15 july 2016
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At least 700 Palestinian and Israeli activists and other peace groups marched on Friday at the freedom march to mark the 10th anniversary of founding Combatants for Peace movement. Joining the protest today Alistair Little and Gerard Foster former combatants from both sides of the Irish conflict.
The march started from the entrance of Batier village to the south of Bethlehem city. People marched towards settlers road 60 and walked all the way to the tunnel checkpoint separating Bethlehem area from Jerusalem. During the march activists and members of CFP used hand-made poppets to close the settlers road and then used it during the protest as the chanted anti occupation slogans and demanded the end of occupation and the establishment of peace. During his speech at the checkpoint Mr. Ra’ed Haddar, coordinator of the |
regional groups of CFP, told the gathering” we are here to stay we are not leaving, we do not fear your weapons because we believe in justice and peace.”
From the Israeli side CFP activist Neta Hazan said “ As an Eastern woman , the daughter of Moroccan and Egyptian Jews, I feel that it is my duty to stand by my Palestinian sisters and brothers because their struggle is our struggle we, the Easterners, against repression , denial and towards equality and freedom . ”
Gerard Foster delivered also a speech and said” the fight for peace is a lonely road, sometimes you finds yourselves standing alone, but let me tell you, you are not alone, you inspire us all.”
At the last speech, Sami Awad, Director of the Palestinian NGO Holy Land Trust, spoke to the Israeli protesters and said ” to those Israelis who are here seeking peace with me because they are afraid of me, and want me to become less of a threat to them, I say go back to your home I do not want your peace. To those Israelis who are here because they believe in Peace, they believe in justices, they believe in freedom and equality, and they are ready to commit to talking and walking this path, I don’t only say welcome, abut also say my home is yours.”
At the end Mira Awad, a Palestinian Israeli singer preformed a song from the words of famous Palestinian poet Mahmoud Darwish.
CFP believes that the conflict cannot be resolved, through military means, by either of the parties, but only through joint action, can we break the cycle of violence and put an end to the Israeli occupation of the Palestinian territories.
The movement calls for the establishment of an independent Palestinian state with its capital in East Jerusalem, based on the border of June 4, 1967, alongside Israel. CFP uses nonviolent means and call on both nations to join us to achieve peace and reconciliation between Palestinians and Israelis.
From the Israeli side CFP activist Neta Hazan said “ As an Eastern woman , the daughter of Moroccan and Egyptian Jews, I feel that it is my duty to stand by my Palestinian sisters and brothers because their struggle is our struggle we, the Easterners, against repression , denial and towards equality and freedom . ”
Gerard Foster delivered also a speech and said” the fight for peace is a lonely road, sometimes you finds yourselves standing alone, but let me tell you, you are not alone, you inspire us all.”
At the last speech, Sami Awad, Director of the Palestinian NGO Holy Land Trust, spoke to the Israeli protesters and said ” to those Israelis who are here seeking peace with me because they are afraid of me, and want me to become less of a threat to them, I say go back to your home I do not want your peace. To those Israelis who are here because they believe in Peace, they believe in justices, they believe in freedom and equality, and they are ready to commit to talking and walking this path, I don’t only say welcome, abut also say my home is yours.”
At the end Mira Awad, a Palestinian Israeli singer preformed a song from the words of famous Palestinian poet Mahmoud Darwish.
CFP believes that the conflict cannot be resolved, through military means, by either of the parties, but only through joint action, can we break the cycle of violence and put an end to the Israeli occupation of the Palestinian territories.
The movement calls for the establishment of an independent Palestinian state with its capital in East Jerusalem, based on the border of June 4, 1967, alongside Israel. CFP uses nonviolent means and call on both nations to join us to achieve peace and reconciliation between Palestinians and Israelis.
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“Since over the past several years, you refused to meet me and sit down and negotiate peace, I hope you’ll hear this message,” the Israeli PM said, addressing the PA president.
Prime Minister Netanyahu has filmed a new video, uploaded to video-sharing website YouTube, in which he implores Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas to denounce terrorism and work with Netanyahu towards the establishment of peace. “President Abbas,” Netanyahu began, “Since over the past several years, you refused to meet me and sit down and negotiate peace, I hope you’ll hear this message.” In the video, Netanyahu decried several examples of actions by Palestinian |
officials and prominent public institutions which encourage and embrace terrorists and/or terror activities, including statements made by Abbas’ advisor, Sultan Abu al Einein, and the upcoming dedication of a monument to terrorist Abu Sukar, a terrorist who bombed Jerusalem’s Zion Square in 1975, killing 14 people and wounding dozens more. “This will help educate future generations to love peace over war, compassion over violence. It will also help convince Israelis that they have a true partner for peace,” Netanyahu said.
The Israeli prime minister ended the video by accusing the Palestinian Liberation Organization (PLO) of providing a monthly salary to anyone who murders Jews. “This money provides direct incentive to commit terror,” Netanyahu said, ”I ask that you stop paying murderers and instead use this money to fund co-existence education, teach tolerance not terror.”
“I will continue to work tirelessly for peace,” he concluded, “It’s time that you join this effort.”
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President Abbas, Since over the past several years, you refused to meet me and sit down and negotiate peace, I hope you’ll hear this message.
First, your advisor, Sultan Abu al Einein recently called to slit the throat of every Israeli.
Three days later, a Palestinian terrorist turned these words into action when he slit the throat of a 13-year-old beautiful girl, Hallel Yaffa Ariel, as she slept. She was a little, innocent girl. She didn't deserve this. I ask that you fire this advisor because advocating genocide is not consistent with peace.
Second, your party recently praised a terrorist on Facebook who murdered 24 civilians, innocent Israelis in cold blood. I ask that you to pick up the phone and instruct your party's social media manager to stop praising mass murderers. Impressionable children read these posts. They should be taught harmony, not hate. Such words seriously harm the chances of peace.
Third, next week the Palestinian Authority will dedicate a monument to Abu Sukar. Abu Sukar murdered 15 people by detonating a refrigerator filled with explosives on a busy Jerusalem street. Rather than dedicate a statue to a mass-murderer, I ask that you consider honoring a champion of co-existence. This will help educate future generations to love peace over war, compassion over violence. It will also help convince Israelis that they have a true partner for peace.
Fourth, the PLO currently pays a monthly salary to anyone who murders Jews. This money provides direct incentive to commit terror. I ask that you stop paying murderers and instead use this money to fund co-existence education, teach tolerance not terror.
Fifth, every Israeli and Palestinian child deserves a life of hope, of tranquility and opportunity. I will continue to work tirelessly for peace. It’s time that you join this effort.
The Israeli prime minister ended the video by accusing the Palestinian Liberation Organization (PLO) of providing a monthly salary to anyone who murders Jews. “This money provides direct incentive to commit terror,” Netanyahu said, ”I ask that you stop paying murderers and instead use this money to fund co-existence education, teach tolerance not terror.”
“I will continue to work tirelessly for peace,” he concluded, “It’s time that you join this effort.”
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President Abbas, Since over the past several years, you refused to meet me and sit down and negotiate peace, I hope you’ll hear this message.
First, your advisor, Sultan Abu al Einein recently called to slit the throat of every Israeli.
Three days later, a Palestinian terrorist turned these words into action when he slit the throat of a 13-year-old beautiful girl, Hallel Yaffa Ariel, as she slept. She was a little, innocent girl. She didn't deserve this. I ask that you fire this advisor because advocating genocide is not consistent with peace.
Second, your party recently praised a terrorist on Facebook who murdered 24 civilians, innocent Israelis in cold blood. I ask that you to pick up the phone and instruct your party's social media manager to stop praising mass murderers. Impressionable children read these posts. They should be taught harmony, not hate. Such words seriously harm the chances of peace.
Third, next week the Palestinian Authority will dedicate a monument to Abu Sukar. Abu Sukar murdered 15 people by detonating a refrigerator filled with explosives on a busy Jerusalem street. Rather than dedicate a statue to a mass-murderer, I ask that you consider honoring a champion of co-existence. This will help educate future generations to love peace over war, compassion over violence. It will also help convince Israelis that they have a true partner for peace.
Fourth, the PLO currently pays a monthly salary to anyone who murders Jews. This money provides direct incentive to commit terror. I ask that you stop paying murderers and instead use this money to fund co-existence education, teach tolerance not terror.
Fifth, every Israeli and Palestinian child deserves a life of hope, of tranquility and opportunity. I will continue to work tirelessly for peace. It’s time that you join this effort.
13 july 2016
Planning and building unit of the Israeli municipality of Jerusalem endorsed the construction of 90 settlement units in Gilo settlement to the south of city despite being located over lands occupied in 1967.
The Peace Now Movement in Israel had previously affirmed that Israel has not frozen settlement construction.
Israeli authorities have been retroactively legitimizing many of the settlement outposts and establishing more of settlement units over Palestinians’ lands, the Movement added.
The Peace Now Movement in Israel had previously affirmed that Israel has not frozen settlement construction.
Israeli authorities have been retroactively legitimizing many of the settlement outposts and establishing more of settlement units over Palestinians’ lands, the Movement added.
12 july 2016
Recent statistics have revealed that the number of demolitions and confiscations by Israel in the West Bank and East Jerusalem in 2016 have increased by 450%, in comparison to 2015, signaling a covert attempt to establish a state for Israeli settlers in the Palestinian state.
Since the signing of the Oslo Accords in 1993, the number of Israeli settlers and settlements in the West Bank and East Jerusalem has multiplied by 600%.
The Israeli population illegally occupying the West Bank and East Jerusalem is gradually turning Palestinians’ dreams in statehood onto a mirage.
As of December 31, 2015, the number of Israeli settlers in the West Bank and East Jerusalem surpassed 765,000, a huge increase since 1993 when the number barely reached 105,000.
Data revealed that the growth rate of the settler population in the West Bank and East Jerusalem is higher than that among Israelis in Israel and Palestinians in the West Bank and East Jerusalem.
The increase in the number of settlers is estimated at 5.8% in comparison to 1.8% in Israel and 2.9% among Palestinians, which indicates a deliberate targeting of the Palestinian state and its resources.
06/25/16 UNRWA Statement on Punitive Israeli Demolitions, Use of Explosives
Reviewing the situation on the ground, statistics and experts point out that Israel has come too close to establishing a state for settlers in the heart of the promised Palestinian state.
Israel has founded entire cities, which became home to hundreds of thousands of settlers at the expense of Palestinians’ lives and future by destroying their homes and denying them the right to build in their lands.
Ghassan Daghlas who is in charge of monitoring and documenting Israeli settlement activities in the West Bank told WAFA after the assassination of prime minister Yitzhak Rabin, the Israeli government and the Zionist Lobby all agreed and began work in the direction of establishing a state for the settlers in what they choose to refer to as “Judea and Samaria”.
Settlement expansion in the occupied West Bank and annexed East Jerusalem has been fully sponsored and endorsed by right and far right politicians and businessmen. The number of settlement units advertised and sold has increased by 850% in 2016 in comparison to 2015.
According to statistics and data gathered by Daghlas, Israel is currently controlling and exploiting Area C, which covers 60% of the West Bank and is home to an estimated 180,000 – 300,000 Palestinians and to a settler population of at least 325,500 living in 125 settlements and approx. 100 outposts.
According to B’Tselem, the Israeli Information Center for Human Rights in the Occupied Territories, “Israel retains control of security and land-management in Area C and views the area as there to serve its own needs, such as military training, economic interests and settlement development.”
Israel ignores Palestinians’ needs and bans them from construction and development. B’Tselem added, “At the same time, it encourages the development of Israeli settlements through a parallel planning mechanism, and the Civil Administration turns a blind eye to settlers’ building violations.”
According to Al-Maqdese for Society Development (MSD), a non-profit organization to protect and defend Palestinians’ rights, between the years 1967 and 2000, Israel demolished around 500 buildings and between 2000 and 2014, it demolished another 1,342 buildings in Jerusalem, forcefully displacing 5,760 Palestinians.
In East Jerusalem, Palestinians are forced to take the painful route and demolish their own homes to avoid large demolition fines issued by the Israeli municipality.
Many Palestinians must choose between demolishing their homes, and paying for it or going to court, paying fines, paying the engineer and the lawyer and eventually losing.
Around 340 Palestinians in East Jerusalem were forced to demolish their own homes between 2000 and 2014.
According to the United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA), Israeli forces demolished 417 buildings in the West Bank, including East Jerusalem, leading to the forced displacement of 495 Palestinians including 277 children.
Jad Issac from the Applied Research Institute – Jerusalem told WAFA that Israel plans to establish two states in the West Bank. “Israel plans to give Israeli settlers around 75% of Area C, which is a total of 60% of the West Bank, eventually turning the Palestinian state into isolated cantons on less than 50% of the original area.”
Issac pointed out, according to WAFA, that the increase in demolitions is spiraling out of hand, saying that between January and May 2016, Israeli demolished 276 homes and 348 dwellings in comparison to 108 homes and 59 dwellings in 2015, mostly in Jerusalem, Nablus and Hebron.
He said that the reason behind the concentration in specific areas is to support the presence of the settlers in these areas and establish a solid state for them and ensure their control.
But, it is different in Jerusalem; Issac said Israel is trying to empty Jerusalem from Palestinians and maintain a Jewish majority. Many Palestinian neighborhoods in Jerusalem are facing drastic Israeli attempts to confiscate more homes.
“Israel issues 143 building permits to the Palestinians in East Jerusalem while their need exceeds 2000 permits. As a result, they are forced to build in areas near Jerusalem such as al-Ram and al-Issawiya, turning these areas into overcrowded areas with minimum services.”
The expenses Palestinians are forced to pay in order to be issued permits are considered the highest around the world. In order for a Palestinian family to receive a construction permit, they need to wait between 8 and 12 years while the average cost to receive a permit for a 110 meter square apartment in Jerusalem is $60,000 to $70,000, excluding taxes and post-construction fees.
Since the year 2000, Israeli demolished 3,979 homes in the West Bank and displaced thousands of Palestinians.
As for confiscated land, Israel has taken over 7,773 dunums of land between January and June 2016 mostly in Jericho, Bethlehem and Salfit, an increase by 439% in comparison to 2015.
Waleed Assaf, minister of the separation wall and settlement activities’ affairs asserted that the far right government, which is leading Israel, has destroyed the West Bank and isolated its north from the center and south using military checkpoints.
He added that Israel regularly expropriates area A, currently comprising about 18% of the land in the West Bank, which includes all the Palestinian cities and most of the Palestinian population of the West Bank; the Palestinian Authority (PA) is endowed with most governmental powers this area, and denies Palestinians from making use of Area C.
“The sum of money spent on infrastructure in the settlement blocs and outside and the governmental expenditure on roads connecting between settlements as well as water, power and sewage networks indicates that Israel is aiming to establish a new entity for the settlers,” Assaf said.
He added, “Two decades after Oslo, Jerusalem has become more Jewish and Israeli due to the settlements, separation wall, and policy targeting Palestinian institutions. Al-Aqsa Mosque is the main target of Israel with Israeli settlers trying to take over the holy compound.”
In 1992, the idea of creating a physical barrier separating the Israeli and Palestinian populations was proposed by then-prime minister Yitzhak Rabin and by 2012, 440 km (62%) of the barrier was completed, 57 km (8%) was under construction and 212 km (30%) had not yet been started with little progress made by 2014.
Jerusalem has become an isolated city with 120,000 Palestinians stranded outside its municipal boarders, with 36% of its land under Israeli control. While Palestinians were granted small and ed areas for construction, Israeli settlers were allowed tens of thousands of settlement units.
By the year 2020, Israel plans to complete the construction of 58,000 units, a big part of which has already been constructed in the last two decades.
When it comes to Palestinian Bedouins, Assaf indicated that Israel is currently targeting those populations to completely empty Area C, which stretches from Yatta in the south through Bethlehem, Jerusalem, and Ramallah, and all the way to the north, eventually annexing these areas to Israel.
The far right Israeli government is also planning to speed up the settlement expansion and finalize isolating Jerusalem and dividing Al-Aqsa Mosque compound.
Archive IMEMC post: 7/23/15 BESA Poll: 53% of Israelis Agree on Settlement Evacuation
Since the signing of the Oslo Accords in 1993, the number of Israeli settlers and settlements in the West Bank and East Jerusalem has multiplied by 600%.
The Israeli population illegally occupying the West Bank and East Jerusalem is gradually turning Palestinians’ dreams in statehood onto a mirage.
As of December 31, 2015, the number of Israeli settlers in the West Bank and East Jerusalem surpassed 765,000, a huge increase since 1993 when the number barely reached 105,000.
Data revealed that the growth rate of the settler population in the West Bank and East Jerusalem is higher than that among Israelis in Israel and Palestinians in the West Bank and East Jerusalem.
The increase in the number of settlers is estimated at 5.8% in comparison to 1.8% in Israel and 2.9% among Palestinians, which indicates a deliberate targeting of the Palestinian state and its resources.
06/25/16 UNRWA Statement on Punitive Israeli Demolitions, Use of Explosives
Reviewing the situation on the ground, statistics and experts point out that Israel has come too close to establishing a state for settlers in the heart of the promised Palestinian state.
Israel has founded entire cities, which became home to hundreds of thousands of settlers at the expense of Palestinians’ lives and future by destroying their homes and denying them the right to build in their lands.
Ghassan Daghlas who is in charge of monitoring and documenting Israeli settlement activities in the West Bank told WAFA after the assassination of prime minister Yitzhak Rabin, the Israeli government and the Zionist Lobby all agreed and began work in the direction of establishing a state for the settlers in what they choose to refer to as “Judea and Samaria”.
Settlement expansion in the occupied West Bank and annexed East Jerusalem has been fully sponsored and endorsed by right and far right politicians and businessmen. The number of settlement units advertised and sold has increased by 850% in 2016 in comparison to 2015.
According to statistics and data gathered by Daghlas, Israel is currently controlling and exploiting Area C, which covers 60% of the West Bank and is home to an estimated 180,000 – 300,000 Palestinians and to a settler population of at least 325,500 living in 125 settlements and approx. 100 outposts.
According to B’Tselem, the Israeli Information Center for Human Rights in the Occupied Territories, “Israel retains control of security and land-management in Area C and views the area as there to serve its own needs, such as military training, economic interests and settlement development.”
Israel ignores Palestinians’ needs and bans them from construction and development. B’Tselem added, “At the same time, it encourages the development of Israeli settlements through a parallel planning mechanism, and the Civil Administration turns a blind eye to settlers’ building violations.”
According to Al-Maqdese for Society Development (MSD), a non-profit organization to protect and defend Palestinians’ rights, between the years 1967 and 2000, Israel demolished around 500 buildings and between 2000 and 2014, it demolished another 1,342 buildings in Jerusalem, forcefully displacing 5,760 Palestinians.
In East Jerusalem, Palestinians are forced to take the painful route and demolish their own homes to avoid large demolition fines issued by the Israeli municipality.
Many Palestinians must choose between demolishing their homes, and paying for it or going to court, paying fines, paying the engineer and the lawyer and eventually losing.
Around 340 Palestinians in East Jerusalem were forced to demolish their own homes between 2000 and 2014.
According to the United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA), Israeli forces demolished 417 buildings in the West Bank, including East Jerusalem, leading to the forced displacement of 495 Palestinians including 277 children.
Jad Issac from the Applied Research Institute – Jerusalem told WAFA that Israel plans to establish two states in the West Bank. “Israel plans to give Israeli settlers around 75% of Area C, which is a total of 60% of the West Bank, eventually turning the Palestinian state into isolated cantons on less than 50% of the original area.”
Issac pointed out, according to WAFA, that the increase in demolitions is spiraling out of hand, saying that between January and May 2016, Israeli demolished 276 homes and 348 dwellings in comparison to 108 homes and 59 dwellings in 2015, mostly in Jerusalem, Nablus and Hebron.
He said that the reason behind the concentration in specific areas is to support the presence of the settlers in these areas and establish a solid state for them and ensure their control.
But, it is different in Jerusalem; Issac said Israel is trying to empty Jerusalem from Palestinians and maintain a Jewish majority. Many Palestinian neighborhoods in Jerusalem are facing drastic Israeli attempts to confiscate more homes.
“Israel issues 143 building permits to the Palestinians in East Jerusalem while their need exceeds 2000 permits. As a result, they are forced to build in areas near Jerusalem such as al-Ram and al-Issawiya, turning these areas into overcrowded areas with minimum services.”
The expenses Palestinians are forced to pay in order to be issued permits are considered the highest around the world. In order for a Palestinian family to receive a construction permit, they need to wait between 8 and 12 years while the average cost to receive a permit for a 110 meter square apartment in Jerusalem is $60,000 to $70,000, excluding taxes and post-construction fees.
Since the year 2000, Israeli demolished 3,979 homes in the West Bank and displaced thousands of Palestinians.
As for confiscated land, Israel has taken over 7,773 dunums of land between January and June 2016 mostly in Jericho, Bethlehem and Salfit, an increase by 439% in comparison to 2015.
Waleed Assaf, minister of the separation wall and settlement activities’ affairs asserted that the far right government, which is leading Israel, has destroyed the West Bank and isolated its north from the center and south using military checkpoints.
He added that Israel regularly expropriates area A, currently comprising about 18% of the land in the West Bank, which includes all the Palestinian cities and most of the Palestinian population of the West Bank; the Palestinian Authority (PA) is endowed with most governmental powers this area, and denies Palestinians from making use of Area C.
“The sum of money spent on infrastructure in the settlement blocs and outside and the governmental expenditure on roads connecting between settlements as well as water, power and sewage networks indicates that Israel is aiming to establish a new entity for the settlers,” Assaf said.
He added, “Two decades after Oslo, Jerusalem has become more Jewish and Israeli due to the settlements, separation wall, and policy targeting Palestinian institutions. Al-Aqsa Mosque is the main target of Israel with Israeli settlers trying to take over the holy compound.”
In 1992, the idea of creating a physical barrier separating the Israeli and Palestinian populations was proposed by then-prime minister Yitzhak Rabin and by 2012, 440 km (62%) of the barrier was completed, 57 km (8%) was under construction and 212 km (30%) had not yet been started with little progress made by 2014.
Jerusalem has become an isolated city with 120,000 Palestinians stranded outside its municipal boarders, with 36% of its land under Israeli control. While Palestinians were granted small and ed areas for construction, Israeli settlers were allowed tens of thousands of settlement units.
By the year 2020, Israel plans to complete the construction of 58,000 units, a big part of which has already been constructed in the last two decades.
When it comes to Palestinian Bedouins, Assaf indicated that Israel is currently targeting those populations to completely empty Area C, which stretches from Yatta in the south through Bethlehem, Jerusalem, and Ramallah, and all the way to the north, eventually annexing these areas to Israel.
The far right Israeli government is also planning to speed up the settlement expansion and finalize isolating Jerusalem and dividing Al-Aqsa Mosque compound.
Archive IMEMC post: 7/23/15 BESA Poll: 53% of Israelis Agree on Settlement Evacuation
Palestinian Prime Minister Rami Hamdallah, on Tuesday, issued a statement condemning Israel’s plan to support the illegal Kiryat Arba settlement, and Jewish settlers in Hebron, with an additional 50 million News Israeli Shekels (approximately 12,922,569 USD.)
“The continued expansion of illegal settlements and the substantial sums poured into their development shows that Israel’s purported support of a two-state solution is not credible,” Hamdallah said.
“Its only purpose is is to divert the international community from Israel’s true intention: making the creation of a Palestinian state impossible, and maintaining the brutal occupation of the Palestinians indefinitely.”
The announcement of the 50-million NIS plan, PNN further reports, comes shortly after the Israeli government approved the construction of 800 new housing units for settlers in East Jerusalem and Ma’aleh Adumim; a decision harshly criticized by both the European Union and the United Nations. The recently published report by the Middle East Quartet has also stated that the continuing expansion of settlements is one of the major obstacles to peace.
“Once again, the Israeli government’s support for the illegal settlements and their extremist inhabitants makes it clear who the aggressor is,” said Jamal Dajani, Director of Strategic Communication and Media at the Prime Minister’s Office.
“Israel tries to portray itself as a victim, when the real victims are the Palestinians. They are the ones who are having their land stolen, their future taken and who are being killed by violent settlers and trigger-happy soldiers,” he concluded.
As recently as March of 2015, shortly before his re-election, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said that he would not allow a Palestinian state, if re-elected, effectively reneging on his 2009 endorsement of a two-state solution.
During the 2013 Israeli-Palestinian peace talks led by US Secretary of State John Kerry, Israeli officials announced and, eventually, carried out in full force, plans to build thousands of additional homes in illegal settlements across the occupied West Bank, while continuing to further seize lands, demolish homes and agricultural resources and, thus, leaving scores of Palestinian families severely disenfranchised and without so much as a roof over their heads to shelter them from inclement weather.
Gazans were already surviving on a mere 8 hours per day of electricity when the Palestinian negotiating team finally resigned in protest, in mid-November. Israel, soon after, made quite clear its position on securing peace with Palestinians when Israeli PM Benjamin Netanyahu, during a meeting with young Likud Party supporters, boasted:
“I was threatened in Washington: ‘not one brick’ [of settlement construction] … after five years, we built a little more than one brick…”
Asked about ‘peace talks with the Palestinians”, the PM reportedly replied, according to +972 online Israeli magazine: “about the – what?” to which his audience responded with a round of chuckling.
Netanyahu also vowed, in recent days, that he would never allow the Palestinian people to have East Jerusalem as their future capital and pledged to build “thousands” of settler units across the city.
“The continued expansion of illegal settlements and the substantial sums poured into their development shows that Israel’s purported support of a two-state solution is not credible,” Hamdallah said.
“Its only purpose is is to divert the international community from Israel’s true intention: making the creation of a Palestinian state impossible, and maintaining the brutal occupation of the Palestinians indefinitely.”
The announcement of the 50-million NIS plan, PNN further reports, comes shortly after the Israeli government approved the construction of 800 new housing units for settlers in East Jerusalem and Ma’aleh Adumim; a decision harshly criticized by both the European Union and the United Nations. The recently published report by the Middle East Quartet has also stated that the continuing expansion of settlements is one of the major obstacles to peace.
“Once again, the Israeli government’s support for the illegal settlements and their extremist inhabitants makes it clear who the aggressor is,” said Jamal Dajani, Director of Strategic Communication and Media at the Prime Minister’s Office.
“Israel tries to portray itself as a victim, when the real victims are the Palestinians. They are the ones who are having their land stolen, their future taken and who are being killed by violent settlers and trigger-happy soldiers,” he concluded.
As recently as March of 2015, shortly before his re-election, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said that he would not allow a Palestinian state, if re-elected, effectively reneging on his 2009 endorsement of a two-state solution.
During the 2013 Israeli-Palestinian peace talks led by US Secretary of State John Kerry, Israeli officials announced and, eventually, carried out in full force, plans to build thousands of additional homes in illegal settlements across the occupied West Bank, while continuing to further seize lands, demolish homes and agricultural resources and, thus, leaving scores of Palestinian families severely disenfranchised and without so much as a roof over their heads to shelter them from inclement weather.
Gazans were already surviving on a mere 8 hours per day of electricity when the Palestinian negotiating team finally resigned in protest, in mid-November. Israel, soon after, made quite clear its position on securing peace with Palestinians when Israeli PM Benjamin Netanyahu, during a meeting with young Likud Party supporters, boasted:
“I was threatened in Washington: ‘not one brick’ [of settlement construction] … after five years, we built a little more than one brick…”
Asked about ‘peace talks with the Palestinians”, the PM reportedly replied, according to +972 online Israeli magazine: “about the – what?” to which his audience responded with a round of chuckling.
Netanyahu also vowed, in recent days, that he would never allow the Palestinian people to have East Jerusalem as their future capital and pledged to build “thousands” of settler units across the city.
11 july 2016
Israeli army forces, Monday, razed Palestinian-owned land near the village of N’ilin, west of the government seat of Ramallah, in the Israeli-occupied West Bank, according to local sources.
Witnesses told WAFA Palestinian News & Info Agency that Israeli soldiers, accompanied by bulldozers, broke into the area and flattened the land in order to expand the nearby illegal settlement of Nili.
According to a report by Applied Research Institute (ARIJ), The consecutive Israeli governments adopted a policy to acquire occupied West Bank lands, for the purpose of building and expanding Israeli settlements by employing different methods; most renowned of which, “Security,” which is also, how Israel was able to restrict Palestinian towns’ development on the remaining areas.
Since 1967, it said, Israel utilized all the laws that were once running in this part of the land; at least the ones that it can make use of to justify its occupation in an attempt to legalize the various methods it uses to carry out its systematic policy to confiscate Palestinian lands to make it available for the occupation Army or/ and for the Israeli settlers.
Witnesses told WAFA Palestinian News & Info Agency that Israeli soldiers, accompanied by bulldozers, broke into the area and flattened the land in order to expand the nearby illegal settlement of Nili.
According to a report by Applied Research Institute (ARIJ), The consecutive Israeli governments adopted a policy to acquire occupied West Bank lands, for the purpose of building and expanding Israeli settlements by employing different methods; most renowned of which, “Security,” which is also, how Israel was able to restrict Palestinian towns’ development on the remaining areas.
Since 1967, it said, Israel utilized all the laws that were once running in this part of the land; at least the ones that it can make use of to justify its occupation in an attempt to legalize the various methods it uses to carry out its systematic policy to confiscate Palestinian lands to make it available for the occupation Army or/ and for the Israeli settlers.
The Israeli government on Sunday approved a new budget of about 13 million dollars (some 50 million shekels) to support settlements and strengthen their presence in al-Khalil province, south of the West Bank.
According to the Hebrew radio, the budget was approved during the weekly cabinet meeting on Sunday and will be earmarked for different projects in settlements and outposts in al-Khalil, especially Kiryat Arba.
The plan was suggested by agriculture minister Uri Ariel and found strong support from premier Benjamin Netanyahu.
Ariel stated in press remarks that this financial support would be aimed at strengthening the settlement of Kiryat Arba and its residents in response to what he labelled as recent "terrorist" attacks in al-Khalil.
This Israeli step came after Netanyahu approved recently the construction of 1,360 housing units in settlements in the West Bank and Jerusalem, according to Israel's Channel 7.
According to the Hebrew radio, the budget was approved during the weekly cabinet meeting on Sunday and will be earmarked for different projects in settlements and outposts in al-Khalil, especially Kiryat Arba.
The plan was suggested by agriculture minister Uri Ariel and found strong support from premier Benjamin Netanyahu.
Ariel stated in press remarks that this financial support would be aimed at strengthening the settlement of Kiryat Arba and its residents in response to what he labelled as recent "terrorist" attacks in al-Khalil.
This Israeli step came after Netanyahu approved recently the construction of 1,360 housing units in settlements in the West Bank and Jerusalem, according to Israel's Channel 7.