9 sept 2019
Israeli occupation authorities have issued a military order to confiscate nearly 25 acres of private Palestinian land, in the northern part of the occupied West Bank, as Israel moves ahead with land expropriation and settlement construction policies, in violation of international law and UN Security Council resolutions.
Ghassan Daghlas, a Palestinian Authority official in charge of monitoring Israel’s settlement expansion activities, told the PNN that Israeli officials have served orders to people in the villages of Qaryout and Jalud, located approximately 30 kilometers (19 miles) south of Nablus, notifying them of the decision to seize almost 100 dunams (24.7 acres), in order to expand the nearby Shilo settlement.
Daghlas added that similar notices had been distributed among the residents of Turmus Ayya town.
More than 600,000 Israelis live in over 230 settlements built since the 1967 Israeli occupation of the Palestinian territories of the West Bank and East Jerusalem.
The UN Security Council has condemned Israel’s settlement activities in the occupied territories, in several resolutions.
Less than a month before US President Donald Trump took office, in December of 2016, the United Nations Security Council adopted Resolution 2334, calling on Israel to “immediately and completely cease all settlement activities in the occupied Palestinian territories, including East Jerusalem”.
Palestinians want the West Bank as part of a future independent Palestinian state with East Jerusalem as its capital.
The last round of Israeli-Palestinian talks collapsed in 2014. Among the major sticking points in those negotiations was Israel’s continued settlement expansion on internationally recognized Palestinian territories.
Ghassan Daghlas, a Palestinian Authority official in charge of monitoring Israel’s settlement expansion activities, told the PNN that Israeli officials have served orders to people in the villages of Qaryout and Jalud, located approximately 30 kilometers (19 miles) south of Nablus, notifying them of the decision to seize almost 100 dunams (24.7 acres), in order to expand the nearby Shilo settlement.
Daghlas added that similar notices had been distributed among the residents of Turmus Ayya town.
More than 600,000 Israelis live in over 230 settlements built since the 1967 Israeli occupation of the Palestinian territories of the West Bank and East Jerusalem.
The UN Security Council has condemned Israel’s settlement activities in the occupied territories, in several resolutions.
Less than a month before US President Donald Trump took office, in December of 2016, the United Nations Security Council adopted Resolution 2334, calling on Israel to “immediately and completely cease all settlement activities in the occupied Palestinian territories, including East Jerusalem”.
Palestinians want the West Bank as part of a future independent Palestinian state with East Jerusalem as its capital.
The last round of Israeli-Palestinian talks collapsed in 2014. Among the major sticking points in those negotiations was Israel’s continued settlement expansion on internationally recognized Palestinian territories.
8 sept 2019
Israeli soldiers confiscated, Sunday, approximately 100 Dunams (24.7 Acres) of privately-owned Palestinian lands from villages south of Nablus, in northern West Bank, and northeast of Ramallah, in central West Bank.
Ghassan Daghlas, a Palestinian official who monitors Israel’s illegal colonialist activities in northern West Bank, said the soldiers handed the confiscation orders to residents of Qaryout and Jaloud villages, near the northern West Bank city of Nablus.
He added that similar orders were handed to residents of Turmus Ayya village, north of the central West Bank city of Ramallah.
The confiscation of the lands is part of Israeli plans to expand Shilu illegal colony, which was built on private Palestinian lands.
The confiscated lands are in the following areas:
Daghlas stated that Israeli Prime Minster Benjamin Netanyahu is escalating the confiscation of Palestinian lands and the attempts to build and expand the illegal colonies as part of his efforts to appease the colonists ahead of the upcoming general election on September 17th.
Ghassan Daghlas, a Palestinian official who monitors Israel’s illegal colonialist activities in northern West Bank, said the soldiers handed the confiscation orders to residents of Qaryout and Jaloud villages, near the northern West Bank city of Nablus.
He added that similar orders were handed to residents of Turmus Ayya village, north of the central West Bank city of Ramallah.
The confiscation of the lands is part of Israeli plans to expand Shilu illegal colony, which was built on private Palestinian lands.
The confiscated lands are in the following areas:
- Ras al-‘Ein and Ras Moweis, Basin #1 of the southern area of Qaryout village, southeast of Nablus.
- Basin #12 of Jaloud village, south of Nablus.
- Basin #10 and Basin #3 of Turmus Ayya village, northeast of Ramallah.
Daghlas stated that Israeli Prime Minster Benjamin Netanyahu is escalating the confiscation of Palestinian lands and the attempts to build and expand the illegal colonies as part of his efforts to appease the colonists ahead of the upcoming general election on September 17th.
5 sept 2019
The Israeli occupation authorities on Wednesday ordered the confiscation of Palestinian-owned lands in the West Bank district of Bethlehem.
Head of the Committee against the Wall and Settlement in Bethlehem Hasan Brijiyeh said that Israel has issued three orders to seize privately-owned lands in Beit Jala, Tuqu' and 'Arab al-Rashayida towns.
He explained that Israel is planning to expand the settler road (60) as well as Ma'ale Amos and Nikodim settlements.
Bethlehem district has been recently subjected to a stepped up land grab policy aimed at building new settlements or expanding existing ones on lands owned by Palestinian residents.
Head of the Committee against the Wall and Settlement in Bethlehem Hasan Brijiyeh said that Israel has issued three orders to seize privately-owned lands in Beit Jala, Tuqu' and 'Arab al-Rashayida towns.
He explained that Israel is planning to expand the settler road (60) as well as Ma'ale Amos and Nikodim settlements.
Bethlehem district has been recently subjected to a stepped up land grab policy aimed at building new settlements or expanding existing ones on lands owned by Palestinian residents.
3 sept 2019
The European Union Representative issues the following statement in agreement with the EU Heads of Mission in Jerusalem and Ramallah.
On Monday 26 August, Israeli authorities demolished a Palestinian family’s home and restaurant near Bethlehem. The structures were located between the villages of Battir and Beit Jala in Area C of the West Bank.
These demolitions, together with settlement construction for Israelis in the area, exacerbate threats to the viability of the two-state solution and further undermine prospects for a lasting peace.
In line with the EU’s long-standing position on Israel’s settlement policy, illegal under international law, and actions taken in that context, such as forced transfers, evictions, demolitions and confiscations of homes, the EU expects the Israeli authorities to fully meet their obligations as an occupying power under International Humanitarian Law.
The EU missions in Jerusalem and Ramallah recall the successive Foreign Affairs Council Conclusions and statements in which the EU has repeated its strong opposition to Israel’s settlement policy and actions taken in this context, including evictions and demolitions.
The continuation of this policy undermines the viability of the two-state solution and the prospect for a lasting peace and seriously jeopardizes the possibility of Jerusalem serving as the future capital of both States.
On Monday 26 August, Israeli authorities demolished a Palestinian family’s home and restaurant near Bethlehem. The structures were located between the villages of Battir and Beit Jala in Area C of the West Bank.
These demolitions, together with settlement construction for Israelis in the area, exacerbate threats to the viability of the two-state solution and further undermine prospects for a lasting peace.
In line with the EU’s long-standing position on Israel’s settlement policy, illegal under international law, and actions taken in that context, such as forced transfers, evictions, demolitions and confiscations of homes, the EU expects the Israeli authorities to fully meet their obligations as an occupying power under International Humanitarian Law.
The EU missions in Jerusalem and Ramallah recall the successive Foreign Affairs Council Conclusions and statements in which the EU has repeated its strong opposition to Israel’s settlement policy and actions taken in this context, including evictions and demolitions.
The continuation of this policy undermines the viability of the two-state solution and the prospect for a lasting peace and seriously jeopardizes the possibility of Jerusalem serving as the future capital of both States.
Israeli settlers on Tuesday morning erected a caravan on a newly seized Palestinian land in Beit Jala town, west of Bethlehem.
Local sources said that the four-dunum land, owned by the Palestinian citizen Saba Skandar, was seized by the Israeli authorities on Monday without prior notice.
The sources said that the land was surrounded by barbed wire, and a generator and other electronic devices were brought to the caravan.
Journalists were prevented from approaching the area, they added.
Local sources said that the four-dunum land, owned by the Palestinian citizen Saba Skandar, was seized by the Israeli authorities on Monday without prior notice.
The sources said that the land was surrounded by barbed wire, and a generator and other electronic devices were brought to the caravan.
Journalists were prevented from approaching the area, they added.
A horde of armed Jewish settlers on Monday appropriated and bulldozed a Palestinian-owned tract of agricultural land in Beit Jala town, west of Bethlehem in the occupied West Bank.
Local official Hasan Berijiya said that bulldozers escorted by a group of settlers carrying weapons stormed the agricultural area of al-Makhrour in the town and embarked on razing four dunums of land belonging to a local resident called Saba Iskandar.
Berijiya added that the settlers wanted to place mobile homes on this piece of land.
He noted that the seized land is located near the Palestinian restaurant and the house that had been demolished about a week ago by the Israeli occupation authority.
Local official Hasan Berijiya said that bulldozers escorted by a group of settlers carrying weapons stormed the agricultural area of al-Makhrour in the town and embarked on razing four dunums of land belonging to a local resident called Saba Iskandar.
Berijiya added that the settlers wanted to place mobile homes on this piece of land.
He noted that the seized land is located near the Palestinian restaurant and the house that had been demolished about a week ago by the Israeli occupation authority.
The Israeli occupation authority (IOA) said it would annex hundreds of dunums of Palestinian land in Jinsafut town, east of Qalqilya, to build a road for nearby settlements.
According to local sources, the IOA told the Palestinian side of its plan to annex 1,000 dunums of land to build the road.
The Israeli plan would lead to uprooting dozens of olive trees and dismembering Palestinian-owned lands in the area.
Chief of the Jinsafut local council Eid Eid said the road would connect the illegal settlements in the area with each other and deprive Palestinian farmers of their lands.
According to local sources, the IOA told the Palestinian side of its plan to annex 1,000 dunums of land to build the road.
The Israeli plan would lead to uprooting dozens of olive trees and dismembering Palestinian-owned lands in the area.
Chief of the Jinsafut local council Eid Eid said the road would connect the illegal settlements in the area with each other and deprive Palestinian farmers of their lands.
2 sept 2019
Israel has announced its intent to expand Shiloh settlement which was built illegally on Palestinian-owned lands north of Ramallah City.
The Palestinian activist Bashar al-Qaryuti said that Israel's Civil Administration has published a map for a new settlement plan targeting Palestinian lands in the villages of Qaryut, Jalud and Turmus Ayya.
Al-Qaryuti explained that the plan is aimed at seizing new Palestinian lands to expand Shiloh settlement.
Last Sunday the Israeli authorities announced a plan to build 120 new settlement units in Deir Istiya and Kafr Laqif villages in Salfit and Qalqilya.
The Israeli settlement construction activity in the West Bank, Jerusalem and Golan is considered illegal under international law.
On 23 December 2016 the United Nations Security Council issued Resolution 2334 which demanded an immediate and complete halt to the settlement construction in the West Bank and Jerusalem.
The Palestinian activist Bashar al-Qaryuti said that Israel's Civil Administration has published a map for a new settlement plan targeting Palestinian lands in the villages of Qaryut, Jalud and Turmus Ayya.
Al-Qaryuti explained that the plan is aimed at seizing new Palestinian lands to expand Shiloh settlement.
Last Sunday the Israeli authorities announced a plan to build 120 new settlement units in Deir Istiya and Kafr Laqif villages in Salfit and Qalqilya.
The Israeli settlement construction activity in the West Bank, Jerusalem and Golan is considered illegal under international law.
On 23 December 2016 the United Nations Security Council issued Resolution 2334 which demanded an immediate and complete halt to the settlement construction in the West Bank and Jerusalem.
1 sept 2019
Presidential Spokesperson Nabil Abu Rudieneh slammed remarks made by Israeli prime minister, Benjamin Netanyahu, in which he pledged to annex and impose Israeli sovereignty on illegal West Bank settlements.
Speaking at a ceremony for the opening of the new school year in the settlement of Elkana, illegally built on Salfit land, in the occupied West Bank, Netanyahu said he will not uproot any settler from West Bank settlements, pledging to impose sovereignty on all settlements as part of the state of Israel.
Commenting on Netanyahu’s remarks, Abu Rudieneh said that the Israeli government continues to pursue this approach, which he stressed is not a solution, by reiterating its calls for the annexation of illegal settlements in the occupied Palestinian territories.
He slammed such move as a continuation of attempts to impose a fait accompli which is unacceptable and would not lead to any peace, security, or stability.
The presidential spokesman said that settlement policies, attempts at normalization that are contrary to the Arab peace initiative as well as attempts to erode the two-state solution, are rejected and condemned.
He stressed that such measures would not lead to a third option; either peace to the satisfaction of the Palestinian people, or no immunity for anyone or any decision or position that contradict with the resolutions of national and Arab councils and international legitimacy.
Speaking at a ceremony for the opening of the new school year in the settlement of Elkana, illegally built on Salfit land, in the occupied West Bank, Netanyahu said he will not uproot any settler from West Bank settlements, pledging to impose sovereignty on all settlements as part of the state of Israel.
Commenting on Netanyahu’s remarks, Abu Rudieneh said that the Israeli government continues to pursue this approach, which he stressed is not a solution, by reiterating its calls for the annexation of illegal settlements in the occupied Palestinian territories.
He slammed such move as a continuation of attempts to impose a fait accompli which is unacceptable and would not lead to any peace, security, or stability.
The presidential spokesman said that settlement policies, attempts at normalization that are contrary to the Arab peace initiative as well as attempts to erode the two-state solution, are rejected and condemned.
He stressed that such measures would not lead to a third option; either peace to the satisfaction of the Palestinian people, or no immunity for anyone or any decision or position that contradict with the resolutions of national and Arab councils and international legitimacy.
30 aug 2019
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Inspired by ancient Jewish customs, Israeli capital constructing enormous subterranean graveyard under Har Hamenuchot Cemetery, with room for 23,000 tombs resembling small Japanese capsule hotels
Under a mountain on the outskirts of Jerusalem, workers are completing three years of labor on a massive subterranean necropolis comprised of a mile (1.5 kilometers) of tunnels with sepulchers for interring the dead. Up above, the Har Hamenuchot Cemetery dominates the hillside overlooking the main highway leading into Jerusalem from Tel Aviv. But in October, the cemetery's management plans to open the first section |
of a sprawling catacomb complex which, when completed, will provide 23,000 gravesites for an increasingly crowded country.
"People will die probably forever," said Arik Glazer, chief executive of Rolzur Tunneling, the company building the tunnel tombs, "so you have to get space for that."
Land is in short supply in Israel, and Jewish and Muslim burial customs require interring the dead in the ground and prohibit cremation. The hilltop cemetery is almost at capacity, with nearly a quarter million graves.
The first underground section opening in October will have capacity for 8,000. The remaining sections are slated to open in the coming years.
Like other increasingly crowded metropolises, Tel Aviv has embraced vertical cemetery structures to accommodate growing demand, but now Israel is looking for solutions below ground.
Even in the blazing summer heat, the labyrinthine vaults maintain their steady year-round temperature of 23 degrees Celsius (73 degrees Fahrenheit).
The limestone walls are lined four-high with tombs that resemble small Japanese capsule hotels. Giant flame-hued polyhedron light fixtures designed by German artist Yvelle Gabriel dangle at intersections between the avenues and streets deep in the mountain.
The entire project cost an estimated $50 million and took just over three years to complete. The tunnels take up just 5% of the total subterranean area of the mountain available for future tombs, Glazer said.
Part of the inspiration behind this project was the ancient Jewish custom of cave burials found at sites around the Holy Land, from the UNESCO heritage site of Beit Shearim near Haifa, to rocky hillsides around Jerusalem.
"The basic blueprints for this project were the cemetery at Beit Shearim," said Adi Alphandary, head of Rolzur's business development. Those catacombs, active between the second and fourth centuries, were recognized by the United Nations as a World Heritage Site in 2015.
Israel Antiquities Authority archaeologist Amit Reem said that families would inter the deceased's remains in the catacombs, then seal the door with a rock for eight months.
"When they opened the door of the cave, inside the cave was only the skeleton with no flesh," Reem said. The bones were then collected and often placed in stone boxes, known as ossuaries, inside the cave chamber.
While the modern-day burial chambers will simply be sealed with a grave marker, Hananya Shahor, executive director of the Jewish burial association in Jerusalem, said that Orthodox rabbis they consulted said the sprawling site is "100% acceptable according to Jewish tradition."
"We are almost sure that people will like this way much, much more than the old systems of burial," he said.
"People will die probably forever," said Arik Glazer, chief executive of Rolzur Tunneling, the company building the tunnel tombs, "so you have to get space for that."
Land is in short supply in Israel, and Jewish and Muslim burial customs require interring the dead in the ground and prohibit cremation. The hilltop cemetery is almost at capacity, with nearly a quarter million graves.
The first underground section opening in October will have capacity for 8,000. The remaining sections are slated to open in the coming years.
Like other increasingly crowded metropolises, Tel Aviv has embraced vertical cemetery structures to accommodate growing demand, but now Israel is looking for solutions below ground.
Even in the blazing summer heat, the labyrinthine vaults maintain their steady year-round temperature of 23 degrees Celsius (73 degrees Fahrenheit).
The limestone walls are lined four-high with tombs that resemble small Japanese capsule hotels. Giant flame-hued polyhedron light fixtures designed by German artist Yvelle Gabriel dangle at intersections between the avenues and streets deep in the mountain.
The entire project cost an estimated $50 million and took just over three years to complete. The tunnels take up just 5% of the total subterranean area of the mountain available for future tombs, Glazer said.
Part of the inspiration behind this project was the ancient Jewish custom of cave burials found at sites around the Holy Land, from the UNESCO heritage site of Beit Shearim near Haifa, to rocky hillsides around Jerusalem.
"The basic blueprints for this project were the cemetery at Beit Shearim," said Adi Alphandary, head of Rolzur's business development. Those catacombs, active between the second and fourth centuries, were recognized by the United Nations as a World Heritage Site in 2015.
Israel Antiquities Authority archaeologist Amit Reem said that families would inter the deceased's remains in the catacombs, then seal the door with a rock for eight months.
"When they opened the door of the cave, inside the cave was only the skeleton with no flesh," Reem said. The bones were then collected and often placed in stone boxes, known as ossuaries, inside the cave chamber.
While the modern-day burial chambers will simply be sealed with a grave marker, Hananya Shahor, executive director of the Jewish burial association in Jerusalem, said that Orthodox rabbis they consulted said the sprawling site is "100% acceptable according to Jewish tradition."
"We are almost sure that people will like this way much, much more than the old systems of burial," he said.
29 aug 2019
Israeli bulldozers today leveled Palestinian land in Wadi al-Makhrour, located to the west of the West Bank city of Bethlehem.
Hassan Breijeh, a local anti-wall and settlement activist, said that Israeli bulldozers started leveling Palestinian land in Wadi al-Makhrour, a step which lays the groundwork for the construction of a one-kilometer tunnel that would connect the Gush Etzion settlement bloc with Jerusalem.
Breijeh warned that dozens of dunums of Palestinian land belonging to the largely Christian community of Beit Jala to make room for the expansion of nearby Jewish-only Israeli settlements.
Wadi al-Makhrour, a valley that stretches between Battir village and Beit Jala city, is a popular hiking spot for Palestinians. It is best enjoyed during the late afternoon in the summer when the sun is about to set.
According to the online portal for Palestinian tourism, www.visitpalestine.ps, the area encompasses both natural and agricultural landscapes and is well known for its ancient terraces and stone towers called qusur, built of neatly placed rocks that used to serve as storage rooms for various crops planted in the wadi.
The area is famous for its hills replete with agricultural terraces full of olive, apricot, and fig trees. The abundance of the place is owed to the underground natural springs and also to the hard work of the landowners. Some parts of the valley are home to natural forests with remarkable tree species such as Palestine oak (Quercus calliprinos).
Israeli forces have been targeting Wadi al-Makhrour seeking to forcefully displace the indigenous Palestinian residents from their land for Jewish-only settlement expansion.
The largely Christian city of Beit Jala is flanked by Gilo and Har Gilo settlements to the north and northwest.
Hassan Breijeh, a local anti-wall and settlement activist, said that Israeli bulldozers started leveling Palestinian land in Wadi al-Makhrour, a step which lays the groundwork for the construction of a one-kilometer tunnel that would connect the Gush Etzion settlement bloc with Jerusalem.
Breijeh warned that dozens of dunums of Palestinian land belonging to the largely Christian community of Beit Jala to make room for the expansion of nearby Jewish-only Israeli settlements.
Wadi al-Makhrour, a valley that stretches between Battir village and Beit Jala city, is a popular hiking spot for Palestinians. It is best enjoyed during the late afternoon in the summer when the sun is about to set.
According to the online portal for Palestinian tourism, www.visitpalestine.ps, the area encompasses both natural and agricultural landscapes and is well known for its ancient terraces and stone towers called qusur, built of neatly placed rocks that used to serve as storage rooms for various crops planted in the wadi.
The area is famous for its hills replete with agricultural terraces full of olive, apricot, and fig trees. The abundance of the place is owed to the underground natural springs and also to the hard work of the landowners. Some parts of the valley are home to natural forests with remarkable tree species such as Palestine oak (Quercus calliprinos).
Israeli forces have been targeting Wadi al-Makhrour seeking to forcefully displace the indigenous Palestinian residents from their land for Jewish-only settlement expansion.
The largely Christian city of Beit Jala is flanked by Gilo and Har Gilo settlements to the north and northwest.
