2 july 2014
Relatives of Muhammad Abu Khudair mourn in Shuafat, Jerusalem, 2 July 2014. His burned body was found hours after he was kidnapped
After days of relentless incitement for “revenge” by Israeli leaders and Israeli lynch mobs shouting “Death to the Arabs,” it is feared that the worst has happened.
While on his way to early morning prayers today in eastern occupied Jerusalem, Muhammad Abu Khudair, 16, was kidnapped, his family reported. His badly burned body was later found by police in a wooded area and positively identified.
Israeli police suspect that the crime may have been committed in revenge for the killings of three Israeli teens whose bodies were found in the occupied West Bank on Monday.
Israeli army radio says that Israeli media are under a gag order banning reporting of details of the investigation.
Yet incitement to violence against Palestinians continues to surface from Israeli soldiers, politicians and the public.
After days of relentless incitement for “revenge” by Israeli leaders and Israeli lynch mobs shouting “Death to the Arabs,” it is feared that the worst has happened.
While on his way to early morning prayers today in eastern occupied Jerusalem, Muhammad Abu Khudair, 16, was kidnapped, his family reported. His badly burned body was later found by police in a wooded area and positively identified.
Israeli police suspect that the crime may have been committed in revenge for the killings of three Israeli teens whose bodies were found in the occupied West Bank on Monday.
Israeli army radio says that Israeli media are under a gag order banning reporting of details of the investigation.
Yet incitement to violence against Palestinians continues to surface from Israeli soldiers, politicians and the public.
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In this video, the latest of several, a group of Israelis can be seen marching through Tel Aviv on Tuesday evening singing a sing including the lyrics “Give the IDF [Israeli army] a chance to win, fuck the Arabs” and “I hate all Arabs.”
Tal Sagie, the Facebook user who posted the video, wrote that the sight shocked her and that violence only breeds more violence. “We can’t keep shouting ‘Death to the Arabs’ and wondering why the other side hates us,” Sagie wrote. Revenge killing suspected Muhammad Abu Khudair’s cousin “said the 16-year-old was grabbed off the street after leaving his home in Jerusalem’s Arab neighborhood of Shuafat, to go to morning prayers with friends,” Reuters reported. |
“Somebody ran into the house to say one of the boys had been dragged into a white van, so (Muhammad’s) mother called the police,” the cousin, Naima, told Reuters.
As news spread through the neighborhood early on Wednesday morning, even before media began reporting the kidnapping, Palestinians gathered in the streets of Shuafat.
Instagram user Zalameh captured on video the moment the local mosque announced that Muhammad had been kidnapped.
All day on Wednesday, Israeli occupation forces fired tear gas and rubber-coated steel bullets at residents of Shuafat protesting the killing.
As news spread through the neighborhood early on Wednesday morning, even before media began reporting the kidnapping, Palestinians gathered in the streets of Shuafat.
Instagram user Zalameh captured on video the moment the local mosque announced that Muhammad had been kidnapped.
All day on Wednesday, Israeli occupation forces fired tear gas and rubber-coated steel bullets at residents of Shuafat protesting the killing.
Zalameh continued to post images and video on Instragram and on his @BDS4Justice Twitter account.
US condemnation “The United States condemns in the strongest possible terms the despicable and senseless abduction and murder of Muhammad Hussein Abu Khdeir. It is sickening to think of an innocent 17-year-old boy snatched off the streets and his life stolen from him and his family. There are no words to convey adequately our condolences to the Palestinian people,” the State Department stated.
It is extremely rare for the US to criticize an act of violence against Palestinians. Perhaps the US found it a little easier to do because at least for now the identities of the perpetrators remain unknown.
The statement should be seen as a sign that the US understands that Israel’s extremism is pushing the country towards an abyss and something – even if merely words – must be done to “calm” the situation.
US leaders will look at the region and the last thing anyone will want is a rampage by Israel to add to the catastrophes in Iraq and Syria.
But the statement also gives Israel undue credit, noting that “Prime Minister Netanyahu has been emphatic in calling for all sides ‘not to take the law into their own hands.’”
It fails to note the principal role of Netanyahu himself as well as other government ministers in inciting and promoting an atmosphere of revenge and carrying out collective punishments against Palestinians.
By targeting all Palestinians during the weeks since the Israeli teens were abducted, the Israeli government is the main role model for any potential lynch mobs.
Because of the systematic impunity for Israelis who perpetrate crimes against Palestinians, there is little chance of a credible, impartial investigation by Israeli authorities.
As Israel is an occupying force, there is no trust among Palestinians for the police, and there will be great fears that Israel will cover up incriminating facts about the crime.
“I don’t expect any results,” Muhammad’s father, Hussein Abu Khudair, 48, told The New York Times after spending hours with investigators.
He told the newspaper he had not been allowed to see his son’s body, apparently because it had been burned. But identification was made using DNA samples.
Recall that after Israeli snipers fatally shot two Palestinian teens in cold blood on 15 May, a horrifying act caught on video, the State Department also demanded that Israel investigate.
More than a month and a half later, Israel continues to protect the perpetrators of those crimes without a peep from the US.
When the response is restricted to mere words of condemnation from the US and other governments, that is a clear signal to Israel that it can continue to kill and protect killers with impunity.
Incitement Writing in Haaretz, Israeli commentator Chemi Shalev drew an association between the Israeli mobs chanting “Death to the Arabs” and attacking Palestinians in the streets of Jerusalem, and what Jews had experienced in Nazi Germany.
Cautious to say that he was not drawing a “parallel” with the Holocaust, Shalev states: “I am a Jew, and there are scenes of the Holocaust that are indelibly etched in my mind, even though I was not alive at the time.” The scenes in Jerusalem brought those images to mind, he wrote.
Shalev adds:
But make no mistake: the gangs of Jewish ruffians man-hunting for Arabs are no aberration. Theirs was not a one-time outpouring of uncontrollable rage following the discovery of the bodies of the three kidnapped students. Their inflamed hatred does not exist in a vacuum: it is an ongoing presence, growing by the day, encompassing ever larger segments of Israeli society, nurtured in a public environment of resentment, insularity and victimhood, fostered and fed by politicians and pundits – some cynical, some sincere – who have grown weary of democracy and its foibles and who long for an Israel, not to put too fine a point on it, of one state, one nation and, somewhere down the line, one leader.
US condemnation “The United States condemns in the strongest possible terms the despicable and senseless abduction and murder of Muhammad Hussein Abu Khdeir. It is sickening to think of an innocent 17-year-old boy snatched off the streets and his life stolen from him and his family. There are no words to convey adequately our condolences to the Palestinian people,” the State Department stated.
It is extremely rare for the US to criticize an act of violence against Palestinians. Perhaps the US found it a little easier to do because at least for now the identities of the perpetrators remain unknown.
The statement should be seen as a sign that the US understands that Israel’s extremism is pushing the country towards an abyss and something – even if merely words – must be done to “calm” the situation.
US leaders will look at the region and the last thing anyone will want is a rampage by Israel to add to the catastrophes in Iraq and Syria.
But the statement also gives Israel undue credit, noting that “Prime Minister Netanyahu has been emphatic in calling for all sides ‘not to take the law into their own hands.’”
It fails to note the principal role of Netanyahu himself as well as other government ministers in inciting and promoting an atmosphere of revenge and carrying out collective punishments against Palestinians.
By targeting all Palestinians during the weeks since the Israeli teens were abducted, the Israeli government is the main role model for any potential lynch mobs.
Because of the systematic impunity for Israelis who perpetrate crimes against Palestinians, there is little chance of a credible, impartial investigation by Israeli authorities.
As Israel is an occupying force, there is no trust among Palestinians for the police, and there will be great fears that Israel will cover up incriminating facts about the crime.
“I don’t expect any results,” Muhammad’s father, Hussein Abu Khudair, 48, told The New York Times after spending hours with investigators.
He told the newspaper he had not been allowed to see his son’s body, apparently because it had been burned. But identification was made using DNA samples.
Recall that after Israeli snipers fatally shot two Palestinian teens in cold blood on 15 May, a horrifying act caught on video, the State Department also demanded that Israel investigate.
More than a month and a half later, Israel continues to protect the perpetrators of those crimes without a peep from the US.
When the response is restricted to mere words of condemnation from the US and other governments, that is a clear signal to Israel that it can continue to kill and protect killers with impunity.
Incitement Writing in Haaretz, Israeli commentator Chemi Shalev drew an association between the Israeli mobs chanting “Death to the Arabs” and attacking Palestinians in the streets of Jerusalem, and what Jews had experienced in Nazi Germany.
Cautious to say that he was not drawing a “parallel” with the Holocaust, Shalev states: “I am a Jew, and there are scenes of the Holocaust that are indelibly etched in my mind, even though I was not alive at the time.” The scenes in Jerusalem brought those images to mind, he wrote.
Shalev adds:
But make no mistake: the gangs of Jewish ruffians man-hunting for Arabs are no aberration. Theirs was not a one-time outpouring of uncontrollable rage following the discovery of the bodies of the three kidnapped students. Their inflamed hatred does not exist in a vacuum: it is an ongoing presence, growing by the day, encompassing ever larger segments of Israeli society, nurtured in a public environment of resentment, insularity and victimhood, fostered and fed by politicians and pundits – some cynical, some sincere – who have grown weary of democracy and its foibles and who long for an Israel, not to put too fine a point on it, of one state, one nation and, somewhere down the line, one leader.
Two disturbing examples were highlighted by Israeli blogger Elizabeth Tsurkov.
Elizabeth Tsurkov @Elizrael Follow The Director of the Bnei Akiva global youth movement called on the IDF to murder over 300 Palestinians & keep their foreskins as trophies.
Alluding to a biblical story, Noam Perel, the director of World Bnei Akiva, a Zionist youth movement, and a settler in Hebron, called on Israel to slaughter hundreds of Palestinians.
“Now is the time to go crazy,” Israeli politician Uri Bank wrote in a 30 June Facebook posting.
Bank, secretary-general of the Habeyit Hayehudi (Jewish Home party) faction in the Israeli parliament, called on Israel to annex the occupied West Bank, execute all Palestinians in Israeli prisons for murder, and deport families of “terrorists” to Gaza.
Elizabeth Tsurkov @Elizrael Follow The Director of the Bnei Akiva global youth movement called on the IDF to murder over 300 Palestinians & keep their foreskins as trophies.
Alluding to a biblical story, Noam Perel, the director of World Bnei Akiva, a Zionist youth movement, and a settler in Hebron, called on Israel to slaughter hundreds of Palestinians.
“Now is the time to go crazy,” Israeli politician Uri Bank wrote in a 30 June Facebook posting.
Bank, secretary-general of the Habeyit Hayehudi (Jewish Home party) faction in the Israeli parliament, called on Israel to annex the occupied West Bank, execute all Palestinians in Israeli prisons for murder, and deport families of “terrorists” to Gaza.
This incitement continues relentlessly, on Facebook, including a page called “The people of Israel demand revenge.
It and other pages with the same or similar names contain a constant stream of images posted by Israeli soldiers of themselves or their weapons along with handwritten signs demanding blood and inciting violence.
In this image, the bullets spell out the word “revenge.”
The blogger Elizabeth Tsurkov has collected more of these disturbing images here.
It and other pages with the same or similar names contain a constant stream of images posted by Israeli soldiers of themselves or their weapons along with handwritten signs demanding blood and inciting violence.
In this image, the bullets spell out the word “revenge.”
The blogger Elizabeth Tsurkov has collected more of these disturbing images here.
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A human rights group based in Hebron in the southern West Bank published video footage Wednesday featuring Israeli settlers and soldiers assaulting Palestinian residents in the Tel Rumeida neighborhood in the center of Hebron.
The footage, taken Tuesday night by “Human Rights Defenders”, shows activist Tahir Dweik being attacked while he walks near an Israeli military checkpoint in Tel Rumeida. As Dweik comes close to the Israeli troops, they force him to stand facing the wall and then inspect him after taking his ID card. The soldiers then cuff his hands before one of them pushes him, causing him to fall to the ground. |
The video also shows a female settler attacking family members of another activist in the same group, Imad Abu Shamsiyya. The settler is seen entering the property of the Abu Shamsiyya home and taking photos. Abu Shamsiyya’s wife starts to shout and call for help while taking photos of the settler.
Israeli soldiers are then seen forcing the Abu Shamsiyya family to go inside and lock their doors behind them while the female settler remains in their yard.
A child settler hurled stones at Abu Shamsiyya’s wife,breaking her mobile phone, but that attack was not caught on the video, according to the group.
Israeli soldiers are then seen forcing the Abu Shamsiyya family to go inside and lock their doors behind them while the female settler remains in their yard.
A child settler hurled stones at Abu Shamsiyya’s wife,breaking her mobile phone, but that attack was not caught on the video, according to the group.
Israeli warplanes targeted the southern Gaza Strip on Wednesday, Israel's army said.
"An IDF aircraft targeted a launching site which was used to fire four mortars into southern Israel at 6 p.m. this evening. A direct hit was confirmed," an Israeli army spokeswoman said.
Witnesses told Ma'an that the strikes targeted an area east of Rafah, with no injuries reported.
Earlier, three mortar shells were fired into southern Israel from Gaza, landing in the Eshkol regional council, Israel's army said.
There were no reports of injuries or damage.
"An IDF aircraft targeted a launching site which was used to fire four mortars into southern Israel at 6 p.m. this evening. A direct hit was confirmed," an Israeli army spokeswoman said.
Witnesses told Ma'an that the strikes targeted an area east of Rafah, with no injuries reported.
Earlier, three mortar shells were fired into southern Israel from Gaza, landing in the Eshkol regional council, Israel's army said.
There were no reports of injuries or damage.
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Over 50 people were injured in ongoing clashes with Israeli forces in occupied East Jerusalem following the kidnapping and killing of a 16-year-old Palestinian from the Shufat neighborhood, medics said Wednesday.
Rajih al-Hawarin, a Red Crescent paramedic, told Ma'an that as of 1:30 p.m. 37 Palestinians had been hit by rubber-coated bullets and six by shrapnel in clashes in Shufat. Two Palestinians also sustained fractures after being assaulted by Israeli police officers, al-Hawarin said. It was unclear how the remainder of the Palestinians were injured. He said soldiers were firing tear gas, rubber-coated bullets, stun grenades, and live fire at protesters, and that a total of 17 Palestinians required hospitalization for their injuries. |
Palestine TV reporter Kristine Rinawi and cameramen Ali Yasin and Ahmad Gharabla were among those reported injured.
Clashes broke out early Wednesday, as Palestinians took to the streets to protest the kidnapping and killing of 16-year-old Muhammad Abu Khdeir.
Shortly after dawn, crowds of angry Palestinians began gathering outside the teenager's home in Shufat, with clashes erupting around 8:00 a.m.
Clouds of black smoke rose into the summer sky as hundreds of masked Palestinians faced off with Israeli police in riot gear.
Israeli police spokesman Micky Rosenfeld wrote on Twitter: "Extra police units deployed in Jerusalem to deal with disturbances in the Bet Hanina area. Damage caused to light rail station by rioters."
Rosenfeld did not answer calls seeking further details.
Early Wednesday, Abu Khdeir was kidnapped from the Shufat neighborhood and later found dead in a forest in a possible act of revenge for three Israeli teens who were kidnapped and killed in the West Bank.
As the clashes raged in Shufat, where the streets were littered with burning dumpsters and makeshift barricades, the only place of relative calm was the family home, an AFP correspondent said.
Wearing a blue headscarf, 40-year-old Suha Abu Khder, mother of the missing teen, sat in stunned silence, sometimes breaking down in tears in a room filled with relatives and friends.
Ansam Abu Khder, one of the teenager's cousins, said witnesses had written down the car's licence plate and that police were examining CCTV footage.
"We knew about Mohammed's kidnapping by three Israelis just before the dawn prayers. A witness saw them and took down the licence plate," he told AFP.
"We hope that the body they found is not my cousin's body. The police took his father early in the morning to identify the body and we still haven't heard back from him."
Outside, Israel special forces were lined up along the street, and stationed on nearby rooftops while Palestinian youths darted across the road, as police fired stun grenades, rubber bullets, and rubber-coated metal bullets, AFP correspondents said.
Israeli police later summoned Abu Khdeir's mother and father for questioning at the Russian Compound interrogation center, family told Ma'an.
The families of the three murdered Israeli teenagers, who were buried on in an emotionally-charged funeral on Tuesday, issued a statement condemning the incident.
"If the Arab youth was murdered because of nationalistic motives then this is a horrible and horrendous act," it said.
"There is no difference between Arab blood and Jewish blood. Murder is murder. There is no forgiveness or justification for any murder."
In a separate development, suspected Jewish extremists set fire to the ground floor of a house in the West Bank village of Aqraba near Nablus, police said.
On the walls was Hebrew graffiti reading "Revenge of the Jews" and "Mohammed is dead" in reference to the Muslim prophet.
Watch: Jewish rioters attack Arab youths in Jerusalem clashes
Video
Clashes broke out early Wednesday, as Palestinians took to the streets to protest the kidnapping and killing of 16-year-old Muhammad Abu Khdeir.
Shortly after dawn, crowds of angry Palestinians began gathering outside the teenager's home in Shufat, with clashes erupting around 8:00 a.m.
Clouds of black smoke rose into the summer sky as hundreds of masked Palestinians faced off with Israeli police in riot gear.
Israeli police spokesman Micky Rosenfeld wrote on Twitter: "Extra police units deployed in Jerusalem to deal with disturbances in the Bet Hanina area. Damage caused to light rail station by rioters."
Rosenfeld did not answer calls seeking further details.
Early Wednesday, Abu Khdeir was kidnapped from the Shufat neighborhood and later found dead in a forest in a possible act of revenge for three Israeli teens who were kidnapped and killed in the West Bank.
As the clashes raged in Shufat, where the streets were littered with burning dumpsters and makeshift barricades, the only place of relative calm was the family home, an AFP correspondent said.
Wearing a blue headscarf, 40-year-old Suha Abu Khder, mother of the missing teen, sat in stunned silence, sometimes breaking down in tears in a room filled with relatives and friends.
Ansam Abu Khder, one of the teenager's cousins, said witnesses had written down the car's licence plate and that police were examining CCTV footage.
"We knew about Mohammed's kidnapping by three Israelis just before the dawn prayers. A witness saw them and took down the licence plate," he told AFP.
"We hope that the body they found is not my cousin's body. The police took his father early in the morning to identify the body and we still haven't heard back from him."
Outside, Israel special forces were lined up along the street, and stationed on nearby rooftops while Palestinian youths darted across the road, as police fired stun grenades, rubber bullets, and rubber-coated metal bullets, AFP correspondents said.
Israeli police later summoned Abu Khdeir's mother and father for questioning at the Russian Compound interrogation center, family told Ma'an.
The families of the three murdered Israeli teenagers, who were buried on in an emotionally-charged funeral on Tuesday, issued a statement condemning the incident.
"If the Arab youth was murdered because of nationalistic motives then this is a horrible and horrendous act," it said.
"There is no difference between Arab blood and Jewish blood. Murder is murder. There is no forgiveness or justification for any murder."
In a separate development, suspected Jewish extremists set fire to the ground floor of a house in the West Bank village of Aqraba near Nablus, police said.
On the walls was Hebrew graffiti reading "Revenge of the Jews" and "Mohammed is dead" in reference to the Muslim prophet.
Watch: Jewish rioters attack Arab youths in Jerusalem clashes
Video
Israeli forces in the Hebron district early Wednesday demolished the home of a Palestinian accused of killing an Israeli police officer in April, sparking clashes with locals that left several injured, locals said.
The Israeli army confirmed it demolished the home of Ziad Awwad in the village of Idhna, saying in a statement that the demolition "serves to deter and conveys a severe warning to terrorists and their accomplices that their actions will bear severe consequences."
According to B'Tselem, 13 people, including eight children, lived in home.
Locals said that as Israeli soldiers used explosives to destroy the home, Palestinians hurled rocks and empty bottles at them.
Israeli forces responded with live fire, rubber-coated bullets, tear gas, and stun grenades, locals said.
Locals identified six Palestinians injured by live bullets as 19-year-old Muhammad Ibrahim Farajallah, 17-year-old Shadi Fadil al-Najjar, 28-year-old Ismail Jubran Muhammad Atiyeh, 20-year-old Qusay Shawqi Tmeizi, 21-year-old Fadi Yousif Jiyawi, and 21-year-old Muataz Samih Mirshid Slemiya.
Four other youths were injured by rubber-coated bullets. They were identified as Bilal Tmeizi, Kathim al-Najjar, Hazim al-Najjar, and Mahmoud Said Awawda.
Meanwhile, 13-year-old Ahmad Bashir Slemiya and 14-year-old Muhammad Samir Nimir Slemiya were injured after a stun grenade exploded while they were playing with it, locals added.
The two were taken to a public hospital in Hebron for treatment.
Israeli forces arrested Ziad Awad, 42, on May 7 for suspected involvement in the shooting of Israeli police officer Baruch Mizrahi near Hebron on April 14.
Israel's Supreme Court on Tuesday rejected a petition to overturn a demolition order on the house, Israeli rights group HaMoked said in a statement.
"According to the principles of human rights ... house demolitions constitute collective punishment, and are contrary to both international law and the basic precept of Israeli law that a person must not be punished for the acts of others," the group said.
The Israeli army confirmed it demolished the home of Ziad Awwad in the village of Idhna, saying in a statement that the demolition "serves to deter and conveys a severe warning to terrorists and their accomplices that their actions will bear severe consequences."
According to B'Tselem, 13 people, including eight children, lived in home.
Locals said that as Israeli soldiers used explosives to destroy the home, Palestinians hurled rocks and empty bottles at them.
Israeli forces responded with live fire, rubber-coated bullets, tear gas, and stun grenades, locals said.
Locals identified six Palestinians injured by live bullets as 19-year-old Muhammad Ibrahim Farajallah, 17-year-old Shadi Fadil al-Najjar, 28-year-old Ismail Jubran Muhammad Atiyeh, 20-year-old Qusay Shawqi Tmeizi, 21-year-old Fadi Yousif Jiyawi, and 21-year-old Muataz Samih Mirshid Slemiya.
Four other youths were injured by rubber-coated bullets. They were identified as Bilal Tmeizi, Kathim al-Najjar, Hazim al-Najjar, and Mahmoud Said Awawda.
Meanwhile, 13-year-old Ahmad Bashir Slemiya and 14-year-old Muhammad Samir Nimir Slemiya were injured after a stun grenade exploded while they were playing with it, locals added.
The two were taken to a public hospital in Hebron for treatment.
Israeli forces arrested Ziad Awad, 42, on May 7 for suspected involvement in the shooting of Israeli police officer Baruch Mizrahi near Hebron on April 14.
Israel's Supreme Court on Tuesday rejected a petition to overturn a demolition order on the house, Israeli rights group HaMoked said in a statement.
"According to the principles of human rights ... house demolitions constitute collective punishment, and are contrary to both international law and the basic precept of Israeli law that a person must not be punished for the acts of others," the group said.
Twelve Palestinians including three journalists were injured Wednesday in clashes with Israeli forces in East Jerusalem, witnesses said.
Locals said residents took to the streets to protest against the kidnapping and killing of a 16-year-old Palestinian the same morning.
Clashes broke out between Palestinians and Israeli forces in the Shufat neighborhood, with police firing rubber-coated bullets and tear gas at protesters, witnesses said.
Police told AFP that some 200 Palestinians threw stones at police.
Palestine TV reporter Kristine Rinawi and cameramen Ali Yasin and Ahmad Gharabla were among those reported injured in the clashes.
Israeli police spokesman Micky Rosenfeld tweeted: "Extra police units deployed in Jerusalem to deal with disturbances in the Bet Hanina area. Damage caused to light rail station by rioters."
Rosenfeld did not answer calls seeking further details.
Early Wednesday, 16-year-old Muhammad Hussein Abu Khdeir was kidnapped from the Shufat neighborhood and later found dead in a forest in a possible act of revenge for three Israeli teens who were kidnapped and killed in the West Bank.
The teens' bodies were found Monday, sparking calls for revenge.
Watch: Jewish rioters attack Arab youths in Jerusalem clashes
Locals said residents took to the streets to protest against the kidnapping and killing of a 16-year-old Palestinian the same morning.
Clashes broke out between Palestinians and Israeli forces in the Shufat neighborhood, with police firing rubber-coated bullets and tear gas at protesters, witnesses said.
Police told AFP that some 200 Palestinians threw stones at police.
Palestine TV reporter Kristine Rinawi and cameramen Ali Yasin and Ahmad Gharabla were among those reported injured in the clashes.
Israeli police spokesman Micky Rosenfeld tweeted: "Extra police units deployed in Jerusalem to deal with disturbances in the Bet Hanina area. Damage caused to light rail station by rioters."
Rosenfeld did not answer calls seeking further details.
Early Wednesday, 16-year-old Muhammad Hussein Abu Khdeir was kidnapped from the Shufat neighborhood and later found dead in a forest in a possible act of revenge for three Israeli teens who were kidnapped and killed in the West Bank.
The teens' bodies were found Monday, sparking calls for revenge.
Watch: Jewish rioters attack Arab youths in Jerusalem clashes
Israeli settlers early Wednesday set fire to an animal farm in the northern West Bank on Wednesday, a Palestinian official said.
Ghassan Daghlas, a Palestinian official who monitors settler activity in the northern West Bank, told Ma'an that a group of settlers set fire to a sheep farm in Aqraba village south of Nablus at 3 a.m.
Palestinians managed to round up the sheep, but the steel structure surrounding the farm was destroyed by the fire, Daghlas said.
Settlers spray-painted the words "blood vengeance" and "price tag" in Hebrew on the outer walls of the farm, he added.
The farm belongs to Fadi Basim Bani Jabir.
Daghlas said the settlers came from the illegal settlement of Itamar south of Nablus.
Later, in the Bethlehem district, Israeli settlers hurled stones at Palestinian vehicles as they drove on a road near the village of Husan, locals said.
A number of vehicles were hit and sustained damages, they said.
The attacks come in the wake of the burial of three Israeli teens who were found dead in the Hebron district on Monday.
Ghassan Daghlas, a Palestinian official who monitors settler activity in the northern West Bank, told Ma'an that a group of settlers set fire to a sheep farm in Aqraba village south of Nablus at 3 a.m.
Palestinians managed to round up the sheep, but the steel structure surrounding the farm was destroyed by the fire, Daghlas said.
Settlers spray-painted the words "blood vengeance" and "price tag" in Hebrew on the outer walls of the farm, he added.
The farm belongs to Fadi Basim Bani Jabir.
Daghlas said the settlers came from the illegal settlement of Itamar south of Nablus.
Later, in the Bethlehem district, Israeli settlers hurled stones at Palestinian vehicles as they drove on a road near the village of Husan, locals said.
A number of vehicles were hit and sustained damages, they said.
The attacks come in the wake of the burial of three Israeli teens who were found dead in the Hebron district on Monday.
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Hours after they were buried on Tuesday, around hundreds of Israelis marched through Jerusalem, stopping cars and shouting "Death to Arabs," police and witnesses said.
The perpetrators of violence against Palestinian communities are rarely prosecuted. There are hundreds of racist attacks against Palestinians in Israel and the occupied West Bank every year. Palestinians claim 'price tag' attack after boys' bodies found |
Muhammad Hussein Abu Khdeir 16
A Palestinian teenager from occupied East Jerusalem was kidnapped and killed early Wednesday in a suspected act of revenge for the killing of three Israeli youths, Israeli army radio reported.
Locals identified the victim as 16-year-old Muhammad Hussein Abu Khdeir from the Shufat neighborhood.
Witnesses told Ma'an that footage from surveillance cameras shows Israelis stepping out of a Hyundai in front of Abu Khdeir's house and forcing the teen inside before speeding off.
The murder sparked a wave of clashes in East Jerusalem where around 200 angry young Palestinians threw stones at police, who responded with sound bombs and rubber bullets, an AFP correspondent and police said.
Quoting witnesses, the radio said the youth was seen being forced into a car in the Palestinian eastern half of the city.
A body was found shortly afterwards in another part of the city, the radio said, describing it as a "suspected revenge attack" for the kidnapping of three Israeli teenagers from the southern West Bank on June 12.
Israel has blamed Hamas for their killings in an incident which has triggered calls for revenge.
Hamas has denied involvement in the incident.
Several hours after they were buried on Tuesday, around 200 Israelis rampaged through Jerusalem, stopping cars and the light rail and shouting "Death to Arabs," police and witnesses said. Police said 47 people were arrested.
Police spokeswoman Luba Samri confirmed they were investigating reports of a kidnapping and said they had found a body but refused to say whether the two incidents were connected. She did not give details on the victim's identity.
"In the early hours of Wednesday morning, police received a report of a person being forced into a car in Beit Hanina," Samri told AFP, referring to a well-heeled East Jerusalem neighborhood.
"Within an hour, a body was found in Jerusalem that has still not been identified. We are looking to see if there is a connection between the two incidents."
Quoting witnesses, army radio said a black car had stopped next to a youth who was hitchhiking and he was forced inside. The car then took off.
Two settlers stepped out of a Hyundai and forcibly pulled the boy inside before the driver sped away, added the sources.
Some time later, the family of the youth, who is understood to be around 16, reported him missing, it said.
The body was discovered in a forest in Givat Shaul in southwest Jerusalem. An AFP correspondent said police had sealed off a large area around the neighborhood.
Palestinian teen burned to death by Israeli settlers
The Jerusalemite teenager Mohamed Abu Khudeir, 17, was found dead at dawn Wednesday after being kidnapped, tortured, and burned to death by Israeli settlers in Shuafat town southern occupied Jerusalem. Local sources revealed that Abu Khudeir was kidnapped by three Israeli settlers while on his way to Shuafat mosque to perform dawn prayers.
Israeli police found the body of an Arab teenager in the Jerusalem area on Wednesday after being tortured and burned, Israeli media sources said.
Israeli police have been notified that an Arab teenager was forced into a vehicle in Beit Hanina neighborhood northern occupied Jerusalem, the sources said, adding that they were investigating a possible connection to the reported kidnapping of a Palestinian youth earlier in the day.
According to Yediot Ahronot Hebrew newspaper, the teen Abu Khudeir was found dead after being burned by Israeli settlers near Givat Shaul settlement.
The possibility the Palestinian teen was kidnapped and killed as part of revenge attack after the killing of three Israeli settlers in al-Khalil was being investigated, the newspaper said.
Following the settlers' crime, violent clashes erupted between Israeli forces and Jerusalemite youths in Shuafat town.
Israeli soldiers heavily fired tear gas bombs and rubber bullets during the clashes, and closed the town’s entrances. Several Palestinians including journalists were injured, the PIC correspondent reported.
Angry Palestinian youths, in turn, attacked the Israeli train station in the town, the PIC reporter added.
A Palestinian teenager from occupied East Jerusalem was kidnapped and killed early Wednesday in a suspected act of revenge for the killing of three Israeli youths, Israeli army radio reported.
Locals identified the victim as 16-year-old Muhammad Hussein Abu Khdeir from the Shufat neighborhood.
Witnesses told Ma'an that footage from surveillance cameras shows Israelis stepping out of a Hyundai in front of Abu Khdeir's house and forcing the teen inside before speeding off.
The murder sparked a wave of clashes in East Jerusalem where around 200 angry young Palestinians threw stones at police, who responded with sound bombs and rubber bullets, an AFP correspondent and police said.
Quoting witnesses, the radio said the youth was seen being forced into a car in the Palestinian eastern half of the city.
A body was found shortly afterwards in another part of the city, the radio said, describing it as a "suspected revenge attack" for the kidnapping of three Israeli teenagers from the southern West Bank on June 12.
Israel has blamed Hamas for their killings in an incident which has triggered calls for revenge.
Hamas has denied involvement in the incident.
Several hours after they were buried on Tuesday, around 200 Israelis rampaged through Jerusalem, stopping cars and the light rail and shouting "Death to Arabs," police and witnesses said. Police said 47 people were arrested.
Police spokeswoman Luba Samri confirmed they were investigating reports of a kidnapping and said they had found a body but refused to say whether the two incidents were connected. She did not give details on the victim's identity.
"In the early hours of Wednesday morning, police received a report of a person being forced into a car in Beit Hanina," Samri told AFP, referring to a well-heeled East Jerusalem neighborhood.
"Within an hour, a body was found in Jerusalem that has still not been identified. We are looking to see if there is a connection between the two incidents."
Quoting witnesses, army radio said a black car had stopped next to a youth who was hitchhiking and he was forced inside. The car then took off.
Two settlers stepped out of a Hyundai and forcibly pulled the boy inside before the driver sped away, added the sources.
Some time later, the family of the youth, who is understood to be around 16, reported him missing, it said.
The body was discovered in a forest in Givat Shaul in southwest Jerusalem. An AFP correspondent said police had sealed off a large area around the neighborhood.
Palestinian teen burned to death by Israeli settlers
The Jerusalemite teenager Mohamed Abu Khudeir, 17, was found dead at dawn Wednesday after being kidnapped, tortured, and burned to death by Israeli settlers in Shuafat town southern occupied Jerusalem. Local sources revealed that Abu Khudeir was kidnapped by three Israeli settlers while on his way to Shuafat mosque to perform dawn prayers.
Israeli police found the body of an Arab teenager in the Jerusalem area on Wednesday after being tortured and burned, Israeli media sources said.
Israeli police have been notified that an Arab teenager was forced into a vehicle in Beit Hanina neighborhood northern occupied Jerusalem, the sources said, adding that they were investigating a possible connection to the reported kidnapping of a Palestinian youth earlier in the day.
According to Yediot Ahronot Hebrew newspaper, the teen Abu Khudeir was found dead after being burned by Israeli settlers near Givat Shaul settlement.
The possibility the Palestinian teen was kidnapped and killed as part of revenge attack after the killing of three Israeli settlers in al-Khalil was being investigated, the newspaper said.
Following the settlers' crime, violent clashes erupted between Israeli forces and Jerusalemite youths in Shuafat town.
Israeli soldiers heavily fired tear gas bombs and rubber bullets during the clashes, and closed the town’s entrances. Several Palestinians including journalists were injured, the PIC correspondent reported.
Angry Palestinian youths, in turn, attacked the Israeli train station in the town, the PIC reporter added.
Settler attacks escalate following discovery of teens' bodies
Human rights groups have condemned the recent Israeli aggressions against Palestinians, which include, in addition to increased settler violence, the killing of a Jenin youth, the demolition of homes in Hebron and the extensive bombing campaign in the Gaza Strip. The Euro-Mid Observer, furthermore, has released to the public its recent findings on Israeli abuses against Palestinian children.
The Palestinian Center for Human Rights (PCHR), in a recent statement, called upon the international community “to take immediate and effective actions to put an end to such crimes", and reiterated its call for the High Contracting Parties to the Fourth Geneva Convention of 1949 to “fulfill their obligations under Article 1; i.e., to respect and to ensure respect for the Convention in all circumstances, and their obligation under Article 146 to prosecute persons alleged to commit grave breaches of the Fourth Geneva Convention.”
“These grave breaches constitute war crimes under Article 147 of the same Convention and Protocol I Additional to the Geneva Conventions,” said the statement.
WAFA Palestinian News & Info Agency reports that members of an Israeli undercover unit opened fire on Yousef Abu Zagha, 20, while he was on his way back home from buying food for the pre-fast meal in observance of Ramadan. Yousef was killed instantly with three bullets to the heart, the left shoulder and forearm.
According to eyewitnesses, the area went completely quiet after the unit fired at him.
Concerning the demolitions of the homes of alleged Hamas suspects, in Hebron, PCHR noted that “the destruction of the two houses is part of the collective punishment policy and reprisals against Palestinian civilians in violation of Article 33 of the 1949 Fourth Geneva Convention Relative to Protection of Civilians in Times of War which provides: “No protected person may be punished for an offence he or she has not personally committed. Collective penalties and likewise all measures of intimidation or of terrorism are prohibited.”
Furthermore, in the Gaza Strip, the Israeli air force launched 11 strikes, in which 44 missiles were fired on paramilitary training sites and agricultural stores.
The Euro-Mid Observer for Human Rights, noted in a recent statement, as well, that Israel commits numerous human rights violations against illegally arrested Palestinian children, to include torture and coerced confessions during their detention, in violation of international laws.
“As Israel conducts a wave of mass home break-ins and arrests across the West Bank in retaliation for the alleged kidnapping of three youth from one of its illegal settlements, a new report documents that Palestinian children are at much greater, ongoing risk from Israeli forces," the statement begins.
According to the organization, between 2,000 and 3,000 Palestinian children and youth are arrested annually by Israeli authorities, with an average of 400 a year. Child detainees are as young as 12 and 15 years old.
By Euro-Mid's account, WAFA further reports that Israeli authorities have raided more than 1,500 Palestinian homes and businesses and arrested more than 550 Palestinians, “in a search for the kidnappers and an attempt to wipe out the Hamas political party, which it has labeled as responsible without citing evidence.”
Israeli settlers have also intensified their attacks against Palestinians, according to WAFA, after the bodies of three settlers, allegedly abducted by Hamas members, were uncovered in the town of Halhoul, near Hebron, in a field not far from where they reportedly went missing.
According to witnesses, a Palestinian child escaped a kidnapping attempt by a settler in Jerusalem.
Apparently, the settler attempted to force the child into his car in Sha'fat, outside of Jerusalem, where residents managed to pry him out of the setter’s hands.
The child was transferred to hospital for treatment.
Just previously, on the preceeding night, a number of settlers assaulted a Palestinian taxi driver in the city of Jerusalem, spraying pepper gas into his face. He was also taken to a hospital, following the incident.
West of Jerusalem, settlers attacked and severely beat another Palestinian youth.
Additionally, 'price tag' vandals painted racist graffiti on the walls near the illegal settlement of Beit Shemesh, also in Jerusalem.
“Six Palestinians have died as a result (of the intesified raids) – including a 14-year-old boy who was shot in the chest at point-blank range and a 78-year-old woman who suffered a heart attack during a house raid,” Euro-Mid Observer went on to say, adding that their findings echo previous conclusions made by other international groups:
In a report filed in February of 2013, UNICEF found that the abuse of children who come into contact with the Israeli military detention system "appears to be widespread, systematic and institutionalized throughout the process.”
Ihsan Adel, a legal officer at the Euro-Mid, notes: “The Israeli police or military typically break into homes in the middle of the night or take youth right off the streets without telling them what they are charged with or informing their parents, as required by the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights.”
“How is that different from the reported kidnapping of the Israeli students?" Adel asks. "And yet it is occurring every day, every year. Where is the international outrage?”
related: DCI Report: Growing Up Between Israeli Settlements and Soldiers
Human rights groups have condemned the recent Israeli aggressions against Palestinians, which include, in addition to increased settler violence, the killing of a Jenin youth, the demolition of homes in Hebron and the extensive bombing campaign in the Gaza Strip. The Euro-Mid Observer, furthermore, has released to the public its recent findings on Israeli abuses against Palestinian children.
The Palestinian Center for Human Rights (PCHR), in a recent statement, called upon the international community “to take immediate and effective actions to put an end to such crimes", and reiterated its call for the High Contracting Parties to the Fourth Geneva Convention of 1949 to “fulfill their obligations under Article 1; i.e., to respect and to ensure respect for the Convention in all circumstances, and their obligation under Article 146 to prosecute persons alleged to commit grave breaches of the Fourth Geneva Convention.”
“These grave breaches constitute war crimes under Article 147 of the same Convention and Protocol I Additional to the Geneva Conventions,” said the statement.
WAFA Palestinian News & Info Agency reports that members of an Israeli undercover unit opened fire on Yousef Abu Zagha, 20, while he was on his way back home from buying food for the pre-fast meal in observance of Ramadan. Yousef was killed instantly with three bullets to the heart, the left shoulder and forearm.
According to eyewitnesses, the area went completely quiet after the unit fired at him.
Concerning the demolitions of the homes of alleged Hamas suspects, in Hebron, PCHR noted that “the destruction of the two houses is part of the collective punishment policy and reprisals against Palestinian civilians in violation of Article 33 of the 1949 Fourth Geneva Convention Relative to Protection of Civilians in Times of War which provides: “No protected person may be punished for an offence he or she has not personally committed. Collective penalties and likewise all measures of intimidation or of terrorism are prohibited.”
Furthermore, in the Gaza Strip, the Israeli air force launched 11 strikes, in which 44 missiles were fired on paramilitary training sites and agricultural stores.
The Euro-Mid Observer for Human Rights, noted in a recent statement, as well, that Israel commits numerous human rights violations against illegally arrested Palestinian children, to include torture and coerced confessions during their detention, in violation of international laws.
“As Israel conducts a wave of mass home break-ins and arrests across the West Bank in retaliation for the alleged kidnapping of three youth from one of its illegal settlements, a new report documents that Palestinian children are at much greater, ongoing risk from Israeli forces," the statement begins.
According to the organization, between 2,000 and 3,000 Palestinian children and youth are arrested annually by Israeli authorities, with an average of 400 a year. Child detainees are as young as 12 and 15 years old.
By Euro-Mid's account, WAFA further reports that Israeli authorities have raided more than 1,500 Palestinian homes and businesses and arrested more than 550 Palestinians, “in a search for the kidnappers and an attempt to wipe out the Hamas political party, which it has labeled as responsible without citing evidence.”
Israeli settlers have also intensified their attacks against Palestinians, according to WAFA, after the bodies of three settlers, allegedly abducted by Hamas members, were uncovered in the town of Halhoul, near Hebron, in a field not far from where they reportedly went missing.
According to witnesses, a Palestinian child escaped a kidnapping attempt by a settler in Jerusalem.
Apparently, the settler attempted to force the child into his car in Sha'fat, outside of Jerusalem, where residents managed to pry him out of the setter’s hands.
The child was transferred to hospital for treatment.
Just previously, on the preceeding night, a number of settlers assaulted a Palestinian taxi driver in the city of Jerusalem, spraying pepper gas into his face. He was also taken to a hospital, following the incident.
West of Jerusalem, settlers attacked and severely beat another Palestinian youth.
Additionally, 'price tag' vandals painted racist graffiti on the walls near the illegal settlement of Beit Shemesh, also in Jerusalem.
“Six Palestinians have died as a result (of the intesified raids) – including a 14-year-old boy who was shot in the chest at point-blank range and a 78-year-old woman who suffered a heart attack during a house raid,” Euro-Mid Observer went on to say, adding that their findings echo previous conclusions made by other international groups:
In a report filed in February of 2013, UNICEF found that the abuse of children who come into contact with the Israeli military detention system "appears to be widespread, systematic and institutionalized throughout the process.”
Ihsan Adel, a legal officer at the Euro-Mid, notes: “The Israeli police or military typically break into homes in the middle of the night or take youth right off the streets without telling them what they are charged with or informing their parents, as required by the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights.”
“How is that different from the reported kidnapping of the Israeli students?" Adel asks. "And yet it is occurring every day, every year. Where is the international outrage?”
related: DCI Report: Growing Up Between Israeli Settlements and Soldiers
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For the past two days in al-Khalil (Hebron) Israeli soldiers have stopped and searched many Palestinians in Tel Rumeida. At approximately 22:00 two nights ago, a colonial settler began aggressively photographing Palestinian children who were playing football in the street on Tel Rumeida hill. Two ISM activists began filming her.
She then approached one ISM volunteer and pushed the camera very close to his face. Other settlers arrived and began to harass the Palestinian children and tried to steal their football. The settlers also began to push some of the Palestinians. |
One settler tried to force entry into a Palestinian shop whilst shouting, “I’m going to butcher you”.
A group of Israeli soldiers initially tried to block the settlers and prevent them from attacking the Palestinians, but when this was unsuccessful, decided instead to force the Palestinians to move. They attacked the Palestinians using stun grenades and pushed a number of people. The settlers and soldiers then began attacking ISM activists who were filming. The soldiers cocked their guns several times and pointed them in the faces of ISM volunteers. A soldier stamped on the foot of one of the activists.
Two ISMers, and an activist from Christian Peacemaker Teams were physically hit by settlers who tried to steal their cameras. One activist turned his back to a solider and began walking away as instructed by him and was kicked forcefully from behind in the testicles by the soldier. Soldiers then positioned themselves to prevent Palestinians from returning to their homes.
Shortly after this, around 40 Palestinians left the mosque at the top of Tel Rumeida hill and began walking down the hill towards their home. They were stopped and threatened by the soldiers. The soldiers eventually agreed to let people return home but insisted that people walk one by one. At the same time, soldiers allowed a large group of settlers to congregate at the junction. Palestinians were therefore forced to walk through the settlers alone, and were subject to intimidation and threats.
An ISM activist present: “The soldiers and settlers were very aggressive and frightening, so much was happening at one time, it was hard to know what was going on. They kept yelling at us in Hebrew and wouldn’t listen when we told them we didn’t understand. At one point a military jeep drove up a hill towards a group of Palestinians (who were leaving the mosque) and us. We were caught in a corner and couldn’t move. The jeep stopped in front of us, they threw a stun grenade first, and then several soldiers jumped out of the jeep, cocked their guns in our faces, and yelled at us in Hebrew. They were so angry, it felt like they wanted to shoot us.”
A group of Israeli soldiers initially tried to block the settlers and prevent them from attacking the Palestinians, but when this was unsuccessful, decided instead to force the Palestinians to move. They attacked the Palestinians using stun grenades and pushed a number of people. The settlers and soldiers then began attacking ISM activists who were filming. The soldiers cocked their guns several times and pointed them in the faces of ISM volunteers. A soldier stamped on the foot of one of the activists.
Two ISMers, and an activist from Christian Peacemaker Teams were physically hit by settlers who tried to steal their cameras. One activist turned his back to a solider and began walking away as instructed by him and was kicked forcefully from behind in the testicles by the soldier. Soldiers then positioned themselves to prevent Palestinians from returning to their homes.
Shortly after this, around 40 Palestinians left the mosque at the top of Tel Rumeida hill and began walking down the hill towards their home. They were stopped and threatened by the soldiers. The soldiers eventually agreed to let people return home but insisted that people walk one by one. At the same time, soldiers allowed a large group of settlers to congregate at the junction. Palestinians were therefore forced to walk through the settlers alone, and were subject to intimidation and threats.
An ISM activist present: “The soldiers and settlers were very aggressive and frightening, so much was happening at one time, it was hard to know what was going on. They kept yelling at us in Hebrew and wouldn’t listen when we told them we didn’t understand. At one point a military jeep drove up a hill towards a group of Palestinians (who were leaving the mosque) and us. We were caught in a corner and couldn’t move. The jeep stopped in front of us, they threw a stun grenade first, and then several soldiers jumped out of the jeep, cocked their guns in our faces, and yelled at us in Hebrew. They were so angry, it felt like they wanted to shoot us.”
During this time, the Shamsiyeh family was attacked by settlers (15-year-old Awne Shamsiyeh was recently interviewed by ISM). The settlers entered their garden and forced cameras in their faces. One settler punched a Palestinian woman. Another female settler, who appeared to be around 17-years-old, hit an 11-year-old Palestinian child on the hand with a rock causing swelling and bruising.
The soldiers did nothing to prevent the attack, but instead shouted at the Palestinian family and ordered them back into their house.
At approximately 22:00, settlers from the illegal settlement Tel Rumeida erected a fence blocking a Palestinian home, preventing the family from reaching their house.
The Hebron district is a site of frequent aggression, by Israeli soldiers and settlers, towards Palestinian residents and their property.
The soldiers did nothing to prevent the attack, but instead shouted at the Palestinian family and ordered them back into their house.
At approximately 22:00, settlers from the illegal settlement Tel Rumeida erected a fence blocking a Palestinian home, preventing the family from reaching their house.
The Hebron district is a site of frequent aggression, by Israeli soldiers and settlers, towards Palestinian residents and their property.
Boshra Tawil - Aneen Al-Qaid Media Network
Several Palestinians Injured Near Salfit
A Palestinian journalist has been kidnapped, on Wednesday at dawn, after dozens of Israeli soldiers stored her home in Um ash-Sharayet area, in al-Biereh town, near the central West Bank city of Ramallah.
Local sources said dozens of soldiers surrounded the residential building where Sheikh Jamal Tawil resides, before invading it and kidnapping his daughter, Boshra, 24 years of age.
Sheikh Tawil is one of the political leaders of the Hamas movement in the area.
His daughter is the spokesperson of the "Aneen Al-Qaid Media" Network, local news agency specialized in covering news about the Palestinian detainees, and political prisoners.
Boshra has been repeatedly kidnapped, and imprisoned, by Israel.
Her news agency, Aneen Al-Qaid, issued a statement denouncing the arrest, and the ongoing Israeli violations against Palestinian journalists, and the Palestinian people.
The invasion led to clashes between the soldiers and dozens of local youths who threw stones and empty bottles at them.
The soldiers also prevented local journalists from entering the area to document the attack, and assaulted journalists and camerapersons working for the Roya Jordanian News Agency.
On Tuesday evening, dozens of residents have been treated for the effects of teargas inhalation after Israeli soldiers invaded Qarawat Bani Hassan village, west of the central West bank district of Salfit.
Eyewitnesses said dozens of soldiers invaded the village, and surrounded a local mosque as the Palestinians were leaving it following evening prayers.
The soldiers then fired gas bombs, and concussion grenades, at the worshipers and a number of homes.
Medical sources said dozens of residents, including children, suffered the effects of tear gas inhalation, and received treatment by local medics.
Several Palestinians Injured Near Salfit
A Palestinian journalist has been kidnapped, on Wednesday at dawn, after dozens of Israeli soldiers stored her home in Um ash-Sharayet area, in al-Biereh town, near the central West Bank city of Ramallah.
Local sources said dozens of soldiers surrounded the residential building where Sheikh Jamal Tawil resides, before invading it and kidnapping his daughter, Boshra, 24 years of age.
Sheikh Tawil is one of the political leaders of the Hamas movement in the area.
His daughter is the spokesperson of the "Aneen Al-Qaid Media" Network, local news agency specialized in covering news about the Palestinian detainees, and political prisoners.
Boshra has been repeatedly kidnapped, and imprisoned, by Israel.
Her news agency, Aneen Al-Qaid, issued a statement denouncing the arrest, and the ongoing Israeli violations against Palestinian journalists, and the Palestinian people.
The invasion led to clashes between the soldiers and dozens of local youths who threw stones and empty bottles at them.
The soldiers also prevented local journalists from entering the area to document the attack, and assaulted journalists and camerapersons working for the Roya Jordanian News Agency.
On Tuesday evening, dozens of residents have been treated for the effects of teargas inhalation after Israeli soldiers invaded Qarawat Bani Hassan village, west of the central West bank district of Salfit.
Eyewitnesses said dozens of soldiers invaded the village, and surrounded a local mosque as the Palestinians were leaving it following evening prayers.
The soldiers then fired gas bombs, and concussion grenades, at the worshipers and a number of homes.
Medical sources said dozens of residents, including children, suffered the effects of tear gas inhalation, and received treatment by local medics.
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has accused Hamas of being responsible for the abduction and killing of the three Israeli settlers, adding that Hamas will pay the price, and will keep paying the price, and that the Israeli offensive could be expanded if needed. Thirteen Palestinians have been killed since June 12.
Israeli Ynet News has reported that Netanyahu made his remarks just before a Security Cabinet meeting that was held to discuss Israel’s “retaliatory” measures against the Palestinian people, “in response to the abduction and the killing of the three Israelis”.
Netanyahu said Israel would not stop searching, and will arrest every person deemed “responsible” or connected to the abduction of the Israelis, adding the issue is now Israel’s “first priority”. Two Palestinians have already been placed in Israeli detention and are under interrogation, after having been named as the suspects in the crime. Israeli troops then destroyed the family homes of the two men.
Netanyahu accused Hamas of being responsible for the latest escalation, and said the army needed to strike Hamas first in the occupied West Bank, and then in Gaza.
On Monday at night and on Tuesday at dawn, the Israeli army carried out more than 34 air strikes against different areas in the Gaza Strip.
The army has kidnapped more than 600 Palestinians, including women and children since the settlers went missing on June 12.
Israel alleges it kidnapped 419 Palestinians, including what it described as 279 Hamas members.
Meanwhile, the Ahrar Center for Detainees Studies and Human Rights has reported that the number of Palestinians, kidnapped by the army in the same period is 765, including 12 legislators, 2 former government ministers, 58 former detainees, 4 women, and 93 children. Nine Palestinians, including three fishermen have been kidnapped in the Gaza Strip.
As for Palestinians killed by Israeli army fire and shells, since June 12, thirteen Palestinians, including a child have been killed by Israeli army fire and shelling, most of them in the occupied West Bank. In addition, an elderly Palestinian man and an elderly women, died in separate incidents of heart attacks when the army stormed and ransacked their homes. In the same time period, hundreds of Palestinians were injured.
Israeli Ynet News has reported that Netanyahu made his remarks just before a Security Cabinet meeting that was held to discuss Israel’s “retaliatory” measures against the Palestinian people, “in response to the abduction and the killing of the three Israelis”.
Netanyahu said Israel would not stop searching, and will arrest every person deemed “responsible” or connected to the abduction of the Israelis, adding the issue is now Israel’s “first priority”. Two Palestinians have already been placed in Israeli detention and are under interrogation, after having been named as the suspects in the crime. Israeli troops then destroyed the family homes of the two men.
Netanyahu accused Hamas of being responsible for the latest escalation, and said the army needed to strike Hamas first in the occupied West Bank, and then in Gaza.
On Monday at night and on Tuesday at dawn, the Israeli army carried out more than 34 air strikes against different areas in the Gaza Strip.
The army has kidnapped more than 600 Palestinians, including women and children since the settlers went missing on June 12.
Israel alleges it kidnapped 419 Palestinians, including what it described as 279 Hamas members.
Meanwhile, the Ahrar Center for Detainees Studies and Human Rights has reported that the number of Palestinians, kidnapped by the army in the same period is 765, including 12 legislators, 2 former government ministers, 58 former detainees, 4 women, and 93 children. Nine Palestinians, including three fishermen have been kidnapped in the Gaza Strip.
As for Palestinians killed by Israeli army fire and shells, since June 12, thirteen Palestinians, including a child have been killed by Israeli army fire and shelling, most of them in the occupied West Bank. In addition, an elderly Palestinian man and an elderly women, died in separate incidents of heart attacks when the army stormed and ransacked their homes. In the same time period, hundreds of Palestinians were injured.
