30 apr 2014
The Aqsa Foundation for Endowment and Heritage, active in the defense of Islamic sanctities in the 48 occupied Palestine, revealed the intention of the Israeli Occupation Authorities (IOA) to sponsor a six-million-shekel Judaization project in Occupied Jerusalem. The Aqsa Foundation said in a press release on Wednesday that the project aims at transforming the whole of al-Aqsa surrounding perimeters and Jerusalem’s Old City into Talmudic gardens so as to cut off any potential communication between Palestinian neighborhoods and al-Aqsa Mosque.
The Judaization project comes as part of Israel’s malevolent intentions to alter the geo-demographic idiosyncrasies of and around al-Aqsa and the Old City.
According to the Foundation, the project, sponsored by the Israeli Land Authority (ILA), includes the establishment and restoration of dozens of Jewish graves over the purported Jewish Samboski Cemetery along with plans to open passageways between the Old City and the alleged graveyard.
Several excavation procedures have been carried out around Wadi Rababa by the Israeli Antiquities Authority (IAA), seeking new ways to hold sway over al-Aqsa Mosque and Silwan area.
The Foundation further mentioned IOA’s schemes to lock up holy al-Aqsa Mosque within a series of Talmudic gardens, a number of which have already been laid down.
The Judaization project comes as part of Israel’s malevolent intentions to alter the geo-demographic idiosyncrasies of and around al-Aqsa and the Old City.
According to the Foundation, the project, sponsored by the Israeli Land Authority (ILA), includes the establishment and restoration of dozens of Jewish graves over the purported Jewish Samboski Cemetery along with plans to open passageways between the Old City and the alleged graveyard.
Several excavation procedures have been carried out around Wadi Rababa by the Israeli Antiquities Authority (IAA), seeking new ways to hold sway over al-Aqsa Mosque and Silwan area.
The Foundation further mentioned IOA’s schemes to lock up holy al-Aqsa Mosque within a series of Talmudic gardens, a number of which have already been laid down.
29 apr 2014
The so-called Civil Administration Office, run by the Israeli military in the occupied Palestinian territories, designated around 28,000 Dunams of Palestinian lands, beyond the Annexation Wall, as state lands. The move will be later followed by constructing and expanding Jewish settlements.
Israeli daily, Haaretz, has reported that Maj. Gen. Yoav Mordechai, who coordinates his government’s activities in the occupied territories, told a subcommittee of the Knesset, last week, that the 28,000 Dunams (Around 6.199 Acres) received the approval the Civil Administration’s taskforce “for demarcating state land”.
The taskforce, known as “Blue Line Task Force”, was created by the Israeli government, back in 1999, to reexamine lands shoddily considered in the 1980’s as lands “that belong to Israel.”
The Israeli paper further stated that most of the lands, recently declared as “belonging to the state”, hold a strategic value to the settlers, and could lead settlements close to the Green Line, the line between historic Palestine and the West Bank, to be linked to Israeli towns.
Israel intends to confiscate around 3,476 Dunams of Palestinian lands near Ariel settlement, in the northern part of the West Bank, adding that around 2,302 Dunams in the southern Hebron Hills of the occupied West Bank have been claimed by Israel as “state land”.
Talking to Haaretz, Dror Etkes of Rabbis for Human Rights said the Israeli decision is another indication that Tel Aviv is not interested in peace talks with the Palestinians.
He said that the illegal activities of the Israeli government, and adding more lands to the jurisdiction of Jewish settlements, indicate that the Israeli Government of Benjamin Netanyahu believes there is no Oslo agreement, no Wall and no peace negotiations with the Palestinians.
Etkes told Haaretz that the amount of lands, and their locations in the occupied territories, shows that the Civil Administration believes all lands in Area C, (under full Israeli military control in the occupied West Bank, and should become part of the Palestinian State) are all designated for settlement activities.
He added that this has been taking place on the ground over the past twenty years. Such activities prevent the establishment of a viable and contiguous Palestinian State as the occupied territories became fragmented and isolated by the Annexation Wall, and Israel’s illegitimate settlements.
Israeli Peace Now Movement said that, during the 9 months of direct talks mediated by US Secretary of State, John Kerry, Israel advanced plans and tenders for constructing more than 13,851 units in Jewish settlements, in occupied East Jerusalem.
Israel’s illegitimate settlements and the Apartheid Wall are preventing the Palestinians access to what is left of their orchards and lands.
They have isolated entire Palestinian communities and turned them into ghettos, fragmented and isolated.
Such activities are also meant to keep and boost Israel’s hold on all vital areas in occupied Palestine, especially in and around occupied Jerusalem, the Jordan Valley and its fertile lands, hilltops and all areas with natural resources, including water.
Peace Now Report on Israeli Settlement Activities during the Nine Months of Talks;
9 Months of Talks, 9 Months of Settlement Development
Israeli daily, Haaretz, has reported that Maj. Gen. Yoav Mordechai, who coordinates his government’s activities in the occupied territories, told a subcommittee of the Knesset, last week, that the 28,000 Dunams (Around 6.199 Acres) received the approval the Civil Administration’s taskforce “for demarcating state land”.
The taskforce, known as “Blue Line Task Force”, was created by the Israeli government, back in 1999, to reexamine lands shoddily considered in the 1980’s as lands “that belong to Israel.”
The Israeli paper further stated that most of the lands, recently declared as “belonging to the state”, hold a strategic value to the settlers, and could lead settlements close to the Green Line, the line between historic Palestine and the West Bank, to be linked to Israeli towns.
Israel intends to confiscate around 3,476 Dunams of Palestinian lands near Ariel settlement, in the northern part of the West Bank, adding that around 2,302 Dunams in the southern Hebron Hills of the occupied West Bank have been claimed by Israel as “state land”.
Talking to Haaretz, Dror Etkes of Rabbis for Human Rights said the Israeli decision is another indication that Tel Aviv is not interested in peace talks with the Palestinians.
He said that the illegal activities of the Israeli government, and adding more lands to the jurisdiction of Jewish settlements, indicate that the Israeli Government of Benjamin Netanyahu believes there is no Oslo agreement, no Wall and no peace negotiations with the Palestinians.
Etkes told Haaretz that the amount of lands, and their locations in the occupied territories, shows that the Civil Administration believes all lands in Area C, (under full Israeli military control in the occupied West Bank, and should become part of the Palestinian State) are all designated for settlement activities.
He added that this has been taking place on the ground over the past twenty years. Such activities prevent the establishment of a viable and contiguous Palestinian State as the occupied territories became fragmented and isolated by the Annexation Wall, and Israel’s illegitimate settlements.
Israeli Peace Now Movement said that, during the 9 months of direct talks mediated by US Secretary of State, John Kerry, Israel advanced plans and tenders for constructing more than 13,851 units in Jewish settlements, in occupied East Jerusalem.
Israel’s illegitimate settlements and the Apartheid Wall are preventing the Palestinians access to what is left of their orchards and lands.
They have isolated entire Palestinian communities and turned them into ghettos, fragmented and isolated.
Such activities are also meant to keep and boost Israel’s hold on all vital areas in occupied Palestine, especially in and around occupied Jerusalem, the Jordan Valley and its fertile lands, hilltops and all areas with natural resources, including water.
Peace Now Report on Israeli Settlement Activities during the Nine Months of Talks;
9 Months of Talks, 9 Months of Settlement Development
Israel approved plans for nearly 14,000 new settler homes during the nine months of peace talks with the Palestinians, an Israeli settlement watchdog said Tuesday as the negotiation period formally ended.
Figures quoted by Peace Now showed that during the talks, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's government approved at least 13,851 new housing through the advancement of plans and the publication of tenders.
"This is an unprecedented number representing an average of 50 housing units per day or 1,540 per month," it said.
"Netanyahu broke construction records during the nine-month peace talks," Peace Now head Yariv Oppenheimer told AFP.
Israel's ongoing settlement building has weighed heavily on the negotiation process, with the Palestinians infuriated by the relentless pace of new construction approvals on land they want for a future state.
They have demanded a complete settlement freeze as one of the key conditions for any return to the crisis-hit talks.
But Israel has flatly refused, with Netanyahu rejecting the notion that settlement building ran counter to peace efforts, saying he never agreed to any "restraints on construction" throughout the talks.
Figures quoted by Peace Now showed that during the talks, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's government approved at least 13,851 new housing through the advancement of plans and the publication of tenders.
"This is an unprecedented number representing an average of 50 housing units per day or 1,540 per month," it said.
"Netanyahu broke construction records during the nine-month peace talks," Peace Now head Yariv Oppenheimer told AFP.
Israel's ongoing settlement building has weighed heavily on the negotiation process, with the Palestinians infuriated by the relentless pace of new construction approvals on land they want for a future state.
They have demanded a complete settlement freeze as one of the key conditions for any return to the crisis-hit talks.
But Israel has flatly refused, with Netanyahu rejecting the notion that settlement building ran counter to peace efforts, saying he never agreed to any "restraints on construction" throughout the talks.
26 apr 2014
Israeli Housing Minister Uri Ariel has called for boosting settlement construction in occupied West Bank following a reconciliation deal between Palestinian rival factions Fatah and Hamas. "Israel should resume construction projects in the settlements and seek to impose its sovereignty over the areas (C) in the future," Ariel said, according to Radio Israel.
According to a report issued by the UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA), area (C) constitutes 60% of the West Bank territories where about 300 thousand Palestinians live.
In the same context, U.S. President Barack Obama described PA Chairman Mahmoud Abbas's decision to form a unity government as "unhelpful" and would undermine negotiations with Israel.
Obama said on Friday that a pause in peace talks between Israel and the Palestinians may be needed so both sides can consider the alternative to negotiating.
He stressed, however, the importance of peace talks between both sides.
On the other hand, US State Department said that Abbas promised in a telephone conversation with U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry that the new government that will be formed following the Palestinian reconciliation will recognize Israel.
Abbas told Kerry that the future unity government with Hamas will be his government and represents his policies – it will recognize Israel, abide by past agreements and will renounce violence, US State Department spokeswoman Jen Psaki said.
“We are in a holding period where parties need to figure out what is next," Psaki added in a press conference regarding negotiations.
"We have always thought there could be a point where we needed to pause and both sides needed to look at what was possible. And we're clearly at that point now", she clarified.
In their turn, leaders of the House of Representatives’ Appropriations subcommittee that oversees foreign aid Reps. Kay Granger, a Republican, and Nita Lowey, a Democrat, said the agreement clearly threatens the money the Palestinian Authority has grown accustomed to receiving.
"This is an irresponsible path forward and this agreement should be abandoned immediately if the Palestinian Authority is serious about the peace process," Granger said in a statement.
Lowey said she would be working with the State Department on the logistics of suspending aid unless Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas reverses course.
For his part, Senator Lindsey Graham called the Palestinian Authority's move a "provocative act", and said he hoped Congress "will take a forceful stand against this decision."
But in another tone, Imam and preacher of Al-Aqsa Mosque Sheikh Yousef Abu Sneineh has welcomed Palestinian reconciliation agreement, calling for its immediate implementation.
During his Friday sermon, Sheikh Abu Sneineh stated that this agreement is an initial step to end the division and unify Palestinians' efforts in face of Israeli occupation.
On the other hand, he denounced Israeli violations and break-ins against occupied Jerusalem and al-Aqsa Mosque, condemning Israeli racist restrictions on Palestinian worshipers' access into al-Aqsa Mosque.
Sheikh Abu Sneineh called for paying attention to Jerusalemites' daily suffering due to Israeli Judaization schemes and confiscation policy.
He also called for the release of Palestinian detainees who are exposed to torture and maltreatment in Israeli jails.
According to a report issued by the UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA), area (C) constitutes 60% of the West Bank territories where about 300 thousand Palestinians live.
In the same context, U.S. President Barack Obama described PA Chairman Mahmoud Abbas's decision to form a unity government as "unhelpful" and would undermine negotiations with Israel.
Obama said on Friday that a pause in peace talks between Israel and the Palestinians may be needed so both sides can consider the alternative to negotiating.
He stressed, however, the importance of peace talks between both sides.
On the other hand, US State Department said that Abbas promised in a telephone conversation with U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry that the new government that will be formed following the Palestinian reconciliation will recognize Israel.
Abbas told Kerry that the future unity government with Hamas will be his government and represents his policies – it will recognize Israel, abide by past agreements and will renounce violence, US State Department spokeswoman Jen Psaki said.
“We are in a holding period where parties need to figure out what is next," Psaki added in a press conference regarding negotiations.
"We have always thought there could be a point where we needed to pause and both sides needed to look at what was possible. And we're clearly at that point now", she clarified.
In their turn, leaders of the House of Representatives’ Appropriations subcommittee that oversees foreign aid Reps. Kay Granger, a Republican, and Nita Lowey, a Democrat, said the agreement clearly threatens the money the Palestinian Authority has grown accustomed to receiving.
"This is an irresponsible path forward and this agreement should be abandoned immediately if the Palestinian Authority is serious about the peace process," Granger said in a statement.
Lowey said she would be working with the State Department on the logistics of suspending aid unless Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas reverses course.
For his part, Senator Lindsey Graham called the Palestinian Authority's move a "provocative act", and said he hoped Congress "will take a forceful stand against this decision."
But in another tone, Imam and preacher of Al-Aqsa Mosque Sheikh Yousef Abu Sneineh has welcomed Palestinian reconciliation agreement, calling for its immediate implementation.
During his Friday sermon, Sheikh Abu Sneineh stated that this agreement is an initial step to end the division and unify Palestinians' efforts in face of Israeli occupation.
On the other hand, he denounced Israeli violations and break-ins against occupied Jerusalem and al-Aqsa Mosque, condemning Israeli racist restrictions on Palestinian worshipers' access into al-Aqsa Mosque.
Sheikh Abu Sneineh called for paying attention to Jerusalemites' daily suffering due to Israeli Judaization schemes and confiscation policy.
He also called for the release of Palestinian detainees who are exposed to torture and maltreatment in Israeli jails.
Israeli occupation forces (IOF) forced Palestinian farmers out of their land south of al-Khalil on Friday night after detaining them for a while. WAFA news agency quoted Ratib al-Jabour, the coordinator of the popular committees against the wall and settlement in south of al-Khalil, as saying that the soldiers detained the farmers along with their families.
He said that the farmers were expelled from their land to the north east of Yatta town, a permanent area of IOF harassment.
The soldiers told the farmers that their land was confiscated to pave the way for building a road linking settlements in the area, he said, adding that the project would seize hundreds of dunums of agricultural land.
He said that the farmers were expelled from their land to the north east of Yatta town, a permanent area of IOF harassment.
The soldiers told the farmers that their land was confiscated to pave the way for building a road linking settlements in the area, he said, adding that the project would seize hundreds of dunums of agricultural land.
23 apr 2014
Obama administration "infuriated"
Former US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton expressed dissent with the state of Israel for announcing what she deemed a "counter-productive" and "provocative" expansion of illegal settlements in the midst of a highly sensitive UN melee over the crisis in the Middle East.
"This morning’s announcement by the government of Israel ... is counter-productive to our efforts to resume negotiations between the parties. We have long urged both sides to avoid any kind of action which could undermine trust, including and perhaps most particularly in Jerusalem, any action that could be viewed as provocative by either side," she said, in response to the announcement that new homes would be built in Gilo, a Jewish enclave in Jerusalem.
The Obama administration was reportedly "infuriated" by Israel’s decision to approve the building of 1,100 new Jewish-only homes in the West Bank, as US diplomats lobbied furiously to halt the Palestinian request for statehood that was formally submitted to the UN last week, according to media sources.
The US backed a proposal for renewed peace talks with firm deadlines that would have postponed a UN vote on the Palestinians’ request to be recognised as an independent state.
Palestinian negotiator Saeb Erekat said the Israeli settlement announcement amounted to "1,100 noes to the resumption of peace talks".
In 2013, there were 399 incidents of settler violence against Palestinians in the West Bank, according to the UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs.
Just today, three female colonial settlers were detained by police, on suspicion of breaking into Al-Rahma Islamic cemetery, next to Al-Aqsa Mosque, where they sprayed racial graffiti on a grave. They were held in Al-Qashla detention centre, in the Old City, to prosecute them later.
Mahmoud Abu Al-Ataa, Media Director of Al-Aqsa Foundation for Heritage and Islamic Waqf, stated that this group of settlers only recently desecrated the cemetery, in attempts to perform Talmudic rituals there, during the night hours.
Abu Al-Ata strongly condemned such crimes against the cemetery, holding the occupation fully responsible for the attacks against mosques and churches in Jerusalem and pre-1948 Palestine.
Abu Al-Ata called on all Palestinians in Jerusalem to exercise caution, especially in light of the escalation of such organized crimes by "Price Tag" Jewish colonial gangs.
Israeli forces raided the al-Aqsa mosque compound, on Tuesday, and assaulted several Palestinian worshipers, officials from the ministry of Islamic endowments told Ma'an.
Palestinian worshipers in the compound chanted religious slogans at a group of around 30 right-wing Jews who had entered the area via the Moroccan Gate.
Israeli forces raided the compound following the incident and physically assaulted several worshipers, ministry officials said.
The right-wing group was escorted out of the area by Israeli forces without completing their tour.
Earlier, a right-wing Jewish activist tried to enter the compound by claiming that he was a foreign tourist, Ma'an went on to say. Israeli police checked the man's documents and prevented him from entering, after discovering he was Israeli, ministry officials added.
Al-Aqsa is located in East Jerusalem, a part of the internationally recognized Palestinian territories that have been occupied by the Israeli military since 1967.
In Hebron, the Israeli army forced a group of farmers out of their agricultural lands in the village of Beit Ummar, to north of Hebron, in the south of the West Bank, according to Mohammad Awad, spokesperson for the anti-settlement committee.
He said that soldiers from the settlement of Karmi Tsur, illegally built on the village land, forced the farmers out of their land which is adjacent to the settlement.
The Palestinian News & Info Agency (WAFA) further reports that several armored Israeli military vehicles invaded Borqa village, west of the northern West Bank city of Nablus, kidnapping six Palestinians and causing property damage while searching their homes on Wednesday, at dawn.
Soldiers also invaded Deir Samet village, Doura town, al-Fawwar refugee camp, Ithna, Yatta, al-Obaidiyya and Borqeen.
The arrests and invasions are part of daily Israeli military violations against the Palestinian people, their lands and property, in different parts of the occupied West Bank, including occupied East Jerusalem.
Former US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton expressed dissent with the state of Israel for announcing what she deemed a "counter-productive" and "provocative" expansion of illegal settlements in the midst of a highly sensitive UN melee over the crisis in the Middle East.
"This morning’s announcement by the government of Israel ... is counter-productive to our efforts to resume negotiations between the parties. We have long urged both sides to avoid any kind of action which could undermine trust, including and perhaps most particularly in Jerusalem, any action that could be viewed as provocative by either side," she said, in response to the announcement that new homes would be built in Gilo, a Jewish enclave in Jerusalem.
The Obama administration was reportedly "infuriated" by Israel’s decision to approve the building of 1,100 new Jewish-only homes in the West Bank, as US diplomats lobbied furiously to halt the Palestinian request for statehood that was formally submitted to the UN last week, according to media sources.
The US backed a proposal for renewed peace talks with firm deadlines that would have postponed a UN vote on the Palestinians’ request to be recognised as an independent state.
Palestinian negotiator Saeb Erekat said the Israeli settlement announcement amounted to "1,100 noes to the resumption of peace talks".
In 2013, there were 399 incidents of settler violence against Palestinians in the West Bank, according to the UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs.
Just today, three female colonial settlers were detained by police, on suspicion of breaking into Al-Rahma Islamic cemetery, next to Al-Aqsa Mosque, where they sprayed racial graffiti on a grave. They were held in Al-Qashla detention centre, in the Old City, to prosecute them later.
Mahmoud Abu Al-Ataa, Media Director of Al-Aqsa Foundation for Heritage and Islamic Waqf, stated that this group of settlers only recently desecrated the cemetery, in attempts to perform Talmudic rituals there, during the night hours.
Abu Al-Ata strongly condemned such crimes against the cemetery, holding the occupation fully responsible for the attacks against mosques and churches in Jerusalem and pre-1948 Palestine.
Abu Al-Ata called on all Palestinians in Jerusalem to exercise caution, especially in light of the escalation of such organized crimes by "Price Tag" Jewish colonial gangs.
Israeli forces raided the al-Aqsa mosque compound, on Tuesday, and assaulted several Palestinian worshipers, officials from the ministry of Islamic endowments told Ma'an.
Palestinian worshipers in the compound chanted religious slogans at a group of around 30 right-wing Jews who had entered the area via the Moroccan Gate.
Israeli forces raided the compound following the incident and physically assaulted several worshipers, ministry officials said.
The right-wing group was escorted out of the area by Israeli forces without completing their tour.
Earlier, a right-wing Jewish activist tried to enter the compound by claiming that he was a foreign tourist, Ma'an went on to say. Israeli police checked the man's documents and prevented him from entering, after discovering he was Israeli, ministry officials added.
Al-Aqsa is located in East Jerusalem, a part of the internationally recognized Palestinian territories that have been occupied by the Israeli military since 1967.
In Hebron, the Israeli army forced a group of farmers out of their agricultural lands in the village of Beit Ummar, to north of Hebron, in the south of the West Bank, according to Mohammad Awad, spokesperson for the anti-settlement committee.
He said that soldiers from the settlement of Karmi Tsur, illegally built on the village land, forced the farmers out of their land which is adjacent to the settlement.
The Palestinian News & Info Agency (WAFA) further reports that several armored Israeli military vehicles invaded Borqa village, west of the northern West Bank city of Nablus, kidnapping six Palestinians and causing property damage while searching their homes on Wednesday, at dawn.
Soldiers also invaded Deir Samet village, Doura town, al-Fawwar refugee camp, Ithna, Yatta, al-Obaidiyya and Borqeen.
The arrests and invasions are part of daily Israeli military violations against the Palestinian people, their lands and property, in different parts of the occupied West Bank, including occupied East Jerusalem.
20 apr 2014
Israeli occupation has constructed 748 settlement units in the occupied West Bank and Jerusalem since the beginning of 2014, Information Centre of Separation Wall and Settlement unveiled. The centre said in a statement that Netanyahu’s government issued plans of building 4640 settlement units in 2014.
In Jerusalem, the building will include settlements of Pisgat Zeev, Neve Yaakov, Reches Shuafat, Benjamin, Neveh Pratt, Givat Ze'ev, Harhoma, Gilo, and the Sheikh Jarrah area in Jerusalem, the centre added.
In the West Bank, the building will include settlements: Efrat and Betar Illit in Bethlehem, Beit El and Ofra in Ramallah, Ariel, Emmanuel and Elkana in Salfit, Alfe Menashe and Karni Shomron in Qalqilya, and al-Mawj settlement in Jericho.
The report said that the first third of this year has witnessed an escalation in the construction and expansion of settlements, despite the U.S brokered negotiations between Israel and the Palestinian Authority.
Israeli settlements in the occupied Palestine are the Jewish civilian communities built on lands occupied by Israel during the 1967 Six-Day War. Such settlements currently exist in the West Bank, East Jerusalem, and in the Golan Heights.
However, Israeli settlement expansion has continued unabated, despite being condemned by almost all other nations and the UN.
In Jerusalem, the building will include settlements of Pisgat Zeev, Neve Yaakov, Reches Shuafat, Benjamin, Neveh Pratt, Givat Ze'ev, Harhoma, Gilo, and the Sheikh Jarrah area in Jerusalem, the centre added.
In the West Bank, the building will include settlements: Efrat and Betar Illit in Bethlehem, Beit El and Ofra in Ramallah, Ariel, Emmanuel and Elkana in Salfit, Alfe Menashe and Karni Shomron in Qalqilya, and al-Mawj settlement in Jericho.
The report said that the first third of this year has witnessed an escalation in the construction and expansion of settlements, despite the U.S brokered negotiations between Israel and the Palestinian Authority.
Israeli settlements in the occupied Palestine are the Jewish civilian communities built on lands occupied by Israel during the 1967 Six-Day War. Such settlements currently exist in the West Bank, East Jerusalem, and in the Golan Heights.
However, Israeli settlement expansion has continued unabated, despite being condemned by almost all other nations and the UN.
19 apr 2014
EU foreign affairs chief Catherine Ashton called on Israel Friday to reverse recent actions, such as announcing new settlements in the occupied West Bank, to bolster faltering peace talks.
Ashton viewed with "great concern" an Israeli decision to declare an area near the Gush Etzion settlement south of Bethlehem as state land and approval of a new Jewish settlement in the southern city of Hebron, a statement from her office said.
The continued demolition of Palestinian property and the confiscation of EU humanitarian aid were also worrying, Ashton added.
Earlier this month, an EU official said Israel had demolished several EU-funded humanitarian housing shelters in a highly sensitive strip of West Bank land near Jerusalem.
"The EU calls on the Israeli authorities to reverse these decisions," Ashton said.
Such events are "not conducive to the climate of trust and cooperation needed for the current peace negotiations to succeed," she added.
Ashton also said she "condemns the recent killing of an Israeli man in the West Bank and calls for an immediate end to all acts of violence."
All sides should "show utmost restraint and responsibility in order not to jeopardize the current negotiation process," she said.
An Israeli official, who requested anonymity, slammed Ashton's comment, pinning the blame for the faltering peace talks on the Palestinians.
"It is not surprising that once more Mrs. Ashton is ignoring Palestinian responsibility in the crisis facing the discussions," the official said.
"Although the Palestinians clearly and crudely violated the agreements by unilaterally addressing the United Nations, Mrs Ashton did not see the need to react to that."
Under an agreement brokered by the United States for the resumption of the talks last July, Israel committed to releasing 104 prisoners held since before the 1993 Oslo autonomy accords in four batches.
But in March it cancelled the release of the last group of 26, triggering the ire of Palestinian president Mahmoud Abbas who retaliated by seeking accession to 15 international treaties and conventions.
The crisis emerged just a month before the deadline of the talks on April 29 and as Washington was striving to extend the negotiations beyond that date.
Ashton viewed with "great concern" an Israeli decision to declare an area near the Gush Etzion settlement south of Bethlehem as state land and approval of a new Jewish settlement in the southern city of Hebron, a statement from her office said.
The continued demolition of Palestinian property and the confiscation of EU humanitarian aid were also worrying, Ashton added.
Earlier this month, an EU official said Israel had demolished several EU-funded humanitarian housing shelters in a highly sensitive strip of West Bank land near Jerusalem.
"The EU calls on the Israeli authorities to reverse these decisions," Ashton said.
Such events are "not conducive to the climate of trust and cooperation needed for the current peace negotiations to succeed," she added.
Ashton also said she "condemns the recent killing of an Israeli man in the West Bank and calls for an immediate end to all acts of violence."
All sides should "show utmost restraint and responsibility in order not to jeopardize the current negotiation process," she said.
An Israeli official, who requested anonymity, slammed Ashton's comment, pinning the blame for the faltering peace talks on the Palestinians.
"It is not surprising that once more Mrs. Ashton is ignoring Palestinian responsibility in the crisis facing the discussions," the official said.
"Although the Palestinians clearly and crudely violated the agreements by unilaterally addressing the United Nations, Mrs Ashton did not see the need to react to that."
Under an agreement brokered by the United States for the resumption of the talks last July, Israel committed to releasing 104 prisoners held since before the 1993 Oslo autonomy accords in four batches.
But in March it cancelled the release of the last group of 26, triggering the ire of Palestinian president Mahmoud Abbas who retaliated by seeking accession to 15 international treaties and conventions.
The crisis emerged just a month before the deadline of the talks on April 29 and as Washington was striving to extend the negotiations beyond that date.
18 apr 2014
The Aqsa foundation for endowment and heritage warned of an Israeli plan to build as of next June a huge theme park over the remaining area of the historical Mamanullah cemetery. The plan comes as part of the entertainment project undertaken by the municipality.
In a statement on Thursday, the Aqsa foundation described the project as the largest in a series of other tourist projects to be built in occupied Jerusalem.
According to the foundation, the IOA and its executive sectors held sway over Mamanullah cemetery entirely in the past few months, where a public park was built in place of a large number of graves.
The cemetery has been a target for Israeli vandalism and desecration crimes since the 1948 Nakba.
The foundation called on any company intending to undertake the project to steer clear of any construction plan targeting the Islamic holy sites in occupied Palestine.
In a statement on Thursday, the Aqsa foundation described the project as the largest in a series of other tourist projects to be built in occupied Jerusalem.
According to the foundation, the IOA and its executive sectors held sway over Mamanullah cemetery entirely in the past few months, where a public park was built in place of a large number of graves.
The cemetery has been a target for Israeli vandalism and desecration crimes since the 1948 Nakba.
The foundation called on any company intending to undertake the project to steer clear of any construction plan targeting the Islamic holy sites in occupied Palestine.
14 apr 2014
In their latest redrawing of the map of the West Bank at the expense of Palestinians, Israeli occupation authorities have declared about 250 acres of territory south of Bethlehem to be land belonging to the state, paving the way for it to be used to expand three Israeli settlements.
The step, approved by the hard-line defence minister Moshe Ya’alon, comes at a particularly sensitive time in Israeli-Palestinian relations, with the peace process on the brink of expiry after Israel failed to fulfil a commitment to release a group of Palestinian prisoners on 29 March, and the Palestinian leader Mahmoud Abbas subsequently applied for membership in 15 international treaties and conventions.
It is the largest declaration of state lands in the West Bank since 2004, and draws on 19th-century Ottoman Turkish law to take over Palestinian land found to have been uncultivated for a decade. Palestinians, who are given 45 days to appeal, view the measure as tantamount to expropriation, with many of them saying that Israeli strictures on their movement make cultivation of the land impossible.
An Israeli official sought to play down the significance of the move, saying: “This is a process… that has been going on for years. It is not new.” He added that what Mr Ya’alon had approved was a “declaration of intention to turn the land into state land if there aren’t objections”. However, the declaration itself, obtained by The Independent, says the land in question “is government property”. Signs in Hebrew and Arabic have been posted on the land saying: “Government Property. No Trespassing”.
Three Palestinian villages will lose land – Beit Omar, Naalin and al-Khader – and it’s thought that the territory will be used to expand Neve Daniel, Elazar and Alon Shvut settlements, and by residents of the Netiv Ha’avot settler outpost.
“This is a big chunk of land that once allocated to settlers will give them big room for expansion,” said Dror Etkes, head of Kerem Navot, a dovish organisation specialising in West Bank land issues. Noting that the order was signed on 6 April at the height of the crisis in the peace talks, Mr Etkes said it was aimed “to make the whole thing collapse”.
The move came as three Israeli settler families took up occupancy of building with 20 apartments in the West Bank city of Hebron after Israel’s supreme court last month ruled they had purchased the property legally. Palestinians and Israeli doves consider this to be the equivalent of a new settlement in Hebron.
Hanan Ashrawi, a member of the executive committee of the Palestine Liberation Organisation, condemned the settlement steps: “This is a government of land theft and expansionism and it is the worst enemy of peace. Israel is doing everything possible to torpedo any chance of peace.”
Mark Regev, spokesman for Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, responded: “In all cases, disputes regarding land ownership are ultimately decided by the Israeli Supreme Court which is known internationally for its professionalism and objectivity.”
Source: The INDEPENDENT
The step, approved by the hard-line defence minister Moshe Ya’alon, comes at a particularly sensitive time in Israeli-Palestinian relations, with the peace process on the brink of expiry after Israel failed to fulfil a commitment to release a group of Palestinian prisoners on 29 March, and the Palestinian leader Mahmoud Abbas subsequently applied for membership in 15 international treaties and conventions.
It is the largest declaration of state lands in the West Bank since 2004, and draws on 19th-century Ottoman Turkish law to take over Palestinian land found to have been uncultivated for a decade. Palestinians, who are given 45 days to appeal, view the measure as tantamount to expropriation, with many of them saying that Israeli strictures on their movement make cultivation of the land impossible.
An Israeli official sought to play down the significance of the move, saying: “This is a process… that has been going on for years. It is not new.” He added that what Mr Ya’alon had approved was a “declaration of intention to turn the land into state land if there aren’t objections”. However, the declaration itself, obtained by The Independent, says the land in question “is government property”. Signs in Hebrew and Arabic have been posted on the land saying: “Government Property. No Trespassing”.
Three Palestinian villages will lose land – Beit Omar, Naalin and al-Khader – and it’s thought that the territory will be used to expand Neve Daniel, Elazar and Alon Shvut settlements, and by residents of the Netiv Ha’avot settler outpost.
“This is a big chunk of land that once allocated to settlers will give them big room for expansion,” said Dror Etkes, head of Kerem Navot, a dovish organisation specialising in West Bank land issues. Noting that the order was signed on 6 April at the height of the crisis in the peace talks, Mr Etkes said it was aimed “to make the whole thing collapse”.
The move came as three Israeli settler families took up occupancy of building with 20 apartments in the West Bank city of Hebron after Israel’s supreme court last month ruled they had purchased the property legally. Palestinians and Israeli doves consider this to be the equivalent of a new settlement in Hebron.
Hanan Ashrawi, a member of the executive committee of the Palestine Liberation Organisation, condemned the settlement steps: “This is a government of land theft and expansionism and it is the worst enemy of peace. Israel is doing everything possible to torpedo any chance of peace.”
Mark Regev, spokesman for Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, responded: “In all cases, disputes regarding land ownership are ultimately decided by the Israeli Supreme Court which is known internationally for its professionalism and objectivity.”
Source: The INDEPENDENT
Fatah Central Committee member Dr. Muhammad Shtayyeh responded to Israel's announcement regarding a new illegal settlement in Hebron, occupied Palestine:
"This shows the Israeli government's commitment to colonization rather than peace. This is a government that will do everything possible in order to turn its occupation into annexation of our land. The decision taken by Israeli Minister Ya'alon is simply a reflection of Israel's PM Netanyahu's will to strengthen settlements and bury the two-state solution."
"By taking this decision the Israeli government is not only grabbing more Palestinian land, but also it is endangering the lives of Palestinians in Hebron who constantly suffer from the action of settler terrorists, operating under the protection of Israeli occupation forces," He added.
Shtayyeh continued: "While some people are talking about continuation of talks, this clearly shows Israel's lack of commitment towards a two-state solution. It undermines US and international efforts and reaffirms that there is no sense in extending negotiations without a full cessation of Israeli settlement activities all over the occupied State of Palestine, including in and around occupied East Jerusalem."
"Once again, we call upon the international community to ban all settlement products and to cut all ties with entities and companies linked directly or indirectly to the Israeli occupation. In order give peace a chance, Israel must stop being treated as a state above the law," Shtayyeh concluded.
"This shows the Israeli government's commitment to colonization rather than peace. This is a government that will do everything possible in order to turn its occupation into annexation of our land. The decision taken by Israeli Minister Ya'alon is simply a reflection of Israel's PM Netanyahu's will to strengthen settlements and bury the two-state solution."
"By taking this decision the Israeli government is not only grabbing more Palestinian land, but also it is endangering the lives of Palestinians in Hebron who constantly suffer from the action of settler terrorists, operating under the protection of Israeli occupation forces," He added.
Shtayyeh continued: "While some people are talking about continuation of talks, this clearly shows Israel's lack of commitment towards a two-state solution. It undermines US and international efforts and reaffirms that there is no sense in extending negotiations without a full cessation of Israeli settlement activities all over the occupied State of Palestine, including in and around occupied East Jerusalem."
"Once again, we call upon the international community to ban all settlement products and to cut all ties with entities and companies linked directly or indirectly to the Israeli occupation. In order give peace a chance, Israel must stop being treated as a state above the law," Shtayyeh concluded.
13 apr 2014
Israeli Minister of Defense, Moshe Ya’alon, announced on Sunday that works began for the largest project of expanding the settlement bloc of Gush Etzion, in the south of the West Bank.
He confirmed that a 984-dunum area of land in southern and west of Bethlehem were seized last week for the benefit of this project, according to WAFA.
Israeli authorities, last Thursday, announced a decision to confiscate about 1,000 dunams (250 acres) of private Palestinian land in the town of al-Khader, south of Bethlehem.
Deputy mayor of al-Khader Ismail Issa told Ma’an News Agency that high-level Israeli military commanders and Civil Administration officers, along with a group of settlers, toured private Palestinian fields in areas known locally as Khallat al-Fahm, al-Zaytouna and al-Absiyya.
They left yellow posters reading “State properties! No entry.”
He confirmed that a 984-dunum area of land in southern and west of Bethlehem were seized last week for the benefit of this project, according to WAFA.
Israeli authorities, last Thursday, announced a decision to confiscate about 1,000 dunams (250 acres) of private Palestinian land in the town of al-Khader, south of Bethlehem.
Deputy mayor of al-Khader Ismail Issa told Ma’an News Agency that high-level Israeli military commanders and Civil Administration officers, along with a group of settlers, toured private Palestinian fields in areas known locally as Khallat al-Fahm, al-Zaytouna and al-Absiyya.
They left yellow posters reading “State properties! No entry.”
11 apr 2014
Israeli civil administration plans to confiscate 180 dunams of Palestinian private lands in the Ein Yabrud and Silwad villages to the north of Ramallah in order to establish a wastewater treatment plant for Ofra settlement, Haaretz reported.
In a report published Wednesday, Haaretz explained that the plant has been under construction since 2007 on 20 dumans but the settlement council decided to expand the area of the plant by confiscating more Palestinian lands.
In a report published Wednesday, Haaretz explained that the plant has been under construction since 2007 on 20 dumans but the settlement council decided to expand the area of the plant by confiscating more Palestinian lands.
10 apr 2014
The Israeli civil administration on Thursday, seized 180 dunums of Palestinian land in the villages of Ein Yabrud and Silwad north of Ramallah, under the pretext of constructing a wastewater treatment plant in favor of Ofra illegal settlement.
Haaretz reported that the procedures for building the wastewater treatment plant have started in 2007, but Israel didn't give the Israeli regional council a license for construction.
The regional council in the West Bank has started to search for an alternative solution through establishing the plant on a Palestinian land in the nearby villages without obtaining a construction permit.
Haaretz reported that the procedures for building the wastewater treatment plant have started in 2007, but Israel didn't give the Israeli regional council a license for construction.
The regional council in the West Bank has started to search for an alternative solution through establishing the plant on a Palestinian land in the nearby villages without obtaining a construction permit.
The Aqsa Foundation for Endowment and Heritage revealed that the Israeli Occupation Authorities (IOA) and the so-called Israeli Heritage Authority had dug a new tunnel down the Buraq Square in the holy al-Aqsa Mosque. The excavation process was carried out beginning with al-Buraq Square and heading westwards in the direction of al-Khalil gate in Occupied Jerusalem, the Foundation’s photo-based statement said on Wednesday.
According to the Foundation, such excavations make part of the Tunnel-Network undertaken underneath Silwan town, south of al-Aqsa Mosque.
The excavation processes were found out during a field visit to the Tunnel-Network, connected to the Silwan network, dug below and around al-Aqsa area by the IOA.
The Foundation further documented, upon its arrival to the excavation area down al-Buraq Square, the presence of an iron staircase followed by a door that was closed, before heading to an adjacent area where they surprisingly caught sight of a long tunnel. The end of the tunnel couldn't be reached even after long-while-walks. The Foundation further spotted that the tunnel is gradually moving westwards.
According to the Foundation, such excavations make part of the Tunnel-Network undertaken underneath Silwan town, south of al-Aqsa Mosque.
The excavation processes were found out during a field visit to the Tunnel-Network, connected to the Silwan network, dug below and around al-Aqsa area by the IOA.
The Foundation further documented, upon its arrival to the excavation area down al-Buraq Square, the presence of an iron staircase followed by a door that was closed, before heading to an adjacent area where they surprisingly caught sight of a long tunnel. The end of the tunnel couldn't be reached even after long-while-walks. The Foundation further spotted that the tunnel is gradually moving westwards.