9 oct 2016
Israeli bulldozers on Sunday morning leveled Palestinian lands in western Salfit province to expand the illegal Rafafa settlement.
A PIC news correspondent said Israeli bulldozers and jackhammers razed Palestinian lands on the outskirts of the Rafafa settlement to pave the way for the construction of more residential apartments for Israeli settlers.
Researcher Khaled Maali said the Rafafa settlement was built in 1991 at the expense of Palestinian lands in western Salfit.
According to Maali, Rafafa is one among 25 Israeli illegal settlements built on Palestinian lands in Salfit.
A PIC news correspondent said Israeli bulldozers and jackhammers razed Palestinian lands on the outskirts of the Rafafa settlement to pave the way for the construction of more residential apartments for Israeli settlers.
Researcher Khaled Maali said the Rafafa settlement was built in 1991 at the expense of Palestinian lands in western Salfit.
According to Maali, Rafafa is one among 25 Israeli illegal settlements built on Palestinian lands in Salfit.
8 oct 2016
Kol Ha'ir Hebrew newspaper revealed Saturday a new settlement plan, which includes the construction of 142 new housing units, to be implemented in occupied Jerusalem.
According to the weekly newspaper, Tserfana Simeon Israeli Company affirmed the purchase of all housing units of Tserfana settlement project in Har Homa illegal settlement in occupied Jerusalem.
The project includes the construction of three 9-story buildings on an area of 4.5 acres, according to the sources.
Commenting on the project, head of Local Committee for Planning and Building Meir Turgeman declared intention to invite tenders for 30-story buildings near the light train in occupied Jerusalem. Settlement construction will continue in Jerusalem, he stressed.
He revealed that a new huge project will be implemented in the near future at the entrance to occupied Jerusalem.
The project includes governmental offices, the Supreme Court headquarters, and other governmental buildings.
According to the weekly newspaper, Tserfana Simeon Israeli Company affirmed the purchase of all housing units of Tserfana settlement project in Har Homa illegal settlement in occupied Jerusalem.
The project includes the construction of three 9-story buildings on an area of 4.5 acres, according to the sources.
Commenting on the project, head of Local Committee for Planning and Building Meir Turgeman declared intention to invite tenders for 30-story buildings near the light train in occupied Jerusalem. Settlement construction will continue in Jerusalem, he stressed.
He revealed that a new huge project will be implemented in the near future at the entrance to occupied Jerusalem.
The project includes governmental offices, the Supreme Court headquarters, and other governmental buildings.
7 oct 2016
A so-called “Jacob’s Dream” bid was published by Israel’s National Tourism Office on Friday to expand the illegal Beit El settlement outpost.
The government-backed bid includes the construction of a park for Israeli settlers on occupied Palestinian lands in northeastern Ramallah province.
According to the Israeli Tourism Office, the Jocob Dream Park is a necessity for Israeli tourism and Jewish settlers.
The Israeli watchdog Peace Now said the projected park is located 500 away from the Amona settlement outpost. The settlement bid targeting Palestinian lands in Dura al-Kara’ town makes part of a larger Israeli scheme to stretch the Beit El illegal settlement outpost, in a move dubbed by Palestinian locals “a nightmarish scenario.”
The government-backed bid includes the construction of a park for Israeli settlers on occupied Palestinian lands in northeastern Ramallah province.
According to the Israeli Tourism Office, the Jocob Dream Park is a necessity for Israeli tourism and Jewish settlers.
The Israeli watchdog Peace Now said the projected park is located 500 away from the Amona settlement outpost. The settlement bid targeting Palestinian lands in Dura al-Kara’ town makes part of a larger Israeli scheme to stretch the Beit El illegal settlement outpost, in a move dubbed by Palestinian locals “a nightmarish scenario.”
Israeli Education Minister Naftali Bennett called Thursday for annexing West Bank to Israel.
Speaking at a conference honoring a late right-wing Israeli legislator, Bennett voiced opposition to the eviction of Amona, an Israeli settlement outpost in the West Bank built on privately owned Palestinian land in 1995 and considered illegal under international and Israeli law.
Bennett called on supporters to give up their lives to ensure the annexation of the West Bank.
"We have to make the dream come true, and the dream is that Judea and Samaria will be part of the sovereign state of Israel,” Bennett said, using an Israeli name for the West Bank.
The education minister, who leads the religious Zionist Habayit Hayehudi party, called for an active policy to annex the West Bank, saying that the “path of concessions” has failed.
“We can't keep marking the land of Israel as a tactical target and a Palestinian state as the strategic target," he was quoted as saying by Israeli newspaper Haaretz.
He also strongly criticized statements made by Benjamin Netanyahu in favor of the two-state solution. “We have no right to divide the land,” Bennett said, adding, “Not with words, not with actions, not by silent acquiescence, not with quiet excuses. Not by politicians and not by jurists.”
The minister's speech came on the same day as the UN, the US and UK condemned Israeli plans to build 300 new homes for settlers in the West Bank.
Speaking at a conference honoring a late right-wing Israeli legislator, Bennett voiced opposition to the eviction of Amona, an Israeli settlement outpost in the West Bank built on privately owned Palestinian land in 1995 and considered illegal under international and Israeli law.
Bennett called on supporters to give up their lives to ensure the annexation of the West Bank.
"We have to make the dream come true, and the dream is that Judea and Samaria will be part of the sovereign state of Israel,” Bennett said, using an Israeli name for the West Bank.
The education minister, who leads the religious Zionist Habayit Hayehudi party, called for an active policy to annex the West Bank, saying that the “path of concessions” has failed.
“We can't keep marking the land of Israel as a tactical target and a Palestinian state as the strategic target," he was quoted as saying by Israeli newspaper Haaretz.
He also strongly criticized statements made by Benjamin Netanyahu in favor of the two-state solution. “We have no right to divide the land,” Bennett said, adding, “Not with words, not with actions, not by silent acquiescence, not with quiet excuses. Not by politicians and not by jurists.”
The minister's speech came on the same day as the UN, the US and UK condemned Israeli plans to build 300 new homes for settlers in the West Bank.
5 oct 2016
In an unusually strong statement, the State Department called plans to construct a 'significant' new settlement of up to 300 housing units and establish an industrial zone in the West Bank 'deeply troubling' and at odds with stated Israeli commitments.
The Obama administration is once again condemning Israel for plans to construct housing on land claimed by the Palestinians, saying that a new project announced last week profoundly hurts efforts to forge a two-state solution to the long-running conflict.
In unusually strong statements, the White House and State Department lashed out at a proposal announced last week to construct a significant new settlement of up to 300 housing units and establish an industrial zone in the West Bank.
"Proceeding with this new settlement is another step towards cementing a one-state reality of perpetual occupation that is fundamentally inconsistent with Israel's future as a Jewish and democratic state," spokesman Mark Toner said in a statement. "Such moves will only draw condemnation from the international community, distance Israel from many of its partners, and further call into question Israel's commitment to achieving a negotiated peace."
Toner said the proposal was "deeply troubling" because Israel announced the proposal so soon after the US agreed last month to a new 10-year, $38 billion military aid package for Israel. He also said it was "disheartening" as the announcement came the world was mourning the death of former Israeli President and Prime Minister Shimon Peres. US officials said the administration was particularly disturbed because the announcement came as President Barack Obama was visiting Jerusalem last week for the Peres' state funeral.
"It is deeply troubling, in the wake of Israel and the US concluding an unprecedented agreement on military assistance designed to further strengthen Israel's security, that Israel would take a decision so contrary to its long term security interest in a peaceful resolution of its conflict with the Palestinians," he said. "Furthermore, it is disheartening that while Israel and the world mourned the passing of President Shimon Peres, and leaders from the US and other nations prepared to honor one of the great champions of peace, plans were advanced that would seriously undermine the prospects for the two-state solution that he so passionately supported."
Later in the day, the White House sharply criticized Israel on Wednesday over its plan for a new settlement building in the West Bank that the White House says undermines the peace process and contradicts assurances from Jerusalem.
"We did receive public assurances from the Israeli government that contradict this announcement," White House spokesman Josh Earnest said at a news briefing. "I guess when we're talking about how good friends treat one another, that's a source of serious concern as well."
The Israeli Ministry of Foreign Affairs commented in reply, "The 98 housing units approved in Shilo do not constitute a 'new settlement.' This housing will be built on state land in the existing settlement of Shilo and will not change its municipal boundary or geographic footprint. The units are intended to provide a housing solution for the residents of Amona who must leave their homes in accordance with the demolition order issued by Israel's High Court of Justice.
"Israel remains committed to a solution of two states for two peoples, in which a demilitarized Palestinian state recognizes the Jewish state of Israel. The real obstacle to peace is not the settlements—a final status issue that can and must be resolved in negotiations between the parties—but the persistent Palestinian rejection of a Jewish state in any boundaries."
The US, which has repeatedly criticized Israel for such projects, has refrained from imposing consequences for the actions.
On Tuesday, UN Secretary General Ban Ki-moon also condemned the plans for the construction near Shiloh, west of Ramallah.
The Obama administration is once again condemning Israel for plans to construct housing on land claimed by the Palestinians, saying that a new project announced last week profoundly hurts efforts to forge a two-state solution to the long-running conflict.
In unusually strong statements, the White House and State Department lashed out at a proposal announced last week to construct a significant new settlement of up to 300 housing units and establish an industrial zone in the West Bank.
"Proceeding with this new settlement is another step towards cementing a one-state reality of perpetual occupation that is fundamentally inconsistent with Israel's future as a Jewish and democratic state," spokesman Mark Toner said in a statement. "Such moves will only draw condemnation from the international community, distance Israel from many of its partners, and further call into question Israel's commitment to achieving a negotiated peace."
Toner said the proposal was "deeply troubling" because Israel announced the proposal so soon after the US agreed last month to a new 10-year, $38 billion military aid package for Israel. He also said it was "disheartening" as the announcement came the world was mourning the death of former Israeli President and Prime Minister Shimon Peres. US officials said the administration was particularly disturbed because the announcement came as President Barack Obama was visiting Jerusalem last week for the Peres' state funeral.
"It is deeply troubling, in the wake of Israel and the US concluding an unprecedented agreement on military assistance designed to further strengthen Israel's security, that Israel would take a decision so contrary to its long term security interest in a peaceful resolution of its conflict with the Palestinians," he said. "Furthermore, it is disheartening that while Israel and the world mourned the passing of President Shimon Peres, and leaders from the US and other nations prepared to honor one of the great champions of peace, plans were advanced that would seriously undermine the prospects for the two-state solution that he so passionately supported."
Later in the day, the White House sharply criticized Israel on Wednesday over its plan for a new settlement building in the West Bank that the White House says undermines the peace process and contradicts assurances from Jerusalem.
"We did receive public assurances from the Israeli government that contradict this announcement," White House spokesman Josh Earnest said at a news briefing. "I guess when we're talking about how good friends treat one another, that's a source of serious concern as well."
The Israeli Ministry of Foreign Affairs commented in reply, "The 98 housing units approved in Shilo do not constitute a 'new settlement.' This housing will be built on state land in the existing settlement of Shilo and will not change its municipal boundary or geographic footprint. The units are intended to provide a housing solution for the residents of Amona who must leave their homes in accordance with the demolition order issued by Israel's High Court of Justice.
"Israel remains committed to a solution of two states for two peoples, in which a demilitarized Palestinian state recognizes the Jewish state of Israel. The real obstacle to peace is not the settlements—a final status issue that can and must be resolved in negotiations between the parties—but the persistent Palestinian rejection of a Jewish state in any boundaries."
The US, which has repeatedly criticized Israel for such projects, has refrained from imposing consequences for the actions.
On Tuesday, UN Secretary General Ban Ki-moon also condemned the plans for the construction near Shiloh, west of Ramallah.
4 oct 2016
The Israeli occupation authority (IOA) has finished all preparations, in cooperation with unnamed Jewish groups, to build a big synagogue called the Jewel of Israel in the heart of the Old City of Jerusalem.
It will be located about 200 meters away from the western side of the Aqsa Mosque.
According to the Palestinian news website Qpress, the new synagogue project will cost around 48 million shekels, mostly from the Israeli government and the rest from wealthy Jews.
The synagogue will be composed of six floors, two underground, and will be built on the ruins of an Islamic historical site dating back to the Ottoman and Mamluk eras.
The project is part of a large-scale Israeli plan aimed at planting religious Jewish structures in the heart of Old Jerusalem to change the Islamic and Arab identity of the holy city. It will be the second massive Jewish edifice in the Old City after the Hurva synagogue, which was built in 2010.
It will be located about 200 meters away from the western side of the Aqsa Mosque.
According to the Palestinian news website Qpress, the new synagogue project will cost around 48 million shekels, mostly from the Israeli government and the rest from wealthy Jews.
The synagogue will be composed of six floors, two underground, and will be built on the ruins of an Islamic historical site dating back to the Ottoman and Mamluk eras.
The project is part of a large-scale Israeli plan aimed at planting religious Jewish structures in the heart of Old Jerusalem to change the Islamic and Arab identity of the holy city. It will be the second massive Jewish edifice in the Old City after the Hurva synagogue, which was built in 2010.
3 oct 2016
A meeting is expected to be held by the Middle East Quartet in Cairo on Monday to discuss initiatives to stop the Israeli illegal settlement activity across the occupied Palestinian territories.
Palestinian Ambassador in Cairo, Jamal al-Shoubaki, said the meeting comes at the request of the Palestinians in an attempt to push for a resolution by the U.N. Security Council urging Israel to stop illegal settlement and to end the occupation of Palestine within a specific schedule.
The Quartet will examine the different possibilities to stop the Israeli violations against the Palestinians. Egyptian Foreign Minister Sameh Shoukry is expected to chair the meeting.
The Palestinian Authority (PA) Foreign Minister, Riyad al-Malki, Jordanian Minister of State for Foreign Affairs, Bisher Khasawneh, and the General Secretary of the Arab League Ahmad Aboul-Gheit, along with a Moroccan delegate, are set to join in.
Palestinian Ambassador in Cairo, Jamal al-Shoubaki, said the meeting comes at the request of the Palestinians in an attempt to push for a resolution by the U.N. Security Council urging Israel to stop illegal settlement and to end the occupation of Palestine within a specific schedule.
The Quartet will examine the different possibilities to stop the Israeli violations against the Palestinians. Egyptian Foreign Minister Sameh Shoukry is expected to chair the meeting.
The Palestinian Authority (PA) Foreign Minister, Riyad al-Malki, Jordanian Minister of State for Foreign Affairs, Bisher Khasawneh, and the General Secretary of the Arab League Ahmad Aboul-Gheit, along with a Moroccan delegate, are set to join in.
2 oct 2016
Israeli authorities locked down the West Bank and Gaza, home to over 5 million Palestinians, in preparation for the national celebration of the Jewish New Year, Rosh Hashanah, which begins at sundown on Sunday. In addition, the Israeli government approved plans for nearly one hundred more settlement units to be constructed in violation of international law in the Israeli-occupied West Bank, on illegally-seized Palestinian land.
The lockdown began at 12:01 am Sunday morning, and will continue until 11:59 pm on Tuesday night. Israeli authorities cited ‘security concerns’ as the reason for the closure.
Rosh Hashanah is the Jewish celebration of the New Year, according to the Hebrew calendar, and is a two-day celebration in which celebrants pray for a new year of peace and prosperity. The celebration involves blowing a ram’s horn and lighting candles.
During the lockdown, Palestinians are prevented by the Israeli military from traveling. They are also prevented from working or attending school, if their work or school is on the other side of an Israeli checkpoint.
Only ’emergency’ cases will be allowed to cross the border – but those ’emergencies’ will have to have been cleared and approved by Israeli authorities in advance of the lockdown, according to the Coordinator of Government Activities in the Territories.
Meanwhile, the Israeli group Peace Now has uncovered government documents revealing that the Israeli government has approved the construction of 98 settlement units in the ‘Shiloh’ settlement.
Shiloh is locate in the northern West Bank, north of the Palestinian city of Nablus. According to a report in the Telegraph newspaper, “Shiloh was founded in the early 1970s when the settlers wanted to spread northwards. Several attempts to settle around the Palestinian city of Nablus had been foiled by the army and a more sophisticated approach was required. It came in the form of Ira Rappaport, an extremist even by the standards of the early settlers. After gaining permission from the government to set up an archaeological dig in Shiloh, he quietly started building a settlement.
“Rappaport was a key member of a terrorist group called the Jewish Underground. In 1985, he was found guilty of planting a car bomb in Nablus that blew the legs off two Palestinian officials, Bassam Shakaa and Karim Khalaf. In a ruling that outraged many in Israel, the judge found him not guilty of attempted murder and convicted him on the charge of causing grievous bodily harm. He was sentenced to less than a year in prison and on his release was appointed leader of the Shiloh community.”
The new settlement units will be used to house Israeli colonizers who constructed an illegal colonial outpost called ‘Amona’, which was ruled illegal under Israeli law.
All Israeli settlements are considered to be a violation of international law, the Fourth Geneva Convention on the role of occupying nations, and agreements signed between the Israeli government and the Palestinian Authority.
Since 1993, when the Oslo peace agreement was signed, Israel has transferred over 600,000 Israeli citizens into colonial settlements, constructed on Palestinian land that was seized by the Israeli military and then transferred to paramilitary settlement groups with the express purpose of expanding the Israeli state further onto Palestinian territory.
The lockdown began at 12:01 am Sunday morning, and will continue until 11:59 pm on Tuesday night. Israeli authorities cited ‘security concerns’ as the reason for the closure.
Rosh Hashanah is the Jewish celebration of the New Year, according to the Hebrew calendar, and is a two-day celebration in which celebrants pray for a new year of peace and prosperity. The celebration involves blowing a ram’s horn and lighting candles.
During the lockdown, Palestinians are prevented by the Israeli military from traveling. They are also prevented from working or attending school, if their work or school is on the other side of an Israeli checkpoint.
Only ’emergency’ cases will be allowed to cross the border – but those ’emergencies’ will have to have been cleared and approved by Israeli authorities in advance of the lockdown, according to the Coordinator of Government Activities in the Territories.
Meanwhile, the Israeli group Peace Now has uncovered government documents revealing that the Israeli government has approved the construction of 98 settlement units in the ‘Shiloh’ settlement.
Shiloh is locate in the northern West Bank, north of the Palestinian city of Nablus. According to a report in the Telegraph newspaper, “Shiloh was founded in the early 1970s when the settlers wanted to spread northwards. Several attempts to settle around the Palestinian city of Nablus had been foiled by the army and a more sophisticated approach was required. It came in the form of Ira Rappaport, an extremist even by the standards of the early settlers. After gaining permission from the government to set up an archaeological dig in Shiloh, he quietly started building a settlement.
“Rappaport was a key member of a terrorist group called the Jewish Underground. In 1985, he was found guilty of planting a car bomb in Nablus that blew the legs off two Palestinian officials, Bassam Shakaa and Karim Khalaf. In a ruling that outraged many in Israel, the judge found him not guilty of attempted murder and convicted him on the charge of causing grievous bodily harm. He was sentenced to less than a year in prison and on his release was appointed leader of the Shiloh community.”
The new settlement units will be used to house Israeli colonizers who constructed an illegal colonial outpost called ‘Amona’, which was ruled illegal under Israeli law.
All Israeli settlements are considered to be a violation of international law, the Fourth Geneva Convention on the role of occupying nations, and agreements signed between the Israeli government and the Palestinian Authority.
Since 1993, when the Oslo peace agreement was signed, Israel has transferred over 600,000 Israeli citizens into colonial settlements, constructed on Palestinian land that was seized by the Israeli military and then transferred to paramilitary settlement groups with the express purpose of expanding the Israeli state further onto Palestinian territory.
