27 may 2014
Israeli soldiers escort settlers out of the Nablus-district village of Qusra, where Palestinians had held the settlers "captive" after they tried to uproot olive trees on Jan. 7, 2014
By Graham Liddell
Despite mentions in a recent US report on terrorism, Israeli extremist attacks against Palestinians and their property continue unabated, especially in the West Bank.
With little to no protection from the Israeli army that occupies their territory, Palestinians have on several occasions in 2014 taken matters into their own hands, taking a kind of neighborhood-watch approach to prevent injuries and damage to their property.
On March 28, residents of the village of Lubban al-Sharqiyya caught an Israeli settler trying to steal a mule. A large group of villagers surrounded the settler, and soon negotiated his delivery to Israeli soldiers via Palestinian liaison officers.
Just a few weeks earlier, Palestinians captured a settler as he was destroying olive trees in the village of Talfit, and responded in the same way. These are just two of at least five such incidents reported so far in 2014.
"Palestinians are probably taking matters into their own hands because of the sheer lack of (Israeli) law enforcement," a spokeswoman for the Palestinian human rights organization al-Haq told Ma'an.
She said that Palestinians and Israeli settlers in the West Bank were under two different legal systems -- settlers under Israeli civil law and Palestinians under military law.
When settlers attack, Palestinians have to go to an Israeli police station in the nearest settlement or inside Israel to file a complaint, said the spokeswoman, who asked to remain anonymous.
They first need to apply for a permit to do so, she said, citing this as one reason Israeli settler violence often goes unpunished.
Additionally, "if you've just been attacked (by settlers from a given settlement), you probably don't want to then enter that settlement."
According to UN figures, settler attacks have quadrupled over the past eight years.
'Accidental' entry
By Graham Liddell
Despite mentions in a recent US report on terrorism, Israeli extremist attacks against Palestinians and their property continue unabated, especially in the West Bank.
With little to no protection from the Israeli army that occupies their territory, Palestinians have on several occasions in 2014 taken matters into their own hands, taking a kind of neighborhood-watch approach to prevent injuries and damage to their property.
On March 28, residents of the village of Lubban al-Sharqiyya caught an Israeli settler trying to steal a mule. A large group of villagers surrounded the settler, and soon negotiated his delivery to Israeli soldiers via Palestinian liaison officers.
Just a few weeks earlier, Palestinians captured a settler as he was destroying olive trees in the village of Talfit, and responded in the same way. These are just two of at least five such incidents reported so far in 2014.
"Palestinians are probably taking matters into their own hands because of the sheer lack of (Israeli) law enforcement," a spokeswoman for the Palestinian human rights organization al-Haq told Ma'an.
She said that Palestinians and Israeli settlers in the West Bank were under two different legal systems -- settlers under Israeli civil law and Palestinians under military law.
When settlers attack, Palestinians have to go to an Israeli police station in the nearest settlement or inside Israel to file a complaint, said the spokeswoman, who asked to remain anonymous.
They first need to apply for a permit to do so, she said, citing this as one reason Israeli settler violence often goes unpunished.
Additionally, "if you've just been attacked (by settlers from a given settlement), you probably don't want to then enter that settlement."
According to UN figures, settler attacks have quadrupled over the past eight years.
'Accidental' entry
An Israeli settler stands in the Nablus-district village of Qusra after clashing with Palestinians on Jan. 7, 2014
In the most recent incident of its kind, Palestinians apprehended three armed settlers who rode "provocatively" into the village of Burin on ATVs. After they were detained and delivered to Israeli liaison officers, a Civil Administration spokesperson told Ma'an they had entered the village "accidentally."
"It was agreed to rescue the settlers and take them out," Sapir Mizrahi told Ma'an at the time, confirming that it was considered illegal for them to be there and that they were armed.
Police spokesman Micky Rosenfeld also told Ma'an that the settlers entered the village accidentally, adding that there was no criminal investigation open regarding the incident.
It is doubtful the officials would have made the same remarks had the scenario unfolded in reverse -- if three Palestinian villagers happened to "accidentally" enter Israeli territory.
In numerous cases throughout the past year, Palestinians have been shot and sometimes killed upon entering or attempting to enter Israel without a permit.
On March 19, a teenager named Yousef Shawamreh was shot dead by Israeli forces as he passed through a breach in the separation wall. In October, a volunteer policeman shot and killed an undocumented Palestinian worker in central Israel.
Additionally, Palestinians in Gaza are regularly shot on grounds that they approached the border. "The threat is trying to enter Israel," an Israeli army spokeswoman told Ma'an regarding one such case in May.
'Largely unprosecuted'
The latest US State Department's Country Reports on Terrorism said that in 2013, "attacks by extremist Israeli settlers against Palestinian residents, property, and places of worship in the West Bank continued and were largely unprosecuted."
Yesh Din, an Israeli nonprofit organization that monitors Israel's law enforcement in the occupied territories, came to similar conclusions in October.
The organization followed up on 211 cases of settler attacks on agricultural property that were reported to Israeli police between 2005 and 2013.
Of those cases, only four led to an indictment, Yesh Din said.
Yousef Munayyer, executive director of the Washington-based Jerusalem Fund and Palestine Center, told Ma'an that Israeli authorities let settler violence go unpunished because the attacks were aligned with the occupation's goals.
"Armed and violent settlers act as the front line of the occupation," Munayyer said.
"Their violence against Palestinians fill gaps in security jurisdictions and intimidate Palestinians in areas where Palestinian security is unable to aid them."
"This acts as yet another concentrating effect on the Palestinian population which continues to be limited to Bantustan-like pockets due to the infrastructure of occupation and the specter of violence from soldiers and settlers alike," he added.
Though police and Israeli officials have pledged to crack down on hate crimes in Israel and Jerusalem in the month leading up to Pope Francis' visit to the region, Munayer said stopping settler violence would require a fundamental change in policy.
"I think the Israelis would like to avoid a very damaging public relations outcome which would come from a settler attack on a church, of which there have been many for example, while the pope and the eyes of those who follow him are on the Holy Land," Munayyer said.
"Any real crackdown on settler terrorism would require a fundamental change in the Apartheid nature of the security situation in the West Bank created by the Israeli military occupation which privileges one group of people (the settlers) while treating the others (Palestinians) as a lesser people all together."
Rosenfeld, the Israeli police spokesman, told Ma'an that the US report's assertion that Israeli-on-Palestinian violence in the West Bank went mostly unpunished in 2013 "sounds not accurate enough."
Claims that police investigations into incidents of settler violence only lead to an indictment one or two percent of the time are "absolutely incorrect," Rosenfeld said.
He added that in 2013, there were 271 investigations into nationalistically motivated crimes in both Israel and the West Bank.
Some 111 people were arrested and 51 cases led to indictments, Rosenfeld said.
He added that there were "several cases" currently open regarding these kinds of incidents in the West Bank, but did not provide specifics.
In the most recent incident of its kind, Palestinians apprehended three armed settlers who rode "provocatively" into the village of Burin on ATVs. After they were detained and delivered to Israeli liaison officers, a Civil Administration spokesperson told Ma'an they had entered the village "accidentally."
"It was agreed to rescue the settlers and take them out," Sapir Mizrahi told Ma'an at the time, confirming that it was considered illegal for them to be there and that they were armed.
Police spokesman Micky Rosenfeld also told Ma'an that the settlers entered the village accidentally, adding that there was no criminal investigation open regarding the incident.
It is doubtful the officials would have made the same remarks had the scenario unfolded in reverse -- if three Palestinian villagers happened to "accidentally" enter Israeli territory.
In numerous cases throughout the past year, Palestinians have been shot and sometimes killed upon entering or attempting to enter Israel without a permit.
On March 19, a teenager named Yousef Shawamreh was shot dead by Israeli forces as he passed through a breach in the separation wall. In October, a volunteer policeman shot and killed an undocumented Palestinian worker in central Israel.
Additionally, Palestinians in Gaza are regularly shot on grounds that they approached the border. "The threat is trying to enter Israel," an Israeli army spokeswoman told Ma'an regarding one such case in May.
'Largely unprosecuted'
The latest US State Department's Country Reports on Terrorism said that in 2013, "attacks by extremist Israeli settlers against Palestinian residents, property, and places of worship in the West Bank continued and were largely unprosecuted."
Yesh Din, an Israeli nonprofit organization that monitors Israel's law enforcement in the occupied territories, came to similar conclusions in October.
The organization followed up on 211 cases of settler attacks on agricultural property that were reported to Israeli police between 2005 and 2013.
Of those cases, only four led to an indictment, Yesh Din said.
Yousef Munayyer, executive director of the Washington-based Jerusalem Fund and Palestine Center, told Ma'an that Israeli authorities let settler violence go unpunished because the attacks were aligned with the occupation's goals.
"Armed and violent settlers act as the front line of the occupation," Munayyer said.
"Their violence against Palestinians fill gaps in security jurisdictions and intimidate Palestinians in areas where Palestinian security is unable to aid them."
"This acts as yet another concentrating effect on the Palestinian population which continues to be limited to Bantustan-like pockets due to the infrastructure of occupation and the specter of violence from soldiers and settlers alike," he added.
Though police and Israeli officials have pledged to crack down on hate crimes in Israel and Jerusalem in the month leading up to Pope Francis' visit to the region, Munayer said stopping settler violence would require a fundamental change in policy.
"I think the Israelis would like to avoid a very damaging public relations outcome which would come from a settler attack on a church, of which there have been many for example, while the pope and the eyes of those who follow him are on the Holy Land," Munayyer said.
"Any real crackdown on settler terrorism would require a fundamental change in the Apartheid nature of the security situation in the West Bank created by the Israeli military occupation which privileges one group of people (the settlers) while treating the others (Palestinians) as a lesser people all together."
Rosenfeld, the Israeli police spokesman, told Ma'an that the US report's assertion that Israeli-on-Palestinian violence in the West Bank went mostly unpunished in 2013 "sounds not accurate enough."
Claims that police investigations into incidents of settler violence only lead to an indictment one or two percent of the time are "absolutely incorrect," Rosenfeld said.
He added that in 2013, there were 271 investigations into nationalistically motivated crimes in both Israel and the West Bank.
Some 111 people were arrested and 51 cases led to indictments, Rosenfeld said.
He added that there were "several cases" currently open regarding these kinds of incidents in the West Bank, but did not provide specifics.
A recent rights report has warned against escalating violations of both Israeli authorities and settlers against Islamic and Christian holy shrines in Palestine, amounting to 525 over the past five years.
According to Al Ray, “The Settlers’ Violence & Violations against The Islamic & Christian Holy Shrines in the Occupied Palestinian Territories” report was issued in Arabic by Vienna-based ‘Friends of Humanity International’ organization, Gaza-based Center for Political and Development Studies (CPDS), and the Beirut-based Palestinian Association for Human Rights “Witness”.
The report highlights the organizations in question, their means, their sponsors and implications, as well as the extent to which Israel as an occupying power is committed to protecting pilgrims to Islamic shrines.
Additionally, the report stated that the violations took place almost daily, ranging from closure of places of worship, arson of mosques and churches, depriving the Palestinians of the right of access to places of worship, vandalism and destruction of property, physical assault, verbal abuse, threats and racist graffiti.
Details of the report can be viewed at Al Ray.
Just today, Israeli nationalist organizations called for a march through Al Aqsa Mosque Compound, according to the Waqf Foundation in charge of the compund.
Thousands of Israeli Jews would attend, and police would close down roads in occupied East Jerusalem during the march.
Israeli police spokesman Micky Rosenfeld tweeted: "Police complete security assessments for tomorrow's "Jerusalem Day" celebrations, Ma'an reports, adding that hundreds of officers will be involved in security measures."
Al-Aqsa is located in East Jerusalem, a part of the internationally recognized Palestinian territories which have been occupied by the Israeli military since 1967. It is the target of frequent attacks by settlers and soldiers alike, with violations ever increasing.
Also in Jerusalem, an unidentified arsonist started a fire in Dormition Abbey church, late Monday, near the Old City of Jerusalem, a bishop told Ma'an, noting that the attack took place just following a mass the Pope had conducted there, earlier in the day, the last of his official visit.
"Someone entered the church and went down to the crypt, took a book that is used by pilgrims to a small room next to the organ, and set some wood crosses on fire," the Benedictine Abbot of the church, Nikodemus Schnabel, told AFP.
The church has also been subjected to attacks in the past, according to Ma'an. In 2013, suspected Jewish vandals sprayed "Christians are monkeys" and "price tag" on the walls and slashed the tires of cars around the church.
The Israeli police said they were investigating the fire.
A small fire also broke out in the Church of the Nativity in Bethlehem, on Tuesday, but Father Ibrahim Faltas, economist of the Custody of the Holy Land, told Ma'an that a candle holder accidentally fell causing a curtain to light on fire.
He said the that fire caused minor damage to the Grotto of the Nativity.
According to Al Ray, “The Settlers’ Violence & Violations against The Islamic & Christian Holy Shrines in the Occupied Palestinian Territories” report was issued in Arabic by Vienna-based ‘Friends of Humanity International’ organization, Gaza-based Center for Political and Development Studies (CPDS), and the Beirut-based Palestinian Association for Human Rights “Witness”.
The report highlights the organizations in question, their means, their sponsors and implications, as well as the extent to which Israel as an occupying power is committed to protecting pilgrims to Islamic shrines.
Additionally, the report stated that the violations took place almost daily, ranging from closure of places of worship, arson of mosques and churches, depriving the Palestinians of the right of access to places of worship, vandalism and destruction of property, physical assault, verbal abuse, threats and racist graffiti.
Details of the report can be viewed at Al Ray.
Just today, Israeli nationalist organizations called for a march through Al Aqsa Mosque Compound, according to the Waqf Foundation in charge of the compund.
Thousands of Israeli Jews would attend, and police would close down roads in occupied East Jerusalem during the march.
Israeli police spokesman Micky Rosenfeld tweeted: "Police complete security assessments for tomorrow's "Jerusalem Day" celebrations, Ma'an reports, adding that hundreds of officers will be involved in security measures."
Al-Aqsa is located in East Jerusalem, a part of the internationally recognized Palestinian territories which have been occupied by the Israeli military since 1967. It is the target of frequent attacks by settlers and soldiers alike, with violations ever increasing.
Also in Jerusalem, an unidentified arsonist started a fire in Dormition Abbey church, late Monday, near the Old City of Jerusalem, a bishop told Ma'an, noting that the attack took place just following a mass the Pope had conducted there, earlier in the day, the last of his official visit.
"Someone entered the church and went down to the crypt, took a book that is used by pilgrims to a small room next to the organ, and set some wood crosses on fire," the Benedictine Abbot of the church, Nikodemus Schnabel, told AFP.
The church has also been subjected to attacks in the past, according to Ma'an. In 2013, suspected Jewish vandals sprayed "Christians are monkeys" and "price tag" on the walls and slashed the tires of cars around the church.
The Israeli police said they were investigating the fire.
A small fire also broke out in the Church of the Nativity in Bethlehem, on Tuesday, but Father Ibrahim Faltas, economist of the Custody of the Holy Land, told Ma'an that a candle holder accidentally fell causing a curtain to light on fire.
He said the that fire caused minor damage to the Grotto of the Nativity.
A number of fanatic Israeli settlers surrounded a Palestinian school in the Teqoua’ town, east of the West Bank city of Bethlehem, and attempted to invade it.
The Radio Bethlehem 2000 has reported that several settlers gathered around the school, located on the main road of the town, and attempted to invade it, but the teachers and the headmaster of the school managed to stop their attack.
It added that Israeli soldiers were at the scene, but did not help in the attempt to remove the invading extremists.
The settlers left the area later on without being able to invade the school. No clashes or injuries were reported.
Head of the Teqoua’ Local Council, Taiseer Abu Mfarreh, stated that different schools in the town have been subject to frequent assaults by Israeli settlers, and Israeli soldiers.
He added that dozens of students have been injured, mainly due to effects of tear gas inhalation and rubber-coated metal bullets, while several students were beaten by the settlers and a few were hit by settler vehicles.
“It is clear Israeli soldiers and settlers are interested in obstructing the children’s education,” Abu Mfarreh stated. “The attacks are frequent and violent.”
The Radio Bethlehem 2000 has reported that several settlers gathered around the school, located on the main road of the town, and attempted to invade it, but the teachers and the headmaster of the school managed to stop their attack.
It added that Israeli soldiers were at the scene, but did not help in the attempt to remove the invading extremists.
The settlers left the area later on without being able to invade the school. No clashes or injuries were reported.
Head of the Teqoua’ Local Council, Taiseer Abu Mfarreh, stated that different schools in the town have been subject to frequent assaults by Israeli settlers, and Israeli soldiers.
He added that dozens of students have been injured, mainly due to effects of tear gas inhalation and rubber-coated metal bullets, while several students were beaten by the settlers and a few were hit by settler vehicles.
“It is clear Israeli soldiers and settlers are interested in obstructing the children’s education,” Abu Mfarreh stated. “The attacks are frequent and violent.”
Israeli settlers, on Tuesday, grazed their sheep on Palestinian-owned land planted with wheat crops in the village of Jaloud, to the south of Nablus, according to Ghassan Daghlass, who monitors settlement activities.
He said that the sheep devoured the wheat crops, causing devastation to 45 dunams of land planted with wheat crops, ready to harvest, WAFA reports, adding that forces, in fact, now continue to tighten their grip on residents, preventing them from harvesting their crops.
He said that the sheep devoured the wheat crops, causing devastation to 45 dunams of land planted with wheat crops, ready to harvest, WAFA reports, adding that forces, in fact, now continue to tighten their grip on residents, preventing them from harvesting their crops.
More than 60 settlers, led by a number of extremist rabbis, broke into al-Aqsa yards via al-Magharba gate on Tuesday morning under heavy protection by Israeli Occupation Forces (IOF). The Aqsa Foundation for Endowment and Heritage warned of projected Israeli break-ins and desecration tours in holy al-Aqsa Mosque scheduled for Tuesday. The Foundation further spoke against the projected Israeli commemoration on Wednesday of the Occupation of Jerusalem and holy al-Aqsa Mosque.
Several desecration tours were staged by a horde of extremist settlers in al-Aqsa amid protests by Palestinian students, who were present in the compound.
According to the Director General of Holy al-Aqsa Mosque Omar al-Kiswani, violent clashes broke out Tuesday morning between the Muslim peaceful congregation and Israeli soldiers following attacks, documented in videos, by the IOF on an elderly sit-inner after he protested the provocative photo shootings of Muslim women.
The break-ins were followed by IOF attacks on male and female students for protesting the arrest of their schoolmate for chanting “Allahu Akbar (Allah is the Greatest).”
Israeli rapid deployment forces have been stationing since early morning hours at the main entrances to the mosque and in the alleys of the Old City so as to pave the way for the so-called Jerusalem Day.
The Aqsa Foundation confirmed Occupied Jerusalem will always maintain its typically Islamic character: “Israeli occupation is futile and short-termed, just as all the other invading powers have come and left. Muslims will recover their Occupied Jerusalem.”
The Foundation called for permanent sit-ins and mass-rallies in and around al-Aqsa until liberation comes true, Allah willing.
In a related context, the Palestinian Minister of Endowment and Heritage Ismail Redwan said plans to build the so-called Jewel of Israel synagogue just 200 meters away from al-Aqsa, the nucleus of Occupied Jerusalem, aims at distorting the Islamic idiosyncrasy of the city and entrenching an alleged Jewish character within the area.
According to Redwan, such a plan is part of a larger Judaization scheme targeting Occupied Jerusalem and holy al-Aqsa Mosque via break-ins, division plans, and desecration schemes, often carried out on a daily basis
The so-called Jewel of Israel is not the first of its kind as other synagogues have been built near al-Aqsa.
Several desecration tours were staged by a horde of extremist settlers in al-Aqsa amid protests by Palestinian students, who were present in the compound.
According to the Director General of Holy al-Aqsa Mosque Omar al-Kiswani, violent clashes broke out Tuesday morning between the Muslim peaceful congregation and Israeli soldiers following attacks, documented in videos, by the IOF on an elderly sit-inner after he protested the provocative photo shootings of Muslim women.
The break-ins were followed by IOF attacks on male and female students for protesting the arrest of their schoolmate for chanting “Allahu Akbar (Allah is the Greatest).”
Israeli rapid deployment forces have been stationing since early morning hours at the main entrances to the mosque and in the alleys of the Old City so as to pave the way for the so-called Jerusalem Day.
The Aqsa Foundation confirmed Occupied Jerusalem will always maintain its typically Islamic character: “Israeli occupation is futile and short-termed, just as all the other invading powers have come and left. Muslims will recover their Occupied Jerusalem.”
The Foundation called for permanent sit-ins and mass-rallies in and around al-Aqsa until liberation comes true, Allah willing.
In a related context, the Palestinian Minister of Endowment and Heritage Ismail Redwan said plans to build the so-called Jewel of Israel synagogue just 200 meters away from al-Aqsa, the nucleus of Occupied Jerusalem, aims at distorting the Islamic idiosyncrasy of the city and entrenching an alleged Jewish character within the area.
According to Redwan, such a plan is part of a larger Judaization scheme targeting Occupied Jerusalem and holy al-Aqsa Mosque via break-ins, division plans, and desecration schemes, often carried out on a daily basis
The so-called Jewel of Israel is not the first of its kind as other synagogues have been built near al-Aqsa.
26 may 2014
Israeli settlers uprooted dozens of olive trees in the northern West Bank on Monday, a Palestinian official said.
Ghassan Daghlas, a Palestinian official who monitors settler activity in the northern West Bank, told Ma'an that Israelis from the settlement of Eli destroyed 30 olive trees in the village of Qaryut south of Nablus.
The trees were located in the al-Mwajeh and al-Marah areas of the village and belonged to Hassan Nimr, Marouh Hamdan, and Othman Suleiman, Daghlas said.
The area around the villages south of Nablus is a frequent site of settler violence and Palestinian clashes with Israeli forces.
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 official who monitors settler activity in the northern West Bank, told Ma'an that Israelis from the settlement of Eli destroyed 30 olive trees in the village of Qaryut south of Nablus.
The trees were located in the al-Mwajeh and al-Marah areas of the village and belonged to Hassan Nimr, Marouh Hamdan, and Othman Suleiman, Daghlas said.
The area around the villages south of Nablus is a frequent site of settler violence and Palestinian clashes with Israeli forces.
More than 500,000 Israeli settlers live in settlements across the West Bank and East Jerusalem, in contravention of international law.
An Israeli military force at dawn Monday raided Idna town west of al-Khalil south of the Occupied West Bank. According to Palestinian security sources, the Israeli Occupation Forces (IOF) set up a military checkpoint at the main entrance to the town while several military patrols carried out raids into the area.
In a related event, violent clashes broke out as IOF raided Al-Amari refugee camp in Ramallah. Blasts were heard around the camp.
Along the same line, Sidi Bou’ez settlers attacked Palestinians’ lands and damaged several grapes south of Bethlehem in the Occupied West Bank after having released sheep herds in the land. More than 120 fruitful grapes have been knocked down in the process, coordinator of the Popular Committee against the Wall and Settlement in Khader village, Ahmad Salah, documented.
Settlers dug an absorption hole in the area and damaged Palestinians’ crops. The area has been frequently targeted by settler attacks and confiscations under heavy shield by IOF, Salah added.
In another event, IOF denied Palestinian farmers and citizens’ access into Daher Sobh area, north of Kafr Ad-Dik, west of Salfit, where bulldozing procedures have been going on for three days in a row.
According to Kafr Ad-Dik native Mahmoud Al-Ahmad tear gas canisters and rubber bullets were fired on Sunday by IOF on Palestinian citizens, who rushed to save their lands from Israeli razing procedures.
The Israeli Occupation Authorities are claiming land ownership under authorization of Israeli courthouses after having issued an order since 1985 outlawing such razing operations in Daher Sobh. Such violations present flagrant breaches to international laws prohibiting Israeli settlement in the area, Researcher Khaled Maali stated.
In a related event, violent clashes broke out as IOF raided Al-Amari refugee camp in Ramallah. Blasts were heard around the camp.
Along the same line, Sidi Bou’ez settlers attacked Palestinians’ lands and damaged several grapes south of Bethlehem in the Occupied West Bank after having released sheep herds in the land. More than 120 fruitful grapes have been knocked down in the process, coordinator of the Popular Committee against the Wall and Settlement in Khader village, Ahmad Salah, documented.
Settlers dug an absorption hole in the area and damaged Palestinians’ crops. The area has been frequently targeted by settler attacks and confiscations under heavy shield by IOF, Salah added.
In another event, IOF denied Palestinian farmers and citizens’ access into Daher Sobh area, north of Kafr Ad-Dik, west of Salfit, where bulldozing procedures have been going on for three days in a row.
According to Kafr Ad-Dik native Mahmoud Al-Ahmad tear gas canisters and rubber bullets were fired on Sunday by IOF on Palestinian citizens, who rushed to save their lands from Israeli razing procedures.
The Israeli Occupation Authorities are claiming land ownership under authorization of Israeli courthouses after having issued an order since 1985 outlawing such razing operations in Daher Sobh. Such violations present flagrant breaches to international laws prohibiting Israeli settlement in the area, Researcher Khaled Maali stated.
Violent confrontations broke out on Monday morning between dozens of Palestinian young men and Israeli army patrols around Joseph’s tomb amid heavy firing of rubber bullets, tear gas canisters and sound bombs by Israeli soldiers. Eye-witnesses told PIC correspondent around 20 buses crammed with hundreds of extremist Israeli settlers invaded Joseph’s tomb at around 2 a.m. under pretext of religious prayers and under heavy guard by the Israeli Occupation Forces (IOA). Israeli helicopters, meanwhile, kept on hovering over the area.
Mobile toilets and podiums were carried by IOF into the area, eye-witnesses further reported.
In a related event, IOF stormed eastern Nablus on Sunday, where several attacks against Palestinian youths were launched throughout.
Dozens of Israeli military vehicles moved into Amman and Jerusalem streets, among many other Palestinian quarters, amid heavy firing of sound bombs and tear gas canisters by IOF, PIC correspondent has been further informed by eye-witnesses.
Bystanders in the shrine of Joseph’s Tomb said Israeli military vehicles stationed in the main entrances to the city so as to pave the way for settler attacks under the religious pretext.
Mobile toilets and podiums were carried by IOF into the area, eye-witnesses further reported.
In a related event, IOF stormed eastern Nablus on Sunday, where several attacks against Palestinian youths were launched throughout.
Dozens of Israeli military vehicles moved into Amman and Jerusalem streets, among many other Palestinian quarters, amid heavy firing of sound bombs and tear gas canisters by IOF, PIC correspondent has been further informed by eye-witnesses.
Bystanders in the shrine of Joseph’s Tomb said Israeli military vehicles stationed in the main entrances to the city so as to pave the way for settler attacks under the religious pretext.
25 may 2014
Fanatic Jewish settlers thought to be from the price tag gang on Sunday morning spray-painted blasphemous remarks against Prophets Muhammad and Jesus on public property in the Arab city of Lod, southeast of Tel Aviv. Senior Islamic Movement official in the city Ismail Abu Marsa stated that many citizens were surprised to see in the morning graffiti insulting the Prophets of Muslims and Christians at a public bus station to the west of Lod.
Abu Marsa added that such act reflected the amount of hatred the Jewish extremists have against other religions and exposed further the reality of Israel, which claims to be a democratic country.
He expressed his belief that such abusive remarks were a message to Pope Francis of the Vatican, who is on a three-day visit to the occupied Palestinian lands and Jordan.
Abu Marsa added that such act reflected the amount of hatred the Jewish extremists have against other religions and exposed further the reality of Israel, which claims to be a democratic country.
He expressed his belief that such abusive remarks were a message to Pope Francis of the Vatican, who is on a three-day visit to the occupied Palestinian lands and Jordan.
Jerusalem police arrested 26 Jewish extremists protesting Sunday at a holy site on Mount Zion outside the Old City that will be visited by Pope Francis, a spokesman said.
The arrests took place just hours before Francis' arrival in Jerusalem.
"Demonstrators at King David's Tomb threw stones and bottles at the security forces, lightly injuring two police," spokesman Micky Rosenfeld said, referring to a site revered as holy by Christians, Jews, and Muslims where the pope will celebrate mass on Monday.
"Among those arrested was a soldier who threatened a police officer with his weapon when one of his friends was arrested," he added, saying some of them had broken into the room where the ancient sarcophagus is located before being evacuated.
Israeli public radio said 150 extremists had gathered to denounce the pope's upcoming visit and were chanting slogans against the atrocities committed by the church against Jews during the Crusades and the Inquisition.
The upper floor of the building where the tomb is located is known to Christians as the Cenacle, the place where Jesus ate the Last Supper and where his followers were baptized by the Holy Spirit at Pentecost.
Under Israeli law, Christians are only permitted to pray there twice a year, and plans for the pope to celebrate mass there have prompted weeks of protest and several incidents of anti-Christian vandalism.
The arrests took place just hours before Francis' arrival in Jerusalem.
"Demonstrators at King David's Tomb threw stones and bottles at the security forces, lightly injuring two police," spokesman Micky Rosenfeld said, referring to a site revered as holy by Christians, Jews, and Muslims where the pope will celebrate mass on Monday.
"Among those arrested was a soldier who threatened a police officer with his weapon when one of his friends was arrested," he added, saying some of them had broken into the room where the ancient sarcophagus is located before being evacuated.
Israeli public radio said 150 extremists had gathered to denounce the pope's upcoming visit and were chanting slogans against the atrocities committed by the church against Jews during the Crusades and the Inquisition.
The upper floor of the building where the tomb is located is known to Christians as the Cenacle, the place where Jesus ate the Last Supper and where his followers were baptized by the Holy Spirit at Pentecost.
Under Israeli law, Christians are only permitted to pray there twice a year, and plans for the pope to celebrate mass there have prompted weeks of protest and several incidents of anti-Christian vandalism.
The defender of al-Aqsa holy mosque confronted on Sunday morning an extremist settlers accompanied by 24 settlers who stormed Al-Aqsa Mosque. The official of guards at al-Aqsa Mosque said the settler accompanied by intruders rapists directed insulting words for the Prophet Mohammad, peace be upon him, which provoked the Palestinian Muslims prayers.
The guards interfere and asked the Israeli occupation police to take them out from the place.
The guards interfere and asked the Israeli occupation police to take them out from the place.
13:19 Israeli police have arrested 26 Jewish extremists who were "throwing stones and bottles" at a site in Mount Zion in Jerusalem that the Pope is expected to visit tomorrow.
Two police officers were injured in the clashes.
The clashes come after 15 Jewish radicals were put under house arrest in recent days in order to prevent disturbances prior to His Holiness' visit, and amid a wave of anti-Christian and anti-Arab attacks within Israel in recent months.
Two police officers were injured in the clashes.
The clashes come after 15 Jewish radicals were put under house arrest in recent days in order to prevent disturbances prior to His Holiness' visit, and amid a wave of anti-Christian and anti-Arab attacks within Israel in recent months.
24 may 2014
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Palestinian farmers in the South Hebron Hills awoke on Thursday to find wheat they had recently harvested lit on fire, in what they suspect may have been an attack by extremist Jewish settlers from a nearby outpost, a local peace group reported.
Farmers in the village of Qawawis reached their fields around 4:30 a.m. on Thursday morning to discover three tons of wheat burning on their property, close to the Israeli-only road 316 and the settler outpost of Mitzpe Yair, near Susiya, Operation Dove said in a statement. The wheat had been harvested only the day before and collected into a pile on the field, but by the time farmers arrived the entire crop had been burned to the ground. |
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Activists from Operation Dove arrived on the scene around 5:00 a.m., at which time Israeli police and soldiers had arrived on the scene with a fireman, who only began extinguishing the fire about 15 minutes later, according to the group.
The locals later filed a complaint with Israeli authorities in the Kiryat Arba police station. The village of Qawawis is located in an area under direct Israeli military control and is surrounded by some of the most violent Jewish-only outposts in the West Bank. Settlers from Mitzpe Yair have frequently attempted to prevent Palestinians from nearby communities from farming on their land, and the outpost itself |
is built on land illegally confiscated from a local villager.
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.
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.
Fearing disruption by Jewish extremists when Pope Francis visits Jerusalem this weekend, police said on Friday they would issue restraining orders against 10 more activists, bringing the total to 15.
And just two days before the pope's arrival, police said that offensive "anti-Christian graffiti" was discovered on the outer wall of a church in the southern desert city of Beersheba, spokesman Micky Rosenfeld told AFP.
A picture distributed by police showed Hebrew graffiti reading "Jesus = son of a bitch," prompting police to open an investigation. The attack comes after a wave of hate crimes against Christian sites and property by Jewish extremists in recent months.
Earlier, Rosenfeld said Jerusalem police chief Yossi Pariente had decided to slap another 10 people with restraining orders for the duration of the pope's visit to the city, which begins on Sunday.
On Wednesday, three young Jews were confined to house arrest on suspicion they were planning to disrupt the pontiff's two-day visit.
Restraining orders were also imposed on two students from a Jewish seminary at Mount Zion, where on Monday the pope will celebrate a mass at the Upper Room where Jesus held the Last Supper.
"We have taken some pre-emptive steps to distance people who, according to intelligence received, were intending to disrupt the visit," Pariente told Yediot Aharonot newspaper.
But police said they had no information about any attempt to harm the pope himself.
"We have no intelligence about plans to harm the pope himself, but there are plans to embarrass the State of Israel or to disrupt public order during this sensitive visit," he added.
Some 8,000 extra police officers are to be deployed on Jerusalem's streets for the duration of the visit.
Israel has been struggling to contain hate crimes by Jewish extremists targeting Palestinian and Arab property, including an increasing number of attacks on mosques and churches.
Despite scores of arrests, there have been no successful prosecutions, prompting concern from Christian leaders.
Also on Friday, two Jerusalem men were detained for questioning after putting up flyers "condemning Christianity and the pope." They were later released but handed orders to stay at least 150 meters (yards) from the pope, Rosenfeld said.
Meanwhile, West Bank officials said around 3,000 members of the Palestinian security forces were to be deployed for Sunday's papal visit to Bethlehem, a third of whom would be from the elite presidential guard, a spokesman told AFP.
And just two days before the pope's arrival, police said that offensive "anti-Christian graffiti" was discovered on the outer wall of a church in the southern desert city of Beersheba, spokesman Micky Rosenfeld told AFP.
A picture distributed by police showed Hebrew graffiti reading "Jesus = son of a bitch," prompting police to open an investigation. The attack comes after a wave of hate crimes against Christian sites and property by Jewish extremists in recent months.
Earlier, Rosenfeld said Jerusalem police chief Yossi Pariente had decided to slap another 10 people with restraining orders for the duration of the pope's visit to the city, which begins on Sunday.
On Wednesday, three young Jews were confined to house arrest on suspicion they were planning to disrupt the pontiff's two-day visit.
Restraining orders were also imposed on two students from a Jewish seminary at Mount Zion, where on Monday the pope will celebrate a mass at the Upper Room where Jesus held the Last Supper.
"We have taken some pre-emptive steps to distance people who, according to intelligence received, were intending to disrupt the visit," Pariente told Yediot Aharonot newspaper.
But police said they had no information about any attempt to harm the pope himself.
"We have no intelligence about plans to harm the pope himself, but there are plans to embarrass the State of Israel or to disrupt public order during this sensitive visit," he added.
Some 8,000 extra police officers are to be deployed on Jerusalem's streets for the duration of the visit.
Israel has been struggling to contain hate crimes by Jewish extremists targeting Palestinian and Arab property, including an increasing number of attacks on mosques and churches.
Despite scores of arrests, there have been no successful prosecutions, prompting concern from Christian leaders.
Also on Friday, two Jerusalem men were detained for questioning after putting up flyers "condemning Christianity and the pope." They were later released but handed orders to stay at least 150 meters (yards) from the pope, Rosenfeld said.
Meanwhile, West Bank officials said around 3,000 members of the Palestinian security forces were to be deployed for Sunday's papal visit to Bethlehem, a third of whom would be from the elite presidential guard, a spokesman told AFP.
23 may 2014
A church in the southern Israeli city of Beersheba was defaced with anti-Christian graffiti attacking Jesus Christ and the Virgin Mary on Friday in the latest in a string of attacks by suspected Jewish extremists targeting Palestinian Christian sites.
According to the Jerusalem Post, the graffiti on the church in the old city of Beersheba read: "Jesus = Son of a whore."
Spokesman for the Israeli police Luba Samari confirmed the incident, and said police have opened an investigation into it.
The attack comes only two days before the Pope is due to visit Israel and the occupied Palestinian territories, amid a wave of attacks against Christian holy sites and property that have occurred inside Israel in the last few months.
On Wednesday, Israeli police said they were putting a number of known Jewish extremists under house arrest for the entirety of the Pope's visit in order to prevent disruptions.
According to the Jerusalem Post, the graffiti on the church in the old city of Beersheba read: "Jesus = Son of a whore."
Spokesman for the Israeli police Luba Samari confirmed the incident, and said police have opened an investigation into it.
The attack comes only two days before the Pope is due to visit Israel and the occupied Palestinian territories, amid a wave of attacks against Christian holy sites and property that have occurred inside Israel in the last few months.
On Wednesday, Israeli police said they were putting a number of known Jewish extremists under house arrest for the entirety of the Pope's visit in order to prevent disruptions.
