23 sept 2013
Al-Khalil city has seen an unprecedented state of tension and military measures after the Israeli occupation declared that one of its soldiers was shot dead and others were wounded on Sunday by the Palestinian resistance near the Ibrahimi Mosque. The Israeli occupation forces (IOF) established many military checkpoints at all entrances to Al-Khalil city and its central and southern areas, and searched Palestinian cars, passersby and passengers.
The IOF also closed on Monday morning the southern entrance to Al-Khalil city.
They also raided and ransacked several homes in different areas of Al-Khalil and kidnapped a large number of Palestinian young men.
Clashes broke out as well in different areas of Al-Khalil, the most violent of these events took place in Bab Azzawiya and Container areas. Several injuries were reported.
In a separate incident, a group of Jewish settlers from Tel Rumeida in Al-Khalil launched retaliatory attacks on many Palestinian homes in the city after the killing of the Israeli soldier.
Other groups of settlers from Ma'on settlement severely beat a Palestinian citizen in the southern area of Al-Khalil and cut olive trees in Al-Hamra area near Tawani village, east of Al-Khalil.
Meanwhile, Palestinian young men threw on Monday morning Molotov cocktails at Israeli civilian and military cars near Al-Aroub refugee camp, and burnt one of them.
In a related context, the intifada youth coalition said that the brave operation which the Palestinian resistance carried out in Al-Khalil was a natural result of the Palestinian popular anger towards Israel's growing violations in the occupied territories.
The coalition stated on Sunday that the operation has taken place as Israel intensified its violations against the Aqsa Mosque and its settlement activities in the occupied lands.
The IOF also closed on Monday morning the southern entrance to Al-Khalil city.
They also raided and ransacked several homes in different areas of Al-Khalil and kidnapped a large number of Palestinian young men.
Clashes broke out as well in different areas of Al-Khalil, the most violent of these events took place in Bab Azzawiya and Container areas. Several injuries were reported.
In a separate incident, a group of Jewish settlers from Tel Rumeida in Al-Khalil launched retaliatory attacks on many Palestinian homes in the city after the killing of the Israeli soldier.
Other groups of settlers from Ma'on settlement severely beat a Palestinian citizen in the southern area of Al-Khalil and cut olive trees in Al-Hamra area near Tawani village, east of Al-Khalil.
Meanwhile, Palestinian young men threw on Monday morning Molotov cocktails at Israeli civilian and military cars near Al-Aroub refugee camp, and burnt one of them.
In a related context, the intifada youth coalition said that the brave operation which the Palestinian resistance carried out in Al-Khalil was a natural result of the Palestinian popular anger towards Israel's growing violations in the occupied territories.
The coalition stated on Sunday that the operation has taken place as Israel intensified its violations against the Aqsa Mosque and its settlement activities in the occupied lands.
Palestinian march protesting settlers' attacks
Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs in the Occupied Palestinian Territories (OCHA-OPT) has recorded at least ten settler-related incidents resulting in injury to Palestinians or damage to their property between 10-16 September 2013 OCHA. In its 'Protection of Civilians Weekly Report | 10 - 16 September 2013', says this is an increase in incidents compared to a weekly average of four in the past three weeks, WAM reported.
OCHA is the part of the United Nations Secretariat responsible for bringing together humanitarian actors to ensure a coherent response to emergencies.
Large-scale demolitions in several locations; an entire community displaced On 16 September, the Israeli authorities demolished all residential and livelihood structures (except two fodder storage rooms and a solar panel) in the Bedouin community of Mak-hul in the Jordan Valley due to the lack of Israeli-issued building permits. The 58 structures, included ten residential tents, 28 animal shacks and pens, nine kitchens, nine latrines, a storage room and a zinc shade that was used as a kindergarten (which was partially demolished). Some of these structures were funded by international donors.
As a result, ten families comprising 48 people, including 16 children, were displaced.
In the course of the demolitions, a number of animal troughs and small water tanks as well as personal belongings were buried under the rubble.
OCHA says on 17 September, Israeli forces shot and killed a 19-year old Palestinian man during clashes that erupted in a search-and-arrest operation in Jenin refugee camp.
In Gaza Strip, while there was relative calm during the reporting period, with no reports of Israeli airstrikes or Palestinian rockets, incidents in the context of Israeli restrictions on Palestinian access to land and at sea continued.
On at least two occasions, Israeli forces stationed near the fence between Israel and the Gaza Strip opened warning fire at farmers, forcing them to leave their land. No injuries or damage to property were reported. Israeli forces also conducted three land-leveling operations.
On 12 September, a female Israeli settler was injured after Palestinians threw stones at her vehicle while travelling near Beit Ummar (Hebron).
Three Palestinian-plated vehicles sustained damage in two additional stone-throwing incidents perpetrated by settlers near Al Mughayyir village and Al Jalazun refugee camp (both in Ramallah).
Also on 10 September, a group of Israeli settlers slashed the tires of three Palestinian buses in Ath Thuri (Jerusalem) and sprayed "price-tag" graffiti on them.
Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs in the Occupied Palestinian Territories (OCHA-OPT) has recorded at least ten settler-related incidents resulting in injury to Palestinians or damage to their property between 10-16 September 2013 OCHA. In its 'Protection of Civilians Weekly Report | 10 - 16 September 2013', says this is an increase in incidents compared to a weekly average of four in the past three weeks, WAM reported.
OCHA is the part of the United Nations Secretariat responsible for bringing together humanitarian actors to ensure a coherent response to emergencies.
Large-scale demolitions in several locations; an entire community displaced On 16 September, the Israeli authorities demolished all residential and livelihood structures (except two fodder storage rooms and a solar panel) in the Bedouin community of Mak-hul in the Jordan Valley due to the lack of Israeli-issued building permits. The 58 structures, included ten residential tents, 28 animal shacks and pens, nine kitchens, nine latrines, a storage room and a zinc shade that was used as a kindergarten (which was partially demolished). Some of these structures were funded by international donors.
As a result, ten families comprising 48 people, including 16 children, were displaced.
In the course of the demolitions, a number of animal troughs and small water tanks as well as personal belongings were buried under the rubble.
OCHA says on 17 September, Israeli forces shot and killed a 19-year old Palestinian man during clashes that erupted in a search-and-arrest operation in Jenin refugee camp.
In Gaza Strip, while there was relative calm during the reporting period, with no reports of Israeli airstrikes or Palestinian rockets, incidents in the context of Israeli restrictions on Palestinian access to land and at sea continued.
On at least two occasions, Israeli forces stationed near the fence between Israel and the Gaza Strip opened warning fire at farmers, forcing them to leave their land. No injuries or damage to property were reported. Israeli forces also conducted three land-leveling operations.
On 12 September, a female Israeli settler was injured after Palestinians threw stones at her vehicle while travelling near Beit Ummar (Hebron).
Three Palestinian-plated vehicles sustained damage in two additional stone-throwing incidents perpetrated by settlers near Al Mughayyir village and Al Jalazun refugee camp (both in Ramallah).
Also on 10 September, a group of Israeli settlers slashed the tires of three Palestinian buses in Ath Thuri (Jerusalem) and sprayed "price-tag" graffiti on them.
Israeli soldiers continued Monday and for the second day in a row raiding homes in Hebron, trashing people’s belongings and arresting residents while Israeli settlers teamed up with the soldiers in terrorizing the civilian Palestinian population in the city, according to security sources. The army and settlers campaign against Hebron residents came a day after an Israeli soldier was shot and killed near the Ibrahimi mosque (Cave of the Patriarchs) in the old city of Hebron.
Israel said it believes a Palestinian was responsible for the shooting even though no Palestinian group took responsibility for it.
Immediately after the shooting, Israeli soldiers set up road blocks on all entrances to Hebron, prevented people from leaving or entering the largest West Bank city and conducted extensive search campaign to catch the shooter.
In the process, Palestinians said the soldiers broke into many homes, destroyed furniture and belongings and arrested a number of people.
Settlers also attacked Palestinian homes located in the vicinity of the settlements in an apparent revenge act.
Meanwhile, residents clashed with soldiers on the contact points between the Israeli-controlled old city, known as H2, and H1, the Palestinian-controlled area. At least 11 people were injured from rubber-coated metal bullets and suffered from tear gas inhalation fired by the soldiers.
Israeli officials also called on their government to stop the negotiations with the Palestinians as a result of the shooting.
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has also called on settlers to occupy a Palestinian-owned building in Hebron, not far from the shooting place, in what he said was a response to the killing of the soldier.
The building in question is under litigation as Palestinians have questioned the settlers’ takeover in Israeli courts and demanded its return to its lawful Palestinian owners.
Israel said it believes a Palestinian was responsible for the shooting even though no Palestinian group took responsibility for it.
Immediately after the shooting, Israeli soldiers set up road blocks on all entrances to Hebron, prevented people from leaving or entering the largest West Bank city and conducted extensive search campaign to catch the shooter.
In the process, Palestinians said the soldiers broke into many homes, destroyed furniture and belongings and arrested a number of people.
Settlers also attacked Palestinian homes located in the vicinity of the settlements in an apparent revenge act.
Meanwhile, residents clashed with soldiers on the contact points between the Israeli-controlled old city, known as H2, and H1, the Palestinian-controlled area. At least 11 people were injured from rubber-coated metal bullets and suffered from tear gas inhalation fired by the soldiers.
Israeli officials also called on their government to stop the negotiations with the Palestinians as a result of the shooting.
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has also called on settlers to occupy a Palestinian-owned building in Hebron, not far from the shooting place, in what he said was a response to the killing of the soldier.
The building in question is under litigation as Palestinians have questioned the settlers’ takeover in Israeli courts and demanded its return to its lawful Palestinian owners.
A group of armed extremist Israeli settlers attacked a Palestinian orchard, south of the northern West Bank city of Nablus, and uprooted its trees. “Death To Arabs” Graffiti found near Tel Aviv.
Ghassan Daghlas, in charge of Israeli Settlements File at the Palestinian Authority in the northern part of the occupied West Bank, stated that the settlers illegally occupied the land before uprooting it.
He added that dozens of settlers arrived into the area, located near the Awarta-Aqraba road, close to the Itamar illegal settlement, and carried out their attack while Israeli soldiers, who arrived at the site, did not attempt to stop them.
The attack came a few hours after Israeli Prime Minister, Benjamin Netanyahu, decided to boost settlement activities in the occupied territories, and to allow the settlers into a Palestinian home in Hebron.
The settlers were removed from the home back in April of 2012 after the then-Israeli Defense Minister, Ehud Barak, issued an order in this regard following an Israeli court ruling.
Netanyahu attributed his decision to the death of the two Israeli soldiers on Sunday and Friday in the West Bank.
In related news, Israeli extremists wrote racist graffiti on a wall in Bat Yam area, in the center of the country.
The settlers wrote “Death To Arabs”, and “Revenge”, referring to the death of two Israeli soldiers killed in two separate attacks in Qalqilia and Hebron over the last 48 hours.
Israeli police spokesperson for Arab Media, Luba Samri, stated that the extremists used black spray paint to write the graffiti.
She claimed that the Police in Tel Aviv rushed to the scene, and is conducting an investigation into the incident.
Last week, Israeli soldiers shot and killed one Palestinian, and injured four, including three children, in different attacks carried out in the occupied Palestinian territories.
The army carried out 49 invasions into Palestinian communities, and kidnapped at least 41, including nine children.
Two Palestinians have been killed, and dozens have been injured, by Israeli army fire, while hundreds were kidnapped since the beginning of the month.
Ghassan Daghlas, in charge of Israeli Settlements File at the Palestinian Authority in the northern part of the occupied West Bank, stated that the settlers illegally occupied the land before uprooting it.
He added that dozens of settlers arrived into the area, located near the Awarta-Aqraba road, close to the Itamar illegal settlement, and carried out their attack while Israeli soldiers, who arrived at the site, did not attempt to stop them.
The attack came a few hours after Israeli Prime Minister, Benjamin Netanyahu, decided to boost settlement activities in the occupied territories, and to allow the settlers into a Palestinian home in Hebron.
The settlers were removed from the home back in April of 2012 after the then-Israeli Defense Minister, Ehud Barak, issued an order in this regard following an Israeli court ruling.
Netanyahu attributed his decision to the death of the two Israeli soldiers on Sunday and Friday in the West Bank.
In related news, Israeli extremists wrote racist graffiti on a wall in Bat Yam area, in the center of the country.
The settlers wrote “Death To Arabs”, and “Revenge”, referring to the death of two Israeli soldiers killed in two separate attacks in Qalqilia and Hebron over the last 48 hours.
Israeli police spokesperson for Arab Media, Luba Samri, stated that the extremists used black spray paint to write the graffiti.
She claimed that the Police in Tel Aviv rushed to the scene, and is conducting an investigation into the incident.
Last week, Israeli soldiers shot and killed one Palestinian, and injured four, including three children, in different attacks carried out in the occupied Palestinian territories.
The army carried out 49 invasions into Palestinian communities, and kidnapped at least 41, including nine children.
Two Palestinians have been killed, and dozens have been injured, by Israeli army fire, while hundreds were kidnapped since the beginning of the month.
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The Israeli Occupation Forces stormed the city of al-Khalil (Hebron) on Monday in search of the sniper who shot and killed an Israeli soldier near the Hebron's Ibrahimi Mosque.
The 20-year-old soldier, Gal Kobi, was shot in the neck and was transferred to Shaare Zedek Medical Center in Jerusalem where his death was pronounced. Hebrew-language sources reported that Israeli Army arrested dozens of Palestinians overnight from the city of al-Khalil, especially in the area surrounding the mosque. According to initial estimates, the shooting had nothing to do with the murder of another Israeli soldier who was abducted and killed over the weekend. |
Yediot Ahranot reported that Israel's Defense Minister, Moshe Ya'alon, decided to hold a security cabinet's emergency meeting later Monday to assess the situation in the West Bank.
Ya'alon offered his condolences to Kobi's family, saying "I mourn with the Kobi family for the loss of its son Gal. the State of Israel will not tolerate terror groups' attempting to hurt its citizens and its soldiers." the newspaper added.
For his part, IOF Chief of Staff Benny Gantz held a meeting with Israeli Central Command chief, Nitzan Alon, in which it was decided to bolster troops in the certain locations in the West Bank.
Israeli troops will also be deployed in Hebron, fearing violence might erupt in response to the incident especially during Sukkot events, scheduled to take place in Hebron.
On Sunday night, IOF troops stormed al-Khalil, searched it and arrested eight Palestinians including two who were in possession of rifles, according to Israeli Army. The detainees are currently being questioned.
Ya'alon offered his condolences to Kobi's family, saying "I mourn with the Kobi family for the loss of its son Gal. the State of Israel will not tolerate terror groups' attempting to hurt its citizens and its soldiers." the newspaper added.
For his part, IOF Chief of Staff Benny Gantz held a meeting with Israeli Central Command chief, Nitzan Alon, in which it was decided to bolster troops in the certain locations in the West Bank.
Israeli troops will also be deployed in Hebron, fearing violence might erupt in response to the incident especially during Sukkot events, scheduled to take place in Hebron.
On Sunday night, IOF troops stormed al-Khalil, searched it and arrested eight Palestinians including two who were in possession of rifles, according to Israeli Army. The detainees are currently being questioned.
22 sept 2013
From Khalid Amayreh in al-Khalil
Another Israeli soldier was killed near the northern West Bank town of Qalqilya on Saturday, also at the hands of a Palestinian.
Israeli media and websites initially said the soldier in Hebron was seriously then critically injured, ostensibly by a sniper bullet.
However, Arab eyewitnesses said the soldier died immediately after he was shot.
Following the incident, clashes occurred at the Bab el Zawiya district between stone-hurling Palestinian youngsters and heavily armed crack Israeli soldiers.
Eyewitnesses said Israeli troops used live ammunitions in addition to rubber bullets against the Palestinians, wounding a number of youths.
The incident occurred shortly before sunset Sunday as hundreds of Jewish settlers converged at the Ibrahimi Mosque to celebrate a Jewish holiday.
Israel effectively converted the erstwhile exclusive Muslim sanctuary into a virtual synagogue following the Ibrahimi Mosque massacre in 1994 when a Jewish terrorist in army uniform stormed the shrine, killing 29 worshipers and seriously wounding dozens others.
Manhunt
Following the Hebron incident, Israeli occupation troops closed off all entrances to the largest town in the West Bank. Crack soldiers also carried out what was described as "provocative" and "heavy handed" searches in several neighborhoods adjacent to the Islamic sanctuary, including Abu Snineh and al-Jaabary.
Troops also evacuated Jewish settlers from the area, bussing them to Jerusalem.
A Palestinian source opined that the killed soldier may have been shot by friendly fire.
"I know the area very well. It is very likely that another Israeli soldier shot his colleague by mistake. Israeli troops have been quite nervous of late."
Pundits in occupied Palestine are at loss as to whether the latest fatal shooting in al-Khalil constitutes a phenomenal escalation of armed resistance against the Israeli occupation.
The killing of an Israeli soldier near Qalqilya was described as having a "personal background."
However, it is still premature to tell for sure whether the Hebron incident is "individualistic" or "coordinated" act.
Some Palestinian observers argue that mounting frustration among many ordinary Palestinians as a result of combined suppression by Israel and the Palestinian Authority as well as a hard-pressing economic crisis may very well spark off a new uprising against Israel.
Added to this is the political deadlock resulting from the total failure of the so-called peace process.
Israel and the PA resumed "peace talks" last month. However, no significant progress has been reported as Israel, which is supported and backed by the United States, keeps refusing to give up the spoils of the 1967 war and continues to build Jewish settlements all over the West Bank .
Many serious observers, Israeli and Palestinian alike, are convinced that time has passed the peace process by and that there is no longer any real chance for a genuine peace settlement as Israel has effectively killed any remaining possibility for the establishment of a viable and territorially-contiguous Palestinian state.
Another Israeli soldier was killed near the northern West Bank town of Qalqilya on Saturday, also at the hands of a Palestinian.
Israeli media and websites initially said the soldier in Hebron was seriously then critically injured, ostensibly by a sniper bullet.
However, Arab eyewitnesses said the soldier died immediately after he was shot.
Following the incident, clashes occurred at the Bab el Zawiya district between stone-hurling Palestinian youngsters and heavily armed crack Israeli soldiers.
Eyewitnesses said Israeli troops used live ammunitions in addition to rubber bullets against the Palestinians, wounding a number of youths.
The incident occurred shortly before sunset Sunday as hundreds of Jewish settlers converged at the Ibrahimi Mosque to celebrate a Jewish holiday.
Israel effectively converted the erstwhile exclusive Muslim sanctuary into a virtual synagogue following the Ibrahimi Mosque massacre in 1994 when a Jewish terrorist in army uniform stormed the shrine, killing 29 worshipers and seriously wounding dozens others.
Manhunt
Following the Hebron incident, Israeli occupation troops closed off all entrances to the largest town in the West Bank. Crack soldiers also carried out what was described as "provocative" and "heavy handed" searches in several neighborhoods adjacent to the Islamic sanctuary, including Abu Snineh and al-Jaabary.
Troops also evacuated Jewish settlers from the area, bussing them to Jerusalem.
A Palestinian source opined that the killed soldier may have been shot by friendly fire.
"I know the area very well. It is very likely that another Israeli soldier shot his colleague by mistake. Israeli troops have been quite nervous of late."
Pundits in occupied Palestine are at loss as to whether the latest fatal shooting in al-Khalil constitutes a phenomenal escalation of armed resistance against the Israeli occupation.
The killing of an Israeli soldier near Qalqilya was described as having a "personal background."
However, it is still premature to tell for sure whether the Hebron incident is "individualistic" or "coordinated" act.
Some Palestinian observers argue that mounting frustration among many ordinary Palestinians as a result of combined suppression by Israel and the Palestinian Authority as well as a hard-pressing economic crisis may very well spark off a new uprising against Israel.
Added to this is the political deadlock resulting from the total failure of the so-called peace process.
Israel and the PA resumed "peace talks" last month. However, no significant progress has been reported as Israel, which is supported and backed by the United States, keeps refusing to give up the spoils of the 1967 war and continues to build Jewish settlements all over the West Bank .
Many serious observers, Israeli and Palestinian alike, are convinced that time has passed the peace process by and that there is no longer any real chance for a genuine peace settlement as Israel has effectively killed any remaining possibility for the establishment of a viable and territorially-contiguous Palestinian state.
Farmers in Salfit province have asked for protection in face of the usual Jewish settlers’ attacks on them during the olive harvesting season. The farmers issued a press release on Sunday saying that they come under settlers’ attack every season, recalling that their joy over the harvesting of their olive crops turn into fear and anxiety of such attacks.
They pointed out that farmers, who have land beyond the separation wall, are not allowed to prepare for the season by the Israeli occupation authorities except for a few and limited periods of time which cause big damage to their crops.
The farmers said that lands near settlements are particularly prone to settlers’ attacks who do not differentiate in their attacks and carry them out against men and women alike. They added that on some occasions the harvesting becomes impossible.
They pointed out that farmers, who have land beyond the separation wall, are not allowed to prepare for the season by the Israeli occupation authorities except for a few and limited periods of time which cause big damage to their crops.
The farmers said that lands near settlements are particularly prone to settlers’ attacks who do not differentiate in their attacks and carry them out against men and women alike. They added that on some occasions the harvesting becomes impossible.
Violent confrontations were reported in the Old City of Al-Khalil after Israeli occupation forces (IOF) fired teargas at schoolchildren while on their way home from school at noon Sunday. Eyewitnesses told the PIC reporter that schoolchildren threw stones and empty bottles at the soldiers who responded by firing teargas at them. They added that a number of citizens suffered breathing problems as a result of the attack especially the elderly people and some of them were taken to the government hospital in the city.
The witnesses said that IOF soldiers arrested four kids for taking part in throwing stones but women in the suburb succeeded in freeing them. They added, however, that two others were arrested and taken to an army barracks near the Ibrahimi mosque.
Meanwhile, other IOF soldiers closed the southern entrance to Al-Khalil city and the main entrance to Fawar refugee camp.
The soldiers also broke into the home of Salem Al-Salayma in Al-Khalil and forced him and his entire family out of it this afternoon.
Salayma told the PIC reporter that the soldiers ordered him, his wife, and children out of the home and blocked them from approaching it. He said that the soldiers occupied the rooftop of his home and a nearby mosque, noting that they were near to the Kiryat Arba settlement.
Recalling that it was not the first time, Salayma said that such “arbitrary measures target forcing us to abandon our home due to its proximity to Kiryat Arba settlement”.
The witnesses said that IOF soldiers arrested four kids for taking part in throwing stones but women in the suburb succeeded in freeing them. They added, however, that two others were arrested and taken to an army barracks near the Ibrahimi mosque.
Meanwhile, other IOF soldiers closed the southern entrance to Al-Khalil city and the main entrance to Fawar refugee camp.
The soldiers also broke into the home of Salem Al-Salayma in Al-Khalil and forced him and his entire family out of it this afternoon.
Salayma told the PIC reporter that the soldiers ordered him, his wife, and children out of the home and blocked them from approaching it. He said that the soldiers occupied the rooftop of his home and a nearby mosque, noting that they were near to the Kiryat Arba settlement.
Recalling that it was not the first time, Salayma said that such “arbitrary measures target forcing us to abandon our home due to its proximity to Kiryat Arba settlement”.
Israeli forces placed Hebron under a complete lockdown, causing traffic delays, after an Israeli was shot and killed in the West Bank city hours earlier.
Israeli soldiers closed the entrances and raided houses on Tariq Bin Ziyad and Jawhar streets, a Ma’an reporter said.
Soldiers forced males out of some homes at gunpoint and assembled them at a junction on Tariq Bin Ziyad street.
Near the junction, Israeli soldiers were also holding up an ambulance that was taking a woman in labor to hospital, a medic said.
The medic said that the woman was about to give birth but the soldiers refused to let the ambulance through the street.
Israeli soldiers closed the entrances and raided houses on Tariq Bin Ziyad and Jawhar streets, a Ma’an reporter said.
Soldiers forced males out of some homes at gunpoint and assembled them at a junction on Tariq Bin Ziyad street.
Near the junction, Israeli soldiers were also holding up an ambulance that was taking a woman in labor to hospital, a medic said.
The medic said that the woman was about to give birth but the soldiers refused to let the ambulance through the street.
Foreign Ministry describes EU criticism of its seizure of aid as 'one-sided', says it ignores diplomats' blunt violation of the law, disregard for Israeli court and unnecessary provocation'
Israel on Sunday rejected EU criticism of its seizure of humanitarian aid intended for Palestinians in the West Bank and said European diplomats delivering the items had broken the law.
Israeli soldiers manhandled the diplomats on Friday and seized tents and emergency aid they had been trying to give to Palestinians whose ramshackle homes in Khirbet al-Makhul in the Jordan Valley had been demolished by Israel days before.
An Israeli court had said the dwellings, along with stables and a kindergarten, were built without permits. Local residents said Khirbet al-Makhul was home to about 120 people.
EU officials said they deplored the seizure and demanded an explanation. "The EU underlines the importance of unimpeded delivery of humanitarian assistance ... in the occupied Palestinian territory," a statement said.
However Israel's Foreign Ministry said on Sunday it rejected the "one-sided" EU statement. "This announcement ignores the European diplomats' blunt violation of the law, their disregard of a ruling of the Israeli court and their unnecessary provocation under the alleged pretext of humanitarian aid," it said.
A ministry spokeswoman said the tents that were being delivered by the diplomats could constitute an attempt to rebuild the village in Khirbet al-Makhul.
A Reuters reporter saw soldiers throw sound grenades at a group of diplomats, aid workers and local residents and yank a French diplomat out of the truck before driving it away during the aid seizure incident.
Reuters video footage showed the French woman hitting an Israeli border policeman on his chin.
"The idea that a foreign diplomat can strike an Israeli border police officer in the face is totally unacceptable and explanations both from the diplomats and their governments would be warranted," Paul Hirschson, a spokesman for Israel's Foreign Ministry, said on Sunday.
Relations between Israel and the European Union have been strained over the EU decision, announced in July, to bar financial assistance to Israeli organizations operating in the occupied territories from next year.
Israel on Sunday rejected EU criticism of its seizure of humanitarian aid intended for Palestinians in the West Bank and said European diplomats delivering the items had broken the law.
Israeli soldiers manhandled the diplomats on Friday and seized tents and emergency aid they had been trying to give to Palestinians whose ramshackle homes in Khirbet al-Makhul in the Jordan Valley had been demolished by Israel days before.
An Israeli court had said the dwellings, along with stables and a kindergarten, were built without permits. Local residents said Khirbet al-Makhul was home to about 120 people.
EU officials said they deplored the seizure and demanded an explanation. "The EU underlines the importance of unimpeded delivery of humanitarian assistance ... in the occupied Palestinian territory," a statement said.
However Israel's Foreign Ministry said on Sunday it rejected the "one-sided" EU statement. "This announcement ignores the European diplomats' blunt violation of the law, their disregard of a ruling of the Israeli court and their unnecessary provocation under the alleged pretext of humanitarian aid," it said.
A ministry spokeswoman said the tents that were being delivered by the diplomats could constitute an attempt to rebuild the village in Khirbet al-Makhul.
A Reuters reporter saw soldiers throw sound grenades at a group of diplomats, aid workers and local residents and yank a French diplomat out of the truck before driving it away during the aid seizure incident.
Reuters video footage showed the French woman hitting an Israeli border policeman on his chin.
"The idea that a foreign diplomat can strike an Israeli border police officer in the face is totally unacceptable and explanations both from the diplomats and their governments would be warranted," Paul Hirschson, a spokesman for Israel's Foreign Ministry, said on Sunday.
Relations between Israel and the European Union have been strained over the EU decision, announced in July, to bar financial assistance to Israeli organizations operating in the occupied territories from next year.
Violent clashes broke out on Saturday between Palestinian young men and the Israeli occupation forces (IOF) who raided homes and summoned citizens for interrogation during a security campaign in Al-Aroub refugee camp, north of Al-Khalil city. Local sources said that the IOF raided homes in the neighborhoods of Al-Titi and Jawabra, the entrance to the camp and the vicinity of the UNRWA office, and handed some citizens summonses for interrogation from the Israeli intelligence.
In another incident, eyewitnesses told the Palestinian information center (PIC) that the IOF attacked Palestinian citizens in Al-Shuhada street in Al-Khalil city.
They added that the provocative acts of the invading troops prompted the citizens to respond with throwing stones and empty bottles at them.
Local sources also told the PIC that the road leading to Al-Majd village, west of Al-Khalil, was cut off after the IOF closed once again the iron gate of Khirbet Salama at the pretext of providing security for the Jewish settlers of Njihut outpost.
In another incident, eyewitnesses told the Palestinian information center (PIC) that the IOF attacked Palestinian citizens in Al-Shuhada street in Al-Khalil city.
They added that the provocative acts of the invading troops prompted the citizens to respond with throwing stones and empty bottles at them.
Local sources also told the PIC that the road leading to Al-Majd village, west of Al-Khalil, was cut off after the IOF closed once again the iron gate of Khirbet Salama at the pretext of providing security for the Jewish settlers of Njihut outpost.
Israeli forces Sunday shot and injured a 22-year-old Palestinian while offering protection and accompanying Israeli settlers into the historic Hebron tomb, in central Hebron, to allow them to perform prayers there, according to security sources. Forces fired tear gas canisters and rubber-coated steel bullets toward the provoked Palestinian residents who gathered to prevent settlers from entering the tomb, leading to clashes.
Nimr Salaymeh, 22, was shot with a rubber-coated steel bullet in the neck and was transferred to hospital for treatment.
No other injuries were reported.
Nimr Salaymeh, 22, was shot with a rubber-coated steel bullet in the neck and was transferred to hospital for treatment.
No other injuries were reported.
Israeli settlers from the illegal settlement of Maon Sunday attacked Palestinians, severally beat up a 50-year-old man as well as uprooted trees in an area east of the town of Yatta, south of Hebron, according to a local activist. The Popular Committee Coordinator in Yatta, Rateb al-Jabour, told WAFA settlers from Maon settlement, built illegally on Yatta land, attacked and used foul language against the residents.
Settlers severally beat up a 50-year-old man, causing him several bruises throughout his body as well as uprooted around 10 fully grown and years old trees belonging to one of the residents.
Settlers severally beat up a 50-year-old man, causing him several bruises throughout his body as well as uprooted around 10 fully grown and years old trees belonging to one of the residents.
Dozens of Palestinian students Sunday suffered from tear gas suffocation during clashed that erupted between them and Israeli forces in the southern part of Hebron city, according to local sources. They said that confrontations erupted between Israeli forces and students in the vicinity of a high school in the southern part of Hebron city; forces fired tear gas canisters at the students, causing several suffocation cases among them.
Several schools in that area sent students back to their homes to insure their safety.
Several schools in that area sent students back to their homes to insure their safety.
Qassam Brigades, the armed wing of Hamas, has warned Israel of dire consequences if it attacked Gaza. The armed wing said in a statement on Saturday after a parade in Shati refugee camp that it was well trained and better equipped than the former Israeli war on Gaza.
The statement said that the Qassam Brigades would never give up efforts for the release of all Palestinian prisoners in Israeli jails.
The armed wing asked the Arab and Islamic countries to beware of those who try and surrender Palestinian rights and those who tighten the siege on Gaza Strip with the aim of eliminating resistance.
Gaza premier Ismail Haneyya attended the parade that witnessed the participation of hundreds of Qassam fighters hoisting Palestinian flags and Hamas banners. Citizens crowded streets and balconies and windows overlooking those streets where the parade was organized west of Gaza city and chanted slogans in support of resistance.
The statement said that the Qassam Brigades would never give up efforts for the release of all Palestinian prisoners in Israeli jails.
The armed wing asked the Arab and Islamic countries to beware of those who try and surrender Palestinian rights and those who tighten the siege on Gaza Strip with the aim of eliminating resistance.
Gaza premier Ismail Haneyya attended the parade that witnessed the participation of hundreds of Qassam fighters hoisting Palestinian flags and Hamas banners. Citizens crowded streets and balconies and windows overlooking those streets where the parade was organized west of Gaza city and chanted slogans in support of resistance.
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French diplomat Marion Castaing lays on the ground after Israeli soldiers carried her out of her truck containing emergency aid, in the West Bank herding community of Khirbet al-Makhul, in the Jordan Valley September 20, 2013
By Stephen Lendman ” ‘They dragged me out of the truck and forced me to the ground with no regard for my diplomatic immunity,’ ” French diplomat Marion Castaing said. Life in Occupied Palestine reflects institutionalized colonization and apartheid. Israel governs extrajudicially. It does so ruthlessly. It’s an out-of-control rogue state. It enforces lawless militarized occupation harshness. It spurns international laws, treaties and conventions. It does so with impunity. It violates its own statutes and High Court decisions. It considers Palestinians subhuman. State terror is official policy. So is demolishing Palestinian homes. Stealing their land, dispossessing them, and denying them all rights reflects common Israeli practice. Numerous examples explain. Recent ones include massive ethnic cleansing plans. Arab Negev Bedouins are Israeli citizens. They’ve lived on their land for centuries. Their communities long predated Judaism’s existence. |
It doesn’t matter. They’re treated like nonpersons. They’re denied all rights. They’re ruthlessly persecuted. They’re targeted for mass expulsion.
On May 6, Israel’s Ministerial Committee on Legislative Affairs approved a draft Bedouin ethnic cleansing plan. On June 24, Israel’s Knesset addressed it.
It’s called the Begin-Prawer Plan. It passed its first reading. It targets 40,000 Palestinian Bedouins.
Israel wants them ethnically cleansed. It wants their villages destroyed. It wants their land for Jews only development. It wants Arabs entirely excluded.
Civil rights attorney Rawia Aburabia said Israel’s plan “will cause the displacement and forced eviction of dozens of villages and tens of thousands of Bedouin residents, dispossessing them of their property and historical rights to their lands, destroying the social fabric of their communities, and sealing the fate of thousands of families into poverty and unemployment.”
“All of this while the government simultaneously promotes the establishment of new Jewish communities, some of which are even slated to be built on the fresh ruins of Bedouin villages.”
“Rather than displacing these communities, the government should seek a true and just solution that facilitates the inclusion of Bedouin citizens into the civil and social fabric of the Negev by recognizing the unrecognized villages and acknowledging their legal ownership rights to their lands.”
“For years, the Bedouin citizens have lived in (unrecognized) villages without basic conditions while around them more and more Jewish communities are built.”
“The government must decide whether to seek a true and just solution that facilitates the inclusion of Bedouin in the Negev as equal citizens or a belligerent plan, that only increases the alienation, hostility and poverty in these communities.”
Bimkom’s an Israeli human right group. Nili Baruch’s one of its urban planners. “The key to a solution to the issue of the unrecognized villages in the Negev is planning,” she said.
“A plan to formally recognize the unrecognized villages (such as the one initiated by the village residents themselves) will afford them their rights to education, health, adequate infrastructure, and sources of employment.”
“Such a process would not only be the most likely to succeed, but also the most just, coming after years of neglect of the unrecognized villages, most of which have been in existence since before the state of Israel was established.”
A joint Bimkom/Association for Civil Rights in Israel position paper [PDF] called Israel’s Bedouin dispossession plan:
“one-sided and not accepted by the Bedouin population;”
mindless of Bedouin’s historical rights;
a “mechanism” to displace 40,000 Bedouins from land rightfully theirs;
an arrangement wholly “unequal and discriminatory;”
discriminatory between different types of Bedouins; and
“extremely harmful and problematic.”
On September 16 predawn, Israeli forces demolished Khirbet al-Makhoul village. They did so violently. They displaced about 120 Palestinians from land rightfully theirs.
They’re homeless on their own. Dozens of children are affected. Israel confiscated tents, other humanitarian aid, and trucks transporting it. More on that below.
The next day, Israeli soldiers forced dozens of Palestinian families from northern Jordan Valley al-Burj and al-Mayta communities.
Allegedly it was to let Israel conduct military training. Forcibly removing residents from their homes and land violates core international law.
Fourth Geneva protects civilians. Article 33 prohibits collective punishment.
Article 147 forbids “unlawful deportation or transfer or unlawful confinement of a protected person and extensive destruction and appropriation of property carried out unlawfully and wantonly.”
Israel contemptuously breaches international law. It does so repeatedly. It does it because world leaders able to intervene turn a blind eye.
On September 20, Israeli soldiers violently attacked international diplomats and aid workers. They prevented Khirbet al-Makhoul village residents from rebuilding.
On September 20, Reuters headlined “Israeli forces manhandle EU diplomats, seize West Bank aid,” saying:
They “seized a truck full of tents and emergency aid they had been trying to deliver to Palestinians whose homes were demolished this week.”
“A Reuters reporter saw soldiers throw sound grenades at a group of diplomats, aid workers and locals in the occupied West Bank, and yank a French diplomat out of the truck before driving away with its contents.”
” ‘They dragged me out of the truck and forced me to the ground with no regard for my diplomatic immunity,’ ” French diplomat Marion Castaing said.”
” ‘This is how international law is being respected here,’ ” she said, covered with dust.”
Israel’s army and police had no comment. Failure to do so explains more about how Israel breaches international law contemptuously.
According to Reuters, Israeli forces acted after Israel’s High Court claimed longstanding residents lacked permits to build on their own land.
In the face of brutalizing Israeli force, they stood their ground courageously. They refused to leave land rightfully theirs.
They’ve lived their for centuries. They raised their families. They grazed their sheep. They’re not going quietly into the night for Israel. They intend to fight for their rights.
Israel stopped International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) workers from delivering humanitarian aid.
Tents were erected. Israel ripped them down. They confiscated them. They stole emergency supplies.
On Friday, French, British, Spanish, Irish, EU political office representatives, and Australian diplomats brought more aid.
On arrival, Israeli forces confronted them. They did so violently. They attacked them viciously. They confiscated their supplies. An unnamed EU diplomat said:
“It’s shocking and outrageous. We will report these actions to our governments.”
Their mission is in accordance with “international humanitarian law,” he said.
“By the Geneva Convention, an occupying power needs to see to the needs of people under occupation. These people aren’t being protected,” he added.
A spokesman for Britain’s Jerusalem consulate expressed “serious” concern about what happened.
“We have repeatedly made clear to the Israeli authorities our concerns over such demolitions, which we view as causing unnecessary suffering to ordinary Palestinians, as harmful to the peace process, and as contrary to international humanitarian law,” he said.
An Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) statement said Khirbet al-Makhoul village was the third Bedouin community Israel destroyed since August.
Many others are targeted the same way. Israel does so violently. Residents are rousted pre-dawn. On short notice, they’re ordered to evacuate.
On May 6, Israel’s Ministerial Committee on Legislative Affairs approved a draft Bedouin ethnic cleansing plan. On June 24, Israel’s Knesset addressed it.
It’s called the Begin-Prawer Plan. It passed its first reading. It targets 40,000 Palestinian Bedouins.
Israel wants them ethnically cleansed. It wants their villages destroyed. It wants their land for Jews only development. It wants Arabs entirely excluded.
Civil rights attorney Rawia Aburabia said Israel’s plan “will cause the displacement and forced eviction of dozens of villages and tens of thousands of Bedouin residents, dispossessing them of their property and historical rights to their lands, destroying the social fabric of their communities, and sealing the fate of thousands of families into poverty and unemployment.”
“All of this while the government simultaneously promotes the establishment of new Jewish communities, some of which are even slated to be built on the fresh ruins of Bedouin villages.”
“Rather than displacing these communities, the government should seek a true and just solution that facilitates the inclusion of Bedouin citizens into the civil and social fabric of the Negev by recognizing the unrecognized villages and acknowledging their legal ownership rights to their lands.”
“For years, the Bedouin citizens have lived in (unrecognized) villages without basic conditions while around them more and more Jewish communities are built.”
“The government must decide whether to seek a true and just solution that facilitates the inclusion of Bedouin in the Negev as equal citizens or a belligerent plan, that only increases the alienation, hostility and poverty in these communities.”
Bimkom’s an Israeli human right group. Nili Baruch’s one of its urban planners. “The key to a solution to the issue of the unrecognized villages in the Negev is planning,” she said.
“A plan to formally recognize the unrecognized villages (such as the one initiated by the village residents themselves) will afford them their rights to education, health, adequate infrastructure, and sources of employment.”
“Such a process would not only be the most likely to succeed, but also the most just, coming after years of neglect of the unrecognized villages, most of which have been in existence since before the state of Israel was established.”
A joint Bimkom/Association for Civil Rights in Israel position paper [PDF] called Israel’s Bedouin dispossession plan:
“one-sided and not accepted by the Bedouin population;”
mindless of Bedouin’s historical rights;
a “mechanism” to displace 40,000 Bedouins from land rightfully theirs;
an arrangement wholly “unequal and discriminatory;”
discriminatory between different types of Bedouins; and
“extremely harmful and problematic.”
On September 16 predawn, Israeli forces demolished Khirbet al-Makhoul village. They did so violently. They displaced about 120 Palestinians from land rightfully theirs.
They’re homeless on their own. Dozens of children are affected. Israel confiscated tents, other humanitarian aid, and trucks transporting it. More on that below.
The next day, Israeli soldiers forced dozens of Palestinian families from northern Jordan Valley al-Burj and al-Mayta communities.
Allegedly it was to let Israel conduct military training. Forcibly removing residents from their homes and land violates core international law.
Fourth Geneva protects civilians. Article 33 prohibits collective punishment.
Article 147 forbids “unlawful deportation or transfer or unlawful confinement of a protected person and extensive destruction and appropriation of property carried out unlawfully and wantonly.”
Israel contemptuously breaches international law. It does so repeatedly. It does it because world leaders able to intervene turn a blind eye.
On September 20, Israeli soldiers violently attacked international diplomats and aid workers. They prevented Khirbet al-Makhoul village residents from rebuilding.
On September 20, Reuters headlined “Israeli forces manhandle EU diplomats, seize West Bank aid,” saying:
They “seized a truck full of tents and emergency aid they had been trying to deliver to Palestinians whose homes were demolished this week.”
“A Reuters reporter saw soldiers throw sound grenades at a group of diplomats, aid workers and locals in the occupied West Bank, and yank a French diplomat out of the truck before driving away with its contents.”
” ‘They dragged me out of the truck and forced me to the ground with no regard for my diplomatic immunity,’ ” French diplomat Marion Castaing said.”
” ‘This is how international law is being respected here,’ ” she said, covered with dust.”
Israel’s army and police had no comment. Failure to do so explains more about how Israel breaches international law contemptuously.
According to Reuters, Israeli forces acted after Israel’s High Court claimed longstanding residents lacked permits to build on their own land.
In the face of brutalizing Israeli force, they stood their ground courageously. They refused to leave land rightfully theirs.
They’ve lived their for centuries. They raised their families. They grazed their sheep. They’re not going quietly into the night for Israel. They intend to fight for their rights.
Israel stopped International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) workers from delivering humanitarian aid.
Tents were erected. Israel ripped them down. They confiscated them. They stole emergency supplies.
On Friday, French, British, Spanish, Irish, EU political office representatives, and Australian diplomats brought more aid.
On arrival, Israeli forces confronted them. They did so violently. They attacked them viciously. They confiscated their supplies. An unnamed EU diplomat said:
“It’s shocking and outrageous. We will report these actions to our governments.”
Their mission is in accordance with “international humanitarian law,” he said.
“By the Geneva Convention, an occupying power needs to see to the needs of people under occupation. These people aren’t being protected,” he added.
A spokesman for Britain’s Jerusalem consulate expressed “serious” concern about what happened.
“We have repeatedly made clear to the Israeli authorities our concerns over such demolitions, which we view as causing unnecessary suffering to ordinary Palestinians, as harmful to the peace process, and as contrary to international humanitarian law,” he said.
An Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) statement said Khirbet al-Makhoul village was the third Bedouin community Israel destroyed since August.
Many others are targeted the same way. Israel does so violently. Residents are rousted pre-dawn. On short notice, they’re ordered to evacuate.
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Resisters are viciously attacked, injured and arrested. Israel doesn’t recognize Bedouin villages. It denies them vital services. It treats their residents like nonpersons. It does so with disdain.
Villagers are subject to frequent attacks. Their homes are demolished. Their land is stolen. They’re uprooted. They’re violently dispossessed. It bears repeating. Bedouins historically lived on Negev land for centuries. They did so before Judaism existed. Israel denies them all rights. Rogue states operate that way. Since 2011 alone, thousands of homes and other property were demolished. Bedouins faced decades of repression and forced displacement. |
Israel denies their right to live on long held ancestral land. It does so lawlessly. It bears repeating. Rogue states operate this way.
Israel and America are by far the worst. They threaten much more than fundamental Palestinian rights. They threaten humanity’s survival.
Israel and America are by far the worst. They threaten much more than fundamental Palestinian rights. They threaten humanity’s survival.
Suspected Israeli extremists punctured the tires of six Palestinian vehicles in East Jerusalem on Sunday and sprayed graffiti.
Imad Muhaisen al-Kaswani, a resident of Sheikh Jarrah, told Ma'an that two Israelis passed through the neighborhood at 4 a.m. and punctured the tires of six cars using tools.
They also sprayed "price-tag" on a neighborhood wall. Members of the al-Kaswani family tried to chase the extremists, but they fled the scene.
Surveillance cameras in the neighborhood filmed the attack.
The cars belong to the al-Kaswani, Shamsana, Zahran, Hijeh and Salim families.
Israeli police are investigating the incident.
Imad Muhaisen al-Kaswani, a resident of Sheikh Jarrah, told Ma'an that two Israelis passed through the neighborhood at 4 a.m. and punctured the tires of six cars using tools.
They also sprayed "price-tag" on a neighborhood wall. Members of the al-Kaswani family tried to chase the extremists, but they fled the scene.
Surveillance cameras in the neighborhood filmed the attack.
The cars belong to the al-Kaswani, Shamsana, Zahran, Hijeh and Salim families.
Israeli police are investigating the incident.
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Brussels has demanded an explanation from Israel following the confiscation of humanitarian aid meant for Palestinians in the West Bank, EU foreign policy chief Catherine Ashton's spokesman said Saturday.
"The EU deplores the confiscation of humanitarian aid yesterday by Israeli security forces," Michael Mann said in a statement. "Representatives of the EU have already contacted the Israeli authorities to demand an explanation and express their concern over the incident. "The EU underlines the importance of unimpeded delivery of humanitarian assistance |
and the applicability of international humanitarian law in the occupied Palestinian territory," the statement concluded.
European diplomats were manhandled on Friday by Israeli soldiers, who confiscated tents and humanitarian aid destined for Palestinians, whose homes were said to have been destroyed by the army, according to several sources.
Israeli soldiers forcibly dispersed a group of volunteers from humanitarian organizations, along with the diplomats, who were trying to distribute the equipment to Makhoul Palestinian Bedouin in the Jordan Valley east of the West Bank.
The UN humanitarian coordinator for the Palestinian territories, James Rawley, expressed "deep concern" after the incident on Friday.
The assault was a violation of the Vienna Convention on Diplomatic Relations and amounts to "bullying" of the international community, PLO official Hanan Ashrawi said.
"This measure is yet another example of the Israeli policies that aim at preventing any attempt to ease the suffering of the Palestinian people, let alone ending the occupation," she added.
Israel has destroyed more than 500 Palestinian properties in the West Bank and mostly East Jerusalem since the beginning of this year, displacing 862 people, according to OCHA.
European diplomats were manhandled on Friday by Israeli soldiers, who confiscated tents and humanitarian aid destined for Palestinians, whose homes were said to have been destroyed by the army, according to several sources.
Israeli soldiers forcibly dispersed a group of volunteers from humanitarian organizations, along with the diplomats, who were trying to distribute the equipment to Makhoul Palestinian Bedouin in the Jordan Valley east of the West Bank.
The UN humanitarian coordinator for the Palestinian territories, James Rawley, expressed "deep concern" after the incident on Friday.
The assault was a violation of the Vienna Convention on Diplomatic Relations and amounts to "bullying" of the international community, PLO official Hanan Ashrawi said.
"This measure is yet another example of the Israeli policies that aim at preventing any attempt to ease the suffering of the Palestinian people, let alone ending the occupation," she added.
Israel has destroyed more than 500 Palestinian properties in the West Bank and mostly East Jerusalem since the beginning of this year, displacing 862 people, according to OCHA.
Saturday [September 21, 2013] undercover soldiers kidnapped two Palestinians after several Israeli military jeeps invaded Jaba’ village, south of the northern West Bank city of Jenin. Clashes, and injuries among the residents, have been reported. Separate invasion targets Hebron.
The Palestinian News & Info Agency (WAFA) has reported that undercover soldiers infiltrated into the village and kidnapped Aziz Anis Khaleeliyya, 32, and Nassim Suleiman Alawna, 38.
Regular army units then invaded the village and clashed with local youths who hurled stones and empty bottles at them.
The army fired gas bombs, and rubber-coated metal bullets; dozens of residents have been treated for the effect of teargas inhalation.
In related news, dozens of soldiers invaded the Shallala Street, in the center of the southern West Bank city of Hebron, and clashed with local youths.
WAFA said that the soldiers fired several concussion grenades, gas bombs, and rubber-coated metal bullets leading to several injuries; the wounded received treatment by local medics.
The Palestinian News & Info Agency (WAFA) has reported that undercover soldiers infiltrated into the village and kidnapped Aziz Anis Khaleeliyya, 32, and Nassim Suleiman Alawna, 38.
Regular army units then invaded the village and clashed with local youths who hurled stones and empty bottles at them.
The army fired gas bombs, and rubber-coated metal bullets; dozens of residents have been treated for the effect of teargas inhalation.
In related news, dozens of soldiers invaded the Shallala Street, in the center of the southern West Bank city of Hebron, and clashed with local youths.
WAFA said that the soldiers fired several concussion grenades, gas bombs, and rubber-coated metal bullets leading to several injuries; the wounded received treatment by local medics.
