2 sept 2016
The Israeli Justice Minister Ayelet Shaked declared intention to work along a group of settlers to legalize the construction in a settlement outpost illegally built south of al-Khalil.
Shaked vowed to legalize the settlement outpost shortly after the Israeli Supreme Court ordered the demolition of a number of buildings in Netiv Ha'avot.
"In the last year and a half, the Defense Ministry and the Justice Ministry have been working to legalize wherever feasible, and the state decided that in Netiv Ha'avot, it was feasible," Shaked cited.
The Israeli Supreme Court had earlier ordered the demolition of 17 Israeli buildings in Netiv Ha'avot settlement in southern al-Khalil, causing dissatisfaction amid the Israeli-right wing activists.
Shaked vowed to legalize the settlement outpost shortly after the Israeli Supreme Court ordered the demolition of a number of buildings in Netiv Ha'avot.
"In the last year and a half, the Defense Ministry and the Justice Ministry have been working to legalize wherever feasible, and the state decided that in Netiv Ha'avot, it was feasible," Shaked cited.
The Israeli Supreme Court had earlier ordered the demolition of 17 Israeli buildings in Netiv Ha'avot settlement in southern al-Khalil, causing dissatisfaction amid the Israeli-right wing activists.
The European Union (EU) has condemned Israel's stated intent to construct hundreds of new housing units in illegal settlements in the West Bank and Jerusalem.
"The Israeli decision yesterday to endorse an additional 463 housing units in the occupied West Bank and to retroactively approve 179 existing units is a serious concern," the EU said in a statement on Thursday.
The EU statement followed similar comments from the White House and France. "Since January 2016, Israeli authorities have promoted or retroactively legalized 2,706 units in West Bank settlements," it noted.
"The Quartet report published last July identified such action as undermining the prospects for peace and steadily eroding the viability of the two-state solution and recommended that any expansion of settlements be frozen.
The EU reiterates its strong opposition to Israel’s settlement policy and all actions taken in this context," the EU elaborated.
"The Israeli decision yesterday to endorse an additional 463 housing units in the occupied West Bank and to retroactively approve 179 existing units is a serious concern," the EU said in a statement on Thursday.
The EU statement followed similar comments from the White House and France. "Since January 2016, Israeli authorities have promoted or retroactively legalized 2,706 units in West Bank settlements," it noted.
"The Quartet report published last July identified such action as undermining the prospects for peace and steadily eroding the viability of the two-state solution and recommended that any expansion of settlements be frozen.
The EU reiterates its strong opposition to Israel’s settlement policy and all actions taken in this context," the EU elaborated.
France on Thursday expressed great concern over Israel's persistent settlement expansion, condemning its approval of a new plan to build housing units for Jewish settlers in the occupied West Bank.
In a press release on Thursday, the French foreign ministry condemned Israel's recent permission for more illicit housing units in the West Bank that were previously illegal under Israeli law.
"These decisions bring to 2,500 the number of housing units concerned by settlement-building plans since the beginning of the year and they are extremely worrying," the ministry stated.
"Settlement building is illegal with regard to international law and undermines the two-state solution," it added. The Israeli government approved last Wednesday a plan to build 463 housing units in the West Bank and Jerusalem.
This new approval of housing units came two days after UN Middle East peace envoy Nikolay Mladenov strongly denounced Israel's settlement activities in the Palestinian territories.
In a press release on Thursday, the French foreign ministry condemned Israel's recent permission for more illicit housing units in the West Bank that were previously illegal under Israeli law.
"These decisions bring to 2,500 the number of housing units concerned by settlement-building plans since the beginning of the year and they are extremely worrying," the ministry stated.
"Settlement building is illegal with regard to international law and undermines the two-state solution," it added. The Israeli government approved last Wednesday a plan to build 463 housing units in the West Bank and Jerusalem.
This new approval of housing units came two days after UN Middle East peace envoy Nikolay Mladenov strongly denounced Israel's settlement activities in the Palestinian territories.
1 sept 2016
The Israeli Civil Administration Council approved Wednesday the advancement of plans for 500 new housing units in illegal settlements in the occupied West Bank and occupied Jerusalem.
According to Israeli sources, the Civil Administration validated plans for 235 housing units in the settlement of Elqana north of Salfit.
The council also approved the construction of 200 housing units in Bet Arye and Ofarim in north and central occupied West Bank.
20 more housing units were approved in Givat Zehttps://www.weebly.com/editor/main.phpev illegal settlement in occupied Jerusalem. Israel has also promoted plans for 280 new units in West Bank settlements. The sources pointed out that the decision to approve settlement construction was made shortly after Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and Army Minister
Avigdor Lieberman declared intention to continue settlement plans all over the West Bank. Israel has come under harsh criticism for a spike in illegal settlement activity in recent months, with plans for thousands of housing units moving forward in various stages in occupied Jerusalem and the West Bank.
Plans for 463 Settlement Housing Units Advanced in West Bank
Israel’s Civil Administration recently approved the advancement of plans for 463 new housing units in illegal settlements in the occupied West Bank, on Wednesday, Israeli NGO Peace Now reported, according to Ma’an.
Peace Now said that the Civil Administration’s High Planning Committee validated plans for 20 housing units in the settlement of Givat Zeev, 30 in Bet Arye, while 179 housing units were retroactively approved in Ofarim. The group added that plans for 234 units in the settlement of Elqana were being discussed for depositing.
According to Peace Now, Israel has promoted plans for 2,623 new units in West Bank settlements since the beginning of the year, 756 of which were retroactively legalized construction.
“The (Benjamin) Netanyahu government continues to plan and build all over the West Bank, while also giving settlers the message that any construction done without planning will be retroactively legalized,” the NGO said in a statement.
“Not only that the Netanyahu government does not believe in a two states solution, it is actively trying to kill it by building more and more in the settlements. This policy contradicts the very essential interests of the state of Israel,” the group added.
Peace Now’s announcement came as Palestinian Prime Minister Rami Hamdallah demanded during a meeting with the United States Consul General to Jerusalem Donald Blome, on Wednesday, that the US take more serious action to stop Israeli settlement activity.
On Tuesday, the office of the Israeli prime minister slammed remarks made by the UN envoy to the Middle East which criticized Israel for its continuous settlement expansion, saying the envoy was “distorting history and international law.”
At a UN Security Council briefing the day prior, Nickolay Mladenov, UN Special Coordinator for the Middle East Peace Process, condemned Israel, saying: “How will advancing the construction of over 1,700 housing units bring the parties closer to negotiated peace, how will it uphold the two-state solution, how will it create hope for the Palestinian people, or how will it bring security to Israelis?”
A statement released by the spokesperson for Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu called Mladenov’s statement “as the claim that American construction in Washington or French construction in Paris is illegal,” despite the fact that each of the 196 Israeli government-approved settlements scattered across the Palestinian territory were constructed in contravention of the Fourth Geneva Convention -- which forbids the transfer of civilians from an occupying power into areas it occupies.
The statement further claimed that Palestinian opposition to settlements amounted to a demand “that a future Palestinian state be ethnically cleansed of Jews.”
The statement did not address the mass displacement of Palestinians prior to and following the establishment of the state of Israel which some historians and rights groups have called “ethnic cleansing,” in addition to ongoing Israeli policies of home demolitions and state violence.
Israel has come under harsh criticism for a spike in illegal settlement activity in recent months, with plans for thousands of housing units moving forward in various stages in occupied East Jerusalem and the West Bank.
Human rights groups and international leaders have strongly condemned Israel’s settlement construction, claiming it is a strategic maneuver to prevent the establishment of a contiguous, independent Palestinian state by changing the facts on the ground, while members of Israel’s parliament, the Knesset, have publicly announced their support for plans aimed to annex the entirety of Area C.
While members of the international community rested the solution to the Israeli-Palestinian conflict on the discontinuation of illegal Israeli settlements and the establishment of a two-state solution, Israeli leaders have instead shifted farther to the right as many Knesset members have called for an escalation of settlement building in the occupied West Bank, and with some having advocated for its complete annexation.
A number of Palestinian activists have criticized the two-state solution as unsustainable and unlikely to bring durable peace, proposing instead a binational state with equal rights for Israelis and Palestinians.
Archive IMEMC: 05/17/15 Bennett Wants to See Palestinians Become ‘Water Carriers and Wood Hewers’ for Jews
05/24/15 Hotovely: ‘The whole land of Israel belongs to the Jews”
According to Israeli sources, the Civil Administration validated plans for 235 housing units in the settlement of Elqana north of Salfit.
The council also approved the construction of 200 housing units in Bet Arye and Ofarim in north and central occupied West Bank.
20 more housing units were approved in Givat Zehttps://www.weebly.com/editor/main.phpev illegal settlement in occupied Jerusalem. Israel has also promoted plans for 280 new units in West Bank settlements. The sources pointed out that the decision to approve settlement construction was made shortly after Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and Army Minister
Avigdor Lieberman declared intention to continue settlement plans all over the West Bank. Israel has come under harsh criticism for a spike in illegal settlement activity in recent months, with plans for thousands of housing units moving forward in various stages in occupied Jerusalem and the West Bank.
Plans for 463 Settlement Housing Units Advanced in West Bank
Israel’s Civil Administration recently approved the advancement of plans for 463 new housing units in illegal settlements in the occupied West Bank, on Wednesday, Israeli NGO Peace Now reported, according to Ma’an.
Peace Now said that the Civil Administration’s High Planning Committee validated plans for 20 housing units in the settlement of Givat Zeev, 30 in Bet Arye, while 179 housing units were retroactively approved in Ofarim. The group added that plans for 234 units in the settlement of Elqana were being discussed for depositing.
According to Peace Now, Israel has promoted plans for 2,623 new units in West Bank settlements since the beginning of the year, 756 of which were retroactively legalized construction.
“The (Benjamin) Netanyahu government continues to plan and build all over the West Bank, while also giving settlers the message that any construction done without planning will be retroactively legalized,” the NGO said in a statement.
“Not only that the Netanyahu government does not believe in a two states solution, it is actively trying to kill it by building more and more in the settlements. This policy contradicts the very essential interests of the state of Israel,” the group added.
Peace Now’s announcement came as Palestinian Prime Minister Rami Hamdallah demanded during a meeting with the United States Consul General to Jerusalem Donald Blome, on Wednesday, that the US take more serious action to stop Israeli settlement activity.
On Tuesday, the office of the Israeli prime minister slammed remarks made by the UN envoy to the Middle East which criticized Israel for its continuous settlement expansion, saying the envoy was “distorting history and international law.”
At a UN Security Council briefing the day prior, Nickolay Mladenov, UN Special Coordinator for the Middle East Peace Process, condemned Israel, saying: “How will advancing the construction of over 1,700 housing units bring the parties closer to negotiated peace, how will it uphold the two-state solution, how will it create hope for the Palestinian people, or how will it bring security to Israelis?”
A statement released by the spokesperson for Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu called Mladenov’s statement “as the claim that American construction in Washington or French construction in Paris is illegal,” despite the fact that each of the 196 Israeli government-approved settlements scattered across the Palestinian territory were constructed in contravention of the Fourth Geneva Convention -- which forbids the transfer of civilians from an occupying power into areas it occupies.
The statement further claimed that Palestinian opposition to settlements amounted to a demand “that a future Palestinian state be ethnically cleansed of Jews.”
The statement did not address the mass displacement of Palestinians prior to and following the establishment of the state of Israel which some historians and rights groups have called “ethnic cleansing,” in addition to ongoing Israeli policies of home demolitions and state violence.
Israel has come under harsh criticism for a spike in illegal settlement activity in recent months, with plans for thousands of housing units moving forward in various stages in occupied East Jerusalem and the West Bank.
Human rights groups and international leaders have strongly condemned Israel’s settlement construction, claiming it is a strategic maneuver to prevent the establishment of a contiguous, independent Palestinian state by changing the facts on the ground, while members of Israel’s parliament, the Knesset, have publicly announced their support for plans aimed to annex the entirety of Area C.
While members of the international community rested the solution to the Israeli-Palestinian conflict on the discontinuation of illegal Israeli settlements and the establishment of a two-state solution, Israeli leaders have instead shifted farther to the right as many Knesset members have called for an escalation of settlement building in the occupied West Bank, and with some having advocated for its complete annexation.
A number of Palestinian activists have criticized the two-state solution as unsustainable and unlikely to bring durable peace, proposing instead a binational state with equal rights for Israelis and Palestinians.
Archive IMEMC: 05/17/15 Bennett Wants to See Palestinians Become ‘Water Carriers and Wood Hewers’ for Jews
05/24/15 Hotovely: ‘The whole land of Israel belongs to the Jews”
31 aug 2016
Israeli sources revealed that an Israeli company won the second tender of Israeli Tourism Ministry and the so called “Israel Lands Administration” for hotel construction in Mount Scopus in Occupied Jerusalem.
Yedioth Ahronoth Israeli newspaper reported that the hotel consists of seven floors with a capacity of 150 rooms in addition to commercial facilities.
This projects goes in line with Israeli ceaseless plans for Judaizing and changing the historic features of Occupied Jerusalem.
According to the Israeli Ministry of Tourism, hundreds of new hotel rooms are going to be added in the coming years.
The Tourism Ministry financed the marketing costs of the tender and will handle the development, in cooperation with the “Israel Lands Administration”, according to a statement from the ministry.
The statement added that the compound to be built is among the last significant areas of land in Jerusalem dedicated to the immediate construction of hotels.
The site is zoned for six hotels (with four lots being marketed first and the other two at a later stage). The hotel compound also includes land with a listed building, commercial property and an area, common to all the hotels, that will be designated for bus parking.
The commercial area will attract visitors from the adjacent promenade, and will serve as an entertainment attraction for tourists. "This tender is another important step in increasing hotel room supply in Jerusalem.
This tender will add to hundreds of hotel rooms that have been approved in the last year in the Jerusalem Ridge compound, which will become a tourism complex located in one of the most attractive places, overlooking the Old City basin," said Tourism Minister Yariv Levin.
Two companies: Hasid Brothers Contractors and Construction Ltd. and Klir Chemicals won the first tender to build 580 hotel rooms that will be built on the site.
Yedioth Ahronoth Israeli newspaper reported that the hotel consists of seven floors with a capacity of 150 rooms in addition to commercial facilities.
This projects goes in line with Israeli ceaseless plans for Judaizing and changing the historic features of Occupied Jerusalem.
According to the Israeli Ministry of Tourism, hundreds of new hotel rooms are going to be added in the coming years.
The Tourism Ministry financed the marketing costs of the tender and will handle the development, in cooperation with the “Israel Lands Administration”, according to a statement from the ministry.
The statement added that the compound to be built is among the last significant areas of land in Jerusalem dedicated to the immediate construction of hotels.
The site is zoned for six hotels (with four lots being marketed first and the other two at a later stage). The hotel compound also includes land with a listed building, commercial property and an area, common to all the hotels, that will be designated for bus parking.
The commercial area will attract visitors from the adjacent promenade, and will serve as an entertainment attraction for tourists. "This tender is another important step in increasing hotel room supply in Jerusalem.
This tender will add to hundreds of hotel rooms that have been approved in the last year in the Jerusalem Ridge compound, which will become a tourism complex located in one of the most attractive places, overlooking the Old City basin," said Tourism Minister Yariv Levin.
Two companies: Hasid Brothers Contractors and Construction Ltd. and Klir Chemicals won the first tender to build 580 hotel rooms that will be built on the site.
The popular anti-settlement committee warned of an Israeli scheme to seize a vast Palestinian land tract in southern Nablus in favor of illegal settlement.
Activist Bashar al-Qaryout, from the local anti-settlement committee, sounded the alarm over a projected Israeli settlement scheme to dismember northern West Bank towns and villages.
He added that the project garnered official approval from the Israeli occupation authorities and that the execution phase has been underway in several areas.
The settlement plan, extending from the Ariel settlement to the Jordan Valley, has been devised at the same time as Israel has approved master plans to legitimize the illegal settlement outposts of Shilo, Shvut Rachel, Eli, and Rahalim.
According to the activist, such settlement schemes will culminate in the confiscation of thousands of dunums of Palestinian lands. He slammed the silence maintained by the international parties and human rights institutions as regards the scheme.
Activist Bashar al-Qaryout, from the local anti-settlement committee, sounded the alarm over a projected Israeli settlement scheme to dismember northern West Bank towns and villages.
He added that the project garnered official approval from the Israeli occupation authorities and that the execution phase has been underway in several areas.
The settlement plan, extending from the Ariel settlement to the Jordan Valley, has been devised at the same time as Israel has approved master plans to legitimize the illegal settlement outposts of Shilo, Shvut Rachel, Eli, and Rahalim.
According to the activist, such settlement schemes will culminate in the confiscation of thousands of dunums of Palestinian lands. He slammed the silence maintained by the international parties and human rights institutions as regards the scheme.
30 aug 2016
Following comments that West Bank settlements are one of the biggest obstacles to peace, the PM's spokesman has stated that this 'distorts history.'
Israel on Tuesday said remarks by the UN Mideast envoy "distort history" after he declared that Israel's settlement-building is a main obstacle to peace with the Palestinians.
The spat drew new attention to Israeli settlement construction in the West Bank and east Jerusalem, which has continued to move forward during a more than two-year freeze in Mideast peace efforts. The Palestinians seek both areas as part of a future independent state and say that the construction undermines hopes for a peace deal.
In a briefing to the Security Council on Monday, UN Mideast envoy Nicolay Mladenov said that settlement expansion by the Israelis is among the biggest obstacles to peace with the Palestinians.
Mladenov listed Israeli plans to build hundreds of new houses in the West Bank and east Jerusalem, as well as steps Israel is taking to legalize outposts that were built without permission by settlers.
"It is difficult to read in these actions a genuine intention to work toward a viable two-state solution," Mladenov said. "This appears to reinforce a policy, carried out over decades, that has enabled over half a million Israelis to settle in territory that was occupied militarily in 1967."
David Keyes, spokesman for Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, said the comments "distort history."
"Jews have been in Jerusalem, Judea and Samaria for thousands of years and their presence there is not an obstacle to peace," Keyes said in a statement.
"The obstacle to peace is the unending attempt to deny the Jewish People's connection to parts of their historic land," Keyes added.
Israel captured the West Bank and east Jerusalem, home to holy sites sacred to Jews, Muslims and Christians, from Jordan in the 1967 Six-Day War. In a position that has wide international backing, Palestinians want the territory for their future state, along with the Gaza Strip and east Jerusalem as their capital.
Israel annexed east Jerusalem—a move that is not recognized internationally—and maintains a nearly 50-year military occupation of the West Bank.
Since that time, some 120 settlements have been erected in the West Bank, now home to about 400,000 people. Some 200,000 Israelis live in east Jerusalem. Israel considers both sides of the city part of its eternal, undivided capital.
The Palestinians, along with most of the international community, view Israel's settlements in the West Bank as illegal or illegitimate. They say the increasing number of settlers make it increasingly difficult to establish their own state in these territories and raise questions about Israel's seriousness about ending its occupation.
Netanyahu has endorsed the idea of a two-state solution, but has given no details on his vision of a final border arrangement while continuing to build. He says settlements and other core issues at the heart of the conflict, like security arrangements, should be resolved in negotiations.
US-negotiated peace talks collapsed over two years ago, in part over the issue of settlements.
Israel on Tuesday said remarks by the UN Mideast envoy "distort history" after he declared that Israel's settlement-building is a main obstacle to peace with the Palestinians.
The spat drew new attention to Israeli settlement construction in the West Bank and east Jerusalem, which has continued to move forward during a more than two-year freeze in Mideast peace efforts. The Palestinians seek both areas as part of a future independent state and say that the construction undermines hopes for a peace deal.
In a briefing to the Security Council on Monday, UN Mideast envoy Nicolay Mladenov said that settlement expansion by the Israelis is among the biggest obstacles to peace with the Palestinians.
Mladenov listed Israeli plans to build hundreds of new houses in the West Bank and east Jerusalem, as well as steps Israel is taking to legalize outposts that were built without permission by settlers.
"It is difficult to read in these actions a genuine intention to work toward a viable two-state solution," Mladenov said. "This appears to reinforce a policy, carried out over decades, that has enabled over half a million Israelis to settle in territory that was occupied militarily in 1967."
David Keyes, spokesman for Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, said the comments "distort history."
"Jews have been in Jerusalem, Judea and Samaria for thousands of years and their presence there is not an obstacle to peace," Keyes said in a statement.
"The obstacle to peace is the unending attempt to deny the Jewish People's connection to parts of their historic land," Keyes added.
Israel captured the West Bank and east Jerusalem, home to holy sites sacred to Jews, Muslims and Christians, from Jordan in the 1967 Six-Day War. In a position that has wide international backing, Palestinians want the territory for their future state, along with the Gaza Strip and east Jerusalem as their capital.
Israel annexed east Jerusalem—a move that is not recognized internationally—and maintains a nearly 50-year military occupation of the West Bank.
Since that time, some 120 settlements have been erected in the West Bank, now home to about 400,000 people. Some 200,000 Israelis live in east Jerusalem. Israel considers both sides of the city part of its eternal, undivided capital.
The Palestinians, along with most of the international community, view Israel's settlements in the West Bank as illegal or illegitimate. They say the increasing number of settlers make it increasingly difficult to establish their own state in these territories and raise questions about Israel's seriousness about ending its occupation.
Netanyahu has endorsed the idea of a two-state solution, but has given no details on his vision of a final border arrangement while continuing to build. He says settlements and other core issues at the heart of the conflict, like security arrangements, should be resolved in negotiations.
US-negotiated peace talks collapsed over two years ago, in part over the issue of settlements.
Sheikh Najeh Bkeirat, the head of Jerusalem’s department of religious teachings, warned on Tuesday of the serious upshots of the Israeli cable-car plan, saying it aims to consolidate Israel’s grip on the holy city.
According to Bkeirat, after surrounding Jerusalem with Israeli settlements and conducting excavations underneath the al-Aqsa Mosque, Israel is now seeking control of the city’s sky via the cable-car project.
Bkeirat called for mobilizing international protests over such a Judaization project. He said the project is being held over a historic territory in an attempt obliterate the Islamic identity of the holy city of Jerusalem.
He said the scheme was initiated some 10 years ago when the Israeli Minister of Internal Security, Avi Dichter, issued a decision banning the burial of dead Muslims in the southern corners of Bab al-Rahma cemetery.
He slammed the Israeli occupation authorities for obstructing reconstruction works at Muslims’ the holy al-Aqsa Mosque in an attempt to hold sway over the site. According to Bkeirat, the cable-car project makes part of an Israeli plan to build the alleged temple mount on the ruins of the al-Aqsa, particularly in the so-called Holy Basin area.
Commenting on the repercussions of the plan, Bkeirat said efforts have been underway to seize a Palestinian land in Bab al-Rahma and ban the burial of Muslims. Other lands were confiscated in Bab al-Maghareba, Wadi Hilweh neighborhood, and Bab al-Khalil area. “The project amounts to a declaration of war.
Israel is trying to prove that it has sovereignty over Occupied Jerusalem through its continuous excavations and destruction of Islamic heritage,” Bkeirat noted. Over 2,500 Palestinian homes are threatened with demolition while 1,400 others have already been reduced to rubble as part of a policy of forced dislocation, he stated.
Bkeirat further spoke out against the several synagogues, surveillance cameras, detention centers, military checkpoints, and concrete roadblocks engulfing the city from all corners as instances of the hazardous nature of the underway Judaization scheme.
According to Bkeirat, after surrounding Jerusalem with Israeli settlements and conducting excavations underneath the al-Aqsa Mosque, Israel is now seeking control of the city’s sky via the cable-car project.
Bkeirat called for mobilizing international protests over such a Judaization project. He said the project is being held over a historic territory in an attempt obliterate the Islamic identity of the holy city of Jerusalem.
He said the scheme was initiated some 10 years ago when the Israeli Minister of Internal Security, Avi Dichter, issued a decision banning the burial of dead Muslims in the southern corners of Bab al-Rahma cemetery.
He slammed the Israeli occupation authorities for obstructing reconstruction works at Muslims’ the holy al-Aqsa Mosque in an attempt to hold sway over the site. According to Bkeirat, the cable-car project makes part of an Israeli plan to build the alleged temple mount on the ruins of the al-Aqsa, particularly in the so-called Holy Basin area.
Commenting on the repercussions of the plan, Bkeirat said efforts have been underway to seize a Palestinian land in Bab al-Rahma and ban the burial of Muslims. Other lands were confiscated in Bab al-Maghareba, Wadi Hilweh neighborhood, and Bab al-Khalil area. “The project amounts to a declaration of war.
Israel is trying to prove that it has sovereignty over Occupied Jerusalem through its continuous excavations and destruction of Islamic heritage,” Bkeirat noted. Over 2,500 Palestinian homes are threatened with demolition while 1,400 others have already been reduced to rubble as part of a policy of forced dislocation, he stated.
Bkeirat further spoke out against the several synagogues, surveillance cameras, detention centers, military checkpoints, and concrete roadblocks engulfing the city from all corners as instances of the hazardous nature of the underway Judaization scheme.
29 aug 2016
Israeli media sources revealed on Sunday that settlements in Occupied Jerusalem have been subjected to construction expansion process where hundreds of settlement housing units are going to be added in Pisgat Ze'ev, Har Homa, Neve Yaakov and Modi'in outposts.
The sources pointed out that 325 new units are going to be established in Pisgat Ze'ev while 149 units in Har Homa, 78 in Neve Yaakov and 96 in Modi'in settlement in addition to commercial shops, parks and other facilities.
A commercial mall with a housing compound are being constructed in Modi'in settlement with 8400-square-meters estimated area and 50-million-shekels budget, Israeli Kol Ha'ir weekly newspaper reported.
Private Park is another housing project being established in the same outpost. The project constitutes of 96 housing units in 12 four-story blocks with 8 housing units each.
78 housing units will also be constructed within a housing project which constitutes of four nine-story blocks in Neve Yaakov outpost.
65 other units are decided to be established within three huge buildings in Pisgat Ze'ev. Construction of 260 new housing units are to be built soon in the same settlement.
The second block of Tserfata Project in the settlement of Har Homa has been sold out within a housing project to establish 142 new units in three buildings of nine stories each.
27 other nine-story units will be conducted in Har Homa over a four-dunum land while 122 other units are also being constructed in the same outpost.
The sources pointed out that 325 new units are going to be established in Pisgat Ze'ev while 149 units in Har Homa, 78 in Neve Yaakov and 96 in Modi'in settlement in addition to commercial shops, parks and other facilities.
A commercial mall with a housing compound are being constructed in Modi'in settlement with 8400-square-meters estimated area and 50-million-shekels budget, Israeli Kol Ha'ir weekly newspaper reported.
Private Park is another housing project being established in the same outpost. The project constitutes of 96 housing units in 12 four-story blocks with 8 housing units each.
78 housing units will also be constructed within a housing project which constitutes of four nine-story blocks in Neve Yaakov outpost.
65 other units are decided to be established within three huge buildings in Pisgat Ze'ev. Construction of 260 new housing units are to be built soon in the same settlement.
The second block of Tserfata Project in the settlement of Har Homa has been sold out within a housing project to establish 142 new units in three buildings of nine stories each.
27 other nine-story units will be conducted in Har Homa over a four-dunum land while 122 other units are also being constructed in the same outpost.
Israeli minister of Jerusalem affairs Ze'ev Elkin has said that Israeli premier Benjamin Netanyahu gives priority for the development (Judaization) of Mount of Olives, which is an Islamic waqf area in east Jerusalem used by Israel as a mock Jewish cemetery.
Elkin made his remarks at a recent reception held specially for him by the so-called the international committee for the preservation of Har Hazeitim (Mount of Olives) in New York in the presence of Israeli consul Dani Dayan.
He affirmed that the government earmarked millions of shekels for the establishment of projects and for the protection of visitors to the Mount through installing dozens of security cameras and intensifying police presence.
The international committee for the preservation of Har Hazeitim, which was founded five years ago, managed in cooperation with the Israeli government and right-wing Jewish groups to Judaize the Mount of Olives, which is actually an Islamic waqf land.
About 20,000 fake Jewish graves have been built on the Mount by this Zionist commission and settler groups as part of Judaization plans in the holy city.
Elkin made his remarks at a recent reception held specially for him by the so-called the international committee for the preservation of Har Hazeitim (Mount of Olives) in New York in the presence of Israeli consul Dani Dayan.
He affirmed that the government earmarked millions of shekels for the establishment of projects and for the protection of visitors to the Mount through installing dozens of security cameras and intensifying police presence.
The international committee for the preservation of Har Hazeitim, which was founded five years ago, managed in cooperation with the Israeli government and right-wing Jewish groups to Judaize the Mount of Olives, which is actually an Islamic waqf land.
About 20,000 fake Jewish graves have been built on the Mount by this Zionist commission and settler groups as part of Judaization plans in the holy city.
28 aug 2016
Sheikh Ikrima Sabri, head of the higher Islamic commission in the holy city, has warned against an Israeli plan to build an aerial tramway track over the Old City of Jerusalem and Islamic waqf sites near the Aqsa Mosque.
"This project is one of those plans intended to impose a Jewish character on the occupied city of Jerusalem and obliterate its landmarks," Sheikh Sabri told the Palestinian Information Center (PIC).
He also described the project as an assault on awqaf lands known as 'Salawdaha' and said it would change the Islamic character of the entire southern area near the Aqsa Mosque.
"The remarks that were made by the head of the municipality (Nir Barkat) were clear. He wanted to confirm who owns sovereignty over the city and talked about the Mosque and Islamic waqf sites.
It is known to everyone that Jerusalem, according to international law, is an occupied city and the occupation has no right to change the city's landmarks and affect its holy sites," the Palestinian religious figure underscored.
"The project is illegal and must be stopped.
We will never recognize any such change or step to be taken by the occupation authorities in Jerusalem city," he added. In recent remarks, Barkat said that the "Jews' ties to Jerusalem can never be unraveled," stressing that the cable-car project would serve not just economic and tourism needs, but also ideological goals.
Jerusalem’s planned cable cars will include a stop in the Palestinian neighborhood of Silwan, so that riders will "understand who really owns this city," Barkat told Likud party activists recently.
"This project is one of those plans intended to impose a Jewish character on the occupied city of Jerusalem and obliterate its landmarks," Sheikh Sabri told the Palestinian Information Center (PIC).
He also described the project as an assault on awqaf lands known as 'Salawdaha' and said it would change the Islamic character of the entire southern area near the Aqsa Mosque.
"The remarks that were made by the head of the municipality (Nir Barkat) were clear. He wanted to confirm who owns sovereignty over the city and talked about the Mosque and Islamic waqf sites.
It is known to everyone that Jerusalem, according to international law, is an occupied city and the occupation has no right to change the city's landmarks and affect its holy sites," the Palestinian religious figure underscored.
"The project is illegal and must be stopped.
We will never recognize any such change or step to be taken by the occupation authorities in Jerusalem city," he added. In recent remarks, Barkat said that the "Jews' ties to Jerusalem can never be unraveled," stressing that the cable-car project would serve not just economic and tourism needs, but also ideological goals.
Jerusalem’s planned cable cars will include a stop in the Palestinian neighborhood of Silwan, so that riders will "understand who really owns this city," Barkat told Likud party activists recently.
A report has warned of the escalated pace of Israeli illegal settlement activity across the occupied Palestinian territories.
The National Office to Defend the Land and Resist Settlement warned of an Israeli plan to construct new settlement units in al-Khalil in an attempt to expand the Mitkanim military outpost.
“Israel is holding sway over Palestinian lands using counterfeit pretexts,” the report read.
The office said the envisioned settlement units will be constructed over land lots that belong to Palestinian citizens and which Israel confiscated under the security pretext.
Covering an overall area of 2,000 square meters, the Mitkanim military site was built on Palestinian lands seized in 1983 under the security pretext, in a flagrant violation of an Israeli High Court rule outlawing the establishment of settlements on lands confiscated on security accounts.
The office called for the need to appeal to the International Criminal Court and the concerned UN bodies so as to put an end to such an Israeli settlement scheme.
The National Office to Defend the Land and Resist Settlement warned of an Israeli plan to construct new settlement units in al-Khalil in an attempt to expand the Mitkanim military outpost.
“Israel is holding sway over Palestinian lands using counterfeit pretexts,” the report read.
The office said the envisioned settlement units will be constructed over land lots that belong to Palestinian citizens and which Israel confiscated under the security pretext.
Covering an overall area of 2,000 square meters, the Mitkanim military site was built on Palestinian lands seized in 1983 under the security pretext, in a flagrant violation of an Israeli High Court rule outlawing the establishment of settlements on lands confiscated on security accounts.
The office called for the need to appeal to the International Criminal Court and the concerned UN bodies so as to put an end to such an Israeli settlement scheme.
