1 feb 2019
On Friday, a Palestinian man had to demolish parts of his home in Jabal al-Mokabber, in occupied East Jerusalem, to avoid excessively high fines and fees, imposed by the City Council. video
The Palestinian, Mahmoud Omar Ja’afra, received a final demolition order form the City Council and the Interior Ministry, informing him that he has until February 4th to demolish sections of his property for “being built without a permit.”
He said that the Israeli court in Jerusalem has insisted that he demolishes nearly half of his property, despite his legal attempts to postpone the demolition, especially since the City Council has plans to grant permits for several buildings in the area of his home.
The property is nearly 200 square meters, while the demolition order targets half of it, built in 2016, when he expanded his property to accommodate his family of thirteen members.
On Thursday, fourteen family members were left homeless after the Israeli Civil Administration ordered for their homes to be demolished, in Silwan town, in Jerusalem.
Israel rarely grants Palestinians permits to build in East Jerusalem, though the Jerusalem municipality has claimed that compared to the Jewish population, they receive a disproportionately low number of permit applications from Palestinian communities, which also see high approval ratings.
For Jewish Israelis in occupied East Jerusalem’s illegal settlements, the planning, marketing, development, and infrastructure are funded and executed by the Israeli government.
By contrast, in Palestinian neighborhoods, all the burden falls on individual families to contend with a lengthy permit application that can last several years and cost tens of thousands of dollars.
The Palestinian, Mahmoud Omar Ja’afra, received a final demolition order form the City Council and the Interior Ministry, informing him that he has until February 4th to demolish sections of his property for “being built without a permit.”
He said that the Israeli court in Jerusalem has insisted that he demolishes nearly half of his property, despite his legal attempts to postpone the demolition, especially since the City Council has plans to grant permits for several buildings in the area of his home.
The property is nearly 200 square meters, while the demolition order targets half of it, built in 2016, when he expanded his property to accommodate his family of thirteen members.
On Thursday, fourteen family members were left homeless after the Israeli Civil Administration ordered for their homes to be demolished, in Silwan town, in Jerusalem.
Israel rarely grants Palestinians permits to build in East Jerusalem, though the Jerusalem municipality has claimed that compared to the Jewish population, they receive a disproportionately low number of permit applications from Palestinian communities, which also see high approval ratings.
For Jewish Israelis in occupied East Jerusalem’s illegal settlements, the planning, marketing, development, and infrastructure are funded and executed by the Israeli government.
By contrast, in Palestinian neighborhoods, all the burden falls on individual families to contend with a lengthy permit application that can last several years and cost tens of thousands of dollars.
Al-Marsad has published a new legal report that investigates the implications of a recent Israeli project which proposes to develop a massive wind farm in the occupied Syrian Golan (‘Golan’).
The report highlights the consequences of Israel’s latest attempt to tie itself to the Golan by stealing the region’s resources and manipulating its native population.
Although the report focuses on one specific project, it identifies many of the common characteristics of settlement businesses, in the Golan, which violate international law and harm the native community immensely.
Windfall – The Exploitation of Wind Energy in the Occupied Syrian Golan investigates Energix Renewable Energies’ Clean Wind Energy Project. The project seeks to build at least 52 wind turbines across much of the limited remaining Syrian owned land in the Golan.
Energix is an Israeli company and is working collectively with the Israeli government to advance the project. Energix has sought to execute the project through a number of concerning practices, including fraud and misrepresentations, and has possibly engaged in widespread corruption.
According to the PNN, the report starts by exploring Energix’s project and its actions in the native Syrian community. Next, the report discusses how Energix is violating numerous principles of corporate social responsibility in advancing the project.
Lastly, the report shows how the project, like the majority of Israeli sponsored business development plans in the Golan, violates fundamental principles of international law. The report concludes by identifying how the project is simply a tool for Israel to tighten its illegal grip on the Golan to profit Israelis and Israeli settlements at the expense of the local Syrian community.
With no end in sight to the occupation, Al-Marsad seeks to uphold basic international laws and standards in the region. It therefore rejects and will continue to contest Energix’s and Israel’s actions in the Golan. Syrians must have the final say in what happens with Syrian natural resources on Syrian land.
Click here to view full report. [pdf]
The report highlights the consequences of Israel’s latest attempt to tie itself to the Golan by stealing the region’s resources and manipulating its native population.
Although the report focuses on one specific project, it identifies many of the common characteristics of settlement businesses, in the Golan, which violate international law and harm the native community immensely.
Windfall – The Exploitation of Wind Energy in the Occupied Syrian Golan investigates Energix Renewable Energies’ Clean Wind Energy Project. The project seeks to build at least 52 wind turbines across much of the limited remaining Syrian owned land in the Golan.
Energix is an Israeli company and is working collectively with the Israeli government to advance the project. Energix has sought to execute the project through a number of concerning practices, including fraud and misrepresentations, and has possibly engaged in widespread corruption.
According to the PNN, the report starts by exploring Energix’s project and its actions in the native Syrian community. Next, the report discusses how Energix is violating numerous principles of corporate social responsibility in advancing the project.
Lastly, the report shows how the project, like the majority of Israeli sponsored business development plans in the Golan, violates fundamental principles of international law. The report concludes by identifying how the project is simply a tool for Israel to tighten its illegal grip on the Golan to profit Israelis and Israeli settlements at the expense of the local Syrian community.
With no end in sight to the occupation, Al-Marsad seeks to uphold basic international laws and standards in the region. It therefore rejects and will continue to contest Energix’s and Israel’s actions in the Golan. Syrians must have the final say in what happens with Syrian natural resources on Syrian land.
Click here to view full report. [pdf]
31 jan 2019
Israeli municipal authorities forced on Wednesday evening a Jerusalemite citizen to demolish his own house in Silwan town, in occupied Jerusalem, for allegedly being built without permit.
Silwan resident, Majdi Abu Tayeh, said that Israeli authorities gave him two days to demolish the house otherwise he will be forced to pay a heavy demolition fee.
Abu Tayeh lived in the home for the past four years along with his five-member family, of whom four are children.
Along the same line, Israeli bulldozers demolished another home belonging to the Silwan resident Issa Jaafra under the same pretext.
Eight family members, including five children, were left homeless after the demolition of the 70-square-meters house.
Israel uses the pretext of building without permit to carry out demolitions of Palestinian-owned homes s part of its displacement and Judaization policies.
Silwan resident, Majdi Abu Tayeh, said that Israeli authorities gave him two days to demolish the house otherwise he will be forced to pay a heavy demolition fee.
Abu Tayeh lived in the home for the past four years along with his five-member family, of whom four are children.
Along the same line, Israeli bulldozers demolished another home belonging to the Silwan resident Issa Jaafra under the same pretext.
Eight family members, including five children, were left homeless after the demolition of the 70-square-meters house.
Israel uses the pretext of building without permit to carry out demolitions of Palestinian-owned homes s part of its displacement and Judaization policies.
Israeli soldiers invaded, Thursday, a Palestinian home in the Sahla area, in the Old City of Hebron, in the southern part of the occupied West Bank, before assaulting the family, in addition to destroying their furniture.
Hazem Abu Rajab, said the soldiers invaded his home, and assaulted his family, before confiscating his car.
He added that the soldiers violently searched the property, and deliberately caused damage to the furniture and belongings.
Since the year 2012, the family has been subject to frequent invasions and violations by the army, and the illegal colonialist settlers, who claim to own part of the three-story building, inhabited by fourteen members of Abu Rajab family.
The family has been fighting the ongoing illegal takeover attempts by the colonialist settlers, while Israeli courts are still deliberating the case.
Hazem said the latest invasion, and assault was carried out after he refused to sign documents without fully knowing their contents and added that the incident was reported to the Legal Branch of the Hebron Construction Committee, so that it can conduct all needed measures.
The property is a three-story building, inhabited by fourteen members of Abu Rajab family.
Hazem Abu Rajab, said the soldiers invaded his home, and assaulted his family, before confiscating his car.
He added that the soldiers violently searched the property, and deliberately caused damage to the furniture and belongings.
Since the year 2012, the family has been subject to frequent invasions and violations by the army, and the illegal colonialist settlers, who claim to own part of the three-story building, inhabited by fourteen members of Abu Rajab family.
The family has been fighting the ongoing illegal takeover attempts by the colonialist settlers, while Israeli courts are still deliberating the case.
Hazem said the latest invasion, and assault was carried out after he refused to sign documents without fully knowing their contents and added that the incident was reported to the Legal Branch of the Hebron Construction Committee, so that it can conduct all needed measures.
The property is a three-story building, inhabited by fourteen members of Abu Rajab family.
Israeli soldiers, police officers and personnel of the so-called “Negev Development Authority” invaded, Thursday, the al-Arakib Bedouin village, in the Negev, and demolished it for the 139th consecutive time.
The villagers stated that dozens of soldiers and police officers invaded the community, accompanied by bulldozers, and demolished the tents, barns and sheds.
They added that the officers attacked many of villagers, before forcing them out of their dwellings, despite the cold weather.
The police also abducted the head of the Popular Committee in al-‘Arakib, Ahmad Khalil Abu Mdeighim, in addition to three women.
They were released several hours after the soldiers demolished the village and withdrew from the area.
Israeli demolitions of al-Araqib are carried out in the attempt to force the Bedouin population to relocate to government-zoned townships.
Like the 34 other Bedouin villages “unrecognized” by Israel, al-Araqib does not receive any services from the Israeli government and is constantly subjected to the threats of expulsion and home demolition.
These “unrecognized” villages were established in the Negev soon after the 1948 Arab-Israeli war, following the creation of the state of Israel, when an estimated 750,000 Palestinians were forcibly expelled from their homes and made refugees.
Many Bedouins were forcibly transferred to the village sites during the 17-year period when Palestinians inside Israel were governed under Israeli military law, which ended shortly before Israel’s military takeover of Gaza and the West Bank, including East Jerusalem, in 1967.
Now, more than 60 years later, the Bedouin villages have yet to be legally recognized by Israel and live under constant threat of demolition and forcible removal.
The villagers stated that dozens of soldiers and police officers invaded the community, accompanied by bulldozers, and demolished the tents, barns and sheds.
They added that the officers attacked many of villagers, before forcing them out of their dwellings, despite the cold weather.
The police also abducted the head of the Popular Committee in al-‘Arakib, Ahmad Khalil Abu Mdeighim, in addition to three women.
They were released several hours after the soldiers demolished the village and withdrew from the area.
Israeli demolitions of al-Araqib are carried out in the attempt to force the Bedouin population to relocate to government-zoned townships.
Like the 34 other Bedouin villages “unrecognized” by Israel, al-Araqib does not receive any services from the Israeli government and is constantly subjected to the threats of expulsion and home demolition.
These “unrecognized” villages were established in the Negev soon after the 1948 Arab-Israeli war, following the creation of the state of Israel, when an estimated 750,000 Palestinians were forcibly expelled from their homes and made refugees.
Many Bedouins were forcibly transferred to the village sites during the 17-year period when Palestinians inside Israel were governed under Israeli military law, which ended shortly before Israel’s military takeover of Gaza and the West Bank, including East Jerusalem, in 1967.
Now, more than 60 years later, the Bedouin villages have yet to be legally recognized by Israel and live under constant threat of demolition and forcible removal.
Israeli soldiers abducted, on Thursday at dawn, at least eleven Palestinians during violent invasions and searches of homes across the occupied West Bank, and confiscated thousands of Shekels in Hebron, the Palestinian Prisoners’ Society (PPS) has reported.
The Israeli army claimed its soldiers located a Carlo rifle in Qabalan town, southeast of the northern West Bank city of Nablus.
The PPS office in Bethlehem, south of occupied Jerusalem, said dozens of soldiers invaded the al-Khader town, south of the city, searched many homes and abducted Ahmad Mohammad Salah, 24, Mohammad Khader Mousa, 27, Zein Mohammad Issa, 21, and Yousef Taiseer Issa, 22.
In Kifl Hares town, west of the central West Bank city of Salfit, the soldiers abducted a young man, identified as Amjad Amin Saleh.
In Tulkarem refugee camp, in the northern West Bank city of Tulkarem, the soldiers abducted Fayez Samed Abu Safeera, 21, from his home.
The soldiers also invaded and searched many homes in the southern West Bank city of Hebron, and several surrounding towns, before abducting Jihad Mohammad al-Allama, from Beit Ummar town, north of the city.
Also in Hebron, the soldiers invaded and ransacked the home of a political prisoner, identified as Abdul-Mahdi Zohour, from Beit Kahil town, northwest of Hebron.
Furthermore, the soldiers illegally confiscated a Palestinian car, and 100.000 Shekels from several homes in Beit Ola town, west of the southern West Bank city of Hebron.
The invasions into Hebron also targeted homes in several neighborhoods in the city, in addition to Tarqoumia town, west of Hebron and Beit Anoun, north of Hebron.
The Israeli army claimed its soldiers located a Carlo rifle in Qabalan town, southeast of the northern West Bank city of Nablus.
The PPS office in Bethlehem, south of occupied Jerusalem, said dozens of soldiers invaded the al-Khader town, south of the city, searched many homes and abducted Ahmad Mohammad Salah, 24, Mohammad Khader Mousa, 27, Zein Mohammad Issa, 21, and Yousef Taiseer Issa, 22.
In Kifl Hares town, west of the central West Bank city of Salfit, the soldiers abducted a young man, identified as Amjad Amin Saleh.
In Tulkarem refugee camp, in the northern West Bank city of Tulkarem, the soldiers abducted Fayez Samed Abu Safeera, 21, from his home.
The soldiers also invaded and searched many homes in the southern West Bank city of Hebron, and several surrounding towns, before abducting Jihad Mohammad al-Allama, from Beit Ummar town, north of the city.
Also in Hebron, the soldiers invaded and ransacked the home of a political prisoner, identified as Abdul-Mahdi Zohour, from Beit Kahil town, northwest of Hebron.
Furthermore, the soldiers illegally confiscated a Palestinian car, and 100.000 Shekels from several homes in Beit Ola town, west of the southern West Bank city of Hebron.
The invasions into Hebron also targeted homes in several neighborhoods in the city, in addition to Tarqoumia town, west of Hebron and Beit Anoun, north of Hebron.
30 jan 2019
Israeli authorities delivered demolition notices and halt of construction orders to several homes and schools in Masafer Yatta in the southern occupied West Bank district of Hebron, on Wednesday.
Coordinator of a local popular committee against the separation wall and settlements, Rateb al-Jbour, said Israeli authorities stormed the Masafer Yatta area and delivered halt of construction orders to several homes belonging to al-Dababseh family.
Al-Jbour also said that Israeli authorities delivered a demolition notice to a local mixed elementary school that had been previously demolished about four months ago by Israeli forces, however, was rebuilt in the meantime.
Israeli authorities seek to displace Masafer Yatta residents, in order to seize their lands, as part of an Israeli settlement expansion plan in the West Bank.
Around 3,000 Israeli settlers live in illegal Jewish-only settlements in the Yatta region, according to the Applied Research Institute Jerusalem.
The South Hebron Hills, known locally as Masafer Yatta, lie almost entirely in Area C, the 62 percent of the West Bank under full Israeli civil and security control since the 1993 Oslo Accords.
Masafer Yatta residents were expelled at the time of the establishment of a firing zone in the 1970s and were eventually allowed back following a long court battle, but are under the constant threat of being expelled or seeing their homes demolished.
Coordinator of a local popular committee against the separation wall and settlements, Rateb al-Jbour, said Israeli authorities stormed the Masafer Yatta area and delivered halt of construction orders to several homes belonging to al-Dababseh family.
Al-Jbour also said that Israeli authorities delivered a demolition notice to a local mixed elementary school that had been previously demolished about four months ago by Israeli forces, however, was rebuilt in the meantime.
Israeli authorities seek to displace Masafer Yatta residents, in order to seize their lands, as part of an Israeli settlement expansion plan in the West Bank.
Around 3,000 Israeli settlers live in illegal Jewish-only settlements in the Yatta region, according to the Applied Research Institute Jerusalem.
The South Hebron Hills, known locally as Masafer Yatta, lie almost entirely in Area C, the 62 percent of the West Bank under full Israeli civil and security control since the 1993 Oslo Accords.
Masafer Yatta residents were expelled at the time of the establishment of a firing zone in the 1970s and were eventually allowed back following a long court battle, but are under the constant threat of being expelled or seeing their homes demolished.
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Israeli bulldozers demolished a Palestinian-owned building in the Wadi al-Juz neighborhood of occupied East Jerusalem, on Wednesday.
Khalid al-Malhi, whose family owns the demolished building, told Ma’an that dozens of Israeli soldiers and municipality staff raided and surrounded the building before emptying part of its contents and carrying out the demolition. Al-Malhi said that Israeli municipality staff had delivered him a demolition notice, pointing out that his lawyer attempted to freeze the order but without avail. The first floor of the two-story building was constructed 20 years ago, and has three stores while the second was built five years ago and has three housing apartments. Israel uses the pretext of building without a permit to carry out demolitions of Palestinian-owned homes on a regular basis. Israel rarely grants Palestinians permits to build in East Jerusalem, though the Jerusalem municipality has claimed that compared to the Jewish population, they receive a disproportionately low number of permit applications from Palestinian communities, which also see high approval ratings. For Jewish Israelis in occupied East Jerusalem's illegal settlements, the planning, marketing, development, and infrastructure are funded and executed by the Israeli government. By contrast, in Palestinian neighborhoods, all the burden falls on individual families to contend with a lengthy permit application that can last several years and cost tens of thousands of dollars. According to Daniel Seidemann of the NGO Terrestrial Jerusalem, "since 1967, the Government of Israel has directly engaged in the construction of 55,000 units for Israelis in East Jerusalem; in contrast, fewer than 600 units have been built for Palestinians in East Jerusalem, the last of which were built 40 years ago. So much for (Jerusalem Mayor Nir) Barkat's claim 'we build for everyone.'" |
Israeli bulldozers demolished an under-construction house in the Huwwara village, south of the northern occupied West Bank district of Nablus.
Ghassan Daghlas, an official who monitors settlement activity in the northern West Bank, told Ma'an that Israeli forces arrived to the Huwwara village with several bulldozers and began to demolish the under-construction house.
Daghlas confirmed that the demolished house belonged to Muhammad Hassan Damidi and measured 175-square-meters.
The demolition was carried out under the pretext under the pretext of being built without the difficult-to-obtain Israeli permit.
Following the 1995 accords, 38% of Huwwara land is defined as Area B, however, the remaining 62% is defined as Area C.
About 282 dunams (69.6 acres) of Huwwara land was seized by Israel for the expansion of the nearby illegal settlement of Yitzhar.
Israel uses the pretext of building without a permit to carry out demolitions of Palestinian-owned homes on a regular basis.
Nearly all Palestinian applications for building permits in Area C are denied by the Israeli authorities, forcing communities to build illegally.
According to Palestinians and rights groups, Israel's overall goal, both in its policies in Area C and Israel's settlement enterprise, is to depopulate the land of its Palestinian residents and replace them with Jewish Israeli communities in order to manipulate population demographics in all of historic Palestine.
Ghassan Daghlas, an official who monitors settlement activity in the northern West Bank, told Ma'an that Israeli forces arrived to the Huwwara village with several bulldozers and began to demolish the under-construction house.
Daghlas confirmed that the demolished house belonged to Muhammad Hassan Damidi and measured 175-square-meters.
The demolition was carried out under the pretext under the pretext of being built without the difficult-to-obtain Israeli permit.
Following the 1995 accords, 38% of Huwwara land is defined as Area B, however, the remaining 62% is defined as Area C.
About 282 dunams (69.6 acres) of Huwwara land was seized by Israel for the expansion of the nearby illegal settlement of Yitzhar.
Israel uses the pretext of building without a permit to carry out demolitions of Palestinian-owned homes on a regular basis.
Nearly all Palestinian applications for building permits in Area C are denied by the Israeli authorities, forcing communities to build illegally.
According to Palestinians and rights groups, Israel's overall goal, both in its policies in Area C and Israel's settlement enterprise, is to depopulate the land of its Palestinian residents and replace them with Jewish Israeli communities in order to manipulate population demographics in all of historic Palestine.
