27 mar 2014
A group of settlers from the illegal outpost of Mitzpe Yair on Thursday attacked and destroyed solar panels belonging to a Palestinian community in the south Hebron hills, locals said.
Witnesses told Ma'an that the settlers destroyed three out of five solar panels providing electricity to the small village of Khirbet Bir al-Idd.
The attackers fled before villagers arrived at the scene.
Local officials filed a complaint at an Israeli police station, where officers said they would search for the attackers.
Villagers told Ma'an that settlers frequently attack their property in an attempt to get them to leave the land so nearby Israeli settlements can be expanded.
Settler outposts in the south Hebron hills have an adverse effect on local Palestinian communities through a combination of physical violence and restrictions on movement.
Located in Area C, Palestinians in the south Hebron hills suffer from extreme electricity and water shortages and face violent intimidation from the Israeli army and radical settlers.
Less than 1 percent of Area C has been planned for Palestinian development, while some 135 settlements and over 100 outposts have been built in the same area.
Witnesses told Ma'an that the settlers destroyed three out of five solar panels providing electricity to the small village of Khirbet Bir al-Idd.
The attackers fled before villagers arrived at the scene.
Local officials filed a complaint at an Israeli police station, where officers said they would search for the attackers.
Villagers told Ma'an that settlers frequently attack their property in an attempt to get them to leave the land so nearby Israeli settlements can be expanded.
Settler outposts in the south Hebron hills have an adverse effect on local Palestinian communities through a combination of physical violence and restrictions on movement.
Located in Area C, Palestinians in the south Hebron hills suffer from extreme electricity and water shortages and face violent intimidation from the Israeli army and radical settlers.
Less than 1 percent of Area C has been planned for Palestinian development, while some 135 settlements and over 100 outposts have been built in the same area.
Israeli settlers cut down more than 50 olive trees in Huwwara village south of Nablus in the northern West Bank on Thursday, a Palestinian official said.
Ghassan Daghlas, a Palestinian Authority official who monitors settlement-related activities in the northern West Bank, told Ma'an that "a number of settlers from Yitzhar settlement chopped down more than 50 olive trees in al-Naqara area north of the village."
Daghlas pointed out that the trees belong to Ahmad Odeh and Ghazi Al-Mukhtar.
He added that more than 5,700 trees have been cut down by settlers in the West Bank since the beginning of this year.
The villages south of Nablus are a frequent site of settler violence and Palestinian clashes with Israeli forces as they are located beside the notoriously violent Israeli settlement of Yitzhar.
Settlers frequently locals and prevent farmers from reaching their lands, in addition to attacks on olive trees themselves.
Settler violence against Palestinians and their property in the occupied West Bank is systematic and ignored by Israeli authorities, who rarely intervene in the violent attacks or prosecute the perpetrators.
In 2013, there were 399 incidents of settler violence against Palestinians in the West Bank, according to the UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs.
Ghassan Daghlas, a Palestinian Authority official who monitors settlement-related activities in the northern West Bank, told Ma'an that "a number of settlers from Yitzhar settlement chopped down more than 50 olive trees in al-Naqara area north of the village."
Daghlas pointed out that the trees belong to Ahmad Odeh and Ghazi Al-Mukhtar.
He added that more than 5,700 trees have been cut down by settlers in the West Bank since the beginning of this year.
The villages south of Nablus are a frequent site of settler violence and Palestinian clashes with Israeli forces as they are located beside the notoriously violent Israeli settlement of Yitzhar.
Settlers frequently locals and prevent farmers from reaching their lands, in addition to attacks on olive trees themselves.
Settler violence against Palestinians and their property in the occupied West Bank is systematic and ignored by Israeli authorities, who rarely intervene in the violent attacks or prosecute the perpetrators.
In 2013, there were 399 incidents of settler violence against Palestinians in the West Bank, according to the UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs.
Israeli soldiers invaded various Palestinian communities in the occupied West Bank, searched homes, and kidnapped four Palestinians in Bethlehem.
Local sources in Bethlehem have reported that dozens of soldiers invaded the al-Fraidees village, southeast of Bethlehem, kidnapping four young Palestinian men, including two brothers.
The sources said that Mahmoud Abed Ibrahim, 21, and Ahmad Khaled Tannouh, 19, were kidnapped while herding their sheep, close to the illegal Nokadim Israeli settlement.
The army also invaded Doha town, west of Bethlehem, and kidnapped two brothers identified as Ahmad and Malek az-Zaghary, both aged 33.
The two were at home when kidnapped; the army violently searched their property, causing excessive damage.
Soldiers also invaded the al-Yamoun town, west of the northern West Bank city of Jenin, breaking into an under construction home before using its rooftop as a monitoring tower.
The property belongs to resident Fares Freihat; dozens of soldiers were also deployed in different parts of the town.
In related news, soldiers invaded Methalon village, south of Jenin, serving resident Abdul-Salam Najm, 21, with a military warrant ordering him to head to the Salem military base for interrogation.
In Hebron, in the southern part of the West Bank, settlers of the illegitimate Ma’on settlement, east of Yatta town, invaded Palestinian farmlands, uprooted crops and fed them to their sheep.
Local sources said that the attacked farmlands, of approximately 25 dunams, belong to members of the Reb’ey family.
In the Gaza Strip, Israeli navy boats opened fire at Palestinian fishing boats, docked at the Gaza coast, and at a number of homes in the area, causing damage but no injuries.
On Wednesday, four fishermen were injured by a shell fired from an Israeli navy boat, which also fired several rounds of live ammunition at a number of homes close to the shore.
Local sources in Bethlehem have reported that dozens of soldiers invaded the al-Fraidees village, southeast of Bethlehem, kidnapping four young Palestinian men, including two brothers.
The sources said that Mahmoud Abed Ibrahim, 21, and Ahmad Khaled Tannouh, 19, were kidnapped while herding their sheep, close to the illegal Nokadim Israeli settlement.
The army also invaded Doha town, west of Bethlehem, and kidnapped two brothers identified as Ahmad and Malek az-Zaghary, both aged 33.
The two were at home when kidnapped; the army violently searched their property, causing excessive damage.
Soldiers also invaded the al-Yamoun town, west of the northern West Bank city of Jenin, breaking into an under construction home before using its rooftop as a monitoring tower.
The property belongs to resident Fares Freihat; dozens of soldiers were also deployed in different parts of the town.
In related news, soldiers invaded Methalon village, south of Jenin, serving resident Abdul-Salam Najm, 21, with a military warrant ordering him to head to the Salem military base for interrogation.
In Hebron, in the southern part of the West Bank, settlers of the illegitimate Ma’on settlement, east of Yatta town, invaded Palestinian farmlands, uprooted crops and fed them to their sheep.
Local sources said that the attacked farmlands, of approximately 25 dunams, belong to members of the Reb’ey family.
In the Gaza Strip, Israeli navy boats opened fire at Palestinian fishing boats, docked at the Gaza coast, and at a number of homes in the area, causing damage but no injuries.
On Wednesday, four fishermen were injured by a shell fired from an Israeli navy boat, which also fired several rounds of live ammunition at a number of homes close to the shore.
A Jewish settlers in a speeding car ran over a Palestinian woman from Taku village, east of Bethlehem, on Wednesday night. Mohammed Awad, the director of the Palestinian Red Crescent’s ambulance and emergency department in Bethlehem, told Wafa news agency that the settler ran over Samih Ayoub, 55, at the western entrance to the village.
Awad said that the woman, who suffered fractures and bruises, was transferred to Beit Jala government hospital, adding that her condition was “moderate”.
Awad said that the woman, who suffered fractures and bruises, was transferred to Beit Jala government hospital, adding that her condition was “moderate”.
“…In the beginning, we caught the settlers stealing olives from our trees. Then they started breaking off the branches, but they grew back and we also planted new trees to replace those damaged. Then, three years ago when we went to pick our olives we were shocked to find the trees all yellow and dried up... Settlers had drilled into the trunks and injected them with a poisonous substance that killed the trees from the roots up.”
Hussein Abu Alia’s narrative appears in a 2013 study of the United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs in the occupied Palestinian territory (UNOCHA OPT) on the impact of Israeli settler violence on the olive harvest.
The Jordan-based Arab Group for the Protection of Nature (APN) estimates that about three million trees, including olive trees, have been destroyed from 2001 onwards, while around 1.5 million trees were uprooted from 2001-2007 by Israeli settlers and defence forces. Palestine’s olive trees date back hundreds of years and represent Palestinian history and continuity on the land. The annual olive harvest is an important cultural and social event for Palestinians. The trees have considerable economic significance — nearly 48 per cent of agricultural land in the OPT is planted with olive trees, mostly in the West Bank.
According to APN estimates, olive trees account for 70 per cent of fruit production and contribute around 14 per cent to the Palestinian economy.
APN founder, Razan Zuayter in an email, described the destruction of trees as an ‘agricultural war’ waged by Israel. Not confined to destroying trees, the onslaught on agriculture includes an arbitrary permit system, the Gaza blockade and the Apartheid wall. The permit system regulates access of Palestinian farmers to their lands in parts of West Bank and the Gaza Strip. Permits grant limited access only to the person, under whose name the land is registered, and not the family. Farmers, whose land is near Israeli settlements, additionally need to pass through agricultural checkpoints. These checkpoints are opened certain times a year and for a few hours a day.
A 2011 UNOCHA OPT study on the humanitarian situation in the Gaza Strip notes that Israel’s blockade has resulted in major restrictions on access to agricultural land and fishing waters, import and export of food and agricultural inputs, and also the destruction of small farms, olive trees and citrus orchards. The study notes that 54 per cent of people in Gaza are food insecure.
The Apartheid Wall which Israel is building has drastically altered Palestine’s contours. Ritu Menon notes in the recently published From India to Palestine. Essays in Solidarity: “The Wall. Six hundred kilometres of electrified concrete slabs, eight metres high, topped with razor wire, arc lights, surveillance cameras, encircling the West Bank, snaking through fields and olive groves, through city streets, alongside homes, dividing friends and families, erecting barriers and checkpoints. The Israelis call it a “security fence”, a protection against suicide bombers; the Palestinians call it the Apartheid Wall...Thousands of olive trees, some over 600 years old have been uprooted; hundreds of thousand villagers dispossessed, their farming at a standstill.”
There has been resistance on the ground, such as the APN-spearheaded Million Tree Campaign, which has resulted in the replanting of nearly two million trees in Palestine. But this is an uphill task given the nature of Israel’s occupation — involving not just the physical deployment of soldiers and settlers — but also control over civil liberties, culture, environment, livelihoods, and agriculture. The larger design is to make everyday life in Palestine a struggle, ultimately amounting to a denial of Palestinian selfhood.
Source: dna
Hussein Abu Alia’s narrative appears in a 2013 study of the United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs in the occupied Palestinian territory (UNOCHA OPT) on the impact of Israeli settler violence on the olive harvest.
The Jordan-based Arab Group for the Protection of Nature (APN) estimates that about three million trees, including olive trees, have been destroyed from 2001 onwards, while around 1.5 million trees were uprooted from 2001-2007 by Israeli settlers and defence forces. Palestine’s olive trees date back hundreds of years and represent Palestinian history and continuity on the land. The annual olive harvest is an important cultural and social event for Palestinians. The trees have considerable economic significance — nearly 48 per cent of agricultural land in the OPT is planted with olive trees, mostly in the West Bank.
According to APN estimates, olive trees account for 70 per cent of fruit production and contribute around 14 per cent to the Palestinian economy.
APN founder, Razan Zuayter in an email, described the destruction of trees as an ‘agricultural war’ waged by Israel. Not confined to destroying trees, the onslaught on agriculture includes an arbitrary permit system, the Gaza blockade and the Apartheid wall. The permit system regulates access of Palestinian farmers to their lands in parts of West Bank and the Gaza Strip. Permits grant limited access only to the person, under whose name the land is registered, and not the family. Farmers, whose land is near Israeli settlements, additionally need to pass through agricultural checkpoints. These checkpoints are opened certain times a year and for a few hours a day.
A 2011 UNOCHA OPT study on the humanitarian situation in the Gaza Strip notes that Israel’s blockade has resulted in major restrictions on access to agricultural land and fishing waters, import and export of food and agricultural inputs, and also the destruction of small farms, olive trees and citrus orchards. The study notes that 54 per cent of people in Gaza are food insecure.
The Apartheid Wall which Israel is building has drastically altered Palestine’s contours. Ritu Menon notes in the recently published From India to Palestine. Essays in Solidarity: “The Wall. Six hundred kilometres of electrified concrete slabs, eight metres high, topped with razor wire, arc lights, surveillance cameras, encircling the West Bank, snaking through fields and olive groves, through city streets, alongside homes, dividing friends and families, erecting barriers and checkpoints. The Israelis call it a “security fence”, a protection against suicide bombers; the Palestinians call it the Apartheid Wall...Thousands of olive trees, some over 600 years old have been uprooted; hundreds of thousand villagers dispossessed, their farming at a standstill.”
There has been resistance on the ground, such as the APN-spearheaded Million Tree Campaign, which has resulted in the replanting of nearly two million trees in Palestine. But this is an uphill task given the nature of Israel’s occupation — involving not just the physical deployment of soldiers and settlers — but also control over civil liberties, culture, environment, livelihoods, and agriculture. The larger design is to make everyday life in Palestine a struggle, ultimately amounting to a denial of Palestinian selfhood.
Source: dna
26 mar 2014
A horde of fanatic Jewish settlers on Wednesday destroyed and uprooted more than 1,200 olive seedlings and trees in a Palestinian-owned piece of land in Turmus'ayya town, north of Ramallah city. Rabhi Awwad, head of the municipal council in the town, told Quds Press that extremist Jewish settlers went on the rampage in a vast tract of olive fields, destroying and uprooting hundreds of olives saplings and trees.
Awwad added that the settlers stole many olive saplings and entirely smashed all fruitful trees.
About one month ago, Jewish settlers had destroyed thousands of olive and almond trees in different towns in the north of Ramallah city, especially in the towns of Sanjel and Turmus'ayya.
In a separate incident, another group of Jewish settlers attacked on Wednesday afternoon Palestinian farmers and citizens during their presence on their lands near Mabo Dotan settlement, which was built illegally on the lands of Yabad and Araba villages, south of Jenin.
Local sources reported that armed settlers came from the settlement and forced, at gunpoint, Palestinian farmers and landowners to leave their lands.
They said that the Jewish assailants threatened to kill the Palestinians and uttered racial slurs against them.
Those settlers also closed under military protection the area extending from Dotan checkpoint to Yabad town.
The landowners in that area often suffer big agricultural losses resulting from the repeated assaults by Jewish settlers.
In Salfit city, Palestinian livestock farmers complained that their usual grazing areas keep diminishing because of the fencing activities carried out by Jewish settlers.
Specialist in settlement affairs Khaled Ma'ali stated on Wednesday that wide grazing areas had been fenced by Jewish settlers, while Israeli security men of settlements prevented famers and shepherds from getting near these annexed areas, especially in Wadi Qana.
Ma'ali stated that the large number of Israeli settlements in Salfit province destabilized its ecological balance and caused many wild animals to disappear, not to mention the significant decrease in livestock production.
Settlers Uproot 400 Olive Seedlings near Ramallah
Israeli settlers on Wednesday uprooted 400 olive seedlings in the lands of Turmus'ayya, east of Ramallah.
PNN reporter quoted local sources as saying that a group of settlers from a nearby illegal settlement, sneaked into the village at dawn, and uprooted the olive seedlings.
Awwad added that the settlers stole many olive saplings and entirely smashed all fruitful trees.
About one month ago, Jewish settlers had destroyed thousands of olive and almond trees in different towns in the north of Ramallah city, especially in the towns of Sanjel and Turmus'ayya.
In a separate incident, another group of Jewish settlers attacked on Wednesday afternoon Palestinian farmers and citizens during their presence on their lands near Mabo Dotan settlement, which was built illegally on the lands of Yabad and Araba villages, south of Jenin.
Local sources reported that armed settlers came from the settlement and forced, at gunpoint, Palestinian farmers and landowners to leave their lands.
They said that the Jewish assailants threatened to kill the Palestinians and uttered racial slurs against them.
Those settlers also closed under military protection the area extending from Dotan checkpoint to Yabad town.
The landowners in that area often suffer big agricultural losses resulting from the repeated assaults by Jewish settlers.
In Salfit city, Palestinian livestock farmers complained that their usual grazing areas keep diminishing because of the fencing activities carried out by Jewish settlers.
Specialist in settlement affairs Khaled Ma'ali stated on Wednesday that wide grazing areas had been fenced by Jewish settlers, while Israeli security men of settlements prevented famers and shepherds from getting near these annexed areas, especially in Wadi Qana.
Ma'ali stated that the large number of Israeli settlements in Salfit province destabilized its ecological balance and caused many wild animals to disappear, not to mention the significant decrease in livestock production.
Settlers Uproot 400 Olive Seedlings near Ramallah
Israeli settlers on Wednesday uprooted 400 olive seedlings in the lands of Turmus'ayya, east of Ramallah.
PNN reporter quoted local sources as saying that a group of settlers from a nearby illegal settlement, sneaked into the village at dawn, and uprooted the olive seedlings.
25 mar 2014
Meir Kahane
Three Israelis attempted to set fire to a gift shop owned by a Palestinian man in Jerusalem late Monday, an Israeli police spokeswoman said.
Luba al-Samri said in a statement that the suspects also vandalized the shop -- located on Jaffa Street in West Jerusalem -- posting slogans reading "Kahane was right," before fleeing the scene.
She said police were investigating the incident.
Meir Kahane was an American-born Israeli rabbi and political figure who advocated expelling all Arabs from Israel and the occupied Palestinian territories.
Three Israelis attempted to set fire to a gift shop owned by a Palestinian man in Jerusalem late Monday, an Israeli police spokeswoman said.
Luba al-Samri said in a statement that the suspects also vandalized the shop -- located on Jaffa Street in West Jerusalem -- posting slogans reading "Kahane was right," before fleeing the scene.
She said police were investigating the incident.
Meir Kahane was an American-born Israeli rabbi and political figure who advocated expelling all Arabs from Israel and the occupied Palestinian territories.
24 mar 2014
Hamas’s rally in downtown Gaza 23-3-2014
Israelis wished Sunday on social networks Hamas’s rally in downtown Gaza to be bombarded and considered it an opportunity to get rid of Hamas once and forever. One of the comments is: “ nuclear bombs should be dropped on the rally and get rid of them forever”, Another one says “ we have to drop bombs on this rally regardless the results. The most reaction would be an international protest for a month, and then we can live safely for 40 years.”
One of the Israelis wrote: “this opportunity is not available everyday. Too many terrorists are gathered in one place. They should be attacked with rockets to get rid of this dilemma”. One wished an explosion would took place among the rally and kill the most number of Hamas members.
An Israeli called Moti Gate commented: “if we had a sovereign state, it woulddropfour napalm bombs and that’s it." While "Rafael Tayyeb wrote: "This is the time to eliminate this virus because this opportunity will not be repeated every day.” Another wished one of those crazy pilots would fly and drop a number of rockets on the mass and that’s how the story ends, he said.
Hundreds of thousands of Palestinians attended a festival organized by Hamas marking 10 year anniversary of the death of Hamas leaders Sheikh Ahmed Yassin, Abdulaziz al-Rantisi and Ibrahim Almaqadma who were assassinated by Israel. Hamas considered the mass as a referendum on the choice of resistance.
Israelis wished Sunday on social networks Hamas’s rally in downtown Gaza to be bombarded and considered it an opportunity to get rid of Hamas once and forever. One of the comments is: “ nuclear bombs should be dropped on the rally and get rid of them forever”, Another one says “ we have to drop bombs on this rally regardless the results. The most reaction would be an international protest for a month, and then we can live safely for 40 years.”
One of the Israelis wrote: “this opportunity is not available everyday. Too many terrorists are gathered in one place. They should be attacked with rockets to get rid of this dilemma”. One wished an explosion would took place among the rally and kill the most number of Hamas members.
An Israeli called Moti Gate commented: “if we had a sovereign state, it woulddropfour napalm bombs and that’s it." While "Rafael Tayyeb wrote: "This is the time to eliminate this virus because this opportunity will not be repeated every day.” Another wished one of those crazy pilots would fly and drop a number of rockets on the mass and that’s how the story ends, he said.
Hundreds of thousands of Palestinians attended a festival organized by Hamas marking 10 year anniversary of the death of Hamas leaders Sheikh Ahmed Yassin, Abdulaziz al-Rantisi and Ibrahim Almaqadma who were assassinated by Israel. Hamas considered the mass as a referendum on the choice of resistance.
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Suspected Jewish extremists punctured the tires of dozens of Palestinian cars in annexed East Jerusalem on Monday in the latest so-called "price tag" hate crime, police and an AFP correspondent said.
The attack took place in Beit Hanina with Hebrew graffiti on a nearby bus reading "Gentiles in the country are enemies". Police said the tires of 34 cars were punctured, but an AFP correspondent at the scene placed the number at 45, noting all four wheels of each car were slashed. Residents told Ma'an that the damage was discovered at 5 a.m. as locals left their homes to go to work. |
"Five settlers stormed the al-Samah square at around 2:30 a.m. coming from the direction of Pisgat Zeev settlement which is built on lands of Beit Hanina. Two of them positioned themselves at the main entrance to watch as the rest assaulted properties in the neighborhood," local resident Muhammad Abu Sneina told Ma'an.
In June, 21 cars were vandalized in a similar attack in Beit Hanina not far from Monday's attack.
Last month, the tires of 31 cars were slashed in a Palestinian neighborhood in the southern sector of East Jerusalem.
Racist slogans spray-painted on walls, cars attacked in OJ
Jewish fanatic settlers punctured the tires of 34 cars and buses in Beit Hanina, north of occupied Jerusalem, at dawn Monday. Eyewitnesses and locals said that members of the so-called Price Tag gangs committed the act and also sprayed racist graffiti on walls of the suburb saying “Non-Jews in the country = enemies”.
The act was met with anger on the part of the inhabitants, the sources said, adding that Israeli policemen arrived to the scene to investigate the incident.
Price Tag gangs have recently attacked numerous Islamic and Christian holy shrines and civilian property in occupied Jerusalem and the West Bank, but the Israeli police always registered the attacks as against unknown persons.
In June, 21 cars were vandalized in a similar attack in Beit Hanina not far from Monday's attack.
Last month, the tires of 31 cars were slashed in a Palestinian neighborhood in the southern sector of East Jerusalem.
Racist slogans spray-painted on walls, cars attacked in OJ
Jewish fanatic settlers punctured the tires of 34 cars and buses in Beit Hanina, north of occupied Jerusalem, at dawn Monday. Eyewitnesses and locals said that members of the so-called Price Tag gangs committed the act and also sprayed racist graffiti on walls of the suburb saying “Non-Jews in the country = enemies”.
The act was met with anger on the part of the inhabitants, the sources said, adding that Israeli policemen arrived to the scene to investigate the incident.
Price Tag gangs have recently attacked numerous Islamic and Christian holy shrines and civilian property in occupied Jerusalem and the West Bank, but the Israeli police always registered the attacks as against unknown persons.
23 mar 2014
Israeli soldiers and officers and Jewish settlers stormed al-Aqsa Mosque on Sunday morning, under the protection of the Israeli police forces. Al-Aqsa Foundation for Endowment and Heritage said in a statement that a group of Israeli settlers and soldiers broke into al-Aqsa Mosque from the Mughrabi Gate and toured its courtyards, under tight protection by military and police forces.
The foundation said that another group of Shin Bet officers stormed al-Aqsa compound and organized a tour there.
It added that the Jerusalemite students in the mosque tried to confront the incursion, while the Israeli police continued to tighten its security measures on the entry of students into al-Aqsa.
The foundation said that another group of Shin Bet officers stormed al-Aqsa compound and organized a tour there.
It added that the Jerusalemite students in the mosque tried to confront the incursion, while the Israeli police continued to tighten its security measures on the entry of students into al-Aqsa.
A settler who mistakenly wandered into a northern West Bank village on Sunday has been returned to Israeli authorities by the Palestinian liaison office, an official said.
Ghassan Daghlas, a Palestinian Authority official who monitors settler activities in the northern West Bank, told Ma'an that a settler from the illegal Israeli outpost of Homesh "accidentally" walked into the the village of Burqa west of Nablus.
The settler "begged and cried" as he was beaten up by dozens of school children, before locals intervened and took him to the Palestinian liaison office, Daghlas said.
Liaison officials then delivered the man to their Israeli counterparts, he said.
Homesh was evacuated by Israeli authorities in 2005, and in September, Israel's military said that land confiscated in 1978 to build the settlement would be returned to its Palestinian owners in Burqa.
In recent months, however, armed Jewish settlers have been trickling back to try and reestablish a permanent presence there, locals say.
More than 500,000 Israeli settlers live in settlements across the West Bank and East Jerusalem, in contravention of international law.
Ghassan Daghlas, a Palestinian Authority official who monitors settler activities in the northern West Bank, told Ma'an that a settler from the illegal Israeli outpost of Homesh "accidentally" walked into the the village of Burqa west of Nablus.
The settler "begged and cried" as he was beaten up by dozens of school children, before locals intervened and took him to the Palestinian liaison office, Daghlas said.
Liaison officials then delivered the man to their Israeli counterparts, he said.
Homesh was evacuated by Israeli authorities in 2005, and in September, Israel's military said that land confiscated in 1978 to build the settlement would be returned to its Palestinian owners in Burqa.
In recent months, however, armed Jewish settlers have been trickling back to try and reestablish a permanent presence there, locals say.
More than 500,000 Israeli settlers live in settlements across the West Bank and East Jerusalem, in contravention of international law.
Clashes broke out Sunday morning after Jewish settlers attacked Palestinian farmers in their fields near the northern West Bank village of Burin south of Nablus.
Ghassan Daghlas, a Palestinian Authority official who monitors settlement-related activities in the northern West Bank, told Ma'an that dozens of settlers from the nearby Bracha settlement attacked Palestinian farmers in the eastern fields of Burin.
The farmers fought back and clashes broke out as both sides hurled stones at each other.
As a result, 30-year-old Munir Qandus was injured by a stone and was evacuated to the hospital for treatment.
Daghlas highlighted that Israeli settlers "use all means possible to prevent Palestinian residents from building agricultural roads which would help them access their lands."
The area around the villages south of Nablus is a frequent site of settler violence and Palestinian clashes with Israeli forces as it is located beside the notoriously violent Israeli settlements of Yitzhar and Bracha.
In mid-February, local settlers threw rocks at Palestinian schoolchildren and attacked a local high school in two separate incidents that led to clashes.
Settlers frequently attack a number of local villages and prevent farmers from reaching their lands, according to UNOCHA, in addition to attacks on local olive trees themselves.
As a result, local youths sometimes respond by targeting vehicles belonging to settlers on the area's main roads.
Settler violence against Palestinians and their property in the occupied West Bank is systematic and ignored by Israeli authorities, who rarely intervene in the violent attacks or prosecute the perpetrators.
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.
Ghassan Daghlas, a Palestinian Authority official who monitors settlement-related activities in the northern West Bank, told Ma'an that dozens of settlers from the nearby Bracha settlement attacked Palestinian farmers in the eastern fields of Burin.
The farmers fought back and clashes broke out as both sides hurled stones at each other.
As a result, 30-year-old Munir Qandus was injured by a stone and was evacuated to the hospital for treatment.
Daghlas highlighted that Israeli settlers "use all means possible to prevent Palestinian residents from building agricultural roads which would help them access their lands."
The area around the villages south of Nablus is a frequent site of settler violence and Palestinian clashes with Israeli forces as it is located beside the notoriously violent Israeli settlements of Yitzhar and Bracha.
In mid-February, local settlers threw rocks at Palestinian schoolchildren and attacked a local high school in two separate incidents that led to clashes.
Settlers frequently attack a number of local villages and prevent farmers from reaching their lands, according to UNOCHA, in addition to attacks on local olive trees themselves.
As a result, local youths sometimes respond by targeting vehicles belonging to settlers on the area's main roads.
Settler violence against Palestinians and their property in the occupied West Bank is systematic and ignored by Israeli authorities, who rarely intervene in the violent attacks or prosecute the perpetrators.
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.
International Solidarity Movement team - On March 20, four settlers from Havat Ma'on illegal outpost attacked, in two different places at the same time, two internationals and seven Palestinian shepherds while grazing flocks on their own land. The settlers were armed with a gun and slingshots.
At 9.58 am a settler with a gun chased two Palestinian shepherds away, while grazing between the Palestinian village of Tuba and Havat Ma'on Israeli illegal outpost. He first shouted at the shepherds and then ran after them for more than two kilometers. The harassment lasted for about one hour, when the shepherds finally arrived to Tuba.
In the meanwhile, at 10.03 am three settler teens fired a petard from the outpost in order to scare the Palestinians who were in Meshaha valley. About 15 minutes later the Israeli Police arrived to the place and spoke to the settlers and the Palestinian shepherds. The police allowed the latter to graze in Meshaha valley, south side of the outpost.
At 10.40 am a masked settler and two children went to the same valley and attacked five Palestinian shepherds, three men and two women. By using slingshots, the attackers threw stones against the shepherds and the internationals, for about five minutes. During the assault the settlers entered Palestinian private land. At a later stage the Israeli police arrived to the place and the attackers ran away. The policeman saw them going back to the outpost but did not try to stop them. One of the Palestinians attacked told the police the event adding that a settler with a gun was still chasing away a Palestinian shepherd from Tuba, on the other side of the outpost. The Israeli police moved to the village of Tuba together with the Palestinian and an international volunteer, while the rest of the Palestinian shepherds successfully grazed their flocks in Meshaha valley until around 12.20 am.
At 11.30 am the police car arrived to Tuba and after five minutes the policeman reached the settler who chased the Palestinian shepherds away. The settler was still close to the Palestinian village. The policeman inquired one of the Palestinians, Ahmed Jundiya, and the settler. After that both of them got in the police car and were driven to Kiryat Arba police station. The two filed a complaint against each other: the settler maintained that the shepherds were on Israeli land and Jundiya proved, thanks to his camera provided by B'tselem organization for human rights, that he was chased away while grazing his flock on Palestinian land.
The Israeli police decided to investigate more in order to define within three months whom that land belongs to. Jundiya could come back home at about 4.30 pm.
Palestinians from the South Hebron Hills face the Israeli occupation with the popular nonviolent resistance.
Operation Dove has maintained an international presence in At-Tuwani and the South Hebron Hills since 2004.
At 9.58 am a settler with a gun chased two Palestinian shepherds away, while grazing between the Palestinian village of Tuba and Havat Ma'on Israeli illegal outpost. He first shouted at the shepherds and then ran after them for more than two kilometers. The harassment lasted for about one hour, when the shepherds finally arrived to Tuba.
In the meanwhile, at 10.03 am three settler teens fired a petard from the outpost in order to scare the Palestinians who were in Meshaha valley. About 15 minutes later the Israeli Police arrived to the place and spoke to the settlers and the Palestinian shepherds. The police allowed the latter to graze in Meshaha valley, south side of the outpost.
At 10.40 am a masked settler and two children went to the same valley and attacked five Palestinian shepherds, three men and two women. By using slingshots, the attackers threw stones against the shepherds and the internationals, for about five minutes. During the assault the settlers entered Palestinian private land. At a later stage the Israeli police arrived to the place and the attackers ran away. The policeman saw them going back to the outpost but did not try to stop them. One of the Palestinians attacked told the police the event adding that a settler with a gun was still chasing away a Palestinian shepherd from Tuba, on the other side of the outpost. The Israeli police moved to the village of Tuba together with the Palestinian and an international volunteer, while the rest of the Palestinian shepherds successfully grazed their flocks in Meshaha valley until around 12.20 am.
At 11.30 am the police car arrived to Tuba and after five minutes the policeman reached the settler who chased the Palestinian shepherds away. The settler was still close to the Palestinian village. The policeman inquired one of the Palestinians, Ahmed Jundiya, and the settler. After that both of them got in the police car and were driven to Kiryat Arba police station. The two filed a complaint against each other: the settler maintained that the shepherds were on Israeli land and Jundiya proved, thanks to his camera provided by B'tselem organization for human rights, that he was chased away while grazing his flock on Palestinian land.
The Israeli police decided to investigate more in order to define within three months whom that land belongs to. Jundiya could come back home at about 4.30 pm.
Palestinians from the South Hebron Hills face the Israeli occupation with the popular nonviolent resistance.
Operation Dove has maintained an international presence in At-Tuwani and the South Hebron Hills since 2004.
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A right-wing Jewish Israeli on Sunday took photos of the Al-Aqsa Mosque using a small drone with cameras that he flew from the cemetery near the Golden Gate.
Eyewitnesses told Ma'an that the man focused the drone's camera on the Dome of the Rock. They added that they saw the man directing his drone and cameras remotely, from just outside the Old City near the Al-Aqsa compound. After the guards of Al-Aqsa noticed the drone, they called Israeli police who arrived and detained the settler. |
Director of the Jerusalem office of the Palestinian Authority Ministry of Endowment Sheikh Azzam al-Kahtib called upon Israeli police to immediately investigate the incident as such behavior, he said, poses real threats to the Al-Aqsa Mosque.
Some right-wing Jewish groups call for the destruction of the Al-Aqsa mosque and the construction of a Jewish temple there, and recent calls for the extension of Israel sovereignty over the compound -- which is maintained by an Islamic trust under Jordanian oversight -- have inflamed tensions.
The Al-Aqsa compound sits just above the Western Wall plaza and 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.
Some right-wing Jewish groups call for the destruction of the Al-Aqsa mosque and the construction of a Jewish temple there, and recent calls for the extension of Israel sovereignty over the compound -- which is maintained by an Islamic trust under Jordanian oversight -- have inflamed tensions.
The Al-Aqsa compound sits just above the Western Wall plaza and 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.
20 mar 2014
Israeli forces closed all entrances to the village of Burin near Nablus on Thursday, preventing locals from leaving or entering their village, hours after a Molotov cocktail was thrown at an Israeli settler bus as it was passing by the nearby village of Madama.
Locals told Ma'an that Israeli forces closed the entrance to the village's main street near the Hawwara checkpoint south of Nablus with sand barriers.
Israeli soldiers were stationed at the barriers to ensure no locals were able to pass.
The Molotov cocktail thrown earlier in the day resulted in no injuries, Israeli sources said, but caused physical damage to the bus. Following the incident, Israeli forces launched a search for the culprits in the area.
An Israeli army spokeswoman said that Israeli forces had closed one of the entrances to Burin after the Molotov cocktail was thrown, but said that other entrances remained open.
The area around the villages south of Nablus is a frequent site of settler violence and Palestinian clashes with Israeli forces as it is located beside the notoriously violent Israeli settlement of Yitzhar.
In mid-February, local settlers threw rocks at Palestinian schoolchildren and attacked a local high school in two separate incidents that led to clashes.
Settlers frequently attack a number of local villages and prevent farmers from reaching their lands, according to UNOCHA, in addition to attacks on local olive trees themselves.
As a result, local youths sometimes respond by targeting vehicles belonging to settlers on the area's main roads.
Settler violence against Palestinians and their property in the occupied West Bank is systematic and ignored by Israeli authorities, who rarely intervene in the violent attacks or prosecute the perpetrators.
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.
Locals told Ma'an that Israeli forces closed the entrance to the village's main street near the Hawwara checkpoint south of Nablus with sand barriers.
Israeli soldiers were stationed at the barriers to ensure no locals were able to pass.
The Molotov cocktail thrown earlier in the day resulted in no injuries, Israeli sources said, but caused physical damage to the bus. Following the incident, Israeli forces launched a search for the culprits in the area.
An Israeli army spokeswoman said that Israeli forces had closed one of the entrances to Burin after the Molotov cocktail was thrown, but said that other entrances remained open.
The area around the villages south of Nablus is a frequent site of settler violence and Palestinian clashes with Israeli forces as it is located beside the notoriously violent Israeli settlement of Yitzhar.
In mid-February, local settlers threw rocks at Palestinian schoolchildren and attacked a local high school in two separate incidents that led to clashes.
Settlers frequently attack a number of local villages and prevent farmers from reaching their lands, according to UNOCHA, in addition to attacks on local olive trees themselves.
As a result, local youths sometimes respond by targeting vehicles belonging to settlers on the area's main roads.
Settler violence against Palestinians and their property in the occupied West Bank is systematic and ignored by Israeli authorities, who rarely intervene in the violent attacks or prosecute the perpetrators.
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.
Two Palestinian children were injured on Thursday afternoon after a group of Israeli settlers attacked them near the village of Beit Furik east of Nablus, the children said.
Musab Fouad Khatatba, 11, and Amir Mohammed Saleh, 11, suffered moderate injuries as a result of the attack, which they said was carried out by settlers from the nearby Jewish settlement of Itamar.
Musab Khatatba said that the settlers attacked him with sticks and struck his head, face, and back during the attack, which occurred after the group had detained him and his friend just east of the village.
He said that the settlers forcibly brought them to Itamar, where they handed them over to Israeli authorities.
They were subsequently handed over to a Palestinian official liaison, who transferred them to the Rafidia government hospital west of Nablus for treatment.
Clashes later erupted between settlers and dozens of young men in the village.
An Israeli army spokeswoman said she had no information regarding the incident.
Settler violence against Palestinians and their property in the occupied West Bank is systematic and ignored by Israeli authorities, who rarely intervene in the violent attacks or prosecute the perpetrators.
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.
Musab Fouad Khatatba, 11, and Amir Mohammed Saleh, 11, suffered moderate injuries as a result of the attack, which they said was carried out by settlers from the nearby Jewish settlement of Itamar.
Musab Khatatba said that the settlers attacked him with sticks and struck his head, face, and back during the attack, which occurred after the group had detained him and his friend just east of the village.
He said that the settlers forcibly brought them to Itamar, where they handed them over to Israeli authorities.
They were subsequently handed over to a Palestinian official liaison, who transferred them to the Rafidia government hospital west of Nablus for treatment.
Clashes later erupted between settlers and dozens of young men in the village.
An Israeli army spokeswoman said she had no information regarding the incident.
Settler violence against Palestinians and their property in the occupied West Bank is systematic and ignored by Israeli authorities, who rarely intervene in the violent attacks or prosecute the perpetrators.
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.
Israeli police stormed on Thursday morning al-Aqsa Mosque and attacked Palestinian worshipers. Three youths were arrested under the pretext of throwing stones at Israeli police forces. Five Jerusalemite worshipers were injured after being attacked by Israeli police for confronting settlers' break-in into the mosque’s courtyards.
Dozens of settlers, led by Deputy Speaker of the Knesset MK Moshe Feiglin, stormed Thursday morning al-Aqsa Mosque to perform Talmudic prayers. However, Palestinian worshipers prevented their access to the mosque.
Israeli police brutally intervened and fired tear gas bombs and attacked the worshipers. Many breathing problems were reported among Palestinians after inhaling tear gas.
The sources said that two students of religious schools in al-Aqsa Mosque were arrested and transferred to investigation centers.
A state of tension has prevailed in al-Aqsa Mosque amid an intensive presence of Israeli forces.
Israeli forces and settlers have recently escalated their break-ins and violations in al-Aqsa Mosque in an attempt to impose a fait accompli, and divide the mosque temporally and spatially between Muslims and Jews.
Dozens of settlers, led by Deputy Speaker of the Knesset MK Moshe Feiglin, stormed Thursday morning al-Aqsa Mosque to perform Talmudic prayers. However, Palestinian worshipers prevented their access to the mosque.
Israeli police brutally intervened and fired tear gas bombs and attacked the worshipers. Many breathing problems were reported among Palestinians after inhaling tear gas.
The sources said that two students of religious schools in al-Aqsa Mosque were arrested and transferred to investigation centers.
A state of tension has prevailed in al-Aqsa Mosque amid an intensive presence of Israeli forces.
Israeli forces and settlers have recently escalated their break-ins and violations in al-Aqsa Mosque in an attempt to impose a fait accompli, and divide the mosque temporally and spatially between Muslims and Jews.
A horde of Jewish settlers from Ro'i settlement appropriated more than 300 dunums of Palestinian-owned agricultural land in Samra area of the Jordan Valley, according to local sources. Municipal chief in the Jordan Valley Aref Daraghmeh told Quds Press that the settlers embarked on setting up a fence around the land they seized in Samra area and establishing roads.
Daraghmeh added that the settlers brought 30 portable toilets to the seized area.
The settlers claimed that they plan to organize a party in the area, but local sources affirmed that such claim is refuted by the systematic Israeli annexation of large tracts of Palestinian land in the Jordan Valley.
The seized land belongs to more than 45 Palestinian families living in the Jordan Valley and being prevented from utilizing it for housing or agricultural purposes at the pretext of military drills or over claims that it is part of a closed military zone.
Daraghmeh added that the settlers brought 30 portable toilets to the seized area.
The settlers claimed that they plan to organize a party in the area, but local sources affirmed that such claim is refuted by the systematic Israeli annexation of large tracts of Palestinian land in the Jordan Valley.
The seized land belongs to more than 45 Palestinian families living in the Jordan Valley and being prevented from utilizing it for housing or agricultural purposes at the pretext of military drills or over claims that it is part of a closed military zone.
19 mar 2014
Dozens of Israeli soldiers and settlers toured the courtyards of the Al-Aqsa mosque compound on Wednesday, the Palestinian Authority Ministry of Endowment said.
Over 90 Israeli army recruits entered the compound via the Moroccan Gate and were escorted by Israeli police officers.
The visit was part of an Israeli army orientation tour, the PA ministry said.
Over 20 extremists also entered the mosque compound, it added.
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.
Over 90 Israeli army recruits entered the compound via the Moroccan Gate and were escorted by Israeli police officers.
The visit was part of an Israeli army orientation tour, the PA ministry said.
Over 20 extremists also entered the mosque compound, it added.
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.
