7 apr 2019
The Asael outpost in the West Bank
PM says no Israeli settlement will be under Palestinian sovereignty, and that he 'will not distinguish between settlement blocs and isolated settlements'
Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu pledged Saturday to annex Jewish settlements in the West Bank if re-elected, a dramatic policy shift apparently aimed at rallying his nationalist base in the final stretch of the tight race.
Netanyahu has promoted Jewish settlement expansion in his four terms as prime minister, but until now refrained from presenting a detailed vision for the West Bank, seen by the Palestinians as the heartland of a future state.
An Israeli annexation of large parts of the West Bank is bound to snuff out any last flicker of hope for an Israeli-Palestinian deal on the terms of a Palestinian state on lands Israel captured in 1967.
A so-called two-state solution has long been the preferred option of most of the international community. However, intermittent U.S. mediation between Israelis and Palestinians ran aground after President Donald Trump recognized Jerusalem as Israel's capital early in his term. The Palestinians, who seek Israeli-annexed east Jerusalem as their capital, suspended contact with the U.S.
More recently, Trump recognized Israeli sovereignty over the Golan Heights, a plateau Israel captured from Syria in 1967. The move was viewed in Israel as a political gift by Trump to Netanyahu who is being challenged by former military chief Benny Gantz.
The U.S. State Department declined to comment on Netanyahu's statement.
Polls have indicated a close race, though Netanyahu's Likud Party is expected to have a better chance than Gantz's Blue and White slate to form a ruling coalition. Polls forecast more than 60 out of 120 parliament seats for the Likud and smaller right-wing and ultra-Orthodox Jewish parties
On Saturday, Netanyahu gave an interview to Israel's Channel 12 TV at the top of the prime-time newscast. Netanyahu portrayed the U.S. policy shifts on Jerusalem and the Golan Heights as his achievements, saying he had managed to persuade Trump to take these steps.
Netanyahu pledged that he would not dismantle a single Jewish settlement and that Israel would retain control of the territory west of the Jordan River -- the West Bank. More than 600,000 Israelis now live on war-won lands, two-thirds in the West Bank.
The interviewer asked why he hadn't annexed some of the larger settlements during his current term. "The question you are asking is an interesting question, whether we will move to the next stage and the answer is yes," he said, adding that the next term in office would be fateful. "We will move to the next stage, the imposing of Israeli sovereignty."
"I will impose sovereignty, but I will not distinguish between settlement blocs and isolated settlements," he said. "From my perspective, any point of settlement is Israeli, and we have responsibility, as the Israeli government. I will not uproot anyone, and I will not transfer sovereignty to the Palestinians."
In any partition deal, the more isolated Jewish settlements would likely have to be uprooted to create a viable Palestinian state.
Saeb Erekat, a veteran former Palestinian negotiator, said he held the international community, especially the Trump administration, responsible for Israel's policies.
"Israel will continue to brazenly violate international law for as long as the international community will continue to reward Israel with impunity, particularly with the Trump administration's support and endorsement of Israel's violation of the national and human rights of the people of Palestine," he said in a statement.
PM says no Israeli settlement will be under Palestinian sovereignty, and that he 'will not distinguish between settlement blocs and isolated settlements'
Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu pledged Saturday to annex Jewish settlements in the West Bank if re-elected, a dramatic policy shift apparently aimed at rallying his nationalist base in the final stretch of the tight race.
Netanyahu has promoted Jewish settlement expansion in his four terms as prime minister, but until now refrained from presenting a detailed vision for the West Bank, seen by the Palestinians as the heartland of a future state.
An Israeli annexation of large parts of the West Bank is bound to snuff out any last flicker of hope for an Israeli-Palestinian deal on the terms of a Palestinian state on lands Israel captured in 1967.
A so-called two-state solution has long been the preferred option of most of the international community. However, intermittent U.S. mediation between Israelis and Palestinians ran aground after President Donald Trump recognized Jerusalem as Israel's capital early in his term. The Palestinians, who seek Israeli-annexed east Jerusalem as their capital, suspended contact with the U.S.
More recently, Trump recognized Israeli sovereignty over the Golan Heights, a plateau Israel captured from Syria in 1967. The move was viewed in Israel as a political gift by Trump to Netanyahu who is being challenged by former military chief Benny Gantz.
The U.S. State Department declined to comment on Netanyahu's statement.
Polls have indicated a close race, though Netanyahu's Likud Party is expected to have a better chance than Gantz's Blue and White slate to form a ruling coalition. Polls forecast more than 60 out of 120 parliament seats for the Likud and smaller right-wing and ultra-Orthodox Jewish parties
On Saturday, Netanyahu gave an interview to Israel's Channel 12 TV at the top of the prime-time newscast. Netanyahu portrayed the U.S. policy shifts on Jerusalem and the Golan Heights as his achievements, saying he had managed to persuade Trump to take these steps.
Netanyahu pledged that he would not dismantle a single Jewish settlement and that Israel would retain control of the territory west of the Jordan River -- the West Bank. More than 600,000 Israelis now live on war-won lands, two-thirds in the West Bank.
The interviewer asked why he hadn't annexed some of the larger settlements during his current term. "The question you are asking is an interesting question, whether we will move to the next stage and the answer is yes," he said, adding that the next term in office would be fateful. "We will move to the next stage, the imposing of Israeli sovereignty."
"I will impose sovereignty, but I will not distinguish between settlement blocs and isolated settlements," he said. "From my perspective, any point of settlement is Israeli, and we have responsibility, as the Israeli government. I will not uproot anyone, and I will not transfer sovereignty to the Palestinians."
In any partition deal, the more isolated Jewish settlements would likely have to be uprooted to create a viable Palestinian state.
Saeb Erekat, a veteran former Palestinian negotiator, said he held the international community, especially the Trump administration, responsible for Israel's policies.
"Israel will continue to brazenly violate international law for as long as the international community will continue to reward Israel with impunity, particularly with the Trump administration's support and endorsement of Israel's violation of the national and human rights of the people of Palestine," he said in a statement.
The so-called Israeli Higher Planning Committee has approved, on Saturday evening, the construction of hundreds of new units in the illegal Beitar Illit colony, built on Palestinian lands in Bethlehem.
The new units are planned to be built on Palestinian lands, owned by residents of Husan, Nahhalin and Wad Fukin village, west of Bethlehem, in the occupied West Bank.
Hasan Breijiyya, the head of the office of the Colonization and Wall Resistance Commission in Bethlehem, said that Israel approved the construction of 770 new units in Beitar Illit.
He added that the approval comes just three days after 70 new units were approved in Maksad illegal colony, southeast of Bethlehem.
Israel’s colonies in the West Bank, including in and around occupied East Jerusalem, are illegal under International Law, and various treaties, especially Article #49 of the Fourth Geneva Convention, which clearly states that “The occupying power shall not deport or transfer parts of its own civilian population into the territory it occupies.”
The new units are planned to be built on Palestinian lands, owned by residents of Husan, Nahhalin and Wad Fukin village, west of Bethlehem, in the occupied West Bank.
Hasan Breijiyya, the head of the office of the Colonization and Wall Resistance Commission in Bethlehem, said that Israel approved the construction of 770 new units in Beitar Illit.
He added that the approval comes just three days after 70 new units were approved in Maksad illegal colony, southeast of Bethlehem.
Israel’s colonies in the West Bank, including in and around occupied East Jerusalem, are illegal under International Law, and various treaties, especially Article #49 of the Fourth Geneva Convention, which clearly states that “The occupying power shall not deport or transfer parts of its own civilian population into the territory it occupies.”
5 apr 2019
Israeli authorities approved construction plans for a new settler bypass road, in the northern occupied West Bank, which "will contribute to greater security and safety."
According to Hebrew-language news outlets, the Israeli Ministry of Defense “granted approval for construction of a new road that will bypass the Palestinian town of Huwwara in the northern West Bank district of Nablus.”
The approval was announced Yesha Council, an organization of municipal councils from all of the illegal settlements in the West Bank.
Sources confirmed that the road stretching from the Tapuah Junction to the Yitzhar Junction will run east of Route 60,the West Bank’s main north-south artery, and will shorten the commute for Israeli settlers living in illegal settlements in the northern West Bank.
Sources added that the road will be built on land belonging to the Palestinian town of Huwwara and Beita village, both located in the Nablus district, which was seized by Israel “for security reasons.”
Sources cited an Israeli government spokesperson, who said “the approval had been given last week.”
Yesha Council claimed the new bypass road “will reduce traffic jams in the area and will contribute to greater security and safety.”
However, it remained unclear when the actual construction of the new bypass road would be completed as the Yesha Council spokesperson acknowledged that “it could take years.”
Since the occupation of the West Bank, including East Jerusalem, in 1967, more than 600,000 Israelis have moved into Israeli settlements in occupied Palestinian territory, in violation of international law.
The estimated 196 government recognized Israeli settlements scattered across the Palestinian territory are all considered illegal under international law.
According to Hebrew-language news outlets, the Israeli Ministry of Defense “granted approval for construction of a new road that will bypass the Palestinian town of Huwwara in the northern West Bank district of Nablus.”
The approval was announced Yesha Council, an organization of municipal councils from all of the illegal settlements in the West Bank.
Sources confirmed that the road stretching from the Tapuah Junction to the Yitzhar Junction will run east of Route 60,the West Bank’s main north-south artery, and will shorten the commute for Israeli settlers living in illegal settlements in the northern West Bank.
Sources added that the road will be built on land belonging to the Palestinian town of Huwwara and Beita village, both located in the Nablus district, which was seized by Israel “for security reasons.”
Sources cited an Israeli government spokesperson, who said “the approval had been given last week.”
Yesha Council claimed the new bypass road “will reduce traffic jams in the area and will contribute to greater security and safety.”
However, it remained unclear when the actual construction of the new bypass road would be completed as the Yesha Council spokesperson acknowledged that “it could take years.”
Since the occupation of the West Bank, including East Jerusalem, in 1967, more than 600,000 Israelis have moved into Israeli settlements in occupied Palestinian territory, in violation of international law.
The estimated 196 government recognized Israeli settlements scattered across the Palestinian territory are all considered illegal under international law.
2 apr 2019
Elad (Ir David) Association, which is active in Judaizing the Occupied City of Jerusalem, has taken over the Peace Forest in the holy city with the connivance of the Israeli government, according to Haaretz newspaper.
Haaretz affirmed that Elad was recently working on having the status of the Peace Forest as a public place revoked in order to promote and carry out settlement projects despite the fact that some lands in this forest are owned by Palestinian citizens.
According to a report by the newspaper on Monday, the Israeli government signed many cooperation agreements with Elad in camera to impose Israel’s control over Palestinian real estate and tracts of land in Jerusalem.
Haaretz affirmed that Elad was recently working on having the status of the Peace Forest as a public place revoked in order to promote and carry out settlement projects despite the fact that some lands in this forest are owned by Palestinian citizens.
According to a report by the newspaper on Monday, the Israeli government signed many cooperation agreements with Elad in camera to impose Israel’s control over Palestinian real estate and tracts of land in Jerusalem.
The Israeli government is planning to settle about 250,000 Israelis in the occupied Syrian Golan Heights, according to Israeli media sources on Monday.
The Israel Broadcasting Authority (IBA) said that the plan will be implemented over the next 30 years, coinciding with the 100th anniversary of the establishment of Israel.
According to the IBA, the Israeli plan, announced a week after the US administration's recognition of Israel's sovereignty over Golan, includes the construction of two new Jewish-only settlements in Golan along with thousands of housing units, and the launch of many transport and tourism projects.
The US president Donald Trump about a week ago signed a decree recognizing Israeli sovereignty over the Syrian Golan Heights.
Israel seized two thirds of Golan Heights during the 1967 Six-Day War and annexed it in 1981, a move that was never recognized by the international community.
The Israel Broadcasting Authority (IBA) said that the plan will be implemented over the next 30 years, coinciding with the 100th anniversary of the establishment of Israel.
According to the IBA, the Israeli plan, announced a week after the US administration's recognition of Israel's sovereignty over Golan, includes the construction of two new Jewish-only settlements in Golan along with thousands of housing units, and the launch of many transport and tourism projects.
The US president Donald Trump about a week ago signed a decree recognizing Israeli sovereignty over the Syrian Golan Heights.
Israel seized two thirds of Golan Heights during the 1967 Six-Day War and annexed it in 1981, a move that was never recognized by the international community.
31 mar 2019
The Israeli government intends to build about 5,000 housing units in settlements in the West Bank and Jerusalem.
According to Haaretz newspaper a plan to build about 1,400 housing units in settlements in the West Bank and Jerusalem will be approved during the current week by the Israeli political echelon.
This will be the final stage of the government’s approvals for this plan before tenders for the building of another 3,500 housing units for settlers will be published soon.
Almost 1,000 housing units will be built in Betar Ilit, 1,000 in Efrat, 343 in Elkana, 750 in Ma’aleh Adumim, 323 in Kfar Adumim, 263 in Karnei Shomron, 250 in Harsha, 176 in Givat Ze’ev, 165 in Shilo, 107 in Elon Moreh, 73 in Ariel, 40 in Pedu’el, 64 in Oranit, 38 in Nokdim, 32 in Beit Aryeh, and 27 in Klalim.
Two weeks ago, the Hebrew media reported that the construction and housing ministry is about to approve hundreds of new housing units in the West Bank and Jerusalem. Some of these units will be built outside the settlement blocs.
According to those plans, more than 700 housing units will be marketed in the neighborhoods of Pisgat Ze’ev and Ramot in eastern Jerusalem, beyond the Green Line. And another 260 housing units will be marketed in Alfei Menashe, Emanuel and Adam.
In addition, some of the apartments will be built in the communities of Beit Arye (which is considered part of Ariel) and Ma’aleh Ephraim, which is outside the settlement blocs.
According to Haaretz newspaper a plan to build about 1,400 housing units in settlements in the West Bank and Jerusalem will be approved during the current week by the Israeli political echelon.
This will be the final stage of the government’s approvals for this plan before tenders for the building of another 3,500 housing units for settlers will be published soon.
Almost 1,000 housing units will be built in Betar Ilit, 1,000 in Efrat, 343 in Elkana, 750 in Ma’aleh Adumim, 323 in Kfar Adumim, 263 in Karnei Shomron, 250 in Harsha, 176 in Givat Ze’ev, 165 in Shilo, 107 in Elon Moreh, 73 in Ariel, 40 in Pedu’el, 64 in Oranit, 38 in Nokdim, 32 in Beit Aryeh, and 27 in Klalim.
Two weeks ago, the Hebrew media reported that the construction and housing ministry is about to approve hundreds of new housing units in the West Bank and Jerusalem. Some of these units will be built outside the settlement blocs.
According to those plans, more than 700 housing units will be marketed in the neighborhoods of Pisgat Ze’ev and Ramot in eastern Jerusalem, beyond the Green Line. And another 260 housing units will be marketed in Alfei Menashe, Emanuel and Adam.
In addition, some of the apartments will be built in the communities of Beit Arye (which is considered part of Ariel) and Ma’aleh Ephraim, which is outside the settlement blocs.
18 mar 2019
Israel's Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said on Monday that Israel will soon begin the construction of 840 housing units in Ariel settlement in Salfit.
Speaking during a visit to the scene where a stabbing and shooting attack took place on Sunday killing three Israelis in Salfit, Netanyahu said that he had given orders to demolish the house of the Palestinian attacker.
"We know the identity of the assailant," Netanyahu said, adding that the Israeli army is in close pursuit.
A Palestinian on Sunday morning carried out an anti-occupation stabbing and shooting attack near Ariel settlement in Salfit, killing three Israelis and injuring four others.
The Israeli occupation army announced that the Palestinian is 19-year-old Omar Abu Laila, and at daybreak Sunday raided his home and interrogated his family for hours.
Speaking during a visit to the scene where a stabbing and shooting attack took place on Sunday killing three Israelis in Salfit, Netanyahu said that he had given orders to demolish the house of the Palestinian attacker.
"We know the identity of the assailant," Netanyahu said, adding that the Israeli army is in close pursuit.
A Palestinian on Sunday morning carried out an anti-occupation stabbing and shooting attack near Ariel settlement in Salfit, killing three Israelis and injuring four others.
The Israeli occupation army announced that the Palestinian is 19-year-old Omar Abu Laila, and at daybreak Sunday raided his home and interrogated his family for hours.
13 mar 2019
The Israeli Ministry of Construction and Housing is expected to announce plans for building hundreds of new settlement units in the occupied West Bank during the run-up to the April 9 elections.
Israeli Yadioth Ahronot (Ynet) news outlet reported that the plan would advertise for more than 700 new settlement units that would be located in occupied Jerusalem, beyond the Green Line, including the Pisgat Zeev and Ramot illegal settlements.
In addition to 260 units in the Alfe Menashe, Immanuel and Adam illegal settlements.
The plans were reportedly approved by the Israeli Civil Administration's planning committee.
Israel plans to build new settlement units in West Bank
Israel's Construction and Housing Ministry is preparing a new plan to build hundreds of new settlement units in the occupied West Bank.
Yedioth Ahronoth said that the plan includes the construction of over 700 housing units in Jerusalem in Ramot and Pisgat Ze'ev settlements.
Other 260 housing units will be built in the settlements of Alfei Menashe, Immanuel, Adam, Beit Aryeh, and Ma'ale Efraim, according to the Hebrew newspaper.
Both the Israeli government and the Planning and Building Committee of the so-called Civil Administration have approved the new plans.
Israel's Minister of Finance, Moshe Kahlon, said that the settlement construction has been stepped up over the past four years. "Young couples can have apartments whenever they wish now," he added.
Kahlon said that more settlement construction will be carried out everywhere in the occupied Palestinian territories, including the West Bank and Jerusalem.
Israeli Yadioth Ahronot (Ynet) news outlet reported that the plan would advertise for more than 700 new settlement units that would be located in occupied Jerusalem, beyond the Green Line, including the Pisgat Zeev and Ramot illegal settlements.
In addition to 260 units in the Alfe Menashe, Immanuel and Adam illegal settlements.
The plans were reportedly approved by the Israeli Civil Administration's planning committee.
Israel plans to build new settlement units in West Bank
Israel's Construction and Housing Ministry is preparing a new plan to build hundreds of new settlement units in the occupied West Bank.
Yedioth Ahronoth said that the plan includes the construction of over 700 housing units in Jerusalem in Ramot and Pisgat Ze'ev settlements.
Other 260 housing units will be built in the settlements of Alfei Menashe, Immanuel, Adam, Beit Aryeh, and Ma'ale Efraim, according to the Hebrew newspaper.
Both the Israeli government and the Planning and Building Committee of the so-called Civil Administration have approved the new plans.
Israel's Minister of Finance, Moshe Kahlon, said that the settlement construction has been stepped up over the past four years. "Young couples can have apartments whenever they wish now," he added.
Kahlon said that more settlement construction will be carried out everywhere in the occupied Palestinian territories, including the West Bank and Jerusalem.
28 feb 2019
A petition has been filed against an Israeli mine that poses health dangers to Al-Fura’a residents and will lead to immediate transfer of thousands; the mine is part of an Israeli plan to force 36,000 Bedouins from their homes.
Bedouin residents of Al-Fura’a village and human rights organizations will head to the Israeli Supreme Court this week for the latest stage in the battle against a planned phosphate mine in the Naqab (Negev) in southern Israel. Construction of the mine will result in the immediate evacuation thousands of Bedouin residents – citizens of Israel – and the exposure of thousands more to serious health hazards.
The Sde Barir phosphate mine plan was approved on the basis of an environmental impact assessment survey that ignored the existence of the area’s 15,000 Bedouin residents, including those who live in Al-Fura’a, the Bedouin village most directly affected by the planned mining project.
Adalah – The Legal Center for Arab Minority Rights in Israel, together with 168 Al-Fura’a residents, the Regional Council of Unrecognized Villages of Negev, the Association for Civil Rights in Israel (ACRI), Bimkom – Planners for Planning Rights, and Physicians for Human Rights-Israel (PHR-I), filed a Supreme Court petition [pdf] on 21 January 2019 against the mine project.
A hearing on the petition, which was filed by Adalah Attorney Myssana Morany against the Israeli government, the National Planning and Building Council, and Rotem-Amfert Negev Ltd., which holds exclusive licenses for phosphate mining in the country, will be held at the Supreme Court in Jerusalem on Wednesday, 27 February 2019, at 9 A.M.
Israel to force 36,000 Bedouins from homes
The Sde Barir phosphate mine project is just one part of a plan Israel announced on 28 January 2019 to forcibly transfer 36,000 Arab Bedouin citizens of Israel living in unrecognized villages in the country’s southern Naqab (Negev) region in order to expand military training areas and implement what it called “economic development” projects.
CLICK HERE to read more about Israel’s mass transfer plan.
The implementation of the plan is slated to commence in the coming year and will be carried out over the course of several years. The plan provides clear confirmation that Israel’s Authority for the Development and Settlement of the Bedouins in the Negev overtly discriminates against the Bedouin population, and considers them an obstacle that must be removed from the landscape in order to clear a path for Jewish settlement and “development”.
The government plans to move these citizens to poverty-stricken, government-planned townships in other areas of the Naqab.
Mine project to harm homes, health
In March 2018, the Israeli government approved National Master Plan 14B which opens up approximately 6,400 acres (26,000 dunams) of the Barir and Zohar South fields to phosphate mining.
The Israeli Health Ministry and world-renowned health experts strongly oppose the plan because of the expected increase in mortality rates as a result of mining. Bedouin residents living near the mine would be exposed to the inhalation of dangerous particles likely to cause a rise in fatalities due to heart and lung diseases.
The Supreme Court petition stressed that Israeli authorities failed to examine the impact of the mine on Al-Fura’a residents. Partial data collected by the state in its environmental impact assessment survey relates only to the residents of the nearby towns of Arad and Keseife, but ignores the existence of approximately 15,000 Bedouin citizens living in and around the area designated for construction of the mine.
In an expert opinion accompanying the petition, Israeli public health experts Prof. Nadav Davidovitch and Dr. Maya Negev highlighted the flaws in the use of an environmental impact assessment survey to examine human health concerns. Prof. (Note: Davidovitch is also a volunteer with at PHR-I).
Despite the objections of the district Planning and Building Committee due to these health reasons, the plan was nevertheless approved by Israel’s National Planning and Building Council and the Israeli government.
Case citation: HCJ 512/19 Younes Dhabsha v. The National Council for Building and Planning
CLICK HERE to read the petition [Hebrew pdf]
Bedouin residents of Al-Fura’a village and human rights organizations will head to the Israeli Supreme Court this week for the latest stage in the battle against a planned phosphate mine in the Naqab (Negev) in southern Israel. Construction of the mine will result in the immediate evacuation thousands of Bedouin residents – citizens of Israel – and the exposure of thousands more to serious health hazards.
The Sde Barir phosphate mine plan was approved on the basis of an environmental impact assessment survey that ignored the existence of the area’s 15,000 Bedouin residents, including those who live in Al-Fura’a, the Bedouin village most directly affected by the planned mining project.
Adalah – The Legal Center for Arab Minority Rights in Israel, together with 168 Al-Fura’a residents, the Regional Council of Unrecognized Villages of Negev, the Association for Civil Rights in Israel (ACRI), Bimkom – Planners for Planning Rights, and Physicians for Human Rights-Israel (PHR-I), filed a Supreme Court petition [pdf] on 21 January 2019 against the mine project.
A hearing on the petition, which was filed by Adalah Attorney Myssana Morany against the Israeli government, the National Planning and Building Council, and Rotem-Amfert Negev Ltd., which holds exclusive licenses for phosphate mining in the country, will be held at the Supreme Court in Jerusalem on Wednesday, 27 February 2019, at 9 A.M.
Israel to force 36,000 Bedouins from homes
The Sde Barir phosphate mine project is just one part of a plan Israel announced on 28 January 2019 to forcibly transfer 36,000 Arab Bedouin citizens of Israel living in unrecognized villages in the country’s southern Naqab (Negev) region in order to expand military training areas and implement what it called “economic development” projects.
CLICK HERE to read more about Israel’s mass transfer plan.
The implementation of the plan is slated to commence in the coming year and will be carried out over the course of several years. The plan provides clear confirmation that Israel’s Authority for the Development and Settlement of the Bedouins in the Negev overtly discriminates against the Bedouin population, and considers them an obstacle that must be removed from the landscape in order to clear a path for Jewish settlement and “development”.
The government plans to move these citizens to poverty-stricken, government-planned townships in other areas of the Naqab.
Mine project to harm homes, health
In March 2018, the Israeli government approved National Master Plan 14B which opens up approximately 6,400 acres (26,000 dunams) of the Barir and Zohar South fields to phosphate mining.
The Israeli Health Ministry and world-renowned health experts strongly oppose the plan because of the expected increase in mortality rates as a result of mining. Bedouin residents living near the mine would be exposed to the inhalation of dangerous particles likely to cause a rise in fatalities due to heart and lung diseases.
The Supreme Court petition stressed that Israeli authorities failed to examine the impact of the mine on Al-Fura’a residents. Partial data collected by the state in its environmental impact assessment survey relates only to the residents of the nearby towns of Arad and Keseife, but ignores the existence of approximately 15,000 Bedouin citizens living in and around the area designated for construction of the mine.
In an expert opinion accompanying the petition, Israeli public health experts Prof. Nadav Davidovitch and Dr. Maya Negev highlighted the flaws in the use of an environmental impact assessment survey to examine human health concerns. Prof. (Note: Davidovitch is also a volunteer with at PHR-I).
Despite the objections of the district Planning and Building Committee due to these health reasons, the plan was nevertheless approved by Israel’s National Planning and Building Council and the Israeli government.
Case citation: HCJ 512/19 Younes Dhabsha v. The National Council for Building and Planning
CLICK HERE to read the petition [Hebrew pdf]
27 feb 2019
by Madeeha Araj/ NBPRS/
The National Bureau for Defending Land and Resisting Settlements said, in its latest weekly report, that the ruling Israeli right-wing in Israel is racing time in order to get the votes of the Israelis, particularly those of the settlers. It escalates land confiscation campaigns throughout the West Bank, especially in occupied Jerusalem, using the American protection, ahead of the Knesset election scheduled for next April 9th, as the settlement file occupies an important part in Israel.
Accordingly, the gov’t recently ratified the construction of 464 housing units in the Gilo settlement of East Jerusalem, as part of a plan to build more than 4,000 settlement units throughout the city, besides the construction of 23,576 housing units in East Jerusalem, 180 units in Kiryat Yovel and 375 units in Kiryat Menahem. Mayor of Jerusalem Moshe Li’on said, “This is good news for me and for the young couples in the city.”
This report comes after the discovery of other settlement projects in occupied Jerusalem, to which millions of NIS has been allocated for implementation, whereas the so-called “Renovation and Development of the Jewish Quarter” implements Judaization projects worth over NIS 200 million ( i.e. about $ 55 million), including the so-called “Wailing Wall Project” and the “Mosaic of Jerusalem”, all aimed at catering to Talmudic legends in these various neighborhoods, to attract more Jewish tourists and change their features completely.
Those projects include the construction of buildings and houses which the occupation claims date back to the era of the Temple. The project “Beautiful Village” aims to change the features of the “Jewish Quarter”. It is erected on the ruins of the honorary and Moroccan neighborhoods from after the 1967 war, claiming it is infrastructure works and adapting to the Talmudic legend in order to attract Jewish tourists, but, as they said, they are renovating a synagogue which settlers claimed was destroyed in 1948.
Renovation is expected to continue for several years, during which the entire structure will be changed. The height of the building will be 25 meters and the stairs leading to the Buraq wall will be removed by building an elevator. The project will have a total area of 2000m2, costing NIS 57 million shekels, and will be completed by 2022.
At the same time, Israel’s right-wing leaders continue to launch provocative calls for annexing C areas and imposing Israeli law on them. Israeli Minister of Justice Ayelet Shaked, one of the founders of the New Right party, with Naftali Bennett, said that Israel should control them.
Thus, Israeli citizenship will be granted to half a million Palestinians who will live in peace and can vote in the Knesset. In response to a question on whether the residents of East Jerusalem, about 400,000 Palestinians, would receive full citizenship with the right to vote in the Knesset, Shaked said that the residents of these areas chose to obtain residency only, but, if the Israeli law was applied to them, they would be citizens of the State of Israel, and have the right to vote.
Moreover, the occupation authorities continue applying the ethnic cleansing policy in Jerusalem as they also continue displacing citizens of the Sheikh Jarrah Neighborhood by force, replacing them with Jews through carrying out settlement projects in the city. They uprooted Abu-Assab family from its home that overlooks the Dome of the Rock. They detained the son of Abu-Asab, assaulting him with many other citizens who rushed to stand with the family. The family was forcibly evicted from the house according to a decision issued at the end of last October, though it has owned the house for many decades (i.e. since its displacement from the Al-Baqa’a Neighborhood of West Jerusalem in 1948).
In another context, the Institute for Applied Sciences -ARIJ said that the Israeli War Ministry’s website revealed a series of secret files containing some racist Israeli laws and orders related to the areas of influence of Israeli settlements in the occupied West Bank. The Israeli occupation army deliberately hid them from the owners of the Palestinian lands so they can not reject or object them in the Israeli courts. Consequently, Israel managed to expand its control over the settlements.
Israel has adopted a number of such racist laws to facilitate the confiscation of Palestinian lands, including a military order on the administration of regional councils in Judea and Samaria, no. 783 and 5739 – 1979, in which five Jewish regional councils were declared in the occupied West Bank, besides establishing local councils in Judea and Samaria, no. 892 and 5741 – 1981, under which local councils were established within Israeli settlements in the West Bank.
The National Bureau for Defending Land and Resisting Settlements said, in its latest weekly report, that the ruling Israeli right-wing in Israel is racing time in order to get the votes of the Israelis, particularly those of the settlers. It escalates land confiscation campaigns throughout the West Bank, especially in occupied Jerusalem, using the American protection, ahead of the Knesset election scheduled for next April 9th, as the settlement file occupies an important part in Israel.
Accordingly, the gov’t recently ratified the construction of 464 housing units in the Gilo settlement of East Jerusalem, as part of a plan to build more than 4,000 settlement units throughout the city, besides the construction of 23,576 housing units in East Jerusalem, 180 units in Kiryat Yovel and 375 units in Kiryat Menahem. Mayor of Jerusalem Moshe Li’on said, “This is good news for me and for the young couples in the city.”
This report comes after the discovery of other settlement projects in occupied Jerusalem, to which millions of NIS has been allocated for implementation, whereas the so-called “Renovation and Development of the Jewish Quarter” implements Judaization projects worth over NIS 200 million ( i.e. about $ 55 million), including the so-called “Wailing Wall Project” and the “Mosaic of Jerusalem”, all aimed at catering to Talmudic legends in these various neighborhoods, to attract more Jewish tourists and change their features completely.
Those projects include the construction of buildings and houses which the occupation claims date back to the era of the Temple. The project “Beautiful Village” aims to change the features of the “Jewish Quarter”. It is erected on the ruins of the honorary and Moroccan neighborhoods from after the 1967 war, claiming it is infrastructure works and adapting to the Talmudic legend in order to attract Jewish tourists, but, as they said, they are renovating a synagogue which settlers claimed was destroyed in 1948.
Renovation is expected to continue for several years, during which the entire structure will be changed. The height of the building will be 25 meters and the stairs leading to the Buraq wall will be removed by building an elevator. The project will have a total area of 2000m2, costing NIS 57 million shekels, and will be completed by 2022.
At the same time, Israel’s right-wing leaders continue to launch provocative calls for annexing C areas and imposing Israeli law on them. Israeli Minister of Justice Ayelet Shaked, one of the founders of the New Right party, with Naftali Bennett, said that Israel should control them.
Thus, Israeli citizenship will be granted to half a million Palestinians who will live in peace and can vote in the Knesset. In response to a question on whether the residents of East Jerusalem, about 400,000 Palestinians, would receive full citizenship with the right to vote in the Knesset, Shaked said that the residents of these areas chose to obtain residency only, but, if the Israeli law was applied to them, they would be citizens of the State of Israel, and have the right to vote.
Moreover, the occupation authorities continue applying the ethnic cleansing policy in Jerusalem as they also continue displacing citizens of the Sheikh Jarrah Neighborhood by force, replacing them with Jews through carrying out settlement projects in the city. They uprooted Abu-Assab family from its home that overlooks the Dome of the Rock. They detained the son of Abu-Asab, assaulting him with many other citizens who rushed to stand with the family. The family was forcibly evicted from the house according to a decision issued at the end of last October, though it has owned the house for many decades (i.e. since its displacement from the Al-Baqa’a Neighborhood of West Jerusalem in 1948).
In another context, the Institute for Applied Sciences -ARIJ said that the Israeli War Ministry’s website revealed a series of secret files containing some racist Israeli laws and orders related to the areas of influence of Israeli settlements in the occupied West Bank. The Israeli occupation army deliberately hid them from the owners of the Palestinian lands so they can not reject or object them in the Israeli courts. Consequently, Israel managed to expand its control over the settlements.
Israel has adopted a number of such racist laws to facilitate the confiscation of Palestinian lands, including a military order on the administration of regional councils in Judea and Samaria, no. 783 and 5739 – 1979, in which five Jewish regional councils were declared in the occupied West Bank, besides establishing local councils in Judea and Samaria, no. 892 and 5741 – 1981, under which local councils were established within Israeli settlements in the West Bank.
