8 july 2020
Israeli occupation forces (IOF) on Wednesday uprooted dozens of Palestinian-owned olive trees to build a settler road in Yasuf village in the West Bank district of Nablus.
Local residents said that this move is just a prelude to the confiscation of vast tracts of Palestinian land in Yasuf and neighboring villages to complete the new road.
At least 3,000 olive trees are expected to be uprooted in the process.
Yasuf, surrounded by three Israeli settlements built illegally on Palestinian land, is one of the most affected villages in Nablus by Israel’s settlement activity.
The Palestinians consider this new road a “dangerous” project that contributes to turning Israel’s isolated settlements in the southern area of Nablus into large cities that would undermine efforts for the establishment of a Palestinian state.
Local residents said that this move is just a prelude to the confiscation of vast tracts of Palestinian land in Yasuf and neighboring villages to complete the new road.
At least 3,000 olive trees are expected to be uprooted in the process.
Yasuf, surrounded by three Israeli settlements built illegally on Palestinian land, is one of the most affected villages in Nablus by Israel’s settlement activity.
The Palestinians consider this new road a “dangerous” project that contributes to turning Israel’s isolated settlements in the southern area of Nablus into large cities that would undermine efforts for the establishment of a Palestinian state.
In Tel Aviv on Tuesday, an Israeli court rejected an appeal by the Islamic Council of Jaffa to preserve a 200-year old Muslim cemetery, ruling instead that the municipality of Tel Aviv can move forward with plans to build a homeless shelter on the site. video
The ruling followed weeks of protests, in which Israeli police beat Palestinian citizens who challenged the plan to demolish the cemetery. They said it was part of the Israeli government’s policy to erase Palestinian heritage, just as the Israeli government had erased and demolished so many Palestinian towns, villages and historic sites over the past 72 years that Israel has existed.
In addition to ruling that the cemetery could be destroyed, Judge Limor Bibi ordered the Jaffa Islamic Council to pay $2,200 in legal fees.
The case evoked memories of a similar fight that took place in Jerusalem several years ago, in which Palestinians resisted the Israeli plan to demolish a Muslim cemetery in order to build a ‘Museum of Tolerance’. They lost that fight, and the cemetery was destroyed in order to construct the Museum.
In the current case, the Islamic Council had managed to get an Israeli court to temporarily halt construction on the site when they proved that the Tel Aviv municipality had no legal permit to destroy the 200-year old Al-Isaaf cemetery. The original hearing was supposed to be July 22nd. But lawyers for the city of Tel Aviv argued that the city’s finances were being negatively impacted, and the court agreed to move the hearing up to July 7th.
The municipality argued that the site was not a place of special significance to Jaffa’s Muslim community, claiming that it had been abandoned for decades until their construction equipment dug up the skeletons of thirty people while doing excavation on the site.
The director of the Islamic Council, Tarek Ashkar, called the court ruling “legal acrobatics”, and said it was a blatant example of anti-Palestinian discrimination in Israel.
The judge appeared to make the decision based on a technicality – the fact that construction had continued on the site, and had not ceased for an entire year – because of the continuation of the work, Judge Bibi said that the permit was never invalidated, and so the municipality should not have to apply for a new permit.
According to Middle East Eye, the Al-Isaaf cemetery, which lies just north of the walls of Old Jaffa near the Hassan Bek Mosque, was built almost 200 years ago. Despite not being in active use for nearly 90 years, the cemetery holds hundreds of Palestinian tombs.
Middle East Eye points out that Jaffa was once an epicentre of the Palestinian economy, with some 120,000 people living in and around the flourishing city on the Mediterranean Sea in 1948. Almost 95 percent of the Palestinian population of Jaffa and its surrounding villages were expelled by Zionist militias during the Nakba, or the catastrophe, that year, during the formation of the state of Israel.
Over the decades, Jaffa’s historic neighbourhoods were progressively demolished and the city shrank into a small town that was then absorbed by the municipality of Tel Aviv.
The ruling followed weeks of protests, in which Israeli police beat Palestinian citizens who challenged the plan to demolish the cemetery. They said it was part of the Israeli government’s policy to erase Palestinian heritage, just as the Israeli government had erased and demolished so many Palestinian towns, villages and historic sites over the past 72 years that Israel has existed.
In addition to ruling that the cemetery could be destroyed, Judge Limor Bibi ordered the Jaffa Islamic Council to pay $2,200 in legal fees.
The case evoked memories of a similar fight that took place in Jerusalem several years ago, in which Palestinians resisted the Israeli plan to demolish a Muslim cemetery in order to build a ‘Museum of Tolerance’. They lost that fight, and the cemetery was destroyed in order to construct the Museum.
In the current case, the Islamic Council had managed to get an Israeli court to temporarily halt construction on the site when they proved that the Tel Aviv municipality had no legal permit to destroy the 200-year old Al-Isaaf cemetery. The original hearing was supposed to be July 22nd. But lawyers for the city of Tel Aviv argued that the city’s finances were being negatively impacted, and the court agreed to move the hearing up to July 7th.
The municipality argued that the site was not a place of special significance to Jaffa’s Muslim community, claiming that it had been abandoned for decades until their construction equipment dug up the skeletons of thirty people while doing excavation on the site.
The director of the Islamic Council, Tarek Ashkar, called the court ruling “legal acrobatics”, and said it was a blatant example of anti-Palestinian discrimination in Israel.
The judge appeared to make the decision based on a technicality – the fact that construction had continued on the site, and had not ceased for an entire year – because of the continuation of the work, Judge Bibi said that the permit was never invalidated, and so the municipality should not have to apply for a new permit.
According to Middle East Eye, the Al-Isaaf cemetery, which lies just north of the walls of Old Jaffa near the Hassan Bek Mosque, was built almost 200 years ago. Despite not being in active use for nearly 90 years, the cemetery holds hundreds of Palestinian tombs.
Middle East Eye points out that Jaffa was once an epicentre of the Palestinian economy, with some 120,000 people living in and around the flourishing city on the Mediterranean Sea in 1948. Almost 95 percent of the Palestinian population of Jaffa and its surrounding villages were expelled by Zionist militias during the Nakba, or the catastrophe, that year, during the formation of the state of Israel.
Over the decades, Jaffa’s historic neighbourhoods were progressively demolished and the city shrank into a small town that was then absorbed by the municipality of Tel Aviv.
6 july 2020
Violent clashes broke out on Monday morning between Palestinian citizens and Israeli soldiers after the Israeli occupation army resumed its bulldozing activities in southern Nablus to build a road for Jewish settlers.
According to local sources, the Israeli army embarked again on bulldozing vast tracts of Palestinian land, about 406 dunums, in Huwara town in order to build a seven-kilometer bypass for settlers.
Local official Ghassan Daghlas said that the Israeli occupation forces bulldozed and destroyed olive groves and agricultural lands belonging to Palestinian citizens near the Huwara military base, which provoked clashes with the locals.
Daghlas pointed out that this road had been approved by the Israeli government in 2014 as part of a project to build several roads for settlers in the West Bank.
According to local sources, the Israeli army embarked again on bulldozing vast tracts of Palestinian land, about 406 dunums, in Huwara town in order to build a seven-kilometer bypass for settlers.
Local official Ghassan Daghlas said that the Israeli occupation forces bulldozed and destroyed olive groves and agricultural lands belonging to Palestinian citizens near the Huwara military base, which provoked clashes with the locals.
Daghlas pointed out that this road had been approved by the Israeli government in 2014 as part of a project to build several roads for settlers in the West Bank.
5 july 2020
Israeli occupation authorities embarked today on the construction of 164 housing units in the illegal settlement of Neve Daniel, illegally built on Palestinians' land near the city of Bethlehem, south of the occupied West Bank, local sources said.
Hasan Burejiya, director of the office of the Segregation Wall and Colonization Resistance Commission in Bethlehem, told WAFA that the new units will be built on lands belonging to Palestinian citizens from the nearby villages of Nahalin and al-Khader.
He said Israeli authorities have been making use of the ongoing coronavirus lockdown to illegally size more land and build more housing units in the illegal settlements.
Israeli settlement activities in occupied Palestine are illegal in international law, and have been the subject of condemnations by the world countries over the past years.
The international community considers the establishment of Israeli settlements in the Israeli-occupied territories illegal on one of two bases: that they are in violation of Article 49 of the Fourth Geneva Convention, or that they are in breach of international declarations.
The United Nations Security Council, the United Nations General Assembly, the International Committee of the Red Cross, the International Court of Justice and the High Contracting Parties to the Convention have all affirmed that the Fourth Geneva Convention applies to Israeli settlements.
Hasan Burejiya, director of the office of the Segregation Wall and Colonization Resistance Commission in Bethlehem, told WAFA that the new units will be built on lands belonging to Palestinian citizens from the nearby villages of Nahalin and al-Khader.
He said Israeli authorities have been making use of the ongoing coronavirus lockdown to illegally size more land and build more housing units in the illegal settlements.
Israeli settlement activities in occupied Palestine are illegal in international law, and have been the subject of condemnations by the world countries over the past years.
The international community considers the establishment of Israeli settlements in the Israeli-occupied territories illegal on one of two bases: that they are in violation of Article 49 of the Fourth Geneva Convention, or that they are in breach of international declarations.
The United Nations Security Council, the United Nations General Assembly, the International Committee of the Red Cross, the International Court of Justice and the High Contracting Parties to the Convention have all affirmed that the Fourth Geneva Convention applies to Israeli settlements.
30 june 2020
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A group of Israeli settlers on Tuesday embarked on building a new outpost on Palestinian land on Mount Jomjoma in Halhul City in the West Bank district of al-Khalil. video
Local sources said that a large number of Israeli settlers, escorted by armed soldiers, stormed Mount Jomjoma and started the construction of a new outpost. The Israeli occupation army had established a military site on the top of the mountain, which is 1000 meters above the sea level and overlooks most of the towns and villages of al-Khalil. Last year, Israeli occupation authorities issued a military order to seize 401 dunums of Palestinian land in al-Arroub refugee camp, Beit Ummar town and Halhul City to build a new settler road adjacent to the targeted mountain. |
There are over 50 Israeli settlements and random outposts scattered across al-Khalil district and inhabited by nearly 30,000 settlers who are gradually tightening their grip on the area.
29 june 2020
Israeli force raided Jabal al-Baba Bedouin Community (Pope Mountain), East of Occupied Jerusalem, where they carried out survey operations as a prelude to annex the area for the expansion of the illegal settlement of Ma'ale Adumim.
Atallah Mazara, head of the village committee in Jabal al-Baba, said a large Israeli force raided Jabal al-Baba area and search a number of homes before proceeding to survey the area.
He said that one of the occupation officers informed them that the survey operations come as a prelude to annex Jabal al-Baba area in the next two days for the expansion of Ma’ale Adumim settlement.
Jabal al-Baba area has a population of around 400 people. The entire community consisting of dozens of Palestinian Bedouin families is threatened with imminent forced displacement.
Atallah Mazara, head of the village committee in Jabal al-Baba, said a large Israeli force raided Jabal al-Baba area and search a number of homes before proceeding to survey the area.
He said that one of the occupation officers informed them that the survey operations come as a prelude to annex Jabal al-Baba area in the next two days for the expansion of Ma’ale Adumim settlement.
Jabal al-Baba area has a population of around 400 people. The entire community consisting of dozens of Palestinian Bedouin families is threatened with imminent forced displacement.
18 june 2020
Jewish settlers on Wednesday bulldozed several dunums of Palestinian land in Qusra town, south of Nablus in the occupied West Bank, in order to build a new road.
Local official Ghassan Daghlas said bulldozers belonging to settlers started to level many dunums of land in Qusra town in order to build a seven-kilometer road connecting, in particular, Esh Kodesh outpost and Migdalim settlement with each other.
The road will also connect all settlements and outposts in the north of the West Bank with those in the Jordan Valley, according to Daghlas.
The Israeli occupation government and its settlers recently embarked on escalating their settlement activities in the West Bank as part of premier Netanyahu’s plan to annex the Jordan Valley and parts of the occupied Palestinian territories.
Local official Ghassan Daghlas said bulldozers belonging to settlers started to level many dunums of land in Qusra town in order to build a seven-kilometer road connecting, in particular, Esh Kodesh outpost and Migdalim settlement with each other.
The road will also connect all settlements and outposts in the north of the West Bank with those in the Jordan Valley, according to Daghlas.
The Israeli occupation government and its settlers recently embarked on escalating their settlement activities in the West Bank as part of premier Netanyahu’s plan to annex the Jordan Valley and parts of the occupied Palestinian territories.
An extremist Jewish settler on Wednesday continued to bulldoze a vast tract of Palestinian land in the Bedouin area of Arab al-Malihat in the northwest of Jericho city.
Local sources said that an armed settler from the illegal outpost of Mevo’ot Yericho resumed bulldozing over 350 dunums of land on the eastern side of the Bedu al-Ka'abneh High School.
Recently, this settler started to bulldoze the same area in order to build a wall separating his outpost from the Bedouin community of Arab al-Malihat.
Local sources said that an armed settler from the illegal outpost of Mevo’ot Yericho resumed bulldozing over 350 dunums of land on the eastern side of the Bedu al-Ka'abneh High School.
Recently, this settler started to bulldoze the same area in order to build a wall separating his outpost from the Bedouin community of Arab al-Malihat.
15 june 2020
The Israeli occupation government approved a plan to build a new illegal settlement in the occupied Golan Heights named after US president Donald Trump. video
Minister of settlement affairs Tzipi Hotovely wrote on Facebook that her ministry would start preparations for Ramat Trump — Hebrew for “Trump Heights” — to house 300 Jewish families.
Israel captured the Golan Heights from Syria in the 1967 Mideast war and annexed it in 1981. Most of the international community considers the move and Israeli settlements in the territory illegal under international law.
In March 2019, Trump signed an executive order recognizing the strategic mountainous plateau as Israeli territory. The move came during a visit to Washington by Israeli premier Benjamin Netanyahu just weeks before Israeli elections. Trump’s decision was just one of several steps he made in favor of Israel and in violation of international law.
The Israeli government’s approval of the plan, according to the Hebrew media, will involve earmarking 8 million shekels ($2.3 million) for developing the settlement.
The settlement project was already announced by Netanyahu last year during a ceremony held in the Golan Heights.
The government made the announcement on Sunday deliberately to mark Trump’s 74th birthday.
“Happy birthday President. You’ve been an incredible friend to Israel and you’ve done extraordinary things for the Jewish state for which we are eternally grateful,” Netanyahu said in a tweet on Sunday.
Minister of settlement affairs Tzipi Hotovely wrote on Facebook that her ministry would start preparations for Ramat Trump — Hebrew for “Trump Heights” — to house 300 Jewish families.
Israel captured the Golan Heights from Syria in the 1967 Mideast war and annexed it in 1981. Most of the international community considers the move and Israeli settlements in the territory illegal under international law.
In March 2019, Trump signed an executive order recognizing the strategic mountainous plateau as Israeli territory. The move came during a visit to Washington by Israeli premier Benjamin Netanyahu just weeks before Israeli elections. Trump’s decision was just one of several steps he made in favor of Israel and in violation of international law.
The Israeli government’s approval of the plan, according to the Hebrew media, will involve earmarking 8 million shekels ($2.3 million) for developing the settlement.
The settlement project was already announced by Netanyahu last year during a ceremony held in the Golan Heights.
The government made the announcement on Sunday deliberately to mark Trump’s 74th birthday.
“Happy birthday President. You’ve been an incredible friend to Israel and you’ve done extraordinary things for the Jewish state for which we are eternally grateful,” Netanyahu said in a tweet on Sunday.
A video released by an extremist Jewish group called “Hilltop Youth” has showed that a new big tunnel is being built under the Aqsa Mosque and its western wall and will be opened officially in early July.
Hilltop Youth published the footage about the new tunnel for a few minutes on its website and then removed it.
The footage showed a tunnel was being dug and Jewish settlers excitedly carrying dirt and rocks from the site, utilizing digging equipment and taking pictures for themselves during the work.
According to local sources who saw the video, the tunnel goes beneath the Aqsa Mosque compound, especially at its Maghariba Gate, its western wall, the Umayyad Palaces area at the compound’s southern wall, and the triple door of the Marwani prayer hall.
Hilltop Youth published the footage about the new tunnel for a few minutes on its website and then removed it.
The footage showed a tunnel was being dug and Jewish settlers excitedly carrying dirt and rocks from the site, utilizing digging equipment and taking pictures for themselves during the work.
According to local sources who saw the video, the tunnel goes beneath the Aqsa Mosque compound, especially at its Maghariba Gate, its western wall, the Umayyad Palaces area at the compound’s southern wall, and the triple door of the Marwani prayer hall.
