13 sept 2017
Israeli forces demolished 15 Palestinian-owned structures, including eight homes, in a Bedouin community southwest of Jericho city in the occupied West Bank's Jordan Valley region early Wednesday morning.
Local sources told Ma’an that Israeli forces raided the Esteih al-Duyuk area southwest of Jericho before dawn and demolished eight residential structures and six dry stone retaining walls, used to protect agricultural land in the area from water and soil pressure.
The buildings were also located in Area C -- the more than 60 percent of the West Bank under full Israeli civil and military control. Demolitions of Palestinian infrastructure and residences occur frequently in Area C, with the Jordan Valley’s Bedouin and herding communities being particularly vulnerable to such policies.
Jericho’s mayor Majid al-Fityani called on legal institutions and NGOs, both locally and internationally, to intervene to force Israeli authorities to stop their daily violations against Palestinians, which he said "aim to create new reality" in the occupied Palestinian territory.
Al-Fityani added that Israeli authorities were "delusional" in thinking that such measures will stop the residents and Bedouins in Jericho from "resisting and standing strong."
In response to a request for comment, a spokesperson for the Coordination of Government Activities in the Territories (COGAT), the Israeli agency responsible for enforcing Israeli policies in the occupied Palestinian territory, told Ma'an that a total of 15 structures were demolished in the area, due to their proximity to "the archaeological site of the Hasmonean palaces in Jericho."
Israeli authorities regularly use archaeology to justify the demolition of Palestinian homes in the occupied West Bank and East Jerusalem.
The United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) warned earlier this year that 46 Palestinian Bedouin/herding communities are "at risk of forcible transfer due to a coercive environment generated by Israeli policies and practices, which create pressure on many residents to leave their communities."
Israeli authorities reportedly confiscated cattle and water tanks belonging to Palestinians in a remote Jordan Valley village on Tuesday, and agricultural machinery in the northern Jordan Valley region the day before that.
Meanwhile, Israeli forces also demolished a Palestinian home in occupied East Jerusalem's Silwan neighborhood on Wednseday mornng, displacing eight Palestinians, including four children.
Local sources told Ma’an that Israeli forces raided the Esteih al-Duyuk area southwest of Jericho before dawn and demolished eight residential structures and six dry stone retaining walls, used to protect agricultural land in the area from water and soil pressure.
The buildings were also located in Area C -- the more than 60 percent of the West Bank under full Israeli civil and military control. Demolitions of Palestinian infrastructure and residences occur frequently in Area C, with the Jordan Valley’s Bedouin and herding communities being particularly vulnerable to such policies.
Jericho’s mayor Majid al-Fityani called on legal institutions and NGOs, both locally and internationally, to intervene to force Israeli authorities to stop their daily violations against Palestinians, which he said "aim to create new reality" in the occupied Palestinian territory.
Al-Fityani added that Israeli authorities were "delusional" in thinking that such measures will stop the residents and Bedouins in Jericho from "resisting and standing strong."
In response to a request for comment, a spokesperson for the Coordination of Government Activities in the Territories (COGAT), the Israeli agency responsible for enforcing Israeli policies in the occupied Palestinian territory, told Ma'an that a total of 15 structures were demolished in the area, due to their proximity to "the archaeological site of the Hasmonean palaces in Jericho."
Israeli authorities regularly use archaeology to justify the demolition of Palestinian homes in the occupied West Bank and East Jerusalem.
The United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) warned earlier this year that 46 Palestinian Bedouin/herding communities are "at risk of forcible transfer due to a coercive environment generated by Israeli policies and practices, which create pressure on many residents to leave their communities."
Israeli authorities reportedly confiscated cattle and water tanks belonging to Palestinians in a remote Jordan Valley village on Tuesday, and agricultural machinery in the northern Jordan Valley region the day before that.
Meanwhile, Israeli forces also demolished a Palestinian home in occupied East Jerusalem's Silwan neighborhood on Wednseday mornng, displacing eight Palestinians, including four children.
Israeli bulldozers continue to raze Palestinian lands behind the apartheid wall north of Salfit in favor of illegal settlement expansion.
Researcher Khaled Maali said the Israeli authorities and settlers have increasingly bulldozed Palestinian lands in the area since the start of 2017.
He added that since the swearing-in of the new US administration, Israel’s illegal settlement activity has seen a striking upsurge, in violation of international laws and treaties.
Researcher Khaled Maali said the Israeli authorities and settlers have increasingly bulldozed Palestinian lands in the area since the start of 2017.
He added that since the swearing-in of the new US administration, Israel’s illegal settlement activity has seen a striking upsurge, in violation of international laws and treaties.
Israeli bulldozers on Wednesday morning razed a residential building owned by Abu Farha family in Silwan town in Occupied Jerusalem at the pretext of lacking construction permit.
Quds Press revealed that Israeli Special Forces escorted by policemen raided the town and besieged the building in Ras al-Amoud neighborhood. The forces were deployed in the vicinity of the two-floor house and on rooftops of adjacent houses.
Mutasem Abu Farha, the owner, said in a previous statement, that he was handed a house-demolition order stipulating the evacuation of his home, where he and his brother are living along with their families, by last Tuesday.
Israeli forces knocked down 11 different Palestinian facilities last month. They were all located in Mount Scopus, Beit Haneina, al-Issawiya, Silwan and Jabal al-Baba in addition to a wall of a cemetery in Occupied Jerusalem.
Quds Press revealed that Israeli Special Forces escorted by policemen raided the town and besieged the building in Ras al-Amoud neighborhood. The forces were deployed in the vicinity of the two-floor house and on rooftops of adjacent houses.
Mutasem Abu Farha, the owner, said in a previous statement, that he was handed a house-demolition order stipulating the evacuation of his home, where he and his brother are living along with their families, by last Tuesday.
Israeli forces knocked down 11 different Palestinian facilities last month. They were all located in Mount Scopus, Beit Haneina, al-Issawiya, Silwan and Jabal al-Baba in addition to a wall of a cemetery in Occupied Jerusalem.
Extremist Jewish settlers Tuesday night cut down dozens of olive trees in Bourin town, south of Nablus city.
The official in charge with the settlement file in the northern West Bank, Ghassan Daghlas, said that some fanatic settlers used chainsaws to cut down over 27 trees owned by a Palestinian woman, Ratiba Qadous, near the entrance to Yitzhar settlement.
Palestinians are banned from accessing the area where the settlers’ attack took place for being close to the illegal settlement that was established over their lands. It caught a great fire last June that ate 800 of Palestinian olive trees.
The official in charge with the settlement file in the northern West Bank, Ghassan Daghlas, said that some fanatic settlers used chainsaws to cut down over 27 trees owned by a Palestinian woman, Ratiba Qadous, near the entrance to Yitzhar settlement.
Palestinians are banned from accessing the area where the settlers’ attack took place for being close to the illegal settlement that was established over their lands. It caught a great fire last June that ate 800 of Palestinian olive trees.
The Israeli occupation forces (IOF) on Wednesday knocked down nine Palestinian homes in the West Bank region of Jericho.
The demolition was carried out under the pretext of unlicensed construction.
At the same time, the Israeli authorities seized a Palestinian agricultural vehicle in the northern Jordan Valley on claims that it was spotted inside a natural reserve.
Israel’s demolition and confiscation policies, deemed illegal under international law, are punitive measures pursued by the occupation authorities as part of a larger scheme of ethnic cleansing against the native Palestinian inhabitants of the land.
The demolition was carried out under the pretext of unlicensed construction.
At the same time, the Israeli authorities seized a Palestinian agricultural vehicle in the northern Jordan Valley on claims that it was spotted inside a natural reserve.
Israel’s demolition and confiscation policies, deemed illegal under international law, are punitive measures pursued by the occupation authorities as part of a larger scheme of ethnic cleansing against the native Palestinian inhabitants of the land.
12 sept 2017
Israeli occupation authorities on Tuesday afternoon confiscated cattle and water tanks belonging to Palestinian citizens in the northern Jordan Valley.
Human rights activist Aref Daraghmeh told PIC reporter that officials from the so-called Nature Authority, accompanied by Civil Administration crews and an Israeli military force, broke into Um al-'Ubor area and confiscated a number of cows as well as dozens of water tanks.
Daraghmeh pointed out that while Israeli authorities allow settlers to freely herd their cattle in many of the Jordan Valley lands, Palestinian shepherds are prevented from entering them on the grounds that they are nature reserves.
He called on human rights organizations to stand with the Palestinians living there and protect their property and livelihoods.
Human rights activist Aref Daraghmeh told PIC reporter that officials from the so-called Nature Authority, accompanied by Civil Administration crews and an Israeli military force, broke into Um al-'Ubor area and confiscated a number of cows as well as dozens of water tanks.
Daraghmeh pointed out that while Israeli authorities allow settlers to freely herd their cattle in many of the Jordan Valley lands, Palestinian shepherds are prevented from entering them on the grounds that they are nature reserves.
He called on human rights organizations to stand with the Palestinians living there and protect their property and livelihoods.
The Israeli occupation authority (IOA) on Tuesday morning bulldozed another tract of Palestinian-owned land in az-Zawiya town, west of Salfit in the West Bank.
The bulldozing activities are taking place behind the Israeli separation wall without the knowledge of the landowners, who can only have access to their plots of land a few times each year and with Israeli permits, according to local activist Khaled al-Maali.
Maali affirmed the presence of similar active annexation and bulldozing activities in others areas of Salfit province and the West Bank, away from the media glare.
He stressed that Israel’s settlement expansion activities violate the international humanitarian law and kill the Palestinian aspiration for establishing an independent, viable Palestinian state.
The bulldozing activities are taking place behind the Israeli separation wall without the knowledge of the landowners, who can only have access to their plots of land a few times each year and with Israeli permits, according to local activist Khaled al-Maali.
Maali affirmed the presence of similar active annexation and bulldozing activities in others areas of Salfit province and the West Bank, away from the media glare.
He stressed that Israel’s settlement expansion activities violate the international humanitarian law and kill the Palestinian aspiration for establishing an independent, viable Palestinian state.
Jewish settlers on Monday evening set up a barbed wire fence on a vast tract of Palestinian-owned land in Masafer Yatta area, south of al-Khalil city in the occupied West Bank.
Anti-settlement activist Rateb al-Jabur affirmed that soldiers helped settlers to deploy barbed wire along a large plot of land they annexed in Umm al-Khair area of Masafer Yatta.
Jabur said that the seized area amounts to more than 200 dunums of land, belonging to the families of Hadhalin, Abu Humaid and Awad.
He noted that there is an Israeli court verdict prohibiting the Palestinian and Israeli sides from carrying out any activity on that land.
He described this new annexation of Palestinian land in Masafer Yatta as part of ongoing Israeli efforts to expand its settlements in the West Bank.
Anti-settlement activist Rateb al-Jabur affirmed that soldiers helped settlers to deploy barbed wire along a large plot of land they annexed in Umm al-Khair area of Masafer Yatta.
Jabur said that the seized area amounts to more than 200 dunums of land, belonging to the families of Hadhalin, Abu Humaid and Awad.
He noted that there is an Israeli court verdict prohibiting the Palestinian and Israeli sides from carrying out any activity on that land.
He described this new annexation of Palestinian land in Masafer Yatta as part of ongoing Israeli efforts to expand its settlements in the West Bank.
The Israeli municipal authorities in occupied Jerusalem issued Tuesday morning stop-work and demolition orders against seven Palestinian facilities in Issawiya town.
Local follow-up committee member Muhammad Abu al-Hummus said that four Israeli patrols escorted the municipal crews during the raid.
15 Local sites were filmed while seven others were notified in the town, he pointed out.
This came as part of the Israeli displacement policy against Jerusalemites aimed at ensuring Jewish majority in the holy city, the local activist added.
Israel has repeatedly installed more settlement outposts in occupied Jerusalem to ensure the city can never be divided.
Local follow-up committee member Muhammad Abu al-Hummus said that four Israeli patrols escorted the municipal crews during the raid.
15 Local sites were filmed while seven others were notified in the town, he pointed out.
This came as part of the Israeli displacement policy against Jerusalemites aimed at ensuring Jewish majority in the holy city, the local activist added.
Israel has repeatedly installed more settlement outposts in occupied Jerusalem to ensure the city can never be divided.
11 sept 2017
Israeli Forces on Monday demolished part of a Muslim cemetery for burial of martyrs, near the historic wall of occupied Jerusalem in the vicinity of al-Asbat gate.
The head of the committee for the preservation of Islamic cemeteries in Jerusalem, Mustafa Abu Zahra said, in a press statement, that Israeli bulldozers broke into the cemetery and knocked down its wall. Then, they started leveling works in the graveyard which includes remains of 400 martyrs who fell down in the battle of Jerusalem in 1967, he added.
Israeli authorities have been working for years on the establishment of public parks in the vicinity of Jerusalem's historic wall with the aim of obliterating the Arab and Islamic landmarks of Jerusalem and Judaizing the holy city.
The head of the committee for the preservation of Islamic cemeteries in Jerusalem, Mustafa Abu Zahra said, in a press statement, that Israeli bulldozers broke into the cemetery and knocked down its wall. Then, they started leveling works in the graveyard which includes remains of 400 martyrs who fell down in the battle of Jerusalem in 1967, he added.
Israeli authorities have been working for years on the establishment of public parks in the vicinity of Jerusalem's historic wall with the aim of obliterating the Arab and Islamic landmarks of Jerusalem and Judaizing the holy city.
The Israeli Occupation Authorities (IOA) on Monday started building the new Amihai settlement near the West Bank city of Nablus to house the evacuated settlers of the Amona outpost, Israeli media sources revealed.
The Israeli Seventh Channel said that the Israeli Interior Minister, Aryeh Deri, informed officials that all legal procedures related to the former Amona outpost have been completed and the construction of the new settlement would begin today.
The Israeli government allocated some 60 million shekels (approximately $16 million) to build the new settlement of Amihai.
Between 200 and 300 settlers are scheduled to move to the new settlement.
Haaretz paper has earlier revealed that Amihai is to be built on 14 dunums of a Palestinian-owned agricultural land south of Nablus.
The land’s owner has appealed against the Israeli confiscation plans.
Amihai is the first settlement to be created by Israeli cabinet vote in over 20 years.
The Israeli Seventh Channel said that the Israeli Interior Minister, Aryeh Deri, informed officials that all legal procedures related to the former Amona outpost have been completed and the construction of the new settlement would begin today.
The Israeli government allocated some 60 million shekels (approximately $16 million) to build the new settlement of Amihai.
Between 200 and 300 settlers are scheduled to move to the new settlement.
Haaretz paper has earlier revealed that Amihai is to be built on 14 dunums of a Palestinian-owned agricultural land south of Nablus.
The land’s owner has appealed against the Israeli confiscation plans.
Amihai is the first settlement to be created by Israeli cabinet vote in over 20 years.
10 sept 2017
The Israeli occupation forces (IOF) on Sunday morning seized Palestinian agricultural equipment in al-Ras al-Ahmar, east of Tubas, in the northern Jordan Valley.
According to local sources, the occupation forces rolled into al-Ras al-Ahmar and confiscated three agricultural vehicles owned by Palestinian farmers.
Al-Ras al-Ahmar is home to 22 Palestinian families whose survival largely hinges on agriculture and crop growing.
According to local sources, the occupation forces rolled into al-Ras al-Ahmar and confiscated three agricultural vehicles owned by Palestinian farmers.
Al-Ras al-Ahmar is home to 22 Palestinian families whose survival largely hinges on agriculture and crop growing.
The Israeli occupation forces (IOF) on Sunday morning confiscated several cars belonging to Palestinian citizens in al-Ras al-Ahmar area, southeast of Tubas in the West Bank.
Local sources said the vehicles belong to Burhan Daraghmeh, Jazi Daraghmeh and Nadeem Sawafteh, without providing further information.
The soldiers, who seized the vehicles, also did not state the reason for such measure.
Local sources said the vehicles belong to Burhan Daraghmeh, Jazi Daraghmeh and Nadeem Sawafteh, without providing further information.
The soldiers, who seized the vehicles, also did not state the reason for such measure.
9 sept 2017
According to Israeli media, over 200 Israelis marched from central Jerusalem to the neighborhood of Sheikh Jarrah, Friday, to protest the eviction of a Palestinian family from their homes. The demonstrators marched on West Jerusalem’s thoroughfare until they crossed over into the Palestinian neighborhood, where they were met by dozens of local Palestinian protesters.
On Friday, police took two residents of Sheikh Jarrah, who marched in the direction of the Israelis, into custody — one for waving a Palestinian flag, and the other — a minor — following settler complaints to the police. The minor was only detained for a short period of time, although his mother collapsed and had to be taken to the hospital upon his detention. Meanwhile, during the Israeli march toward Sheikh Jarrah, a passerby threw eggs at the demonstrators. Among the marchers were Joint List head Ayman Odeh and Yousef Jabareen, also of the Joint List, 972mag reported.
After the marchers arrived in the neighborhood, one of the Israeli protesters climbed the Shamasna family home and removed the Israeli flag hung by settlers who had commandeered the house. In response, the settlers attacked some of the protesters, throwing stones and pepper spraying them. Two Israeli marchers were arrested.
Palestinians in occupied East Jerusalem performed Friday prayers in front of the Shamasna family home, in an act of protest against the family’s forced eviction.
Members of the Shamasna family participated in the prayers held outside their home, along with Palestinian Mayor of Jerusalem Adnan al-Husayni, Fatah’s Jerusalem Secretary Shadi Mtour, Fateh official Hattem Abd al-Qader, and other religious and national figures.
Sheikh Abdullah Alqam, who gave Friday’s Khutbah — Islamic sermon — condemned the expulsion of the Shamasna family from their home and said that the Israeli legal system was “biased” towards Israeli settlers.
Alqam said that, despite Israel’s relentless attempts to displace Palestinians from Jerusalem, Jerusalemites were determined to defend their rights and existence in the city.
Mohammed Shamasna, 45, and his son Dirar, 23, were released from Israeli jail on Thursday after being detained during the settler-driven eviction on Tuesday. While earlier reports noted that no release conditions were placed on the two, locals said on Friday that Mohammed was banned from entering Sheikh Jarrah for two weeks. It was unclear if this also applied to Dirar.
The Shamasna family was the latest Palestinian family to be evicted from the neighborhood since 2009 under an Israeli law that allows Jewish Israelis to claim ownership over properties that had once been owned by Jews before 1948, when thousands fled East Jerusalem during the Arab-Israeli war.
However, this law does not extend to Palestinians, hundreds of thousands of whom were displaced from their lands and homes in present-day Israel in 1948.
Sheikh Jarrah has become a central target for Jewish ownership claims, as the neighborhood was allegedly once the site of a 19th century Jewish community.
In 2009, the Um Kamel al-Kurd, Ghawi, and Hanoun families were completely evicted from their homes, while Israeli settlers partially took over the al-Kurd family home, who still live side-by-side years later. More than 60 Palestinians were displaced during the wave of evictions in 2009.
On Sunday, six more Palestinian families were handed eviction notices, ordering them to leave their homes within 30 days owing to Israeli settler claims on their properties.
The European Union Representative and the EU Heads of Mission in Jerusalem and Ramallah released a joint statement on Friday condemning the eviction in Sheikh Jarrah.
“Further settlement plans foreseeing large scale construction and evictions in Sheikh Jarrah are being moved forward by the planning authorities. The EU has repeatedly called on the Israeli authorities to reconsider these decisions,” the statement read.
The statement reiterated the EU’s stance on the illegality of Israeli settlements in the occupied Palestinian territory and “its strong opposition to Israel’s settlement policy and actions taken in this context, including evictions and demolitions.”
“Settlement activity in East Jerusalem seriously jeopardizes the possibility of Jerusalem serving as the future capital of both States,” the statement added.
Director of the United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees (UNRWA) Scott Anderson said in the statement on Wednesday that he was “appalled at the resumption of forced evictions in Sheikh Jarrah and particularly worried about the humanitarian impact on this refugee family (Shamasna).”
“Palestine refugees, who have already endured multiple episodes of displacement, should not be subjected to forced evictions,” Anderson said.
According to UN documentation, 180 Palestinian families — comprising of 818 individuals, 372 of whom are children — are at risk of forcible displacement in East Jerusalem owing to settler-driven evictions. UNRWA noted that in Sheikh Jarrah, 60 percent of those at risk of displacement are Palestinian refugees.
Israeli rights group Ir Amim has noted that Israeli settler plans have focused on taking control of the entire neighborhood and then demolishing it to establish a massive Jewish settlement there.
The settlement would be called Shimon HaTzadik, named after the tomb of the biblical figure Simeon the Just, which is believed by Jews to be located in the neighborhood, and which the 19th century Jewish community had also allegedly once been called.
On Friday, police took two residents of Sheikh Jarrah, who marched in the direction of the Israelis, into custody — one for waving a Palestinian flag, and the other — a minor — following settler complaints to the police. The minor was only detained for a short period of time, although his mother collapsed and had to be taken to the hospital upon his detention. Meanwhile, during the Israeli march toward Sheikh Jarrah, a passerby threw eggs at the demonstrators. Among the marchers were Joint List head Ayman Odeh and Yousef Jabareen, also of the Joint List, 972mag reported.
After the marchers arrived in the neighborhood, one of the Israeli protesters climbed the Shamasna family home and removed the Israeli flag hung by settlers who had commandeered the house. In response, the settlers attacked some of the protesters, throwing stones and pepper spraying them. Two Israeli marchers were arrested.
Palestinians in occupied East Jerusalem performed Friday prayers in front of the Shamasna family home, in an act of protest against the family’s forced eviction.
Members of the Shamasna family participated in the prayers held outside their home, along with Palestinian Mayor of Jerusalem Adnan al-Husayni, Fatah’s Jerusalem Secretary Shadi Mtour, Fateh official Hattem Abd al-Qader, and other religious and national figures.
Sheikh Abdullah Alqam, who gave Friday’s Khutbah — Islamic sermon — condemned the expulsion of the Shamasna family from their home and said that the Israeli legal system was “biased” towards Israeli settlers.
Alqam said that, despite Israel’s relentless attempts to displace Palestinians from Jerusalem, Jerusalemites were determined to defend their rights and existence in the city.
Mohammed Shamasna, 45, and his son Dirar, 23, were released from Israeli jail on Thursday after being detained during the settler-driven eviction on Tuesday. While earlier reports noted that no release conditions were placed on the two, locals said on Friday that Mohammed was banned from entering Sheikh Jarrah for two weeks. It was unclear if this also applied to Dirar.
The Shamasna family was the latest Palestinian family to be evicted from the neighborhood since 2009 under an Israeli law that allows Jewish Israelis to claim ownership over properties that had once been owned by Jews before 1948, when thousands fled East Jerusalem during the Arab-Israeli war.
However, this law does not extend to Palestinians, hundreds of thousands of whom were displaced from their lands and homes in present-day Israel in 1948.
Sheikh Jarrah has become a central target for Jewish ownership claims, as the neighborhood was allegedly once the site of a 19th century Jewish community.
In 2009, the Um Kamel al-Kurd, Ghawi, and Hanoun families were completely evicted from their homes, while Israeli settlers partially took over the al-Kurd family home, who still live side-by-side years later. More than 60 Palestinians were displaced during the wave of evictions in 2009.
On Sunday, six more Palestinian families were handed eviction notices, ordering them to leave their homes within 30 days owing to Israeli settler claims on their properties.
The European Union Representative and the EU Heads of Mission in Jerusalem and Ramallah released a joint statement on Friday condemning the eviction in Sheikh Jarrah.
“Further settlement plans foreseeing large scale construction and evictions in Sheikh Jarrah are being moved forward by the planning authorities. The EU has repeatedly called on the Israeli authorities to reconsider these decisions,” the statement read.
The statement reiterated the EU’s stance on the illegality of Israeli settlements in the occupied Palestinian territory and “its strong opposition to Israel’s settlement policy and actions taken in this context, including evictions and demolitions.”
“Settlement activity in East Jerusalem seriously jeopardizes the possibility of Jerusalem serving as the future capital of both States,” the statement added.
Director of the United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees (UNRWA) Scott Anderson said in the statement on Wednesday that he was “appalled at the resumption of forced evictions in Sheikh Jarrah and particularly worried about the humanitarian impact on this refugee family (Shamasna).”
“Palestine refugees, who have already endured multiple episodes of displacement, should not be subjected to forced evictions,” Anderson said.
According to UN documentation, 180 Palestinian families — comprising of 818 individuals, 372 of whom are children — are at risk of forcible displacement in East Jerusalem owing to settler-driven evictions. UNRWA noted that in Sheikh Jarrah, 60 percent of those at risk of displacement are Palestinian refugees.
Israeli rights group Ir Amim has noted that Israeli settler plans have focused on taking control of the entire neighborhood and then demolishing it to establish a massive Jewish settlement there.
The settlement would be called Shimon HaTzadik, named after the tomb of the biblical figure Simeon the Just, which is believed by Jews to be located in the neighborhood, and which the 19th century Jewish community had also allegedly once been called.
8 sept 2017
Israeli settlers, Friday, chopped down dozens of olive trees belonging to the Palestinian village of As-Sawiya, south of Nablus city, said a local activist.
Ghassan Daghlas, who monitors settlement activities in the northern West Bank, said a number of Israeli settlers from the nearby Rachalim settlement overnight chopped down a total of 43 olive trees using chainsaws in al-Wad area, north of As-Sawiya village.
The chopped olive trees reportedly belongs to Juma’h Fathallah, a resident of the village, according to WAFA.
Settler violence against Palestinians and their property is routine in the West Bank, and is rarely prosecuted by Israeli authorities.
Palestinian residents of Nablus and surrounding villages are accustomed to acts of violence committed by notoriously aggressive ultra-religious Israeli settlers, who regularly set fire to Palestinian farmlands and attack vulnerable Palestinian homes under protection of Israeli forces.
Over 600,000 Israeli Jewish settlers live in settlements and settlement outposts across the West Bank, including East Jerusalem, in contravention of international law.
Approved by successive Israeli governments, settlement construction is part of an Israeli effort to colonize as much of the West Bank, including East Jerusalem, as possible.
All settlements across the West Bank are illegal under international law, particularly article 49 of the Fourth Geneva Convention, which establishes that the occupying power shall not deport or transfer parts of its own civilian population into the territory it occupies.
Israeli demolition orders issued in Qalqilia
The Israeli Occupation Forces (IOF) issued at dawn Friday a number of demolition orders against Palestinian-owned facilities east of Qalqilia.
Wafa news agency affirmed that IOF distributed 11 demolition orders in Jeet town east of the city.
The notified homeowners were given 27 days to appeal against the demolition orders, the sources pointed out.
Meanwhile, a group of Israeli settlers uprooted 43 olive trees in Sawya town south of Nablus early today.
Local activist Ghassan Duglas affirmed that a number of Israeli settlers stormed the town and uprooted dozens of trees belonging to the citizen Jomaa Kaiallah.
Ghassan Daghlas, who monitors settlement activities in the northern West Bank, said a number of Israeli settlers from the nearby Rachalim settlement overnight chopped down a total of 43 olive trees using chainsaws in al-Wad area, north of As-Sawiya village.
The chopped olive trees reportedly belongs to Juma’h Fathallah, a resident of the village, according to WAFA.
Settler violence against Palestinians and their property is routine in the West Bank, and is rarely prosecuted by Israeli authorities.
Palestinian residents of Nablus and surrounding villages are accustomed to acts of violence committed by notoriously aggressive ultra-religious Israeli settlers, who regularly set fire to Palestinian farmlands and attack vulnerable Palestinian homes under protection of Israeli forces.
Over 600,000 Israeli Jewish settlers live in settlements and settlement outposts across the West Bank, including East Jerusalem, in contravention of international law.
Approved by successive Israeli governments, settlement construction is part of an Israeli effort to colonize as much of the West Bank, including East Jerusalem, as possible.
All settlements across the West Bank are illegal under international law, particularly article 49 of the Fourth Geneva Convention, which establishes that the occupying power shall not deport or transfer parts of its own civilian population into the territory it occupies.
Israeli demolition orders issued in Qalqilia
The Israeli Occupation Forces (IOF) issued at dawn Friday a number of demolition orders against Palestinian-owned facilities east of Qalqilia.
Wafa news agency affirmed that IOF distributed 11 demolition orders in Jeet town east of the city.
The notified homeowners were given 27 days to appeal against the demolition orders, the sources pointed out.
Meanwhile, a group of Israeli settlers uprooted 43 olive trees in Sawya town south of Nablus early today.
Local activist Ghassan Duglas affirmed that a number of Israeli settlers stormed the town and uprooted dozens of trees belonging to the citizen Jomaa Kaiallah.
7 sept 2017
The Israeli occupation army has stepped up military drills in the northern Jordan Valley, inflicting heavy damage on Palestinian lands.
Head of the Wadi Maleh Council, Aref Daraghma, said sounds of heavy blasts and live ammunition have been detected near civilian homes in the area overnight, sparking panic among women and children.
He added that heavy damage has been wrought on the fauna and flora as a result of the unabated maneuvers.
Daraghma also said that there are 12 military camps in the northern Jordan Valley and that the Israeli army closes off 38% of the area during military drillings and forces civilians out of their homes.
Head of the Wadi Maleh Council, Aref Daraghma, said sounds of heavy blasts and live ammunition have been detected near civilian homes in the area overnight, sparking panic among women and children.
He added that heavy damage has been wrought on the fauna and flora as a result of the unabated maneuvers.
Daraghma also said that there are 12 military camps in the northern Jordan Valley and that the Israeli army closes off 38% of the area during military drillings and forces civilians out of their homes.
TRNN transcript:
AARON MATE: It’s The Real News, I’m Aaron Mate. Israeli forces have evicted a family in the East Jerusalem neighborhood of Sheikh Jarrah. The Shamesneh family had lived in their home for 53 years. They’re the latest Palestinian family to be forcibly removed as part of Israeli government efforts to hand Arab homes to Jews. Two of the family members were arrested, as well as three Israeli activists who came to protest the eviction. This is one member of the Shamasneh family.
SHAMASNEH FAMILY MEMBER: [Translated] They carried me by force, and my back hurts me while they carried me. How can you kick out someone from his house in the night and there’s still a case at the court? Is this a state? We should not keep saying this is a state. This is a state, this is not a state. This is no less than a gang.
AARON MATE: Joining me to discuss the eviction in Sheikh Jarrah is Shir Hever, Real News correspondent. Welcome, Shir.
SHIR HEVER: Thanks for having me, Aaron.
AARON MATE: So, talk to us about the scene we saw today. Israeli forces showing up early in the morning, throwing out this family that’s been in this home for decades. And talk also about the campaign that this is a part of.
SHIR HEVER: Yeah. Well, the brutality of this eviction joins a series of similar evictions in this neighborhood of Sheikh Jarrah, which happened until eight years ago, because of massive demonstrations by Palestinians, but also by Israelis and Israeli Jews. These evictions have actually stopped for a while and now it seems like they are going to resume them. There’s been a court decision. There’s been a very long court battle, but the interesting thing here is that even though the family actually was still in the process of appealing their eviction, the police just comes in, in the middle of the night, and takes them out of their home.
Now, this is a very important neighborhood, Sheikh Jarrah, because it’s right on the border between East Jerusalem and West Jerusalem. It’s on the eastern side, and it’s a neighborhood with a lot of history. Actually, there were quite a few Jewish residents in that neighborhood until 1948. They were evicted from their homes in 1948, just like the majority of Palestinians who lived in the area that became the state of Israel were evicted from their homes.
Of course, in terms of numbers there were a lot more Palestinians being evicted than Jews. But this is a very important case, because it creates a certain precedent. Those Jews that were evicted in 1948 and moved to live in Israel, they received state [inaudible] in how they were they were given [housing, along with] Palestinians who were evicted. So, that was a kind of exchange.The interesting thing is that now right-wing groups are trying to take over the neighborhood of Sheikh Jarrah, saying, ‘Well, these houses used to belong to Jews, so we’re going to now take over them again and kick out the Palestinians,’ which actually means that they’re kicking out families which are already refugees. They’re now becoming refugees for a second time, although the Shamasneh family is perhaps not exactly that case because they moved in in 1963.
AARON MATE: Yeah, you know, Shir, I just want to stress that point that you raised because it’s really interesting. When the Israeli government justifies these evictions of Palestinians now, it says that we’re simply returning Jews to the homes that they used to own. Well, you contrast that to the far greater number of Palestinians. It’s something like at least 700,000 Palestinians were, fled their homes, or evicted from their homes in the war that created Israel in 1948. Certainly, the Israeli government is not taking any steps to return them to their old homes.
SHIR HEVER: Yeah, but you know, just like the man says in the clip, this is not just the Israeli government. He is saying that the Israeli state appears more like a gang, because actually the groups that are promoting the eviction of Palestinian families are not directly the Israeli government, but rather various right-wing NGOs that receive a lot of international funding, mostly from donors in the United States. Specifically this is now an NGO called The Land of Israel Fund. This NGO, what they do is they claim to represent those Jewish refugees who had to leave their homes in 1948, but in fact, it’s not that the previous owners of those homes came to that NGO and asked them, ‘Can you please help us get our homes back?’ That’s absolutely not the case.
What is happening is that these right-wing NGOs are actually trying to find, to locate those heirs of people who already have been compensated and they have new homes inside Israel, and they try to get them to sell them the home in order for them to start the process of evicting the Palestinians who live there. Specifically there was a very interesting interview with Dalia Hubra, one of those women whose family was kicked out of their home in Sheikh Jarrah in 1948. She says, ‘I never wanted these Palestinians to suffer what my family suffered. I never wanted them to be evicted. But, this right-wing NGO, they bought the house from us. They made us an offer that we couldn’t refuse and then they go on to evict the family, claiming to represent us when this is absolutely not what we want.’I think this is exactly the way that the Israeli government works with these NGOs together in order to take over this neighborhood, and they’ve even gone so far as to change the name of the neighborhood. We’re still calling it Sheikh Jarrah, which is the original name, but they’ve also invented a kind of Jewish name for it, calling it Shimon HaTzadik.
AARON MATE: Meanwhile, throughout East Jerusalem, you have other neighborhoods where Palestinian families are routinely evicted and have a hard time getting build permits. Can you talk about that context? Building permits, I should say.
SHIR HEVER: Absolutely. I think the neighborhood Silwan is even more well-known as a place where various Zionist NGOs, right-wing NGOs have been taking over lands for a very wide array of excuses and various means with government support, but also with private funding, in order to try to Judaize East Jerusalem. And also in the neighborhood Isawiya in the north, so Sheikh Jarrah is not so special, in that sense. What makes Sheikh Jarrah special is the idea of the precedent of the right to return. That is the reason that when you go to Sheikh Jarrah and you see these evictions, there are mixed demonstrations where Jews and Palestinians demonstrate together.In places like Silwan or Isawiya, very few Jewish Israelis are willing to stand in solidarity with the Palestinians there and try to protest the evictions. But, in Sheikh Jarrah you also see Zionist Jews protesting the evictions, because they know that if you accept this precedent that people who owned property before 1948 may take over that property again through the courts, what will happen if the Palestinian refugees will now demand all of their houses, all of the property that was left behind in 1948 and taken from them by force.Because they’re terrified of that precedent being turned against them, Sheikh Jarrah is very much at the center of the news.
AARON MATE: Shir, I think that says so much about Israel’s history right there. The fact that some Israelis feel compelled to protest the evictions of Palestinians, because they don’t want it to set a precedent for their own eviction, because so many live in homes in areas that used to be Palestinians’ before 1948.
SHIR HEVER: Yeah, and I think this new attempt to take over those houses in Sheikh Jarrah, it’s not exactly the same as the attempts by right-wing Israeli organizations to take it, to build colonies in the West Bank and so on. This one, they’re really spitting in the face of this precedent and they’re really twisting the Israeli legal system to create two classes of people in the most outright and most obvious way, to say, ‘No. Jews have a right that transcends history. Palestinians have no right, regardless of what documents they have or how long they’ve lived in a certain area.’
AARON MATE: We’ll leave it there. Shir Hever, Real News correspondent. Thanks very much.
SHIR HEVER: Thank you, Aaron.
AARON MATE: And thank you for joining us on the Real News.
AARON MATE: It’s The Real News, I’m Aaron Mate. Israeli forces have evicted a family in the East Jerusalem neighborhood of Sheikh Jarrah. The Shamesneh family had lived in their home for 53 years. They’re the latest Palestinian family to be forcibly removed as part of Israeli government efforts to hand Arab homes to Jews. Two of the family members were arrested, as well as three Israeli activists who came to protest the eviction. This is one member of the Shamasneh family.
SHAMASNEH FAMILY MEMBER: [Translated] They carried me by force, and my back hurts me while they carried me. How can you kick out someone from his house in the night and there’s still a case at the court? Is this a state? We should not keep saying this is a state. This is a state, this is not a state. This is no less than a gang.
AARON MATE: Joining me to discuss the eviction in Sheikh Jarrah is Shir Hever, Real News correspondent. Welcome, Shir.
SHIR HEVER: Thanks for having me, Aaron.
AARON MATE: So, talk to us about the scene we saw today. Israeli forces showing up early in the morning, throwing out this family that’s been in this home for decades. And talk also about the campaign that this is a part of.
SHIR HEVER: Yeah. Well, the brutality of this eviction joins a series of similar evictions in this neighborhood of Sheikh Jarrah, which happened until eight years ago, because of massive demonstrations by Palestinians, but also by Israelis and Israeli Jews. These evictions have actually stopped for a while and now it seems like they are going to resume them. There’s been a court decision. There’s been a very long court battle, but the interesting thing here is that even though the family actually was still in the process of appealing their eviction, the police just comes in, in the middle of the night, and takes them out of their home.
Now, this is a very important neighborhood, Sheikh Jarrah, because it’s right on the border between East Jerusalem and West Jerusalem. It’s on the eastern side, and it’s a neighborhood with a lot of history. Actually, there were quite a few Jewish residents in that neighborhood until 1948. They were evicted from their homes in 1948, just like the majority of Palestinians who lived in the area that became the state of Israel were evicted from their homes.
Of course, in terms of numbers there were a lot more Palestinians being evicted than Jews. But this is a very important case, because it creates a certain precedent. Those Jews that were evicted in 1948 and moved to live in Israel, they received state [inaudible] in how they were they were given [housing, along with] Palestinians who were evicted. So, that was a kind of exchange.The interesting thing is that now right-wing groups are trying to take over the neighborhood of Sheikh Jarrah, saying, ‘Well, these houses used to belong to Jews, so we’re going to now take over them again and kick out the Palestinians,’ which actually means that they’re kicking out families which are already refugees. They’re now becoming refugees for a second time, although the Shamasneh family is perhaps not exactly that case because they moved in in 1963.
AARON MATE: Yeah, you know, Shir, I just want to stress that point that you raised because it’s really interesting. When the Israeli government justifies these evictions of Palestinians now, it says that we’re simply returning Jews to the homes that they used to own. Well, you contrast that to the far greater number of Palestinians. It’s something like at least 700,000 Palestinians were, fled their homes, or evicted from their homes in the war that created Israel in 1948. Certainly, the Israeli government is not taking any steps to return them to their old homes.
SHIR HEVER: Yeah, but you know, just like the man says in the clip, this is not just the Israeli government. He is saying that the Israeli state appears more like a gang, because actually the groups that are promoting the eviction of Palestinian families are not directly the Israeli government, but rather various right-wing NGOs that receive a lot of international funding, mostly from donors in the United States. Specifically this is now an NGO called The Land of Israel Fund. This NGO, what they do is they claim to represent those Jewish refugees who had to leave their homes in 1948, but in fact, it’s not that the previous owners of those homes came to that NGO and asked them, ‘Can you please help us get our homes back?’ That’s absolutely not the case.
What is happening is that these right-wing NGOs are actually trying to find, to locate those heirs of people who already have been compensated and they have new homes inside Israel, and they try to get them to sell them the home in order for them to start the process of evicting the Palestinians who live there. Specifically there was a very interesting interview with Dalia Hubra, one of those women whose family was kicked out of their home in Sheikh Jarrah in 1948. She says, ‘I never wanted these Palestinians to suffer what my family suffered. I never wanted them to be evicted. But, this right-wing NGO, they bought the house from us. They made us an offer that we couldn’t refuse and then they go on to evict the family, claiming to represent us when this is absolutely not what we want.’I think this is exactly the way that the Israeli government works with these NGOs together in order to take over this neighborhood, and they’ve even gone so far as to change the name of the neighborhood. We’re still calling it Sheikh Jarrah, which is the original name, but they’ve also invented a kind of Jewish name for it, calling it Shimon HaTzadik.
AARON MATE: Meanwhile, throughout East Jerusalem, you have other neighborhoods where Palestinian families are routinely evicted and have a hard time getting build permits. Can you talk about that context? Building permits, I should say.
SHIR HEVER: Absolutely. I think the neighborhood Silwan is even more well-known as a place where various Zionist NGOs, right-wing NGOs have been taking over lands for a very wide array of excuses and various means with government support, but also with private funding, in order to try to Judaize East Jerusalem. And also in the neighborhood Isawiya in the north, so Sheikh Jarrah is not so special, in that sense. What makes Sheikh Jarrah special is the idea of the precedent of the right to return. That is the reason that when you go to Sheikh Jarrah and you see these evictions, there are mixed demonstrations where Jews and Palestinians demonstrate together.In places like Silwan or Isawiya, very few Jewish Israelis are willing to stand in solidarity with the Palestinians there and try to protest the evictions. But, in Sheikh Jarrah you also see Zionist Jews protesting the evictions, because they know that if you accept this precedent that people who owned property before 1948 may take over that property again through the courts, what will happen if the Palestinian refugees will now demand all of their houses, all of the property that was left behind in 1948 and taken from them by force.Because they’re terrified of that precedent being turned against them, Sheikh Jarrah is very much at the center of the news.
AARON MATE: Shir, I think that says so much about Israel’s history right there. The fact that some Israelis feel compelled to protest the evictions of Palestinians, because they don’t want it to set a precedent for their own eviction, because so many live in homes in areas that used to be Palestinians’ before 1948.
SHIR HEVER: Yeah, and I think this new attempt to take over those houses in Sheikh Jarrah, it’s not exactly the same as the attempts by right-wing Israeli organizations to take it, to build colonies in the West Bank and so on. This one, they’re really spitting in the face of this precedent and they’re really twisting the Israeli legal system to create two classes of people in the most outright and most obvious way, to say, ‘No. Jews have a right that transcends history. Palestinians have no right, regardless of what documents they have or how long they’ve lived in a certain area.’
AARON MATE: We’ll leave it there. Shir Hever, Real News correspondent. Thanks very much.
SHIR HEVER: Thank you, Aaron.
AARON MATE: And thank you for joining us on the Real News.
The Israeli occupation forces (IOF) on Thursday morning seized two Palestinian buses at the Hawara military checkpoint, south of Nablus, in the northern occupied West Bank.
According to eye-witnesses, the Israeli soldiers stopped two buses owned by al-Tamimi Public Transportation Company while driving south of Nablus.
The IOF subjected the drivers to intensive inspection before they transferred the buses to the Hawara military camp.
A few weeks earlier, two such buses were confiscated by the occupation forces on claims that al-Tamimi Company carries Palestinian students and civilians to Israeli checkpoints and flashpoints for free.
According to eye-witnesses, the Israeli soldiers stopped two buses owned by al-Tamimi Public Transportation Company while driving south of Nablus.
The IOF subjected the drivers to intensive inspection before they transferred the buses to the Hawara military camp.
A few weeks earlier, two such buses were confiscated by the occupation forces on claims that al-Tamimi Company carries Palestinian students and civilians to Israeli checkpoints and flashpoints for free.