22 july 2019
Peace Now reports 32 new remote settlement satellites founded since 2012, mostly farms aiming to take over Palestinian land and many publicly funded
Settlers have established dozens of unauthorized outposts in the West Bank in recent years, most of them founded since President Donald Trump entered office, an Israeli settlement watchdog group said Monday.
Peace Now said in a new report that settlers have founded 32 remote West Bank outposts since 2012, often with tactic government support.
Israel captured the West Bank, East Jerusalem and the Gaza Strip in the 1967 Six-Day War. The Palestinians seek these areas as parts of a future state. Most of the international community considers the Israeli settlements in the West Bank illegal under international law and an impediment to a two-state solution to the conflict.
According to Peace Now, most of the new outposts are farms that aim to take over large tracts of land at the expense of Palestinians and are often publicly funded.
Other cases included the creation of educational institutions and tourist sites that receive funding from their respective government ministries.
"Most of the illegal construction is carried out in an organized manner by officials and with extensive funding from the public coffers," it said.
Scores of settlement outposts dot the West Bank, in addition to over 120 established settlements. Over time, outposts often grow into neighborhoods of nearby settlements or into full-fledged settlements of their own.
Trump's Mideast team is led by figures with close ties to the settler movement. His ambassador to Israel, David Friedman, for instance, recently told the New York Times that Israel has the "right" to annex some of the West Bank.
Both critics and supporters of the settlements say the White House's friendly attitude has encouraged a jump in settlement activity.
Peace Now said the government has retroactively authorized 15 outposts this year and seeks to approve 35 more as part of what it called a major expansion of West Bank settlements.
"Law enforcement authorities ignore the theft of the land and in effect abet this activity," Peace Now said. "Settlers see this correctly as an incentive to build more outposts."
The Defense Ministry and COGAT, the defense body responsible for civil affairs in the West Bank, did not respond to requests for comment.
Settlers have established dozens of unauthorized outposts in the West Bank in recent years, most of them founded since President Donald Trump entered office, an Israeli settlement watchdog group said Monday.
Peace Now said in a new report that settlers have founded 32 remote West Bank outposts since 2012, often with tactic government support.
Israel captured the West Bank, East Jerusalem and the Gaza Strip in the 1967 Six-Day War. The Palestinians seek these areas as parts of a future state. Most of the international community considers the Israeli settlements in the West Bank illegal under international law and an impediment to a two-state solution to the conflict.
According to Peace Now, most of the new outposts are farms that aim to take over large tracts of land at the expense of Palestinians and are often publicly funded.
Other cases included the creation of educational institutions and tourist sites that receive funding from their respective government ministries.
"Most of the illegal construction is carried out in an organized manner by officials and with extensive funding from the public coffers," it said.
Scores of settlement outposts dot the West Bank, in addition to over 120 established settlements. Over time, outposts often grow into neighborhoods of nearby settlements or into full-fledged settlements of their own.
Trump's Mideast team is led by figures with close ties to the settler movement. His ambassador to Israel, David Friedman, for instance, recently told the New York Times that Israel has the "right" to annex some of the West Bank.
Both critics and supporters of the settlements say the White House's friendly attitude has encouraged a jump in settlement activity.
Peace Now said the government has retroactively authorized 15 outposts this year and seeks to approve 35 more as part of what it called a major expansion of West Bank settlements.
"Law enforcement authorities ignore the theft of the land and in effect abet this activity," Peace Now said. "Settlers see this correctly as an incentive to build more outposts."
The Defense Ministry and COGAT, the defense body responsible for civil affairs in the West Bank, did not respond to requests for comment.
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On Monday morning, 22 July 2019, Israeli military forces launched a large-scale destruction operation against civilian property in Wadi al-Humus neighborhood, in Sour Baher in the southern part of occupied East Jerusalem.
Hundreds of Israeli soldiers and machinery carried out the destructions that resulted in hundreds of civilians losing their shelter. The Palestinian Centre for Human Rights (PCHR) condemns this crime against civilians and considers it on par for ethnic cleansing, and holds the Israeli government accountable for escalating the situation in the occupied Palestinian territory (oPt). PCHR calls upon the international community to hold its legal and moral responsibility and intervene effectively to stop Israeli crimes against Palestinian civilians and to provide necessary protection. According to PCHR’s documentation, at approximately 2:00 on Monday, 22 July 2019, hundreds of Israeli soldiers moved into Sour Baher village with dozens of construction vehicles. They stationed in Wadi al-Humus neighborhood, closed its entrances and cut all power supplies. Israeli soldiers then forcefully vacated buildings in the neighborhood, used physical violence against them and banned them from taking any of their belongings with them. At approximately 06:00, destruction machinery took to work and preliminary numbers assert that at least 8 houses and buildings were destroyed, and explosives were planted in a 10-story building in order to destroy it. video |
The destroyed houses include:
It should be mentioned that on 13 June 2019, the Israeli High Court approved the Israeli military’s decision to demolish 16 residential buildings comprised of 100 apartments in Wadi al-Humus neighborhood under the pretext of being near the annexation wall which was established on the village’s lands. On 20 June 2019, the Israeli forces handed tens of residents notices to self-demolish their property by 18 July or the Israeli forces will later do so.
On 21 July 2019, the Israeli High Court rejected the appeal filed by the residents to freeze the demolition orders, and within hours the Israeli forces stormed the neighborhood and started the demolitions.
Wadi al-Humus neighborhood (area: 3,000 dunums; population: 6000) is located on the edge of Sour Baher, south of occupied East Jerusalem. The neighbourhood is not within Jerusalem’s municipal boundaries and most of its lands are classified in Area A that is under full control of the Palestinian Authority according to the Oslo Accords; thus, the buildings’ owners obtained construction licenses from the Palestinian Ministry of Local Governance.
Following the construction of the annexation wall in 2003, the neighborhood was split as some houses ended up in the Israeli side but not under jurisdiction of the Israeli Municipality of Jerusalem.
PCHR deeply condemns the Israeli forces’ violations against Wadi al-Humus neighbourhood and affirms that:
First: the international community’s silence towards the Israeli violations, especially the destruction of an entire neighbourhood and displacement of its residents, reflects the inability of international bodies to protect international humanitarian law, as well as hundreds of United Nations resolutions issued over the past seven decades relevant to the Palestinian cause.
Second: PCHR reiterates that the Israeli judicial system, including the High Court, acts in support of the occupation and legitimizes its violations of IHL when the issues concern Palestinian victims.
Third: PCHR stresses that East Jerusalem is an occupied territory, and all measures taken by Israel since 1967 do not change its legal status as an occupied territory.
Fourth: Article (49) of the 1949 Fourth Geneva Convention prohibited the Individual or mass forcible transfer or deportation of persons from their places of residence, unless it was for their own interest, such as protecting them from the dangers of armed conflicts.
Article 7.1.d of the Rome Statute of the International Criminal Court stipulates that Deportation or forcible transfer of population be considered a crime against humanity when committed as part of a widespread or systematic attack directed against any civilian population. This is also emphasized in articles 6, 7, and 8 of the Rome Statute.
PCHR calls upon the international community and UN bodies to intervene to stop Israel’s crimes and violations of Palestinian human rights, and to provide them with protection.
Public Document
**************************************
Follow PCHR on Facebook and Twitter
For more information, please call PCHR office in Gaza, Gaza Strip, on +972 8 2824776 – 2825893
Gaza- Jamal ‘Abdel Nasser “al-Thalathini” Street – Al-Roya Building- Floor 12 , El Remal, PO Box 1328 Gaza, Gaza Strip. E-mail: pchr@pchrgaza.org, Webpage http://www.pchrgaza.org
- Isma’il ‘Ebeidiyah: a 2-sotry house built on 250 square meters and sheltering a 7-member family, including 5 children;
- Ghaleb Hawan and his son Monther: a 2-story house built on 210 square meters and sheltering a 10-member family, including 6 children;
- Belal al-Kiswani: a 1-story house sheltering a 5-member family, including 3 children;
- ‘Alaa’ ‘Amirah: a 2-story house built on 400 square meters (uninhabited)
- Mohammed Idris Abu Teir: a 7-story building comprised of 40 residential apartments (under-construction)
- Ja’afar Abu Hamed: a 1-story house (under-construction);
- Mohammed Salem al-Atrash: a 4-story building (under-construction); and
- ‘Ali Khalil Hamadah: a 4-story building (under-construction)
It should be mentioned that on 13 June 2019, the Israeli High Court approved the Israeli military’s decision to demolish 16 residential buildings comprised of 100 apartments in Wadi al-Humus neighborhood under the pretext of being near the annexation wall which was established on the village’s lands. On 20 June 2019, the Israeli forces handed tens of residents notices to self-demolish their property by 18 July or the Israeli forces will later do so.
On 21 July 2019, the Israeli High Court rejected the appeal filed by the residents to freeze the demolition orders, and within hours the Israeli forces stormed the neighborhood and started the demolitions.
Wadi al-Humus neighborhood (area: 3,000 dunums; population: 6000) is located on the edge of Sour Baher, south of occupied East Jerusalem. The neighbourhood is not within Jerusalem’s municipal boundaries and most of its lands are classified in Area A that is under full control of the Palestinian Authority according to the Oslo Accords; thus, the buildings’ owners obtained construction licenses from the Palestinian Ministry of Local Governance.
Following the construction of the annexation wall in 2003, the neighborhood was split as some houses ended up in the Israeli side but not under jurisdiction of the Israeli Municipality of Jerusalem.
PCHR deeply condemns the Israeli forces’ violations against Wadi al-Humus neighbourhood and affirms that:
First: the international community’s silence towards the Israeli violations, especially the destruction of an entire neighbourhood and displacement of its residents, reflects the inability of international bodies to protect international humanitarian law, as well as hundreds of United Nations resolutions issued over the past seven decades relevant to the Palestinian cause.
Second: PCHR reiterates that the Israeli judicial system, including the High Court, acts in support of the occupation and legitimizes its violations of IHL when the issues concern Palestinian victims.
Third: PCHR stresses that East Jerusalem is an occupied territory, and all measures taken by Israel since 1967 do not change its legal status as an occupied territory.
Fourth: Article (49) of the 1949 Fourth Geneva Convention prohibited the Individual or mass forcible transfer or deportation of persons from their places of residence, unless it was for their own interest, such as protecting them from the dangers of armed conflicts.
Article 7.1.d of the Rome Statute of the International Criminal Court stipulates that Deportation or forcible transfer of population be considered a crime against humanity when committed as part of a widespread or systematic attack directed against any civilian population. This is also emphasized in articles 6, 7, and 8 of the Rome Statute.
PCHR calls upon the international community and UN bodies to intervene to stop Israel’s crimes and violations of Palestinian human rights, and to provide them with protection.
Public Document
**************************************
Follow PCHR on Facebook and Twitter
For more information, please call PCHR office in Gaza, Gaza Strip, on +972 8 2824776 – 2825893
Gaza- Jamal ‘Abdel Nasser “al-Thalathini” Street – Al-Roya Building- Floor 12 , El Remal, PO Box 1328 Gaza, Gaza Strip. E-mail: pchr@pchrgaza.org, Webpage http://www.pchrgaza.org
Israeli authorities have proceeded with the demolition of 10 Palestinian buildings, containing some 70 apartments, in Wadi al Hummus, part of Sur Baher neighbourhood in occupied East Jerusalem.
The majority of the buildings are located in Area A and B of the West Bank where, according to the Oslo Accords, all civil issues are under the jurisdiction of the Palestinian Authority.
Israel’s settlement policy, including actions taken in that context, such as forced transfers, evictions, demolitions and confiscations of homes, is illegal under international law.
In line with the EU’s long-standing position, we expect the Israeli authorities to immediately halt the ongoing demolitions.
The continuation of this policy undermines the viability of the two-state solution and the prospect for a lasting peace and seriously jeopardizes the possibility of Jerusalem serving as the future capital of both States.
Related:
Jordan condemns Israel’s demolition of Palestinian homes in Sur Bahir
France condemns Israeli demolitions of Palestinian buildings in East Jerusalem
Arab League condemns Israeli demolitions of Palestinian buildings in East Jerusalem
UN officials express sadness over Israeli home demolitions in East Jerusalem area
The majority of the buildings are located in Area A and B of the West Bank where, according to the Oslo Accords, all civil issues are under the jurisdiction of the Palestinian Authority.
Israel’s settlement policy, including actions taken in that context, such as forced transfers, evictions, demolitions and confiscations of homes, is illegal under international law.
In line with the EU’s long-standing position, we expect the Israeli authorities to immediately halt the ongoing demolitions.
The continuation of this policy undermines the viability of the two-state solution and the prospect for a lasting peace and seriously jeopardizes the possibility of Jerusalem serving as the future capital of both States.
Related:
Jordan condemns Israel’s demolition of Palestinian homes in Sur Bahir
France condemns Israeli demolitions of Palestinian buildings in East Jerusalem
Arab League condemns Israeli demolitions of Palestinian buildings in East Jerusalem
UN officials express sadness over Israeli home demolitions in East Jerusalem area
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Israeli forces invaded, Monday morning, the village of Wadi al-Homs, southeast of Jerusalem, and demolished five single-family homes and an apartment building nine stories high that was under construction.
The village is located in the township of Sur Bahir, located southeast of Jerusalem in an area that Israel has slated for colonization in its E1 Jerusalem expansion plan. Israeli officials have issued demolition orders for sixteen Palestinian homes and apartment buildings in the neighborhood, claiming that they are too close to the Israeli-constructed Wall, and must be destroyed “for security reasons”. According to local sources, more than 1,000 Israeli soldiers participated in |
the invasion of the neighborhood, mainly to push out the hundreds of Palestinians, Israelis and international solidarity activists who had arrived in the area to try to protect the homes from demolition.
Reporters from the Ma’an News Agency report that Ali al-Obeidi of the neighborhood committee told them that the soldiers attacked women, children, the elderly and the foreign solidarity activists.
al-Obeidi added that the soldiers destroyed Palestinian furniture that was in the homes, in addition to the homes themselves.
He added that the Palestinian families who live in the homes, and those who had been planning to live in the apartment building under construction, have been working through legal and diplomatic channels to try to protect their homes.
But the Israeli authorities, in an attempt to establish “facts on the ground”, went ahead with the demolitions despite the legal case that is in progress.
al-Obeidi told reporters that what is happening today is a mass displacement of the people of the neighborhood of Wadi al-Homs, despite their legal and diplomatic attempt to protect their property.
Hamada Hamada, head of the committee of the residents of Wadi Al-Homs, noted that the 16 buildings threatened by demolition in the neighborhood make up more than 100 family homes, some of which are inhabited and others under construction.
The buildings are located in the area classified as “A” under the Palestinian Authority, which means that under the 1993 Oslo Accords, they are supposed to be under full Palestinian control.
But the Israeli occupying authorities say that these buildings must be demolished due to their proximity to the Israeli Wall constructed in the past several years by Israeli forces in the Palestinian neighborhood.
According to eyewitnesses, the Israeli occupation forces demolished the homes of the Al-Kiswani and Abu Haddwan families, and homes under construction belonging to Ja’far Abu Hamed, ‘Ala’ Amira, Ali Hamid, ‘Shuqair’ and Tariq Mahamid.
As to the nine-story apartment building, belonging to Mohammed Abu Tair, hundreds of soldiers accompanied by military explosives experts, surrounded the building and planted explosives in preparation for detonation.
The demolitions come after the recent Israeli Supreme Court rejection of the appeal by the residents of the Wadi al-Homs neighborhood to preserve their homes. But residents cited legal gaps in the decision, and hoped to appeal to diplomatic channels and international bodies to stop the mass demolition.
In recent weeks, Israeli forces stormed the neighborhood a number of times in preparation for the mass demolition that began this morning.
Reporters from the Ma’an News Agency report that Ali al-Obeidi of the neighborhood committee told them that the soldiers attacked women, children, the elderly and the foreign solidarity activists.
al-Obeidi added that the soldiers destroyed Palestinian furniture that was in the homes, in addition to the homes themselves.
He added that the Palestinian families who live in the homes, and those who had been planning to live in the apartment building under construction, have been working through legal and diplomatic channels to try to protect their homes.
But the Israeli authorities, in an attempt to establish “facts on the ground”, went ahead with the demolitions despite the legal case that is in progress.
al-Obeidi told reporters that what is happening today is a mass displacement of the people of the neighborhood of Wadi al-Homs, despite their legal and diplomatic attempt to protect their property.
Hamada Hamada, head of the committee of the residents of Wadi Al-Homs, noted that the 16 buildings threatened by demolition in the neighborhood make up more than 100 family homes, some of which are inhabited and others under construction.
The buildings are located in the area classified as “A” under the Palestinian Authority, which means that under the 1993 Oslo Accords, they are supposed to be under full Palestinian control.
But the Israeli occupying authorities say that these buildings must be demolished due to their proximity to the Israeli Wall constructed in the past several years by Israeli forces in the Palestinian neighborhood.
According to eyewitnesses, the Israeli occupation forces demolished the homes of the Al-Kiswani and Abu Haddwan families, and homes under construction belonging to Ja’far Abu Hamed, ‘Ala’ Amira, Ali Hamid, ‘Shuqair’ and Tariq Mahamid.
As to the nine-story apartment building, belonging to Mohammed Abu Tair, hundreds of soldiers accompanied by military explosives experts, surrounded the building and planted explosives in preparation for detonation.
The demolitions come after the recent Israeli Supreme Court rejection of the appeal by the residents of the Wadi al-Homs neighborhood to preserve their homes. But residents cited legal gaps in the decision, and hoped to appeal to diplomatic channels and international bodies to stop the mass demolition.
In recent weeks, Israeli forces stormed the neighborhood a number of times in preparation for the mass demolition that began this morning.
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Israeli Occupation Forces started early this morning its demolitions in Wadi Al-Hummus area in Sur Bahir town, south of Jerusalem, under the pretext of no building permit. video video video
The demolitions started past midnight as hundreds of armed Israeli occupying soldiers and bulldozers stormed the town. video Families threatened with demolitions were woken up and evicted out of their homes. Journalists on the scene told PNN that large forces of the Israeli occupation army besieged the ten buildings they want to demolish in area, south of the occupied city of Jerusalem. |
Photographs taken by Palestinian journalists from the early hours of the morning showed hundreds of soldiers and police at the scene.
Last night secretary-general of the Palestine liberation organization Dr. Erekat Commented on Israel’s Imminent Plan to Demolish Palestinian Properties occupied East Jerusalem town of Sur Bahir saying that condemn these plans.
Erekat said in statement that PNN received :” We condemn, in the strongest possible terms, Israel’s imminent plan to demolish 10 buildings in the occupied East Jerusalem town of Sur Bahir, which will result in the displacement of three Palestinian families, totaling 17 people, including 9 children.
He dded:” If the planned demolitions take place, Israel’s actions will constitute a grave breach of the Fourth Geneva Convention as well as war crimes pursuant to the Rome Statute of the International Criminal Court.
Israel’s illegal policies and practices, ranging from home demolitions and forced displacement to the destruction of Palestinian livelihoods, in East Jerusalem and the rest of occupied Palestine, serve one purpose: the preservation and expansion of the Israeli colonial-settlement enterprise at the expense of Palestinian land and people “. Erekat said.
The Palestinians have no recourse, as the Israeli judicial system has repeatedly shown its complicity in Israel’s illegal colonial-settlement enterprise. It is, therefore, the responsibility of the international community to immediately intervene to halt the demolitions in Sur Bahir and hold Israel to account for its repeated violations of international law Erekat statement his statement .
for the last weeks Palestinians have protested a pending mass demolition plan by Israel against a village located in between East Jerusalem and Bethlehem in the occupied West Bank.
Local media cited witnesses as saying that Israeli forces arrived and used tear gas canisters and stun grenades to disperse the protesters.
In June, Israel’s supreme court rejected a petition by the owners to cancel the demolitions. A deadline for the residents to abandon the houses expired on Friday.
“I don’t have any other place to live. I don’t have an alternative,” Reuters cited Ismail Obeideh, a father of six and the owner of one of the houses, as saying.
Obeideh and the other Sur Baher residents, however, say they did not need Israeli permission to build their homes because they had received approvals from the Palestinian Authority, which is tasked with running the West Bank’s affairs.
The United Nations (UN), EU which recognizes Jerusalem as occupied territory, has urged Israel to halt the demolitions.
Last night secretary-general of the Palestine liberation organization Dr. Erekat Commented on Israel’s Imminent Plan to Demolish Palestinian Properties occupied East Jerusalem town of Sur Bahir saying that condemn these plans.
Erekat said in statement that PNN received :” We condemn, in the strongest possible terms, Israel’s imminent plan to demolish 10 buildings in the occupied East Jerusalem town of Sur Bahir, which will result in the displacement of three Palestinian families, totaling 17 people, including 9 children.
He dded:” If the planned demolitions take place, Israel’s actions will constitute a grave breach of the Fourth Geneva Convention as well as war crimes pursuant to the Rome Statute of the International Criminal Court.
Israel’s illegal policies and practices, ranging from home demolitions and forced displacement to the destruction of Palestinian livelihoods, in East Jerusalem and the rest of occupied Palestine, serve one purpose: the preservation and expansion of the Israeli colonial-settlement enterprise at the expense of Palestinian land and people “. Erekat said.
The Palestinians have no recourse, as the Israeli judicial system has repeatedly shown its complicity in Israel’s illegal colonial-settlement enterprise. It is, therefore, the responsibility of the international community to immediately intervene to halt the demolitions in Sur Bahir and hold Israel to account for its repeated violations of international law Erekat statement his statement .
for the last weeks Palestinians have protested a pending mass demolition plan by Israel against a village located in between East Jerusalem and Bethlehem in the occupied West Bank.
Local media cited witnesses as saying that Israeli forces arrived and used tear gas canisters and stun grenades to disperse the protesters.
In June, Israel’s supreme court rejected a petition by the owners to cancel the demolitions. A deadline for the residents to abandon the houses expired on Friday.
“I don’t have any other place to live. I don’t have an alternative,” Reuters cited Ismail Obeideh, a father of six and the owner of one of the houses, as saying.
Obeideh and the other Sur Baher residents, however, say they did not need Israeli permission to build their homes because they had received approvals from the Palestinian Authority, which is tasked with running the West Bank’s affairs.
The United Nations (UN), EU which recognizes Jerusalem as occupied territory, has urged Israel to halt the demolitions.
The Israeli occupation navy on Monday night kidnaped two Palestinian fishermen and confiscated their boat off the southern coast of the Gaza Strip.
According to the fishermen committees, the fishermen were kidnaped from aboard their boat off the shore of Rafah, south of Gaza. They were identified as Isam al-Aqra, 24, and his brother Riyad, 20.
Israeli gunboats are around Gaza fishermen almost every day, harassing them, shooting at them, damaging their boats, and making arrests. Sometimes fishermen are injured or killed during gunfire attacks.
According to the fishermen committees, the fishermen were kidnaped from aboard their boat off the shore of Rafah, south of Gaza. They were identified as Isam al-Aqra, 24, and his brother Riyad, 20.
Israeli gunboats are around Gaza fishermen almost every day, harassing them, shooting at them, damaging their boats, and making arrests. Sometimes fishermen are injured or killed during gunfire attacks.
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