31 dec 2014
The number of Jews moving to Israel leapt in 2014 to its highest figure in a decade, with western Europe leading the way, the immigration ministry said Wednesday.
Immigration hit a 10-year high, with the arrival of some 26,500 new residents, according to a joint statement with the Jewish Agency, a quasi-governmental organization tasked with encouraging Jews to move to Israel.
This marks a significant 32 percent increase over last year's approximately 20,000 immigrants, the statement said.
This "was a year of record-breaking aliyah," Jewish Agency chairman Natan Sharansky said, using the Hebrew word for immigration to Israel.
It "also saw a historic shift: for the first time in Israel's history, the number of immigrants who came to Israel from the free world is greater than that of immigrants fleeing countries in distress."
For the first time ever, France provided the biggest number, as more than 6,600 Jews moved to Israel. That was nearly twice the 3,400 who arrived in 2013.
Overall, immigration from Western Europe increased 88 percent, with the arrival of some 8,640 people, compared with 4,600 a year earlier.
Some 620 arrived from Britain, compared with 520 a year earlier, and the number from Italy doubled to 340. Around 240 arrived from Belgium, a slight decrease, and the number from Germany remained stable, at approximately 120. Immigration from former Soviet Union countries saw a 50 percent increase, with the arrival of some 11,430 people, compared with 7,610 in 2013.
That was largely driven by an exodus from conflict-wracked Ukraine, where the number surged 190 percent to 5,840.
More than half of all people moving to Israel in 2014 were under 35, among them 5,300 children and some 8,200 adults aged between 18-34.
Tel Aviv was the city which received the highest number of immigrants, at around 3,000. It was followed by the northern coastal city of Netanya and then Jerusalem.
More than three million Jews have immigrated to Israel since its creation in 1948 -- including one million from former Soviet states since 1990 -- under the Law of Return, which offers citizenship and benefits to Jews from anywhere in the world.
However, millions of Palestinians in exile -- those whose descendants were among the 750,000 who fled or were driven from their homes during the war that led to Israel's creation in 1948 -- are barred from returning to their land in what is now Israel.
Immigration hit a 10-year high, with the arrival of some 26,500 new residents, according to a joint statement with the Jewish Agency, a quasi-governmental organization tasked with encouraging Jews to move to Israel.
This marks a significant 32 percent increase over last year's approximately 20,000 immigrants, the statement said.
This "was a year of record-breaking aliyah," Jewish Agency chairman Natan Sharansky said, using the Hebrew word for immigration to Israel.
It "also saw a historic shift: for the first time in Israel's history, the number of immigrants who came to Israel from the free world is greater than that of immigrants fleeing countries in distress."
For the first time ever, France provided the biggest number, as more than 6,600 Jews moved to Israel. That was nearly twice the 3,400 who arrived in 2013.
Overall, immigration from Western Europe increased 88 percent, with the arrival of some 8,640 people, compared with 4,600 a year earlier.
Some 620 arrived from Britain, compared with 520 a year earlier, and the number from Italy doubled to 340. Around 240 arrived from Belgium, a slight decrease, and the number from Germany remained stable, at approximately 120. Immigration from former Soviet Union countries saw a 50 percent increase, with the arrival of some 11,430 people, compared with 7,610 in 2013.
That was largely driven by an exodus from conflict-wracked Ukraine, where the number surged 190 percent to 5,840.
More than half of all people moving to Israel in 2014 were under 35, among them 5,300 children and some 8,200 adults aged between 18-34.
Tel Aviv was the city which received the highest number of immigrants, at around 3,000. It was followed by the northern coastal city of Netanya and then Jerusalem.
More than three million Jews have immigrated to Israel since its creation in 1948 -- including one million from former Soviet states since 1990 -- under the Law of Return, which offers citizenship and benefits to Jews from anywhere in the world.
However, millions of Palestinians in exile -- those whose descendants were among the 750,000 who fled or were driven from their homes during the war that led to Israel's creation in 1948 -- are barred from returning to their land in what is now Israel.
A 10-year-old Palestinian boy was hit Wednesday morning by a vehicle driven by an Israeli fanatic settler, causing him injuries and bruises.
Palestinian medics in Bethlehem said the child, Amir Majed Suleiman, was rushed to the Beit Jala public hospital after an Israeli fanatic settler ran over him on the main road to Takoua village while he was on his way to school.
Meanwhile, a gang of Israeli vandals at dawn Wednesday set fire to a Palestinian family home in Yatta, to the south of al-Khalil city, using Molotov Cocktails.
The house was partially torched by the settlers who sprayed anti-Arab and racist graffiti, reading “leave with dignity,” on its walls.
The Israeli occupation forces (IOF) summoned two Palestinian youths from al-Khalil for interrogation following a round of abrupt assaults on family homes in Beit Ummar and Awa towns.
A number of schoolchildren were treated for breathing disorders due to heavy inhalation of tear gas unleashed by the IOF during the wave of cashes that rocked southern al-Khalil, local sources reported.
In a related development, the Palestinian natives of Qasra town, south of the northern West Bank city of Nablus, were on the alert to a round of assaults launched by setter hordes of the so-called Aish Kodesh settlement outpost built over Palestinian lands.
The assault came a few hours after the Israeli vandals urged the IOF to force Palestinian farmers out of their cultivated land tracts in the neighboring towns of Jaloud and Qaryout.
Child Injured After Being Hit By A Settler’s Car In Bethlehem
Palestinian medical sources have reported, on Wednesday morning, that a child was injured after being hit by an Israeli settler’s car, in Teqoua’ town, east of the West Bank city of Bethlehem.
Eyewitnesses said the child, Amir Majed Suleiman, 10 years of age, was heading to school when the settler struck him, and that the assailant fled the scene heading towards the Teqoua’ illegal Israeli settlement, built on Palestinian lands.
Medics rushed to the scene, and moved the moderately wounded child to Beit Jala government-run hospital.
In related news, Israeli extremists attacked a number of Palestinian villagers in their own lands, east of Bethlehem.
Head of the Janata local council Zayed Mousa said a large number of settlers attacked Palestinian farmers plowing their lands, and started shouting and cursing at them before throwing stones at them.
The lands are isolated due to the illegal Israeli Annexation Wall and Israel’s illegal settlements; the villagers obtained the required permits from the army to enter their lands, but had to leave after being assaulted by the settlers.
Furthermore, Israeli soldiers demolished a shed and bulldozed an agricultural land, belonging to a local resident, in the Srouj area, south of the southern West Bank city of Hebron.
In Nablus, in the northern part of the West Bank, local villages of Qasra village foiled an attack by a number of Israeli extremists who infiltrated into the village.
Later on, Israeli soldiers invaded the village, and fired gas bombs and rubber-coated metal bullets at the residents to force them away; the soldiers allowed the settlers to leave and head back to their illegal settlement.
Extremist Israeli Settlers Burn Palestinian Home Near Hebron
Palestinian medics in Bethlehem said the child, Amir Majed Suleiman, was rushed to the Beit Jala public hospital after an Israeli fanatic settler ran over him on the main road to Takoua village while he was on his way to school.
Meanwhile, a gang of Israeli vandals at dawn Wednesday set fire to a Palestinian family home in Yatta, to the south of al-Khalil city, using Molotov Cocktails.
The house was partially torched by the settlers who sprayed anti-Arab and racist graffiti, reading “leave with dignity,” on its walls.
The Israeli occupation forces (IOF) summoned two Palestinian youths from al-Khalil for interrogation following a round of abrupt assaults on family homes in Beit Ummar and Awa towns.
A number of schoolchildren were treated for breathing disorders due to heavy inhalation of tear gas unleashed by the IOF during the wave of cashes that rocked southern al-Khalil, local sources reported.
In a related development, the Palestinian natives of Qasra town, south of the northern West Bank city of Nablus, were on the alert to a round of assaults launched by setter hordes of the so-called Aish Kodesh settlement outpost built over Palestinian lands.
The assault came a few hours after the Israeli vandals urged the IOF to force Palestinian farmers out of their cultivated land tracts in the neighboring towns of Jaloud and Qaryout.
Child Injured After Being Hit By A Settler’s Car In Bethlehem
Palestinian medical sources have reported, on Wednesday morning, that a child was injured after being hit by an Israeli settler’s car, in Teqoua’ town, east of the West Bank city of Bethlehem.
Eyewitnesses said the child, Amir Majed Suleiman, 10 years of age, was heading to school when the settler struck him, and that the assailant fled the scene heading towards the Teqoua’ illegal Israeli settlement, built on Palestinian lands.
Medics rushed to the scene, and moved the moderately wounded child to Beit Jala government-run hospital.
In related news, Israeli extremists attacked a number of Palestinian villagers in their own lands, east of Bethlehem.
Head of the Janata local council Zayed Mousa said a large number of settlers attacked Palestinian farmers plowing their lands, and started shouting and cursing at them before throwing stones at them.
The lands are isolated due to the illegal Israeli Annexation Wall and Israel’s illegal settlements; the villagers obtained the required permits from the army to enter their lands, but had to leave after being assaulted by the settlers.
Furthermore, Israeli soldiers demolished a shed and bulldozed an agricultural land, belonging to a local resident, in the Srouj area, south of the southern West Bank city of Hebron.
In Nablus, in the northern part of the West Bank, local villages of Qasra village foiled an attack by a number of Israeli extremists who infiltrated into the village.
Later on, Israeli soldiers invaded the village, and fired gas bombs and rubber-coated metal bullets at the residents to force them away; the soldiers allowed the settlers to leave and head back to their illegal settlement.
Extremist Israeli Settlers Burn Palestinian Home Near Hebron
A Palestinian family from a village east of the town of Yatta, near the southern West Bank city of Hebron, narrowly escaped death on Wednesday at dawn, when a number of fanatic Israeli settlers hurled Molotov cocktails into their home as they slept.
The head of the Yatta City Council Mousa Makhamra told the Maan News Agency that the attack is a very serious and
dangerous escalation, adding that it is an attempt to annihilate a family of seven; five children and their parents.
Makhamra added that the fanatic settlers, from Karmiel illegal settlement, infiltrated into ad-Deerat village, east of Yatta, at approximately 3 am, and throw the Molotov cocktails into the Palestinian home after writing racist graffiti on its outer walls.
Makhamra further stated that the family woke up in time, and their neighbors rushed in when they saw the house on fire, and rescued the family.
The fires consumed the furniture in the living room, but was controlled before it spread.
The settlers wrote racist anti-Arab graffiti, including the infamous statement “Death To Arabs”, and other graffiti.
The head of the Yatta City Council Mousa Makhamra told the Maan News Agency that the attack is a very serious and
dangerous escalation, adding that it is an attempt to annihilate a family of seven; five children and their parents.
Makhamra added that the fanatic settlers, from Karmiel illegal settlement, infiltrated into ad-Deerat village, east of Yatta, at approximately 3 am, and throw the Molotov cocktails into the Palestinian home after writing racist graffiti on its outer walls.
Makhamra further stated that the family woke up in time, and their neighbors rushed in when they saw the house on fire, and rescued the family.
The fires consumed the furniture in the living room, but was controlled before it spread.
The settlers wrote racist anti-Arab graffiti, including the infamous statement “Death To Arabs”, and other graffiti.
30 dec 2014
Amal Taqatqa, a Palestinian woman from Beit Fajjar being held in Hadassah Ein Karem hospital under armed guard, was assaulted in her hospital room by an Israeli settler, reported Yousef Matya, a lawyer with the Palestinian Prisoners’ Society.
Taqatqa, 23, was arrested on 1 December and accused of attempting to stab a settler near Gush Etzion settlement, which is located partially on the lands of Beit Fajjar. The settler was uninjured; Taqatqa was shot five times and is still suffering significant health problems.
She was assaulted by another settler who pulled her hair and slapped her, wakening her from sleep, Matya said. He also said in the statement reported by Ma’an News that he was only able to visit her after making several inquiries, while she has been entirely denied family visits. She has been interrogated on multiple occasions while in the hospital.
Also on 30 December, Ma’an reported that two Palestinian women, Sabah Abu Hadwan, 38, and her daughter Alaa Ayyoub Abu Hadwan, 21, were detained at the entrance to Al-Aqsa Mosque by Israeli occupation forces and taken to the Beit Elyahu police station for interrogation.
Taqatqa, 23, was arrested on 1 December and accused of attempting to stab a settler near Gush Etzion settlement, which is located partially on the lands of Beit Fajjar. The settler was uninjured; Taqatqa was shot five times and is still suffering significant health problems.
She was assaulted by another settler who pulled her hair and slapped her, wakening her from sleep, Matya said. He also said in the statement reported by Ma’an News that he was only able to visit her after making several inquiries, while she has been entirely denied family visits. She has been interrogated on multiple occasions while in the hospital.
Also on 30 December, Ma’an reported that two Palestinian women, Sabah Abu Hadwan, 38, and her daughter Alaa Ayyoub Abu Hadwan, 21, were detained at the entrance to Al-Aqsa Mosque by Israeli occupation forces and taken to the Beit Elyahu police station for interrogation.
29 dec 2014
Israeli settlers stormed Monday morning al-Aqsa Mosque from the Magaribeh gate under heavy police protection.
According to Jerusalemite sources, dozens of settlers stormed in three groups al-Aqsa Mosque plazas from the Magaribeh gate and tried to perform Talmudic rituals before being expelled by the Mosque's guards.
In the same context, security restrictions are still imposed on the Jerusalemite worshipers’ entry into the holy shrine, the sources added.
Israeli forces and policemen have intensified today their presence in occupied Jerusalem after Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu ordered a significant increase in police deployments adding about 400 policemen to those already deployed in the holy city.
According to Jerusalemite sources, dozens of settlers stormed in three groups al-Aqsa Mosque plazas from the Magaribeh gate and tried to perform Talmudic rituals before being expelled by the Mosque's guards.
In the same context, security restrictions are still imposed on the Jerusalemite worshipers’ entry into the holy shrine, the sources added.
Israeli forces and policemen have intensified today their presence in occupied Jerusalem after Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu ordered a significant increase in police deployments adding about 400 policemen to those already deployed in the holy city.
Scores of Palestinian young men suffered from inhaling tear gas during violent clashes on Sunday evening with Israeli police soldiers in the neighborhoods of Attur and Ras al-Amud, east of Jerusalem.
Eyewitnesses said the clashes broke out in Attur neighborhood after Israeli troops stormed Khila street.
The angry young men responded to the firing of tear gas and rubber bullets by throwing stones and Molotov cocktails at the invading troops.
Earlier on the same day, the Israeli police kidnapped three young men from the family of Abul-Hawa in Attur neighborhood on allegations of their attempt to stab a Jewish settler.
Similar clashes also took place in Ras al-Amud neighborhood.
In another incident, special forces from the Israeli army invaded yesterday Wadi al-Joz neighborhood, east of the holy city, with no reported arrests or confrontations.
Eyewitnesses said the clashes broke out in Attur neighborhood after Israeli troops stormed Khila street.
The angry young men responded to the firing of tear gas and rubber bullets by throwing stones and Molotov cocktails at the invading troops.
Earlier on the same day, the Israeli police kidnapped three young men from the family of Abul-Hawa in Attur neighborhood on allegations of their attempt to stab a Jewish settler.
Similar clashes also took place in Ras al-Amud neighborhood.
In another incident, special forces from the Israeli army invaded yesterday Wadi al-Joz neighborhood, east of the holy city, with no reported arrests or confrontations.
A seven-year-old Palestinian boy was hit Sunday morning by a vehicle driven by an Israeli settler, causing him moderate injuries.
Rateb Jabour, activist in the popular committee against settlement in Yatta, told the PIC that an Israeli settler ran over the seven-year-old Hamada Ayish Qareesh at the main road near Zif village.
The child was subsequently evacuated to Hadassah hospital in Occupied Jerusalem.
Recent months have seen a wave of hit-and-runs against Palestinians by fanatic Jewish settlers, Jabour added.
Meanwhile, the IOF kidnapped a Palestinian young man from an Israeli settlement built over Palestinian lands north of al-Khalil city.
The Israeli Maariv newspaper claimed that the youngster was nabbed by the IOF after he tried to push his way through the Eliezer illegal settlement, north of al-Khalil.
Earlier on Saturday a horde of extremist Jewish settlers attacked Palestinians’ cultivated lands in Yatta, to the south of al-Khalil, using chemical pesticides.
The attack culminated in remarkable damage wrought on two dunums of cultivated land lots.
Rateb Jabour, activist in the popular committee against settlement in Yatta, told the PIC that an Israeli settler ran over the seven-year-old Hamada Ayish Qareesh at the main road near Zif village.
The child was subsequently evacuated to Hadassah hospital in Occupied Jerusalem.
Recent months have seen a wave of hit-and-runs against Palestinians by fanatic Jewish settlers, Jabour added.
Meanwhile, the IOF kidnapped a Palestinian young man from an Israeli settlement built over Palestinian lands north of al-Khalil city.
The Israeli Maariv newspaper claimed that the youngster was nabbed by the IOF after he tried to push his way through the Eliezer illegal settlement, north of al-Khalil.
Earlier on Saturday a horde of extremist Jewish settlers attacked Palestinians’ cultivated lands in Yatta, to the south of al-Khalil, using chemical pesticides.
The attack culminated in remarkable damage wrought on two dunums of cultivated land lots.
28 dec 2014
The Israeli occupation forces (IOF) at dawn Sunday kidnapped two Palestinian citizens from their homes in Halhul town, north of al-Khalil city, and physically assaulted another one in Surif town.
Local sources told the Palestinian information center (PIC) that the IOF raided several homes in Halhul town and kidnapped two citizens identified as Tha'er Azzama'era and Islam al-Sa'da.
The PIC was also told that a young man named Mustafa Agneimat suffered some bruises in his body when Israeli soldiers severely beat him during a campaign in Surif town, north of al-Khalil.
In an earlier incident, Israeli troops on Saturday evening interrogated citizens in a Palestinian area near Salem military post, north of Jenin city, and launched a search campaign.
Local sources reported that Israeli soldiers left the military camp and went to Haifa street near the junction of Zabuba and Romana villages where they stopped some young men and interrogated them.
They added that a group of soldiers also combed the cultivated lands near their camp and the segregation wall.
In a settler-related incident, a group of Jewish settlers from Mabo Dotan settlement, south of Jenin, assaulted on the same day a Palestinian shepherd and his two sons as they were grazing their cattle in a nearby area.
Eyewitnesses told the PIC that an extremist Jewish settler, working as a guard in Mabo Dotan settlement and notorious for his violent behavior, attacked the shepherds at the pretext they were walking with their sheep on a land near the settlement.
They explained further that the guard along with other settlers chased the shepherds, who are from Araba town in Jenin, and physically assaulted them, adding that the guard also threatened to take away their sheep if he saw them around again.
The three shepherds are Imad Zuhair and his sons Samir and Khaled, and they have been bullied and physically assaulted more than once by Jewish settlers.
Local sources told the Palestinian information center (PIC) that the IOF raided several homes in Halhul town and kidnapped two citizens identified as Tha'er Azzama'era and Islam al-Sa'da.
The PIC was also told that a young man named Mustafa Agneimat suffered some bruises in his body when Israeli soldiers severely beat him during a campaign in Surif town, north of al-Khalil.
In an earlier incident, Israeli troops on Saturday evening interrogated citizens in a Palestinian area near Salem military post, north of Jenin city, and launched a search campaign.
Local sources reported that Israeli soldiers left the military camp and went to Haifa street near the junction of Zabuba and Romana villages where they stopped some young men and interrogated them.
They added that a group of soldiers also combed the cultivated lands near their camp and the segregation wall.
In a settler-related incident, a group of Jewish settlers from Mabo Dotan settlement, south of Jenin, assaulted on the same day a Palestinian shepherd and his two sons as they were grazing their cattle in a nearby area.
Eyewitnesses told the PIC that an extremist Jewish settler, working as a guard in Mabo Dotan settlement and notorious for his violent behavior, attacked the shepherds at the pretext they were walking with their sheep on a land near the settlement.
They explained further that the guard along with other settlers chased the shepherds, who are from Araba town in Jenin, and physically assaulted them, adding that the guard also threatened to take away their sheep if he saw them around again.
The three shepherds are Imad Zuhair and his sons Samir and Khaled, and they have been bullied and physically assaulted more than once by Jewish settlers.
27 dec 2014
Dozens of Israeli settlers attacked Friday evening Palestinian vehicles passing through Jenin-Nablus road, while Israeli occupation forces (IOF) broke into a number of towns near Jenin.
Local sources revealed that large numbers of settlers stormed late Friday the evacuated settlement of Homesh to the south of Jenin and started stoning and attacking the passing Palestinian vehicles near the entrance of the settlement under IOF protection.
Meanwhile, IOF soldiers in ten military patrols stormed different neighborhoods and towns in Jenin and carried out large combing operations throughout the roads in total provocation to the local residents. No arrests were reported.
Along the same line, a number of Israeli settlers broke into Bzik area, to the north of Tubas, Friday afternoon under protection of Israeli forces.
Local sources revealed that large numbers of settlers stormed late Friday the evacuated settlement of Homesh to the south of Jenin and started stoning and attacking the passing Palestinian vehicles near the entrance of the settlement under IOF protection.
Meanwhile, IOF soldiers in ten military patrols stormed different neighborhoods and towns in Jenin and carried out large combing operations throughout the roads in total provocation to the local residents. No arrests were reported.
Along the same line, a number of Israeli settlers broke into Bzik area, to the north of Tubas, Friday afternoon under protection of Israeli forces.
25 dec 2014
The Israeli military said on Thursday that two Israeli settlers were injured after a Molotov cocktail was thrown at their car as it drove in the Jewish settlement of Maale Shomeron, in the Qalqiliya region.
The military said in a statement that an 11-year-old girl was severely burned and her father lightly injured after the Molotov cocktail hit the vehicle they were driving in.
The two were later evacuated to the hospital for treatment, according to the statement, and the military said they were searching the area for suspects.
Maale Shomeron is a Jewish-only settlement immediately beside the Palestinian village of Azun, east of Qalqiliya, and is built on land confiscated from a number of local Palestinian villages.
Maale Shomeron is part of a larger settlement bloc home to more than 11,000 Jews that curves deep into the West Bank, surrounding a number of Palestinian villages on at least three sides and preventing Palestinians from freely moving in the area.
The military said in a statement that an 11-year-old girl was severely burned and her father lightly injured after the Molotov cocktail hit the vehicle they were driving in.
The two were later evacuated to the hospital for treatment, according to the statement, and the military said they were searching the area for suspects.
Maale Shomeron is a Jewish-only settlement immediately beside the Palestinian village of Azun, east of Qalqiliya, and is built on land confiscated from a number of local Palestinian villages.
Maale Shomeron is part of a larger settlement bloc home to more than 11,000 Jews that curves deep into the West Bank, surrounding a number of Palestinian villages on at least three sides and preventing Palestinians from freely moving in the area.
The Israeli occupation authority (IOA) recently opened undergrounds halls and a Jewish tourist center underneath al-Mathara Gate area, west of the Aqsa Mosque, the Aqsa foundation for endowment and heritage stated in a report on Wednesday.
The Aqsa foundation explained that during the Jewish holiday of Hanukkah, the IOA opened a Jewish tourist attraction, including vaulted halls and a museum, below al-Mathara Gate area, about 20 meters away from the western wall of the Aqsa Mosque and initially started to allow a limited number of people to visit it.
The foundation said the construction of this Judaization project continued for more than 10 years and it is part of an Israeli plan aimed at twisting the historical identity of the holy city and spread false Talmudic stories and lies about the alleged temple mount.
The IOA has been for many years carrying out excavations and underground construction projects and tunnels in order to fabricate Jewish landmarks and obliterate the Islamic and Arab character of the holy city as a prelude to executing the bigger plan of building the alleged temple on the ruins of the Aqsa Mosque.
The Aqsa foundation explained that during the Jewish holiday of Hanukkah, the IOA opened a Jewish tourist attraction, including vaulted halls and a museum, below al-Mathara Gate area, about 20 meters away from the western wall of the Aqsa Mosque and initially started to allow a limited number of people to visit it.
The foundation said the construction of this Judaization project continued for more than 10 years and it is part of an Israeli plan aimed at twisting the historical identity of the holy city and spread false Talmudic stories and lies about the alleged temple mount.
The IOA has been for many years carrying out excavations and underground construction projects and tunnels in order to fabricate Jewish landmarks and obliterate the Islamic and Arab character of the holy city as a prelude to executing the bigger plan of building the alleged temple on the ruins of the Aqsa Mosque.
Jewish settlers assaulted a Palestinian worker on Wednesday while at work in 1948 occupied Palestine.
Local sources in the worker’s hometown of Bani Naim, east of al-Khalil, said that the young man Attiya Harahsha was beaten on his head, back, and limbs.
They said that he was hospitalized for treatment of moderate bruises sustained in the attack.
Local sources in the worker’s hometown of Bani Naim, east of al-Khalil, said that the young man Attiya Harahsha was beaten on his head, back, and limbs.
They said that he was hospitalized for treatment of moderate bruises sustained in the attack.
24 dec 2014
Israeli settlers on Wednesday opened fire at Palestinian customs police near Salfit in the northern West Bank, local Palestinian sources said.
The sources said that customs police officers were on duty in the village of Badiya north of Salfit when a car with Israeli license plates opened fire directly at them.
No injuries were reported in the incident.
The sources said that Palestinian authorities have lodged a complaint at the office of the Israeli military liaison, and a joint Israeli-Palestinian committee to investigate the incident has been formed.
Around 550,000 Israelis live in Jewish-only settlements across the West Bank, which has been under Israeli military occupation since 1967.
The sources said that customs police officers were on duty in the village of Badiya north of Salfit when a car with Israeli license plates opened fire directly at them.
No injuries were reported in the incident.
The sources said that Palestinian authorities have lodged a complaint at the office of the Israeli military liaison, and a joint Israeli-Palestinian committee to investigate the incident has been formed.
Around 550,000 Israelis live in Jewish-only settlements across the West Bank, which has been under Israeli military occupation since 1967.
23 dec 2014
A horde of Jewish settlers on Tuesday morning desecrated the Aqsa Mosque's courtyards amid tight police protection, according to Palestinian eyewitnesses.
The settlers received religious explanations about the alleged temple mount as they were touring the Mosque's courtyards.
The intensive presence of Muslim worshipers in the Mosque's courtyards and near its buildings prevented the settlers from performing Jewish rituals and forced them to end their tour quickly.
The Palestinian information center (PIC) reporter in the city said the Israeli police detained a Palestinian worshiper from al-Shalludi family during the presence of settlers inside the holy place, without stating the reason for his arrest.
In a related context, Palestinian deputy minister of religious affairs Hasan al-Saifi strongly denounced the Israeli police for protecting the settlers' daily mass desecration of the Aqsa Mosque.
In press remarks on Monday, Saifi said that the recent intensive break-ins at the Aqsa Mosque that are organized by extremist Jewish temple groups in the context of their program during the so-called holiday Hanukkah are part of their attempts to Judaize the entire holy shrine.
The Palestinian official also deplored Israel's ongoing demolition of Palestinian homes in Jerusalem and its environs, stating that Israeli bulldozers on Monday morning razed four homes and cattle shelters in al-Eizariya town, east of Jerusalem, and displaced its Bedouin owners with no reason.
He also said that the Israeli police on the same day arrested three young men from Jerusalem and took them in for interrogation without no guilt.
Saifi also condemned the use of excessive force by Israeli soldiers against Palestinian young men protesting the presence of Jewish settlers in Nablus city to perform rituals at Joseph's Tomb, pointing out that several young men suffered injuries during clashes with the invading troops.
He called on the Arab League and the Organization of Islamic Cooperation to take concrete steps to curb Israel's violations against the Palestinians and their Islamic holy sites.
The settlers received religious explanations about the alleged temple mount as they were touring the Mosque's courtyards.
The intensive presence of Muslim worshipers in the Mosque's courtyards and near its buildings prevented the settlers from performing Jewish rituals and forced them to end their tour quickly.
The Palestinian information center (PIC) reporter in the city said the Israeli police detained a Palestinian worshiper from al-Shalludi family during the presence of settlers inside the holy place, without stating the reason for his arrest.
In a related context, Palestinian deputy minister of religious affairs Hasan al-Saifi strongly denounced the Israeli police for protecting the settlers' daily mass desecration of the Aqsa Mosque.
In press remarks on Monday, Saifi said that the recent intensive break-ins at the Aqsa Mosque that are organized by extremist Jewish temple groups in the context of their program during the so-called holiday Hanukkah are part of their attempts to Judaize the entire holy shrine.
The Palestinian official also deplored Israel's ongoing demolition of Palestinian homes in Jerusalem and its environs, stating that Israeli bulldozers on Monday morning razed four homes and cattle shelters in al-Eizariya town, east of Jerusalem, and displaced its Bedouin owners with no reason.
He also said that the Israeli police on the same day arrested three young men from Jerusalem and took them in for interrogation without no guilt.
Saifi also condemned the use of excessive force by Israeli soldiers against Palestinian young men protesting the presence of Jewish settlers in Nablus city to perform rituals at Joseph's Tomb, pointing out that several young men suffered injuries during clashes with the invading troops.
He called on the Arab League and the Organization of Islamic Cooperation to take concrete steps to curb Israel's violations against the Palestinians and their Islamic holy sites.
22 dec 2014
Extremist Jewish settlers stormed Monday morning al-Aqsa Mosque from the Magaribeh gate under heavy police protection.
Islamic Department for Endowment said that 38 Israeli settlers including members of the Temple Mount Faithful movement broke into the holy shrine.
The Islamic Department pointed out that hundreds of Palestinian worshipers stationed in the Mosque shouted slogans in protest against the settlers’ provocative break-ins into the Islamic holy site.
Israeli police continued to impose tight restrictions on women and youths’ access to the Mosque.
Meanwhile, two Jerusalemite youths were nabbed at dawn today after raiding into their homes in the Old City including a minor.
Islamic Department for Endowment said that 38 Israeli settlers including members of the Temple Mount Faithful movement broke into the holy shrine.
The Islamic Department pointed out that hundreds of Palestinian worshipers stationed in the Mosque shouted slogans in protest against the settlers’ provocative break-ins into the Islamic holy site.
Israeli police continued to impose tight restrictions on women and youths’ access to the Mosque.
Meanwhile, two Jerusalemite youths were nabbed at dawn today after raiding into their homes in the Old City including a minor.
A Palestinian young man sustained wounds at dawn Monday in clashes that flared up in the northern West Bank city of Nablus after a flock of Jewish settlers stormed Joseph’s tomb.
A PIC journalist quoted eye-witnesses as reporting that violent clashes burst out after a drove of buses crammed with bunches of extremist settlers and escorted by squads of the Israeli occupation forces (IOF) broke into Joseph’s Tomb.
The IOF soldiers attacked the Palestinian youths with randomly shot barrages of tear gas and rubber bullets, resulting in bullet injuries among one civilian youngster.
A number of suffocation cases were detected among the Palestinian civilians in the process due to heavy gas inhalation.
The youngsters reacted to the assault by hurling stones and empty bottles at the Israeli vandals.
The invading IOF troops reportedly stormed the family home of the Palestinian citizen Khaled Kaabi in Oman Street and ravaged it, leading to considerable material damage
A PIC journalist quoted eye-witnesses as reporting that violent clashes burst out after a drove of buses crammed with bunches of extremist settlers and escorted by squads of the Israeli occupation forces (IOF) broke into Joseph’s Tomb.
The IOF soldiers attacked the Palestinian youths with randomly shot barrages of tear gas and rubber bullets, resulting in bullet injuries among one civilian youngster.
A number of suffocation cases were detected among the Palestinian civilians in the process due to heavy gas inhalation.
The youngsters reacted to the assault by hurling stones and empty bottles at the Israeli vandals.
The invading IOF troops reportedly stormed the family home of the Palestinian citizen Khaled Kaabi in Oman Street and ravaged it, leading to considerable material damage
A Palestinian young man suffered injuries when a Jewish settler rammed his car into him in Ramallah city, while a little girl survived a similar vehicular attack by another settler in al-Khader town, south of Bethlehem.
Local sources said that 19-year-old Mousa Barhoum suffered moderate injuries in the hit-and-run accident on Sunday evening and was rushed to Palestine medical center in Ramallah for medical treatment.
On the same day, another settler tried to run over a girl child in Khader town, south of Bethlehem.
Anti-settlement activist Ahmed Salah said that a settler-driven car tried to hit 9-year-old Sedra Muhanad as she was walking in the old town, adding that the girl miraculously avoided the car at the last minute.
Palestinian citizens along with the father of the girl immediately chased the vehicle, but the settler managed to drove away after he pointed a gun at them.
Local sources said that 19-year-old Mousa Barhoum suffered moderate injuries in the hit-and-run accident on Sunday evening and was rushed to Palestine medical center in Ramallah for medical treatment.
On the same day, another settler tried to run over a girl child in Khader town, south of Bethlehem.
Anti-settlement activist Ahmed Salah said that a settler-driven car tried to hit 9-year-old Sedra Muhanad as she was walking in the old town, adding that the girl miraculously avoided the car at the last minute.
Palestinian citizens along with the father of the girl immediately chased the vehicle, but the settler managed to drove away after he pointed a gun at them.
Several Palestinians injured in Nablus
Israeli soldiers kidnapped, on Monday at dawn, three Palestinians in Bethlehem and Ramallah, during military invasions that also targeted the northern West Bank city of Nablus. One of the kidnapped fainted after the soldiers repeatedly kicked and punched him.
Local sources in Bethlehem said several Israeli military jeeps invaded the Wadi Ma’ali area, in the city, and kidnapped one Palestinian, identified as Khalil Jamal al-Hreimi, 19 years of age, after invading his family home, and ransacked its property.
The sources said clashes took place during the invasion and that the soldiers started kicking and beating al-Hreimi until he lost consciousness.
Army also fired rounds of live ammunition, gas bombs and rubber-coated metal bullets at local youths who hurled stones and empty bottles.
One soldier was mildly wounded by a stone during the clashes; many Palestinians suffered the effects of tear gas inhalation.
In addition, soldiers invaded Qarawat Bani Hassan village, northwest of the central West Bank city of Ramallah, and kidnapped two Palestinians after breaking into their homes, and violently searching them.
The two have been identified as Mohammad Husam ‘Omar, and Mahran Raja Sneif; the soldiers cuffed and blindfolded them, before moving them to an unknown destination.
Also on Monday at dawn, dozens of soldiers and Israeli settlers invaded the Joseph Tomb area, east of the northern West Bank city of Nablus, and clashed with local youths.
Local sources said the soldiers fired rounds of live ammunition, rubber-coated metal bullets, and gas bombs, causing several injuries.
Israeli soldiers kidnapped, on Monday at dawn, three Palestinians in Bethlehem and Ramallah, during military invasions that also targeted the northern West Bank city of Nablus. One of the kidnapped fainted after the soldiers repeatedly kicked and punched him.
Local sources in Bethlehem said several Israeli military jeeps invaded the Wadi Ma’ali area, in the city, and kidnapped one Palestinian, identified as Khalil Jamal al-Hreimi, 19 years of age, after invading his family home, and ransacked its property.
The sources said clashes took place during the invasion and that the soldiers started kicking and beating al-Hreimi until he lost consciousness.
Army also fired rounds of live ammunition, gas bombs and rubber-coated metal bullets at local youths who hurled stones and empty bottles.
One soldier was mildly wounded by a stone during the clashes; many Palestinians suffered the effects of tear gas inhalation.
In addition, soldiers invaded Qarawat Bani Hassan village, northwest of the central West Bank city of Ramallah, and kidnapped two Palestinians after breaking into their homes, and violently searching them.
The two have been identified as Mohammad Husam ‘Omar, and Mahran Raja Sneif; the soldiers cuffed and blindfolded them, before moving them to an unknown destination.
Also on Monday at dawn, dozens of soldiers and Israeli settlers invaded the Joseph Tomb area, east of the northern West Bank city of Nablus, and clashed with local youths.
Local sources said the soldiers fired rounds of live ammunition, rubber-coated metal bullets, and gas bombs, causing several injuries.