15 jan 2020
The Palestinian Foreign Ministry today condemned in a statement remarks by Israeli Defense Minister Naftali Bennett in which he announced the establishment of what he referred to as “nature reserve” settlements in the occupied West Bank and said that it will take this matter up with the International Criminal Court (ICC) in The Hague.
“The Foreign Ministry condemns in the strongest terms Bennett’s colonialist and expansionist decisions and affirms that the so-called nature reserves are just another scheme for the appropriation and seizure of Palestinian land,” it said, adding that “this goes in the end for the benefit of shoring up settlements in the occupied West Bank.”
It said “it will approach the ICC to inform it of the legal dangers of Bennett’s declaration as part and parcel of the settlements file that will bring Bennett and others like him in front of the ICC.”
The ICC Prosecutor said recently that she will start an investigation into Israel’s settlement activities in the occupied Palestinian territories, which she said could be looked at war crimes.
“The Foreign Ministry condemns in the strongest terms Bennett’s colonialist and expansionist decisions and affirms that the so-called nature reserves are just another scheme for the appropriation and seizure of Palestinian land,” it said, adding that “this goes in the end for the benefit of shoring up settlements in the occupied West Bank.”
It said “it will approach the ICC to inform it of the legal dangers of Bennett’s declaration as part and parcel of the settlements file that will bring Bennett and others like him in front of the ICC.”
The ICC Prosecutor said recently that she will start an investigation into Israel’s settlement activities in the occupied Palestinian territories, which she said could be looked at war crimes.
Israeli settlers today erected several electric poles on Palestinian land in Khallet Hamad in the Jordan Valley.
Aref Daraghmeh, a local human rights activist, said that settlers erected the electric poles to supply power to a settler-colonial outpost that was established in Khallet Hamad in 2016.
Israeli forces frequently order Palestinian families in the Jordan Valley out of their homes to make room for military drills and prevent them from grazing their livestock.
The valley, which is a fertile strip of land running west along the Jordan River, is home to about 65,000 Palestinians and makes up approximately 30% of the West Bank.
Since 1967, when the Israeli army occupied the West Bank, Israel has transferred at least 11,000 of its Jewish citizens to the Jordan Valley. Some of the settlements in which they live were built almost entirely on private Palestinian land.
The Israel military has also designated about 46 percent of the Jordan Valley as a closed military zone since the beginning of the occupation in June 1967, and has been utilizing the pretext of military drills to forcefully displace Palestinian families living there as part of a policy of ethnic cleansing and stifling Palestinian development in the area.
Approximately 6,200 Palestinians live in 38 communities in places earmarked for military use and have had to obtain permission from the Israeli authorities to enter and live in their communities.
In violation of international law, the Israeli military not only temporarily displaces the communities on a regular basis, but also confiscates their farmlands, demolishes their homes and infrastructure from time to time.
Besides undergoing temporary displacement, the Palestinian families living there face a myriad restrictions on access to resources and services.
Meanwhile, Israel exploits the resources of the area and generates profit by allocating generous tracts of land and water resources for the benefit of settlers.
Israeli politicians have made it clear on several occasions that the highly strategic Jordan Valley would remain under their control in any eventuality.
Aref Daraghmeh, a local human rights activist, said that settlers erected the electric poles to supply power to a settler-colonial outpost that was established in Khallet Hamad in 2016.
Israeli forces frequently order Palestinian families in the Jordan Valley out of their homes to make room for military drills and prevent them from grazing their livestock.
The valley, which is a fertile strip of land running west along the Jordan River, is home to about 65,000 Palestinians and makes up approximately 30% of the West Bank.
Since 1967, when the Israeli army occupied the West Bank, Israel has transferred at least 11,000 of its Jewish citizens to the Jordan Valley. Some of the settlements in which they live were built almost entirely on private Palestinian land.
The Israel military has also designated about 46 percent of the Jordan Valley as a closed military zone since the beginning of the occupation in June 1967, and has been utilizing the pretext of military drills to forcefully displace Palestinian families living there as part of a policy of ethnic cleansing and stifling Palestinian development in the area.
Approximately 6,200 Palestinians live in 38 communities in places earmarked for military use and have had to obtain permission from the Israeli authorities to enter and live in their communities.
In violation of international law, the Israeli military not only temporarily displaces the communities on a regular basis, but also confiscates their farmlands, demolishes their homes and infrastructure from time to time.
Besides undergoing temporary displacement, the Palestinian families living there face a myriad restrictions on access to resources and services.
Meanwhile, Israel exploits the resources of the area and generates profit by allocating generous tracts of land and water resources for the benefit of settlers.
Israeli politicians have made it clear on several occasions that the highly strategic Jordan Valley would remain under their control in any eventuality.
14 jan 2020
The Israeli occupation government has approved a plan to build more detention facilities to accommodate thousands of new Palestinian prisoners.
According to Israel’s Channel 7, four prisons will be built to accommodate about 4,000 Palestinians as part of a long-term plan to be finished in 2040.
The project will also include other detention centers, police stations and courts.
The Israeli prison service has 30 prisons and detention centers, the Channel said.
There are about 5,700 Palestinian prisoners in Israeli jails, including 47 women and girls, 250 children, six lawmakers, 500 administrative detainees and 700 patients.
Israel Approves Construction of Four New Prison Complexes
Israeli ‘housing council’ has approved a plan to build four new prisons in the occupied territories as the occupation accelerates its arrest campaign against Palestinians, the Palestine News Network reported.
Israeli media sources announced, on Tuesday, that the council authorized construction of the prison complexes, south of the Israeli city of Haifa, each of which would be comprised of a detention center, a police station and a court.
Israel’s Channel 7 said the new prison complexes would fit 4,000 political, criminal, and minor detainees, and is expected to be completed in 2040.
Palestinians complain that they are subjected to assault and torture at Israeli prisons, and some detainees resort to open-ended hunger strikes to voice their outrage at dire prison conditions.
According to Israel’s Channel 7, four prisons will be built to accommodate about 4,000 Palestinians as part of a long-term plan to be finished in 2040.
The project will also include other detention centers, police stations and courts.
The Israeli prison service has 30 prisons and detention centers, the Channel said.
There are about 5,700 Palestinian prisoners in Israeli jails, including 47 women and girls, 250 children, six lawmakers, 500 administrative detainees and 700 patients.
Israel Approves Construction of Four New Prison Complexes
Israeli ‘housing council’ has approved a plan to build four new prisons in the occupied territories as the occupation accelerates its arrest campaign against Palestinians, the Palestine News Network reported.
Israeli media sources announced, on Tuesday, that the council authorized construction of the prison complexes, south of the Israeli city of Haifa, each of which would be comprised of a detention center, a police station and a court.
Israel’s Channel 7 said the new prison complexes would fit 4,000 political, criminal, and minor detainees, and is expected to be completed in 2040.
Palestinians complain that they are subjected to assault and torture at Israeli prisons, and some detainees resort to open-ended hunger strikes to voice their outrage at dire prison conditions.
13 jan 2020
The Israeli occupation forces (IOF) on Monday bulldozed and seized vast tracts of Palestinian land in Kafr ad-Deik town, west of Salfit, in favor of settlement expansion.
Abdulnaser Ahmad, the owner of the land, said that he was surprised to find that the IOF had razed his land and set up a fence around it claiming that it is "state land".
Ahmad affirmed that he has all the legal papers and documents which prove his ownership of the razed land.
He added that he is aware of the Israeli authorities' attempt to seize the land to build new settlement units.
About 25 Jewish-only settlements are built on the lands of 18 Palestinian residential communities in Salfit province in the Occupied West Bank.
The Israeli government has recently okayed a plan to build new housing units to expand Brukhin settlement west of Salfit.
Abdulnaser Ahmad, the owner of the land, said that he was surprised to find that the IOF had razed his land and set up a fence around it claiming that it is "state land".
Ahmad affirmed that he has all the legal papers and documents which prove his ownership of the razed land.
He added that he is aware of the Israeli authorities' attempt to seize the land to build new settlement units.
About 25 Jewish-only settlements are built on the lands of 18 Palestinian residential communities in Salfit province in the Occupied West Bank.
The Israeli government has recently okayed a plan to build new housing units to expand Brukhin settlement west of Salfit.
11 jan 2020
Israeli occupation forces (IOF) on Saturday razed vast tracts of Palestinian-owned land in Bruqin town west of Salfit in preparation for settlement expansion.
Palestinian researcher Khaled Ma'ali said that the Israeli occupation authorities are preparing to expand Brukhin settlement on Palestinian land in Bruqin town.
He explained that about 25 Israeli settlements have not ceased to expand on the lands of 18 Palestinian residential communities in Salfit since they were established.
The Israeli government has announced that hundreds of new settlement units will be set up in Brukhin settlement in a grave violation of international law which criminalizes settlement construction in occupied territories.
Palestinian researcher Khaled Ma'ali said that the Israeli occupation authorities are preparing to expand Brukhin settlement on Palestinian land in Bruqin town.
He explained that about 25 Israeli settlements have not ceased to expand on the lands of 18 Palestinian residential communities in Salfit since they were established.
The Israeli government has announced that hundreds of new settlement units will be set up in Brukhin settlement in a grave violation of international law which criminalizes settlement construction in occupied territories.
France condemned, on Friday, the recent Israeli decision to green-light the construction of 1,936 housing units in the West Bank illegal settlements.
The French consulate in Jerusalem said in a statement that the decision “comes at a troubling time of accelerated settlement on the West Bank,” the Palestinian News and Info Agency (WAFA) reported.
“Settlements in all forms are illegal under international law, and specifically UN Security Council Resolution 2334.
They heighten tensions on the ground and undermine the conditions for a just and lasting settlement between Israelis and Palestinians, based on the two-state solution,” the statement said.
France called on the Israeli authorities to “renounce these projects and all those that undermine the two-state solution.”
Article 49 of the 4th Geneva Convention states; The occupying power [Israel] must not transfer any part of its population onto the land which it occupies [Palestine].
The French consulate in Jerusalem said in a statement that the decision “comes at a troubling time of accelerated settlement on the West Bank,” the Palestinian News and Info Agency (WAFA) reported.
“Settlements in all forms are illegal under international law, and specifically UN Security Council Resolution 2334.
They heighten tensions on the ground and undermine the conditions for a just and lasting settlement between Israelis and Palestinians, based on the two-state solution,” the statement said.
France called on the Israeli authorities to “renounce these projects and all those that undermine the two-state solution.”
Article 49 of the 4th Geneva Convention states; The occupying power [Israel] must not transfer any part of its population onto the land which it occupies [Palestine].
10 jan 2020
The European Union, on Thursday, criticized Israeli plans to expand illegal settlements built in the occupied Palestinian territory and called on Israel to comply with international law, the Palestinian News and Info Agency (WAFA) reported.
Israel approved earlier this week the construction of almost 2000 housing units in illegal settlements in the occupied West Bank, including the retroactive approval of already existing constructions, some of which were built on private Palestinian land.
“The European Union reiterates its clear position that all settlements in the occupied Palestinian territory are illegal under international law and a major obstacle to the achievement of the two-state solution and a just, lasting and comprehensive peace, as reaffirmed by UN Security Council Resolution 2334,” said the EU spokesperson.
“We call on the government of Israel to fully comply with international law, end all settlement activity on occupied territories and related actions,” said the spokesperson, stressing that the European Union “will not recognise any changes to the pre-1967 borders, including with regard to Jerusalem, other than those agreed by both sides.”
This EU position comes in stark contrast to the US, which has recognized Israel’s annexation of occupied East Jerusalem, deemed the illegal settlements not inconsistent with international law and seems to be on the way of recognizing Israel’s planned annexation of two thirds of the occupied West Bank.
The EU spokesperson also denounced Israeli settlers’ violence against the Palestinian civilian population in the occupied territories.
“Violence by settlers towards Palestinian civilians and their property has to be stopped and prevented,” said the statement.
The European Union reiterated its support to the resumption “of a meaningful process towards the two-State solution, the only realistic and viable way to fulfil the legitimate aspirations of both peoples.”
In addition, on Thursday, German Foreign Office Spokesman said “We have noted with great concern the Israeli authorities’ decisions to further expand settlements in the West Bank.”
The spokesman continued, “The German Government calls on those involved, to refrain from taking any steps that would further hinder a peaceful resolution to the conflict in the Middle East.”
Israel approved earlier this week the construction of almost 2000 housing units in illegal settlements in the occupied West Bank, including the retroactive approval of already existing constructions, some of which were built on private Palestinian land.
“The European Union reiterates its clear position that all settlements in the occupied Palestinian territory are illegal under international law and a major obstacle to the achievement of the two-state solution and a just, lasting and comprehensive peace, as reaffirmed by UN Security Council Resolution 2334,” said the EU spokesperson.
“We call on the government of Israel to fully comply with international law, end all settlement activity on occupied territories and related actions,” said the spokesperson, stressing that the European Union “will not recognise any changes to the pre-1967 borders, including with regard to Jerusalem, other than those agreed by both sides.”
This EU position comes in stark contrast to the US, which has recognized Israel’s annexation of occupied East Jerusalem, deemed the illegal settlements not inconsistent with international law and seems to be on the way of recognizing Israel’s planned annexation of two thirds of the occupied West Bank.
The EU spokesperson also denounced Israeli settlers’ violence against the Palestinian civilian population in the occupied territories.
“Violence by settlers towards Palestinian civilians and their property has to be stopped and prevented,” said the statement.
The European Union reiterated its support to the resumption “of a meaningful process towards the two-State solution, the only realistic and viable way to fulfil the legitimate aspirations of both peoples.”
In addition, on Thursday, German Foreign Office Spokesman said “We have noted with great concern the Israeli authorities’ decisions to further expand settlements in the West Bank.”
The spokesman continued, “The German Government calls on those involved, to refrain from taking any steps that would further hinder a peaceful resolution to the conflict in the Middle East.”
The United Kingdom (UK), on Wednesday, called in Israel to “immediately” halt illegal settlements’ expansion in the occupied West Bank, the Middle East Monitor reported.
In an official statement, the British consulate in Jerusalem stressed that the Israeli settlements are “illegal under international law,” adding that it was “sabotaging a possible two-state solution.”
The British Secretary of State for Middle East Affairs, Andrew Morrison, condemned the Israeli government’s plans to expand and build new settlement units in the West Bank.
On Sunday, the Israeli government approved the construction of 1,936 housing units in the occupied West Bank.
Approximately 650,000 Israelis currently live in more than 100 settlements built since 1967, when Israel occupied the West Bank and East Jerusalem.
The Palestinians hope for these territories — along with the Gaza Strip — for the establishment of a future Palestinian state.
In an official statement, the British consulate in Jerusalem stressed that the Israeli settlements are “illegal under international law,” adding that it was “sabotaging a possible two-state solution.”
The British Secretary of State for Middle East Affairs, Andrew Morrison, condemned the Israeli government’s plans to expand and build new settlement units in the West Bank.
On Sunday, the Israeli government approved the construction of 1,936 housing units in the occupied West Bank.
Approximately 650,000 Israelis currently live in more than 100 settlements built since 1967, when Israel occupied the West Bank and East Jerusalem.
The Palestinians hope for these territories — along with the Gaza Strip — for the establishment of a future Palestinian state.
