2 mar 2014
Israeli municipal authorities in Jerusalem are planning to require mosques to lower the volume of the Muslim call to prayer, the Grand Mufti of Jerusalem said in a statement, Sunday.
"Mosques in Palestine, in general, and in Jerusalem in particular, have been targets of a vicious campaign by the occupation authorities," Muhammad Hussein said in the statement.
The mufti condemned the plans, saying that Muslim authorities were the only ones who had the right to intervene in mosque affairs.
"The occupation authorities make light of all heavenly laws and international law, as they follow a systematic plan designed to efface all Arab and Palestinian landmarks in Palestine and replace them with Jewish landmarks."
Palestinian officials frequently condemn what they refer to as the "Judaization of Jerusalem" on the part of Israeli authorities, saying that they engage in discriminatory policies which discriminate against Palestinian residents, seeking to encourage their departure from the city.
East Jerusalem has been occupied by Israel since 1967.
"Mosques in Palestine, in general, and in Jerusalem in particular, have been targets of a vicious campaign by the occupation authorities," Muhammad Hussein said in the statement.
The mufti condemned the plans, saying that Muslim authorities were the only ones who had the right to intervene in mosque affairs.
"The occupation authorities make light of all heavenly laws and international law, as they follow a systematic plan designed to efface all Arab and Palestinian landmarks in Palestine and replace them with Jewish landmarks."
Palestinian officials frequently condemn what they refer to as the "Judaization of Jerusalem" on the part of Israeli authorities, saying that they engage in discriminatory policies which discriminate against Palestinian residents, seeking to encourage their departure from the city.
East Jerusalem has been occupied by Israel since 1967.
Israeli settlers on Sunday uprooted over 180 olive saplings in the Kafr Qaddum village east of Qalqiliya, a Palestinian official said.
Ghassan Daghlas told Ma’an that a number of settlers from Kedumim uprooted the olive saplings in the Khalet al-Natesh area in the northeast of the village.
They belonged to villager Nathmi Obeid.
Ghassan Daghlas told Ma’an that a number of settlers from Kedumim uprooted the olive saplings in the Khalet al-Natesh area in the northeast of the village.
They belonged to villager Nathmi Obeid.
Saleh Mlihat,70, was killed on Sunday after being run over by an Israeli colonial settler near the West Bank city of Ramallah.
Mosa Mlihat said that his father was run over during crossing the main street and transferred to hospital immediately. However, Saleh died before reaching hospital.
Local sources said that a settler, driving too fast, ran over Saleh Mlihat throwing him to 80 meters away.
Mosa Mlihat said that his father was run over during crossing the main street and transferred to hospital immediately. However, Saleh died before reaching hospital.
Local sources said that a settler, driving too fast, ran over Saleh Mlihat throwing him to 80 meters away.
Groups of Israeli Jews entered the flashpoint Al-Aqsa Mosque compound on Sunday morning through the Moroccan Gate escorted by a large contingent of Israeli police officers.
Witnesses told Ma'an that more than 40 settlers entered the compound in groups, and that a large group was led by the controversial rightist lawyer Yehuda Glick.
Worshipers shouted "God is Great" in Arabic while the groups toured the compound and heated arguments were reported.
Yehuda Glick is an American-born Israeli who has been banned in the past by Israeli authorities from entering the compound due to provocations while on the site. He is the chairman of the controversial Temple Mount Heritage Fund.
Critics charge that the Temple Mount Heritage Fund leads Jewish tours to the site with the intention of leading Jewish prayer there -- currently banned under Israeli agreements -- and encouraging Jews to destroy the Al-Aqsa mosque and build a Jewish temple there.
Witnesses told Ma'an that more than 40 settlers entered the compound in groups, and that a large group was led by the controversial rightist lawyer Yehuda Glick.
Worshipers shouted "God is Great" in Arabic while the groups toured the compound and heated arguments were reported.
Yehuda Glick is an American-born Israeli who has been banned in the past by Israeli authorities from entering the compound due to provocations while on the site. He is the chairman of the controversial Temple Mount Heritage Fund.
Critics charge that the Temple Mount Heritage Fund leads Jewish tours to the site with the intention of leading Jewish prayer there -- currently banned under Israeli agreements -- and encouraging Jews to destroy the Al-Aqsa mosque and build a Jewish temple there.
Because of the sensitive nature of the Al-Aqsa compound, Israel maintains a compromise with the Islamic trust that controls it to not allow non-Muslim prayers in the area. Israeli forces regularly escort Jewish visitors to the site, leading to tension with Palestinian worshipers.
The compound, which sits just above the Western Wall plaza, houses both the Dome of the Rock and Al-Aqsa mosque and is the third holiest site in Islam.
It is also venerated as Judaism's most holy place as it sits where Jews believe the First and Second Temples once stood. The Second Temple was destroyed by the Romans in 70 AD.
Al-Aqsa is located in East Jerusalem, a part of the internationally recognized Palestinian territories that have been occupied by the Israeli military since 1967.
The compound, which sits just above the Western Wall plaza, houses both the Dome of the Rock and Al-Aqsa mosque and is the third holiest site in Islam.
It is also venerated as Judaism's most holy place as it sits where Jews believe the First and Second Temples once stood. The Second Temple was destroyed by the Romans in 70 AD.
Al-Aqsa is located in East Jerusalem, a part of the internationally recognized Palestinian territories that have been occupied by the Israeli military since 1967.
1 mar 2014
Israeli settlers on Saturday assaulted two Palestinian shepherds while they were grazing their sheep in the village of Tuqu east of Bethlehem, relatives said.
Arif Ayish Ubayyat, 23, and Ayyub Hasan Ubayyat were pasturing their sheep in the Romman area east of Tuqu when a group of settlers attacked them.
Arif sustained bruises and he lost 17 his sheep during the attack. He was subsequently taken to a local clinic in Tuqu for treatment.
His relatives say they telephoned the Palestinian liaison department, who in turn contacted their Israeli counterparts in order to try and find the missing sheep.
Relatives highlighted that the area is private Palestinian land, but it slated for confiscation by Israeli authorities.
Tuqu is surrounded by roads under Israeli control on all sides. On its east side is the Israeli settlement of Teqoa, and the road to the west is a major artery connecting Bethlehem to the southern West Bank.
More than 500,000 Israeli settlers live in settlements across the West Bank and East Jerusalem, in contravention of international law.
The internationally recognized Palestinian territories of which the West Bank and East Jerusalem form a part have been occupied by the Israeli military since 1967.
Arif Ayish Ubayyat, 23, and Ayyub Hasan Ubayyat were pasturing their sheep in the Romman area east of Tuqu when a group of settlers attacked them.
Arif sustained bruises and he lost 17 his sheep during the attack. He was subsequently taken to a local clinic in Tuqu for treatment.
His relatives say they telephoned the Palestinian liaison department, who in turn contacted their Israeli counterparts in order to try and find the missing sheep.
Relatives highlighted that the area is private Palestinian land, but it slated for confiscation by Israeli authorities.
Tuqu is surrounded by roads under Israeli control on all sides. On its east side is the Israeli settlement of Teqoa, and the road to the west is a major artery connecting Bethlehem to the southern West Bank.
More than 500,000 Israeli settlers live in settlements across the West Bank and East Jerusalem, in contravention of international law.
The internationally recognized Palestinian territories of which the West Bank and East Jerusalem form a part have been occupied by the Israeli military since 1967.
Israeli forces on Saturday prevented Palestinian farmers in the Hebron district from accessing their privately owned land, local popular committee spokespeople said.
Nidal al-Haddar, a spokesman for the popular committee in the southern Hebron district, told Ma'an that Palestinian farmers were sent home at gunpoint when they attempted to reach their lands in the Umm al-Arayis east of Yatta.
International solidarity activists, including Israelis, were also sent away from the land, al-Haddar said.
Land owner Issa Jabarin told Ma'an that settlers from the illegal Mitzpe Yair outpost had occupied his land in the area since 2000.
Israeli courts ordered the evacuation of settlers, "but Israeli authorities have not implemented the orders," Jabarin said.
Separately, in Beit Ummar north of Hebron, Israeli forces sent home a farmer and his family as they were tending to their lands, a local popular committee spokesman said.
Muhammad Ayyad Awad told Ma'an that Muhammad Abd al-Hamid Jabir Sleibi and his family were working on their land when Israeli troops arrived and threatened to detain them if they refused to leave the area.
International solidarity activists were sent away as well, Awad said.
Sleibi told Ma'an that he has an Israeli court order allowing him to tend to his land.
A spokeswoman for the Israeli army said she was unfamiliar with the incidents.
The internationally recognized Palestinian territories of which the West Bank and East Jerusalem form a part have been occupied by the Israeli military since 1967.
Nidal al-Haddar, a spokesman for the popular committee in the southern Hebron district, told Ma'an that Palestinian farmers were sent home at gunpoint when they attempted to reach their lands in the Umm al-Arayis east of Yatta.
International solidarity activists, including Israelis, were also sent away from the land, al-Haddar said.
Land owner Issa Jabarin told Ma'an that settlers from the illegal Mitzpe Yair outpost had occupied his land in the area since 2000.
Israeli courts ordered the evacuation of settlers, "but Israeli authorities have not implemented the orders," Jabarin said.
Separately, in Beit Ummar north of Hebron, Israeli forces sent home a farmer and his family as they were tending to their lands, a local popular committee spokesman said.
Muhammad Ayyad Awad told Ma'an that Muhammad Abd al-Hamid Jabir Sleibi and his family were working on their land when Israeli troops arrived and threatened to detain them if they refused to leave the area.
International solidarity activists were sent away as well, Awad said.
Sleibi told Ma'an that he has an Israeli court order allowing him to tend to his land.
A spokeswoman for the Israeli army said she was unfamiliar with the incidents.
The internationally recognized Palestinian territories of which the West Bank and East Jerusalem form a part have been occupied by the Israeli military since 1967.
Four Israeli trailers were removed from a Palestinian man's privately owned land in a Bethlehem-area village on Thursday, a popular committee spokesman said.
Ahmad Salah, a spokesman for a local popular committee, told Ma'an that Muhammad Abdullah Sbeih had received an Israeli court ruling that the trailers -- planted by an Israeli man who runs a nearby settler outpost -- must be removed from his land in the village of al-Khadr.
The trailers were installed by settlers four years ago in Sbeih's field in the Ein al-Qassis area, Salah said.
Sbeih had received an earlier ruling from an Israeli court that the trailers must be removed, but the settlers had refused to implement the decision, Salah said.
When Sbeih complained again, the settlers were forced to remove the trailers after they failed to submit any deeds to prove ownership.
However, settlers merely moved the trailers to another privately owned field in al-Khadr, belonging to Khadr Ali Abu Ghalyoun, Salah added.
He said the trailers were installed by the Jewish extremist Hananel Shear-Yashuv -- known as Hananiya -- who runs the illegal settler outpost of Sde Boaz, which sits on eight dunams (two acres) of Palestinian land nearby.
The Israeli news site Haaretz reported in March 2013 that Israel had issued demolition orders for the trailers, quoting a state attorney as saying the four trailers were to be demolished "within a short time-range."
More than 500,000 Israeli settlers live in settlements across the West Bank and East Jerusalem, in contravention of international law.
The international community regards all settlements built on occupied Palestinian land to be illegal, while the Israel government distinguishes between the more than 100 state-sponsored settlements and dozens of unauthorized outposts.
The internationally recognized Palestinian territories of which the West Bank and East Jerusalem form a part have been occupied by the Israeli military since 1967.
Ahmad Salah, a spokesman for a local popular committee, told Ma'an that Muhammad Abdullah Sbeih had received an Israeli court ruling that the trailers -- planted by an Israeli man who runs a nearby settler outpost -- must be removed from his land in the village of al-Khadr.
The trailers were installed by settlers four years ago in Sbeih's field in the Ein al-Qassis area, Salah said.
Sbeih had received an earlier ruling from an Israeli court that the trailers must be removed, but the settlers had refused to implement the decision, Salah said.
When Sbeih complained again, the settlers were forced to remove the trailers after they failed to submit any deeds to prove ownership.
However, settlers merely moved the trailers to another privately owned field in al-Khadr, belonging to Khadr Ali Abu Ghalyoun, Salah added.
He said the trailers were installed by the Jewish extremist Hananel Shear-Yashuv -- known as Hananiya -- who runs the illegal settler outpost of Sde Boaz, which sits on eight dunams (two acres) of Palestinian land nearby.
The Israeli news site Haaretz reported in March 2013 that Israel had issued demolition orders for the trailers, quoting a state attorney as saying the four trailers were to be demolished "within a short time-range."
More than 500,000 Israeli settlers live in settlements across the West Bank and East Jerusalem, in contravention of international law.
The international community regards all settlements built on occupied Palestinian land to be illegal, while the Israel government distinguishes between the more than 100 state-sponsored settlements and dozens of unauthorized outposts.
The internationally recognized Palestinian territories of which the West Bank and East Jerusalem form a part have been occupied by the Israeli military since 1967.
28 feb 2014
An Israeli settler has filed a lawsuit against a local Palestinian Bedouin in an attempt to remove his traditional oven in a village south of Hebron, the defendant told Ma'an.
The oven's owner, Salim al-Hathaleen, said that the oven is on his land and he refuses to remove it because it provides bread to his family of 40 people, as well as others in the village of Um al-Kher east of Yatta.
The lawsuit comes after months of harassment by the settler, including raids accompanied by Israeli forces, targeting the traditional "tabun" oven.
The settler, who is a resident of the nearby Israeli settlement of Karmel, said in the lawsuit that he and his family suffer a result of the smoke emitted from the oven. He has reportedly requested a compensation of 250,000 shekels ($72,000), al-Hathaleen told Ma'an.
He said that settlers harass them daily in order to force them off of their land, while Israeli forces carry out frequent demolitions of Palestinian structures in the area.
Al-Hathaleen called on the PA and international organizations to follow up on the case and support his struggle.
In January, the settlers raided the camp accompanied by Israeli forces and attempted to demolish the oven. During the raid, they physically assaulted al-Hathaleen, his sister, and an elderly resident.
Around 3,000 Israeli settlers live in Jewish-only settlements in the Yatta region, according to the Applied Research Institute Jerusalem, and they regularly attack local Palestinians with impunity.
The safety of these settlers is often given as an excuse for forced displacement of Palestinians who live in villages in the area.
More than 500,000 Israeli settlers live in settlements across the West Bank and East Jerusalem, in contravention of international law.
The internationally recognized Palestinian territories of which the West Bank and East Jerusalem form a part have been occupied by the Israeli military since 1967.
The oven's owner, Salim al-Hathaleen, said that the oven is on his land and he refuses to remove it because it provides bread to his family of 40 people, as well as others in the village of Um al-Kher east of Yatta.
The lawsuit comes after months of harassment by the settler, including raids accompanied by Israeli forces, targeting the traditional "tabun" oven.
The settler, who is a resident of the nearby Israeli settlement of Karmel, said in the lawsuit that he and his family suffer a result of the smoke emitted from the oven. He has reportedly requested a compensation of 250,000 shekels ($72,000), al-Hathaleen told Ma'an.
He said that settlers harass them daily in order to force them off of their land, while Israeli forces carry out frequent demolitions of Palestinian structures in the area.
Al-Hathaleen called on the PA and international organizations to follow up on the case and support his struggle.
In January, the settlers raided the camp accompanied by Israeli forces and attempted to demolish the oven. During the raid, they physically assaulted al-Hathaleen, his sister, and an elderly resident.
Around 3,000 Israeli settlers live in Jewish-only settlements in the Yatta region, according to the Applied Research Institute Jerusalem, and they regularly attack local Palestinians with impunity.
The safety of these settlers is often given as an excuse for forced displacement of Palestinians who live in villages in the area.
More than 500,000 Israeli settlers live in settlements across the West Bank and East Jerusalem, in contravention of international law.
The internationally recognized Palestinian territories of which the West Bank and East Jerusalem form a part have been occupied by the Israeli military since 1967.
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Israeli forces detained four Palestinians in Jerusalem on Friday as clashes broke out throughout the city following the imposition of new restrictions on Palestinian worshipers at the Al-Aqsa mosque compound.
Two people were beaten and detained by undercover Israeli forces in the Ras al-Amoud neighborhood, while a man described as an "Israeli settler" opened fire at Palestinians from his car. The man reportedly fled the scene without being apprehended by Israeli security forces nearby. |
Israelis from Jewish settlements on the Mount of Olives near Ras al-Amoud threw stones at Palestinians and their cars as they passed on Friday as well.
Near the Old City's Damascus Gate, meanwhile, Israeli forces detained a Palestinian identified as Mohammad al-Rashq after they dispersed local youths and inspected their IDs.
In the area between Cotton Merchant's Gate and the Council Gate of the Al-Aqsa compound Israeli forces scuffled with youths, beating them with batons and spraying pepper spray. They detained one youth during the clashes.
Israeli police spokesman Micky Rosenfeld said that three had been arrested in Ras al-Amoud after "rioted" after noon prayers. He added that two "petrol bombs" were also thrown at Israeli police units near Issawiya, but could not confirm any other incidents.
Near the Old City's Damascus Gate, meanwhile, Israeli forces detained a Palestinian identified as Mohammad al-Rashq after they dispersed local youths and inspected their IDs.
In the area between Cotton Merchant's Gate and the Council Gate of the Al-Aqsa compound Israeli forces scuffled with youths, beating them with batons and spraying pepper spray. They detained one youth during the clashes.
Israeli police spokesman Micky Rosenfeld said that three had been arrested in Ras al-Amoud after "rioted" after noon prayers. He added that two "petrol bombs" were also thrown at Israeli police units near Issawiya, but could not confirm any other incidents.
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A group of 20 settlers attacked two Palestinians in the Nablus village of Huwwara on Friday, locals said.
Settlers hit Ahmad Awda, 35, and Fuad Daoud Awda, 55, with an iron rod, causing severe bruising. Fuad's leg was broken during the attack and both men were taken for treatment in a Nablus hospital. In 2013, there were 399 incidents of settler violence against Palestinians in the occupied West Bank, according to the UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs. |
Over 90 percent of investigations into settler violence by Israeli police do not lead to an indictment.
More than 500,000 Israeli settlers live in settlements across the West Bank and East Jerusalem, in contravention of international law.
More than 500,000 Israeli settlers live in settlements across the West Bank and East Jerusalem, in contravention of international law.
Israeli settlers early Thursday torched a house in Silwad village east of Ramallah, residents said.
Locals told Ma’an that settlers set the entrance of the house of Mohammad Hussein Hammad on fire and wrote racist, anti-Arab graffiti on its walls near the eastern entrance of Silwad village.
The house was empty when settlers attacked, they said.
Locals told Ma’an that settlers set the entrance of the house of Mohammad Hussein Hammad on fire and wrote racist, anti-Arab graffiti on its walls near the eastern entrance of Silwad village.
The house was empty when settlers attacked, they said.
27 feb 2014
Israeli settlers on Thursday bulldozed private Palestinian lands near the northern West Bank village of Jalud south of Nablus in order to expand an illegal settlement outpost, a Palestinian Authority official said.
Ghassan Daghlas, a PA official who monitors settlement activities in the northern West Bank, told Ma'an that settlers from the Shvut Rachel outpost had decided to expand their illegal settlement at the expense of nearby private Palestinian landowners.
The fields that were leveled belong to Ahmad Ibrahim Hajj Muhammad, he added.
Daghlas said that the Israeli government had granted the settlers construction licenses.
Jalud is located directly beside a number of notoriously violent Jewish outposts and settlements, and hundreds of acres of its agricultural lands have been confiscated by Israeli authorities for their construction.
Settlers regularly attack the village, burning cars and uprooting olive trees, and in January locals captured a group of marauding settler youth before turning them over to security forces.
In 2013, there were 399 incidents of settler violence against Palestinians in the occupied West Bank, according to the UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs.
Over 90 percent of investigations into settler violence by Israeli police fail to lead to an indictment.
More than 500,000 Israeli settlers live in settlements across the West Bank and East Jerusalem, in contravention of international law.
The internationally recognized Palestinian territories of which the West Bank and East Jerusalem form a part have been occupied by the Israeli military since 1967.
Ghassan Daghlas, a PA official who monitors settlement activities in the northern West Bank, told Ma'an that settlers from the Shvut Rachel outpost had decided to expand their illegal settlement at the expense of nearby private Palestinian landowners.
The fields that were leveled belong to Ahmad Ibrahim Hajj Muhammad, he added.
Daghlas said that the Israeli government had granted the settlers construction licenses.
Jalud is located directly beside a number of notoriously violent Jewish outposts and settlements, and hundreds of acres of its agricultural lands have been confiscated by Israeli authorities for their construction.
Settlers regularly attack the village, burning cars and uprooting olive trees, and in January locals captured a group of marauding settler youth before turning them over to security forces.
In 2013, there were 399 incidents of settler violence against Palestinians in the occupied West Bank, according to the UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs.
Over 90 percent of investigations into settler violence by Israeli police fail to lead to an indictment.
More than 500,000 Israeli settlers live in settlements across the West Bank and East Jerusalem, in contravention of international law.
The internationally recognized Palestinian territories of which the West Bank and East Jerusalem form a part have been occupied by the Israeli military since 1967.
Hundreds of settlers, under the protection of Israeli forces, raided on Thursday the Joseph's tomb east of Nablus, to perform their religious rituals.
Witnesses said that the buses the settlers were riding stormed east of the city and confrontations erupted between the settlers and the Palestinians in that area.
IOF forces fired tear gas canisters and several Palestinians suffered suffocation injuries.
3 Palestinians injured in clashes near Nablus tomb
Three Palestinians were injured early Thursday during clashes with Israeli military forces in Nablus, locals said.
Clashes broke out after a large force of Israeli soldiers entered Nablus to escort hundreds of settlers to Joseph's Tomb.
Israeli soldiers fired tear gas, stun grenades and rubber-coated steel bullets at local youths, injuring Issa Lutfi al-Hashash, 17, and Abdul-Karim Raed Fattouh, 16.
Both teenagers were taken to hospital for treatment.
Ibrahim Abdul-Raof Shakokani, 27, was hospitalized after being assaulted by Israeli soldiers.
Under the 1993 Oslo Accords, Joseph's Tomb was to remain under Israeli control. But the Israeli army evacuated the premises in October 2000 shortly after the start of the second intifada, or uprising, and it was immediately destroyed and burnt by the Palestinians.
The restoration of the tomb was completed recently, and following improved security cooperation with the Palestinian Authority, the army allows Jewish worshipers to make monthly nocturnal pilgrimages to the site.
Witnesses said that the buses the settlers were riding stormed east of the city and confrontations erupted between the settlers and the Palestinians in that area.
IOF forces fired tear gas canisters and several Palestinians suffered suffocation injuries.
3 Palestinians injured in clashes near Nablus tomb
Three Palestinians were injured early Thursday during clashes with Israeli military forces in Nablus, locals said.
Clashes broke out after a large force of Israeli soldiers entered Nablus to escort hundreds of settlers to Joseph's Tomb.
Israeli soldiers fired tear gas, stun grenades and rubber-coated steel bullets at local youths, injuring Issa Lutfi al-Hashash, 17, and Abdul-Karim Raed Fattouh, 16.
Both teenagers were taken to hospital for treatment.
Ibrahim Abdul-Raof Shakokani, 27, was hospitalized after being assaulted by Israeli soldiers.
Under the 1993 Oslo Accords, Joseph's Tomb was to remain under Israeli control. But the Israeli army evacuated the premises in October 2000 shortly after the start of the second intifada, or uprising, and it was immediately destroyed and burnt by the Palestinians.
The restoration of the tomb was completed recently, and following improved security cooperation with the Palestinian Authority, the army allows Jewish worshipers to make monthly nocturnal pilgrimages to the site.
The Israeli Occupation Forces (IOF) raided on Thursday, the village of Nabi Saleh in the Ramallah and al-Bireh Governorate in the central West Bank and arrested Fadel al-Tamimi, 54, an activist in the popular resistance committees, Tamimi Press said in a press release.
Around 1:30 a.m. five military jeeps stormed the village, broke into the house of activist Fadel Al-Tamimi, searched it and brutally intimidated his family members. The IOF arrested Fadel and took him to an unknown destination.
Clashes then erupted in response to the continuous intimidation actions that the IOF carries out in Nabi Saleh and in other villages such as: arrests, night raids and repeated attacks. The Palestinian youth rushed into the streets and started throwing stones at the jeeps, while the Israeli forces fired stun grenades before withdrawing from the village.
Witnesses said that the IOF also stormed Deir Nidam village near Nabi Saleh at the same time and threw sound bombs in the streets. The IOF arrested 18 years old Tamim Ahmad Al-Tamimi from Deir Nidam.
Lately, Nabi Saleh is witnessing continuous turmoils and daily clashes between the two sides due to the gas drilling on the village's land. In addition to, a group of settlers from Halamish settlement attempted to broke into the village but withdrew when they saw the Palestinians gathering to push them back.
These actions are all aimed to intimidate the residents in the Nabi Saleh village which, however, the village's residents will continue to stand steadfast and protect their village.
Around 1:30 a.m. five military jeeps stormed the village, broke into the house of activist Fadel Al-Tamimi, searched it and brutally intimidated his family members. The IOF arrested Fadel and took him to an unknown destination.
Clashes then erupted in response to the continuous intimidation actions that the IOF carries out in Nabi Saleh and in other villages such as: arrests, night raids and repeated attacks. The Palestinian youth rushed into the streets and started throwing stones at the jeeps, while the Israeli forces fired stun grenades before withdrawing from the village.
Witnesses said that the IOF also stormed Deir Nidam village near Nabi Saleh at the same time and threw sound bombs in the streets. The IOF arrested 18 years old Tamim Ahmad Al-Tamimi from Deir Nidam.
Lately, Nabi Saleh is witnessing continuous turmoils and daily clashes between the two sides due to the gas drilling on the village's land. In addition to, a group of settlers from Halamish settlement attempted to broke into the village but withdrew when they saw the Palestinians gathering to push them back.
These actions are all aimed to intimidate the residents in the Nabi Saleh village which, however, the village's residents will continue to stand steadfast and protect their village.
Israeli military sources have reported that three soldiers were injured, on Wednesday evening [February 26, 2014], after a Molotov cocktail struck their vehicle close to the Migdalim illegal settlement, near the northern West Bank city of Nablus.
The army said that the three soldiers suffered mild to moderate injuries, and that the army conducted a search campaign in the area.
In related news, the army said young Palestinian men hurled rocks at a settler’s car, near Azzoun town, in the northern West Bank district of Qalqilia. The army reported no injuries or damage to the vehicle.
Soldiers invaded nearby Palestinian areas and conducted military searches; no arrests have been reported.
The army said that the three soldiers suffered mild to moderate injuries, and that the army conducted a search campaign in the area.
In related news, the army said young Palestinian men hurled rocks at a settler’s car, near Azzoun town, in the northern West Bank district of Qalqilia. The army reported no injuries or damage to the vehicle.
Soldiers invaded nearby Palestinian areas and conducted military searches; no arrests have been reported.
26 feb 2014
Israeli settlers have announced plans to operate armed patrols across the West Bank, a Palestinian official said Wednesday.
Ghassan Daghlas, an official who monitors settlement activity in the northern West Bank, said settlers had announced plans to run patrols of three gunmen on Israeli bypass roads as a form of protection.
Daghlas said that settlers planned to station the first patrol on the road between the illegal Yitzar settlement and the Palestinian city of Nablus.
The decision will have "dangerous consequences" if put in to effect, he said.
Daghlas called on the international community to exert pressure on Israel to prevent the move, which he said would result in "more bloodshed and more attacks on Palestinian properties."
In 2013, there were 399 incidents of settler violence against Palestinians in the occupied West Bank, according to the UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs.
More than 500,000 Israeli settlers live in settlements across the West Bank and East Jerusalem, in contravention of international law.
Ghassan Daghlas, an official who monitors settlement activity in the northern West Bank, said settlers had announced plans to run patrols of three gunmen on Israeli bypass roads as a form of protection.
Daghlas said that settlers planned to station the first patrol on the road between the illegal Yitzar settlement and the Palestinian city of Nablus.
The decision will have "dangerous consequences" if put in to effect, he said.
Daghlas called on the international community to exert pressure on Israel to prevent the move, which he said would result in "more bloodshed and more attacks on Palestinian properties."
In 2013, there were 399 incidents of settler violence against Palestinians in the occupied West Bank, according to the UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs.
More than 500,000 Israeli settlers live in settlements across the West Bank and East Jerusalem, in contravention of international law.
By Khalid Amayreh in Occupied Jerusalem
With the most extremist Zionist government ever in power, Israel is taking tangible steps to seize and perhaps destroy the Aqsa Mosque in Jerusalem, one of Islam's principal holy places.
Two important events occurred this week which should alert the world's Muslims to the criminal Zionist designs in Jerusalem:
First, the Israeli Knesset or parliament discussed proposal to impose "Israeli sovereignty" over the Haram el-Sharif or Noble Sanctuary which houses the two main mosques, the Aqsa and the Dome of the Rock.
The Knesset, as we all know, is dominated by hardline Talmudic fanatics who show no respect whatsoever for other religions, their adherents and holy places. Indeed, some of these racists, such as the followers of the Nazi-like Chabad cult don't ascribe mere humanity to non-Jews in general. In fact, their theology has more in common with Mein Kampf than with the teachings of Moses.
This is not anti-Semitic propaganda as some people, particularly those long-exposed to Zionist hasbara and propaganda, would claim. These are axiomatic facts that honest people, Jews and otherwise, would easily recognize.
The reason I'm alluding to this dimension is because these people are in tight control of Israel today. They control the army, they lead the government and they shape the public discourse in the Jewish state. Their ability and willingness to do the unthinkable can't be underestimated.
Their predominance is very much similar to the emergence of the Nazi movement prior to World War II. The sheer evilness of their ideology and millenarian yearnings would make any comparison with the Nazis quite logical.
Hence, it is extremely imperative to realize that the next few months and years will be so difficult especially with regard to the al-Aqsa Mosque.
The second related event is the refusal by the Israeli justice system to consider acts of sabotage and vandalism perpetrated by Jewish terrorists against Palestinians as acts of terror.
Needless to say, this racist refusal spells out the kid-glove approach Israel is adopting toward these terrorists who interpret any leniency by the Israeli state as a green light to commit further acts of terror and vandalism against the Palestinians.
This extreme and sickening flaccidity by the Israeli government toward Jewish terror is likely to lead to heinous acts on a wider scale.
The attacks by Nazi-like Jewish settlers on mosques and Arab community centers on both sides of the Green-Line can only be compared to Kristallnacht.
Yes, the scale is not the same in both cases. However, the acquiescence to Jewish terror shown by the Israeli government and its security agencies can be compared with the German government complicity in what occurred throughout Germany in November, 1938 when synagogues and other Jewish targets were set on fire and vandalized by Nazi gangs.
Some readers might protest the comparisons on the ground that Kristallnacht was an event of huge magnitude.
True, but can anyone guarantee that the settlers and their numerous supporters in the Israeli army and government are not mentally willing to carry out a Kristallnacht toward the Palestinians?
Just listen to what these settlers and their leaders are saying in their meetings and religious sermons. One doesn't have to be extremely smart to read the writing on the wall.
They don't stop urging the Israeli government and army to expel the Palestinians and replicate the Nakba of 1948.
Well, for those who don't know, ethnic cleansing whether you call it "transfer" or "population exchange" is a mere euphemism for genocide or a holocaust.
Besides, we have to remember that the German holocaust didn't really begin with Auschwitz, Bergen Belsen or Treblinka. It started much earlier with relatively innocuous signs, signs that are strikingly similar to what we see in Israel these days.
Weak Arab reactions
Israeli provocations in Jerusalem have so far been met with insignificant Arab reactions. These reactions include a lukewarm statement by a Jordanian official, warning of the "possible negative ramifications" on Israeli measures on the "peace process." Another reaction came from the Sissi regime, which carried out a bloody military coup against the democratically-elected government of Egypt in order to please Israel and its guardian-ally, the United States. And the chronically impotent Arab League was called for a meeting to discuss the Israeli provocations.
I don't really know how the Sissi junta, which murdered thousands of innocent Egyptians at Rabaa and Nahdha, can help the cause of the Aqsa Mosque.
Well, let Sissi and his cohorts first stop murdering and tormenting their own people. That would be the greatest Egyptian contribution to efforts aimed at thwarting Israeli designs against holy places in Palestine.
I am not sure that morally bankrupt Arab leaders can be entrusted to put up a meaningful collective stance to confront Israeli insolence and arrogance of power.
In the final analysis, these despots and tyrants are part of the problem facing the Arab world.
Indeed, had these ignoramuses disappeared from the helm of power in their respective capitals, the overall Arab situation would have been much better.
Otherwise, it is endlessly foolhardy to expect manifestly murderous regimes, such as that of Bashar el-Assad and Abdul Fattah al-Sissi, to help the Palestinian cause. Just ask any Syrian citizen and he or she would tell you they would prefer to be occupied by the Israeli army rather than by the murderous Nusseiri regime which has killed far more Syrians in three years than has Israel killed Arabs since its creation 66 years ago.
Any hope?
While we cannot pin any real hopes on the regimes, we can trust the Muslim masses to make the appropriate and adequate stand that is proportionate to the real dangers facing one of Islam's holiest places.
Muslims, especially in countries that allow peaceful demonstrations, must take to the streets in the hundreds of thousands to protest Jewish encroachment against our holy places.
This is the very least these Muslims should do to communicate an unmistakable message to Jewish fanatics in occupied Palestine.
Inaction is no option, for it invites further and more daring aggressions against Muslim presence in Palestine.
Not even Islamic holy places in Makkah and Madinah would be immune from morbid Jewish whims if Israel was allowed to have her way in Jerusalem.
Indeed, if Muslims failed to respond now, when will they ever do?
With the most extremist Zionist government ever in power, Israel is taking tangible steps to seize and perhaps destroy the Aqsa Mosque in Jerusalem, one of Islam's principal holy places.
Two important events occurred this week which should alert the world's Muslims to the criminal Zionist designs in Jerusalem:
First, the Israeli Knesset or parliament discussed proposal to impose "Israeli sovereignty" over the Haram el-Sharif or Noble Sanctuary which houses the two main mosques, the Aqsa and the Dome of the Rock.
The Knesset, as we all know, is dominated by hardline Talmudic fanatics who show no respect whatsoever for other religions, their adherents and holy places. Indeed, some of these racists, such as the followers of the Nazi-like Chabad cult don't ascribe mere humanity to non-Jews in general. In fact, their theology has more in common with Mein Kampf than with the teachings of Moses.
This is not anti-Semitic propaganda as some people, particularly those long-exposed to Zionist hasbara and propaganda, would claim. These are axiomatic facts that honest people, Jews and otherwise, would easily recognize.
The reason I'm alluding to this dimension is because these people are in tight control of Israel today. They control the army, they lead the government and they shape the public discourse in the Jewish state. Their ability and willingness to do the unthinkable can't be underestimated.
Their predominance is very much similar to the emergence of the Nazi movement prior to World War II. The sheer evilness of their ideology and millenarian yearnings would make any comparison with the Nazis quite logical.
Hence, it is extremely imperative to realize that the next few months and years will be so difficult especially with regard to the al-Aqsa Mosque.
The second related event is the refusal by the Israeli justice system to consider acts of sabotage and vandalism perpetrated by Jewish terrorists against Palestinians as acts of terror.
Needless to say, this racist refusal spells out the kid-glove approach Israel is adopting toward these terrorists who interpret any leniency by the Israeli state as a green light to commit further acts of terror and vandalism against the Palestinians.
This extreme and sickening flaccidity by the Israeli government toward Jewish terror is likely to lead to heinous acts on a wider scale.
The attacks by Nazi-like Jewish settlers on mosques and Arab community centers on both sides of the Green-Line can only be compared to Kristallnacht.
Yes, the scale is not the same in both cases. However, the acquiescence to Jewish terror shown by the Israeli government and its security agencies can be compared with the German government complicity in what occurred throughout Germany in November, 1938 when synagogues and other Jewish targets were set on fire and vandalized by Nazi gangs.
Some readers might protest the comparisons on the ground that Kristallnacht was an event of huge magnitude.
True, but can anyone guarantee that the settlers and their numerous supporters in the Israeli army and government are not mentally willing to carry out a Kristallnacht toward the Palestinians?
Just listen to what these settlers and their leaders are saying in their meetings and religious sermons. One doesn't have to be extremely smart to read the writing on the wall.
They don't stop urging the Israeli government and army to expel the Palestinians and replicate the Nakba of 1948.
Well, for those who don't know, ethnic cleansing whether you call it "transfer" or "population exchange" is a mere euphemism for genocide or a holocaust.
Besides, we have to remember that the German holocaust didn't really begin with Auschwitz, Bergen Belsen or Treblinka. It started much earlier with relatively innocuous signs, signs that are strikingly similar to what we see in Israel these days.
Weak Arab reactions
Israeli provocations in Jerusalem have so far been met with insignificant Arab reactions. These reactions include a lukewarm statement by a Jordanian official, warning of the "possible negative ramifications" on Israeli measures on the "peace process." Another reaction came from the Sissi regime, which carried out a bloody military coup against the democratically-elected government of Egypt in order to please Israel and its guardian-ally, the United States. And the chronically impotent Arab League was called for a meeting to discuss the Israeli provocations.
I don't really know how the Sissi junta, which murdered thousands of innocent Egyptians at Rabaa and Nahdha, can help the cause of the Aqsa Mosque.
Well, let Sissi and his cohorts first stop murdering and tormenting their own people. That would be the greatest Egyptian contribution to efforts aimed at thwarting Israeli designs against holy places in Palestine.
I am not sure that morally bankrupt Arab leaders can be entrusted to put up a meaningful collective stance to confront Israeli insolence and arrogance of power.
In the final analysis, these despots and tyrants are part of the problem facing the Arab world.
Indeed, had these ignoramuses disappeared from the helm of power in their respective capitals, the overall Arab situation would have been much better.
Otherwise, it is endlessly foolhardy to expect manifestly murderous regimes, such as that of Bashar el-Assad and Abdul Fattah al-Sissi, to help the Palestinian cause. Just ask any Syrian citizen and he or she would tell you they would prefer to be occupied by the Israeli army rather than by the murderous Nusseiri regime which has killed far more Syrians in three years than has Israel killed Arabs since its creation 66 years ago.
Any hope?
While we cannot pin any real hopes on the regimes, we can trust the Muslim masses to make the appropriate and adequate stand that is proportionate to the real dangers facing one of Islam's holiest places.
Muslims, especially in countries that allow peaceful demonstrations, must take to the streets in the hundreds of thousands to protest Jewish encroachment against our holy places.
This is the very least these Muslims should do to communicate an unmistakable message to Jewish fanatics in occupied Palestine.
Inaction is no option, for it invites further and more daring aggressions against Muslim presence in Palestine.
Not even Islamic holy places in Makkah and Madinah would be immune from morbid Jewish whims if Israel was allowed to have her way in Jerusalem.
Indeed, if Muslims failed to respond now, when will they ever do?