30 oct 2016
Israel’s settlement expansion and destruction of Palestinian homes have escalated during the current year, according to the National Bureau for Defending the Land and Resisting Settlement.
“As it is almost impossible for the Palestinians in the eastern part of Jerusalem to obtain construction permits from the occupation municipality, 166 structures have been demolished since the beginning of the current year,” the national bureau said in a report released on Saturday.
These razed structures included 112 apartments and homes as well as 54 commercial stores and warehouses.
Another 750 Palestinian homes, tents, structures were also removed or razed during the same period in Area C of the West Bank, especially in the Jordan Valley.
The national bureau noted that 78 homes in east Jerusalem and 453 others in the West Bank had been razed in 2015, which reflected that Israel escalated its demolition policy in 2016.
On the other hand, Israel stepped up its settlement construction in Jerusalem and the West Bank, the bureau stated.
This includes a plan to build 181 housing units in Gilo settlement in Occupied Jerusalem and another one to construct a 14-story apartment building for elderly settlers on a vast tract of annexed land in Masaha village of Salfit province.
The Israeli government also recently allowed settlers to establish an illegal outpost in the northern Jordan Valley near another illegal settler community called Givat Salit, which was created in 2001.
“As it is almost impossible for the Palestinians in the eastern part of Jerusalem to obtain construction permits from the occupation municipality, 166 structures have been demolished since the beginning of the current year,” the national bureau said in a report released on Saturday.
These razed structures included 112 apartments and homes as well as 54 commercial stores and warehouses.
Another 750 Palestinian homes, tents, structures were also removed or razed during the same period in Area C of the West Bank, especially in the Jordan Valley.
The national bureau noted that 78 homes in east Jerusalem and 453 others in the West Bank had been razed in 2015, which reflected that Israel escalated its demolition policy in 2016.
On the other hand, Israel stepped up its settlement construction in Jerusalem and the West Bank, the bureau stated.
This includes a plan to build 181 housing units in Gilo settlement in Occupied Jerusalem and another one to construct a 14-story apartment building for elderly settlers on a vast tract of annexed land in Masaha village of Salfit province.
The Israeli government also recently allowed settlers to establish an illegal outpost in the northern Jordan Valley near another illegal settler community called Givat Salit, which was created in 2001.
27 oct 2016
Israeli municipality approved Thursday morning the construction of new housing units in occupied Jerusalem starting from next week.
Israeli media sources affirmed that Israeli authorities approved the construction of 181 new housing units in the occupied city.
Under international law, Israeli settlements in occupied Jerusalem and West Bank are considered illegal. However, Netanyahu’s government continues its settlement projects despite the international backlash.
Israeli media sources affirmed that Israeli authorities approved the construction of 181 new housing units in the occupied city.
Under international law, Israeli settlements in occupied Jerusalem and West Bank are considered illegal. However, Netanyahu’s government continues its settlement projects despite the international backlash.
15 oct 2016
Israeli companies and investors with the help of the government in Tel Aviv have been embarking recently on marketing and finishing widespread housing projects as well as a commercial complex in settlements in the West Bank and Jerusalem.
According to Kol Ha’ir newspaper, Nofei Hama’ayan company, a group of real estate investors, is embarking on promoting a huge commercial complex project worth 350 million shekels at the entrance to Mishor Adumim settlement, northeast of Jerusalem.
The company is in the planning stage before the submission of a request for a building permit.
The shopping mall will include event halls, a home shopping area, restaurants, and entertainment for children and families, plus another area for furniture, design, electrical appliances, and ceramics stores.
Another company called Euro Israel has already started to sell 78 housing units in four apartment buildings in Neve Yaakov settlement north of Jerusalem. The units have been put up for sale on the company’s website.
However, the newspaper did not state if these buildings were built or would be finished after selling the units.
The company is building four other settlement projects. 122 housing units in Har Homa, 24 in Pisgat Ze’ev, 32 in Ariel and 96 others in Modi'in, according to the newspaper.
Sarfati Shimon company, for its part, has announced the sale of units in the second building of its project in Har Homa settlement. The project is composed of three apartment buildings of 142 units.
21 other units have been sold by the Israeli real estate company A. Aharon in Pisgat Ze’ev. 44 others are yet to be sold by the same company in the settlement.
The company also finished building the Novi Hapesga housing project in the same settlement. The project consists of 22 units.
According to Kol Ha’ir newspaper, Nofei Hama’ayan company, a group of real estate investors, is embarking on promoting a huge commercial complex project worth 350 million shekels at the entrance to Mishor Adumim settlement, northeast of Jerusalem.
The company is in the planning stage before the submission of a request for a building permit.
The shopping mall will include event halls, a home shopping area, restaurants, and entertainment for children and families, plus another area for furniture, design, electrical appliances, and ceramics stores.
Another company called Euro Israel has already started to sell 78 housing units in four apartment buildings in Neve Yaakov settlement north of Jerusalem. The units have been put up for sale on the company’s website.
However, the newspaper did not state if these buildings were built or would be finished after selling the units.
The company is building four other settlement projects. 122 housing units in Har Homa, 24 in Pisgat Ze’ev, 32 in Ariel and 96 others in Modi'in, according to the newspaper.
Sarfati Shimon company, for its part, has announced the sale of units in the second building of its project in Har Homa settlement. The project is composed of three apartment buildings of 142 units.
21 other units have been sold by the Israeli real estate company A. Aharon in Pisgat Ze’ev. 44 others are yet to be sold by the same company in the settlement.
The company also finished building the Novi Hapesga housing project in the same settlement. The project consists of 22 units.
13 oct 2016
The Israeli groups, Peace Now and Ir Amim, have recently released a joint report on Israel’s settlement expansion in Batan al-Hawa neighborhood of Silwan, the most sensitive and volatile areas in Occupied Jerusalem.
The report, titled “Broken Trust: State Involvement in Private Settlement in Batan Al-Hawa, Silwan,” describes how, since 2001, the government-backed Ateret Cohanim settler organization has been working on transforming Batan al-Hawa into a large Israeli settlement through questionable acquisition of Palestinian properties and forced eviction and removal of Palestinian families who have lived in the neighborhood for decades.
The report warned that Batan al-Hawa would become the largest settlement compound in a Palestinian neighborhood in the Historic Basin of the Old City, significantly contributing to the emerging ring of settlements around the Old City, creating an irreversible reality and severely undermining the possibility of a future two-state solution.
Ateret Cohanim’s frenzied attempts to take over the Palestinian neighborhood threaten to displace 100 families, composed of 600 Palestinians, from their homes.
By the end of 2015, the settler organization had quadrupled the number of housing units in its possession, taking over a total of some 27 units in six buildings in the neighborhood. There are also 12 other Palestinian units, where an additional 51 families are living, currently pending eviction claims.
The groups accused the government of acting through the General Custodian and the Registrar of Trusts, both under the Israeli ministry of justice, to facilitate settlers’ seizure of Batan al-Hawa, as well as providing roughly one million shekels each year to fund private security to radical settlers in the hearts of Palestinian neighborhoods in east Jerusalem.
“The settlement in Batan al-Hawa is an integral part of efforts by settler organizations and Israeli authorities to consolidate Jewish control of the Old City and the surrounding Palestinian neighborhoods, to create an irreversible reality in the Holy Basin around the Old City that deliberately subverts efforts to negotiate an agreed political resolution on Jerusalem,” the groups warned.
The report, titled “Broken Trust: State Involvement in Private Settlement in Batan Al-Hawa, Silwan,” describes how, since 2001, the government-backed Ateret Cohanim settler organization has been working on transforming Batan al-Hawa into a large Israeli settlement through questionable acquisition of Palestinian properties and forced eviction and removal of Palestinian families who have lived in the neighborhood for decades.
The report warned that Batan al-Hawa would become the largest settlement compound in a Palestinian neighborhood in the Historic Basin of the Old City, significantly contributing to the emerging ring of settlements around the Old City, creating an irreversible reality and severely undermining the possibility of a future two-state solution.
Ateret Cohanim’s frenzied attempts to take over the Palestinian neighborhood threaten to displace 100 families, composed of 600 Palestinians, from their homes.
By the end of 2015, the settler organization had quadrupled the number of housing units in its possession, taking over a total of some 27 units in six buildings in the neighborhood. There are also 12 other Palestinian units, where an additional 51 families are living, currently pending eviction claims.
The groups accused the government of acting through the General Custodian and the Registrar of Trusts, both under the Israeli ministry of justice, to facilitate settlers’ seizure of Batan al-Hawa, as well as providing roughly one million shekels each year to fund private security to radical settlers in the hearts of Palestinian neighborhoods in east Jerusalem.
“The settlement in Batan al-Hawa is an integral part of efforts by settler organizations and Israeli authorities to consolidate Jewish control of the Old City and the surrounding Palestinian neighborhoods, to create an irreversible reality in the Holy Basin around the Old City that deliberately subverts efforts to negotiate an agreed political resolution on Jerusalem,” the groups warned.
The Palestinian delegation has succeeded in convening the UNSC in an informal framework to discuss Israeli settlements; the meeting, to take place on Friday, will be addressed by the executive director of B'Tselem and a representative of Americans for Peace Now.
The Palestinian delegation to the United Nations successfully initiated an informal meeting of the Security Council on Israeli settlements in the West Bank that is to be held on Friday and to be attended by representatives of B'Tselem.
According to the UN's website, the "Arria-Formula meeting," which is how Friday's discussion has been defined, is a "very informal, confidential" meeting that enables "Security Council members to have a frank and private exchange of views."
It is believed that this meeting is the Palestinian delegation's first step in a plan to have the Security Council issue a resolution against Israel regarding the settlements.
Friday's meeting will take place at 10am EDT (5pm Israel time) and will be co-chaired by Angola, Egypt, Malaysia, Senegal and Venezuela. The meeting's title is 'illegal Israeli Settlements: Obstacles to Peace and Two-State Solution.'
B'Tselem's executive director, Hagai El-Ad, will present an up-to-date summary of West Bank settlements to the 15 countries that sit on the Security Council. "This is the most important international forum that deals with the occupation and perhaps the only one that can promote significant action on the matter," he said.
"This will be one of the most important diplomatic opportunities in the history of B'Tselem," El-Ad added. He explained that he would repeat on Friday that "the occupation is not an internal Israeli matter, and the Israeli public is not authorized to decide if it wants it to continue. It is a clear international matter."
A press release from his organization stated, "The responsibility for ending the occupation and the human rights violations that it entails lies first and foremost with Israel, yet this reality will not change as long as the international community stands idly by."
Israel's permanent representative to the UN, Amb. Danny Danon, criticized the meeting, saying, "The Palestinians continue to look for a way to bypass direct negotiations and are generating diplomatic terrorism against Israel. It's sad and disappointing that precisely on days of self evaluation and prayers for the unity of the people of Israel, Israeli organizations are giving moral cover to the persecution of Israel at the UN."
Peace Now announced that it would not be participating in the meeting. However, Lara Friedman of Americans for Peace Now will speak—her organization is affiliated with but not subsidiary to the Israeli Peace Now.
The Israeli organization did take the opportunity to condemn Danon, stating, "Danon needs to explain that this year alone, Israel built 1,200 new housing units in the territories. Danon needs to explain that there is no Palestinian people and in the opinion of the Israeli government, a two-state vision isn't forthcoming.
"But Danon is afraid, and so instead he attacks the Israeli peace camp and spreads hateful messages against those who oppose him and the government. Tomorrow, there will be no Israel representative of Peace Now before the Security Council. As for the negative message seeking to disconnect from the world and destroy Zionism, we leave that to Danon."
The Palestinian delegation to the United Nations successfully initiated an informal meeting of the Security Council on Israeli settlements in the West Bank that is to be held on Friday and to be attended by representatives of B'Tselem.
According to the UN's website, the "Arria-Formula meeting," which is how Friday's discussion has been defined, is a "very informal, confidential" meeting that enables "Security Council members to have a frank and private exchange of views."
It is believed that this meeting is the Palestinian delegation's first step in a plan to have the Security Council issue a resolution against Israel regarding the settlements.
Friday's meeting will take place at 10am EDT (5pm Israel time) and will be co-chaired by Angola, Egypt, Malaysia, Senegal and Venezuela. The meeting's title is 'illegal Israeli Settlements: Obstacles to Peace and Two-State Solution.'
B'Tselem's executive director, Hagai El-Ad, will present an up-to-date summary of West Bank settlements to the 15 countries that sit on the Security Council. "This is the most important international forum that deals with the occupation and perhaps the only one that can promote significant action on the matter," he said.
"This will be one of the most important diplomatic opportunities in the history of B'Tselem," El-Ad added. He explained that he would repeat on Friday that "the occupation is not an internal Israeli matter, and the Israeli public is not authorized to decide if it wants it to continue. It is a clear international matter."
A press release from his organization stated, "The responsibility for ending the occupation and the human rights violations that it entails lies first and foremost with Israel, yet this reality will not change as long as the international community stands idly by."
Israel's permanent representative to the UN, Amb. Danny Danon, criticized the meeting, saying, "The Palestinians continue to look for a way to bypass direct negotiations and are generating diplomatic terrorism against Israel. It's sad and disappointing that precisely on days of self evaluation and prayers for the unity of the people of Israel, Israeli organizations are giving moral cover to the persecution of Israel at the UN."
Peace Now announced that it would not be participating in the meeting. However, Lara Friedman of Americans for Peace Now will speak—her organization is affiliated with but not subsidiary to the Israeli Peace Now.
The Israeli organization did take the opportunity to condemn Danon, stating, "Danon needs to explain that this year alone, Israel built 1,200 new housing units in the territories. Danon needs to explain that there is no Palestinian people and in the opinion of the Israeli government, a two-state vision isn't forthcoming.
"But Danon is afraid, and so instead he attacks the Israeli peace camp and spreads hateful messages against those who oppose him and the government. Tomorrow, there will be no Israel representative of Peace Now before the Security Council. As for the negative message seeking to disconnect from the world and destroy Zionism, we leave that to Danon."