31 jan 2015
The European Union (EU) asked Israel to revoke its plan to build 450 housing units in the West Bank and Jerusalem.
Federica Mogherini, high representative of the EU for foreign affairs and security policy, called, in a press release on Friday, for a reversal of decisions in this regard and putting an end to settlement expansion.
Mogherini condemned Israel's new settlement plan as a violation of the international law and a new obstacle to the peace process, warning that it would undermine the two-state solution and fuel the very tense situation on the ground.
The EU foreign policy chief also called on the Palestinians to exercise maximum restraint and avoid taking any step that could exacerbate the situation.
Peace Now organization said recently that the Israeli government had published tenders for the building of 450 housing units in different settlements in the West Bank and Jerusalem.
Report: Settlement expansion is part of Israel's election battle
Israel's Judaization activities, settlement expansion, land annexations and demolition of homes happen almost on a daily basis in the occupied Palestinian territories and have escalated recently as part of the Israeli parties' electoral campaigns, according to a Palestinian official report.
"Hardly a day goes by without new settlement plans being announced, units being built, land being seized, or homes and property being razed," the national bureau for defending lands and resisting settlement stated on Saturday.
"This clearly proves that the Jewish settlement in the Palestinian Arab land is the main policy of all successive Zionist governments," the bureau added.
"What helps the Zionist government to move forward with its settlement plans is the silence of the international community, its condoning of such practices and its failure to move to enforce its will," the bureau underscored.
"All signs that precedes the Israeli general election indicate that the Israeli parties are racing to please the settlers to earn their voices at the expense of the Palestinians' rights through seizing, Judaizing and occupying their lands," it said.
The national bureau for defending lands and resisting settlement is an affiliate of the Palestine Liberation Organization (PLO).
Federica Mogherini, high representative of the EU for foreign affairs and security policy, called, in a press release on Friday, for a reversal of decisions in this regard and putting an end to settlement expansion.
Mogherini condemned Israel's new settlement plan as a violation of the international law and a new obstacle to the peace process, warning that it would undermine the two-state solution and fuel the very tense situation on the ground.
The EU foreign policy chief also called on the Palestinians to exercise maximum restraint and avoid taking any step that could exacerbate the situation.
Peace Now organization said recently that the Israeli government had published tenders for the building of 450 housing units in different settlements in the West Bank and Jerusalem.
Report: Settlement expansion is part of Israel's election battle
Israel's Judaization activities, settlement expansion, land annexations and demolition of homes happen almost on a daily basis in the occupied Palestinian territories and have escalated recently as part of the Israeli parties' electoral campaigns, according to a Palestinian official report.
"Hardly a day goes by without new settlement plans being announced, units being built, land being seized, or homes and property being razed," the national bureau for defending lands and resisting settlement stated on Saturday.
"This clearly proves that the Jewish settlement in the Palestinian Arab land is the main policy of all successive Zionist governments," the bureau added.
"What helps the Zionist government to move forward with its settlement plans is the silence of the international community, its condoning of such practices and its failure to move to enforce its will," the bureau underscored.
"All signs that precedes the Israeli general election indicate that the Israeli parties are racing to please the settlers to earn their voices at the expense of the Palestinians' rights through seizing, Judaizing and occupying their lands," it said.
The national bureau for defending lands and resisting settlement is an affiliate of the Palestine Liberation Organization (PLO).
30 jan 2015
Calls on International Community to Boycott All Settlement Products
Reports circulated Friday about the publication of tenders for 450 new units to be constructed in a number of illegal Israeli settlements.
Palestinian chief negotiator, Dr. Saeb Erekat, called on the international community to boycott all products manufactured in illegal Israeli settlements in the West Bank on Friday. This was the response to a notice published by the Israeli Lands Authority on Friday morning of new tenders for 450 units to be constructed illegally.
“We call on the international community to recognize the State of Palestine, to ban all settlement products and to divest from companies and institutions linked directly or indirectly with the Israeli occupation and apartheid policies,” Erekat said.
The construction of structures by illegal colonizers in the West Bank is considered illegal under international law, but the Netanyahu government disputes this.
Dr. Erekat also called on the international community to “ban all settlement products and to divest from companies and institutions linked directly or indirectly with the Israeli occupation and apartheid policies.”
Erekat said that the continued construction of housing units and colonization of the West Bank proves that the Palestinians must go through the international community to negotiate a two-state solution instead of dealing directly with the Israelis.
Israel claims that the development of settlements has nothing to do with the peace process. The Palestinians have pointed to the numerous settlements in the West Bank, which cut through Palestinian villages and block access to main roads, as a sign that Israel is not interested in the two-state solution.
“Once again we call upon the international community to stop treating Israel as a state above the law and to support our diplomatic initiatives which aim to preserve the two-state solution and to end the Israeli oppression of our people,” Erekat said.
Turkey slams Israel settlement plan
Turkey has censured the Tel Aviv regime’s plan to construct more illegal settler units in the occupied West Bank.
The Turkish Foreign Ministry in a statement released on Friday condemned Israel’s plan to build some 430 new illegal settler units in four existing settlements across the West Bank.
“Israel’s illegal decision is unacceptable for us and the international community,” said the statement, adding, “This Israeli action shows that they neglect the Palestinians’ recent international initiative.”
Under Israel’s new settlement expansion plan, 112 new illegal settler units will be built in Geva Binyamin, also known as Adam, 156 in Elkana, 78 in Alfei Menashe and 84 in Kiryat Arba settlements.
The Palestine Liberation Organization (PLO) has denounced the move with Wassel Abu Yusef, a PLO official, saying that the expansion of settlements amounted to a “war crime.”
“What the Israelis announced is part of a wider war... against the Palestinian people,” Abu Yusef added.
He warned that the Israeli settlement issue would be taken to the International Criminal Court.
UN Secretary General Ban Ki-moon recently said that Palestine would formally join the ICC on April 1, where it plans to file complaints against Israeli crimes.
More than half a million Israelis live in over 120 settlements built since Israel’s occupation of the Palestinian territories of the West Bank, including East al-Quds (Jerusalem), in 1967.
The Israeli settlements are considered to be illegal by much of the international community because the territories were captured by Israel in a war in 1967 and are thus subject to the Geneva Conventions, which forbid construction on occupied lands.
Reports circulated Friday about the publication of tenders for 450 new units to be constructed in a number of illegal Israeli settlements.
Palestinian chief negotiator, Dr. Saeb Erekat, called on the international community to boycott all products manufactured in illegal Israeli settlements in the West Bank on Friday. This was the response to a notice published by the Israeli Lands Authority on Friday morning of new tenders for 450 units to be constructed illegally.
“We call on the international community to recognize the State of Palestine, to ban all settlement products and to divest from companies and institutions linked directly or indirectly with the Israeli occupation and apartheid policies,” Erekat said.
The construction of structures by illegal colonizers in the West Bank is considered illegal under international law, but the Netanyahu government disputes this.
Dr. Erekat also called on the international community to “ban all settlement products and to divest from companies and institutions linked directly or indirectly with the Israeli occupation and apartheid policies.”
Erekat said that the continued construction of housing units and colonization of the West Bank proves that the Palestinians must go through the international community to negotiate a two-state solution instead of dealing directly with the Israelis.
Israel claims that the development of settlements has nothing to do with the peace process. The Palestinians have pointed to the numerous settlements in the West Bank, which cut through Palestinian villages and block access to main roads, as a sign that Israel is not interested in the two-state solution.
“Once again we call upon the international community to stop treating Israel as a state above the law and to support our diplomatic initiatives which aim to preserve the two-state solution and to end the Israeli oppression of our people,” Erekat said.
Turkey slams Israel settlement plan
Turkey has censured the Tel Aviv regime’s plan to construct more illegal settler units in the occupied West Bank.
The Turkish Foreign Ministry in a statement released on Friday condemned Israel’s plan to build some 430 new illegal settler units in four existing settlements across the West Bank.
“Israel’s illegal decision is unacceptable for us and the international community,” said the statement, adding, “This Israeli action shows that they neglect the Palestinians’ recent international initiative.”
Under Israel’s new settlement expansion plan, 112 new illegal settler units will be built in Geva Binyamin, also known as Adam, 156 in Elkana, 78 in Alfei Menashe and 84 in Kiryat Arba settlements.
The Palestine Liberation Organization (PLO) has denounced the move with Wassel Abu Yusef, a PLO official, saying that the expansion of settlements amounted to a “war crime.”
“What the Israelis announced is part of a wider war... against the Palestinian people,” Abu Yusef added.
He warned that the Israeli settlement issue would be taken to the International Criminal Court.
UN Secretary General Ban Ki-moon recently said that Palestine would formally join the ICC on April 1, where it plans to file complaints against Israeli crimes.
More than half a million Israelis live in over 120 settlements built since Israel’s occupation of the Palestinian territories of the West Bank, including East al-Quds (Jerusalem), in 1967.
The Israeli settlements are considered to be illegal by much of the international community because the territories were captured by Israel in a war in 1967 and are thus subject to the Geneva Conventions, which forbid construction on occupied lands.
The Israeli occupation authority declared its intention to build 430 new housing units in the West Bank, Israeli sources said.
According to the Earthly Jerusalem' Observatory, Israel released new tenders to expand Israeli settlements in four different areas in West Bank.
Israel is persistent in settlement construction in the occupied Palestinian territories despite wide local and international criticism.
According to the Earthly Jerusalem' Observatory, Israel released new tenders to expand Israeli settlements in four different areas in West Bank.
Israel is persistent in settlement construction in the occupied Palestinian territories despite wide local and international criticism.
27 jan 2015
Hebrew sources disclosed an Israeli plan to encourage 120 thousand French Jews to come and settle in West Bank settlements within the coming four years.
Israeli Minister of Immigrant Absorption, Sofa Landver, presented a plan to the Israeli government called “National Emergency Plan to Bring French Jews to Israel”.
The Hebrew sources said the plan aims to summon 120 thousands of French Jews into occupied Palestine in the next four years. For that purpose, the Israeli ministries along with organizations will work on preparing the infrastructure for French Jews absorption and integration in the Israeli work market.
A number of Israeli ministers called for bringing the Jews living in France to be housed in settlements constructed on Palestinian lands in the West Bank. They also called for expanding the settlements to fit the expected large numbers of French Jews.
Israeli Minister of Immigrant Absorption, Sofa Landver, presented a plan to the Israeli government called “National Emergency Plan to Bring French Jews to Israel”.
The Hebrew sources said the plan aims to summon 120 thousands of French Jews into occupied Palestine in the next four years. For that purpose, the Israeli ministries along with organizations will work on preparing the infrastructure for French Jews absorption and integration in the Israeli work market.
A number of Israeli ministers called for bringing the Jews living in France to be housed in settlements constructed on Palestinian lands in the West Bank. They also called for expanding the settlements to fit the expected large numbers of French Jews.
PLO Executive Committee member, Dr. Hanan Ashrawi, slammed the Israeli occupation government’s feverish settlement drive in favor of the “Greater Israel” project, describing it “a new war crime.”
Ashrawi’s statement came on the sidelines of a meeting with a visiting International Monetary Fund (IMF) delegation, headed by Christoph Duenwald, the Mission Chief for the West Bank and Gaza, at the PLO headquarters in Ramallah.
“Such practices fall in line with a pre-planned Israeli strategy aimed at annexing the entire areas of Bethlehem and Occupied Jerusalem and completing the destruction of the territorial contiguity of the West Bank in favor of the so-called “Greater Israel” settlement project.
Ashrawi spoke out against the dire economic situation in Palestine due to Israel’s monolithic policies, particularly in the besieged Gaza Strip, where neither relief nor development is in effect as a result of the continued Israeli blockade.
She further pointed to the damage wrought on the Strip by the latest Israeli military aggression, adding that the situation has remarkably gone downhill due to the acute shortages in emergency aids and delays in dispatching the pledged rebuilding funds.
“The indifference maintained by the international community regarding Israel’s chauvinism and attempts at obstructing the Palestinian state-building process, amid an unyielding U.S. back-up, has provided the Israeli occupation with enough shields to impose facts on the ground and thwart international efforts to boost such political trajectory,” she added.
Ashrawi’s statement came on the sidelines of a meeting with a visiting International Monetary Fund (IMF) delegation, headed by Christoph Duenwald, the Mission Chief for the West Bank and Gaza, at the PLO headquarters in Ramallah.
“Such practices fall in line with a pre-planned Israeli strategy aimed at annexing the entire areas of Bethlehem and Occupied Jerusalem and completing the destruction of the territorial contiguity of the West Bank in favor of the so-called “Greater Israel” settlement project.
Ashrawi spoke out against the dire economic situation in Palestine due to Israel’s monolithic policies, particularly in the besieged Gaza Strip, where neither relief nor development is in effect as a result of the continued Israeli blockade.
She further pointed to the damage wrought on the Strip by the latest Israeli military aggression, adding that the situation has remarkably gone downhill due to the acute shortages in emergency aids and delays in dispatching the pledged rebuilding funds.
“The indifference maintained by the international community regarding Israel’s chauvinism and attempts at obstructing the Palestinian state-building process, amid an unyielding U.S. back-up, has provided the Israeli occupation with enough shields to impose facts on the ground and thwart international efforts to boost such political trajectory,” she added.
26 jan 2015
Taking advantage of internal preparations for general elections, Israeli housing minister Uri Ariel is working on reviving a plan to build 840 out of 2,500 housing units on Eitam Hill and annex them to Efrat settlement, south of Bethlehem.
The Israeli housing ministry earmarked 850,000 shekels ($215,000) for the expansion of Efrat settlement last October, despite premier Benjamin Netanyahu having reversed the decision to build on the site following wide international condemnation.
If the plan was carried out, the housing units would reach the outskirts of Bethlehem city.
According to Haaretz newspaper on Monday, Netanyahu froze last year the plan to construct housing units on this hill, which the Jewish settlers call Eitam.
When the separation wall was planned in the area, settlers fought for the hill’s inclusion west of the fence and failed. They also tried several times to build an outpost at the site.
The Israeli housing ministry earmarked 850,000 shekels ($215,000) for the expansion of Efrat settlement last October, despite premier Benjamin Netanyahu having reversed the decision to build on the site following wide international condemnation.
If the plan was carried out, the housing units would reach the outskirts of Bethlehem city.
According to Haaretz newspaper on Monday, Netanyahu froze last year the plan to construct housing units on this hill, which the Jewish settlers call Eitam.
When the separation wall was planned in the area, settlers fought for the hill’s inclusion west of the fence and failed. They also tried several times to build an outpost at the site.
23 jan 2015
The Israeli government will approve the building of 2500 new settlement units in "Efrat" settlement in the southeast of Bethlehem, according to Khalil Tafakji, director of the Map Department in the Arabic Association for Studies.
According to the Palestinian News Network, Al Tafakji noted that the additional units will be at the expanse of hundreds of dunams belonging to Palestinian citizens of Kherbat Nakhla.
Mr. Al Tafakji said that the expansion decision was made even though the case is still "under consideration" in Israeli courts.
An estimated 500,000 settlers now live in housing developments and ouposts across the occupied West Bank and East Jerusalem, in contravention of international law.
According to the Palestinian News Network, Al Tafakji noted that the additional units will be at the expanse of hundreds of dunams belonging to Palestinian citizens of Kherbat Nakhla.
Mr. Al Tafakji said that the expansion decision was made even though the case is still "under consideration" in Israeli courts.
An estimated 500,000 settlers now live in housing developments and ouposts across the occupied West Bank and East Jerusalem, in contravention of international law.
22 jan 2015
Israeli Peace Now organization said in a statement issued Wednesday evening that Netanyahu government continues to promote the settlement known as the Givat Eitam or “E2 project” near Nahla village to the south of Bethlehem, confirming that Israeli Ministry of Housing has begun to prepare the area for the settlement.
A new government decision regarding the status of the land is construed as partial approval of the land as state land, according to Peace Now.
“The new settlement, comprised of thousands of residential units, is planned on an area of 1,700 dunums near the Palestinian village of Nahla, south of Bethlehem. The new settlement, Givat Eitam, shall be an extension of Efrat. The plan is sometimes referred to as E2, similarly to the E1 plan.”
The Israeli occupation authorities have destroyed a Palestinian wheat field in the area designated for the settlement.
Peace Now underlined that establishing this settlement would separate the southern from the northern areas of the West Bank, and seriously damage the success of a two-state solution.
The government is continuing to promote the plan to establish the settlement despite earlier pledges not to construct new settlements.
The settlement would block the main road south of Bethlehem, and prevent any development in the only direction that has not yet been blocked by settlements or bypass roads.
A new government decision regarding the status of the land is construed as partial approval of the land as state land, according to Peace Now.
“The new settlement, comprised of thousands of residential units, is planned on an area of 1,700 dunums near the Palestinian village of Nahla, south of Bethlehem. The new settlement, Givat Eitam, shall be an extension of Efrat. The plan is sometimes referred to as E2, similarly to the E1 plan.”
The Israeli occupation authorities have destroyed a Palestinian wheat field in the area designated for the settlement.
Peace Now underlined that establishing this settlement would separate the southern from the northern areas of the West Bank, and seriously damage the success of a two-state solution.
The government is continuing to promote the plan to establish the settlement despite earlier pledges not to construct new settlements.
The settlement would block the main road south of Bethlehem, and prevent any development in the only direction that has not yet been blocked by settlements or bypass roads.
17 jan 2015
Yerushalayim, a Hebrew weekly newspaper, said the Israeli municipality of occupied Jerusalem is gathering information on vacant homes in preparation for housing French Jews.
The Hebrew paper said the Israeli municipality asked Jerusalem Contractors Company to collect information on the empty houses in the city to be rented to Jews coming from France to settle in Israel.
This step came in response to the invitation made by Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu to the French Jews to come to live in Israel, following the recent events in Paris.
Israel has been encouraging Jews all over the world to come and live in occupied Palestinian territories. Such attempts aim at increasing the numbers of Jews settling in Jerusalem in particular where Israel is seeking to change the demographic balance in favor of its settlers.
The Hebrew paper said the Israeli municipality asked Jerusalem Contractors Company to collect information on the empty houses in the city to be rented to Jews coming from France to settle in Israel.
This step came in response to the invitation made by Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu to the French Jews to come to live in Israel, following the recent events in Paris.
Israel has been encouraging Jews all over the world to come and live in occupied Palestinian territories. Such attempts aim at increasing the numbers of Jews settling in Jerusalem in particular where Israel is seeking to change the demographic balance in favor of its settlers.
15 jan 2015
Israeli security sources revealed Israeli intents to expand illegal settlement construction in areas of the West Bank and Eastern Jerusalem to absorb an influx of Jewish immigrants from France.
In a letter recently dispatched to the settlement council, the Israeli housing minister Uri Ariel has instructed authorities to look at ways to expand existing settlements so as to make room for a wave of French immigration, Channel 2 reported Wednesday, showing the letter on screen.
“There is no doubt that the Jews of France feel a deep identity with the settlement project,” Ariel claimed, vowing that his government will do whatever it takes to help France’s Jews set up roots in the occupied Palestinian territories.
Israeli officials have been taking advantage of the latest terror attacks in Paris to urge French Jews to move to Israel amid an outspoken dismay reportedly expressed by French officials over such calls.
The number of French-Jewish immigrants was already predicted to rise sharply from last year's record number of 6,000, after more than doubling since 2013.
The Jewish Agency promoting emigration to Israel said original estimates for 2015 reach up to 15,000 French immigrants, attributing such an increasing flood to "rising anti-Semitism and rolling setbacks in France’s economic growth."
In a letter recently dispatched to the settlement council, the Israeli housing minister Uri Ariel has instructed authorities to look at ways to expand existing settlements so as to make room for a wave of French immigration, Channel 2 reported Wednesday, showing the letter on screen.
“There is no doubt that the Jews of France feel a deep identity with the settlement project,” Ariel claimed, vowing that his government will do whatever it takes to help France’s Jews set up roots in the occupied Palestinian territories.
Israeli officials have been taking advantage of the latest terror attacks in Paris to urge French Jews to move to Israel amid an outspoken dismay reportedly expressed by French officials over such calls.
The number of French-Jewish immigrants was already predicted to rise sharply from last year's record number of 6,000, after more than doubling since 2013.
The Jewish Agency promoting emigration to Israel said original estimates for 2015 reach up to 15,000 French immigrants, attributing such an increasing flood to "rising anti-Semitism and rolling setbacks in France’s economic growth."
14 jan 2015
The Israeli Occupation Forces (IOF) initiated construction works to build a settlement on Palestinian land in southern al-Khalil on Wednesday.
Local sources told the PIC the IOF is sweeping away acres of lands to the south of the city for road construction.
The Israeli Occupation Authority earlier announced its intention to convert the usage purposes of 35 thousand dunums in the West Bank from military to housing purposes and settlement expansion.
Local sources told the PIC the IOF is sweeping away acres of lands to the south of the city for road construction.
The Israeli Occupation Authority earlier announced its intention to convert the usage purposes of 35 thousand dunums in the West Bank from military to housing purposes and settlement expansion.
12 jan 2015
Israeli occupation will not build a section of the separation barrier through the UNESCO recognized village of Battir in the West Bank anytime soon.
Israel's High Court of Justice on Sunday dismissed without prejudice a petition against construction of the section of the West Bank barrier's route that would pass through the village's ancient agricultural terraces.
The decision was largely based on the Israeli Defense Ministry's assertions that constructing the section of the barrier was not a priority — either from a security or budgetary standpoint — and that there were no current plans to carry out further construction.
The justices, however, ordered the state to notify the village 60 in advance if they do plan to begin construction in the future, allowing legal proceedings against it to begin once again.
In effect, the court closed the door to any construction without its further intervention.
"To make any changes to the decision the Israeli occupation will have to start new procedures from scratch that will take several years," head of Battir's local council told Ma'an news, calling the ruling a "a victory for Palestine as a whole."
"The direct implication of the ruling," according to Attorney Michael Sfard, who represented Friends of the Earth Middle East in the petition, "is that if and when the state is ready to go ahead with construction, litigation will be re-launched from scratch."
"Though not strictly prohibiting future construction of the fence," Sfard continued, "freezes it for years, and possibly forever."
The case gained international interest earlier this year when the Palestinians successfully had Battir's ancient agricultural terraces and aqueducts designated a UNESCO World Heritage Site, registered in the State of Palestine. Previously, only the Church of the Nativity in Bethlehem had gained similar status in Palestine.
The justices cited the UNESCO recognition in their decision.
"We have managed to lift, at least temporarily the danger of a barbaric destruction of a world ancient cultural heritage site," Sfard said following the court's decision.
One of the State's central security arguments for the barrier was the need to protect the Tel Aviv-Jerusalem rail line. In the coming years, however, a new high-speed rail line is scheduled to open on a new route — passing through a different part of the West Bank — undercutting the State's argument irrelevant, Sfard pointed out.
Construction of the wall would have severely and irreversibly damaged the agricultural terraces and the Roman-era irrigation systems, which are thousands of years old. Additionally, it would harm the ability of the Palestinian residents to farm their land.
The petition was filed by residents of Battir and Friends of the Earth Middle East, and was supported by the Israel Nature and Parks Authority in addition to several local settler groups.
Israel's High Court of Justice on Sunday dismissed without prejudice a petition against construction of the section of the West Bank barrier's route that would pass through the village's ancient agricultural terraces.
The decision was largely based on the Israeli Defense Ministry's assertions that constructing the section of the barrier was not a priority — either from a security or budgetary standpoint — and that there were no current plans to carry out further construction.
The justices, however, ordered the state to notify the village 60 in advance if they do plan to begin construction in the future, allowing legal proceedings against it to begin once again.
In effect, the court closed the door to any construction without its further intervention.
"To make any changes to the decision the Israeli occupation will have to start new procedures from scratch that will take several years," head of Battir's local council told Ma'an news, calling the ruling a "a victory for Palestine as a whole."
"The direct implication of the ruling," according to Attorney Michael Sfard, who represented Friends of the Earth Middle East in the petition, "is that if and when the state is ready to go ahead with construction, litigation will be re-launched from scratch."
"Though not strictly prohibiting future construction of the fence," Sfard continued, "freezes it for years, and possibly forever."
The case gained international interest earlier this year when the Palestinians successfully had Battir's ancient agricultural terraces and aqueducts designated a UNESCO World Heritage Site, registered in the State of Palestine. Previously, only the Church of the Nativity in Bethlehem had gained similar status in Palestine.
The justices cited the UNESCO recognition in their decision.
"We have managed to lift, at least temporarily the danger of a barbaric destruction of a world ancient cultural heritage site," Sfard said following the court's decision.
One of the State's central security arguments for the barrier was the need to protect the Tel Aviv-Jerusalem rail line. In the coming years, however, a new high-speed rail line is scheduled to open on a new route — passing through a different part of the West Bank — undercutting the State's argument irrelevant, Sfard pointed out.
Construction of the wall would have severely and irreversibly damaged the agricultural terraces and the Roman-era irrigation systems, which are thousands of years old. Additionally, it would harm the ability of the Palestinian residents to farm their land.
The petition was filed by residents of Battir and Friends of the Earth Middle East, and was supported by the Israel Nature and Parks Authority in addition to several local settler groups.
5 jan 2015
Image of Beit El, showing its proximity to nearby Palestinian villages
The Israeli Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu, along with Defense Minister Moshe Ya'alon, approved on Sunday the expansion of an Israeli colony located on stolen Palestinian land near Ramallah.
The expansion of the Beit El settlement will cost nearly $18 million, and will result in 300 new units being constructed in the colony. The money will come from the defense budget, and will be used to close a militarized base in the colony currently used by the Israeli border patrol, and to construct new houses that will be open for colonization by Israeli civilians.
The announcement of the expansion is the result of a promise made by the Israeli Prime Minister to the Beit El colonists that he would pay them this amount in exchange for their acceptance of a 2012 ruling by the Israeli High Court that ordered the removal of thirty units that had been illegally constructed on stolen Palestinian land.
Secretly, the Israeli Prime Minister had made a promise to the colonists at the time of that court ruling that they would receive compensation that would allow for the further expansion of the colony. Prior to Sunday's announcement of $17.8 million for the expansion project, an additional ninety units have already begun to be constructed, also as part of the under-the-table deal struck by Netanyahu with the colonists in 2012.
The lawsuit brought against the colonists at that time involved the illegality of the five buildings (30 units) that had been constructed on illegally-seized Palestinian land. The lawsuit had been brought by the Israeli human rights group Yesh Din.
Even though the High Court had ruled in favor of the indigenous Palestinian owners of the land, the demolition of the five buildings in 2012 eventually led to the construction of more than ten times that many units being constructed, due to the backroom deal struck between the Israeli Prime Minister and the Beit El colonists.
The previous Finance Minister, Yair Lapid, had argued that the Prime Minister had no authority to carry out a secret deal with colonists, and argued that the matter should be brought to the public for discussion. But Lapid was fired by Netanyahu, and now the secret deal is moving forward with no one inside the administration to oppose it.
The Israeli colony of Beit El was established in 1977 by the Israeli military, which took over the land and then began moving Israeli civilians into houses there, in direct violation of international law. It is also the site of one of the largest Israeli military bases in the West Bank.
The Israeli Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu, along with Defense Minister Moshe Ya'alon, approved on Sunday the expansion of an Israeli colony located on stolen Palestinian land near Ramallah.
The expansion of the Beit El settlement will cost nearly $18 million, and will result in 300 new units being constructed in the colony. The money will come from the defense budget, and will be used to close a militarized base in the colony currently used by the Israeli border patrol, and to construct new houses that will be open for colonization by Israeli civilians.
The announcement of the expansion is the result of a promise made by the Israeli Prime Minister to the Beit El colonists that he would pay them this amount in exchange for their acceptance of a 2012 ruling by the Israeli High Court that ordered the removal of thirty units that had been illegally constructed on stolen Palestinian land.
Secretly, the Israeli Prime Minister had made a promise to the colonists at the time of that court ruling that they would receive compensation that would allow for the further expansion of the colony. Prior to Sunday's announcement of $17.8 million for the expansion project, an additional ninety units have already begun to be constructed, also as part of the under-the-table deal struck by Netanyahu with the colonists in 2012.
The lawsuit brought against the colonists at that time involved the illegality of the five buildings (30 units) that had been constructed on illegally-seized Palestinian land. The lawsuit had been brought by the Israeli human rights group Yesh Din.
Even though the High Court had ruled in favor of the indigenous Palestinian owners of the land, the demolition of the five buildings in 2012 eventually led to the construction of more than ten times that many units being constructed, due to the backroom deal struck between the Israeli Prime Minister and the Beit El colonists.
The previous Finance Minister, Yair Lapid, had argued that the Prime Minister had no authority to carry out a secret deal with colonists, and argued that the matter should be brought to the public for discussion. But Lapid was fired by Netanyahu, and now the secret deal is moving forward with no one inside the administration to oppose it.
The Israeli colony of Beit El was established in 1977 by the Israeli military, which took over the land and then began moving Israeli civilians into houses there, in direct violation of international law. It is also the site of one of the largest Israeli military bases in the West Bank.
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