18 mar 2014
Israeli colonial settlements in the WB
By Jonathan Ferziger
Thirty percent of West Bank settlers living farthest from Israel’s boundaries are willing to leave their homes if fairly compensated, even without a peace agreement, a study showed.
The report released today by Israel’s Blue White Future peace group focuses on 100,000 Israelis living outside larger settlement blocs. It excludes some 250,000 residents in the bigger settlements. The numbers rise to 50 percent if a peace agreement is reached; 40 percent would refuse to leave.
U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry is trying to persuade Palestinians and Israelis to agree on a framework for continuing peace negotiations beyond the nine months they originally approved, ending April 29. President Barack Obama meets with Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas today at the White House to push for the agreement after a March 3 visit by Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu.
A voluntary evacuation “would unequivocally demonstrate that Israel is serious about seeking a two-state solution” and “increase the chance of the negotiation track succeeding,” said Gilead Sher, a former Israeli peace negotiator who is the group’s co-chairman.
The government hasn’t indicated that it is working on such a plan.
The survey of 501 settlers conducted in August had a margin of error of 4.5 percentage points.
Source: BloombergBusinessweek
By Jonathan Ferziger
Thirty percent of West Bank settlers living farthest from Israel’s boundaries are willing to leave their homes if fairly compensated, even without a peace agreement, a study showed.
The report released today by Israel’s Blue White Future peace group focuses on 100,000 Israelis living outside larger settlement blocs. It excludes some 250,000 residents in the bigger settlements. The numbers rise to 50 percent if a peace agreement is reached; 40 percent would refuse to leave.
U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry is trying to persuade Palestinians and Israelis to agree on a framework for continuing peace negotiations beyond the nine months they originally approved, ending April 29. President Barack Obama meets with Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas today at the White House to push for the agreement after a March 3 visit by Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu.
A voluntary evacuation “would unequivocally demonstrate that Israel is serious about seeking a two-state solution” and “increase the chance of the negotiation track succeeding,” said Gilead Sher, a former Israeli peace negotiator who is the group’s co-chairman.
The government hasn’t indicated that it is working on such a plan.
The survey of 501 settlers conducted in August had a margin of error of 4.5 percentage points.
Source: BloombergBusinessweek
On Sunday March 16, during the Jewish holiday of Purim, Israeli settlers attacked Palestinians and Internationals on Palestinian fields near Mitzpe Yair illegal outpost. In the morning, four Palestinian shepherds from the village of Qawawis were grazing their flocks south of the Israeli outpost of Mitzpe Yair, when a settler arrived armed with an iron pipe to threaten them shouting.
At 9:18 am two Internationals arrived together with two further Palestinian shepherds. The armed Israeli settler then left when he saw that they were filming the scene.
At 9:28 am eight settlers arrived from the illegal outpost – one was still armed with the iron pipe – and four of them violently chased away the flocks, pushing them toward the valley underlying the outpost. Palestinian shepherds followed the settlers in order not to lose their flocks accompanied by Internationals. The Palestinians immediately called the Israeli police.
At 9:48 am the settlers came back to the outpost. In the meantime, an additional Internationals and two Palestinian members of the South Hebron Hills Popular Committee arrived at the scene. At 10:00 am one of the settlers tried to chase away one of the newly-arrived Palestinians, a member of the Israeli human rights organization B’Tselem. As this happened, an Israeli policeman and three Israeli soldiers arrived by foot. At 10:20 am, as the policeman began interrogating the attendants, a further three settlers arrived. Those interrogated were the Palestinian shepherd Nail Abuaram (who filmed everything with a B’Tselem camera) and one International.
At 10:45 am, the policeman lead Abuaram and one of the Internationals to Kiryat Arba police station to give testimony of the harassments. They arrived at the station at noon.
The International was asked for the camera footage of the incident, interrogated and finally released at around 2:50 pm. Abuaram was interrogated alone for a couple of hours and was threaten of arrest until he accepted to sign a paper stating that he will not get closer than 450 meters to the area where the harassment took place for a period of 15 days. He was later released around 6:00 pm after signing the paper. The Israeli police forced the settler who attacked the Palestinians with an iron pipe to stay 200 meters far from the spot where the harassment took place for a period of 15 days.
Palestinian communities of the South Hebron Hills area are strongly involved in using nonviolence as a way to resist the Israeli occupation.
Operation Dove has maintained an international presence in At-Tuwani and the South Hebron Hills since 2004.
Source: INTERNATIONAL SOLIDARITY MOVEMENT
At 9:18 am two Internationals arrived together with two further Palestinian shepherds. The armed Israeli settler then left when he saw that they were filming the scene.
At 9:28 am eight settlers arrived from the illegal outpost – one was still armed with the iron pipe – and four of them violently chased away the flocks, pushing them toward the valley underlying the outpost. Palestinian shepherds followed the settlers in order not to lose their flocks accompanied by Internationals. The Palestinians immediately called the Israeli police.
At 9:48 am the settlers came back to the outpost. In the meantime, an additional Internationals and two Palestinian members of the South Hebron Hills Popular Committee arrived at the scene. At 10:00 am one of the settlers tried to chase away one of the newly-arrived Palestinians, a member of the Israeli human rights organization B’Tselem. As this happened, an Israeli policeman and three Israeli soldiers arrived by foot. At 10:20 am, as the policeman began interrogating the attendants, a further three settlers arrived. Those interrogated were the Palestinian shepherd Nail Abuaram (who filmed everything with a B’Tselem camera) and one International.
At 10:45 am, the policeman lead Abuaram and one of the Internationals to Kiryat Arba police station to give testimony of the harassments. They arrived at the station at noon.
The International was asked for the camera footage of the incident, interrogated and finally released at around 2:50 pm. Abuaram was interrogated alone for a couple of hours and was threaten of arrest until he accepted to sign a paper stating that he will not get closer than 450 meters to the area where the harassment took place for a period of 15 days. He was later released around 6:00 pm after signing the paper. The Israeli police forced the settler who attacked the Palestinians with an iron pipe to stay 200 meters far from the spot where the harassment took place for a period of 15 days.
Palestinian communities of the South Hebron Hills area are strongly involved in using nonviolence as a way to resist the Israeli occupation.
Operation Dove has maintained an international presence in At-Tuwani and the South Hebron Hills since 2004.
Source: INTERNATIONAL SOLIDARITY MOVEMENT
17 mar 2014
Israeli military forces raided several Palestinian homes in the Nablus town of Huwwara on Monday after a settler vehicle was attacked with firebombs, locals said.
Witnesses told Ma'an that Palestinian youths hurled four Molotov cocktails at a settler vehicle traveling on the main road in Huwwara.
The vehicle was directly hit and Israeli military vehicles arrived in the area shortly after the attack. No injuries were reported.
Senior Fatah official Awad Najim Amin told Ma'an that dozens of Israeli soldiers broke into Palestinian homes near the main road following the incident.
An Israeli army spokeswoman told Ma'an that two Molotov cocktails were thrown at Israeli vehicles, and that soldiers were searching the area for suspects.
Witnesses told Ma'an that Palestinian youths hurled four Molotov cocktails at a settler vehicle traveling on the main road in Huwwara.
The vehicle was directly hit and Israeli military vehicles arrived in the area shortly after the attack. No injuries were reported.
Senior Fatah official Awad Najim Amin told Ma'an that dozens of Israeli soldiers broke into Palestinian homes near the main road following the incident.
An Israeli army spokeswoman told Ma'an that two Molotov cocktails were thrown at Israeli vehicles, and that soldiers were searching the area for suspects.
Three Palestinians were injured Sunday when Israeli settlers threw stones and empty bottles in the vicinity of Za'atara checkpoint south of Nablus. Local sources told Safa News Agency that a group of settlers threw stones and liquor bottles at a Palestinian vehicle, carrying two pilgrims who were returning to their homes while passing through Za'atara checkpoint at the entrance of Nablus.
Palestinian medical sources confirmed that the driver and the two pilgrims were transferred to hospital after being injured in the settlers' attack.
In a related context, occupation forces stormed Burin village south of Nablus where violent clashes erupted in the vicinity of the civil defense building between Palestinian youths and Israeli soldiers who heavily fired tear gas bombs.
Palestinian towns and villages south of Nablus are daily subjected to Israeli forces and settlers' attacks.
Meanwhile, Israeli settlers damaged on Sunday more than 55 olive trees after spraying toxic materials on a number of trees in Jalud village south of Nablus.
Ghassan Douglas, who monitors settlement activity north of the West Bank, confirmed that a group of settlers from Yash Kodesh settlement outpost sprayed toxic chemicals to destroy 55 olive trees in Jalud village belonging to Palestinian families.
Palestinian medical sources confirmed that the driver and the two pilgrims were transferred to hospital after being injured in the settlers' attack.
In a related context, occupation forces stormed Burin village south of Nablus where violent clashes erupted in the vicinity of the civil defense building between Palestinian youths and Israeli soldiers who heavily fired tear gas bombs.
Palestinian towns and villages south of Nablus are daily subjected to Israeli forces and settlers' attacks.
Meanwhile, Israeli settlers damaged on Sunday more than 55 olive trees after spraying toxic materials on a number of trees in Jalud village south of Nablus.
Ghassan Douglas, who monitors settlement activity north of the West Bank, confirmed that a group of settlers from Yash Kodesh settlement outpost sprayed toxic chemicals to destroy 55 olive trees in Jalud village belonging to Palestinian families.
Israeli occupation forces (IOF) detained reporter of the ‘Palestine Today’ TV in Al-Khalil for a few hours on Sunday night. The soldiers detained the reporter Fida Nasr after she finished a reportage on the Jewish settlers’ celebration of Purim feast in Tal Al-Rumaida in downtown Al-Khalil.
Khitam Al-Hih, lawyer of the reporter, said in a press statement that Fida was detained after the settlers assaulted and poured wine on her while at work.
Khitam Al-Hih, lawyer of the reporter, said in a press statement that Fida was detained after the settlers assaulted and poured wine on her while at work.
16 mar 2014
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Two Palestinians were injured after Israeli settlers threw a bottle at the car they were driving on the way to Nablus, one of them told Ma'an.
The settlers "threw a beer bottle at us, which destroyed the windshield," one of the Palestinians in the car said. Fathi Badawi and Ismail Murshed Sweidan were lightly injured in the incident. More than 500,000 Israeli settlers live in settlements across the West Bank and East Jerusalem, in contravention of international law. |
Israeli forces Sunday arrested a reporter in the city of Hebron, according to local sources and witnesses. They said army arrested Fedaa Nasser, a reporter for Felastine Al-Yawm TV, while she was covering the events of the Jewish Purim holiday.
They said that one of the protesting settlers attempted to attack Nasser when forces intervened and arrested her. She was led to a police station in Hebron.
They said that one of the protesting settlers attempted to attack Nasser when forces intervened and arrested her. She was led to a police station in Hebron.
Israeli settlers Sunday destroyed Palestinian-owned olive trees after spraying them with toxic chemicals in the village of Jalud to the south of Nablus, according to activist Ghassan Daghlas who monitors settlement activities in the northern West Bank.
He said settlers from Esh Kodesh settlement, built illegally on the land of Jalud, sprayed and killed about 55 olive trees, belonging to two residents in the village, with deadly chemicals.
He said settlers from Esh Kodesh settlement, built illegally on the land of Jalud, sprayed and killed about 55 olive trees, belonging to two residents in the village, with deadly chemicals.
Masked settler and soldiers on the Palestinian occupied hill
On Tuesday 11th March 2014 villagers from Arab ar Rashyaida, 15 kilometers (10 miles) west of Hebron, noticed that a large tent and industrial digger had moved onto a hill top on a villagers land. ISM Hebron was called and accompanied local people and Palestinian activists to confront the settlers
On arriving at the village, the demonstrators parked on the opposite hill and made their way through the valley to the settlers’ encampment. The settlers were armed with automatic hand guns, assault rifles, and dogs to protect the illegal camp. Resistors confronted the settlers in a non-violent way while settlers took photographs on the phones of all the protestors. After a short time a settler armed with a machine gun and dressed in black with his face covered climbed a wall and started to insult a Palestinian activist, stating that he would kill other Palestinians. The activist responded with in a raised voice matching his righteous indignation at the Zionist’s hateful comments. The army soon arrived and attempted to move the protestors from the construction area. On many occasions the leader of the settlers took the soldiers to one side to make suggestions. A proposal was made that, if the settlers camp is dismantled, the protestors can leave and take the matter up in court, but this was dismissed.
Soon a high ranking military officer arrived and was presented with ownership papers from a villager which date back 130 years. The officer told him that the settlers had ownership papers too (presumably not quite so old!). Meanwhile the settler, with his face concealed, had made his way across to the Palestinians’ cars with his aggressive dog following. A small group made their way across to stop him damaging the vehicles. On seeing the Palestinians approach, the settler made his way down to a taxi driver, that was waiting to drive the ISM team back to Hebron. The Palestinians feared that the settler would attack the taxi driver, so the group drove down the hill to support him. The armed settler then made his way back to the constructions site. Sometime later the Israeli police arrived and arrested the activist who had argued with the Zionist armed settler, who had complained that he was physically attacked. The Palestinian went with the Police peacefully and was later arrested and charged with the assault. Activists exchanged video evidence and the prisoner was released on bail with a payment of 2000NIS. We await a trial date.
Arab ar Rashyaida is extremely vulnerable to occupation by settlers. The land surrounding the village is designated as “Intended Nature Reserve” under the Oslo Interim Agreement, and as such is under full Israeli control. The strategy of building outposts on Palestinian land as a seed to develop illegal settlements is well established and supported by the Israeli authorities, despite the fact that it breaks International Law and the 4th Geneva Convention.
Source: ITERNATIONAL SOLIDARITY MOVEMENT
On Tuesday 11th March 2014 villagers from Arab ar Rashyaida, 15 kilometers (10 miles) west of Hebron, noticed that a large tent and industrial digger had moved onto a hill top on a villagers land. ISM Hebron was called and accompanied local people and Palestinian activists to confront the settlers
On arriving at the village, the demonstrators parked on the opposite hill and made their way through the valley to the settlers’ encampment. The settlers were armed with automatic hand guns, assault rifles, and dogs to protect the illegal camp. Resistors confronted the settlers in a non-violent way while settlers took photographs on the phones of all the protestors. After a short time a settler armed with a machine gun and dressed in black with his face covered climbed a wall and started to insult a Palestinian activist, stating that he would kill other Palestinians. The activist responded with in a raised voice matching his righteous indignation at the Zionist’s hateful comments. The army soon arrived and attempted to move the protestors from the construction area. On many occasions the leader of the settlers took the soldiers to one side to make suggestions. A proposal was made that, if the settlers camp is dismantled, the protestors can leave and take the matter up in court, but this was dismissed.
Soon a high ranking military officer arrived and was presented with ownership papers from a villager which date back 130 years. The officer told him that the settlers had ownership papers too (presumably not quite so old!). Meanwhile the settler, with his face concealed, had made his way across to the Palestinians’ cars with his aggressive dog following. A small group made their way across to stop him damaging the vehicles. On seeing the Palestinians approach, the settler made his way down to a taxi driver, that was waiting to drive the ISM team back to Hebron. The Palestinians feared that the settler would attack the taxi driver, so the group drove down the hill to support him. The armed settler then made his way back to the constructions site. Sometime later the Israeli police arrived and arrested the activist who had argued with the Zionist armed settler, who had complained that he was physically attacked. The Palestinian went with the Police peacefully and was later arrested and charged with the assault. Activists exchanged video evidence and the prisoner was released on bail with a payment of 2000NIS. We await a trial date.
Arab ar Rashyaida is extremely vulnerable to occupation by settlers. The land surrounding the village is designated as “Intended Nature Reserve” under the Oslo Interim Agreement, and as such is under full Israeli control. The strategy of building outposts on Palestinian land as a seed to develop illegal settlements is well established and supported by the Israeli authorities, despite the fact that it breaks International Law and the 4th Geneva Convention.
Source: ITERNATIONAL SOLIDARITY MOVEMENT
Israeli settlers on Sunday plowed land and performed religious rituals on lands recently confiscated from the nearby Palestinian villages of Deir Istiya and Haris in the northern West Bank.
Witnesses said that bulldozers from the Revava settlement northwest of Salfit plowed the lands in order to expand the settlement.
Settlers also entered the lands around Haris village and performed religious rituals on lands that were confiscated from Palestinian villagers by the army on Saturday.
On Saturday, Israeli forces notified the village council that they would confiscate 100 dunams (25 acres) of the village's private land.
Witnesses added that the settlers have continuously seized lands from the villages of Haris and Deir Istiya in order to expand their settlement.
Researcher Khalid Maali said that Revava -- one of 23 settlements in the Salfit district -- was established in 1991 on lands belonging to Deir Istiya, Haris, and Qarawat Bani Hassan.
More than 500,000 Israeli settlers live in settlements across the West Bank and East Jerusalem, in contravention of international law.
Witnesses said that bulldozers from the Revava settlement northwest of Salfit plowed the lands in order to expand the settlement.
Settlers also entered the lands around Haris village and performed religious rituals on lands that were confiscated from Palestinian villagers by the army on Saturday.
On Saturday, Israeli forces notified the village council that they would confiscate 100 dunams (25 acres) of the village's private land.
Witnesses added that the settlers have continuously seized lands from the villages of Haris and Deir Istiya in order to expand their settlement.
Researcher Khalid Maali said that Revava -- one of 23 settlements in the Salfit district -- was established in 1991 on lands belonging to Deir Istiya, Haris, and Qarawat Bani Hassan.
More than 500,000 Israeli settlers live in settlements across the West Bank and East Jerusalem, in contravention of international law.
For Palestinians olive tree is a national symbol of steadfastness and attachment to the land. For the whole world an olive branch is a symbol of peace. However, the olive tree has become a permanent target for Israeli settlers' vandalism. The most recent settlers' attack against olive trees was in Yatta town in al-Khalil, when settlers from Susia settlement outpost uprooted on Friday (14-3-2014) thirty olive trees planted only four years ago.
The Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) had reported that the number of settlers’ attacks targeting olive trees has noticeably increased where approximately 1,429 olive trees have been uprooted during January 2014.
Israeli settlers' hatred against everything Palestinian is widely expressed in targeting Palestinian olive trees and seedlings on daily basis throughout the West Bank especially that the olive tree reflects thousands of years of Palestinian history and civilization.
In this context, the Palestinian researcher in settlement affairs Khaled Ma'ali said that the number of settlers' attacks has doubled comparing to the beginning of 2013. In Salfit, 1,000 olive trees belonging to Palestinians were damaged or destroyed by Israeli settlers in January, he clarified.
Israeli settlers' attacks, including stealing, cutting, torching and uprooting Palestinian olive trees, have been daily escalating, aiming to impose a status quo in Salfit by forcing Palestinians to leave their lands in favor of settlement expansion, he added.
For his part, Palestinian official in charge of the settlements file in the northern part of the West Bank Ghassan Douglas confirmed that Israeli attacks against olive trees have been noticeably escalating in the beginning of 2014 particularly in Palestinian villages in southern Nablus.
Palestinian farmers in Qasra and Qaryout villages, south of Nablus, have complained of settlers' repeated and escalated attacks against their olive trees. Under the protection of Israeli forces, settlers attack Palestinian farmers, prevent them from cultivating their land and harvesting their own crops, one of the farmers said.
Palestinian official statistics indicated that hundreds of olive seedlings have been recently uprooted in Turmus'ayya town, north of Ramallah, by Israeli settlers from Shilo and Adi A'ad neighboring settlement outposts.
Israeli authorities and settlers have uprooted millions of olive trees in the period from 1976 to 2006 (source: Status of the Environment, Applied Research Institute – Jerusalem (ARIJ), 2007)
The Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) had reported that the number of settlers’ attacks targeting olive trees has noticeably increased where approximately 1,429 olive trees have been uprooted during January 2014.
Israeli settlers' hatred against everything Palestinian is widely expressed in targeting Palestinian olive trees and seedlings on daily basis throughout the West Bank especially that the olive tree reflects thousands of years of Palestinian history and civilization.
In this context, the Palestinian researcher in settlement affairs Khaled Ma'ali said that the number of settlers' attacks has doubled comparing to the beginning of 2013. In Salfit, 1,000 olive trees belonging to Palestinians were damaged or destroyed by Israeli settlers in January, he clarified.
Israeli settlers' attacks, including stealing, cutting, torching and uprooting Palestinian olive trees, have been daily escalating, aiming to impose a status quo in Salfit by forcing Palestinians to leave their lands in favor of settlement expansion, he added.
For his part, Palestinian official in charge of the settlements file in the northern part of the West Bank Ghassan Douglas confirmed that Israeli attacks against olive trees have been noticeably escalating in the beginning of 2014 particularly in Palestinian villages in southern Nablus.
Palestinian farmers in Qasra and Qaryout villages, south of Nablus, have complained of settlers' repeated and escalated attacks against their olive trees. Under the protection of Israeli forces, settlers attack Palestinian farmers, prevent them from cultivating their land and harvesting their own crops, one of the farmers said.
Palestinian official statistics indicated that hundreds of olive seedlings have been recently uprooted in Turmus'ayya town, north of Ramallah, by Israeli settlers from Shilo and Adi A'ad neighboring settlement outposts.
Israeli authorities and settlers have uprooted millions of olive trees in the period from 1976 to 2006 (source: Status of the Environment, Applied Research Institute – Jerusalem (ARIJ), 2007)
15 mar 2014
An Israeli soldier was struck by a rock on Saturday while he was detaining a boy during clashes in Beit Furik east of Nablus.
Local sources told Ma'an that clashes broke out between Jewish settlers from the nearby settlement of Elon Moreh and dozens of Palestinians in the eastern neighborhood of the village of Beit Furik.
Israeli settlers approached the clashes and fired dozens of tear gas canisters and stun grenades toward the Palestinians, locals said.
They added that an Israeli soldier was wounded during the clashes after a rock struck his head as he was detaining Najeh Faysal Najeh Nasasrah, 16.
Dozens of Palestinian youths suffered from excessive tear gas inhalation during the clashes, the sources said.
An Israeli military spokeswoman said that "a number of Palestinians were hurling rock at soldiers," and one was struck by a rock.
She said that the soldier was "slightly injured in his shoulder."
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.
Local sources told Ma'an that clashes broke out between Jewish settlers from the nearby settlement of Elon Moreh and dozens of Palestinians in the eastern neighborhood of the village of Beit Furik.
Israeli settlers approached the clashes and fired dozens of tear gas canisters and stun grenades toward the Palestinians, locals said.
They added that an Israeli soldier was wounded during the clashes after a rock struck his head as he was detaining Najeh Faysal Najeh Nasasrah, 16.
Dozens of Palestinian youths suffered from excessive tear gas inhalation during the clashes, the sources said.
An Israeli military spokeswoman said that "a number of Palestinians were hurling rock at soldiers," and one was struck by a rock.
She said that the soldier was "slightly injured in his shoulder."
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.
Sheikh Ikrima Sabri, preacher of the Aqsa Mosque, urged the Palestinians to intensify their presence inside the Aqsa Mosque to protect it and defend it against any Jewish aggression. In his Friday khutba (sermon), Sheikh Sabri strongly denounced the Israeli attempts to control the Aqsa Mosque through imposing measures restricting the access of the Palestinians to their holy Mosque.
He condemned the Israeli measure taken on Friday, which allowed only Palestinian men and women of certain ages to pray at the Aqsa Mosque, warning that the right-wing Israeli government plans further steps against the Mosque and divide it between Muslims and Jews.
The preacher also noted that senior rabbis issued religious edicts ordering the Jews to defile the Aqsa Mosque and pray in its courtyards.
Sheikh Sabri highlighted the constant harassment which students of religious sessions at the Aqsa Mosque are exposed to every day by the Israeli police, affirming that these sessions will continue to take place despites all challenges.
He also talked about the occupation's intention to reduce the sound of Adhan at Jerusalem Mosques and emphasized that the call to prayers would never be lowered at Mosques and those who feel disturbed by its sound can leave the holy city.
He condemned the Israeli measure taken on Friday, which allowed only Palestinian men and women of certain ages to pray at the Aqsa Mosque, warning that the right-wing Israeli government plans further steps against the Mosque and divide it between Muslims and Jews.
The preacher also noted that senior rabbis issued religious edicts ordering the Jews to defile the Aqsa Mosque and pray in its courtyards.
Sheikh Sabri highlighted the constant harassment which students of religious sessions at the Aqsa Mosque are exposed to every day by the Israeli police, affirming that these sessions will continue to take place despites all challenges.
He also talked about the occupation's intention to reduce the sound of Adhan at Jerusalem Mosques and emphasized that the call to prayers would never be lowered at Mosques and those who feel disturbed by its sound can leave the holy city.
14 mar 2014
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‘This is all mine, this is my country and my land,’ man tells Arab homeowner; IDF: We have no policy of flag removal.
A settler became tangled in barbed wire after he climbed on to the roof of a Palestinian apartment building in Hebron to remove two Palestinian flags, as seen in a video published on YouTube by B’Tselem. The incident last Saturday began when a bearded settler, wearing Shabbat clothing – black pants, a white shirt and a large white skullcap – set up a wooden ladder and climbed up it. He tried to scale a wire fence around the roof of a Palestinian home next to |
Beit Hadassah, a Jewish apartment complex, in an area of the city under Israeli military control.
Shadi Sidr, one of the Palestinian home owners and a volunteer for the Israeli NGO B’Tselem, filmed the incident. The video opens as the settler, breathless from the climb, gets caught on barbed wire woven into the fence.
“Why are you on my roof?” asked Sidr in broken Hebrew.
The settler, who had a Russian accent, also spoke in broken Hebrew as he answered Sidr.
“I’ve come to talk with you,” the settler said. As he spoke, he hung onto the building’s stone ledge, his shirt stuck in the barbed wire and his feet still on the ladder.
His antics attracted the attention of Hebron’s Jewish community, which gathered below to watch the spectacle.
The settler, undeterred by his precarious position, asked Sidr to remove the two Palestinian flags.
Sidr refused and asked the settler how he would feel if Sidr attempted to climb onto his roof to remove an Israeli flag.
“Would that be good?” asked Sidr.
“But this roof is my roof.
This is all mine, this is my country and my land,” said the settler.
“No. This is my house.
Why are you here?” asked Sidr.
“You just think it’s yours.
But this whole country is the Land of Israel,” said the settler.
“Hebron is not in Israel.
This is Palestine. I am not in Tel Aviv,” said Sidr.
“What is Palestine? It is only what the Romans called it. This is the Land of Israel. This is my country.
And everything that is here is mine,” said the settler.
A soldier arrived at that moment to rescue the settler from the barbed wire and to assure him the flag would be taken down. The soldiers told Sidr he is not allowed to fly the flag.
Sidr did not heed the soldier’s command and the tale of the flag did not end there.
A short time later three armed soldiers with helmets and flak jackets arrived at Sidr’s home to push him to remove the flags. They used the stairs to climb up to the roof, where they found Sidr, his brother, a few other family members and observers from the Temporary International Presence in Hebron.
This incident was also caught on video.
Shadi Sidr, one of the Palestinian home owners and a volunteer for the Israeli NGO B’Tselem, filmed the incident. The video opens as the settler, breathless from the climb, gets caught on barbed wire woven into the fence.
“Why are you on my roof?” asked Sidr in broken Hebrew.
The settler, who had a Russian accent, also spoke in broken Hebrew as he answered Sidr.
“I’ve come to talk with you,” the settler said. As he spoke, he hung onto the building’s stone ledge, his shirt stuck in the barbed wire and his feet still on the ladder.
His antics attracted the attention of Hebron’s Jewish community, which gathered below to watch the spectacle.
The settler, undeterred by his precarious position, asked Sidr to remove the two Palestinian flags.
Sidr refused and asked the settler how he would feel if Sidr attempted to climb onto his roof to remove an Israeli flag.
“Would that be good?” asked Sidr.
“But this roof is my roof.
This is all mine, this is my country and my land,” said the settler.
“No. This is my house.
Why are you here?” asked Sidr.
“You just think it’s yours.
But this whole country is the Land of Israel,” said the settler.
“Hebron is not in Israel.
This is Palestine. I am not in Tel Aviv,” said Sidr.
“What is Palestine? It is only what the Romans called it. This is the Land of Israel. This is my country.
And everything that is here is mine,” said the settler.
A soldier arrived at that moment to rescue the settler from the barbed wire and to assure him the flag would be taken down. The soldiers told Sidr he is not allowed to fly the flag.
Sidr did not heed the soldier’s command and the tale of the flag did not end there.
A short time later three armed soldiers with helmets and flak jackets arrived at Sidr’s home to push him to remove the flags. They used the stairs to climb up to the roof, where they found Sidr, his brother, a few other family members and observers from the Temporary International Presence in Hebron.
This incident was also caught on video.
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“Why are you in my house?” asked the brother.
“You have to take the flag down or we will arrest you,” the soldier told Sidr and his brother. “The order that is on this house is that you are not allowed to put up the [Palestinian] flag. You either take down the flag or we have to place you into custody and I don’t want to do that.” In response, Sidr’s brother said “This is a Palestinian house and I placed a flag [here] for my house,” pointing out that he painted a flag, now faded, onto a wall on the roof. “Just take down the flags and there won’t be any problems,” the soldier said. |
“This is my house,” Sidr replied. He wanted to know why the soldier was threatening to arrest him and not the settler.
“We don’t want any problems, show me a court order and I will remove the flag,” he added.
The soldiers then conferred with their superiors by phone and spoke among themselves about what to do next.
“This is completely crazy,” said one soldier. “There is no reason to remove him [Sidr] by force in front of the cameras.”
The soldiers then told Sidr they would return with a court order with regard to the flags, but no such order has been forthcoming.
The IDF said on Thursday there was no regulation mandating Palestinian flag removal.
“The IDF does not have a policy of removing flags and has no intention to adopt such a policy,” the IDF said.
It added that the soldiers’ statement about the flag removal was part of “a local initiative and the matter will be examined.”
According to B’Tselem, which published the videos, Sidr found on Thursday that the flags on his rooftop had been torn.
Read the original article at Israel’s Jerusalem Post newspaper.
“We don’t want any problems, show me a court order and I will remove the flag,” he added.
The soldiers then conferred with their superiors by phone and spoke among themselves about what to do next.
“This is completely crazy,” said one soldier. “There is no reason to remove him [Sidr] by force in front of the cameras.”
The soldiers then told Sidr they would return with a court order with regard to the flags, but no such order has been forthcoming.
The IDF said on Thursday there was no regulation mandating Palestinian flag removal.
“The IDF does not have a policy of removing flags and has no intention to adopt such a policy,” the IDF said.
It added that the soldiers’ statement about the flag removal was part of “a local initiative and the matter will be examined.”
According to B’Tselem, which published the videos, Sidr found on Thursday that the flags on his rooftop had been torn.
Read the original article at Israel’s Jerusalem Post newspaper.
Israeli settlers uprooted 30 olive trees on Friday southeast of Yatta near Hebron, a local activist group said.
Spokesman for the local resistance committees Nidal al-Haddar told Ma'an that settlers from the Israeli settlement of Susiya raided the area and uprooted 30 trees belonging to the Shatat family in the village of Khirbet Zanuta.
Khirbet Zanuta is located in the South Hebron Hills, known locally as Masafer Yatta, an area that lies almost entirely in Area C, the 62 percent of the West Bank under full Israeli civil and security control since the 1993 Oslo Accords.
In the 1980s, Israeli settlers began moving into the area of Susiya and an archaeological park was established on land expropriated from the local Palestinian village, the original Susiya.
Dozens of residents were expelled, and they have been subject to threats of further demolition and expulsion. Settlers from Susiya regularly attack the area's former residents as well as other nearby Palestinian villages.
Settlers routinely attack Palestinians and their property in the occupied West Bank with impunity.
Annual figures compiled by Israeli rights group Yesh Din have repeatedly shown that nine out of 10 police investigations about settler crimes fail to lead to a prosecution.
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.
Spokesman for the local resistance committees Nidal al-Haddar told Ma'an that settlers from the Israeli settlement of Susiya raided the area and uprooted 30 trees belonging to the Shatat family in the village of Khirbet Zanuta.
Khirbet Zanuta is located in the South Hebron Hills, known locally as Masafer Yatta, an area that lies almost entirely in Area C, the 62 percent of the West Bank under full Israeli civil and security control since the 1993 Oslo Accords.
In the 1980s, Israeli settlers began moving into the area of Susiya and an archaeological park was established on land expropriated from the local Palestinian village, the original Susiya.
Dozens of residents were expelled, and they have been subject to threats of further demolition and expulsion. Settlers from Susiya regularly attack the area's former residents as well as other nearby Palestinian villages.
Settlers routinely attack Palestinians and their property in the occupied West Bank with impunity.
Annual figures compiled by Israeli rights group Yesh Din have repeatedly shown that nine out of 10 police investigations about settler crimes fail to lead to a prosecution.
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 stormed Friday morning Youssef Tomb in Nablus northern West Bank to perform Talmudic rituals under heavy Israeli forces' protection.
Number of buses carrying hundreds of settlers escorted by Israeli military vehicles arrived at the shrine in Balata town in Nablus city in order to perform their provocative rituals.
According to the PIC reporter, soldiers patrolled the streets of nearby Asker refugee camp and eastern suburbs of Nablus to protect the settlers, adding that the citizen Amer Abu al-Khair was arrested during the break-in.
Number of buses carrying hundreds of settlers escorted by Israeli military vehicles arrived at the shrine in Balata town in Nablus city in order to perform their provocative rituals.
According to the PIC reporter, soldiers patrolled the streets of nearby Asker refugee camp and eastern suburbs of Nablus to protect the settlers, adding that the citizen Amer Abu al-Khair was arrested during the break-in.
13 mar 2014
by Maher Awawdeh/Ministry of Information
As Usual, Israeli Occupation Government keep telling lies about its crime in killing two Palestinian young People, to justify the killing mentality that it has.
"Saji Sayel Darwesh" is a young Palestinian (18 years old), he is a graduate program student at Birzait University, was killed by Israeli soldiers on March, 10th,2014 while he was standing in front of his family house in " Beteen Village", East of Ramallah where the Israeli settlement " Gevat Assaf" is located .
Also another Palestinian Young "Raed Zaiter" 38 Years Old was shot by Israeli soldiers on Monday, March,10th,2014 while he was crossing (AL Karamah border crossing) coming from Jordan- Amman to Palestine. Zaiter, a Palestinian carrying Jordanian nationality, works as a judge at the Jordanian Magistrate Court.
Eyewitness Affidavits:
The Judge "Raed Zuaiter"
One witness said that one of the Israeli soldiers on AL Karamah crossing border pushed the Judge Zuater away without any reason, just to force him into getting on the bus, after that Zuater fell down on the floor, then stood up and started yelling at the solder, at the same time another soldier pushed him again, but Judge Zuaiter again stood up and tried to defend himself, but the Israeli bullets were faster than him, 3 bullets landed in his chest after an Israeli soldier shoot him; after that Israeli soldiers left him bleeding for more than 30 minutes, they didn't allow any of the passengers, all of whom were Palestinians, to assist the bleeding victim.
The victim Saji Darweesh"
Most of "Beteen Village" citizens said that the victim "Saji" was killed by an Israeli settler; since the Israeli "Givat Assaf Settlement" is close to the victim's family house and that refutes what Israeli solders claimed before alleging that he was killed by an Israeli soldier.
Eye witnesses said that the "Saji" was looking after his horse in a field beside his home, where, suddenly there was an Israeli settler who was driving; he stopped his car and got off and shot "Saji" before leaving the scene. Israeli soldiers who were deployed in the town after the crime, moved "Saji's body to a point close to the Assaf Settlement , they claimed that he was throwing stones at the settlement and for that they killed him.
As Usual, Israeli Occupation Government keep telling lies about its crime in killing two Palestinian young People, to justify the killing mentality that it has.
"Saji Sayel Darwesh" is a young Palestinian (18 years old), he is a graduate program student at Birzait University, was killed by Israeli soldiers on March, 10th,2014 while he was standing in front of his family house in " Beteen Village", East of Ramallah where the Israeli settlement " Gevat Assaf" is located .
Also another Palestinian Young "Raed Zaiter" 38 Years Old was shot by Israeli soldiers on Monday, March,10th,2014 while he was crossing (AL Karamah border crossing) coming from Jordan- Amman to Palestine. Zaiter, a Palestinian carrying Jordanian nationality, works as a judge at the Jordanian Magistrate Court.
Eyewitness Affidavits:
The Judge "Raed Zuaiter"
One witness said that one of the Israeli soldiers on AL Karamah crossing border pushed the Judge Zuater away without any reason, just to force him into getting on the bus, after that Zuater fell down on the floor, then stood up and started yelling at the solder, at the same time another soldier pushed him again, but Judge Zuaiter again stood up and tried to defend himself, but the Israeli bullets were faster than him, 3 bullets landed in his chest after an Israeli soldier shoot him; after that Israeli soldiers left him bleeding for more than 30 minutes, they didn't allow any of the passengers, all of whom were Palestinians, to assist the bleeding victim.
The victim Saji Darweesh"
Most of "Beteen Village" citizens said that the victim "Saji" was killed by an Israeli settler; since the Israeli "Givat Assaf Settlement" is close to the victim's family house and that refutes what Israeli solders claimed before alleging that he was killed by an Israeli soldier.
Eye witnesses said that the "Saji" was looking after his horse in a field beside his home, where, suddenly there was an Israeli settler who was driving; he stopped his car and got off and shot "Saji" before leaving the scene. Israeli soldiers who were deployed in the town after the crime, moved "Saji's body to a point close to the Assaf Settlement , they claimed that he was throwing stones at the settlement and for that they killed him.
12 mar 2014
Israeli bulldozers razed agricultural lands in Yasuf town east of Salfit city to expand Tafuh settlement near Za'atara military checkpoint. The researcher in settlement affairs Khalid Maali said that expansion work in Tafuh settlement has been escalating to link it with the neighboring settlements.
He pointed out that Israeli occupation forces and settlers prevented Palestinian farmers in Yasuf town from having access to their agricultural lands located between Za’atara checkpoint and the settlement.
Tafuh settlement, which was established in 1982 on the lands of 5 Palestinian villages, overlooks Za'atara checkpoint that separates northern and southern West Bank.
Tafuh's settlers are the followers of the radical preacher Meir Kahane who was killed in New York few years ago and who was calling for expelling Palestinians from their lands.
Meanwhile, Israeli settlers uprooted and damaged olive trees in Burin town south of Nablus.
Local sources said that Israeli soldiers arrived at the scene to provide protection for the settlers.
He pointed out that Israeli occupation forces and settlers prevented Palestinian farmers in Yasuf town from having access to their agricultural lands located between Za’atara checkpoint and the settlement.
Tafuh settlement, which was established in 1982 on the lands of 5 Palestinian villages, overlooks Za'atara checkpoint that separates northern and southern West Bank.
Tafuh's settlers are the followers of the radical preacher Meir Kahane who was killed in New York few years ago and who was calling for expelling Palestinians from their lands.
Meanwhile, Israeli settlers uprooted and damaged olive trees in Burin town south of Nablus.
Local sources said that Israeli soldiers arrived at the scene to provide protection for the settlers.
Rightist Jewsish lawyer Yehuda Glick entered the al-Aqsa Mosque compound Wednesday along with two ultra-Orthodox Jewish rabbis escorted by Israeli police officers.
Witnesses told Ma’an that the three entered the compound through the Moroccan Gate then they toured it before they climbed to the courtyard of the Dome of the Rock.
Witnesses heard Glick and the rabbis discussing the Jewish Temple. “They were saying that the alleged temple is under the dome of spirits,” one witness said.
Witnesses told Ma’an that the three entered the compound through the Moroccan Gate then they toured it before they climbed to the courtyard of the Dome of the Rock.
Witnesses heard Glick and the rabbis discussing the Jewish Temple. “They were saying that the alleged temple is under the dome of spirits,” one witness said.
A Jewish settler in a speeding car ran over a Palestinian boy in Husan village to the west of Bethlehem on Tuesday evening then sped away. Local sources told the PIC reporter that the 16-year-old boy Hani Shusha was injured in the accident and was hospitalized.
The sources pointed out that Israeli occupation forces stormed the village after the incident in ten army jeeps spreading tension among the inhabitants.
The sources pointed out that Israeli occupation forces stormed the village after the incident in ten army jeeps spreading tension among the inhabitants.
A picture taken on November 4, 2013 shows the Al-Rajabi building, a particularly contentious building in the West Bank city of Hebron
An Israeli court on Tuesday ruled that Jewish settlers were the lawful owners of a long-disputed building in the heart of the occupied West Bank city of Hebron.
The Supreme Court ruling brings an end to a legal dispute lasting nearly seven years, after the Palestinian Rajabi family said its four-story building had been taken over by Israeli settlers.
Israeli settlements on occupied land the Palestinians want for their future state have been a major source of tensions in US-brokered peace talks relaunched last year.
The building is near a contested holy site known to Muslims as the Ibrahimi Mosque and to Jews as the Cave of the Patriarchs in a tightly-controlled Israeli enclave where many streets are off-limits to Palestinian cars.
The settlers were evacuated in 2008, and the court verdict said they would not be allowed to move back in until they get defense ministry approval.
The structure was sold in 2004 by its Palestinian owners to settlers through a "non-Jewish straw man," according to court documents.
When settlers moved into the structure in 2007 the Palestinians charged they had been tricked and said the purchase was invalid, lodging complaints with the police and petitioning the court.
Many Palestinians view the selling of property in occupied territory to Jewish settlers as a betrayal of their national cause, so such purchases are nearly always conducted in secret or through middlemen, increasing the potential for disputes.
The case was debated in the Jerusalem district court, which in 2012 ruled in favor of the Jewish organization behind the purchase.
Neria Arnon, a spokeswoman for the Hebron settlers, told AFP the decision proved the purchase was legitimate and legal.
"We're happy the court confirmed this, and are waiting for the final approval of the defense minister, to do what is necessary to enable us to settle the building," she said.
The head of the left-wing Meretz party, Zehava Galon, called on Defense Minister Moshe Yaalon to "refrain from letting the settlers in," due to the "severe security and diplomatic ramifications of such a move."
"One must keep in mind there are 500 (extremist) Israelis in Hebron making the life of 145,000 Palestinians miserable, backed up by the army and police," she said in a statement.
A spokesman for Yaalon said he was "learning the topic."
The flashpoint city of Hebron, home to nearly 200,000 Palestinians, also comprises some 80 settler homes in the centre of town housing about 700 Jews who live under Israeli army protection.
An Israeli court on Tuesday ruled that Jewish settlers were the lawful owners of a long-disputed building in the heart of the occupied West Bank city of Hebron.
The Supreme Court ruling brings an end to a legal dispute lasting nearly seven years, after the Palestinian Rajabi family said its four-story building had been taken over by Israeli settlers.
Israeli settlements on occupied land the Palestinians want for their future state have been a major source of tensions in US-brokered peace talks relaunched last year.
The building is near a contested holy site known to Muslims as the Ibrahimi Mosque and to Jews as the Cave of the Patriarchs in a tightly-controlled Israeli enclave where many streets are off-limits to Palestinian cars.
The settlers were evacuated in 2008, and the court verdict said they would not be allowed to move back in until they get defense ministry approval.
The structure was sold in 2004 by its Palestinian owners to settlers through a "non-Jewish straw man," according to court documents.
When settlers moved into the structure in 2007 the Palestinians charged they had been tricked and said the purchase was invalid, lodging complaints with the police and petitioning the court.
Many Palestinians view the selling of property in occupied territory to Jewish settlers as a betrayal of their national cause, so such purchases are nearly always conducted in secret or through middlemen, increasing the potential for disputes.
The case was debated in the Jerusalem district court, which in 2012 ruled in favor of the Jewish organization behind the purchase.
Neria Arnon, a spokeswoman for the Hebron settlers, told AFP the decision proved the purchase was legitimate and legal.
"We're happy the court confirmed this, and are waiting for the final approval of the defense minister, to do what is necessary to enable us to settle the building," she said.
The head of the left-wing Meretz party, Zehava Galon, called on Defense Minister Moshe Yaalon to "refrain from letting the settlers in," due to the "severe security and diplomatic ramifications of such a move."
"One must keep in mind there are 500 (extremist) Israelis in Hebron making the life of 145,000 Palestinians miserable, backed up by the army and police," she said in a statement.
A spokesman for Yaalon said he was "learning the topic."
The flashpoint city of Hebron, home to nearly 200,000 Palestinians, also comprises some 80 settler homes in the centre of town housing about 700 Jews who live under Israeli army protection.
