movement calling for the confrontation of this "cancer".
Village inhabitants fear that further settlement expansion would gulp the rest of the village lands and might lead to blocking the village's only outlet connecting it to other villages in Nablus province. The head of the village council of Jalud, Abdullah al-Haj Mohammed, told the Palestinian Information Center that the village is besieged by settlement cantons, a large number of settlements, and settlement outposts all established on its territories, and surrounding it from three sides.
He pointed out that those settlements control more than 85% of the village's land area, located in what is known as area (C). This settlement expansion negatively affected the lives of the Palestinian residents, especially farmers, he added. He stressed that the Israeli occupation prevents the land owners from construction, expansion of their buildings and cultivation of their lands, which are only 15% of the total village's area, while the settler herds are allowed to expand their settlements and outposts on the lands of the Palestinian people of Jalud.
Assaults and destruction
The houses of the Palestinian citizens have not been spared from the Israeli occupation attacks and schemes, al-Haj Mohammad indicated that there are several houses threatened by demolition, under the pretext of construction without permit, although some of which had been built more than 35 years ago. The threat of destruction operations extended to affect the electricity line, which feeds Khirbet Sarah, located within the village of Jalud. The power line was notified of demolition four years ago under the pretext of being constructed without permit.
This file is still under discussion by the Israeli occupation judicial authorities.
Confiscation and closure
Abu Ahmed, an activist in the anti-settlement Committee in the village, said that the occupation had confiscated and closed nearly 16 thousand acres of the village lands, on which it has established 10 settlements and outposts. The two largest settlements of them are Shilo and Shvut Rachel. These settlements and settlement outposts surround the village from three sides leaving only a single entrance from the north-east side. Abu Ahmed opined that the most serious problem the village faces is the Israeli practice of confiscation and closure of most of the village's lands, especially in areas classified (C) to prevent land reclamation.
The village's population is nearly a thousand people, silently facing the settlers' schemes, while feeling that the official authorities are letting them down, with the exception of some minor initiatives. The head of the village council had received last week the Swedish consul deputy in Jerusalem for political affairs, the vice representative of Switzerland in Ramallah, the deputy of the Embassy of Switzerland in Jerusalem, and a delegation from the human rights organization Yesh Din. During the meeting he briefed them on the Israeli settlement activity in the Jalud village.
The village of Jalud has been a target for the Israeli settlers since 1975, where the settlers steel day after day the citizens' agricultural lands, which are being Judaized through settlement schemes.
Strengthen the resilience
The village council had announced its intention to install a fence with a length of 600 meters and height of 1.5 meters, to protect the land that has been reclaimed in the area near Esh Kodesh settlement outpost, hoping that such projects would protect the land from the ever growing settlement expansion. These village-protection projects are implemented with funding from the International Relief Agency and with the contribution of the village council of Jalud.
Village inhabitants fear that further settlement expansion would gulp the rest of the village lands and might lead to blocking the village's only outlet connecting it to other villages in Nablus province. The head of the village council of Jalud, Abdullah al-Haj Mohammed, told the Palestinian Information Center that the village is besieged by settlement cantons, a large number of settlements, and settlement outposts all established on its territories, and surrounding it from three sides.
He pointed out that those settlements control more than 85% of the village's land area, located in what is known as area (C). This settlement expansion negatively affected the lives of the Palestinian residents, especially farmers, he added. He stressed that the Israeli occupation prevents the land owners from construction, expansion of their buildings and cultivation of their lands, which are only 15% of the total village's area, while the settler herds are allowed to expand their settlements and outposts on the lands of the Palestinian people of Jalud.
Assaults and destruction
The houses of the Palestinian citizens have not been spared from the Israeli occupation attacks and schemes, al-Haj Mohammad indicated that there are several houses threatened by demolition, under the pretext of construction without permit, although some of which had been built more than 35 years ago. The threat of destruction operations extended to affect the electricity line, which feeds Khirbet Sarah, located within the village of Jalud. The power line was notified of demolition four years ago under the pretext of being constructed without permit.
This file is still under discussion by the Israeli occupation judicial authorities.
Confiscation and closure
Abu Ahmed, an activist in the anti-settlement Committee in the village, said that the occupation had confiscated and closed nearly 16 thousand acres of the village lands, on which it has established 10 settlements and outposts. The two largest settlements of them are Shilo and Shvut Rachel. These settlements and settlement outposts surround the village from three sides leaving only a single entrance from the north-east side. Abu Ahmed opined that the most serious problem the village faces is the Israeli practice of confiscation and closure of most of the village's lands, especially in areas classified (C) to prevent land reclamation.
The village's population is nearly a thousand people, silently facing the settlers' schemes, while feeling that the official authorities are letting them down, with the exception of some minor initiatives. The head of the village council had received last week the Swedish consul deputy in Jerusalem for political affairs, the vice representative of Switzerland in Ramallah, the deputy of the Embassy of Switzerland in Jerusalem, and a delegation from the human rights organization Yesh Din. During the meeting he briefed them on the Israeli settlement activity in the Jalud village.
The village of Jalud has been a target for the Israeli settlers since 1975, where the settlers steel day after day the citizens' agricultural lands, which are being Judaized through settlement schemes.
Strengthen the resilience
The village council had announced its intention to install a fence with a length of 600 meters and height of 1.5 meters, to protect the land that has been reclaimed in the area near Esh Kodesh settlement outpost, hoping that such projects would protect the land from the ever growing settlement expansion. These village-protection projects are implemented with funding from the International Relief Agency and with the contribution of the village council of Jalud.
10 feb 2016
The Israeli Occupation Forces (IOF) demolished Wednesday morning a number of homes and agricultural facilities in the Jordan Valley for being allegedly located in a “closed military zone.”
A local farmer told the PIC reporter that dozens of Israeli bulldozers arrived at the area since the early morning hours accompanied by several military vehicles and hundreds of soldiers.
At least two local homes and a number of sheds were demolished till this moment, and the demolishing process is still ongoing, he pointed out. Locals were prevented from approaching their properties or taking out their belongings.
In its weekly report, the United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) revealed that Israeli forces demolished 42 Palestinian-owned structures in one week on grounds that they lack Israeli-issued building permits.
As a result, 168 people, including 94 children, were displaced and 24 others were otherwise affected.
A local farmer told the PIC reporter that dozens of Israeli bulldozers arrived at the area since the early morning hours accompanied by several military vehicles and hundreds of soldiers.
At least two local homes and a number of sheds were demolished till this moment, and the demolishing process is still ongoing, he pointed out. Locals were prevented from approaching their properties or taking out their belongings.
In its weekly report, the United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) revealed that Israeli forces demolished 42 Palestinian-owned structures in one week on grounds that they lack Israeli-issued building permits.
As a result, 168 people, including 94 children, were displaced and 24 others were otherwise affected.
9 feb 2016
Hani al-Issawi, a member of a local committee to defend land in al-Issawiya town in occupied Jerusalem, denounced the Israeli mass demolition orders that were distributed on Monday in the town after being violently stormed by Israeli border guards and special forces.
Earlier Monday, the Israeli municipal crew put up random demolition notices on the doors of 12 buildings that include 30 residential apartments.
Speaking to the PIC, al-Issawi noted that the most of the licensed homes had been built 20 to 50 years ago and before the establishment of neighboring settlements. The demolition orders, al-Issawi continued, came after Israeli municipality promoted tenders for a new structure plan in the town.
"We consider the Israeli demolition orders as a collective punitive measure against local residents, whose buildings are located near Maale Adumim settlement’s main street", according to his statements.
"Most of the buildings were established before the construction of this settlement street", al-Issawi pointed out. The local activist said that the 30 apartments’ owners declared intention to file a complaint against the Israeli municipality’s punitive measures.
The residents of al-Issawiya district suffer from ongoing Israeli violations, most notably, raiding homes and commercial stores on a daily basis, imposing heavy taxes on their owners, issuing demolition orders, and carrying out daily arrests.
Earlier Monday, the Israeli municipal crew put up random demolition notices on the doors of 12 buildings that include 30 residential apartments.
Speaking to the PIC, al-Issawi noted that the most of the licensed homes had been built 20 to 50 years ago and before the establishment of neighboring settlements. The demolition orders, al-Issawi continued, came after Israeli municipality promoted tenders for a new structure plan in the town.
"We consider the Israeli demolition orders as a collective punitive measure against local residents, whose buildings are located near Maale Adumim settlement’s main street", according to his statements.
"Most of the buildings were established before the construction of this settlement street", al-Issawi pointed out. The local activist said that the 30 apartments’ owners declared intention to file a complaint against the Israeli municipality’s punitive measures.
The residents of al-Issawiya district suffer from ongoing Israeli violations, most notably, raiding homes and commercial stores on a daily basis, imposing heavy taxes on their owners, issuing demolition orders, and carrying out daily arrests.
The Israeli Occupation Forces (IOF) demolished Tuesday morning a number of Palestinian homes and agricultural facilities in Tana area east of Nablus.
The PIC reporter quoted a local activist as saying that Israeli bulldozers stormed the area under Israeli forces' protection in the early morning and started demolishing several local homes and agricultural facilities under the pretext of being located in a “closed military zone.”
In its weekly report, the United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) revealed that Israeli forces demolished 42 Palestinian-owned structures in one week on grounds that they lack Israeli-issued building permits.
As a result, 168 people, including 94 children, were displaced and 24 others were otherwise affected.
During the last four years, Israel has demolished homes in the Palestinian occupied territories on an unprecedented scale for alleged "military need, for being allegedly built without permits, or as part of its collective punishment policy". They all have one result - tens of thousands of people, most of them children, made homeless.
The PIC reporter quoted a local activist as saying that Israeli bulldozers stormed the area under Israeli forces' protection in the early morning and started demolishing several local homes and agricultural facilities under the pretext of being located in a “closed military zone.”
In its weekly report, the United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) revealed that Israeli forces demolished 42 Palestinian-owned structures in one week on grounds that they lack Israeli-issued building permits.
As a result, 168 people, including 94 children, were displaced and 24 others were otherwise affected.
During the last four years, Israel has demolished homes in the Palestinian occupied territories on an unprecedented scale for alleged "military need, for being allegedly built without permits, or as part of its collective punishment policy". They all have one result - tens of thousands of people, most of them children, made homeless.
The Israeli occupation authority (IOA) on Monday distributed administrative demolition orders against Palestinian homes in al-Issawiya district, northeast of Occupied Jerusalem.
Member of al-Issawiya follow-up committee Mohamed Abul-Hems said that Israeli municipal employees escorted by special police forces entered the northeastern area of the district and took photographs of its homes and structures.
Abul-Hems added that the municipal crew put up demolition notices on the doors of 20 homes, without stating the names of the property owners. He noted that the most of the homes are licensed and had been built five to 20 years ago.
He affirmed that the IOA distributed these notices randomly in Issawiya in order to create a state of confusion and fear among the residents. The residents of al-Issawiya district suffer from ongoing Israeli violations, most notably, raiding homes and commercial stores on a daily basis, imposing heavy taxes on their owners, issuing demolition orders regularly and carrying out daily arrests.
In a separate incident, the IOA on the same day threatened to demolish Palestinian homes and structures in Yatta town near al-Khalil city at the pretext of unlicensed construction. Coordinator of the Yatta anti-settlement committee Rateb al-Jabour said that the IOA handed owners of six homes and rooms from the families of al-Amour and Abu Arram in al-Majaz area, east of Yatta town.
Jabour added that Israeli soldiers stormed Masafer Yatta school in al-Fakheet area and took photographs of it as a prelude to issuing a demolition order against it. He affirmed that the IOA had launched a widespread annexation and demolition campaign in Masafer Yatta town, where it demolished recently about 30 homes in Janba area.
In Nablus, the IOA notified citizens of its intention to raze their commercial stores in Beita town, south of the city. Local sources told the Palestinian Information Center (PIC) that employees from the Israeli army's civil administration distributed demolition notices against 15 stores and structures in the town at the pretext they are located in an Israeli-controlled area.
Member of al-Issawiya follow-up committee Mohamed Abul-Hems said that Israeli municipal employees escorted by special police forces entered the northeastern area of the district and took photographs of its homes and structures.
Abul-Hems added that the municipal crew put up demolition notices on the doors of 20 homes, without stating the names of the property owners. He noted that the most of the homes are licensed and had been built five to 20 years ago.
He affirmed that the IOA distributed these notices randomly in Issawiya in order to create a state of confusion and fear among the residents. The residents of al-Issawiya district suffer from ongoing Israeli violations, most notably, raiding homes and commercial stores on a daily basis, imposing heavy taxes on their owners, issuing demolition orders regularly and carrying out daily arrests.
In a separate incident, the IOA on the same day threatened to demolish Palestinian homes and structures in Yatta town near al-Khalil city at the pretext of unlicensed construction. Coordinator of the Yatta anti-settlement committee Rateb al-Jabour said that the IOA handed owners of six homes and rooms from the families of al-Amour and Abu Arram in al-Majaz area, east of Yatta town.
Jabour added that Israeli soldiers stormed Masafer Yatta school in al-Fakheet area and took photographs of it as a prelude to issuing a demolition order against it. He affirmed that the IOA had launched a widespread annexation and demolition campaign in Masafer Yatta town, where it demolished recently about 30 homes in Janba area.
In Nablus, the IOA notified citizens of its intention to raze their commercial stores in Beita town, south of the city. Local sources told the Palestinian Information Center (PIC) that employees from the Israeli army's civil administration distributed demolition notices against 15 stores and structures in the town at the pretext they are located in an Israeli-controlled area.
8 feb 2016
The Commander of Internal Front in the occupation’s army issued decisions to close and confiscate the house of four Jerusalemite prisoners under the pretext of killing a settler last September after throwing stones at his vehicle.
The prisoners are: 18-year old Mohammad Salah Abu Kaf, 17-year old Mohammad Jihad Tawil, 19-year old Walid Firas Atrash and 20-year old Abed Mahmoud Dwayyat. They are residents of the village of Sur Baher and were arrested last September and were accused of killing and causing the murder of a settler “after throwing stones at his vehicle.
According to the closure and confiscation : Under my authority as a military commander and according to system 191- defense system- emergency law 1945, I order to close and confiscate the houses of the four prisoners in order to deteriorate others from carrying out similar attacks.
The father of Mohammad Salah Abu Kaf explained that his 120-square meters apartment is on the second floor of a 4-storey building where 8 individuals live including 6 children; his wife is also sick.
He said: “This apartment is our only shelter and the occupation has been harassing us since the arrest of our son last September.”
The father of Walid Firas Al-Atrash explained this his 100-square meters house has been established since the British Mandate; 7 individuals including three children live in the house.
Walid’s father wondered: “In which law the prisoners are punished before they are even convicted?”
The mother of Mohammad Tawil explained that she rents an apartment which consists of two rooms and their facilities; 5 individuals including two children live in the apartment.
Tarek Dwayyat, brother of prisoner Abed Dwayyat, explained that the family received a closure and confiscation order to their house (established before the occupation of Jerusalem). The house is 200 square meters and is a home for three individuals. It is considered the family’s home and is on the first floor of a residential building.
The Israeli Minister of Interior had ordered to withdraw the IDs (residency) of the four prisoners two weeks ago. .
The prisoners are: 18-year old Mohammad Salah Abu Kaf, 17-year old Mohammad Jihad Tawil, 19-year old Walid Firas Atrash and 20-year old Abed Mahmoud Dwayyat. They are residents of the village of Sur Baher and were arrested last September and were accused of killing and causing the murder of a settler “after throwing stones at his vehicle.
According to the closure and confiscation : Under my authority as a military commander and according to system 191- defense system- emergency law 1945, I order to close and confiscate the houses of the four prisoners in order to deteriorate others from carrying out similar attacks.
The father of Mohammad Salah Abu Kaf explained that his 120-square meters apartment is on the second floor of a 4-storey building where 8 individuals live including 6 children; his wife is also sick.
He said: “This apartment is our only shelter and the occupation has been harassing us since the arrest of our son last September.”
The father of Walid Firas Al-Atrash explained this his 100-square meters house has been established since the British Mandate; 7 individuals including three children live in the house.
Walid’s father wondered: “In which law the prisoners are punished before they are even convicted?”
The mother of Mohammad Tawil explained that she rents an apartment which consists of two rooms and their facilities; 5 individuals including two children live in the apartment.
Tarek Dwayyat, brother of prisoner Abed Dwayyat, explained that the family received a closure and confiscation order to their house (established before the occupation of Jerusalem). The house is 200 square meters and is a home for three individuals. It is considered the family’s home and is on the first floor of a residential building.
The Israeli Minister of Interior had ordered to withdraw the IDs (residency) of the four prisoners two weeks ago. .
Israeli forces ordered on Monday the demolition of corrugated metal homes in Beita village, southeast of Nablus city in the northern occupied West Bank, a local monitor said.
Ghassan Daghlas, who monitors settlement activities in the northern West Bank, told Ma’an that Israeli troops said the homes would be demolished because they were built without proper building permits.
While demolitions in the occupied West Bank decreased by 10 percent in 2015 from the previous year, the UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) reported that 539 Palestinian-owned structures were still demolished, leaving many Palestinians homeless.
The majority were demolished in Area C, which is under full Israeli control, on the grounds of lacking building permits.
In order for Palestinians to build in Area C, land owners must obtain building permits from Israeli authorities. In a report released last year, OCHA found that between 2010 and 2014, only 1.5 percent of 2,020 building permit requests submitted were approved.
Ghassan Daghlas, who monitors settlement activities in the northern West Bank, told Ma’an that Israeli troops said the homes would be demolished because they were built without proper building permits.
While demolitions in the occupied West Bank decreased by 10 percent in 2015 from the previous year, the UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) reported that 539 Palestinian-owned structures were still demolished, leaving many Palestinians homeless.
The majority were demolished in Area C, which is under full Israeli control, on the grounds of lacking building permits.
In order for Palestinians to build in Area C, land owners must obtain building permits from Israeli authorities. In a report released last year, OCHA found that between 2010 and 2014, only 1.5 percent of 2,020 building permit requests submitted were approved.
Israeli Occupation Forces Sunday morning handed a stop-construction notice to a Palestinian family notifying them to stop building their home in Yetma town to the south of Nablus city.
Khalil al-Najjar, member of the family, told the PIC reporter that a force of Israeli army escorted by a car of the Israeli civil administration came to their home and handed a stop-of-construction notice to the family for the claim of lacking a building permit.
The forces warned his family of demolishing their home unless he goes to the civil administration office in Beit El on February, 24, Najjar said.
Najjar also explained that the house consists of a basement floor with an area estimated at 70 square meters. It houses five persons and was constructed three years ago, he pointed out.
Khalil al-Najjar, member of the family, told the PIC reporter that a force of Israeli army escorted by a car of the Israeli civil administration came to their home and handed a stop-of-construction notice to the family for the claim of lacking a building permit.
The forces warned his family of demolishing their home unless he goes to the civil administration office in Beit El on February, 24, Najjar said.
Najjar also explained that the house consists of a basement floor with an area estimated at 70 square meters. It houses five persons and was constructed three years ago, he pointed out.
Israeli magistrate court in Beersheba held a session on Sunday to decide on a lawsuit filed by Israeli authorities against residents of al-Araqib unrecognized Arab village in the Negev.
The Israeli authorities demanded Araqib’s inhabitants to pay 2 million shekels ــ the costs of razing the village on August, 27, 2010.
In addition to 40 other Palestinian villages, the Araqib Bedouin village suffers from the Israeli policy of repeated demolition due to lacking recognition by Israeli government.
The village was destroyed for 92 times.
The Israeli authorities demanded Araqib’s inhabitants to pay 2 million shekels ــ the costs of razing the village on August, 27, 2010.
In addition to 40 other Palestinian villages, the Araqib Bedouin village suffers from the Israeli policy of repeated demolition due to lacking recognition by Israeli government.
The village was destroyed for 92 times.
