29 mar 2017
Residents of the Bethlehem-area village of Walaja, on Tuesday, confronted Israelis who came to their land and marked it in preparation to take it over, according to Hasan Breijieh, an activist with the anti-settlements, anti-wall committee in Bethlehem.
Breijieh told WAFA correspondence that staff from an Israeli company known as Yoel, accompanied by soldiers and staff from the so-called absentee department in the settlements of Beit El and Etzion, as well as the head of the Israeli land authority, came to an area of the village and put marks on land in preparation to seize more than 600,000 square kilometers of land in that area.
Palestinian owners of the land confronted the Israelis and showed them deeds which proved their ownership of the land, while Israeli occupation authorities said they were going to take over land upon which, it claims, its owners were absent.
Meanwhile, Israel continues to demolish Palestinian homes in the Jordan Valley, in an attempt to reduce Palestinian presence there, according to officials.
The Israeli army demolished three structures that were still in the building stage in al-Matar area, east of Jericho, under the usual pretext that they were built without a permit.
Jericho and Jordan Valley governor, Majed Fityani, said that Israel makes life difficult for Palestinians in the rich Jordan Valley through home demolitions, closing herding areas, declaring large areas to be firing zones, along with other measures which force them to leave the area.
The United Nations and Israeli rights groups have said that Israel has intensified the demolition of homes in Area C of the occupied West Bank, which includes the Jordan Valley.
Israel plans to annex the scarcely populated Area C, which makes up roughly 60 per cent of the area of the West Bank.
Breijieh told WAFA correspondence that staff from an Israeli company known as Yoel, accompanied by soldiers and staff from the so-called absentee department in the settlements of Beit El and Etzion, as well as the head of the Israeli land authority, came to an area of the village and put marks on land in preparation to seize more than 600,000 square kilometers of land in that area.
Palestinian owners of the land confronted the Israelis and showed them deeds which proved their ownership of the land, while Israeli occupation authorities said they were going to take over land upon which, it claims, its owners were absent.
Meanwhile, Israel continues to demolish Palestinian homes in the Jordan Valley, in an attempt to reduce Palestinian presence there, according to officials.
The Israeli army demolished three structures that were still in the building stage in al-Matar area, east of Jericho, under the usual pretext that they were built without a permit.
Jericho and Jordan Valley governor, Majed Fityani, said that Israel makes life difficult for Palestinians in the rich Jordan Valley through home demolitions, closing herding areas, declaring large areas to be firing zones, along with other measures which force them to leave the area.
The United Nations and Israeli rights groups have said that Israel has intensified the demolition of homes in Area C of the occupied West Bank, which includes the Jordan Valley.
Israel plans to annex the scarcely populated Area C, which makes up roughly 60 per cent of the area of the West Bank.
28 mar 2017
Israeli soldiers demolished, on Tuesday at dawn, two Palestinian homes, without a prior warning, in the al-‘Eesawiyya town, in occupied Jerusalem, reportedly for being built without construction permits.
Several Israeli police and military vehicles, accompanied by bulldozers, invaded the town, before the soldiers demolished a home, belonging to Ahmad Abu al-Hummus and his family.
The 150 square/meter home was recently construction, and the family was preparing to move into it after concluding all needed work.
The soldiers also demolished an under-construction home, belonging to members of Mheisin family, in al-‘Eesawiyya.
Mohammad Abu al-Hummus, a member of the Follow-Up Committee in the town, said the family built the property one year ago, but stopped the construction of the second floor, under a direct order from the City Council.
Since then, the family has been preparing and filing all needed applications, but the army went ahead and demolished the building without a prior warning.
Several Israeli police and military vehicles, accompanied by bulldozers, invaded the town, before the soldiers demolished a home, belonging to Ahmad Abu al-Hummus and his family.
The 150 square/meter home was recently construction, and the family was preparing to move into it after concluding all needed work.
The soldiers also demolished an under-construction home, belonging to members of Mheisin family, in al-‘Eesawiyya.
Mohammad Abu al-Hummus, a member of the Follow-Up Committee in the town, said the family built the property one year ago, but stopped the construction of the second floor, under a direct order from the City Council.
Since then, the family has been preparing and filing all needed applications, but the army went ahead and demolished the building without a prior warning.
27 mar 2017
Many Israeli soldiers invaded, on Monday at dawn, the village of Kafr Ni’ma, west of the central West Bank city of Ramallah, before breaking into and searching the home of a Palestinian artist, and confiscated his Caricatures.
The artist, Osama Nazzal, said the soldiers surrounded his family’s home, approximately at 4 at dawn, before invading it and ransacking its property.
Nazzal added that the soldiers damaged many of his drawings, and confiscated all the remaining caricatures, before withdrawing.
The artist, Osama Nazzal, said the soldiers surrounded his family’s home, approximately at 4 at dawn, before invading it and ransacking its property.
Nazzal added that the soldiers damaged many of his drawings, and confiscated all the remaining caricatures, before withdrawing.
Israeli Occupation Forces (IOF) handed over eviction notices to nine Palestinian families in al-Ras al-Ahmar hamlet in Northern Jordan Valley in order to evict their homes next Wednesday and Thursday for conducting military drills in the area.
As a result 43 Palestinians, mostly women and children of the hamlet located southwest of Tubas city and surrounded by three Israeli settlements, are going to be homeless for two days.
Israeli Military Drills Begin in West Bank, Jordan Valley Families Ordered to Leave
Israeli occupation forces, on Sunday, started military drills in several areas of the occupied West Bank, according to the Israeli newspaper Israel Hayom.
The drills are set to last until Thursday.
WAFA correspondence reports that, according to the newspaper, an Israeli forces spokesperson said the drills are already planned for, and aim at maintaining the readiness of the Israeli occupation forces.
On Sunday, Israeli forces notified several Palestinian families in the area of Ras al-Ahmar, northeast of Tubas, in the occupied West Bank, to leave their homes on Wednesday to make way for Israeli military training, local sources said.
Aref Daraghmeh, who monitors settlement activities and Israeli violations, said that Israeli forces ordered more than 10 Palestinian families in Ras al-Ahmar to leave their homes on Wednesday, from 5:00 PM until 5:00 AM, in order to make way for Israeli military drills in the area.
Israeli forces announced, earlier, that military drills are going to take place in several areas of the West Bank this week, starting from Sunday to Thursday.
As a result 43 Palestinians, mostly women and children of the hamlet located southwest of Tubas city and surrounded by three Israeli settlements, are going to be homeless for two days.
Israeli Military Drills Begin in West Bank, Jordan Valley Families Ordered to Leave
Israeli occupation forces, on Sunday, started military drills in several areas of the occupied West Bank, according to the Israeli newspaper Israel Hayom.
The drills are set to last until Thursday.
WAFA correspondence reports that, according to the newspaper, an Israeli forces spokesperson said the drills are already planned for, and aim at maintaining the readiness of the Israeli occupation forces.
On Sunday, Israeli forces notified several Palestinian families in the area of Ras al-Ahmar, northeast of Tubas, in the occupied West Bank, to leave their homes on Wednesday to make way for Israeli military training, local sources said.
Aref Daraghmeh, who monitors settlement activities and Israeli violations, said that Israeli forces ordered more than 10 Palestinian families in Ras al-Ahmar to leave their homes on Wednesday, from 5:00 PM until 5:00 AM, in order to make way for Israeli military drills in the area.
Israeli forces announced, earlier, that military drills are going to take place in several areas of the West Bank this week, starting from Sunday to Thursday.
Israeli soldiers abducted, on Monday at dawn, fourteen Palestinians, including a recently-released political prisoner, in the occupied West Bank, during violent searches of homes, and confiscated thousands of dollars.
The Tulkarem office of the Palestinian Prisoners’ Society (PPS), in the northern part of the West Bank, said the soldiers abducted Ra’fat Jamil Naseef, 51, from his home in the Southern Neighborhood, after invading his home and violent searching it.
The PPS added that Naseef was a former political prisoner, who was held by Israel, and was only released nearly a month ago.
The Israeli army said its arrested what it called fourteen wanted Palestinians, including members of Hamas, in the West Bank.
In Bethlehem, the soldiers searched many homes and confiscated thousands of US Dollars, reportedly for being distributed to what the army described as “families of terrorists.”
The Tulkarem office of the Palestinian Prisoners’ Society (PPS), in the northern part of the West Bank, said the soldiers abducted Ra’fat Jamil Naseef, 51, from his home in the Southern Neighborhood, after invading his home and violent searching it.
The PPS added that Naseef was a former political prisoner, who was held by Israel, and was only released nearly a month ago.
The Israeli army said its arrested what it called fourteen wanted Palestinians, including members of Hamas, in the West Bank.
In Bethlehem, the soldiers searched many homes and confiscated thousands of US Dollars, reportedly for being distributed to what the army described as “families of terrorists.”
25 mar 2017
Dozens of Palestinian homes have become threatened with demolition as the Israeli municipal authority in Occupied Jerusalem is still embarking on building a link road passing through the Palestinian neighborhood of Jabal Mukaber.
Lawyer Ra’ed Bashir, a member of the Jabal Mukaber land defense committee, told the Palestinian Information Center (PIC) that the road, to be named the American Street, would be 32 meters wide, thus leading to the demolition of 57 Palestinian homes.
Bashir added that the Israeli municipality would not build new homes for the Palestinians whose current ones are slated for demolition to make space for the new road and would only allow commercial structures and projects to be built around it.
He noted that Jabal Mukaber land defense committee managed to extract a court order delaying the demolition of 35 homes for five years, but the Israeli occupation authority did not comply and decided to go ahead with the road project.
He also said that the residents of the neighborhood only want the IOA to make the road 12 meters wide instead of 32 meters, to provide their area with infrastructure, and to allow residential construction around it.
Although the Israeli municipality claims that the road project is intended to serve the Palestinian residents, specialists in Jerusalem affairs confirm that the facts on the ground reflect that it will be built to connect the settlement of Har Homa (Jabal Abu Ghneim), south of Jerusalem, with the settlement of Ma’ale Adumim, east of the city.
Lawyer Ra’ed Bashir, a member of the Jabal Mukaber land defense committee, told the Palestinian Information Center (PIC) that the road, to be named the American Street, would be 32 meters wide, thus leading to the demolition of 57 Palestinian homes.
Bashir added that the Israeli municipality would not build new homes for the Palestinians whose current ones are slated for demolition to make space for the new road and would only allow commercial structures and projects to be built around it.
He noted that Jabal Mukaber land defense committee managed to extract a court order delaying the demolition of 35 homes for five years, but the Israeli occupation authority did not comply and decided to go ahead with the road project.
He also said that the residents of the neighborhood only want the IOA to make the road 12 meters wide instead of 32 meters, to provide their area with infrastructure, and to allow residential construction around it.
Although the Israeli municipality claims that the road project is intended to serve the Palestinian residents, specialists in Jerusalem affairs confirm that the facts on the ground reflect that it will be built to connect the settlement of Har Homa (Jabal Abu Ghneim), south of Jerusalem, with the settlement of Ma’ale Adumim, east of the city.
The Israeli occupation authority (IOA) on Saturday forced Yousif Bukhtan to raze the ceiling of his own home in Beit Hanina town, north of Occupied Jerusalem, for lacking a construction permit.
Jerusalemite sources pointed out that the Israeli-controlled Jerusalem municipality forced Bukhtan to tear down the roof of his house in order to avoid too expensive demolition costs at the hands of municipality teams.
The IOA systematically order Jerusalemites to demolish their own homes, which they do due to inability to afford the very high cost of demolition carried out by municipality crews.
Jerusalemite sources pointed out that the Israeli-controlled Jerusalem municipality forced Bukhtan to tear down the roof of his house in order to avoid too expensive demolition costs at the hands of municipality teams.
The IOA systematically order Jerusalemites to demolish their own homes, which they do due to inability to afford the very high cost of demolition carried out by municipality crews.
24 mar 2017
Israeli settlers on Friday morning stormed Deir Balout town, west of Salfit province, in the northern West Bank.
A PIC news correspondent quoted eye-witnesses as stating that settlers raked through Palestinian lands in Deir Balout and verbally assaulted the local Palestinian farmers.
Israeli soldiers deployed at a military watchtower east of Deir Balout kept watching over the settlers all the way through the assault.
The Israeli settlers reportedly headed to Palestinian olive groves located east of the town, sparking tension in the area.
A PIC news correspondent quoted eye-witnesses as stating that settlers raked through Palestinian lands in Deir Balout and verbally assaulted the local Palestinian farmers.
Israeli soldiers deployed at a military watchtower east of Deir Balout kept watching over the settlers all the way through the assault.
The Israeli settlers reportedly headed to Palestinian olive groves located east of the town, sparking tension in the area.