7 feb 2019
A Spanish company announced, yesterday, that it had rejected an Israeli tender to build part of the Jerusalem railway, which will cut deep into occupied Palestinian territory.
Construcciones y Auxiliar de Ferrocarriles (CAF or Construction and Other Railway Services) announced that it “refuses to build a section of the railway in Jerusalem because [it] included Palestinian land that will be confiscated, in violation of the resolutions of international legitimacy,” Al-Wattan Voice reported, according to Al Ray.
The company’s workers also rejected its participation in the project on the same grounds. Representatives of the workers said that the problem lies in the fact that the railway will pass through Palestinian lands to serve illegal settlements in East Jerusalem.
“Any project in any city around the world, especially Jerusalem, must respect human rights and international legitimacy in its implementation,” CAF stressed.
CAF added: “The General Assembly of the United Nations and the International Court of Justice [ICJ], through various resolutions, have said that they are against the occupation of land through which will pass the section of the railway.”
In related news, the so-called “Planning and Building Committee” of the Jerusalem municipality, on Tuesday, approved a plan to build 13 settlement units west of the Sheikh Jarrah neighborhood of East Jerusalem.
According to the Hebrew “Risht Kan” channel, Israeli authorities will evacuate the Palestinian population from that area and offer them compensation, after the plan is approved.
The Hebrew channel pointed out, according to the PNN, that the owner of this settlement project, a businessman from the settlers, whose daughter was seriously injured in a shooting near “Ofra” occurred recently.
Construcciones y Auxiliar de Ferrocarriles (CAF or Construction and Other Railway Services) announced that it “refuses to build a section of the railway in Jerusalem because [it] included Palestinian land that will be confiscated, in violation of the resolutions of international legitimacy,” Al-Wattan Voice reported, according to Al Ray.
The company’s workers also rejected its participation in the project on the same grounds. Representatives of the workers said that the problem lies in the fact that the railway will pass through Palestinian lands to serve illegal settlements in East Jerusalem.
“Any project in any city around the world, especially Jerusalem, must respect human rights and international legitimacy in its implementation,” CAF stressed.
CAF added: “The General Assembly of the United Nations and the International Court of Justice [ICJ], through various resolutions, have said that they are against the occupation of land through which will pass the section of the railway.”
In related news, the so-called “Planning and Building Committee” of the Jerusalem municipality, on Tuesday, approved a plan to build 13 settlement units west of the Sheikh Jarrah neighborhood of East Jerusalem.
According to the Hebrew “Risht Kan” channel, Israeli authorities will evacuate the Palestinian population from that area and offer them compensation, after the plan is approved.
The Hebrew channel pointed out, according to the PNN, that the owner of this settlement project, a businessman from the settlers, whose daughter was seriously injured in a shooting near “Ofra” occurred recently.
5 feb 2019
The Israeli municipal authorities in occupied Jerusalem approved on Tuesday the construction of 13 settlement units west of Sheikh Jarah neighborhood.
According to Israeli media sources, local Palestinian residents will be evacuated to another area before implementing the settlement project.
Meanwhile, Israel declared intention to seize over 1000 dunums of agricultural Palestinian land east of the occupied city in order to link the nearby settlements with a road.
According to Israeli media sources, local Palestinian residents will be evacuated to another area before implementing the settlement project.
Meanwhile, Israel declared intention to seize over 1000 dunums of agricultural Palestinian land east of the occupied city in order to link the nearby settlements with a road.
3 feb 2019
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu declared Sunday the construction of a new overground barrier around Gaza Strip.
The construction works have been started on Thursday, Israel Hayom paper quoted Netanyahu as saying. The overground section will be 65 kilometers (40 miles) long and will be six meters (20 feet) high.
"The border is uniquely suited to the threats from the Gaza Strip and will give a comprehensive solution to preventing entry into Israel," Netanyahu, who also heads the Army Ministry, claimed.
The construction works have been started on Thursday, Israel Hayom paper quoted Netanyahu as saying. The overground section will be 65 kilometers (40 miles) long and will be six meters (20 feet) high.
"The border is uniquely suited to the threats from the Gaza Strip and will give a comprehensive solution to preventing entry into Israel," Netanyahu, who also heads the Army Ministry, claimed.
1 feb 2019
Spanish rail equipment manufacturer CAF announced, on Friday, that it had refused to participate in a tender to build a section of the railway in occupied East Jerusalem as it violates international law.
An international tender to build and operate Jerusalem’s second light rail line has many companies rejecting to participate as they are fearful of arousing political opposition, since the proposed “Green Line” runs into parts of the city occupied by Israel during the Six-Day War in 1967.
The proposed Green Line, a project that could cost as much as 5 billion shekels ($1.4 billion) and stretch along 22 kilometers, proved to be problematic as it reaches Mount Scopus and Gilo.
The company, which is one of the most important Spanish companies in the field of railways, said it “refuses to build a section of the railway in Jerusalem because the Israeli government included in the section a Palestinian land that will be confiscated in violation of the resolutions of international legitimacy.”
Representatives of the company's workers who objected to the company's participation in the construction of the section explained that the problem lies in the fact that the railway will pass through Palestinian lands to serve illegal settlements in East Jerusalem.
CAF stressed, “Any project in any city of the world, especially Jerusalem, must respect in its implementation human rights and international legitimacy.”
CAF added, “The General Assembly of the United Nations and the International Court of Justice, through various resolutions, have said that they are against the occupation of land through which will pass the section of the railway.”
An international tender to build and operate Jerusalem’s second light rail line has many companies rejecting to participate as they are fearful of arousing political opposition, since the proposed “Green Line” runs into parts of the city occupied by Israel during the Six-Day War in 1967.
The proposed Green Line, a project that could cost as much as 5 billion shekels ($1.4 billion) and stretch along 22 kilometers, proved to be problematic as it reaches Mount Scopus and Gilo.
The company, which is one of the most important Spanish companies in the field of railways, said it “refuses to build a section of the railway in Jerusalem because the Israeli government included in the section a Palestinian land that will be confiscated in violation of the resolutions of international legitimacy.”
Representatives of the company's workers who objected to the company's participation in the construction of the section explained that the problem lies in the fact that the railway will pass through Palestinian lands to serve illegal settlements in East Jerusalem.
CAF stressed, “Any project in any city of the world, especially Jerusalem, must respect in its implementation human rights and international legitimacy.”
CAF added, “The General Assembly of the United Nations and the International Court of Justice, through various resolutions, have said that they are against the occupation of land through which will pass the section of the railway.”
31 jan 2019
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Online booking giants Airbnb, Booking.com, Expedia and TripAdvisor are fueling human rights violations against Palestinians by listing hundreds of rooms and activities in Israeli settlements on occupied Palestinian land, including East Jerusalem, Amnesty International (AI) said on Wednesday.
In Amnesty International's new report entitled "Destination: Occupation," the organization documents how online booking companies are driving tourism to illegal Israeli settlements and contributing to their existence and expansion. AI said, “Israel’s settling of Israeli civilians in the Occupied Palestinian Territories (OPT) violates international humanitarian law and is a war crime. Despite this, the four companies continue to operate in the settlements, and profit from this illegal situation.” |
“One of the settlements included in AI report is Kfar Adummim, a growing tourism hub located less than two kilometers from the Bedouin village of Khan al-Ahmar, whose imminent and complete demolition by Israeli forces has been given a green light by Israel’s Supreme Court. The expansion of Kfar Adummim and other surrounding settlements is a key driver of human rights violations against the local Bedouin community.”
“Israel’s unlawful seizure of Palestinian land and expansion of settlements perpetuates immense suffering, pushing Palestinians out of their homes, destroying their livelihoods and depriving them of basics like drinking water. Airbnb, Booking.com, Expedia and TripAdvisor model themselves on the idea of sharing and mutual trust, yet they are contributing to these human rights violations by doing business in the settlements,” said Seema Joshi, Amnesty International’s Director of Global Thematic Issues.
“The Israeli government uses the growing tourism industry in the settlements as a way of legitimizing their existence and expansion, and online booking companies are playing along with this agenda. It’s time for these companies to stand up for human rights by withdrawing all of their listings in illegal settlements on occupied land. War crimes are not a tourist attraction.”
In November, Airbnb pledged to remove all listings in settlements in the occupied West Bank, however it did not extend its commitment to occupied East Jerusalem, which is also occupied territory, and where it has more than 100 listings in settlements.
AI called on Airbnb to implement its announcement and remove all its listings in settlements in occupied territory, including East Jerusalem. AI also said that Booking.com, Expedia and TripAdvisor should remove all their listings in the OPT.
All four companies in Amnesty International’s report have listings in settlements including East Jerusalem.
Airbnb currently has more than 300 listings of properties in settlements in the OPT. TripAdvisor lists more than 70 different attractions, tours, restaurants, caf s, hotels and rental apartments in settlements in the OPT. Booking.com lists 45 hotels and rentals in settlements in the OPT. Expedia lists nine accommodation providers, including four large hotels, in settlements in the OPT.
Amnesty International found that Airbnb, Booking.com, Expedia and TripAdvisor not only play a significant role in driving tourism to illegal settlements, they also mislead their customers by failing to consistently indicate when listings are located in Israeli settlements.
“Tourists coming here are brainwashed, they are lied to, they do not know this is our land,” said a Palestinian farmer living next to illegal Shiloh settlement, where the Israeli government is funding a large visitor centre to draw tourists to an archaeological site.
In recent years the Israeli government has invested huge sums to develop the tourism industry in settlements. It uses the designation of certain locations as tourist sites to justify the takeover of Palestinian land and homes, and often deliberately constructs settlements next to archaeological sites to emphasize the Jewish people’s historic connections to the region.
AI’s report highlights how the Israeli government allows and encourages settlers to exploit land and natural resources that belong to Palestinians, and how Airbnb, Booking.com, Expedia and TripAdvisor also benefit from this exploitation.
“Despite the fact that these are illegally appropriated Palestinian natural resources, these activities only benefit settlers and the online companies that do business with them.”
It is not just the tourism industry which is profiting from, and contributing to, illegal settlements. Hundreds of millions of pounds’ worth of goods produced in Israeli settlements are exported internationally each year, despite the fact that most countries around the world have officially condemned the settlements as illegal under international law.
AI called on individual companies to stop doing business in and with the settlements, as well as calling on governments worldwide to make this mandatory through regulation, and to introduce laws prohibiting the import of settlement goods.
Joshi stressed, “It’s not enough to condemn the settlements as illegal but allow the commercial activities that make them profitable to continue.”
The Irish Senate is currently in the process of approving a landmark bill that prohibits the import and sale of goods, services and natural resources originating in illegal settlements in occupied Palestine and Amnesty International is calling on other countries to follow this lead.
“Israel’s unlawful seizure of Palestinian land and expansion of settlements perpetuates immense suffering, pushing Palestinians out of their homes, destroying their livelihoods and depriving them of basics like drinking water. Airbnb, Booking.com, Expedia and TripAdvisor model themselves on the idea of sharing and mutual trust, yet they are contributing to these human rights violations by doing business in the settlements,” said Seema Joshi, Amnesty International’s Director of Global Thematic Issues.
“The Israeli government uses the growing tourism industry in the settlements as a way of legitimizing their existence and expansion, and online booking companies are playing along with this agenda. It’s time for these companies to stand up for human rights by withdrawing all of their listings in illegal settlements on occupied land. War crimes are not a tourist attraction.”
In November, Airbnb pledged to remove all listings in settlements in the occupied West Bank, however it did not extend its commitment to occupied East Jerusalem, which is also occupied territory, and where it has more than 100 listings in settlements.
AI called on Airbnb to implement its announcement and remove all its listings in settlements in occupied territory, including East Jerusalem. AI also said that Booking.com, Expedia and TripAdvisor should remove all their listings in the OPT.
All four companies in Amnesty International’s report have listings in settlements including East Jerusalem.
Airbnb currently has more than 300 listings of properties in settlements in the OPT. TripAdvisor lists more than 70 different attractions, tours, restaurants, caf s, hotels and rental apartments in settlements in the OPT. Booking.com lists 45 hotels and rentals in settlements in the OPT. Expedia lists nine accommodation providers, including four large hotels, in settlements in the OPT.
Amnesty International found that Airbnb, Booking.com, Expedia and TripAdvisor not only play a significant role in driving tourism to illegal settlements, they also mislead their customers by failing to consistently indicate when listings are located in Israeli settlements.
“Tourists coming here are brainwashed, they are lied to, they do not know this is our land,” said a Palestinian farmer living next to illegal Shiloh settlement, where the Israeli government is funding a large visitor centre to draw tourists to an archaeological site.
In recent years the Israeli government has invested huge sums to develop the tourism industry in settlements. It uses the designation of certain locations as tourist sites to justify the takeover of Palestinian land and homes, and often deliberately constructs settlements next to archaeological sites to emphasize the Jewish people’s historic connections to the region.
AI’s report highlights how the Israeli government allows and encourages settlers to exploit land and natural resources that belong to Palestinians, and how Airbnb, Booking.com, Expedia and TripAdvisor also benefit from this exploitation.
“Despite the fact that these are illegally appropriated Palestinian natural resources, these activities only benefit settlers and the online companies that do business with them.”
It is not just the tourism industry which is profiting from, and contributing to, illegal settlements. Hundreds of millions of pounds’ worth of goods produced in Israeli settlements are exported internationally each year, despite the fact that most countries around the world have officially condemned the settlements as illegal under international law.
AI called on individual companies to stop doing business in and with the settlements, as well as calling on governments worldwide to make this mandatory through regulation, and to introduce laws prohibiting the import of settlement goods.
Joshi stressed, “It’s not enough to condemn the settlements as illegal but allow the commercial activities that make them profitable to continue.”
The Irish Senate is currently in the process of approving a landmark bill that prohibits the import and sale of goods, services and natural resources originating in illegal settlements in occupied Palestine and Amnesty International is calling on other countries to follow this lead.
24 jan 2019
Palestinian activists and civilians stood on guard on Thursday to Israeli attempts to build a new road leading to the illegal settlement outpost of Adam, built on Palestinian land in Jaba’ village, north of occupied Jerusalem.
Head of the Jaba’ village council, Muslim Dar Salim, said Israeli settlers broke into Palestinian lands in the area in an attempt to open a new road.
The settlers set up metal barriers in order to prevent the Palestinian land owners from accessing the area.
Eye-witness Atallah Arara said the locals thwarted the measure carried out by extremist Israeli settlers.
On Wednesday, Israeli occupation authorities uprooted more than 60 olive trees from Palestinian groves in Jaba’.
Head of the Jaba’ village council, Muslim Dar Salim, said Israeli settlers broke into Palestinian lands in the area in an attempt to open a new road.
The settlers set up metal barriers in order to prevent the Palestinian land owners from accessing the area.
Eye-witness Atallah Arara said the locals thwarted the measure carried out by extremist Israeli settlers.
On Wednesday, Israeli occupation authorities uprooted more than 60 olive trees from Palestinian groves in Jaba’.
23 jan 2019
Several bulldozers, belonging to Israeli settlers, razed and leveled Palestinian lands near Assira al-Qibliya village, south of the northern occupied West Bank district of Nablus, on Wednesday.
Ghassan Daghlas, an official who monitors settlement activity in the northern West Bank, told Ma'an that a number of bulldozers, belonging to Israeli settlers from the illegal Yitzhar settlement, began to raze dozens of dunams of Palestinian lands near Assira al-Qibliya village.
Daghlas added that Israeli settlers have razed these lands for more than three weeks, as part of an Israeli plan to expand the Yitzhar settlement.
According to the Applied Research Institute - Jerusalem (ARIJ), since the state of Israel confiscated land from Urif and other Palestinian villages to establish the illegal Yithzar settlement in the 1980s, "attacks and violence perpetrated by settlers has had a profoundly negative impact on Palestinian residents and their property," stressing that Yitzhar "poses a daily threat to residents of the neighboring Palestinian villages."
Since the occupation of the West Bank, including East Jerusalem, in 1967, between 500,000 and 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.
Ghassan Daghlas, an official who monitors settlement activity in the northern West Bank, told Ma'an that a number of bulldozers, belonging to Israeli settlers from the illegal Yitzhar settlement, began to raze dozens of dunams of Palestinian lands near Assira al-Qibliya village.
Daghlas added that Israeli settlers have razed these lands for more than three weeks, as part of an Israeli plan to expand the Yitzhar settlement.
According to the Applied Research Institute - Jerusalem (ARIJ), since the state of Israel confiscated land from Urif and other Palestinian villages to establish the illegal Yithzar settlement in the 1980s, "attacks and violence perpetrated by settlers has had a profoundly negative impact on Palestinian residents and their property," stressing that Yitzhar "poses a daily threat to residents of the neighboring Palestinian villages."
Since the occupation of the West Bank, including East Jerusalem, in 1967, between 500,000 and 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.
UN Special Coordinator for the Middle East Peace Process Nickolay Mladenov on Tuesday warned of a possible humanitarian disaster in the Gaza Strip.
This was voiced during a UN Security Council session in New York on the current situation in the Middle East, especially in the Palestinian arena.
Mladenov said that the establishment of an independent Palestinian state is becoming more difficult, renewing the UN's rejection of the Israeli settlement expansion in the Palestinian territories.
Mladenov pointed out that the situation in the Gaza Strip, which is witnessing economic collapse and declining support, is catastrophic.
The current situation might lead to an endless conflict unless there are "vision and political will" shown by all parties, he added.
Mladenov stressed that the Israeli settlements are an obstacle to the peace process and are illegal under international law.
This was voiced during a UN Security Council session in New York on the current situation in the Middle East, especially in the Palestinian arena.
Mladenov said that the establishment of an independent Palestinian state is becoming more difficult, renewing the UN's rejection of the Israeli settlement expansion in the Palestinian territories.
Mladenov pointed out that the situation in the Gaza Strip, which is witnessing economic collapse and declining support, is catastrophic.
The current situation might lead to an endless conflict unless there are "vision and political will" shown by all parties, he added.
Mladenov stressed that the Israeli settlements are an obstacle to the peace process and are illegal under international law.
21 jan 2019
Palestinian expert Khalil al-Tafakji on Sunday said that Israel is pushing forward a number of settlement plans to complete a circle of Israeli settlements around Jerusalem dividing it from the rest of the West Bank.
The new settlement bloc will start from E1 zone east of Jerusalem and reach the Dead Sea borders. It will have an airport, a railway, a wide road network, and a group of hotels and industrial areas.
Al-Tafakji said in press statements that the project under study is aimed at transforming the southern and central West Bank near the Dead Sea into a magnet for Europe and the Middle East, considering the fact that the area is of great importance at many levels and has a remarkable nature.
The project includes the construction of the largest international airport in Israel which is set to receive 35 million passengers and 12 million tourists annually, he added.
Al-Tafakji pointed out that a huge settlement plan is being implemented in stages and in different areas at the same time. Israel will be investing in the desert area in the southern West Bank and linking it to similar but larger projects in the Negev.
The new settlement bloc will start from E1 zone east of Jerusalem and reach the Dead Sea borders. It will have an airport, a railway, a wide road network, and a group of hotels and industrial areas.
Al-Tafakji said in press statements that the project under study is aimed at transforming the southern and central West Bank near the Dead Sea into a magnet for Europe and the Middle East, considering the fact that the area is of great importance at many levels and has a remarkable nature.
The project includes the construction of the largest international airport in Israel which is set to receive 35 million passengers and 12 million tourists annually, he added.
Al-Tafakji pointed out that a huge settlement plan is being implemented in stages and in different areas at the same time. Israel will be investing in the desert area in the southern West Bank and linking it to similar but larger projects in the Negev.
14 jan 2019
Israeli settlers are advancing plans to expand the illegal settlement of Rahalim, east of Salfit in the central occupied West Bank, at the expense of tens of dunums of private Palestinian agricultural land, local sources said.
Eyewitnesses reported that dozens of Israeli settlers have recently leveled agricultural land in Yasuf and Iskaka towns, east of Salfit, for new settlement units.
According to Palestinian figures, roughly 640,000 Jewish settlers now live on 196 settlements (built with the Israeli government's approval) and more than 200 settler outposts (built without its approval) across the occupied West Bank.
Israel's settlements in the West Bank are a violation of the Fourth Geneva Convention, according to the UN, which forbids states from transferring their citizens to occupied land, as well as a presumptive war crime under the 1998 Statute of Rome that set up the International Criminal Court.
Eyewitnesses reported that dozens of Israeli settlers have recently leveled agricultural land in Yasuf and Iskaka towns, east of Salfit, for new settlement units.
According to Palestinian figures, roughly 640,000 Jewish settlers now live on 196 settlements (built with the Israeli government's approval) and more than 200 settler outposts (built without its approval) across the occupied West Bank.
Israel's settlements in the West Bank are a violation of the Fourth Geneva Convention, according to the UN, which forbids states from transferring their citizens to occupied land, as well as a presumptive war crime under the 1998 Statute of Rome that set up the International Criminal Court.
