9 apr 2014
A dig adjacent to the Jewish history theme park, City of David in the Palestinian neighborhood of Silwan, East Jerusalem
By Alex Shams
In early January, the Israel Antiquities Authority announced that it would begin excavation on an archaeological site inside a Jewish settlement near the heart of Hebron's old city.
The announcement sparked outrage among many who viewed the move as an attempt to legitimize the presence of illegal settlements in the center of the flashpoint southern West Bank city.
Since then, Israeli authorities have also moved forward on plans for a Jewish history theme park in the Palestinian East Jerusalem neighborhood of Silwan.
Local residents -- dozens of whom have received home demolition orders in recent months -- have loudly objected to the idea, while the Al-Aqsa Foundation has raised alarms that Israel archaeologists have destroyed a number of non-Jewish archaeological sites in ongoing excavations nearby.
In order to understand the political uproar over seemingly innocuous archaeological projects, Ma'an interviewed anthropologist Nadia Abu El-Haj to discuss the broader historical context.
Abu El-Haj is a professor at Barnard College and Columbia University and the author of "Facts on the Ground: Archaeological Practice and Territorial Self-Fashioning in Israeli Society," among other books. Her work explores how archaeology played an integral role in the Zionist settler-colonial project and the legitimization of Israeli territorial claims in the region.
What is the historical relationship of archaeology to the Israeli state and society, both within the pre-1967 borders as well as in the West Bank?
The role of archaeology in the settlement project in the West Bank cannot be understood without taking into account the political and cultural work that archaeology did in the early decades of Israeli statehood, and at the same time, it is a significant reconfiguration of that project.
In the 1950s and 1960s in particular, archaeology had both disciplinary and popular prominence in Israeli society. Various excavations -- the most famous of which were carried out in the 1960s at Masada and the Bar Kochba caves -- were supported financially, logistically, and symbolically by the state and the Israel Defense Forces. They were sustained by the work of volunteers and the Zionist youth movements, and they received wide coverage in the national press.
More broadly, archaeology became a widespread national-cultural practice in the Jewish public, especially among the Ashkenazim. Jewish public schools, Zionist youth movements, and the IDF (during its basic training for draftees) marched students and soldiers around the country in an effort to teach them the past and present of ha-aretz, that is, of the Jewish national home.
By Alex Shams
In early January, the Israel Antiquities Authority announced that it would begin excavation on an archaeological site inside a Jewish settlement near the heart of Hebron's old city.
The announcement sparked outrage among many who viewed the move as an attempt to legitimize the presence of illegal settlements in the center of the flashpoint southern West Bank city.
Since then, Israeli authorities have also moved forward on plans for a Jewish history theme park in the Palestinian East Jerusalem neighborhood of Silwan.
Local residents -- dozens of whom have received home demolition orders in recent months -- have loudly objected to the idea, while the Al-Aqsa Foundation has raised alarms that Israel archaeologists have destroyed a number of non-Jewish archaeological sites in ongoing excavations nearby.
In order to understand the political uproar over seemingly innocuous archaeological projects, Ma'an interviewed anthropologist Nadia Abu El-Haj to discuss the broader historical context.
Abu El-Haj is a professor at Barnard College and Columbia University and the author of "Facts on the Ground: Archaeological Practice and Territorial Self-Fashioning in Israeli Society," among other books. Her work explores how archaeology played an integral role in the Zionist settler-colonial project and the legitimization of Israeli territorial claims in the region.
What is the historical relationship of archaeology to the Israeli state and society, both within the pre-1967 borders as well as in the West Bank?
The role of archaeology in the settlement project in the West Bank cannot be understood without taking into account the political and cultural work that archaeology did in the early decades of Israeli statehood, and at the same time, it is a significant reconfiguration of that project.
In the 1950s and 1960s in particular, archaeology had both disciplinary and popular prominence in Israeli society. Various excavations -- the most famous of which were carried out in the 1960s at Masada and the Bar Kochba caves -- were supported financially, logistically, and symbolically by the state and the Israel Defense Forces. They were sustained by the work of volunteers and the Zionist youth movements, and they received wide coverage in the national press.
More broadly, archaeology became a widespread national-cultural practice in the Jewish public, especially among the Ashkenazim. Jewish public schools, Zionist youth movements, and the IDF (during its basic training for draftees) marched students and soldiers around the country in an effort to teach them the past and present of ha-aretz, that is, of the Jewish national home.
Young Israelis dance with national flags in Jerusalem's Old City on May 21, 2009
Archaeology is an important part of nation-building projects around the world, and political elites in many countries manipulate the discipline for their own purposes. But in Israel, archaeology was extremely popular not only among this small elite, but also among the broader public. Why is Israel relatively unique in this way?
For a long time, the academic answer that was long given to that question went as follows: In a land in which the vast majority of Jewish inhabitants were "immigrants," members of distinct Jewish communities who came together in what was first Mandatory Palestine, and later the state of Israel, archaeology as a national-cultural practice was integral to the struggle to produce a cohesive national identity.
That answer, however, sidelines a constitutive piece of the Zionist project: that is, it effaces the colonial question and, with it, the conflict over territory that Jewish settlement entailed. The work of archaeology was one element in a larger set of practices and projects that transformed Palestine into the Jewish national home. Through its work, archaeology rendered demonstrable, in material form the ideological contours of Jewish settlement in Palestine. It demonstrated that, in contrast to settler-colonial projects elsewhere, this was simply a nation returning home. This was not just one more European colonial project.
The success of that transformation has made it possible for Israel, at least within its 1948 borders, to be accepted today, at least in Europe and the US, as but another normal nation state that established by demanding national autonomy for an independent "people." Yes, this nation state like many before it was founded upon expulsions and population transfers of dubious ethical standing. But those were acts of war. However regrettable, they were necessary: They were the conditions of possibility for the Jewish nation to have a state of its own.
To be clear, I am not saying that archaeology alone effected the transformation of a project of settler-nationhood in to one of a nation simply "returning home." What I am arguing is that archaeology was one among a series of practices and projects that together turned what was a source of contention (is this place the Land of Israel, or is it Palestine?) into a "resolved" historical fact -- at least for particular and very powerful publics in Israel and beyond.
How has this relationship with archaeology developed since 1967, particularly in relationship to the Jewish settlement project in the West Bank?
The relationship between settlement and archeology in the post-1967 period has taken various turns. Its most expansive and sustained projects were the Jerusalem excavations that went on for more than a decade and that were integral to building the new Jewish Quarter and claiming East Jerusalem as part of the united capital of Israel. Those were the last of the grand excavations that characterized archaeology in the early state period. I have written extensively about the Jerusalem excavations in my book, Facts on the Ground.
Built into the very landscape and architecture of the Old City's new Jewish Quarter today is the "fact" of the State's claim to all of Jerusalem as an inseparable part of the Jewish state: one sees it in the archaeological sites of significance to Jewish history that are privileged in the quarter's design; one sees it in the architectural form of "rebuilding" in which contemporary housing stands, often literally, upon the ruins of ancient Israelite archaeological sites, contemporary Jewish life seemingly "rising out of their ashes;" and one hears it in the tours and how they narrate the loss and reclamation of the Quarter (which, it is worth noting, is significantly larger than the Jewish quarter ever was prior to 1967).
Archaeology is an important part of nation-building projects around the world, and political elites in many countries manipulate the discipline for their own purposes. But in Israel, archaeology was extremely popular not only among this small elite, but also among the broader public. Why is Israel relatively unique in this way?
For a long time, the academic answer that was long given to that question went as follows: In a land in which the vast majority of Jewish inhabitants were "immigrants," members of distinct Jewish communities who came together in what was first Mandatory Palestine, and later the state of Israel, archaeology as a national-cultural practice was integral to the struggle to produce a cohesive national identity.
That answer, however, sidelines a constitutive piece of the Zionist project: that is, it effaces the colonial question and, with it, the conflict over territory that Jewish settlement entailed. The work of archaeology was one element in a larger set of practices and projects that transformed Palestine into the Jewish national home. Through its work, archaeology rendered demonstrable, in material form the ideological contours of Jewish settlement in Palestine. It demonstrated that, in contrast to settler-colonial projects elsewhere, this was simply a nation returning home. This was not just one more European colonial project.
The success of that transformation has made it possible for Israel, at least within its 1948 borders, to be accepted today, at least in Europe and the US, as but another normal nation state that established by demanding national autonomy for an independent "people." Yes, this nation state like many before it was founded upon expulsions and population transfers of dubious ethical standing. But those were acts of war. However regrettable, they were necessary: They were the conditions of possibility for the Jewish nation to have a state of its own.
To be clear, I am not saying that archaeology alone effected the transformation of a project of settler-nationhood in to one of a nation simply "returning home." What I am arguing is that archaeology was one among a series of practices and projects that together turned what was a source of contention (is this place the Land of Israel, or is it Palestine?) into a "resolved" historical fact -- at least for particular and very powerful publics in Israel and beyond.
How has this relationship with archaeology developed since 1967, particularly in relationship to the Jewish settlement project in the West Bank?
The relationship between settlement and archeology in the post-1967 period has taken various turns. Its most expansive and sustained projects were the Jerusalem excavations that went on for more than a decade and that were integral to building the new Jewish Quarter and claiming East Jerusalem as part of the united capital of Israel. Those were the last of the grand excavations that characterized archaeology in the early state period. I have written extensively about the Jerusalem excavations in my book, Facts on the Ground.
Built into the very landscape and architecture of the Old City's new Jewish Quarter today is the "fact" of the State's claim to all of Jerusalem as an inseparable part of the Jewish state: one sees it in the archaeological sites of significance to Jewish history that are privileged in the quarter's design; one sees it in the architectural form of "rebuilding" in which contemporary housing stands, often literally, upon the ruins of ancient Israelite archaeological sites, contemporary Jewish life seemingly "rising out of their ashes;" and one hears it in the tours and how they narrate the loss and reclamation of the Quarter (which, it is worth noting, is significantly larger than the Jewish quarter ever was prior to 1967).
The Al-Aqsa Mosque is seen from the Jewish quarter of the Old City of Jerusalem on April 10, 2009
The Jerusalem excavations were a project of the state. At the same time, however, they were the last of the "mythological" digs that captured an Israeli public imagination. But if digs of national-mythological proportions didn't really materialize in the rest of the occupied territories during the 1970s and 1980s, the work done by Israeli archaeologists under the authority of the Civil Administration and the Israel Antiquities Authority was crucial to the central academic debates that drove not just Israeli archaeology but, more generally, the international field of biblical archaeology for decades.
The West Bank is identified as the "biblical heartland" and as such, central historical questions about the "Israelite conquest" that dominated disciplinary debates in the 1950s and 1960s could not be answered without access to data from West Bank sites; neither could questions about the Davidic and Solomonic kingdoms. For decades following 1967, Israeli archaeologists crossed the green line without much (perhaps any) thought to the political or ethical implications of digging, in effect, under the authority of the IDF.
What is the role of the archaeologists themselves in this history? Is archaeology as a profession in Israel directly implicated in the political, or is it more correct to say that archaeological work is exploited by those with political interests?
These were not, by and large, right wing, pro-settlement academics. They were academics who apparently thought nothing about pursuing research regardless of the conditions of possibility for such work: that is, military occupation.
Was the project of excavating the West Bank an intentional effort to support the expansion Jewish settlement, and especially following Menachem Begin's rise to power in 1979, a settlement project driven by the religious nationalist movement? I think for the most part it was not. But it doesn't matter. Intentional, unintentional -- the effect was the same: The work of Israeli archaeologists and their foreign colleagues, regardless of their personal political convictions, produced "evidence" of the truth of the biblical heartland in a political context in which biblical origins grounded state and settler claims to the present.
By focusing narrowly on professional goals, it seems Israeli archaeologists entered into a relationship of complicity with the settlement project. Even if this complicity was not necessarily intentional, it was to a certain extent predictable given the previous relationship of archaeology to the secularized discourses of claiming the "Jewish homeland."
But how has this relationship of complicity evolved given the increasingly religious nationalist character of the settlement project?
The relationship to archaeology of the religious nationalists who have driven settlement deep into the territories has been less clear. Archaeological sites are taken to be material signs of the ancient truth of the biblical tales of Israelite settlement in Judea and Samaria; but for many settlers, the biblical texts are evidence enough.
For others, such sites are viewed more as sacred sites than as archaeological monuments. Rachel's Tomb in Bethlehem, is one of the most obvious examples. The settlement movement, in general, was not driven by the same kind of desire to excavate the land as was a national culture dominated by secular Zionist politics in the earlier decades of the state. Nevertheless, the very presence of ancient sites (from one perspective archaeological, from another sacred) extended a historical common sense about national "ownership." This is the biblical heartland; archaeological remainders (and/as religious sites) render visible what is “already known” via the biblical texts.
There have, however, been some sites where settler investment in archaeology has been direct and sustained. Excavations of the "City of David" (in Silwan) are the most obvious and developed instance. And of course, the recent push to more extensively excavate Tel Rumeida in Hebron is a second example. These projects are squarely and explicitly positioned in an ideological and material battle over land.
The archaeological park at the City of David has its roots in the 1990s when El Ad, a settlement group in the Old City of Jerusalem, first pushed Jewish settlement into the "Muslim Quarter," and then beyond the walls of the Old City into Silwan. The City of David project was unabashedly a project of land confiscation.
And yet, academic archaeologists carried out extensive excavations at the site. Meanwhile, El Ad insisted on building and now runs an archaeological park built around the excavated remains, a tourist site designed to bring more and more Jewish visitors to the site in order to extend El Ad's ideological agenda.
I suspect the City of David excavation and archaeological park serves as the model for the currently launched Tel Rumeida project: Excavations allow one to expropriate land. Moreover, through a combination of archaeological preservation, architectural design, and tourism they enable settlers to produce a "common-sense" of Jewish ownership -- at least among some publics. Archaeology in such instances is harnessed intentionally to establish facts on the ground.
The Jerusalem excavations were a project of the state. At the same time, however, they were the last of the "mythological" digs that captured an Israeli public imagination. But if digs of national-mythological proportions didn't really materialize in the rest of the occupied territories during the 1970s and 1980s, the work done by Israeli archaeologists under the authority of the Civil Administration and the Israel Antiquities Authority was crucial to the central academic debates that drove not just Israeli archaeology but, more generally, the international field of biblical archaeology for decades.
The West Bank is identified as the "biblical heartland" and as such, central historical questions about the "Israelite conquest" that dominated disciplinary debates in the 1950s and 1960s could not be answered without access to data from West Bank sites; neither could questions about the Davidic and Solomonic kingdoms. For decades following 1967, Israeli archaeologists crossed the green line without much (perhaps any) thought to the political or ethical implications of digging, in effect, under the authority of the IDF.
What is the role of the archaeologists themselves in this history? Is archaeology as a profession in Israel directly implicated in the political, or is it more correct to say that archaeological work is exploited by those with political interests?
These were not, by and large, right wing, pro-settlement academics. They were academics who apparently thought nothing about pursuing research regardless of the conditions of possibility for such work: that is, military occupation.
Was the project of excavating the West Bank an intentional effort to support the expansion Jewish settlement, and especially following Menachem Begin's rise to power in 1979, a settlement project driven by the religious nationalist movement? I think for the most part it was not. But it doesn't matter. Intentional, unintentional -- the effect was the same: The work of Israeli archaeologists and their foreign colleagues, regardless of their personal political convictions, produced "evidence" of the truth of the biblical heartland in a political context in which biblical origins grounded state and settler claims to the present.
By focusing narrowly on professional goals, it seems Israeli archaeologists entered into a relationship of complicity with the settlement project. Even if this complicity was not necessarily intentional, it was to a certain extent predictable given the previous relationship of archaeology to the secularized discourses of claiming the "Jewish homeland."
But how has this relationship of complicity evolved given the increasingly religious nationalist character of the settlement project?
The relationship to archaeology of the religious nationalists who have driven settlement deep into the territories has been less clear. Archaeological sites are taken to be material signs of the ancient truth of the biblical tales of Israelite settlement in Judea and Samaria; but for many settlers, the biblical texts are evidence enough.
For others, such sites are viewed more as sacred sites than as archaeological monuments. Rachel's Tomb in Bethlehem, is one of the most obvious examples. The settlement movement, in general, was not driven by the same kind of desire to excavate the land as was a national culture dominated by secular Zionist politics in the earlier decades of the state. Nevertheless, the very presence of ancient sites (from one perspective archaeological, from another sacred) extended a historical common sense about national "ownership." This is the biblical heartland; archaeological remainders (and/as religious sites) render visible what is “already known” via the biblical texts.
There have, however, been some sites where settler investment in archaeology has been direct and sustained. Excavations of the "City of David" (in Silwan) are the most obvious and developed instance. And of course, the recent push to more extensively excavate Tel Rumeida in Hebron is a second example. These projects are squarely and explicitly positioned in an ideological and material battle over land.
The archaeological park at the City of David has its roots in the 1990s when El Ad, a settlement group in the Old City of Jerusalem, first pushed Jewish settlement into the "Muslim Quarter," and then beyond the walls of the Old City into Silwan. The City of David project was unabashedly a project of land confiscation.
And yet, academic archaeologists carried out extensive excavations at the site. Meanwhile, El Ad insisted on building and now runs an archaeological park built around the excavated remains, a tourist site designed to bring more and more Jewish visitors to the site in order to extend El Ad's ideological agenda.
I suspect the City of David excavation and archaeological park serves as the model for the currently launched Tel Rumeida project: Excavations allow one to expropriate land. Moreover, through a combination of archaeological preservation, architectural design, and tourism they enable settlers to produce a "common-sense" of Jewish ownership -- at least among some publics. Archaeology in such instances is harnessed intentionally to establish facts on the ground.
Israeli policemen separate Israelis and Palestinian protestors on May 8, 2013 at Damascus Gate in Jerusalem, as Israelis celebrate Jerusalem Day.
How has the relationship of Palestinian society to archaeology been shaped by the historical affinities between Zionism and archaeology in the region?
There is of course no single Palestinian relationship to the practice of archaeology. Nevertheless, it is clear that one cannot understand any of the reactions among Palestinians to Israeli excavations without placing those responses within the long history of archaeology as a powerful terrain for the symbolic and material appropriation of Palestine.
If one knows for a fact that once a new ancient Israelite site or Judaic remain is uncovered that land is going to be expropriated, why wouldn't one want to hide it -- destroy it even? One's very ability to live on one’s own land, in one’s own home, hangs in the balance.
However, "hiding" or "denying" Jewish historical presence is not the dynamic vis-à-vis archaeological sites as it actually unfolds. What happens is settlers drive the excavation of sites as part and parcel of land expropriation and settlement expansion and Palestinians fight back.
And I think we need to be clear: Whether or not there was an Israelite or Jewish presence at Tel Rumeida, or at the City of David, or at any other site 2000 or more years ago, is entirely irrelevant to the political question of rights in the present. People who in living memory were expelled from their homes -- in 1948, in 1967 -- are being told they cannot "return," and yet, an ancient history is being called upon to ground Jewish settlement on lands that are indisputably inhabited by Palestinians in the here and now. Outside of a set of extreme ideological blinders, that argument makes absolutely no logical or ethical sense.
In other words, the "Palestinian-Israeli conflict" cannot be framed as a conflict over the truth or falsity of ancient historical facts. And I think it a huge political mistake to engage on those grounds. Why? Because even if the biblical story were entirely true, it wouldn't change the problem of the injustice that founding the State of Israel brought into being in 1948. It wouldn't change the fact that Israel is a settler-nation, that is, a project of European colonial settlement that imagined and believed itself to be a project of national return.
The struggle for Palestine is a struggle for rights, citizenship, and sovereignty in the here and how, and what we need to be talking about is what kind of a society and state might provide a just solution to the reality of an ongoing Palestinian dispossession.
How has the relationship of Palestinian society to archaeology been shaped by the historical affinities between Zionism and archaeology in the region?
There is of course no single Palestinian relationship to the practice of archaeology. Nevertheless, it is clear that one cannot understand any of the reactions among Palestinians to Israeli excavations without placing those responses within the long history of archaeology as a powerful terrain for the symbolic and material appropriation of Palestine.
If one knows for a fact that once a new ancient Israelite site or Judaic remain is uncovered that land is going to be expropriated, why wouldn't one want to hide it -- destroy it even? One's very ability to live on one’s own land, in one’s own home, hangs in the balance.
However, "hiding" or "denying" Jewish historical presence is not the dynamic vis-à-vis archaeological sites as it actually unfolds. What happens is settlers drive the excavation of sites as part and parcel of land expropriation and settlement expansion and Palestinians fight back.
And I think we need to be clear: Whether or not there was an Israelite or Jewish presence at Tel Rumeida, or at the City of David, or at any other site 2000 or more years ago, is entirely irrelevant to the political question of rights in the present. People who in living memory were expelled from their homes -- in 1948, in 1967 -- are being told they cannot "return," and yet, an ancient history is being called upon to ground Jewish settlement on lands that are indisputably inhabited by Palestinians in the here and now. Outside of a set of extreme ideological blinders, that argument makes absolutely no logical or ethical sense.
In other words, the "Palestinian-Israeli conflict" cannot be framed as a conflict over the truth or falsity of ancient historical facts. And I think it a huge political mistake to engage on those grounds. Why? Because even if the biblical story were entirely true, it wouldn't change the problem of the injustice that founding the State of Israel brought into being in 1948. It wouldn't change the fact that Israel is a settler-nation, that is, a project of European colonial settlement that imagined and believed itself to be a project of national return.
The struggle for Palestine is a struggle for rights, citizenship, and sovereignty in the here and how, and what we need to be talking about is what kind of a society and state might provide a just solution to the reality of an ongoing Palestinian dispossession.
Israeli Occupation Authority (IOA) has continued its Judaization scheme to turn Mughrabi Gate leading to al-Aqsa Mosque into a bridge for military vehciels. The IOA is also planning to build a series of Jewish synagogues after demolishing large parts of the Mosque, Aqsa Foundation for Endowment and Heritage revealed in a statement on Tuesday.
Aqsa Foundation said that the bridge to be established in the Mughrabi Gate aims to enable army vehicles and equipment along with hundreds of soldiers to break into al-Aqsa Mosque at will.
The bridge came as part of an Israeli scheme to Judaize the Mughrabi hill as a whole, which is funded by the Israeli government.
Aqsa Foundation said that Israeli engineering and technical crews began Tuesday morning to erect large wooden planks in the street leading to the Mughrabi Gate.
The bridge is to be established at the expense of 1.6 acres of the Mughrabi neighborhood that was demolished in 1967.
In 2000, the IOA started preventing Palestinian worshipers' entry to al-Aqsa Mosque via Mughrabi Gate.
Aqsa Foundation described the construction of the bridge as a dangerous precedent and a prelude to the destruction of al-Aqsa Mosque, stressing the need for providing an Arab-Islamic protection for the Islamic holy sites.
Aqsa Foundation said that the bridge to be established in the Mughrabi Gate aims to enable army vehicles and equipment along with hundreds of soldiers to break into al-Aqsa Mosque at will.
The bridge came as part of an Israeli scheme to Judaize the Mughrabi hill as a whole, which is funded by the Israeli government.
Aqsa Foundation said that Israeli engineering and technical crews began Tuesday morning to erect large wooden planks in the street leading to the Mughrabi Gate.
The bridge is to be established at the expense of 1.6 acres of the Mughrabi neighborhood that was demolished in 1967.
In 2000, the IOA started preventing Palestinian worshipers' entry to al-Aqsa Mosque via Mughrabi Gate.
Aqsa Foundation described the construction of the bridge as a dangerous precedent and a prelude to the destruction of al-Aqsa Mosque, stressing the need for providing an Arab-Islamic protection for the Islamic holy sites.
Israeli Minister of Economy, head of the Jewish Home Party, Naftali Bennett, denounced statements by US Secretary of State, John Kerry, criticizing Israel’s settlement construction and expansion activities.
On his Facebook page, Bennett said Israel’s construction and expansion of Jewish settlements “is not a boom in construction, it’s just Zionism”, the Maan News Agency said.
Bennett added that Israel will never apologize for building and expanding Jewish settlements, and will always keep building settlements everywhere in the country.
“Some people describe the construction as a boom in settlement activities, and am telling them we will continue to build in the capital of our Jewish homeland”, he said, “Some tried to prevent us from living in our capital, but Zionism will continue to build, nobody will ever be able to stop us”.
It is worth mentioning that Kerry denounced, Tuesday, the Israeli approval of a plan to build hundreds of units for Jewish settlers in occupied East Jerusalem, and said this approval “derailed peace talks” between Israel and the Palestinians.
The United States is “mediating” trembling peace talks between Israel and the Palestinians; the nine-month direct talks will be end on April 29, but Kerry is trying to extend the talks beyond that date.
Kerry blamed both Israel and the Palestinians for the current stalemate in direct talks, and told American lawmakers that the release of veteran detainees, as a planned move of good faith, was sabotaged by Israel’s decision to build more settlements.
He told the Foreign Relations Committee that Israel’s announcement to build 700 units in Jewish settlements in occupied Jerusalem, sabotaged talks “as when this decision was made, Palestinian and Israeli negotiators were likely about to achieve a progress in direct talks”.
The American official added that the United States is trying to prevent the collapse of direct talks, and is “fighting against all odds to ensure direct talks continue until the end of this year”.
Meanwhile, U.S. State Department Spokeswoman, Jen Psaki, stated in a tweet that Kerry’s statements were clear, and that he did not engage in a blame game, but said that both Israel and the Palestinian Authority made unhelpful steps.
She added that Kerry even showed great appreciation for what she described as “courageous decisions made by Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu throughout peace talks.
Meanwhile, Senator John McCain said that Kerry insists that the peace process is still ongoing between Israel and the Palestinians, adding that Kerry needs to face reality and recognize the fact that the peace process has stopped.
However, Kerry said he hopes Israel and the Palestinians will find a way to resume direct talks, and that the United States will work with them to reach that goal. He also claimed direct talks managed to narrow some of the difference, but did not elaborate on the issue.
A senior Palestinian source said Israeli and Palestinian negotiators met US envoy Martin Indyk on Monday, and will be meeting him again Wednesday.
On the ground, Israel continues its invasions and violations against the Palestinians, their lands and property, and insists on what it calls “its right” to build and expand its illegitimate settlements” in occupied Palestine.
The Palestinians lost more than 78% of the historic land of Palestine when Israel was created in 1948; following its occupation to the rest of Palestine (The West Bank, the Gaza Strip and East Jerusalem), consecutive Israeli governments kept building and expanding Jewish settlements in the occupied territories, in direct violation of International Law and the Fourth Geneva Convention.
Israel is refusing to grant the Palestinians control on their border terminals in the occupied West Bank, and insists on keeping its control of natural resources, fertile areas especially in the Jordan Valley, and continues to illegally confiscate large areas of Palestinian lands so that it can build and expand its illegitimate settlements.
The illegitimate Annexation Wall also led to the illegal annexation of Palestinian lands, deprived Palestinian villagers access to their orchards, and farmlands, and is turning the occupied territories into isolated, and surrounded, cantons.
In a report published on April 1, 2014, the Ahrar Center for Detainees Studies and Human Rights has reported that Israeli soldiers have killed twelve Palestinians since the beginning of this year, kidnapped 364 in March, and 1059 since January first.
Kerry raps Israel in faltering Mideast peace
U.S. efforts to broker a Mideast peace agreement faltered after Israel refused to release prisoners as demanded by Palestinian leaders, then moved forward with plans to build new settlement housing in Jerusalem, America’s top diplomat said Tuesday. But he still held out hope that negotiations would continue.
Lawmakers on the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, questioning Kerry during nearly three hours of testimony, weren’t as optimistic.
“It is stopped. Recognize reality!” said Republican Sen. John McCain, R-Ariz.
Kerry noted that both Israeli and Palestinian leaders have taken what he termed unhelpful steps as an April 29 deadline approaches for deciding whether to continue negotiations or shelve the talks for now.
But his words made clear that Israel’s actions have thrown the process deep into doubt.
As part of the agreement to begin negotiating last summer, Israel had agreed to release four groups of prisoners convicted of attacks or acts of 'terrorism' , but whom Palestinian officials consider freedom fighters. The first three groups were previously released, but Israel balked at freeing the fourth, which included some' Arab Israelis' – Palestinians from pre-1984 occupied Palestine - who could move back into Israel.
Shortly afterward, Israel moved forward with plans to build 700 new settlement units in Jerusalem, fueling Palestinian anger.
“And, poof, that was sort of the moment,” Kerry said. “We find ourselves where we are.”
“My hope is the parties will find a way back,” he said. “We’re working with them to try to do so. But they have to — again, I repeat — they have to make that fundamental decision. And I hope they will.”
The State Department has been careful to not blame either side for the latest impasse in the frustrating progress that, to date, has yielded little if any progress on key elements of a final agreement, including borders, the status of Jerusalem and whether Palestine would ever recognize Israel as a Jewish state.
But Kerry’s comments infuriated Israeli officials, and drew a swift response from Naftali Bennett, a pro-settler Cabinet minister and a main coalition partner in Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s government.
“Israel will never apologize for construction in Jerusalem,” Bennett said, calling the city Israel’s “eternal capital.”
Hours after the settlement announcement, Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas abruptly renewed a campaign for recognition of the “state of Palestine” in international bodies. He had promised to suspend the campaign during the peace talks but angrily reversed course after Israel failed to carry out the prisoner release.
During the Senate hearing, Kerry did not dispute that the Palestinian statehood campaign also violated terms of the negotiations, but said: “They don’t have a state yet.”
As recently as Monday night, negotiators for both sides met with U.S. officials to try to get the process back on track. The State Department said gaps remain between the negotiators but both sides are working to reach a compromise.
“I’m not going to suggest anything is imminent, but one always has to remain hopeful in this very difficult, complicated process,” Kerry told the senators.
In an exchange with McCain, he noted that “it’s interesting that you declare it dead, but the Israelis and the Palestinians don’t declare it dead. They want to continue to negotiate.”
“We’ll see, won’t we?” McCain responded.
On his Facebook page, Bennett said Israel’s construction and expansion of Jewish settlements “is not a boom in construction, it’s just Zionism”, the Maan News Agency said.
Bennett added that Israel will never apologize for building and expanding Jewish settlements, and will always keep building settlements everywhere in the country.
“Some people describe the construction as a boom in settlement activities, and am telling them we will continue to build in the capital of our Jewish homeland”, he said, “Some tried to prevent us from living in our capital, but Zionism will continue to build, nobody will ever be able to stop us”.
It is worth mentioning that Kerry denounced, Tuesday, the Israeli approval of a plan to build hundreds of units for Jewish settlers in occupied East Jerusalem, and said this approval “derailed peace talks” between Israel and the Palestinians.
The United States is “mediating” trembling peace talks between Israel and the Palestinians; the nine-month direct talks will be end on April 29, but Kerry is trying to extend the talks beyond that date.
Kerry blamed both Israel and the Palestinians for the current stalemate in direct talks, and told American lawmakers that the release of veteran detainees, as a planned move of good faith, was sabotaged by Israel’s decision to build more settlements.
He told the Foreign Relations Committee that Israel’s announcement to build 700 units in Jewish settlements in occupied Jerusalem, sabotaged talks “as when this decision was made, Palestinian and Israeli negotiators were likely about to achieve a progress in direct talks”.
The American official added that the United States is trying to prevent the collapse of direct talks, and is “fighting against all odds to ensure direct talks continue until the end of this year”.
Meanwhile, U.S. State Department Spokeswoman, Jen Psaki, stated in a tweet that Kerry’s statements were clear, and that he did not engage in a blame game, but said that both Israel and the Palestinian Authority made unhelpful steps.
She added that Kerry even showed great appreciation for what she described as “courageous decisions made by Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu throughout peace talks.
Meanwhile, Senator John McCain said that Kerry insists that the peace process is still ongoing between Israel and the Palestinians, adding that Kerry needs to face reality and recognize the fact that the peace process has stopped.
However, Kerry said he hopes Israel and the Palestinians will find a way to resume direct talks, and that the United States will work with them to reach that goal. He also claimed direct talks managed to narrow some of the difference, but did not elaborate on the issue.
A senior Palestinian source said Israeli and Palestinian negotiators met US envoy Martin Indyk on Monday, and will be meeting him again Wednesday.
On the ground, Israel continues its invasions and violations against the Palestinians, their lands and property, and insists on what it calls “its right” to build and expand its illegitimate settlements” in occupied Palestine.
The Palestinians lost more than 78% of the historic land of Palestine when Israel was created in 1948; following its occupation to the rest of Palestine (The West Bank, the Gaza Strip and East Jerusalem), consecutive Israeli governments kept building and expanding Jewish settlements in the occupied territories, in direct violation of International Law and the Fourth Geneva Convention.
Israel is refusing to grant the Palestinians control on their border terminals in the occupied West Bank, and insists on keeping its control of natural resources, fertile areas especially in the Jordan Valley, and continues to illegally confiscate large areas of Palestinian lands so that it can build and expand its illegitimate settlements.
The illegitimate Annexation Wall also led to the illegal annexation of Palestinian lands, deprived Palestinian villagers access to their orchards, and farmlands, and is turning the occupied territories into isolated, and surrounded, cantons.
In a report published on April 1, 2014, the Ahrar Center for Detainees Studies and Human Rights has reported that Israeli soldiers have killed twelve Palestinians since the beginning of this year, kidnapped 364 in March, and 1059 since January first.
Kerry raps Israel in faltering Mideast peace
U.S. efforts to broker a Mideast peace agreement faltered after Israel refused to release prisoners as demanded by Palestinian leaders, then moved forward with plans to build new settlement housing in Jerusalem, America’s top diplomat said Tuesday. But he still held out hope that negotiations would continue.
Lawmakers on the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, questioning Kerry during nearly three hours of testimony, weren’t as optimistic.
“It is stopped. Recognize reality!” said Republican Sen. John McCain, R-Ariz.
Kerry noted that both Israeli and Palestinian leaders have taken what he termed unhelpful steps as an April 29 deadline approaches for deciding whether to continue negotiations or shelve the talks for now.
But his words made clear that Israel’s actions have thrown the process deep into doubt.
As part of the agreement to begin negotiating last summer, Israel had agreed to release four groups of prisoners convicted of attacks or acts of 'terrorism' , but whom Palestinian officials consider freedom fighters. The first three groups were previously released, but Israel balked at freeing the fourth, which included some' Arab Israelis' – Palestinians from pre-1984 occupied Palestine - who could move back into Israel.
Shortly afterward, Israel moved forward with plans to build 700 new settlement units in Jerusalem, fueling Palestinian anger.
“And, poof, that was sort of the moment,” Kerry said. “We find ourselves where we are.”
“My hope is the parties will find a way back,” he said. “We’re working with them to try to do so. But they have to — again, I repeat — they have to make that fundamental decision. And I hope they will.”
The State Department has been careful to not blame either side for the latest impasse in the frustrating progress that, to date, has yielded little if any progress on key elements of a final agreement, including borders, the status of Jerusalem and whether Palestine would ever recognize Israel as a Jewish state.
But Kerry’s comments infuriated Israeli officials, and drew a swift response from Naftali Bennett, a pro-settler Cabinet minister and a main coalition partner in Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s government.
“Israel will never apologize for construction in Jerusalem,” Bennett said, calling the city Israel’s “eternal capital.”
Hours after the settlement announcement, Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas abruptly renewed a campaign for recognition of the “state of Palestine” in international bodies. He had promised to suspend the campaign during the peace talks but angrily reversed course after Israel failed to carry out the prisoner release.
During the Senate hearing, Kerry did not dispute that the Palestinian statehood campaign also violated terms of the negotiations, but said: “They don’t have a state yet.”
As recently as Monday night, negotiators for both sides met with U.S. officials to try to get the process back on track. The State Department said gaps remain between the negotiators but both sides are working to reach a compromise.
“I’m not going to suggest anything is imminent, but one always has to remain hopeful in this very difficult, complicated process,” Kerry told the senators.
In an exchange with McCain, he noted that “it’s interesting that you declare it dead, but the Israelis and the Palestinians don’t declare it dead. They want to continue to negotiate.”
“We’ll see, won’t we?” McCain responded.
7 apr 2014
The Hamas Movement warned the Israeli occupation of dire consequences of it dared to build a synagogue on part of the Aqsa Mosque. In a press release, Hamas stated that the safety of the Aqsa Mosque is a red line and any harm happening to it would be an act of provocation to the feelings of the Muslim Nation, stressing that the Aqsa Mosque would remain undividable and an Islamic holy site regardless of the occupation's violations.
The Movement urged the Palestinian people in all occupied lands, especially in Jerusalem, to intensify their presence at the Aqsa Mosque and defend it against any attempt to Judaize it or seize any part of it.
It called on the organization of Islamic cooperation to assume its responsibilities and move to protect the Aqsa Mosque against Israel's Judaization attempts.
In a related context, a special Knesset subcommittee will convene Monday and hear arguments for allowing Jews to pray at the Aqsa Mosque.
The Knesset intends to conduct an in-depth examination of demands made by Jewish temple groups asking to be allowed to pray at the Aqsa Mosque for several hours every day under police protection.
The Movement urged the Palestinian people in all occupied lands, especially in Jerusalem, to intensify their presence at the Aqsa Mosque and defend it against any attempt to Judaize it or seize any part of it.
It called on the organization of Islamic cooperation to assume its responsibilities and move to protect the Aqsa Mosque against Israel's Judaization attempts.
In a related context, a special Knesset subcommittee will convene Monday and hear arguments for allowing Jews to pray at the Aqsa Mosque.
The Knesset intends to conduct an in-depth examination of demands made by Jewish temple groups asking to be allowed to pray at the Aqsa Mosque for several hours every day under police protection.
The District Committee for Planning and Construction ratified on Thursday night the settlement project entitled ““Kadam Complex- City of David- Old City” which will be implemented in the courtyard of Dung Gate south of Al-Aqsa Mosque.
The committee of Wadi Hilweh condemned in a statement on Friday the ratification of the settlement project which is funded and supervised by the Israeli government, the occupation municipality in Jerusalem and “Elad” settlement organization.
The committee said that the settlement project aims at eliminating the Arab cultural character of the city of Jerusalem on one hand, and ignores the needs of the residents and confiscates more of their lands on another hand.
The committee explained that ratifying the project came after an eight-hours session where the objections of lawyer Sami Arshid, representing the residents of Wadi Hilweh, and lawyer Qais Naser, representing the Islamic Supreme Council in the 1948 lands, were heard as well as “A’eer Amim” organization, an Israeli organization called “Emek Shafa” that is interested in monuments and a special engineer.
Representatives from Elad settlement organization, Antiquities Authority, Nature and Parks Authority, the Jerusalem municipality and the government of Israel were also present in the session to represent the Israeli side.
Lawyer Sami Arshid explained that the District committee ratified the settlement project with making little changes such as keeping the area open for the public, lowering the level of the building from the street’s level by reducing the number of storeys to be built in addition to reducing the total area from 11000 square meters to 9000.
The lawyer confirmed that objection will be submitted to the competent authorities. He said that ratifying the settlement project came at a critical time in which the peace process negotiations are struggling and the political and security situations are on the verge of explosion.
The District explained in a statement that lawyer Arshid confirmed during the session that the project will isolate the original residents of Silwan from their natural surroundings and the Old City of Jerusalem. It will also change the historic and archaeological character of the town and it is one-sided, and entrenches the power of occupation and only practices a Jewish ideology.
The Committee stressed on the disregard of the District Committee and other Israeli institutions to the UNESCO decision and the disrespect to any international resolution, and pointed out that the District Committee claimed its right to implement the project in the area to maintain the antiquities and accused the “Ottoman Empire” of changing the blur of the city of Jerusalem and that it will maintain them.
The Committee added that the Israeli authorities proposed the project and ignoring the presence of tens of thousands of residents of Silwan and did not take into account their needs because its only aim is to serve the tourism, antiquities and settlers.
The residents confirmed during their interventions on the racism of the various occupation institutions that claim democracy and respect for others at a time when they demolish buildings and displace the residents, in addition to failing to build any schools.
The Committee also confirmed that the decision is political and was influenced by the Israeli Prime Minister, Netanyahu, and the Israeli Minter of Interior.
Wadi Hilweh Committee- Silwan explained that the settlement project will be established on the lands of the residents of Silwan which were used as farms until Jerusalem was occupied in 1967. After the occupation, the Israeli authorities confiscated the lands and demolished two rooms that were owned by Abdo family and then turned it into a parking lot. In 2003, Elad settlement organization took control of the lands and started planning for the implementation of the settlement project.
The Committee added that Elad organization will designate the “Kadam” building for scientists and the Israeli Antiquities authority in addition to building conference halls, educational rooms and parking lots for the tourists and settlers. Also, special area will be allocated for tourists’ purposes, commercial stores and an office for the settlement organization “Elad”.
The Committee also explained that Elad organization has been doing continuous excavation works in the project’s area (the courtyard of Dung Gate) since 2003 and had demolished an Islamic cemetery that is 1200 years old in addition to damaging Roman and Byzantine monuments such as rooms, arches and poles and only left a few of them which they claim to be the “Second Temple Monuments”; note that part of the building will be designated to show those alleged antiquities.
The committee of Wadi Hilweh condemned in a statement on Friday the ratification of the settlement project which is funded and supervised by the Israeli government, the occupation municipality in Jerusalem and “Elad” settlement organization.
The committee said that the settlement project aims at eliminating the Arab cultural character of the city of Jerusalem on one hand, and ignores the needs of the residents and confiscates more of their lands on another hand.
The committee explained that ratifying the project came after an eight-hours session where the objections of lawyer Sami Arshid, representing the residents of Wadi Hilweh, and lawyer Qais Naser, representing the Islamic Supreme Council in the 1948 lands, were heard as well as “A’eer Amim” organization, an Israeli organization called “Emek Shafa” that is interested in monuments and a special engineer.
Representatives from Elad settlement organization, Antiquities Authority, Nature and Parks Authority, the Jerusalem municipality and the government of Israel were also present in the session to represent the Israeli side.
Lawyer Sami Arshid explained that the District committee ratified the settlement project with making little changes such as keeping the area open for the public, lowering the level of the building from the street’s level by reducing the number of storeys to be built in addition to reducing the total area from 11000 square meters to 9000.
The lawyer confirmed that objection will be submitted to the competent authorities. He said that ratifying the settlement project came at a critical time in which the peace process negotiations are struggling and the political and security situations are on the verge of explosion.
The District explained in a statement that lawyer Arshid confirmed during the session that the project will isolate the original residents of Silwan from their natural surroundings and the Old City of Jerusalem. It will also change the historic and archaeological character of the town and it is one-sided, and entrenches the power of occupation and only practices a Jewish ideology.
The Committee stressed on the disregard of the District Committee and other Israeli institutions to the UNESCO decision and the disrespect to any international resolution, and pointed out that the District Committee claimed its right to implement the project in the area to maintain the antiquities and accused the “Ottoman Empire” of changing the blur of the city of Jerusalem and that it will maintain them.
The Committee added that the Israeli authorities proposed the project and ignoring the presence of tens of thousands of residents of Silwan and did not take into account their needs because its only aim is to serve the tourism, antiquities and settlers.
The residents confirmed during their interventions on the racism of the various occupation institutions that claim democracy and respect for others at a time when they demolish buildings and displace the residents, in addition to failing to build any schools.
The Committee also confirmed that the decision is political and was influenced by the Israeli Prime Minister, Netanyahu, and the Israeli Minter of Interior.
Wadi Hilweh Committee- Silwan explained that the settlement project will be established on the lands of the residents of Silwan which were used as farms until Jerusalem was occupied in 1967. After the occupation, the Israeli authorities confiscated the lands and demolished two rooms that were owned by Abdo family and then turned it into a parking lot. In 2003, Elad settlement organization took control of the lands and started planning for the implementation of the settlement project.
The Committee added that Elad organization will designate the “Kadam” building for scientists and the Israeli Antiquities authority in addition to building conference halls, educational rooms and parking lots for the tourists and settlers. Also, special area will be allocated for tourists’ purposes, commercial stores and an office for the settlement organization “Elad”.
The Committee also explained that Elad organization has been doing continuous excavation works in the project’s area (the courtyard of Dung Gate) since 2003 and had demolished an Islamic cemetery that is 1200 years old in addition to damaging Roman and Byzantine monuments such as rooms, arches and poles and only left a few of them which they claim to be the “Second Temple Monuments”; note that part of the building will be designated to show those alleged antiquities.
A Palestinian settlement-research center has revealed that the Israeli occupation authority (IOA) is planning to confiscate 800 dunums of Qaryout village land, east of Nablus city, to expand the nearby Shilo settlement.
The Palestinian Land Research Center, which makes part of the Arabic Studies Society, said a detailed plan was submitted last month by Israeli local settlement communities as an amendment procedure to the regional plan (S/15).
According to the new scheme, the territories grouped under the touristic and agricultural heading will be used for commercial profit, in addition to the projected building of an archetypal park in which relics would be on the display.
The center spoke against the plan, denouncing its hidden aim to block all possibilities of re-opening the southern Qaryout road which has long been ensuring the smooth entry into Ramallah city, sparing passengers more than 20 kms. The plan will make matters worse for the natives already exhausted by settlement policies, according to the report.
The plan aims at changing Khirbet Ceylon’s historical idiosyncrasy and the construction of an Israeli museum as part of the ongoing judaization plans within the village. The near inauguration of a touristic center in the area is a living proof of this. The situation is becoming alarming. Ceylon has long been such an architectural wonder that preserves so many of the flavors and tastes of its idiosyncratic history where several epochs and civilizations have converged. The village is most famous for the ancient breath-taking Omari Mosque and two spectacular Romanian mosaic churches.
Shilo settlement was established in the early 80’s and it includes several religious centers and a synagogue to teach the Torah and promote some of the most extremist rabbis. At least 450 dunums of Qaryout lands are confiscated.
The Palestinian Land Research Center, which makes part of the Arabic Studies Society, said a detailed plan was submitted last month by Israeli local settlement communities as an amendment procedure to the regional plan (S/15).
According to the new scheme, the territories grouped under the touristic and agricultural heading will be used for commercial profit, in addition to the projected building of an archetypal park in which relics would be on the display.
The center spoke against the plan, denouncing its hidden aim to block all possibilities of re-opening the southern Qaryout road which has long been ensuring the smooth entry into Ramallah city, sparing passengers more than 20 kms. The plan will make matters worse for the natives already exhausted by settlement policies, according to the report.
The plan aims at changing Khirbet Ceylon’s historical idiosyncrasy and the construction of an Israeli museum as part of the ongoing judaization plans within the village. The near inauguration of a touristic center in the area is a living proof of this. The situation is becoming alarming. Ceylon has long been such an architectural wonder that preserves so many of the flavors and tastes of its idiosyncratic history where several epochs and civilizations have converged. The village is most famous for the ancient breath-taking Omari Mosque and two spectacular Romanian mosaic churches.
Shilo settlement was established in the early 80’s and it includes several religious centers and a synagogue to teach the Torah and promote some of the most extremist rabbis. At least 450 dunums of Qaryout lands are confiscated.
6 apr 2014
The Aqsa Foundation for Endowment and Heritage said that Jewish fanatic organizations were planning to build a Jewish synagogue at Al-Aqsa Mosque as a key step towards the construction of the alleged temple. The foundation said in a statement on Sunday that a scheme has recently been charted by the "Yishai Association", led by a number of “Rabanims” who have recently sent a letter to the head of the Israeli government, Benjamin Netanyahu, urging him to build a synagogue at Al-Aqsa Mosque.
According to the foundation, a mapped description was handed by a right-wing journalist and activist in “alleged temple” organizations, aiming at establishing a synagogue in the western part of Al-Aqsa Mosque.
The activist outlined his vision, which he published on an online blog of his own, to build a synagogue that extends over a large area of Al-Aqsa Mosque along with other neighboring areas.
The scheme reveals attempts to open a new door via the western wall of the mosque to ensure the smooth entry of Jews into the synagogue and the overall control of the Buraq Mosque intended to become the synagogue’s main entrance.
The activist also recommended the construction of a glass wall that detaches the projected synagogue from the rest of Al-Aqsa and separates Jewish and Muslim worshippers performing their religious rituals. He further insisted that the wall has to be built in such a way as to allow the synagogue’s congregation to supervise the rest of Al-Aqsa area.
The Aqsa Foundation has spoken out against the move calling for an urgent reaction against the potential execution of such dangerous plans which coincide with demands for immediate construction approvals from Netanyahu.
According to the foundation, a mapped description was handed by a right-wing journalist and activist in “alleged temple” organizations, aiming at establishing a synagogue in the western part of Al-Aqsa Mosque.
The activist outlined his vision, which he published on an online blog of his own, to build a synagogue that extends over a large area of Al-Aqsa Mosque along with other neighboring areas.
The scheme reveals attempts to open a new door via the western wall of the mosque to ensure the smooth entry of Jews into the synagogue and the overall control of the Buraq Mosque intended to become the synagogue’s main entrance.
The activist also recommended the construction of a glass wall that detaches the projected synagogue from the rest of Al-Aqsa and separates Jewish and Muslim worshippers performing their religious rituals. He further insisted that the wall has to be built in such a way as to allow the synagogue’s congregation to supervise the rest of Al-Aqsa area.
The Aqsa Foundation has spoken out against the move calling for an urgent reaction against the potential execution of such dangerous plans which coincide with demands for immediate construction approvals from Netanyahu.
Professor of Urban Planning Youssef Jabareen confirmed that Israeli Occupation Authorities (IOA) are still planning to keep Palestinian territories under control through settlement and displacement policies, while seeking out new ways to strike a demographic balance in favor of Israeli settlers in Occupied Jerusalem.
On the occasion of his National Building Planning in Israel-book launch, Professor Jabareen declared he found out, after intensive research, that it was possible for the IOA to strategically hold sway over several Palestinian territories ever since the establishment of the Zionist Movement more than 120 years ago.
But until 1948 it wasn’t possible for the occupation neither to fulfill its long-awaited dream of purchasing the land nor to set up settlement units over large areas of the land. Meanwhile the Zionist Movement managed to take control over 7% of the Palestinian territories before resuming its dispossession crusades after Nakba, in the aftermath of which 93% were confiscated as opposed to 2.5% only left for Palestinians.
Jabareen further stated that due to Israeli settlement at the expense of Arabs, native inhabitants and young couples were forced to immigrate to other neighboring Jewish areas. The Jewish Nistrit Illit town has been transformed into a mixed “salad bowl” populated by 31% of Arabs over the last ten decades.
“But things are much more complicated in occupied Jerusalem. Unfortunately Jewish population has gone up to 44% of the overall population rate in Eastern Occupied Jerusalem due to the unwarranted demographic planning policies executed by the IOA.
“Such policies gave birth to a set of unwelcome bi-national geographies in the Eastern Occupied Jerusalem and other settlement units. In my opinion, those policies get in the way of establishing an Independent Palestinian state having Jerusalem as its major capital” Jabareen adds.
Jabreen recommended an urgent decision to resume negotiations on the basis of historical Palestine’s map instead of the 1967 map and to reconsider the establishment of a Palestinian state with delineated borders and territories.
On the occasion of his National Building Planning in Israel-book launch, Professor Jabareen declared he found out, after intensive research, that it was possible for the IOA to strategically hold sway over several Palestinian territories ever since the establishment of the Zionist Movement more than 120 years ago.
But until 1948 it wasn’t possible for the occupation neither to fulfill its long-awaited dream of purchasing the land nor to set up settlement units over large areas of the land. Meanwhile the Zionist Movement managed to take control over 7% of the Palestinian territories before resuming its dispossession crusades after Nakba, in the aftermath of which 93% were confiscated as opposed to 2.5% only left for Palestinians.
Jabareen further stated that due to Israeli settlement at the expense of Arabs, native inhabitants and young couples were forced to immigrate to other neighboring Jewish areas. The Jewish Nistrit Illit town has been transformed into a mixed “salad bowl” populated by 31% of Arabs over the last ten decades.
“But things are much more complicated in occupied Jerusalem. Unfortunately Jewish population has gone up to 44% of the overall population rate in Eastern Occupied Jerusalem due to the unwarranted demographic planning policies executed by the IOA.
“Such policies gave birth to a set of unwelcome bi-national geographies in the Eastern Occupied Jerusalem and other settlement units. In my opinion, those policies get in the way of establishing an Independent Palestinian state having Jerusalem as its major capital” Jabareen adds.
Jabreen recommended an urgent decision to resume negotiations on the basis of historical Palestine’s map instead of the 1967 map and to reconsider the establishment of a Palestinian state with delineated borders and territories.
4 mar 2014
Israel has approved a controversial archaeology project in occupied East Jerusalem, the interior ministry said Friday, in a move likely to compound tensions threatening to scupper peace talks.
The ministry "heard objections" from residents to the plans to build a visitor center just outside Jerusalem's Old City walls in the Palestinian neighborhood of Silwan, a statement said.
However it granted approval to the project on grounds that it "will show important archaeological discoveries to the public."
"As a tourist attraction, this will contribute to the development of the city of Jerusalem," the ministry added.
The Silwan neighborhood, where the 13,000-square-foot complex is to be built, is already home to dozens of Jewish settler families who live under heavy guard among Palestinian residents.
Palestinian residents charge that the new visitor center fails to take account of their needs and is an attempt to further strengthen the Jewish presence in Silwan.
The ministry "heard objections" from residents to the plans to build a visitor center just outside Jerusalem's Old City walls in the Palestinian neighborhood of Silwan, a statement said.
However it granted approval to the project on grounds that it "will show important archaeological discoveries to the public."
"As a tourist attraction, this will contribute to the development of the city of Jerusalem," the ministry added.
The Silwan neighborhood, where the 13,000-square-foot complex is to be built, is already home to dozens of Jewish settler families who live under heavy guard among Palestinian residents.
Palestinian residents charge that the new visitor center fails to take account of their needs and is an attempt to further strengthen the Jewish presence in Silwan.
3 apr 2014
The Israeli Planning and Building Committee is scheduled to discuss Thursday a plan for the establishment of a huge structure to be built at the expense of Palestinian lands in Silwan town southern Al-Aqsa Mosque, Hebrew media sources revealed. Haaretz Hebrew newspaper stated that the right-wing Elad association has submitted the plan that includes the establishment of a massive museum and visitor center complex very close to the walls of the Old City.
The plan was approved in 2009 at the expense of 5460 square meters; however it was then revealed that it was extended to cover an area of 16 thousand square meters.
Meanwhile, Israeli bulldozers demolished on Thursday morning Palestinian mobile homes in Eizariya town in occupied Jerusalem without previous warning under the pretext of being built without a permit.
Local sources confirmed that Israeli bulldozers have demolished three mobile homes and sheds belonging to Palestinian farmers.
The demolished mobile homes were established before the occupation of Jerusalem. The Israeli occupation authorities seek to confiscate more lands in that area as a prelude for the establishment of E-1 project.
The plan was approved in 2009 at the expense of 5460 square meters; however it was then revealed that it was extended to cover an area of 16 thousand square meters.
Meanwhile, Israeli bulldozers demolished on Thursday morning Palestinian mobile homes in Eizariya town in occupied Jerusalem without previous warning under the pretext of being built without a permit.
Local sources confirmed that Israeli bulldozers have demolished three mobile homes and sheds belonging to Palestinian farmers.
The demolished mobile homes were established before the occupation of Jerusalem. The Israeli occupation authorities seek to confiscate more lands in that area as a prelude for the establishment of E-1 project.
A settlement watchdog group says Israel is pushing forward with plans to build more than 700 homes in a (Jewish enclave) of east Jerusalem. The move could present another obstacle in the deeply troubled Israeli-Palestinian negotiations.
Hagit Ofran from Peace Now says Israel renewed a call for contractor bids to build the homes this week.
Ofran said Wednesday that Israel's reissuing of 708 tenders was meant to "make problems" in the faltering Israeli-Palestinian talks.
Those talks suffered yet another setback this week as Secretary of State John Kerry cancelled plans to return to the region after Israeli and Palestinian leaders made it clear no diplomatic breakthrough was near on the horizon.
Israel was supposed to release 26 Palestinian prisoners this past weekend, but asked for an extension on the deadline.
Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas balked at the request and resumed a campaign for further international recognition of a state of Palestine, despite a promise to suspend such efforts.
The claim about further construction in east Jerusalem - which Palestinians want to be the capital of a future Palestinian state -- came amid speculation that the U.S. was discussing a deal to entice Israel into making greater concessions in the dialogue with Palestinians by setting free a man convicted of spying for the (Jewish state) who has been held in a U.S. prison for 29 years.
Israel has long sought the release of former U.S. Navy intelligence officer Jonathan Pollard, who leaked classified documents to Israel in 1985.
Asked Tuesday in Brussels by CBS News' Margaret Brennan whether the U.S. had offered to release Pollard early, Secretary of State John Kerry said, there was "no agreement at this point in time regarding anyone or any specific steps. There are a lot of different possibilities in play."
CBS News foreign affairs analyst Pamela Falk said the cancellation of Kerry's visit to the Middle East does not necessarily mean the talks are off.
"Negotiations are on when everyone is putting more on the table," she explained, noting that both sides did at least seem interested in discussing possible ways forward. "But the Middle East is always difficult."
Brennan reported that Kerry was making calls Wednesday to Mideast negotiators who are trying to revive the process. With more than a dozen trips to the region in the past months, Kerry remains committed but appears no closer to a deal than any of his predecessors.
Hagit Ofran from Peace Now says Israel renewed a call for contractor bids to build the homes this week.
Ofran said Wednesday that Israel's reissuing of 708 tenders was meant to "make problems" in the faltering Israeli-Palestinian talks.
Those talks suffered yet another setback this week as Secretary of State John Kerry cancelled plans to return to the region after Israeli and Palestinian leaders made it clear no diplomatic breakthrough was near on the horizon.
Israel was supposed to release 26 Palestinian prisoners this past weekend, but asked for an extension on the deadline.
Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas balked at the request and resumed a campaign for further international recognition of a state of Palestine, despite a promise to suspend such efforts.
The claim about further construction in east Jerusalem - which Palestinians want to be the capital of a future Palestinian state -- came amid speculation that the U.S. was discussing a deal to entice Israel into making greater concessions in the dialogue with Palestinians by setting free a man convicted of spying for the (Jewish state) who has been held in a U.S. prison for 29 years.
Israel has long sought the release of former U.S. Navy intelligence officer Jonathan Pollard, who leaked classified documents to Israel in 1985.
Asked Tuesday in Brussels by CBS News' Margaret Brennan whether the U.S. had offered to release Pollard early, Secretary of State John Kerry said, there was "no agreement at this point in time regarding anyone or any specific steps. There are a lot of different possibilities in play."
CBS News foreign affairs analyst Pamela Falk said the cancellation of Kerry's visit to the Middle East does not necessarily mean the talks are off.
"Negotiations are on when everyone is putting more on the table," she explained, noting that both sides did at least seem interested in discussing possible ways forward. "But the Middle East is always difficult."
Brennan reported that Kerry was making calls Wednesday to Mideast negotiators who are trying to revive the process. With more than a dozen trips to the region in the past months, Kerry remains committed but appears no closer to a deal than any of his predecessors.
The Israeli occupation authority (IOA) on Wednesday opened a new tunnel in the heart of Silwan district near the Aqsa Mosque after 15 years of diggings in the area. According to the Aqsa foundation for endowment and heritage, the IOA held a small opening ceremony in camera for the new tunnel, which is part of the deep Silwan underground passageway, south of the Aqsa Mosque.
The Aqsa foundation said that this tunnel is part of a network of tunnels extending from Silwan and going under and around the Aqsa Mosque's foundations.
Over 15 years of deep diggings, huge rocks and a large amount of dirt had been removed from the dig site.
The IOA and its Jewish groups in east Jerusalem describe the dig area and the tunnel as the Ein Castle, which they claim that Prophet Dawoud (David) took it after he conquered the Arab Canaanites and that Prophet Suleiman (Solomon) became the king of Israel at this site.
The Aqsa foundation condemned these Israeli claims as another Jewish lies and part of the Israeli plans that aim to Judaize the entire holy city of Jerusalem.
The Aqsa foundation said that this tunnel is part of a network of tunnels extending from Silwan and going under and around the Aqsa Mosque's foundations.
Over 15 years of deep diggings, huge rocks and a large amount of dirt had been removed from the dig site.
The IOA and its Jewish groups in east Jerusalem describe the dig area and the tunnel as the Ein Castle, which they claim that Prophet Dawoud (David) took it after he conquered the Arab Canaanites and that Prophet Suleiman (Solomon) became the king of Israel at this site.
The Aqsa foundation condemned these Israeli claims as another Jewish lies and part of the Israeli plans that aim to Judaize the entire holy city of Jerusalem.
2 apr 2014
The Aqsa Foundation for Endowment and Heritage said the Israeli occupation authorities announced the completion of the international hotel Waldorf Astoria, which makes part of the Hilton worldwide chain, in occupied Jerusalem. The construction of the hotel, built on the ruins of the Supreme Muslim Council building west of occupied Jerusalem, falls as part of the Judaization policy of the holy city.
The IOA officially announced the near inauguration of the hotel at a time when the Israel Ministry of Tourism and a number of Israeli religious and political leaders had participated in a ceremony celebrating the posting of Judaization logos on the hotel’s main entrance.
The Foundation said in a report on Wednesday that all the way through seven years several demolitions have been carried out by private construction companies followed by deep drillings of the region and the construction of a chain of buildings adjacent to the remnants of the Supreme Islamic Council building, to which several floors have been added. The finalized version of the building was molded in an Israeli style in contrast to the building’s external fronts preserved for reasons of tourism marketing.
Al-Aqsa Foundation described the confiscation and demolition streak, which was eventually followed by the construction of such a huge building, as the most intolerable Judaization step of an Islamic property in occupied Jerusalem.
The IOA officially announced the near inauguration of the hotel at a time when the Israel Ministry of Tourism and a number of Israeli religious and political leaders had participated in a ceremony celebrating the posting of Judaization logos on the hotel’s main entrance.
The Foundation said in a report on Wednesday that all the way through seven years several demolitions have been carried out by private construction companies followed by deep drillings of the region and the construction of a chain of buildings adjacent to the remnants of the Supreme Islamic Council building, to which several floors have been added. The finalized version of the building was molded in an Israeli style in contrast to the building’s external fronts preserved for reasons of tourism marketing.
Al-Aqsa Foundation described the confiscation and demolition streak, which was eventually followed by the construction of such a huge building, as the most intolerable Judaization step of an Islamic property in occupied Jerusalem.
Israeli soldiers demolished seven agricultural sheds and structures in the Tiwani village, east of Yatta, in the southern West Bank district of Hebron.
Rateb Jabour, Coordinator of the Popular Committee against the Wall and Settlements in Hebron, stated that several Israeli military jeeps, armored vehicles and bulldozers, invaded the area, and demolished the seven structures.
He added that representative of the so-called Civil Administration Office, run by the army in the occupied West Bank, accompanied the army.
He further stated that the residents sometimes live in the sheds, and use them to store agricultural tools and equipment.
The village is located close to the Ma’on illegal Israeli settlement, built on private Palestinian property.
The demolished structures belong to residents Ahmad Reb’ey, Mohammad Issa Reb’ey, Ribhy Ahmad Reb’ey, Mafdy Ahmad Reb’ey, Mohammad Ali Reb’ey, Jadallah Shihada Reb’ey, and Naim Salem al-‘Adra.
The structures were also filled with wheat and fodder that belong to several residents of the village.
Jabour denounced the destruction, and said such attacks are frequent, targeting the residents, their sources of livelihood, and their structures in different parts of Yatta, and other areas in Hebron, and different parts of the West Bank.
He added that Israel aims at forcing the Palestinian to leave their lands so that it can build and expand its illegitimate Jewish-only settlements, and its military camps, by alleging those areas are “state property” and not inhabited by the Palestinians.
Israel’s settlements, military and security centers, in the occupied territories are built in occupied areas, therefore, illegitimate under International Law.
In Match, the Israeli government authorized the construction of 2840 units in Israeli settlements in the occupied West Bank, and occupied Jerusalem.
On April 1, Israel decided to issue illegal orders confiscating 600 Dunams of Palestinian lands that belong to residents of Qaryout village, south of the northern West Bank city of Nablus.
Israel intends to use the confiscated lands to build parking lots and other structures for Jewish settlers.
Rateb Jabour, Coordinator of the Popular Committee against the Wall and Settlements in Hebron, stated that several Israeli military jeeps, armored vehicles and bulldozers, invaded the area, and demolished the seven structures.
He added that representative of the so-called Civil Administration Office, run by the army in the occupied West Bank, accompanied the army.
He further stated that the residents sometimes live in the sheds, and use them to store agricultural tools and equipment.
The village is located close to the Ma’on illegal Israeli settlement, built on private Palestinian property.
The demolished structures belong to residents Ahmad Reb’ey, Mohammad Issa Reb’ey, Ribhy Ahmad Reb’ey, Mafdy Ahmad Reb’ey, Mohammad Ali Reb’ey, Jadallah Shihada Reb’ey, and Naim Salem al-‘Adra.
The structures were also filled with wheat and fodder that belong to several residents of the village.
Jabour denounced the destruction, and said such attacks are frequent, targeting the residents, their sources of livelihood, and their structures in different parts of Yatta, and other areas in Hebron, and different parts of the West Bank.
He added that Israel aims at forcing the Palestinian to leave their lands so that it can build and expand its illegitimate Jewish-only settlements, and its military camps, by alleging those areas are “state property” and not inhabited by the Palestinians.
Israel’s settlements, military and security centers, in the occupied territories are built in occupied areas, therefore, illegitimate under International Law.
In Match, the Israeli government authorized the construction of 2840 units in Israeli settlements in the occupied West Bank, and occupied Jerusalem.
On April 1, Israel decided to issue illegal orders confiscating 600 Dunams of Palestinian lands that belong to residents of Qaryout village, south of the northern West Bank city of Nablus.
Israel intends to use the confiscated lands to build parking lots and other structures for Jewish settlers.
1 apr 2014
Israel on Tuesday pushed tenders for more than 700 homes in an illegal settlement in annexed East Jerusalem, as Washington made intensive efforts to salvage a crisis-hit peace process, an Israeli NGO said.
"The ministry of housing is trying to forcefully undermine the peace process ... and (US Secretary of State) John Kerry's efforts to promote it," charged Peace Now's Hagit Ofran, confirming the tenders were for 708 homes in the Gilo settlement in East Jerusalem.
Israel has begun work on over 10,500 housing units in illegal settlements while simultaneously demolishing 146 Palestinian homes since peace talks began in July.
Since 1967, Israel has established over 150 settlements and some 100 outposts in the occupied West Bank, with a settler population of 520,000, according to OCHA.
Over 43 percent of land in the occupied West Bank is allocated to settlement local and regional councils.
"The ministry of housing is trying to forcefully undermine the peace process ... and (US Secretary of State) John Kerry's efforts to promote it," charged Peace Now's Hagit Ofran, confirming the tenders were for 708 homes in the Gilo settlement in East Jerusalem.
Israel has begun work on over 10,500 housing units in illegal settlements while simultaneously demolishing 146 Palestinian homes since peace talks began in July.
Since 1967, Israel has established over 150 settlements and some 100 outposts in the occupied West Bank, with a settler population of 520,000, according to OCHA.
Over 43 percent of land in the occupied West Bank is allocated to settlement local and regional councils.
