21 aug 2013
A Palestinian family is living in a tent on the ruins of their home after it was demolished by Israeli forces on Tuesday.
Khaled al-Zeir erected the tent on the rubble of his home in the al-Abbasiya neighborhood of Silwan in East Jerusalem.
Israeli forces on Tuesday demolished the 60-square-meter room al-Zeir lived in with his wife and seven children. They also demolished his brother's room and three barns which housed sheep, horses, pigeons and chickens.
Al-Zeir told Ma'an that he put up the tent to prevent Israel's Nature and Parks Authority from taking control of his land.
Israeli forces demolished 412 housing units in East Jerusalem between 2004-2012, according to B'Tselem, leaving 1,636 Palestinians homeless.
Palestinian homes are usually demolished under the pretext of not having a building permit. Figures from Israeli NGO Bimkom show that 95 percent of Palestinian applications for a building permit are rejected.
Rights groups say that Israel implements a series of discriminatory practices in housing, planning, residency rights and budget allocation in East Jerusalem, with the aim of reducing the number of Palestinians living in the city.
Khaled al-Zeir erected the tent on the rubble of his home in the al-Abbasiya neighborhood of Silwan in East Jerusalem.
Israeli forces on Tuesday demolished the 60-square-meter room al-Zeir lived in with his wife and seven children. They also demolished his brother's room and three barns which housed sheep, horses, pigeons and chickens.
Al-Zeir told Ma'an that he put up the tent to prevent Israel's Nature and Parks Authority from taking control of his land.
Israeli forces demolished 412 housing units in East Jerusalem between 2004-2012, according to B'Tselem, leaving 1,636 Palestinians homeless.
Palestinian homes are usually demolished under the pretext of not having a building permit. Figures from Israeli NGO Bimkom show that 95 percent of Palestinian applications for a building permit are rejected.
Rights groups say that Israel implements a series of discriminatory practices in housing, planning, residency rights and budget allocation in East Jerusalem, with the aim of reducing the number of Palestinians living in the city.
A document released by Israeli civil administration exhibited that Palestinians continued to cultivate the land where Amona outpost had been installed until 1996, according to Haaretz newspaper's Wednesday's edition. This document refutes settlers' claim that the land where the outpost is located was an uninhabited territory.
The newspaper said that Amona, one of the first outposts built on Palestinian land in the West Bank, was set up on private Palestinian land registered in Department of Land Registry in the name of its respective Palestinian owners who are residents of Silwad town northeast of Ramallah.
The Israeli authorities demolished 8 buildings after a petition to demolish the outpost was filed in 2008 by Yesh Din on behalf of the Palestinian landowners.
It added that the settlers continued to claim for many years that the place was desolated, but the facts proved that the land not only does belong to Palestinians, but they were cultivating it until 1996.
On behalf of the nongovernmental organization Yesh Din, attorney Michael Sfard argued before the court on Tuesday that the state had flip-flopped on its stance to demolish Amona outpost , which is home to 30 housing units.
The newspaper said that Amona, one of the first outposts built on Palestinian land in the West Bank, was set up on private Palestinian land registered in Department of Land Registry in the name of its respective Palestinian owners who are residents of Silwad town northeast of Ramallah.
The Israeli authorities demolished 8 buildings after a petition to demolish the outpost was filed in 2008 by Yesh Din on behalf of the Palestinian landowners.
It added that the settlers continued to claim for many years that the place was desolated, but the facts proved that the land not only does belong to Palestinians, but they were cultivating it until 1996.
On behalf of the nongovernmental organization Yesh Din, attorney Michael Sfard argued before the court on Tuesday that the state had flip-flopped on its stance to demolish Amona outpost , which is home to 30 housing units.
Israeli Occupation Authorities Wednesday razed large areas of private-owned Palestinian land in Khilet Al Ein area in occupied al-Quds.
Local field researcher, Ahmad Sub Laban, said that the land that Israel has razed is located nearby the house of Ghaith family which was demolished by Israel few months ago.
The razing processes in that area come as a prelude to take over the land for the benefit of establishing the so called "Talmudic gardens" between Jabal al-Zaytoon (At Tur) neighborhood and al-Issawiyeh village.
Local field researcher, Ahmad Sub Laban, said that the land that Israel has razed is located nearby the house of Ghaith family which was demolished by Israel few months ago.
The razing processes in that area come as a prelude to take over the land for the benefit of establishing the so called "Talmudic gardens" between Jabal al-Zaytoon (At Tur) neighborhood and al-Issawiyeh village.
Ahmad Salah, an activist against Israel’s illegal settlements and its apartheid wall in Al-Khader town, south of Bethlehem, stated Tuesday [August 20, 2013] that a number of settlers installed mobile homes on lands that belong to residents of the town.
He said that the settlers came from Eliezer illegal settlement, built on lands that belong to Al-Khader residents, the Al-Quds Newspaper reported.
Salah added that the settlers also installed a shed, and built a large home, adding that the area is question is 150 Dunams (37 Acres) of privately owned Palestinian lands.
The Israeli government recently approved hundreds of units for Jewish settlers in the occupied West Bank, including in occupied East Jerusalem.
The approvals came despite the resumption of direct peace talks between Tel Aviv and Ramallah, and were seen as a provocative move that is meant to kill the negotiations in their track.
Settlements are illegal under International Law and the Fourth Geneva Convention to which Israel is a signatory.
During his recent meeting with UN Secretary General, Ban ki-moon, Israeli Prime Minister, Benjamin Netanyahu stated that Israel would continue to build and expand settlements in occupied East Jerusalem.
Netanyahu also said that all of Israel’s settlements, and what he described as “new neighborhoods”, would always remain under Israeli sovereignty.
He said that the settlers came from Eliezer illegal settlement, built on lands that belong to Al-Khader residents, the Al-Quds Newspaper reported.
Salah added that the settlers also installed a shed, and built a large home, adding that the area is question is 150 Dunams (37 Acres) of privately owned Palestinian lands.
The Israeli government recently approved hundreds of units for Jewish settlers in the occupied West Bank, including in occupied East Jerusalem.
The approvals came despite the resumption of direct peace talks between Tel Aviv and Ramallah, and were seen as a provocative move that is meant to kill the negotiations in their track.
Settlements are illegal under International Law and the Fourth Geneva Convention to which Israel is a signatory.
During his recent meeting with UN Secretary General, Ban ki-moon, Israeli Prime Minister, Benjamin Netanyahu stated that Israel would continue to build and expand settlements in occupied East Jerusalem.
Netanyahu also said that all of Israel’s settlements, and what he described as “new neighborhoods”, would always remain under Israeli sovereignty.
Al-Aqsa Foundation and Cultural Heritage Organization said that an area collapsed near the western wall of the Al-Aqsa Mosque in Jerusalem late Tuesday. The collapse happened near the Bab as Silsila, on the western part of the mosque, According to an eyewitness
It is the second collapse near the western wall within 5 years, Cum'a Usayle, an eyewitness said.
Usayle told AA, "The collapse has caused a deep hole there. It is dangerous for the Al-Aqsa Mosque. It poses danger especially for children and women."
No security precautions around the area have been taken by Israeli officials so far. There is also no statement about the event.
Al-Aqsa Foundation and Cultural Heritage Organization accused Israel of paving the way for demolishing the Al-Aqsa Mosque by building new settlements and digging dozens of tunnels.
Israeli diggings underground cause subsidence near Aqsa Mosque
The Aqsa foundation for endowment and heritage said that a cave-in occurred last night at the entrance to the house of Mahmoud Oseili in the old city of Jerusalem, which is 20 meters away from the Aqsa Mosque. It stated on Wednesday that the cave-in was six meters deep and 20 meters wide and happened as a result of the Israeli excavations taking place underground in the old city and at the Aqsa Mosque.
It said that immediately following the collapse, Israeli policemen arrived at the scene and gave orders to close the hole.
The foundation warned that such cave-ins that happen every once in a while show that the Israeli excavations underground are still ongoing and pose a threat to the foundations of the Aqsa Mosque and the buildings in its vicinity.
It is the second collapse near the western wall within 5 years, Cum'a Usayle, an eyewitness said.
Usayle told AA, "The collapse has caused a deep hole there. It is dangerous for the Al-Aqsa Mosque. It poses danger especially for children and women."
No security precautions around the area have been taken by Israeli officials so far. There is also no statement about the event.
Al-Aqsa Foundation and Cultural Heritage Organization accused Israel of paving the way for demolishing the Al-Aqsa Mosque by building new settlements and digging dozens of tunnels.
Israeli diggings underground cause subsidence near Aqsa Mosque
The Aqsa foundation for endowment and heritage said that a cave-in occurred last night at the entrance to the house of Mahmoud Oseili in the old city of Jerusalem, which is 20 meters away from the Aqsa Mosque. It stated on Wednesday that the cave-in was six meters deep and 20 meters wide and happened as a result of the Israeli excavations taking place underground in the old city and at the Aqsa Mosque.
It said that immediately following the collapse, Israeli policemen arrived at the scene and gave orders to close the hole.
The foundation warned that such cave-ins that happen every once in a while show that the Israeli excavations underground are still ongoing and pose a threat to the foundations of the Aqsa Mosque and the buildings in its vicinity.
20 aug 2013
Israeli forces Tuesday demolished 15 facilities in Wadi al-Maleh area, north of the Jordan Valley, that were used by Bedouin residents of the area, according to a local activist. Motaz Bisharat, in charge of the Jordan Valley settlements file in the Palestinian Authority, said soldiers demolished three rooms built of clay, a number of residential sheds and animal barns.
The demolition, which displaced three families, was carried out without any prior notice.
Arif Daraghmeh, head of al-Maleh village council, said the Israeli authorities are deliberately and continuously escalating the demolition measures against Bedouin dwellings in the area as a step toward taking it over and building Jewish settlements.
IOF troops demolish 15 structures in Bedouin village
Israeli occupation forces (IOF) razed 15 structures in the Basaliya Bedouin area in the northern Jordan Valley on Tuesday and ordered its inhabitants to leave the area. Aref Daraghme, the chairman of the Wadi Al-Malih and Bedouin tribes municipality, said in a press release that the soldiers destroyed three rooms, which were built before 1967 Israeli occupation of the West Bank, and tin houses and sheep pens.
He said that dozens of people have been rendered homeless due to the ceaseless IOF demotion campaigns in Wadi Al-Malih valley.
Hundreds of houses and structures were razed in six hamlets inhabited by Bedouins in Wadi Al-Malih over the past two years.
The demolition, which displaced three families, was carried out without any prior notice.
Arif Daraghmeh, head of al-Maleh village council, said the Israeli authorities are deliberately and continuously escalating the demolition measures against Bedouin dwellings in the area as a step toward taking it over and building Jewish settlements.
IOF troops demolish 15 structures in Bedouin village
Israeli occupation forces (IOF) razed 15 structures in the Basaliya Bedouin area in the northern Jordan Valley on Tuesday and ordered its inhabitants to leave the area. Aref Daraghme, the chairman of the Wadi Al-Malih and Bedouin tribes municipality, said in a press release that the soldiers destroyed three rooms, which were built before 1967 Israeli occupation of the West Bank, and tin houses and sheep pens.
He said that dozens of people have been rendered homeless due to the ceaseless IOF demotion campaigns in Wadi Al-Malih valley.
Hundreds of houses and structures were razed in six hamlets inhabited by Bedouins in Wadi Al-Malih over the past two years.
Israeli forces demolished part of a residential property in the Jerusalem neighborhood of Silwan on Tuesday, a local center said.
An Israeli police unit raided Silwan at dawn and closed off several streets before bulldozers demolished a room in a property belonging to Khalid al-Zeir, the Wadi Hilweh information center said.
Al-Zeir, his wife, and their seven children slept in the room, which is 60 square meters. Bulldozers also destroyed a tract of land and uprooted several olive trees, claiming that Jewish antiquities are buried under the land, al-Zeir said.
The room was built seven years ago by al-Zeir.
An Israeli police unit raided Silwan at dawn and closed off several streets before bulldozers demolished a room in a property belonging to Khalid al-Zeir, the Wadi Hilweh information center said.
Al-Zeir, his wife, and their seven children slept in the room, which is 60 square meters. Bulldozers also destroyed a tract of land and uprooted several olive trees, claiming that Jewish antiquities are buried under the land, al-Zeir said.
The room was built seven years ago by al-Zeir.
Israeli forces also destroyed a wall and an iron gate belonging to the al-Abbasi family, the Wadi Hilweh center said.
Israeli forces demolished 412 housing units in East Jerusalem between 2004-2012, according to B'Tselem, leaving 1,636 Palestinians homeless.
Palestinian homes are usually demolished under the pretext of not having a building permit. Figures from Israeli NGO Bimkom show that 95 percent of Palestinian applications for a building permit are rejected.
Rights groups say that Israel implements a series of discriminatory practices in housing, planning, residency rights and budget allocation in East Jerusalem, with the aim of reducing the number of Palestinians living in the city.
Israeli forces demolished 412 housing units in East Jerusalem between 2004-2012, according to B'Tselem, leaving 1,636 Palestinians homeless.
Palestinian homes are usually demolished under the pretext of not having a building permit. Figures from Israeli NGO Bimkom show that 95 percent of Palestinian applications for a building permit are rejected.
Rights groups say that Israel implements a series of discriminatory practices in housing, planning, residency rights and budget allocation in East Jerusalem, with the aim of reducing the number of Palestinians living in the city.
Israeli forces raided a Tulkarem village on Tuesday and confiscated the contents of a shop and plant nursery, locals said.
Israeli soldiers removed pottery, antiques and other items from a shop in the village of Jabara.
The owner of the shop, Hakim Suliman, told Ma'an that three Israeli military vehicles raided the village and confiscated items valued at around one million shekels ($270,000).
Israeli authorities had warned him not display any items in front of the shop on the street, so he placed all of his products inside.
Israeli soldiers removed pottery, antiques and other items from a shop in the village of Jabara.
The owner of the shop, Hakim Suliman, told Ma'an that three Israeli military vehicles raided the village and confiscated items valued at around one million shekels ($270,000).
Israeli authorities had warned him not display any items in front of the shop on the street, so he placed all of his products inside.
The Jerusalem Foundation for Development warned of Israeli schemes to confiscate Jerusalemite properties, including endowments, through activating the “Absentee Property Law”. The Foundation said in a press statement on Monday that the significant escalation of the settlement projects serves to pave the way for the implementation of the plan of ethnic cleansing, the deportation of the largest number of Jerusalemites, and the construction of more units for the settlers.
The concerned parties at the Islamic, Arab and Palestinian levels called for taking urgent steps to confront the serious attacks on the holy city, "through implementing projects that will enhance the Jerusalemite steadfastness".
Israeli Attorney-General Yehuda Weinstein decides on criteria for barring West Bank Palestinians from maintaining their properties in East Jerusalem, including the Old City, under the Absentee Property Law that would enable Israel to seize of up to forty percent of Arab private property in the region.
The Jerusalem Foundation for Development pointed out that many of the Jerusalemite properties represent Islamic Endowments, and that the announcement of the activation of the Absentee Property Law demonstrates that the occupation is planning to wage confiscations campaign against Jerusalemite properties.
The concerned parties at the Islamic, Arab and Palestinian levels called for taking urgent steps to confront the serious attacks on the holy city, "through implementing projects that will enhance the Jerusalemite steadfastness".
Israeli Attorney-General Yehuda Weinstein decides on criteria for barring West Bank Palestinians from maintaining their properties in East Jerusalem, including the Old City, under the Absentee Property Law that would enable Israel to seize of up to forty percent of Arab private property in the region.
The Jerusalem Foundation for Development pointed out that many of the Jerusalemite properties represent Islamic Endowments, and that the announcement of the activation of the Absentee Property Law demonstrates that the occupation is planning to wage confiscations campaign against Jerusalemite properties.
Israeli occupation forces (IOF) razed four rooms and two sheds in Faroush Beit Dajan village to the east of Nablus on Tuesday morning. Ghassan Daghlas, monitoring settlement activity north of the West Bank, said in a statement that IOF soldiers destroyed the structures using huge military bulldozers.
He said that the rooms and the sheds belonged to two inhabitants of the village.
He said that the rooms and the sheds belonged to two inhabitants of the village.
Israeli bulldozers demolished parts of homes and razed Palestinian lands in the village of Silwan in the occupied al-Quds, under the pretext that they built the houses without Israeli authorization.
Mahmoud Qara'in, of the Wadi Hilweh Information Center, said that Israeli bulldozers razed lands and uprooted trees belonging to Nidal Ramadan, a Palestinian living in the al-Abassiyeh neighborhood of Silwan.
The bulldozers destroyed an entrance of land belonging to al-Abassi family in Wadi Hilweh neighborhood and demolished a 60 square-meters room belonging to Khaled al-Zeer in the al-Abassiyeh neighborhood.
Qara'in pointed out that on Tuesday morning Israeli forces and police had been heavily deployed. They closed the area and prevented residents from reaching their lands. Currently bulldozers are still present in the area, indicating that new demolition processes are to be carried out soon.
Mahmoud Qara'in, of the Wadi Hilweh Information Center, said that Israeli bulldozers razed lands and uprooted trees belonging to Nidal Ramadan, a Palestinian living in the al-Abassiyeh neighborhood of Silwan.
The bulldozers destroyed an entrance of land belonging to al-Abassi family in Wadi Hilweh neighborhood and demolished a 60 square-meters room belonging to Khaled al-Zeer in the al-Abassiyeh neighborhood.
Qara'in pointed out that on Tuesday morning Israeli forces and police had been heavily deployed. They closed the area and prevented residents from reaching their lands. Currently bulldozers are still present in the area, indicating that new demolition processes are to be carried out soon.
19 aug 2013
Israeli Closure of Al-Bireh Waste Disposal Site Causes Concern
A decision by the Israeli military to close the waste disposal site the municipality of al-Bireh, Ramallah’s twin city, has been using for over 30 years, has caused serious concern among city and state officials who spoke on this subject on Monday. The military ordered the site located near the Israeli settlement of Psagot to the east of al-Bireh closed on August 7 leaving the city of al-Bireh and its 80,000 residents without a waste disposal site and forcing garbage trucks to empty their load at various areas of the city before burning them causing serious health and environmental issues.
The city has been unloading its garbage in an open field near the Israeli settlement of Beit El, which encircles al-Bireh from the north, before incinerating the garbage.
Israeli military bulldozers and soldiers were seen in the area on Monday clearing the site from the garbage and pushing it back to inside al-Bireh area forcing closure of main roads in the city.
Speaking at a meeting in al-Bireh city hall, local officials warned that Israel has closed the site in order to expropriate the land for the expansion of Psagot.
Minister of Local Government Saed Kouni left no doubt that Israel’s purpose behind closure of the site is to eventually takeover the Palestinian land to expand the settlement of Psagot.
He said the Palestinian Authority had actually wanted to expand the site but Israel had always refused.
Al-Bireh mayor, Fawzi Abed, warned that the closure of the site, which was run by a company and properly managed, and absence of an alternative dump is going to cause serious environmental and health problems.
He accused Israel of violating international law by preventing Palestinians from using their own land for whatever purpose they see fit.
The current site is located in Area C, which according to the Oslo classifications, is under full Israeli control until a time comes when a final peace agreement is reached between Palestine and Israel.
Deputy governor of Ramallah, Hamdan Barghouti, said efforts are underway to find an alternative site to prevent an environmental and health disaster in al-Bireh.
A decision by the Israeli military to close the waste disposal site the municipality of al-Bireh, Ramallah’s twin city, has been using for over 30 years, has caused serious concern among city and state officials who spoke on this subject on Monday. The military ordered the site located near the Israeli settlement of Psagot to the east of al-Bireh closed on August 7 leaving the city of al-Bireh and its 80,000 residents without a waste disposal site and forcing garbage trucks to empty their load at various areas of the city before burning them causing serious health and environmental issues.
The city has been unloading its garbage in an open field near the Israeli settlement of Beit El, which encircles al-Bireh from the north, before incinerating the garbage.
Israeli military bulldozers and soldiers were seen in the area on Monday clearing the site from the garbage and pushing it back to inside al-Bireh area forcing closure of main roads in the city.
Speaking at a meeting in al-Bireh city hall, local officials warned that Israel has closed the site in order to expropriate the land for the expansion of Psagot.
Minister of Local Government Saed Kouni left no doubt that Israel’s purpose behind closure of the site is to eventually takeover the Palestinian land to expand the settlement of Psagot.
He said the Palestinian Authority had actually wanted to expand the site but Israel had always refused.
Al-Bireh mayor, Fawzi Abed, warned that the closure of the site, which was run by a company and properly managed, and absence of an alternative dump is going to cause serious environmental and health problems.
He accused Israel of violating international law by preventing Palestinians from using their own land for whatever purpose they see fit.
The current site is located in Area C, which according to the Oslo classifications, is under full Israeli control until a time comes when a final peace agreement is reached between Palestine and Israel.
Deputy governor of Ramallah, Hamdan Barghouti, said efforts are underway to find an alternative site to prevent an environmental and health disaster in al-Bireh.
Israel’s occupation of Palestine is physical, (controlling borders and checkpoints), psychological (creating a constant state of terror, humiliation, and fear for Palestinians), and cultural (erasing Palestinian connection to their heritage and land). A common mistake is viewing the physical occupation as simply an occupation of land. Instead, a shift in perspective reveals that the occupation is also vertical. It is a three-dimensional occupation. Israel occupies not only the land and access to it, but also the water beneath the ground, and the airspace above it.
Generations of Palestinians have lived from the land for thousands of years. Farmers above all experience the brutal impacts of the intersection of Israel’s water and land occupation. Many Palestinians owned lands that were seized by Israel in 1948. These lands are referred to as area 48 and are now inaccessible to the Palestinians who own them. Other Palestinians have their land destroyed by the Israeli Occupation Force (IOF). Others still are put out of work by Israel’s intentional corruption of the Palestinian economy or are prohibited from accessing water resources or digging additional wells, and are therefore unable to sustain their agriculture. All these are strategies employed by the IOF and Israeli government, to starve Palestinian farmers, displace them from their lands, and fracture Palestinian farmer’s connection to their land.
Occupation and Destruction of Palestinian Lands
On Saturday, Zeiad Salah, coordinator of the Bethlehem district Palestinian Farmers Union (PFU), spoke at the Alternative Information Center (AIC) in Beit Sahour, about Israel’s destruction of Palestinian lands and the resulting displacement of Palestinians.
The Israeli Occupation Force (IOF) uses techniques such as burning down olive trees and dumping chemicals on Palestinian farmlands in order to permanently ruin the valuable natural soil. In the village of Nahleen, the IOF dumped sewage water on Palestinian lands, thereby permanently ruining 500 square km of farmland, displacing the farmers, and forcing them out of work.
“These techniques serve a dual purpose,” Salah explained, “on the one hand they ruin the land, and on the other, they destroy the livelihood of Palestinian farmers, and thereby, slowly and silently displace them.”
It is also common for the Israeli government to claim Palestinian lands to be in use by the military or air force ‘for security reasons’. This is especially common when Israel is unable to officially seize the land, because it effectively prevents Palestinians from accessing their lands.
A Beit Sahour local said, “We used to have land just past where they drew the wall. My family had lots of olive trees there. Two years ago we decided to take the kids there. We packed a picnic and sat under an olive tree, on our land, hoping to eat a meal in the land that was unjustly taken from us. But just a few minutes after we got there, some young Israeli soldiers came over and said we were trespassing on military land. I told him that this is our land and we just want to eat there. Besides, we weren’t a threat. The soldiers insisted that they had seen the children throwing rocks in their direction. But they were lying. No one threw any rocks. And the kids were just toddlers. One of them was still wearing diapers. How were they going to hurt the soldiers in their military tank?”
In other cases, Israeli settlers cultivate Palestinian lands and put up signs stating that the lands have been reissued to the Israeli families. Israeli settlers cultivate lands in area 48 with seeds of Palestinian grapes and olives, which are world renowned for their unmatched quality. Since Israel subsidizes water for Israeli farmers, Palestinians pay 10 times the price for water as their Israeli competitors, including those living on settlements pay.
The result is that it is ten times more expensive for Palestinians to produce their grapes and olives as it is for Israelis. That means that in order for Palestinians to sell their crops at competitive market prices, they must lower their prices so that they earn a far smaller percentage on their goods as Israelis selling the same Palestinian products. In short, Israeli’s are growing Palestinian grapes and olives at a much lower cost due to the Israeli government’s subsidization of water, and are thereby putting Palestinian farmers out of work and effectively destroying the Palestinian economy.
Salah, of the Palestinian Farmers Union (PFU), says there is hope for Palestinian Farmers, despite Israel’s inhumane and illegal actions against them. The PFU works with farmers to initiate creative and sustainable solutions to the Israeli occupation of farmland. The PFU, for example, works with international organizations and co-ops to sell locally produced Palestinian products, in order to help sustain farmers.
One of Palestine’s most popular exports is olive oil. Salah said, “While Palestinian farmers are forced to pay export fees to the state of Israel, most of the money from the olive oil goes directly back to the farmers. One of the most important things internationals can do is to boycott Israeli products, especially those produced in the illegal settlements, and to buy products farmed and manufactured in Palestine.”
Although the additional income these co-ops provide is not nearly enough to sustain the families working on them, they continue the legacy of farming among the younger generations. Much of Palestine’s youth has never had the chance to live on their family’s lands, which were seized either in 1948 or in 1967. The youth are therefore forcibly disconnected from their own history of farming. It is vital for Palestinians to maintain the legacy of farming, especially because one of Israel’s cultural tactics of occupation is to sever the future generations’ connection with the Palestinian land.
Battir Residents Successfully Halt Building of Israel’s Separation Wall
The village of Battir, which is located just west of Bethlehem is a site that holds some of the world’s oldest and most valuable history. Hundreds of kilometers of 5,000 year-old human made terraces stretch across the landscape. A 2,500 year old Roman water system utilizes narrow canals to redirect water from seven natural springs, and divides it among the eight large families of Battir, who switch off, each receiving a day of water. This irrigation system is used on a daily basis, by the farmers of Battir, to irrigate their crops.
One third of Battir’s lands lay within the green line. The green line is an unofficial border that was drawn to mark the 1949 borders between Israel and its neighbors (Egypt, Jordan, Lebanon and Syria) following the 1948 Arab-Israeli War. It also marks the territories captured by Israel during the Six Day War, which include the Gaza Strip, Golan Heights, West Bank, and Sinai Peninsula.
Although the 1949 Rhodes Armistice agreement signed between the Jordanian, Syrian, Egyptian, and Israeli governments gives Battir’s residents the right to continue ownership of their lands inside the green line in exchange for protecting the train (built in the 1890s by the Ottoman empire) Israel could, and threatens to, continue the construction of the separation wall.
Residents, farmers, and activists in Battir fear that Israel will build the separation wall along the green line, which would take away one third of their land and destroy the effective and historic irrigation system. While many Palestinian communities attempt to halt construction on the wall through peaceful demonstrations, such as in the infamous Bil’in, the residents of Battir utilized a different approach. They conducted studies about the importance of the natural landscape and brought international media attention and peacemakers to aid them in making a case to UNESCO to stop the wall. For now, he case has successfully and effectively halted the Israeli government from continuing construction of the separation barrier.
Battir received the Melina Mercouri International UNESCO Prize for preserving and protecting the natural landscape and landscape terraces. According to UNESCO’s website, “The project’s goal is to strengthen the capacity of the government and the inhabitants to manage this unique cultural landscape. Important elements of the project include sustainable use, development of the village infrastructure, as well as the establishment of an eco museum in Battir.”
Battir’s innovative approach to stopping the wall is an inspiration to all Palestinians under occupation, and especially to those whose lands have been stolen by Israel or are inaccessible to them due to the wall. “We are sitting and planting, according to our vision, in Battir, on the Green Line.” Mahmood Obed-Allah, from the Society of Land Friends Middle East says.
Water does not Stop at Political Borders: Israeli Restrictions on Water Access
Auja, a town 12 kilometer north-east of Jericho, is situated near the Jordan Valley, one of the most water-abundant areas in the West Bank. According to international law, the water belongs to Palestine. Israel, however, now controls most of the water infrastructure in the region, such as wells and pumps. The emergence of settlements near Auja was followed by Israeli control over water, and soon thereafter, tragic water shortages for Palestinians.
Auja’s economy used to be supported by banana, watermelon, and date crops. The Auja spring used to provide enough water for over 90% of the inhabitants, who relied on the spring for agriculture. In turn, they relied on agriculture as their main source of income. Despite the abundance of water in the region, that number has recently dropped. Currently, less than 5% of Auja’s residents and farmers are able to support themselves and their agriculture with the little remaining water Israel has allotted them.
“The Auja Spring used to have about 2,000 cubed meters of water. The Israeli’s got eight wells, and Palestinians got two. Those two were the shallowest and least effective wells,” Fadi Dweijat, director of the Auja Environmental Education Center explains. “There are many aquifers in the region. If Palestinians were just given one, then everyone could be fed,” he continued.
Palestinians are also not allowed to dig wells in order to retrieve water themselves, unless they obtain a special permit from the Israeli government. Dweijat said, “of course they never get them [permits] because the Israeli government wants Palestinians to buy water from them.” Palestinians in Auja are dependent on buying water that legally belongs to them, at a high price, from Mekorot, an Israeli company.
Israel’s control of water in Auja has resulted in a collapse of the town’s agriculture based economy. This is forcing most young Palestinians in the Auja region to work in the settlements which are illegally built on Palestinian land. Instead of cultivating their own farms, they are forced to work on Israeli settlers’ farms, which receive as much water as they need or desire. Additionally, the Palestinians working in the settlements have no insurance, benefits, labor rights, or protection.
The Auja Environmental Education Center works in collaboration with Friends of the Earth Middle East with the objective of promoting cooperation to protect the people’s and region’s environmental heritage. The environmental center utilizes modern technology innovatively in the areas of solar energy, solid waste, and grey water.
“Solar energy provides electricity while the grey water from showers, bathrooms, and laundry is reused to water the plants,” Dweijat explains. The grey water system has been extremely successful in combating Israel’s inhumane and criminal water distribution. According to USAID, Auja’s 5,000 residents are beginning to see improvements in their daily living conditions.
Yet most of Israel’s destruction is irreversible. “My father used to be a farmer,” Dweijat said, “Now he doesn’t have a single tree. Not a single one. And he’s just one farmer.”
Generations of Palestinians have lived from the land for thousands of years. Farmers above all experience the brutal impacts of the intersection of Israel’s water and land occupation. Many Palestinians owned lands that were seized by Israel in 1948. These lands are referred to as area 48 and are now inaccessible to the Palestinians who own them. Other Palestinians have their land destroyed by the Israeli Occupation Force (IOF). Others still are put out of work by Israel’s intentional corruption of the Palestinian economy or are prohibited from accessing water resources or digging additional wells, and are therefore unable to sustain their agriculture. All these are strategies employed by the IOF and Israeli government, to starve Palestinian farmers, displace them from their lands, and fracture Palestinian farmer’s connection to their land.
Occupation and Destruction of Palestinian Lands
On Saturday, Zeiad Salah, coordinator of the Bethlehem district Palestinian Farmers Union (PFU), spoke at the Alternative Information Center (AIC) in Beit Sahour, about Israel’s destruction of Palestinian lands and the resulting displacement of Palestinians.
The Israeli Occupation Force (IOF) uses techniques such as burning down olive trees and dumping chemicals on Palestinian farmlands in order to permanently ruin the valuable natural soil. In the village of Nahleen, the IOF dumped sewage water on Palestinian lands, thereby permanently ruining 500 square km of farmland, displacing the farmers, and forcing them out of work.
“These techniques serve a dual purpose,” Salah explained, “on the one hand they ruin the land, and on the other, they destroy the livelihood of Palestinian farmers, and thereby, slowly and silently displace them.”
It is also common for the Israeli government to claim Palestinian lands to be in use by the military or air force ‘for security reasons’. This is especially common when Israel is unable to officially seize the land, because it effectively prevents Palestinians from accessing their lands.
A Beit Sahour local said, “We used to have land just past where they drew the wall. My family had lots of olive trees there. Two years ago we decided to take the kids there. We packed a picnic and sat under an olive tree, on our land, hoping to eat a meal in the land that was unjustly taken from us. But just a few minutes after we got there, some young Israeli soldiers came over and said we were trespassing on military land. I told him that this is our land and we just want to eat there. Besides, we weren’t a threat. The soldiers insisted that they had seen the children throwing rocks in their direction. But they were lying. No one threw any rocks. And the kids were just toddlers. One of them was still wearing diapers. How were they going to hurt the soldiers in their military tank?”
In other cases, Israeli settlers cultivate Palestinian lands and put up signs stating that the lands have been reissued to the Israeli families. Israeli settlers cultivate lands in area 48 with seeds of Palestinian grapes and olives, which are world renowned for their unmatched quality. Since Israel subsidizes water for Israeli farmers, Palestinians pay 10 times the price for water as their Israeli competitors, including those living on settlements pay.
The result is that it is ten times more expensive for Palestinians to produce their grapes and olives as it is for Israelis. That means that in order for Palestinians to sell their crops at competitive market prices, they must lower their prices so that they earn a far smaller percentage on their goods as Israelis selling the same Palestinian products. In short, Israeli’s are growing Palestinian grapes and olives at a much lower cost due to the Israeli government’s subsidization of water, and are thereby putting Palestinian farmers out of work and effectively destroying the Palestinian economy.
Salah, of the Palestinian Farmers Union (PFU), says there is hope for Palestinian Farmers, despite Israel’s inhumane and illegal actions against them. The PFU works with farmers to initiate creative and sustainable solutions to the Israeli occupation of farmland. The PFU, for example, works with international organizations and co-ops to sell locally produced Palestinian products, in order to help sustain farmers.
One of Palestine’s most popular exports is olive oil. Salah said, “While Palestinian farmers are forced to pay export fees to the state of Israel, most of the money from the olive oil goes directly back to the farmers. One of the most important things internationals can do is to boycott Israeli products, especially those produced in the illegal settlements, and to buy products farmed and manufactured in Palestine.”
Although the additional income these co-ops provide is not nearly enough to sustain the families working on them, they continue the legacy of farming among the younger generations. Much of Palestine’s youth has never had the chance to live on their family’s lands, which were seized either in 1948 or in 1967. The youth are therefore forcibly disconnected from their own history of farming. It is vital for Palestinians to maintain the legacy of farming, especially because one of Israel’s cultural tactics of occupation is to sever the future generations’ connection with the Palestinian land.
Battir Residents Successfully Halt Building of Israel’s Separation Wall
The village of Battir, which is located just west of Bethlehem is a site that holds some of the world’s oldest and most valuable history. Hundreds of kilometers of 5,000 year-old human made terraces stretch across the landscape. A 2,500 year old Roman water system utilizes narrow canals to redirect water from seven natural springs, and divides it among the eight large families of Battir, who switch off, each receiving a day of water. This irrigation system is used on a daily basis, by the farmers of Battir, to irrigate their crops.
One third of Battir’s lands lay within the green line. The green line is an unofficial border that was drawn to mark the 1949 borders between Israel and its neighbors (Egypt, Jordan, Lebanon and Syria) following the 1948 Arab-Israeli War. It also marks the territories captured by Israel during the Six Day War, which include the Gaza Strip, Golan Heights, West Bank, and Sinai Peninsula.
Although the 1949 Rhodes Armistice agreement signed between the Jordanian, Syrian, Egyptian, and Israeli governments gives Battir’s residents the right to continue ownership of their lands inside the green line in exchange for protecting the train (built in the 1890s by the Ottoman empire) Israel could, and threatens to, continue the construction of the separation wall.
Residents, farmers, and activists in Battir fear that Israel will build the separation wall along the green line, which would take away one third of their land and destroy the effective and historic irrigation system. While many Palestinian communities attempt to halt construction on the wall through peaceful demonstrations, such as in the infamous Bil’in, the residents of Battir utilized a different approach. They conducted studies about the importance of the natural landscape and brought international media attention and peacemakers to aid them in making a case to UNESCO to stop the wall. For now, he case has successfully and effectively halted the Israeli government from continuing construction of the separation barrier.
Battir received the Melina Mercouri International UNESCO Prize for preserving and protecting the natural landscape and landscape terraces. According to UNESCO’s website, “The project’s goal is to strengthen the capacity of the government and the inhabitants to manage this unique cultural landscape. Important elements of the project include sustainable use, development of the village infrastructure, as well as the establishment of an eco museum in Battir.”
Battir’s innovative approach to stopping the wall is an inspiration to all Palestinians under occupation, and especially to those whose lands have been stolen by Israel or are inaccessible to them due to the wall. “We are sitting and planting, according to our vision, in Battir, on the Green Line.” Mahmood Obed-Allah, from the Society of Land Friends Middle East says.
Water does not Stop at Political Borders: Israeli Restrictions on Water Access
Auja, a town 12 kilometer north-east of Jericho, is situated near the Jordan Valley, one of the most water-abundant areas in the West Bank. According to international law, the water belongs to Palestine. Israel, however, now controls most of the water infrastructure in the region, such as wells and pumps. The emergence of settlements near Auja was followed by Israeli control over water, and soon thereafter, tragic water shortages for Palestinians.
Auja’s economy used to be supported by banana, watermelon, and date crops. The Auja spring used to provide enough water for over 90% of the inhabitants, who relied on the spring for agriculture. In turn, they relied on agriculture as their main source of income. Despite the abundance of water in the region, that number has recently dropped. Currently, less than 5% of Auja’s residents and farmers are able to support themselves and their agriculture with the little remaining water Israel has allotted them.
“The Auja Spring used to have about 2,000 cubed meters of water. The Israeli’s got eight wells, and Palestinians got two. Those two were the shallowest and least effective wells,” Fadi Dweijat, director of the Auja Environmental Education Center explains. “There are many aquifers in the region. If Palestinians were just given one, then everyone could be fed,” he continued.
Palestinians are also not allowed to dig wells in order to retrieve water themselves, unless they obtain a special permit from the Israeli government. Dweijat said, “of course they never get them [permits] because the Israeli government wants Palestinians to buy water from them.” Palestinians in Auja are dependent on buying water that legally belongs to them, at a high price, from Mekorot, an Israeli company.
Israel’s control of water in Auja has resulted in a collapse of the town’s agriculture based economy. This is forcing most young Palestinians in the Auja region to work in the settlements which are illegally built on Palestinian land. Instead of cultivating their own farms, they are forced to work on Israeli settlers’ farms, which receive as much water as they need or desire. Additionally, the Palestinians working in the settlements have no insurance, benefits, labor rights, or protection.
The Auja Environmental Education Center works in collaboration with Friends of the Earth Middle East with the objective of promoting cooperation to protect the people’s and region’s environmental heritage. The environmental center utilizes modern technology innovatively in the areas of solar energy, solid waste, and grey water.
“Solar energy provides electricity while the grey water from showers, bathrooms, and laundry is reused to water the plants,” Dweijat explains. The grey water system has been extremely successful in combating Israel’s inhumane and criminal water distribution. According to USAID, Auja’s 5,000 residents are beginning to see improvements in their daily living conditions.
Yet most of Israel’s destruction is irreversible. “My father used to be a farmer,” Dweijat said, “Now he doesn’t have a single tree. Not a single one. And he’s just one farmer.”
Jewish settlers assaulted a Palestinian shepherd near Migron settlement outpost in Ramallah on Sunday then fled the scene. The Hebrew radio said that masked settlers beat up the shepherd who was then taken to Ramallah hospital.
Meanwhile, Jewish settlers in Bethlehem seized Palestinian land in Al-Khader village and cultivated it.
Ahmed Salah, the coordinator of the national anti-settlement committee in the village, told Quds Press that the settlers from Ein Kassis settlement outpost took control of two thousand square meters of Palestinian land.
He said that the settlers planted olive and citrus trees in the land owned by Adnan Saleh.
Salah pointed out that the Israeli occupation authorities had reportedly delivered to settlers information and maps of land not planted by Palestinians for years especially in Bethlehem and Jerusalem.
Meanwhile, Jewish settlers in Bethlehem seized Palestinian land in Al-Khader village and cultivated it.
Ahmed Salah, the coordinator of the national anti-settlement committee in the village, told Quds Press that the settlers from Ein Kassis settlement outpost took control of two thousand square meters of Palestinian land.
He said that the settlers planted olive and citrus trees in the land owned by Adnan Saleh.
Salah pointed out that the Israeli occupation authorities had reportedly delivered to settlers information and maps of land not planted by Palestinians for years especially in Bethlehem and Jerusalem.
The Jerusalem municipality crews demolished this morning the tents and facilities of Arab Al-Ka’abneh in the neighbourhood of Beit Hanina north of the city of Jerusalem.
The Israeli forces surrounded the tents at around 6 a.m. and started evacuating the residents and then started the demolishing process, claiming that they are residing in the area without a permit.
Wadi Hilweh Information Center was informed that the demolishing process resulted in the displacement of 53 individuals including children, women and old people and that they have no other place to go to, knowing that they have been staying in the area since 1948 after displacing them from their lands located in between Be’er Sheva and Hebron.
The municipality crews demolished their “Barracks” in 1995, knowing that there are open cases in the courts against evacuating them from the land.
Israel razes Bedouin homes in Beit Hanina for military purposes
Israeli military bulldozers demolished on Monday the shacks of Al-Kaabna Bedouins in Beit Hanina, north of occupied Jerusalem, at the pretext of unlicensed construction. Mohamed Kaabna, one of the affected Bedouins, said that bulldozers escorted by Israeli soldiers and policemen encircled their area at around six o'clock in the morning and embarked on evacuating 11 shacks before knocking all of them down.
He added that the demolition of their homes led to the displacement of 53 individuals, including children.
He said that the raid on their residential area caused panic among his family members and relatives, and made some of them flee to the mountains.
The Israeli occupation authority had issued demolition warnings against their homes about three months ago and threatened to raze them any moment.
Al-Kaabna Bedouins have been living in this area since before 1967 and the Palestinian owners of this area, who are expatriates in the US, allowed them to reside in it.
However, the Israeli army claim ownership of this mountainous area according to the absentee property law, which is a relic of the British mandate period, and declared its intent to establish a military base on it.
For his part, head of the popular committee against the Gaza siege Jamal Al-Khudari strongly denounced the Israeli demolition of Bedouin homes in Beit Hanina.
Khudari said that Israel's absentee property law, which is used to seize Palestinian real estate and give it to Jewish families are part of its Judaization and ethnic cleansing policy in the occupied Palestinian territories.
He added that such law as well as the Prawer plan in the Negev desert and the systematic demolitions in the Jordan Valley and the West Bank is aimed at creating a demographic change in favor of the Jews, especially in Jerusalem.
Khudari stressed that the seized lands are Palestinian, and Israel has no right to seize them under any pretexts.
He called for strong international support to help the Palestinian people restore their usurped rights.
The Israeli forces surrounded the tents at around 6 a.m. and started evacuating the residents and then started the demolishing process, claiming that they are residing in the area without a permit.
Wadi Hilweh Information Center was informed that the demolishing process resulted in the displacement of 53 individuals including children, women and old people and that they have no other place to go to, knowing that they have been staying in the area since 1948 after displacing them from their lands located in between Be’er Sheva and Hebron.
The municipality crews demolished their “Barracks” in 1995, knowing that there are open cases in the courts against evacuating them from the land.
Israel razes Bedouin homes in Beit Hanina for military purposes
Israeli military bulldozers demolished on Monday the shacks of Al-Kaabna Bedouins in Beit Hanina, north of occupied Jerusalem, at the pretext of unlicensed construction. Mohamed Kaabna, one of the affected Bedouins, said that bulldozers escorted by Israeli soldiers and policemen encircled their area at around six o'clock in the morning and embarked on evacuating 11 shacks before knocking all of them down.
He added that the demolition of their homes led to the displacement of 53 individuals, including children.
He said that the raid on their residential area caused panic among his family members and relatives, and made some of them flee to the mountains.
The Israeli occupation authority had issued demolition warnings against their homes about three months ago and threatened to raze them any moment.
Al-Kaabna Bedouins have been living in this area since before 1967 and the Palestinian owners of this area, who are expatriates in the US, allowed them to reside in it.
However, the Israeli army claim ownership of this mountainous area according to the absentee property law, which is a relic of the British mandate period, and declared its intent to establish a military base on it.
For his part, head of the popular committee against the Gaza siege Jamal Al-Khudari strongly denounced the Israeli demolition of Bedouin homes in Beit Hanina.
Khudari said that Israel's absentee property law, which is used to seize Palestinian real estate and give it to Jewish families are part of its Judaization and ethnic cleansing policy in the occupied Palestinian territories.
He added that such law as well as the Prawer plan in the Negev desert and the systematic demolitions in the Jordan Valley and the West Bank is aimed at creating a demographic change in favor of the Jews, especially in Jerusalem.
Khudari stressed that the seized lands are Palestinian, and Israel has no right to seize them under any pretexts.
He called for strong international support to help the Palestinian people restore their usurped rights.
The Palestinian ministry of justice condemned the Israeli decision to activate its absentee property law on a massive scale in occupied Jerusalem, saying it is aimed at ethnically cleansing the holy city of its Palestinian natives. The ministry of justice stated on Sunday that Israel uses this law, which is a relic of the British mandate period, in order to justify its appropriation of the remaining Palestinian property in Jerusalem in blatant violation of the international law.
It underlined that this Israeli law is criminal, violating the fourth Geneva convention and related international resolutions that prohibit the expropriation of civilian property under any circumstances.
It also noted that Jerusalem is an occupied territory and the fourth Hague convention applies to it.
The ministry of justice urged the concerned international organizations to break their silence and intervene to stop such Israeli violations in the occupied city of Jerusalem.
For his part, Palestinian lawmaker Mustafa Barghouthi said that the Israeli intent to widely use its absentee property law is part of the ethnic cleansing policy it pursues in the holy city in order to create a drastic demographic change in favor of the Jewish settlers.
Barghouthi, who also heads the Palestinian initiative committee, stated on Sunday that the gravity of this law lies in the fact that it aims to empty the holy city of its indigenous population and classify them as absentees.
He said that "Israel has withdrawn the IDs of tens of thousands of Palestinian natives in the holy city with its right hand and then wants to rob them of all their property with its left hand."
The lawmaker stressed that this Israeli law violates the international humanitarian law, which bars the Israeli occupation authority from seizing the Palestinian civilians' property and called for taking a legal action in this regard against Israel with the international criminal court.
It underlined that this Israeli law is criminal, violating the fourth Geneva convention and related international resolutions that prohibit the expropriation of civilian property under any circumstances.
It also noted that Jerusalem is an occupied territory and the fourth Hague convention applies to it.
The ministry of justice urged the concerned international organizations to break their silence and intervene to stop such Israeli violations in the occupied city of Jerusalem.
For his part, Palestinian lawmaker Mustafa Barghouthi said that the Israeli intent to widely use its absentee property law is part of the ethnic cleansing policy it pursues in the holy city in order to create a drastic demographic change in favor of the Jewish settlers.
Barghouthi, who also heads the Palestinian initiative committee, stated on Sunday that the gravity of this law lies in the fact that it aims to empty the holy city of its indigenous population and classify them as absentees.
He said that "Israel has withdrawn the IDs of tens of thousands of Palestinian natives in the holy city with its right hand and then wants to rob them of all their property with its left hand."
The lawmaker stressed that this Israeli law violates the international humanitarian law, which bars the Israeli occupation authority from seizing the Palestinian civilians' property and called for taking a legal action in this regard against Israel with the international criminal court.
18 aug 2013
Written by Stephen Lendman
Dispossessing East Jerusalem Palestinian Residents
Israel plans Judaizing Jerusalem entirely. It wants it exclusively Jewish. It's an international city. It's under a UN trusteeship. It doesn't matter.
Ethnic cleansing is official Israeli policy. Palestinian owned land is seized. Homes are demolished. Dispossessions follow.
Israel wants Arabs excluded. It wants Jerusalem at Israel's epicenter. It's a religiously important city for Christians, Muslims and Jews.
Zionists consider it Israel's historic capital. It's symbolic of Judaism's post-WW II revival and prominence. For Christians, it's where Jesus lived and died.
It's Islam's third holiest site. The Dome of the Rock on the Temple Mount and Al-Aqsa Mosque rank after Mecca's Sacred Mosque and Madina's Mosque of the Prophet.
After Israel's 1967 annexation, East Jerusalem changed physically, culturally and spiritually. It did so under Israel's Judaization plan.
Settlements were established. They expanded and grew. They did so at the expense of core Palestinian rights. Land theft, dispossessions, and Judaizing Jerusalem entirely reflect official Israeli policy.
Municipal boundaries expanded. Doing so shifted the demographic balance toward a predominantly Jewish city.
On July 30, 1980, the Jerusalem Law annexed Jerusalem. It's unified as Israel's capital. It was done illegally. It was after Security Council Resolution 465 (March 1, 1980) declared:
"all measures taken by Israel to change the physical character, demographic composition, institutional structure or status of the Palestinian and other Arab territories occupied since 1967, including Jerusalem, or any part thereof, have no legal validity and that Israel's policy and practices of settling parts of its population and new immigrants in those territories constitute a flagrant (Fourth Geneva) violation....and also constitute a serious obstruction to achieving a comprehensive, just and lasting peace in the Middle East."
On July 9, 2004, the International Court of Justice (ICJ) ruled that "Israeli settlements in the Occupied Territory, including East Jerusalem, are illegal and an obstacle to peace and to economic and social development (and) have been established in breach of international law."
Israel flouts UN resolutions and court rulings routinely. It ignores ones contrary to its interests. It operates with impunity.
Washington's backing is firm. It's longstanding. It lets Israel get away with murder and lots more.
Total Jerusalem annexation is planned. It's ongoing at the expense of longtime Palestinian residents. Longstanding policy wants them out. Ethnic cleansing's removing them.
On August 15, Haaretz editors headlined "Attorney general without justice," saying:
Attorney General Yehuda Weinstein "approved using the Absentee Law in East Jerusalem."
It permits land theft. It enables property expropriation. It's "part of an effort to Judaize Palestinian neighborhoods."
It's "creat(ing) an artificial separation between the West Bank and Jerusalem."
It's affecting longtime Palestinian residents. They're being dispossessed from their own land and property.
In March 1950, Israel's Absentees' Property Law (APL) defined absentees as:
"person(s) who, at any time during the period between (November 29, 1947) and (May 19, 1948) has ceased to exist (and no longer were) legal owner(s) of any property situated in the area of Israel...."
APL transferred property owner rights to a Custodian of Absentee Property. He was made liable to the real owner for the value.
Returning land to its proper owners was prohibited. It still is. Israel calls them absentees. Doing so precludes their owning what's theirs.
In July 1950, The Development Authority (Transfer of Property) Law was enacted. It was a legal ploy to shield Israel from accusations of land theft and property on it.
Israel's Development Authority (DA) was established as an independent body. It was done to buy, sell, lease, exchange, repair, build, develop and/or cultivate seized property.
Transactions between Jews or Jewish entities alone are permitted. Under no circumstances may dispossessed Arabs return.
Israel's Land Administration (ILA) manages 93% of state land. Israel's Basic Law affirms that "ownership of Israel Lands, being the lands in Israel of the State, the Development Authority or the Keren Kayemet Le-Israel (KKL - Jewish National Fund, JNF), shall not be transferred either by sale or in any other manner."
Land's defined as "land, houses, buildings and anything permanently fixed to land."
It's part of Israel's public domain. ILA assures its use conforms with Israeli laws. It protects state lands. It supervises them.
It allocates them for public use. It plans, develops and manages state land reserves.
It decides who's welcome. It determines who isn't. It excludes Palestinians. It does so to make way for Jews.
It's part of Judaizing all valued Judea and Samaria areas. Arabs aren't welcome. They never were. They're not now. Israel wants them out.
APL "was problematic from the start," said Haaretz editors. It lets Israel "appropriate the property of Palestinians who were living outside the state's borders, mainly in refugee camps, without any possibility of entering Israel."
Applying it to Occupied Palestine "took place under completely different circumstances." Owners became "absentees."
They did so without leaving their residences. Even if they lived outside annexed territory, "they still had access to their property."
Former Attorney General Meir Shamgar ordered the law not be exercised. He did so because applying it under new circumstances constituted unjustifiable evictions and property rights violations.
Boaz Okon's a former Jerusalem District Court judge. He was a Supreme Court registrar. In 2006, he called APL "a legal trick not backed by reality." He said applying it's "a type of jurisprudence without justice."
Supreme Court Justice Asher Grunis asked why it shouldn't apply to settler-owned property in Israel. They live outside state borders, he said.
Former Attorney General Menachem Mazuz ordered the law not be used. Applying it in Occupied Palestine violates international law. It does so despite Israel designating state laws for East Jerusalem.
In contrast, "Weinstein is promoting 'jurisprudence without justice,' " said Haaretz editors.
Doing so violates fundamental Palestinian rights. It does it in "service (to) Jewish settlements in East Jerusalem." They've "taken over the property of these present 'absentees.' "
Weinstein's acting illegally. He'd "do better to shelve this procedure" entirely. Like his predecessors, he should "refuse to apply the law." Failure shows contempt for international law. It's standard Israeli practice.
A Final Comment
In 1972, Israel agreed to funding limits inside 1967 borders. US/Israel Binational Science Foundation terms said:
"According to the agreement between the US and Israeli governments, projects sponsored by the Foundation may not be conducted in geographic areas which came under the administration of the Government of Israel after June 5, 1967 and may not relate to subjects primarily pertinent to such areas."
Doing so violates international law. The same applies to land expropriation, property destruction, and dispossessions.
Israel operates lawlessly. It does so unaccountably. It does it at the expense of core Palestinian rights.
It does it because world leaders stay silent. It does it with longstanding Washington support. It does what can't be allowed to continue. For sure one day it won't.
Stephen Lendman lives in Chicago. He can be reached at lendmanstephen@sbcglobal.net.
His new book is titled "Banker Occupation: Waging Financial War on Humanity."
http://www.claritypress.com/LendmanII.html
Visit his blog site at sjlendman.blogspot.com.
Listen to cutting-edge discussions with distinguished guests on the Progressive Radio News Hour on the Progressive Radio Network.
It airs Fridays at 10AM US Central time and Saturdays and Sundays at noon. All programs are archived for easy listening.
http://www.progressiveradionetwork.com/the-progressive-news-hour
http://www.dailycensored.com/dispossessing-east-jerusalem-palestinian-residents/
Dispossessing East Jerusalem Palestinian Residents
Israel plans Judaizing Jerusalem entirely. It wants it exclusively Jewish. It's an international city. It's under a UN trusteeship. It doesn't matter.
Ethnic cleansing is official Israeli policy. Palestinian owned land is seized. Homes are demolished. Dispossessions follow.
Israel wants Arabs excluded. It wants Jerusalem at Israel's epicenter. It's a religiously important city for Christians, Muslims and Jews.
Zionists consider it Israel's historic capital. It's symbolic of Judaism's post-WW II revival and prominence. For Christians, it's where Jesus lived and died.
It's Islam's third holiest site. The Dome of the Rock on the Temple Mount and Al-Aqsa Mosque rank after Mecca's Sacred Mosque and Madina's Mosque of the Prophet.
After Israel's 1967 annexation, East Jerusalem changed physically, culturally and spiritually. It did so under Israel's Judaization plan.
Settlements were established. They expanded and grew. They did so at the expense of core Palestinian rights. Land theft, dispossessions, and Judaizing Jerusalem entirely reflect official Israeli policy.
Municipal boundaries expanded. Doing so shifted the demographic balance toward a predominantly Jewish city.
On July 30, 1980, the Jerusalem Law annexed Jerusalem. It's unified as Israel's capital. It was done illegally. It was after Security Council Resolution 465 (March 1, 1980) declared:
"all measures taken by Israel to change the physical character, demographic composition, institutional structure or status of the Palestinian and other Arab territories occupied since 1967, including Jerusalem, or any part thereof, have no legal validity and that Israel's policy and practices of settling parts of its population and new immigrants in those territories constitute a flagrant (Fourth Geneva) violation....and also constitute a serious obstruction to achieving a comprehensive, just and lasting peace in the Middle East."
On July 9, 2004, the International Court of Justice (ICJ) ruled that "Israeli settlements in the Occupied Territory, including East Jerusalem, are illegal and an obstacle to peace and to economic and social development (and) have been established in breach of international law."
Israel flouts UN resolutions and court rulings routinely. It ignores ones contrary to its interests. It operates with impunity.
Washington's backing is firm. It's longstanding. It lets Israel get away with murder and lots more.
Total Jerusalem annexation is planned. It's ongoing at the expense of longtime Palestinian residents. Longstanding policy wants them out. Ethnic cleansing's removing them.
On August 15, Haaretz editors headlined "Attorney general without justice," saying:
Attorney General Yehuda Weinstein "approved using the Absentee Law in East Jerusalem."
It permits land theft. It enables property expropriation. It's "part of an effort to Judaize Palestinian neighborhoods."
It's "creat(ing) an artificial separation between the West Bank and Jerusalem."
It's affecting longtime Palestinian residents. They're being dispossessed from their own land and property.
In March 1950, Israel's Absentees' Property Law (APL) defined absentees as:
"person(s) who, at any time during the period between (November 29, 1947) and (May 19, 1948) has ceased to exist (and no longer were) legal owner(s) of any property situated in the area of Israel...."
APL transferred property owner rights to a Custodian of Absentee Property. He was made liable to the real owner for the value.
Returning land to its proper owners was prohibited. It still is. Israel calls them absentees. Doing so precludes their owning what's theirs.
In July 1950, The Development Authority (Transfer of Property) Law was enacted. It was a legal ploy to shield Israel from accusations of land theft and property on it.
Israel's Development Authority (DA) was established as an independent body. It was done to buy, sell, lease, exchange, repair, build, develop and/or cultivate seized property.
Transactions between Jews or Jewish entities alone are permitted. Under no circumstances may dispossessed Arabs return.
Israel's Land Administration (ILA) manages 93% of state land. Israel's Basic Law affirms that "ownership of Israel Lands, being the lands in Israel of the State, the Development Authority or the Keren Kayemet Le-Israel (KKL - Jewish National Fund, JNF), shall not be transferred either by sale or in any other manner."
Land's defined as "land, houses, buildings and anything permanently fixed to land."
It's part of Israel's public domain. ILA assures its use conforms with Israeli laws. It protects state lands. It supervises them.
It allocates them for public use. It plans, develops and manages state land reserves.
It decides who's welcome. It determines who isn't. It excludes Palestinians. It does so to make way for Jews.
It's part of Judaizing all valued Judea and Samaria areas. Arabs aren't welcome. They never were. They're not now. Israel wants them out.
APL "was problematic from the start," said Haaretz editors. It lets Israel "appropriate the property of Palestinians who were living outside the state's borders, mainly in refugee camps, without any possibility of entering Israel."
Applying it to Occupied Palestine "took place under completely different circumstances." Owners became "absentees."
They did so without leaving their residences. Even if they lived outside annexed territory, "they still had access to their property."
Former Attorney General Meir Shamgar ordered the law not be exercised. He did so because applying it under new circumstances constituted unjustifiable evictions and property rights violations.
Boaz Okon's a former Jerusalem District Court judge. He was a Supreme Court registrar. In 2006, he called APL "a legal trick not backed by reality." He said applying it's "a type of jurisprudence without justice."
Supreme Court Justice Asher Grunis asked why it shouldn't apply to settler-owned property in Israel. They live outside state borders, he said.
Former Attorney General Menachem Mazuz ordered the law not be used. Applying it in Occupied Palestine violates international law. It does so despite Israel designating state laws for East Jerusalem.
In contrast, "Weinstein is promoting 'jurisprudence without justice,' " said Haaretz editors.
Doing so violates fundamental Palestinian rights. It does it in "service (to) Jewish settlements in East Jerusalem." They've "taken over the property of these present 'absentees.' "
Weinstein's acting illegally. He'd "do better to shelve this procedure" entirely. Like his predecessors, he should "refuse to apply the law." Failure shows contempt for international law. It's standard Israeli practice.
A Final Comment
In 1972, Israel agreed to funding limits inside 1967 borders. US/Israel Binational Science Foundation terms said:
"According to the agreement between the US and Israeli governments, projects sponsored by the Foundation may not be conducted in geographic areas which came under the administration of the Government of Israel after June 5, 1967 and may not relate to subjects primarily pertinent to such areas."
Doing so violates international law. The same applies to land expropriation, property destruction, and dispossessions.
Israel operates lawlessly. It does so unaccountably. It does it at the expense of core Palestinian rights.
It does it because world leaders stay silent. It does it with longstanding Washington support. It does what can't be allowed to continue. For sure one day it won't.
Stephen Lendman lives in Chicago. He can be reached at lendmanstephen@sbcglobal.net.
His new book is titled "Banker Occupation: Waging Financial War on Humanity."
http://www.claritypress.com/LendmanII.html
Visit his blog site at sjlendman.blogspot.com.
Listen to cutting-edge discussions with distinguished guests on the Progressive Radio News Hour on the Progressive Radio Network.
It airs Fridays at 10AM US Central time and Saturdays and Sundays at noon. All programs are archived for easy listening.
http://www.progressiveradionetwork.com/the-progressive-news-hour
http://www.dailycensored.com/dispossessing-east-jerusalem-palestinian-residents/
The "Haaretz" newspaper reported Sunday that "the activation of the Absentee Property Law in East Jerusalem is part of the attempts to Judaize Palestinian neighborhoods, through confiscating Palestinian property rights in the city, and creating an artificial separation between the West Bank and Jerusalem." The newspaper pointed out that the law had been previously endorsed after so-called "War of Independence" (1948 Nakba) , where it aimed at allowing (Israel) to seize the property of Palestinians who were living outside the state, mostly in refugee camps.
It explained that "the law had been deactivated for a period and then was put into force again after the Six-Day War, following the occupation of the city of Jerusalem- with core changes: the real owners were deemed absent, even though they had not left their place of residence. The Attorney at the time "Meir Shamgar" ordered the law not to be exercised considering it exploitative and violating property rights.
The newspaper pointed to the hype that took place in Jerusalem in 2006 due to attempts to activate the law. Many bodies questioned about the "any property of the settlers who live abroad in the area of Israel," so the Attorney at the time "Menachem Mazuz" refused to activate the law.
It added that "activating the law in the areas unilaterally annexed by Israel following the the expropriation of them during the 1967 war is a violation of the international law; it has been applied to the east of Jerusalem notwithstanding,"
"Unlike his predecessors who were keen on the rule of law, human rights and the public interest, today's Attorney adviser Yehuda Weinstein is pushing forward a legal image without being lawful, violates the rights of the Palestinians, in service to Jewish settlements in East Jerusalem, which take over the property of these present 'absentees, '"
The newspaper "Haaretz" said Wednesday that Attorney General Yehuda Weinstein approved using the Absentee Law in East Jerusalem, allegedly to maintain "fabric of the Jewish nationhood" and to fend off Palestinians with security records,"
Weinstein authorized the Israeli authorities to exercise the law in East Jerusalem as a tool to punish those Palestinians, according to the newspaper.
It explained that "the law had been deactivated for a period and then was put into force again after the Six-Day War, following the occupation of the city of Jerusalem- with core changes: the real owners were deemed absent, even though they had not left their place of residence. The Attorney at the time "Meir Shamgar" ordered the law not to be exercised considering it exploitative and violating property rights.
The newspaper pointed to the hype that took place in Jerusalem in 2006 due to attempts to activate the law. Many bodies questioned about the "any property of the settlers who live abroad in the area of Israel," so the Attorney at the time "Menachem Mazuz" refused to activate the law.
It added that "activating the law in the areas unilaterally annexed by Israel following the the expropriation of them during the 1967 war is a violation of the international law; it has been applied to the east of Jerusalem notwithstanding,"
"Unlike his predecessors who were keen on the rule of law, human rights and the public interest, today's Attorney adviser Yehuda Weinstein is pushing forward a legal image without being lawful, violates the rights of the Palestinians, in service to Jewish settlements in East Jerusalem, which take over the property of these present 'absentees, '"
The newspaper "Haaretz" said Wednesday that Attorney General Yehuda Weinstein approved using the Absentee Law in East Jerusalem, allegedly to maintain "fabric of the Jewish nationhood" and to fend off Palestinians with security records,"
Weinstein authorized the Israeli authorities to exercise the law in East Jerusalem as a tool to punish those Palestinians, according to the newspaper.
The Israeli occupation authority (IOA) forced a Jerusalemite man to raze his own home in Sour Baher, south of occupied Jerusalem, at the pretext of lack of construction permit. Ziyad Omaira said that he started to demolish his home on Saturday night to evade the high cost of allowing IOA bulldozers to do the job.
He said that the 110-square-meter house used to shelter nine members of his family including his mother, wife, and children.
He said that he inhabited the 16-year-old house for the past 13 years, adding that he paid the IOA municipality more than 70,000 shekels in fines over the past years other than the court expenses.
Omaira said that it was particularly excruciating to be forced to raze your own home, adding that he was forced to do so to avoid bigger losses if the IOA bulldozers destroyed it.
He said that he would finish razing his home in the next few days, adding that he and his family were staying at his brother’s house until they find a new place to live in.
He said that the 110-square-meter house used to shelter nine members of his family including his mother, wife, and children.
He said that he inhabited the 16-year-old house for the past 13 years, adding that he paid the IOA municipality more than 70,000 shekels in fines over the past years other than the court expenses.
Omaira said that it was particularly excruciating to be forced to raze your own home, adding that he was forced to do so to avoid bigger losses if the IOA bulldozers destroyed it.
He said that he would finish razing his home in the next few days, adding that he and his family were staying at his brother’s house until they find a new place to live in.
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Citizen Ziad Amira self-demolishes his house
Citizen Ziad Amira was forced to self-demolish his house which is located in the village of Sur-Baher as ordered by the municipality because of building without a permit. Ziad explained to Wadi Hilweh Information Center that the house is 100 square meters and has 3 bedrooms, a living room and its facilities and 9 people live in the house (Ziad’s mother 85, Ziad and his wife, their children where the oldest is 24 years old and the youngest is 15). Amira noted that he had built the house 15 years ago and was able to move in two years after it was built where he had to borrow money and sell his wife’s gold to finish building the house. The first demolition order |
was issued 20 days after he moved in the house and Amira was able to postpone the demolition for the past years and paid large amounts of money to the lawyers in addition to paying more than 75 thousand NIS of building violation fees.
Amira added that the municipality’s court issued an order last May to self-demolish the house under the pretext of building without a permit, and threatened to have its bulldozers demolish the house on Amira’s expense for a total of 73 thousand NIS, and said: “I rented a bulldozer and self-demolished my house and an outside balcony which is 70 square meters,” noting that demolishing his house cost him 25 thousand NIS.
Amira added that the municipality’s court issued an order last May to self-demolish the house under the pretext of building without a permit, and threatened to have its bulldozers demolish the house on Amira’s expense for a total of 73 thousand NIS, and said: “I rented a bulldozer and self-demolished my house and an outside balcony which is 70 square meters,” noting that demolishing his house cost him 25 thousand NIS.
17 aug 2013
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Immatin is a village situated in close proximity to the annexation wall and flanked by the illegal settlements of Qedumim, Gilad and Immanu’el. Recently, three brothers from the village went to work on their land. However, when they arrived, they found that construction workers, under instruction from the Israeli authorities, were bulldozing and clearing areas of the land to erect electricity pylons. The brothers had not recieved any verbal or written request to use the land nor had they recieved any order that would confiscate it.
The brothers tried to stop the work, as the land is used for olive trees by the family and they fear the destruction of the trees. However the army were then called by the construction workers who when arriving threatened to beat and then arrest the brothers unless they left. The army said that the building work would be between the olive trees, but it is not known what |
will happen in the future, nor if it will still be permitted for them to access their own land, once these Israeli power lines are in place. When threatened with arrest the brothers left their land, powerless to assert their property and individual rights because they are Palestinian.
International activists visited the land with one of the brothers when the work was still taking place and it can be seen that the olive trees are at high risk from being destroyed during the construction. This case shows the belief that the Israeli occupation has in their own impunity, when they are able to construct, demolish and confiscate without even issuing papers. Even when demolition, confiscation and stop work orders are given, Palestinians have very little chance in overturning them in the Israel courts. The private land under construction is area C which means it is under full Israeli control, where Israel is obliged to look after the rights and administer for all the inhabitants.
International activists visited the land with one of the brothers when the work was still taking place and it can be seen that the olive trees are at high risk from being destroyed during the construction. This case shows the belief that the Israeli occupation has in their own impunity, when they are able to construct, demolish and confiscate without even issuing papers. Even when demolition, confiscation and stop work orders are given, Palestinians have very little chance in overturning them in the Israel courts. The private land under construction is area C which means it is under full Israeli control, where Israel is obliged to look after the rights and administer for all the inhabitants.