31 may 2016
The Israeli Civil Administration re-mapped over 15,000 acres in the occupied West Bank in an attempt at justifying illegal settlement expansion inside the re-designated areas, the Israeli daily Ha’aretz reported Tuesday.
According to Haaretz, the move was taken to legalize settlement activities within the territory Israel had previously claimed as its own.
It also called attention to the sheer size of the project, saying the government had re-mapped only 5,000 acres in 2014, and slightly over 3,000 acres in the year that preceded it.
Commenting on the matter, settlement researcher Dror Etkes said, “It’s important to realize that these mapping efforts are directed almost exclusively deep into the West Bank and to settlements that are far from the settlement blocs, and to areas designated earlier by Israel as fire zones, even though it’s obvious that they comprise part of the pool of land that Israel is gradually handing over to settlements.”
Israel was established in 1948, when it occupied Palestinian land along with expanses of other Arab territories during full-fledged military operations.
The occupied lands also include Lebanon’s Shebaa Farms and Syria’s Golan Heights.
In 1967, Israel occupied the Palestinian territories of the West Bank, including East Occupied Jerusalem and the Gaza Strip.
It later annexed the Golan Heights and East Occupied Jerusalem in a move never recognized by the international community.
Tel Aviv withdrew from Gaza in 2005, but has been keeping the territory under a crippling siege and regular deadly offensives.
More than half a million Israelis live in over 230 illegal settlements built since the 1967 Israeli occupation of the Palestinian territories of the West Bank and East Occupied Jerusalem.
According to Haaretz, the move was taken to legalize settlement activities within the territory Israel had previously claimed as its own.
It also called attention to the sheer size of the project, saying the government had re-mapped only 5,000 acres in 2014, and slightly over 3,000 acres in the year that preceded it.
Commenting on the matter, settlement researcher Dror Etkes said, “It’s important to realize that these mapping efforts are directed almost exclusively deep into the West Bank and to settlements that are far from the settlement blocs, and to areas designated earlier by Israel as fire zones, even though it’s obvious that they comprise part of the pool of land that Israel is gradually handing over to settlements.”
Israel was established in 1948, when it occupied Palestinian land along with expanses of other Arab territories during full-fledged military operations.
The occupied lands also include Lebanon’s Shebaa Farms and Syria’s Golan Heights.
In 1967, Israel occupied the Palestinian territories of the West Bank, including East Occupied Jerusalem and the Gaza Strip.
It later annexed the Golan Heights and East Occupied Jerusalem in a move never recognized by the international community.
Tel Aviv withdrew from Gaza in 2005, but has been keeping the territory under a crippling siege and regular deadly offensives.
More than half a million Israelis live in over 230 illegal settlements built since the 1967 Israeli occupation of the Palestinian territories of the West Bank and East Occupied Jerusalem.
30 may 2016
Israeli military bulldozers in Salfit leveled four ancient Palestinian historical villages in favor of an illegal settlement, locals said Monday.
Palestinian inhabitants of the Deir Ballout town said Israeli bulldozers leveled the Deir Kalaa and Deir Samaan archeological villages in western Salfit.
Eyewitnesses from the Brukin town also warned of the Israeli occupation authority's intents to isolate the Mughr al-Sahms village surrounded by the Ariel settlement factories.
Farmers from Salfit province said the Khirbet al-Shajara village was completely dismembered from its neighboring towns due to the Israeli apartheid wall.
The Palestinian natives of the area could no longer access the water wells and fertile lands which their forefathers have been cultivating for thousands of years.
Researcher in settlement affairs Khaled Maali said Israeli illegal settlement activity reduced several historical sites carved in stones and olive groves to rubble.
Palestinian inhabitants of the Deir Ballout town said Israeli bulldozers leveled the Deir Kalaa and Deir Samaan archeological villages in western Salfit.
Eyewitnesses from the Brukin town also warned of the Israeli occupation authority's intents to isolate the Mughr al-Sahms village surrounded by the Ariel settlement factories.
Farmers from Salfit province said the Khirbet al-Shajara village was completely dismembered from its neighboring towns due to the Israeli apartheid wall.
The Palestinian natives of the area could no longer access the water wells and fertile lands which their forefathers have been cultivating for thousands of years.
Researcher in settlement affairs Khaled Maali said Israeli illegal settlement activity reduced several historical sites carved in stones and olive groves to rubble.
26 may 2016
Israeli Justice Minister Ayelet Shaked said that her government will continue settlement construction and expansion in the West Bank and that more settlers will reside there.
Shaked’s statement came in the inauguration of the expansion of a Jewish school in Itamar settlement which is constructed over Palestinians’ lands east of Nablus city, according to Israeli TV channel seven.
Shaked, who is member of the far-right Jewish Home Party, has recently declared her intention to set a special law stipulating the enforcement of Israeli laws on settlers in the West Bank which means annexing the West Bank to the Israeli sovereignty.
Shaked’s statement came in the inauguration of the expansion of a Jewish school in Itamar settlement which is constructed over Palestinians’ lands east of Nablus city, according to Israeli TV channel seven.
Shaked, who is member of the far-right Jewish Home Party, has recently declared her intention to set a special law stipulating the enforcement of Israeli laws on settlers in the West Bank which means annexing the West Bank to the Israeli sovereignty.
24 may 2016
Israeli Meyashvei Zion association revealed that a new settlement project is scheduled to be built at the expense of the public park in Sheikh Jarrah neighborhood in Occupied Jerusalem.
Three buildings are scheduled to be built in the neighborhood, each one of them includes 12 new housing units, the settlement association explained. A number of Jerusalemite homes will be evacuated and demolished during the construction process, according to the association.
The confiscated land is located in Um Haroun area in Sheikh Jarrah neighborhood and owned by Hijazi and al-Saadi families. Commenting on the settlement project, Israeli Peace Now organization said that the evacuation of Jerusalemite Palestinians from their homes and properties is based on a discriminatory law, which allows the right of return to Jews only.
The establishment of settlement outposts in the heart of Palestinian neighborhood is a recipe for increased tensions, hatred and violence, according to the rights group.
Peace Now called on the Israeli government to prevent the eviction of the families from the properties since this is not a real estate issue but rather is a political issue that obstructs the possibility of reaching an agreement based on the two-state solution.
Last week the Jerusalem Magistrates Court ruled the eviction of five housing units in the neighborhood of Um Haroun in Sheikh Jarrah. Israeli judge Anna Schneider ruled that the Qiswani family must evict its home and leave it to the Shabali Company, owned by Jewish investors affiliated with Jerusalem City Council Member Arieh King.
King himself runs a settler organization called “Israel Land Fund,” and he is the one behind the efforts to evict Palestinian families and handing over their homes to settlers in Sheikh Jarrah in particular and in East Jerusalem in general. At the center of the lawsuit is plot 38 that includes three housing units, a café and a small college, in an area of approximately 220 square meters.
In 2007 the General Custodian released the property, which until then was rented to the Qiswani family that resided there since 1948, to a Jewish family. Then, in 2010, the Jewish family sold the majority of the property (11/16) to the Shabali Company. While the Qiswani family members argued that they have a lease for 20 years, provided to them by Meir Nadav of the General Custodian’s office, the court ruled that this document is invalid.
In 2008, Meyashvei Zion association illegally confiscated six Palestinian homes owned by al-Kurd family under the protection of Israeli police.
Three buildings are scheduled to be built in the neighborhood, each one of them includes 12 new housing units, the settlement association explained. A number of Jerusalemite homes will be evacuated and demolished during the construction process, according to the association.
The confiscated land is located in Um Haroun area in Sheikh Jarrah neighborhood and owned by Hijazi and al-Saadi families. Commenting on the settlement project, Israeli Peace Now organization said that the evacuation of Jerusalemite Palestinians from their homes and properties is based on a discriminatory law, which allows the right of return to Jews only.
The establishment of settlement outposts in the heart of Palestinian neighborhood is a recipe for increased tensions, hatred and violence, according to the rights group.
Peace Now called on the Israeli government to prevent the eviction of the families from the properties since this is not a real estate issue but rather is a political issue that obstructs the possibility of reaching an agreement based on the two-state solution.
Last week the Jerusalem Magistrates Court ruled the eviction of five housing units in the neighborhood of Um Haroun in Sheikh Jarrah. Israeli judge Anna Schneider ruled that the Qiswani family must evict its home and leave it to the Shabali Company, owned by Jewish investors affiliated with Jerusalem City Council Member Arieh King.
King himself runs a settler organization called “Israel Land Fund,” and he is the one behind the efforts to evict Palestinian families and handing over their homes to settlers in Sheikh Jarrah in particular and in East Jerusalem in general. At the center of the lawsuit is plot 38 that includes three housing units, a café and a small college, in an area of approximately 220 square meters.
In 2007 the General Custodian released the property, which until then was rented to the Qiswani family that resided there since 1948, to a Jewish family. Then, in 2010, the Jewish family sold the majority of the property (11/16) to the Shabali Company. While the Qiswani family members argued that they have a lease for 20 years, provided to them by Meir Nadav of the General Custodian’s office, the court ruled that this document is invalid.
In 2008, Meyashvei Zion association illegally confiscated six Palestinian homes owned by al-Kurd family under the protection of Israeli police.
15 may 2016
A Palestinian official report has revealed that the Israeli government intends to build a new settlement outpost on seized lands between Ramallah and Nablus cities.
In a report, the national bureau for defending the land and resisting settlement considered the Israeli government's decision to build this outpost a reward for "terrorist Jewish settlers," who made Amona settlement a base for their criminal activities.
According to the bureau, the new settlement would be composed of 139 housing units and built on Palestinian lands belonging to the villages of Qaryout, Jalud, Turmus Ayya and Mughir following an agreement between the Israeli government and Amana settlement movement.
The report also condemned the Israeli security authorities for seizing a Palestinian plot of land in Sheikh Jarrah neighborhood, east of Jerusalem, and giving it to Amana settlement movement, without a court order, to build a synagogue and offices.
The report also pointed out that Jewish settlers, under police protection, took over a Palestinian building recently in Saadiya neighborhood in the Old City of Jerusalem.
In a report, the national bureau for defending the land and resisting settlement considered the Israeli government's decision to build this outpost a reward for "terrorist Jewish settlers," who made Amona settlement a base for their criminal activities.
According to the bureau, the new settlement would be composed of 139 housing units and built on Palestinian lands belonging to the villages of Qaryout, Jalud, Turmus Ayya and Mughir following an agreement between the Israeli government and Amana settlement movement.
The report also condemned the Israeli security authorities for seizing a Palestinian plot of land in Sheikh Jarrah neighborhood, east of Jerusalem, and giving it to Amana settlement movement, without a court order, to build a synagogue and offices.
The report also pointed out that Jewish settlers, under police protection, took over a Palestinian building recently in Saadiya neighborhood in the Old City of Jerusalem.
9 may 2016
Israeli ministry of security decided to establish a new settlement close to Shilo settlement for those settlers who will be evacuated from Amona outpost.
The latter will be demolished by the end of 2016 based on Israeli Supreme Court ruling in December 2014.
According to a brief statement by council of settlements in the West Bank (Yesha), the new settlement will include 139 units to house 40 families of extremist Jews and will be located between Nablus and Ramallah.
Haaretz Hebrew newspaper reported that Israeli government wants to construct the new settlement in order to satisfy the extremists and opponents of the evacuation of Amona settlement.
The newspaper said that the government had previously confiscated the land over which the new settlement will be constructed under the pretext of being located within “state property”.
Amona settlement was built in 1997 on a private land which belongs to Palestinians who waged a legal battle against the confiscation of their land over the period between 2006-2014 which was concluded by Israeli Supreme Court ruling of demolishing the settlement by 2016.
The latter will be demolished by the end of 2016 based on Israeli Supreme Court ruling in December 2014.
According to a brief statement by council of settlements in the West Bank (Yesha), the new settlement will include 139 units to house 40 families of extremist Jews and will be located between Nablus and Ramallah.
Haaretz Hebrew newspaper reported that Israeli government wants to construct the new settlement in order to satisfy the extremists and opponents of the evacuation of Amona settlement.
The newspaper said that the government had previously confiscated the land over which the new settlement will be constructed under the pretext of being located within “state property”.
Amona settlement was built in 1997 on a private land which belongs to Palestinians who waged a legal battle against the confiscation of their land over the period between 2006-2014 which was concluded by Israeli Supreme Court ruling of demolishing the settlement by 2016.
7 may 2016
Construction in Har Homa in East Jerusalem
Diplomats say upcoming Quartet report, expected to be endorsed by Washington, will focus on Jewish construction in the West Bank and East Jerusalem, but also chastise Palestinian leaders for failing to rein in violence.
The United States will endorse a tougher tone with Israel in an upcoming international report that takes the Jewish state to task over settlements, demolitions and property seizures on land the Palestinians claim for a future state, diplomats told The Associated Press.
The US and its fellow Mideast mediators also will chastise Palestinian leaders for failing to rein in anti-Israeli violence. But the diplomats involved in drafting the document said its primary focus will be a surge of construction in Jewish housing in the West Bank and East Jerusalem.
The US approval of the harsh language marks a subtle shift. Washington has traditionally tempered statements by the so-called "Quartet" of mediators with careful diplomatic language, but the diplomats said the US in this case will align itself closer to the positions of the European Union, Russia and the United Nations, who emphasize Israel's role in the Mideast impasse.
The report's release is sure to infuriate Israel, where officials are already bracing for expected criticism. And on the other side, although the mediators will endorse some long-standing Palestinian complaints, the Palestinians are likely to complain the report does not go far enough.
Diplomats acknowledge the report, which could come out in late May or June, will be largely symbolic, requiring no action. It could be unveiled at the UN and possibly sent to the Security Council for an endorsement, according to the diplomats, who included three US officials.
The diplomats said the report is intended to highlight obstacles to a two-state peace agreement - the stated goal of both Israeli and Palestinian leaders - and offer recommendations for restarting negotiations in a process that is stalled.
The Palestinians don't want talks as long as settlement construction continues; the Israelis say they're open to negotiations, but have shown little interest in making any meaningful concessions.
One diplomat said the report would be "balanced" because it would criticize the Palestinians for incitement and violence against Israeli citizens. Near-daily attacks in recent months by Palestinians, mostly stabbings, have killed 29 Israelis and four foreign nationals. Some 193 Palestinians have been killed, most of whom were attackers while the rest died in clashes with security forces.
But the diplomat added that those involved in writing the report understand the focus on Israel will be its most contentious aspect.
Another diplomat said Israel will be put "on notice" that its appropriation of land isn't going unnoticed.
The document won't look only at East Jerusalem activity and West Bank settlement construction, but also at a "problematic trend" of legalizing smaller so-called outposts, the officials said. In addition, it will criticize Israel for a growing backlog of housing block approvals.
In 1972, there were just over 10,000 Israeli settlers, with 1,500 living in the West Bank and the rest in East Jerusalem. Two decades later, by the time of the Oslo peace accords, there were 231,200 Israelis living in the territories. That number rose to 365,000 by 2000, when the second Palestinian uprising began, and 474,000 by the time Benjamin Netanyahu became Israel's prime minister again in 2008.
The settlements are now home to more than 570,000 Israelis, according to the Israeli anti-settlement watchdog Peace Now - 370,000 in the West Bank and 200,000 in East Jerusalem. Settlements range from small wildcat outposts on West Bank hilltops to developed towns with shopping malls, schools and suburban homes.
Some 2.2 million Palestinians live in the West Bank, with another 300,000 in East Jerusalem. Israel captured both territories in the 1967 Six-Day War.
The Quartet, which is supposed to guide the two parties to peace, has been largely irrelevant for the past several years. It was created in 2002 at a low point in the Israeli-Palestinian relationship and in the years since has held sporadic meetings. Most have ended with bland statements condemning violence, criticizing settlements and calling for both sides to improve security and the atmosphere for peace talks.
The new report will repeat those calls, but the diplomats said they hoped the new criticism of Israel, in particular, would jolt the parties into action.
The Palestinians recently put off their push for a new UN Security Council resolution condemning Israeli settlement activity, in part because of the coming report, the diplomats said. And with anti-Israel sentiment growing in Europe, France may delay a planned May 30 meeting of foreign ministers on the situation.
The French also are talking about hosting a Mideast peace conference this summer. US Secretary of State John Kerry is expected to discuss the French initiative with Foreign Minister Jean-Marc Ayrault while on a trip to Paris next week.
Diplomats say upcoming Quartet report, expected to be endorsed by Washington, will focus on Jewish construction in the West Bank and East Jerusalem, but also chastise Palestinian leaders for failing to rein in violence.
The United States will endorse a tougher tone with Israel in an upcoming international report that takes the Jewish state to task over settlements, demolitions and property seizures on land the Palestinians claim for a future state, diplomats told The Associated Press.
The US and its fellow Mideast mediators also will chastise Palestinian leaders for failing to rein in anti-Israeli violence. But the diplomats involved in drafting the document said its primary focus will be a surge of construction in Jewish housing in the West Bank and East Jerusalem.
The US approval of the harsh language marks a subtle shift. Washington has traditionally tempered statements by the so-called "Quartet" of mediators with careful diplomatic language, but the diplomats said the US in this case will align itself closer to the positions of the European Union, Russia and the United Nations, who emphasize Israel's role in the Mideast impasse.
The report's release is sure to infuriate Israel, where officials are already bracing for expected criticism. And on the other side, although the mediators will endorse some long-standing Palestinian complaints, the Palestinians are likely to complain the report does not go far enough.
Diplomats acknowledge the report, which could come out in late May or June, will be largely symbolic, requiring no action. It could be unveiled at the UN and possibly sent to the Security Council for an endorsement, according to the diplomats, who included three US officials.
The diplomats said the report is intended to highlight obstacles to a two-state peace agreement - the stated goal of both Israeli and Palestinian leaders - and offer recommendations for restarting negotiations in a process that is stalled.
The Palestinians don't want talks as long as settlement construction continues; the Israelis say they're open to negotiations, but have shown little interest in making any meaningful concessions.
One diplomat said the report would be "balanced" because it would criticize the Palestinians for incitement and violence against Israeli citizens. Near-daily attacks in recent months by Palestinians, mostly stabbings, have killed 29 Israelis and four foreign nationals. Some 193 Palestinians have been killed, most of whom were attackers while the rest died in clashes with security forces.
But the diplomat added that those involved in writing the report understand the focus on Israel will be its most contentious aspect.
Another diplomat said Israel will be put "on notice" that its appropriation of land isn't going unnoticed.
The document won't look only at East Jerusalem activity and West Bank settlement construction, but also at a "problematic trend" of legalizing smaller so-called outposts, the officials said. In addition, it will criticize Israel for a growing backlog of housing block approvals.
In 1972, there were just over 10,000 Israeli settlers, with 1,500 living in the West Bank and the rest in East Jerusalem. Two decades later, by the time of the Oslo peace accords, there were 231,200 Israelis living in the territories. That number rose to 365,000 by 2000, when the second Palestinian uprising began, and 474,000 by the time Benjamin Netanyahu became Israel's prime minister again in 2008.
The settlements are now home to more than 570,000 Israelis, according to the Israeli anti-settlement watchdog Peace Now - 370,000 in the West Bank and 200,000 in East Jerusalem. Settlements range from small wildcat outposts on West Bank hilltops to developed towns with shopping malls, schools and suburban homes.
Some 2.2 million Palestinians live in the West Bank, with another 300,000 in East Jerusalem. Israel captured both territories in the 1967 Six-Day War.
The Quartet, which is supposed to guide the two parties to peace, has been largely irrelevant for the past several years. It was created in 2002 at a low point in the Israeli-Palestinian relationship and in the years since has held sporadic meetings. Most have ended with bland statements condemning violence, criticizing settlements and calling for both sides to improve security and the atmosphere for peace talks.
The new report will repeat those calls, but the diplomats said they hoped the new criticism of Israel, in particular, would jolt the parties into action.
The Palestinians recently put off their push for a new UN Security Council resolution condemning Israeli settlement activity, in part because of the coming report, the diplomats said. And with anti-Israel sentiment growing in Europe, France may delay a planned May 30 meeting of foreign ministers on the situation.
The French also are talking about hosting a Mideast peace conference this summer. US Secretary of State John Kerry is expected to discuss the French initiative with Foreign Minister Jean-Marc Ayrault while on a trip to Paris next week.
The Israeli Defense Ministry, in coordination with leaders of Israel’s right-wing settlement movement, is set to establish a new settlement adjacent to the already-established settlement of Shiloh near the northern occupied West Bank city of Nablus for 40 families living in the Amona outpost, following an Israeli Supreme Court decision to demolish the post by the end of this year.
The new settlement is expected to be comprised of 139 housing units, with settler leader Zeev Hever planning to sell at least 90 of the new units on the open market, Haaretz reported.
The building of the new settlement is seen as direct resistance to the Israeli Supreme Court ruling in 2008 that ordered Amona's demolition after eight Palestinians from neighboring villages -- with the support of Israeli human rights organization Yesh Din -- successfully petitioned the court to remove the outpost on grounds that the construction was carried out on privately-held Palestinian land.
While the court decision found the Amona outpost to be illegal, all Israeli settlements in the occupied West Bank are illegal under international law.
In 2010, the Israeli Supreme Court issued an injunction on the Israeli government demanding an explanation as to why no steps had been taken to begin the demolition of the illegal outpost.
The Amona outpost also received demolition orders after rulings by the Israeli Supreme Court in 1997, 2003, and 2004, according to Haaretz, demolishing only nine structures in 1996.
A spokesperson for Israel's Ministry of Defense could not immediately be reached for comment.
The Israeli authorities in April delivered notices to a Palestinian village in the Nablus district, alerting residents that 5,000 dunams (1,250 acres) of private land were slated for confiscation in what appeared to be the retroactive legalization of illegal outposts in the area.
PA official Ghassan Daghlas told Ma'an at the time that some 12 illegal settlements and 27 settlement outposts are located in the Nablus district, housing around 23,000 of the "most extremist settlers in the Palestinian territory."
In July, a settler from the illegal Adei Ad outpost -- among the several outposts retroactively legalized in last month's land confiscation -- entered the village of Duma and firebombed the house of the Dawabsha family. The attack killed Saad and Riham Dawabsha and their 18-month-old child.
Israel has recently stepped up land confiscation in the occupied West Bank, with settlement watchdog Peace Now warning in March that Israel has not confiscated such large swathes of land for the purpose of settlement expansion since the pre-Oslo period in the 1980s.
There are some 600,000 Israeli settlers residing in 196 illegal Israeli settlements in the occupied West Bank and occupied East Jerusalem, and a further 232 settler outposts, considered illegal both by international law and Israeli domestic law, according to the Applied Research Institute - Jerusalem (ARIJ).
The new settlement is expected to be comprised of 139 housing units, with settler leader Zeev Hever planning to sell at least 90 of the new units on the open market, Haaretz reported.
The building of the new settlement is seen as direct resistance to the Israeli Supreme Court ruling in 2008 that ordered Amona's demolition after eight Palestinians from neighboring villages -- with the support of Israeli human rights organization Yesh Din -- successfully petitioned the court to remove the outpost on grounds that the construction was carried out on privately-held Palestinian land.
While the court decision found the Amona outpost to be illegal, all Israeli settlements in the occupied West Bank are illegal under international law.
In 2010, the Israeli Supreme Court issued an injunction on the Israeli government demanding an explanation as to why no steps had been taken to begin the demolition of the illegal outpost.
The Amona outpost also received demolition orders after rulings by the Israeli Supreme Court in 1997, 2003, and 2004, according to Haaretz, demolishing only nine structures in 1996.
A spokesperson for Israel's Ministry of Defense could not immediately be reached for comment.
The Israeli authorities in April delivered notices to a Palestinian village in the Nablus district, alerting residents that 5,000 dunams (1,250 acres) of private land were slated for confiscation in what appeared to be the retroactive legalization of illegal outposts in the area.
PA official Ghassan Daghlas told Ma'an at the time that some 12 illegal settlements and 27 settlement outposts are located in the Nablus district, housing around 23,000 of the "most extremist settlers in the Palestinian territory."
In July, a settler from the illegal Adei Ad outpost -- among the several outposts retroactively legalized in last month's land confiscation -- entered the village of Duma and firebombed the house of the Dawabsha family. The attack killed Saad and Riham Dawabsha and their 18-month-old child.
Israel has recently stepped up land confiscation in the occupied West Bank, with settlement watchdog Peace Now warning in March that Israel has not confiscated such large swathes of land for the purpose of settlement expansion since the pre-Oslo period in the 1980s.
There are some 600,000 Israeli settlers residing in 196 illegal Israeli settlements in the occupied West Bank and occupied East Jerusalem, and a further 232 settler outposts, considered illegal both by international law and Israeli domestic law, according to the Applied Research Institute - Jerusalem (ARIJ).
Israeli settlers labeled hundreds of Palestinian-owned olive trees in Deir Estia town west of Salfit as a prelude to cut them down.
Local farmers were surprised Saturday morning when they found their olive trees labeled as a prelude to cutting them down to pave the way for expanding nearby settlements.
The local activist Khaled Maali said that Deir Estia town has been for long a victim of numerous settlement expansion plans under flimsy pretexts.
He pointed out that Israeli occupation authorities plan to confiscate Wadi Kana, which covers an area of more than 12,000 acres, for settlement expansion.
Local farmers were surprised Saturday morning when they found their olive trees labeled as a prelude to cutting them down to pave the way for expanding nearby settlements.
The local activist Khaled Maali said that Deir Estia town has been for long a victim of numerous settlement expansion plans under flimsy pretexts.
He pointed out that Israeli occupation authorities plan to confiscate Wadi Kana, which covers an area of more than 12,000 acres, for settlement expansion.
1 may 2016
Ariel settlement has been witnessing recently big construction activities on annexed Palestinian lands in Salfit city and its villages, according to local sources.
Eyewitnesses said that several expansion projects are taking place in the settlement, including construction works in Ariel University.
For his part, specialist in settlement affairs Khaled Ma'ali said that the Israeli occupation authority seized hundreds of dunums of land belonging to several Palestinian families to carry out settlement expansion activities in the areas of Wadi Abdul-Rahma and Wadi Hiyaj, north of Salfit province.
Ma'ali added that several dead bodies of Jewish settlers were buried and fake graves were created recently in a vast tract of land belonging to the family of Al Shahin in Wadi Hiyaj as a prelude to claiming the whole area as Jewish.
Eyewitnesses said that several expansion projects are taking place in the settlement, including construction works in Ariel University.
For his part, specialist in settlement affairs Khaled Ma'ali said that the Israeli occupation authority seized hundreds of dunums of land belonging to several Palestinian families to carry out settlement expansion activities in the areas of Wadi Abdul-Rahma and Wadi Hiyaj, north of Salfit province.
Ma'ali added that several dead bodies of Jewish settlers were buried and fake graves were created recently in a vast tract of land belonging to the family of Al Shahin in Wadi Hiyaj as a prelude to claiming the whole area as Jewish.