11 jan 2014
Hebrew media sources revealed that Arieh King, Director General of the Israel Land Fund (ILF) and member of the Jerusalem municipality, is preparing a scheme to establish a Jewish neighborhood in the north of Jerusalem. Hebrew weekly newspaper Yorshalim reported on Friday that the settlement neighborhood will be built on private land that extends over an area of 22 dunums, located in Kafr Aqab on the outskirts of the city of Ramallah, claiming that Jews bought the land about ten years ago.
The said land is adjacent to the separation wall from the Palestinian side, and the plan includes construction of about 40 settlement units surrounded by gardens.
The newspaper quoted King as saying that the price of each unit will be about 150 thousand dollars only, in order to encourage the Israelis to settle in the neighborhood.
It noted that the plan has passed the initial phases of organization and is expected to be submitted soon to the relevant committees; however, the newspaper doubted that the planning committees will approve it because of the political sensitivity.
The said land is adjacent to the separation wall from the Palestinian side, and the plan includes construction of about 40 settlement units surrounded by gardens.
The newspaper quoted King as saying that the price of each unit will be about 150 thousand dollars only, in order to encourage the Israelis to settle in the neighborhood.
It noted that the plan has passed the initial phases of organization and is expected to be submitted soon to the relevant committees; however, the newspaper doubted that the planning committees will approve it because of the political sensitivity.
10 jan 2014
Israeli plans unveiled Friday to build over 1,800 settler homes are a signal to US Secretary of State John Kerry not to pursue his peace push, a top Palestinian negotiator said.
"The new settlement construction plan is a message from (Prime Minister Benjamin) Netanyahu to Kerry not to come back to the region to continue his efforts in Israeli-Palestinian peace talks," Saeb Erekat told AFP.
"Every time Kerry has stepped up his efforts, returning to the region (for more talks), Netanyahu has stepped up his efforts to destroy the peace process," Erekat said.
"Netanyahu is determined to destroy the two-state solution.
"It is high time we held Israel accountable for its crimes," he added.
The Israeli housing ministry announced the plans for 1,076 new settlement units in annexed East Jerusalem and 801 in the occupied West Bank, said the Israeli settlement watchdog Peace Now.
The housing ministry was not immediately available for comment.
The move comes a week after Kerry visited the region in his latest effort to push Israeli and Palestinian leaders towards an elusive peace deal.
Kerry kick-started negotiations in July after a three-year hiatus, but his 10th visit was clouded by bitter recriminations from both sides, who accused each other of lacking commitment to building peace after decades of conflict.
Israel has announced plans for thousands of settler homes since peace talks began in July.
All settlements in the occupied West Bank and East Jerusalem are considered illegal under international law.
"The new settlement construction plan is a message from (Prime Minister Benjamin) Netanyahu to Kerry not to come back to the region to continue his efforts in Israeli-Palestinian peace talks," Saeb Erekat told AFP.
"Every time Kerry has stepped up his efforts, returning to the region (for more talks), Netanyahu has stepped up his efforts to destroy the peace process," Erekat said.
"Netanyahu is determined to destroy the two-state solution.
"It is high time we held Israel accountable for its crimes," he added.
The Israeli housing ministry announced the plans for 1,076 new settlement units in annexed East Jerusalem and 801 in the occupied West Bank, said the Israeli settlement watchdog Peace Now.
The housing ministry was not immediately available for comment.
The move comes a week after Kerry visited the region in his latest effort to push Israeli and Palestinian leaders towards an elusive peace deal.
Kerry kick-started negotiations in July after a three-year hiatus, but his 10th visit was clouded by bitter recriminations from both sides, who accused each other of lacking commitment to building peace after decades of conflict.
Israel has announced plans for thousands of settler homes since peace talks began in July.
All settlements in the occupied West Bank and East Jerusalem are considered illegal under international law.
The Israeli Housing Ministry on Friday announced bids for 1,800 settler homes in occupied East Jerusalem and the West Bank, Israeli media reported.
The Israeli news site Ynet said that the Ministry issued a tender for building 1,800 new settlement homes -- over 1,000 in East Jerusalem and 800 in the West Bank.
Walla, however, reported that 1,400 units would be built, including 600 in the Ramat Shlomo settlement of East Jerusalem and 800 in the West Bank.
The announcement was originally scheduled for last week, but was postponed due to the visit of US Secretary of State John Kerry, the Walla report said.
Three days before Israel released 26 veteran Palestinian prisoners in late December, military radio said that Israel planned to announce the construction of 1,400 new settlement homes in the occupied West Bank to coincide with the prisoner release.
The Palestinian negotiating team resigned in protest against continued Israeli settlement construction in mid-November, dealing a major blow to negotiations between Israel and the PLO that had already been stalled.
Negotiator Mohammed Shtayyeh told AFP at the time that they resigned in response to "increasing settlement building (by Israel) and the absence of any hope of achieving results," following Netanyahu's announcement that Israel would build 20,000 new settlement homes in the West Bank.
More than 500,000 Israeli settlers live in settlements across the West Bank and East Jerusalem, in contravention of international law.
The internationally recognized Palestinian territories of which the West Bank and East Jerusalem form a part have been occupied by the Israeli military since 1967.
The Israeli news site Ynet said that the Ministry issued a tender for building 1,800 new settlement homes -- over 1,000 in East Jerusalem and 800 in the West Bank.
Walla, however, reported that 1,400 units would be built, including 600 in the Ramat Shlomo settlement of East Jerusalem and 800 in the West Bank.
The announcement was originally scheduled for last week, but was postponed due to the visit of US Secretary of State John Kerry, the Walla report said.
Three days before Israel released 26 veteran Palestinian prisoners in late December, military radio said that Israel planned to announce the construction of 1,400 new settlement homes in the occupied West Bank to coincide with the prisoner release.
The Palestinian negotiating team resigned in protest against continued Israeli settlement construction in mid-November, dealing a major blow to negotiations between Israel and the PLO that had already been stalled.
Negotiator Mohammed Shtayyeh told AFP at the time that they resigned in response to "increasing settlement building (by Israel) and the absence of any hope of achieving results," following Netanyahu's announcement that Israel would build 20,000 new settlement homes in the West Bank.
More than 500,000 Israeli settlers live in settlements across the West Bank and East Jerusalem, in contravention of international law.
The internationally recognized Palestinian territories of which the West Bank and East Jerusalem form a part have been occupied by the Israeli military since 1967.
9 jan 2014
Demands using site for settlements’ garbage too
Israel refuses to allow Palestinians to use a World Bank funded landfill south of Jerusalem, reports Haaretz.
The new landfill, funded by The World Bank, was intended to serve the palestinian population, but the Israeli administration is refusing the operation of the landfill if the Palestinian Authority who runs the landfill doesn’t agree to serve the illegal Israeli settlements as well.
The landfill is the first modern landfill in the southern West Bank. Since it can’t be used, some palestinian communities have to dump their garbage in non authorized sites, risking serious enviromental hazards such as polluting the ground water.
Israel defies World Bank, refuses to let Palestinians use landfill
The Defense Ministry’s Civil Administration refuses to allow the operation of a landfill funded by the World Bank and intended to serve the Palestinian population south of Jerusalem.
The administration is demanding that the Palestinians agree to let the region’s settlements use the site as well, but the Palestinians refuse.
The Al-Minya landfill east of Bethlehem was built in the last two years with funds the World Bank gave the Palestinian Authority. It is the first modern landfill in the southern West Bank, with means of sealing the earth to prevent waste from leaking into the groundwater. Another modern landfill, also set up with international funding, is already operating in the Jenin area.
Since Al-Minya is in Area C, its construction required the Civil Administration’s approval. Currently the waste from the Hebron and Bethlehem communities is dumped in pirate sites that constitute serious environmental hazards. Some Palestinian communities dump the garbage in open areas and occasionally burn it to reduce its volume.
Anti-settlement activist Dror Etkes said he visited the Al-Minya site this week and spoke to one of its operators, who told him the site is not operating even though its construction is completed because the Civil Administration insists on dumping the settlements’ garbage in it, too.
A spokesman for the the Coordinator of Government Activities in the Territories (COGAT) said the Palestinian Authority, Civil Administration and World Bank advanced the landfill for the waste of the Bethlehem and Hebron regions, as well as for the communities near Jerusalem.
The spokesman said the Palestinians reneged on their agreement to operate the site as a regional landfill that would serve the Jewish settlements as well. For this reason the Civil Administration won’t let the site to operate.
However, the World Bank made it clear in the talks about the landfill’s operation last year that the funds it gave the Palestinian Authority are intended for the Palestinian population. Traditionally, the Palestinian Authority does not cooperate in the use of infrastructure facilities with the settlements, which it sees as illegitimate.
A few waste management sites, however, have served both Palestinian and Jewish communities. The Israeli Tovlan landfill in the Jordan Valley took in garbage from Nablus, a landfill near Ramallah served settlers from the area and the Carmel site in the Hebron area served Israeli communities as well.
Israel refuses to allow Palestinians to use a World Bank funded landfill south of Jerusalem, reports Haaretz.
The new landfill, funded by The World Bank, was intended to serve the palestinian population, but the Israeli administration is refusing the operation of the landfill if the Palestinian Authority who runs the landfill doesn’t agree to serve the illegal Israeli settlements as well.
The landfill is the first modern landfill in the southern West Bank. Since it can’t be used, some palestinian communities have to dump their garbage in non authorized sites, risking serious enviromental hazards such as polluting the ground water.
Israel defies World Bank, refuses to let Palestinians use landfill
The Defense Ministry’s Civil Administration refuses to allow the operation of a landfill funded by the World Bank and intended to serve the Palestinian population south of Jerusalem.
The administration is demanding that the Palestinians agree to let the region’s settlements use the site as well, but the Palestinians refuse.
The Al-Minya landfill east of Bethlehem was built in the last two years with funds the World Bank gave the Palestinian Authority. It is the first modern landfill in the southern West Bank, with means of sealing the earth to prevent waste from leaking into the groundwater. Another modern landfill, also set up with international funding, is already operating in the Jenin area.
Since Al-Minya is in Area C, its construction required the Civil Administration’s approval. Currently the waste from the Hebron and Bethlehem communities is dumped in pirate sites that constitute serious environmental hazards. Some Palestinian communities dump the garbage in open areas and occasionally burn it to reduce its volume.
Anti-settlement activist Dror Etkes said he visited the Al-Minya site this week and spoke to one of its operators, who told him the site is not operating even though its construction is completed because the Civil Administration insists on dumping the settlements’ garbage in it, too.
A spokesman for the the Coordinator of Government Activities in the Territories (COGAT) said the Palestinian Authority, Civil Administration and World Bank advanced the landfill for the waste of the Bethlehem and Hebron regions, as well as for the communities near Jerusalem.
The spokesman said the Palestinians reneged on their agreement to operate the site as a regional landfill that would serve the Jewish settlements as well. For this reason the Civil Administration won’t let the site to operate.
However, the World Bank made it clear in the talks about the landfill’s operation last year that the funds it gave the Palestinian Authority are intended for the Palestinian population. Traditionally, the Palestinian Authority does not cooperate in the use of infrastructure facilities with the settlements, which it sees as illegitimate.
A few waste management sites, however, have served both Palestinian and Jewish communities. The Israeli Tovlan landfill in the Jordan Valley took in garbage from Nablus, a landfill near Ramallah served settlers from the area and the Carmel site in the Hebron area served Israeli communities as well.
8 jan 2014
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The Largest Dutch pension fund, PGGM, has decided to divest millions of Euros from five Israeli banks which offer financing for settlement construction.
PGGM’s decision to withdraw all its investments from the Israeli banks was based on the advisory opinion issued by the International Court of Justice in The Hague in 2004, which said that settlements in occupied Palestinian territory are illegal and violate Article 49 of the Fourth Geneva Convention. PGGM is the largest pension fund manager in the Netherlands, managing around 150 billion euros. |
The Boycott, Divestment and Sanctions (BDS) movement is gaining momentum around the world and Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has called it a ”strategic threat” to Israel and its settlementpolicy.
Ashrawi: Dutch boycott reminds Israel 'it isn't above the law'
A decision by the largest pension fund management company in the Netherlands to withdraw all investments from Israel's five largest banks "made Israel realize that it isn't above the law," a PLO official said Wednesday.
Executive committee member Hanan Ashrawi told Ma'an that the Dutch decision was influenced by the European Union's boycott of Israeli settlements, which the EU views as illegal.
Ashrawi said she was glad that civil society organizations and government institutions in Europe had begun to take practical measures, instead of merely releasing condemnation statements as in the past.
The Dutch pension fund management company PGGM withdrew its funds from Israel's five largest banks on Jan. 1, according to Israeli media.
Haaretz reported that the company's investments in Israeli banks only amount to "a few tens of millions of euros," but that its decision threatens to damage the banks' image, influencing other European companies to take similar action.
Ashrawi: Dutch boycott reminds Israel 'it isn't above the law'
A decision by the largest pension fund management company in the Netherlands to withdraw all investments from Israel's five largest banks "made Israel realize that it isn't above the law," a PLO official said Wednesday.
Executive committee member Hanan Ashrawi told Ma'an that the Dutch decision was influenced by the European Union's boycott of Israeli settlements, which the EU views as illegal.
Ashrawi said she was glad that civil society organizations and government institutions in Europe had begun to take practical measures, instead of merely releasing condemnation statements as in the past.
The Dutch pension fund management company PGGM withdrew its funds from Israel's five largest banks on Jan. 1, according to Israeli media.
Haaretz reported that the company's investments in Israeli banks only amount to "a few tens of millions of euros," but that its decision threatens to damage the banks' image, influencing other European companies to take similar action.
7 jan 2014
A general view of apartment blocks under construction in Pisgat Zeev.
Presidential spokesman Nabil Abu Rudeineh on Tuesday condemned Israel's recent announcement to build 272 settler homes in the occupied West Bank.
"Whenever US secretary of state John Kerry intensifies his efforts to push the peace process forward, Israel seeks to destroy these efforts through its decisions and its ongoing settlement activities," Abu Rudeineh said, according to official news agency Wafa.
He also condemned remarks by Israeli prime minister Benjamin Netanyahu on Monday about maintaining all illegal settlements in Hebron, the largest Palestinian city by population, and Beit El, located just north of Ramallah.
Earlier, Palestinian National Initiative general-secretary Mustafa Barghouthi said Israel is using negotiations as a cover to continue settlement expansion in the occupied West Bank.
Israel's recent approval of 272 new settlement homes shows the true face of an Israeli government which refuses the idea of Palestinian sovereignty and is only seeking to buy time to impose certain realities on the ground, the independent Palestinian MP said.
The proper response to Israeli prime minister Benjamin Netanyahu's claims that Hebron and Beit El settlements are a vital part of Israel is through escalating popular resistance, going to the United Nations, and increasing calls for boycott, divestment and sanctions, he added.
Netanyahu told members of his Likud party on Monday that he did not intend to dismantle settlements in the West bank as part of peace talks with the Palestinians, the private Israeli television station Channel 10 reported.
Asked by party hardliners about any possible concessions in the talks, Netanyahu said he would make no "territorial concession" in the Jordan Valley, the occupied West Bank or in annexed East Jerusalem, the station reported.
Kerry left Israel on Monday after his tenth trip to the region since last March, insisting progress had been made despite failing to reach a framework to guide Israeli-Palestinian peace talks.
Presidential spokesman Nabil Abu Rudeineh on Tuesday condemned Israel's recent announcement to build 272 settler homes in the occupied West Bank.
"Whenever US secretary of state John Kerry intensifies his efforts to push the peace process forward, Israel seeks to destroy these efforts through its decisions and its ongoing settlement activities," Abu Rudeineh said, according to official news agency Wafa.
He also condemned remarks by Israeli prime minister Benjamin Netanyahu on Monday about maintaining all illegal settlements in Hebron, the largest Palestinian city by population, and Beit El, located just north of Ramallah.
Earlier, Palestinian National Initiative general-secretary Mustafa Barghouthi said Israel is using negotiations as a cover to continue settlement expansion in the occupied West Bank.
Israel's recent approval of 272 new settlement homes shows the true face of an Israeli government which refuses the idea of Palestinian sovereignty and is only seeking to buy time to impose certain realities on the ground, the independent Palestinian MP said.
The proper response to Israeli prime minister Benjamin Netanyahu's claims that Hebron and Beit El settlements are a vital part of Israel is through escalating popular resistance, going to the United Nations, and increasing calls for boycott, divestment and sanctions, he added.
Netanyahu told members of his Likud party on Monday that he did not intend to dismantle settlements in the West bank as part of peace talks with the Palestinians, the private Israeli television station Channel 10 reported.
Asked by party hardliners about any possible concessions in the talks, Netanyahu said he would make no "territorial concession" in the Jordan Valley, the occupied West Bank or in annexed East Jerusalem, the station reported.
Kerry left Israel on Monday after his tenth trip to the region since last March, insisting progress had been made despite failing to reach a framework to guide Israeli-Palestinian peace talks.
Israeli District Committee revealed that the Israeli government is speeding up approval process of 1,935 settlement units in Ras Shuafat, north of occupied Jerusalem, to expand Ramat Shlomo settlement. The Committee stated on Monday that the bids for these settlement units have already been discussed, and that the government intends to build the units near the yeshiva and the synagogue in the settlement to serve the school's students and teachers and the synagogue.
For its part, the Israeli Channel 7 reported that the Israeli Minister of Housing Uri Ariel has endorsed the building of more units in Ramat Shlomo, on the lands of the villages of Shuafat and Beit Hanina north of Jerusalem, in an attempt to expand the settlement.
The Channel reported that the ministry has issued bids to build 387 settlement units in Ramat Shlomo.
It confirmed that the government has implemented 9 settlement plans during the past three years, and intends to build 1,790 settlement units in the foothills of mountains north of Jerusalem.
Meanwhile, the Israeli occupation authority approved a plan for 272 new settlement units in West Bank and occupied Jerusalem.
Israel's Peace Now movement said in a statement that the construction includes 250 houses in Ofra and 22 in Karnei Shomron.
"A government seeking a two-state solution will not worsen the conflict by building in the settlements, especially those with no chance of remaining under Israeli sovereignty", the group said.
It added that Ofra and Karnei Shomron are "both isolated settlements in the heart of the West Bank."
Some 350,000 Jewish settlers live in West Bank settlements; in addition to 200,000 other Israelis who have settled in occupied east Jerusalem.
For its part, the Israeli Channel 7 reported that the Israeli Minister of Housing Uri Ariel has endorsed the building of more units in Ramat Shlomo, on the lands of the villages of Shuafat and Beit Hanina north of Jerusalem, in an attempt to expand the settlement.
The Channel reported that the ministry has issued bids to build 387 settlement units in Ramat Shlomo.
It confirmed that the government has implemented 9 settlement plans during the past three years, and intends to build 1,790 settlement units in the foothills of mountains north of Jerusalem.
Meanwhile, the Israeli occupation authority approved a plan for 272 new settlement units in West Bank and occupied Jerusalem.
Israel's Peace Now movement said in a statement that the construction includes 250 houses in Ofra and 22 in Karnei Shomron.
"A government seeking a two-state solution will not worsen the conflict by building in the settlements, especially those with no chance of remaining under Israeli sovereignty", the group said.
It added that Ofra and Karnei Shomron are "both isolated settlements in the heart of the West Bank."
Some 350,000 Jewish settlers live in West Bank settlements; in addition to 200,000 other Israelis who have settled in occupied east Jerusalem.
Israeli Peace Now Movement revealed Monday that Israel is planning the construction of 272 units in illegal Israeli settlements in the occupied West Bank, and that the decision was made as U.S. Secretary of State was leaving the country following separate meetings with Israeli and Palestinian officials.
Peace Now said that Tel Aviv is planning to build 250 units in the Ofra illegal settlement, and 22 units in Karnei Shomron illegal settlement.
The official approval was made on Sunday, while an official document at the webpage of the Israeli Military Administration said the construction could start soon.
Peace Now said that Israel is not seeking a two-state solution with the Palestinians, and that by insisting on settlement construction and expansion, Tel Aviv is just placing obstacles to peace, especially since the two settlements are in the heart of the West Bank.
The Israeli government said that the project was first presented in October of last year.
An Israeli official of the Ministry of Defense said that the announcement that came Sunday is only part of a four-stage plan before constructions can start, and that concluding all paperwork “could require several months.”
On Monday, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu told the Parliamentary Committee of his Likud Party that he does not intend to dismantle settlements in the West Bank.
Netanyahu also said that Israel would not provide what he called “concessions” in peace talks with the Palestinians, and will never withdraw from the occupied Jordan Valley, Jerusalem, and various parts of the West Bank.
U.S. Secretary of State, John Kerry, said before leaving the Middle East on Monday following four days of extensive talks with Israeli, Palestinian and Arab officials, that he was unable to convince Israel and the Palestinians to accept his proposed peace plan.
Kerry did not denounce Israel’s illegal settlement construction and expansion activities, but only repeated previous statements saying, “The US considers settlements to be illegitimate”.
The US continues to grant Israeli billions of Dollars in direct and indirect annual financial and military support, and is not observed as a fair mediator in direct peace talks due to its special ties with Tel Aviv.
It is worth mentioning that there are more than 350.000 Israeli settlers living in illegal settlements in the occupied West Bank, in addition to more than 200.000 settlers living in and around occupied East Jerusalem.
Peace Now said that Tel Aviv is planning to build 250 units in the Ofra illegal settlement, and 22 units in Karnei Shomron illegal settlement.
The official approval was made on Sunday, while an official document at the webpage of the Israeli Military Administration said the construction could start soon.
Peace Now said that Israel is not seeking a two-state solution with the Palestinians, and that by insisting on settlement construction and expansion, Tel Aviv is just placing obstacles to peace, especially since the two settlements are in the heart of the West Bank.
The Israeli government said that the project was first presented in October of last year.
An Israeli official of the Ministry of Defense said that the announcement that came Sunday is only part of a four-stage plan before constructions can start, and that concluding all paperwork “could require several months.”
On Monday, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu told the Parliamentary Committee of his Likud Party that he does not intend to dismantle settlements in the West Bank.
Netanyahu also said that Israel would not provide what he called “concessions” in peace talks with the Palestinians, and will never withdraw from the occupied Jordan Valley, Jerusalem, and various parts of the West Bank.
U.S. Secretary of State, John Kerry, said before leaving the Middle East on Monday following four days of extensive talks with Israeli, Palestinian and Arab officials, that he was unable to convince Israel and the Palestinians to accept his proposed peace plan.
Kerry did not denounce Israel’s illegal settlement construction and expansion activities, but only repeated previous statements saying, “The US considers settlements to be illegitimate”.
The US continues to grant Israeli billions of Dollars in direct and indirect annual financial and military support, and is not observed as a fair mediator in direct peace talks due to its special ties with Tel Aviv.
It is worth mentioning that there are more than 350.000 Israeli settlers living in illegal settlements in the occupied West Bank, in addition to more than 200.000 settlers living in and around occupied East Jerusalem.
5 jan 2014
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Israeli settlers began leveling a large tract of land in central Hebron in preparation for the construction of a new Jewish settlement outpost in the beleaguered southern West Bank city on Sunday.
Israeli settlers escorted a bulldozer which uprooted fifty-year-old trees in the Tel Rumeida neighborhood near the city center, near an existing extremist right wing Israeli settlement. A Palestinian source told Ma'an that the Israeli liaison department notified the Palestinian side that Israeli authorities would do earthwork in the area for two months. This notification, added the source, suggests that Israelis plan to establish a new settlement outpost near the old one known as "Ramat Yashi." |
Spokesman for the Hebron activist group Youth Against Settlements Issa Amr highlighted that a mobile home was placed in the area after it was leveled by bulldozers.
This means a new outpost is being built, he added.
The land which was leveled was leased by the Abu Heikal family in 1949 from the Jordanian government's Custodian of Enemy Property, Abu Heikal told Ma'an in a phone call.
A new lease was signed after Israel occupied the West Bank in 1967, with the Israeli government's Custodian of Absentee Property, added Abu Heikal. In 1981, the Custodian of Absentee Property refused to take the rent fees, but in 2000 the family reached an agreement with the Israelis and paid for the years 1981-2000.
In 2001 and 2002, he added, the Israelis continued to take rent fees and after that they refused them again and announced the land a closed military zone denying the Palestinians access to it, despite his long-standing lease over the area. A fence was also built around the land.
Amr Issa said that the Israeli Civil Administration had rented the plot of land to Israeli settlers in a lease which came into effect on Jan. 1, 2014.
500 Israeli settlers live in the Old City of Hebron, many of whom have illegally occupied Palestinian houses and forcibly removed the original inhabitants. They are protected by thousands of Israeli forces.
Settlers and Israeli forces regularly target locals in the overwhelmingly Palestinian city for harassment, and many have been forced from their homes as a result.
A 1997 agreement split Hebron into areas of Palestinian and Israeli control.
The Israeli military-controlled H2 zone includes the ancient Old City, home of the revered Ibrahimi Mosque -- also split into a synagogue referred to as the Tomb of the Patriarchs -- and the once thriving Shuhada street, now just shuttered shops fronts and closed homes.
More than 500,000 Israeli settlers live in settlements across the West Bank and East Jerusalem, in contravention of international law.
The internationally recognized Palestinian territories of which the West Bank and East Jerusalem form a part have been occupied by the Israeli military since 1967.
This means a new outpost is being built, he added.
The land which was leveled was leased by the Abu Heikal family in 1949 from the Jordanian government's Custodian of Enemy Property, Abu Heikal told Ma'an in a phone call.
A new lease was signed after Israel occupied the West Bank in 1967, with the Israeli government's Custodian of Absentee Property, added Abu Heikal. In 1981, the Custodian of Absentee Property refused to take the rent fees, but in 2000 the family reached an agreement with the Israelis and paid for the years 1981-2000.
In 2001 and 2002, he added, the Israelis continued to take rent fees and after that they refused them again and announced the land a closed military zone denying the Palestinians access to it, despite his long-standing lease over the area. A fence was also built around the land.
Amr Issa said that the Israeli Civil Administration had rented the plot of land to Israeli settlers in a lease which came into effect on Jan. 1, 2014.
500 Israeli settlers live in the Old City of Hebron, many of whom have illegally occupied Palestinian houses and forcibly removed the original inhabitants. They are protected by thousands of Israeli forces.
Settlers and Israeli forces regularly target locals in the overwhelmingly Palestinian city for harassment, and many have been forced from their homes as a result.
A 1997 agreement split Hebron into areas of Palestinian and Israeli control.
The Israeli military-controlled H2 zone includes the ancient Old City, home of the revered Ibrahimi Mosque -- also split into a synagogue referred to as the Tomb of the Patriarchs -- and the once thriving Shuhada street, now just shuttered shops fronts and closed homes.
More than 500,000 Israeli settlers live in settlements across the West Bank and East Jerusalem, in contravention of international law.
The internationally recognized Palestinian territories of which the West Bank and East Jerusalem form a part have been occupied by the Israeli military since 1967.
2 jan 2014
The Israeli Prime Minister decided to delay publication of tenders for new settler housing units in the West Bank until after U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry visit to Israel and the Palestinian territories that is scheduled on Thursday.
Haaretz newspaper reported that Netanyahu has asked Israeli Housing Minister Uri Ariel to delay publication of tenders for the construction of 1,400 new settler housing units in West Bank settlements and East Jerusalem.
Kerry will arrive in Israel on Thursday afternoon for a series of meetings with Netanyahu and Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas in order to continue efforts at drafting the "framework agreement" for peace talks, which the U.S. hopes to present by the end of the month, the newspaper added.
Kerry is expected to stay in the region until Sunday, and is likely to extend his visit by a few extra days.
It's worth mentioning that Netanyahu announced last week that he planned to publish the new tenders after the third stage of the Palestinian prisoner release, which was carried out on Monday night.
Haaretz newspaper reported that Netanyahu has asked Israeli Housing Minister Uri Ariel to delay publication of tenders for the construction of 1,400 new settler housing units in West Bank settlements and East Jerusalem.
Kerry will arrive in Israel on Thursday afternoon for a series of meetings with Netanyahu and Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas in order to continue efforts at drafting the "framework agreement" for peace talks, which the U.S. hopes to present by the end of the month, the newspaper added.
Kerry is expected to stay in the region until Sunday, and is likely to extend his visit by a few extra days.
It's worth mentioning that Netanyahu announced last week that he planned to publish the new tenders after the third stage of the Palestinian prisoner release, which was carried out on Monday night.
Noted Palestinian figures said on Wednesday that the Israeli occupation authority (IOA) plans to annex a vast tract of Palestinian land on Azzeitoun Mount in east Jerusalem to establish a Jewish heritage village. This came in a conference held in Jerusalem under the rubric "Azzeitoun Mount and the danger of Judaization."
In different speeches, the Palestinian figures urged the Palestinian Authority (PA) to confront Israel's Judaization and settlement activities in east Jerusalem.
Sheikh Kamal Al-Khatib, deputy head of the Islamic Movement in the 1948 occupied lands, warned that this Israeli project poses a threat to the Arab and Islamic identity of the holy city and the Aqsa Mosque.
Sheikh Khatib noted that Azzeitoun Mount overlooks the Aqsa Mosque and such project is aimed at Judaizing its vicinity.
"The plan to be carried out on Azzeitoun Mount is part of the 'Yerushalayim First' scheme that was prepared by the Zionist planner Zamosh and disclosed in 2007," he stated.
He warned the Palestinian natives of Jerusalem not to believe the Israeli propaganda which claims that its project on Azzeitoun Mount would bring economic prosperity to east Jerusalem.
"This project will seize what has remained of the Palestinian lands near the Aqsa Mosque and make it under the control of the occupation and its municipality," Sheikh Khatib stressed.
For his part, Sheikh Ikrima Sabri, head of the higher Islamic authority in Jerusalem, said that this Jewish project is part of the Israeli plan aimed at seizing the largest possible area of Palestinian lands in east Jerusalem under the pretext of tourism.
"Our mission is to expose this plan, state its gravity and to draw the attention of officials and decision-makers at the Palestinian Authority and in the Arab and Islamic worlds to its serious impacts," Sheikh Sabri said.
In another incident, the Palestinian residents of Wadi Hilwa neighborhood in Silwan district, south of the Aqsa Mosque, submitted their objection officially against an Israeli plan to build a tourist center for visitors as part of the alleged City of David project in the district.
Israel's Jerusalem district planning and construction committee had approved in February 2012 the construction of a new visitors’ center at the City of David national park in Silwan.
The center is a huge seven-story building and will be built on 16,000 square meters of seized Palestinian land.
In different speeches, the Palestinian figures urged the Palestinian Authority (PA) to confront Israel's Judaization and settlement activities in east Jerusalem.
Sheikh Kamal Al-Khatib, deputy head of the Islamic Movement in the 1948 occupied lands, warned that this Israeli project poses a threat to the Arab and Islamic identity of the holy city and the Aqsa Mosque.
Sheikh Khatib noted that Azzeitoun Mount overlooks the Aqsa Mosque and such project is aimed at Judaizing its vicinity.
"The plan to be carried out on Azzeitoun Mount is part of the 'Yerushalayim First' scheme that was prepared by the Zionist planner Zamosh and disclosed in 2007," he stated.
He warned the Palestinian natives of Jerusalem not to believe the Israeli propaganda which claims that its project on Azzeitoun Mount would bring economic prosperity to east Jerusalem.
"This project will seize what has remained of the Palestinian lands near the Aqsa Mosque and make it under the control of the occupation and its municipality," Sheikh Khatib stressed.
For his part, Sheikh Ikrima Sabri, head of the higher Islamic authority in Jerusalem, said that this Jewish project is part of the Israeli plan aimed at seizing the largest possible area of Palestinian lands in east Jerusalem under the pretext of tourism.
"Our mission is to expose this plan, state its gravity and to draw the attention of officials and decision-makers at the Palestinian Authority and in the Arab and Islamic worlds to its serious impacts," Sheikh Sabri said.
In another incident, the Palestinian residents of Wadi Hilwa neighborhood in Silwan district, south of the Aqsa Mosque, submitted their objection officially against an Israeli plan to build a tourist center for visitors as part of the alleged City of David project in the district.
Israel's Jerusalem district planning and construction committee had approved in February 2012 the construction of a new visitors’ center at the City of David national park in Silwan.
The center is a huge seven-story building and will be built on 16,000 square meters of seized Palestinian land.
Israel’s interior minister lay down the foundations of a new Israeli settlement project in the Jordan Valley in the occupied West Banka, in a gesture of defiance that will coincide with US secretary of state John Kerry’s latest visit to the region to push forward peace talks. Gideon Sa’ar will preside at a groundbreaking ceremony for the new neighbourhood in Gitit, which organisers said was meant to demonstrate that the Jordan Valley – which the Palestinians see as the breadbasket of their independent state – “will always be Israeli”.
The future of the Jordan Valley, a largely agricultural area in the West Bank which Israel wants to keep under its military control after any future peace agreement, has emerged as a big irritant in the five-month-old talks.
Israel’s government infuriated the Palestinians on Sunday when a ministerial legislative committee approved a bill to annex the area, where a string of Israeli farming settlements established after the Six-Day war in 1967 stretches along the Jordanian frontier.
Although the law will never pass without the approval of Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu – who is unlikely to push it forward while the US-sponsored peace talks continue – eight ministers in his government, including three from his own Likud party, voted to give it the green light.
Commentators in Israel described the vote as political theatre engineered by his hard-right rivals inside government, but also criticised the prime minister for failing to put a stop to a move seen as provocative by the Palestinians and the Americans. Saeb Erekat, the Palestinians’ chief negotiator, said the annexation proposal “shows the extent of Israeli disrespect for international law”.
Yuval Steinitz, intelligence minister and a member of Likud, told Israel Radio on Wednesday: “The Jordan Valley is part of the state of Israel in my view (and) it must remain in the state of Israel because it is our eastern security border, and it is what will ensure that what happened in Gaza will not repeat itself.”
Netanyahu’s government worries that a future Palestinian state would be vulnerable to takeover by groups hostile to Israel, as happened in the Gaza Strip after Israel withdrew in 2003, but the Palestinians firmly oppose any Israeli military presence there after independence.
Responding to the Israeli move, the Palestinians on Tuesday held a cabinet meeting in a village in the Jordan Valley, which Prime Minister Rami Hamdallah said was meant to send the message to Israel and the Americans that the area “belongs to the Palestinians”. Israel’s occupation of the West Bank, Gaza and East Jerusalem is illegal under international law.
Separately, Israel will announce this week or next plans to proceed with about 1,400 new housing units in settlements, an official told the Financial Times.
Mr Kerry is due to arrive on Thursday for meetings with Mr Netanyahu and Palestinian president Mahmoud Abbas, with the aim of narrowing differences between the two sides that would allow them to reach a framework agreement covering “final-status” issues including borders, security, refugees and the status of Jerusalem. The talks are scheduled to last until the end of April.
Israeli officials said this week that the outline may include an endorsement of the West Bank’s 1967 borders with Israel, with some settlement land swapped for new Palestinian territory inside Israel, while asking the Palestinians to recognise Israel as a Jewish state.
The Americans, who are trying to keep the talks secret, are not commenting on the issues discussed.
A poll published on Wednesday found that 63 per cent of Israelis and 53 per cent of Palestinians surveyed supported the two-state solution that would see an independent Palestine established. However, support dropped to 54 per cent and 46 per cent respectively when those polled were quizzed on specifics of a peace deal.
Israel Places Cornerstone For New Settlement In Jordan Valley
Israeli Interior Minister, Gideon Sa’ar, placed the cornerstone for a new illegal settlement in the occupied Jordan Valley of the West Bank, Palestine TV has reported.
The Minister told reporters that Israel would boost and maintain the presence of its soldiers and settlers in the Jordan Valley, under any peace agreement with the Palestinians, adding that the area is essential for what he called “Israel’s strategic interests”.
His deputy, Ze’ev Elkin, stated that the new cornerstone comes in what he called “a great timing”, as U.S. Secretary of State, John Kerry, will be visiting Tel Aviv and Ramallah on the same day in an attempt to advance direct political talks.
“Giving up the Jordan Valley will make Kfar Saba a border town with the Palestinians”, he said, “Israel will build, will continue to build and expand its settlements”.
Meanwhile, the head of the Regional Council of Settlements in the occupied Jordan Valley, David Elchaiiani, demanded that the Israeli government of Benjamin Netanyahu officially annex the Jordan Valley.
He added that Netanyahu “doesn’t have a peace coalition”, referring to his settler-led government.
Israeli settlements, in every part of occupied Palestine, including the Jordan Valley and occupied Jerusalem, are illegal under International Law and the Fourth Geneva Convention, to which Israel is a signatory.
Losing their land to illegal Israeli settlements and the illegal Annexation Wall, the Palestinians continue to suffer significant economic losses due to illegal annexation of their land, in addition to the fact that various Palestinian communities became isolated from the rest of the Palestinian territories.
The future of the Jordan Valley, a largely agricultural area in the West Bank which Israel wants to keep under its military control after any future peace agreement, has emerged as a big irritant in the five-month-old talks.
Israel’s government infuriated the Palestinians on Sunday when a ministerial legislative committee approved a bill to annex the area, where a string of Israeli farming settlements established after the Six-Day war in 1967 stretches along the Jordanian frontier.
Although the law will never pass without the approval of Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu – who is unlikely to push it forward while the US-sponsored peace talks continue – eight ministers in his government, including three from his own Likud party, voted to give it the green light.
Commentators in Israel described the vote as political theatre engineered by his hard-right rivals inside government, but also criticised the prime minister for failing to put a stop to a move seen as provocative by the Palestinians and the Americans. Saeb Erekat, the Palestinians’ chief negotiator, said the annexation proposal “shows the extent of Israeli disrespect for international law”.
Yuval Steinitz, intelligence minister and a member of Likud, told Israel Radio on Wednesday: “The Jordan Valley is part of the state of Israel in my view (and) it must remain in the state of Israel because it is our eastern security border, and it is what will ensure that what happened in Gaza will not repeat itself.”
Netanyahu’s government worries that a future Palestinian state would be vulnerable to takeover by groups hostile to Israel, as happened in the Gaza Strip after Israel withdrew in 2003, but the Palestinians firmly oppose any Israeli military presence there after independence.
Responding to the Israeli move, the Palestinians on Tuesday held a cabinet meeting in a village in the Jordan Valley, which Prime Minister Rami Hamdallah said was meant to send the message to Israel and the Americans that the area “belongs to the Palestinians”. Israel’s occupation of the West Bank, Gaza and East Jerusalem is illegal under international law.
Separately, Israel will announce this week or next plans to proceed with about 1,400 new housing units in settlements, an official told the Financial Times.
Mr Kerry is due to arrive on Thursday for meetings with Mr Netanyahu and Palestinian president Mahmoud Abbas, with the aim of narrowing differences between the two sides that would allow them to reach a framework agreement covering “final-status” issues including borders, security, refugees and the status of Jerusalem. The talks are scheduled to last until the end of April.
Israeli officials said this week that the outline may include an endorsement of the West Bank’s 1967 borders with Israel, with some settlement land swapped for new Palestinian territory inside Israel, while asking the Palestinians to recognise Israel as a Jewish state.
The Americans, who are trying to keep the talks secret, are not commenting on the issues discussed.
A poll published on Wednesday found that 63 per cent of Israelis and 53 per cent of Palestinians surveyed supported the two-state solution that would see an independent Palestine established. However, support dropped to 54 per cent and 46 per cent respectively when those polled were quizzed on specifics of a peace deal.
Israel Places Cornerstone For New Settlement In Jordan Valley
Israeli Interior Minister, Gideon Sa’ar, placed the cornerstone for a new illegal settlement in the occupied Jordan Valley of the West Bank, Palestine TV has reported.
The Minister told reporters that Israel would boost and maintain the presence of its soldiers and settlers in the Jordan Valley, under any peace agreement with the Palestinians, adding that the area is essential for what he called “Israel’s strategic interests”.
His deputy, Ze’ev Elkin, stated that the new cornerstone comes in what he called “a great timing”, as U.S. Secretary of State, John Kerry, will be visiting Tel Aviv and Ramallah on the same day in an attempt to advance direct political talks.
“Giving up the Jordan Valley will make Kfar Saba a border town with the Palestinians”, he said, “Israel will build, will continue to build and expand its settlements”.
Meanwhile, the head of the Regional Council of Settlements in the occupied Jordan Valley, David Elchaiiani, demanded that the Israeli government of Benjamin Netanyahu officially annex the Jordan Valley.
He added that Netanyahu “doesn’t have a peace coalition”, referring to his settler-led government.
Israeli settlements, in every part of occupied Palestine, including the Jordan Valley and occupied Jerusalem, are illegal under International Law and the Fourth Geneva Convention, to which Israel is a signatory.
Losing their land to illegal Israeli settlements and the illegal Annexation Wall, the Palestinians continue to suffer significant economic losses due to illegal annexation of their land, in addition to the fact that various Palestinian communities became isolated from the rest of the Palestinian territories.
1 jan 2014
Israeli municipality in Jerusalem intends to build a nine-story structure for a yeshiva (a Jewish religious school) in Sheikh Jarrah neighborhood in East Jerusalem, Haaretz newspaper reported on Wednesday. The paper indicated that the scheme will be implemented despite the opposition of the professional bodies in the municipality, who said that the plan would not serve the residents of Sheikh Jarrah.
It added that the new yeshiva building will be built on an area of four dunums and will include nine stories in addition to three ground floors.
Meanwhile, teams of the Jerusalem Municipality, under police protection, removed on Wednesday dozens of Palestinian flags hung by young men at dawn Wednesday on the 49th anniversary of the start of the Palestinian revolution, in the streets of Sawana neighborhood east of Jerusalem.
Jerusalemite activist Nidal Abu Gariba stressed in a press statement that the Palestinian presence in Jerusalem and the steadfastness of the city's residents represent the biggest obstacle to the occupation schemes that target the occupied city.
It added that the new yeshiva building will be built on an area of four dunums and will include nine stories in addition to three ground floors.
Meanwhile, teams of the Jerusalem Municipality, under police protection, removed on Wednesday dozens of Palestinian flags hung by young men at dawn Wednesday on the 49th anniversary of the start of the Palestinian revolution, in the streets of Sawana neighborhood east of Jerusalem.
Jerusalemite activist Nidal Abu Gariba stressed in a press statement that the Palestinian presence in Jerusalem and the steadfastness of the city's residents represent the biggest obstacle to the occupation schemes that target the occupied city.
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Palestinians wave the national flag as they await the release of prisoners in Jerusalem on December 31, 2013
President Mahmoud Abbas warned Tuesday of legal and diplomatic action to stop Israeli settlement expansion, on the eve of a new peace mission by US Secretary of State John Kerry. Abbas's warning came after Israel freed 26 prisoners earlier in the day, as part of US-brokered peace talks, which Kerry hopes to reinvigorate during his visit. But as Kerry geared up for his 10th visit since March, an anticipated announcement by Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's government |
of further settlement construction looked set to cast a new cloud over the talks.
Abbas warned the Palestinians would take action to halt any such construction in territories they expect to form part of their promised state.
"We will not remain patient as the settlement cancer spreads, especially in (annexed East) Jerusalem, and we will use our right as a UN observer state by taking political, diplomatic and legal action to stop it," he said.
"These actions show a lack of seriousness on the Israeli side in the negotiations and threaten to destroy the two-state solution."
Kerry has been pressing the two sides to agree on a framework for a final peace agreement ahead of an agreed late April target date for the talks to conclude.
The prisoners were the third batch of 104 detainees that Netanyahu pledged to release in four stages when the peace talks were revived in July. All were imprisoned before the 1993 Oslo accords, which launched the Middle East peace process.
The freed prisoners were welcomed back to Ramallah in the West Bank, with others to East Jerusalem and the remainder to the Hamas-ruled Gaza Strip.
Hamas hailed the prisoner release, but reiterated their rejection of the peace talks and slammed the notion that freeing prisoners justified Israeli settlement expansion.
"The release of any prisoner is a gain for our people," Gaza's Hamas prime minister Ismail Haniya said.
"But we reject negotiating with the occupation (Israel) and we do not accept that settlements should be expanded in exchange for that."
'Painful steps'
Netanyahu meanwhile criticized the hero's welcome given to the released prisoners, who had served 19 to 28 years after being convicted of killing Israeli civilians or soldiers.
"While we are prepared to take very painful steps in an effort to try and reach an agreement ... they, along with their highest leadership, are celebrating," he said.
"Murderers are not heroes."
A senior US State Department official speaking on condition of anonymity described the release as "really painful, difficult on the Israeli side".
Tuesday's release was expected to be accompanied by an announcement of new construction plans for Jewish settlements in the occupied West Bank, including east Jerusalem, as the previous two prisoner releases were.
Such a move is likely to infuriate the PLO and the international community, providing a further challenge for Kerry, whose intense shuttle diplomacy managed to revive the talks after a three-year hiatus.
But Netanyahu has come under strong pressure from hardliners both within his rightwing Likud party and its more hawkish coalition partners to take a stand.
Kerry will also have to quell tensions that rose after an Israeli ministerial committee on Sunday gave initial approval to a bill annexing Jordan Valley settlements, a largely symbolic move expected to be shot down by the government.
Abbas reiterated total rejection of Israel's demand to maintain a military presence in the Jordan Valley, which forms a third of the occupied West Bank.
"We have said that the Palestinian people is the one most in need of security, and is the one who needs guarantees of protection against the aggression of the occupation and the settlers."
Abbas warned the Palestinians would take action to halt any such construction in territories they expect to form part of their promised state.
"We will not remain patient as the settlement cancer spreads, especially in (annexed East) Jerusalem, and we will use our right as a UN observer state by taking political, diplomatic and legal action to stop it," he said.
"These actions show a lack of seriousness on the Israeli side in the negotiations and threaten to destroy the two-state solution."
Kerry has been pressing the two sides to agree on a framework for a final peace agreement ahead of an agreed late April target date for the talks to conclude.
The prisoners were the third batch of 104 detainees that Netanyahu pledged to release in four stages when the peace talks were revived in July. All were imprisoned before the 1993 Oslo accords, which launched the Middle East peace process.
The freed prisoners were welcomed back to Ramallah in the West Bank, with others to East Jerusalem and the remainder to the Hamas-ruled Gaza Strip.
Hamas hailed the prisoner release, but reiterated their rejection of the peace talks and slammed the notion that freeing prisoners justified Israeli settlement expansion.
"The release of any prisoner is a gain for our people," Gaza's Hamas prime minister Ismail Haniya said.
"But we reject negotiating with the occupation (Israel) and we do not accept that settlements should be expanded in exchange for that."
'Painful steps'
Netanyahu meanwhile criticized the hero's welcome given to the released prisoners, who had served 19 to 28 years after being convicted of killing Israeli civilians or soldiers.
"While we are prepared to take very painful steps in an effort to try and reach an agreement ... they, along with their highest leadership, are celebrating," he said.
"Murderers are not heroes."
A senior US State Department official speaking on condition of anonymity described the release as "really painful, difficult on the Israeli side".
Tuesday's release was expected to be accompanied by an announcement of new construction plans for Jewish settlements in the occupied West Bank, including east Jerusalem, as the previous two prisoner releases were.
Such a move is likely to infuriate the PLO and the international community, providing a further challenge for Kerry, whose intense shuttle diplomacy managed to revive the talks after a three-year hiatus.
But Netanyahu has come under strong pressure from hardliners both within his rightwing Likud party and its more hawkish coalition partners to take a stand.
Kerry will also have to quell tensions that rose after an Israeli ministerial committee on Sunday gave initial approval to a bill annexing Jordan Valley settlements, a largely symbolic move expected to be shot down by the government.
Abbas reiterated total rejection of Israel's demand to maintain a military presence in the Jordan Valley, which forms a third of the occupied West Bank.
"We have said that the Palestinian people is the one most in need of security, and is the one who needs guarantees of protection against the aggression of the occupation and the settlers."
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