- 1 juni 2012
The IOF desecrate al-Rahma Cemetery next to al-Aqsa Mosque
Muslim graves dug up in the Ma'manullah cemetery
OCCUPIED JERUSALEM, (PIC)-- A group of IOF troops desecrated on Thursday Bab al-Rahma Cemetery next to the Aqsa Mosque by daubing the tombs and headstones with Hebrew racist graffiti against Muslims and calling for the death of Arabs.
Head of the committee that takes care of Muslim cemeteries in Jerusalem, Mustafa Abu Zahra, said that this attack is just one in a series of continuous attacks by the occupation soldiers and settlers against Muslim cemeteries in Jerusalem.
“The attacks by occupation soldiers and Jewish settlers were not limited to the Ma’manullah cemetery, which is still under attack, but it has reached to Bab al-Rahma cemetery next to the Blessed Aqsa Mosque,” he said.
He added that a number of the so called Border Guards wrote slogans insulting to Muslims and calling for the death of Arabs on headstones.
He condemned this attack on the cemetery and called on the occupation authorities to punish those responsible for this heinous act.
http://fwd4.me/121D 3 jun 2012, 00:59 , Respect -
Maria 2 juni 2012
Report: occupation’s aggression against Palestinians on the rise
NABLUS, (PIC)-- Land research center of the Arab Studies Society confirmed that the first five months of this year had witnessed an increase in Israeli attacks against Palestinian people and properties.
The center reported that Israeli forces demolished 78 houses during that period, which led to the displacement of 545 Palestinians, including 323 children. In addition the IOF demolished 219 facilities, serving 1476 residents, including 914 children. They had also issued demolition notifications of 368 houses inhabited by 3199 residents, including 1977 children. Israeli authorities have also issued notifications of demolition 190 facilities serving 1676 residents. Moreover, IOF have issued notifications of taking over five houses, three in occupied Jerusalem and two in Al-Khalil and the confiscation of 17 tents in Tubas.
The center has also reported Israeli attacks against Palestinian lands where 8,300 dunums of Palestinian lands were confiscated, 331 dunums for settlement projects, 1,431 dunums for the apartheid wall construction, and 6,404 dunums under the pretext that it belongs to the state, in addition to settlers’ attempts to capture 4,500 dunums.
The Israeli attacks have also harmed 4,482 trees through burning and uprooting or through poisoning them with chemicals or waste water, including 3,435 trees were fully damaged and 1,047 trees were partially damaged. Meanwhile, the IOF have confiscated agricultural machineries, including 10 water tanks, 7 agricultural tractors, and two bulldozers and drilling rig.
The report noted that 380 dunums of agricultural land have been confiscated, including 180 dunums for military training, in addition to 100 dunums of planted fields were bulldozing, and 50 dunums are used as pastures for settlers' cattles,70 dunums have been dumping by waste water, and 10 dunums of crop fields have been burned.
The report confirmed that as part of the occupation’s efforts to dismember the Palestinian territories the city of Jerusalem was strangulated by the apartheid wall and isolated from the rest of the West Bank, while it continues preventing Palestinians from the West Bank and the Gaza Strip from reaching occupied Jerusalem.
The Israeli attacks have also included roadblocks and checkpoints set up by Israel in the WB at the entrances to Palestinian towns and villages.
The report pointed out that the IOF have closed 15 Palestinian neighborhoods either by concrete cubes or earth barriers.
http://fwd4.me/127q
IOF suppress peaceful marches of W. Bank
RAMALLAH, (PIC)-- Dozens of Palestinians and foreign activists suffered injuries in Masarah and Bil'in villages on Friday when their peaceful marches against the segregation wall and settlement activities were attacked by Israeli troops.
The Masarah march this week was dedicated to commemorating the anniversary of the six-day war of 1967 and celebrating the international children's day.
The Israeli occupation forces (IOF) closed the entrance of the village declaring it a closed military zone and attacked the march that was led by a group of children holding Palestinian flags.
The IOF used tear gas grenades and rubber bullets to disperse the march wounding many protestors, three of them were badly injured.
In Bil'in village west of Ramallah city, dozens of Palestinians and foreign activists suffered tear gas injuries and one protestor suffered burns in his hands.
The smoke and tear gas grenades fired by the troops on the march led to the burning of a large tract of olive plantations in the village.
http://fwd4.me/127w 4 jun 2012, 00:07 , Respect -
Maria 3 juni 2012
Young man hospitalized after IOF assault
AL-KHALIL, (PIC)-- A Palestinian young man From Samu village, south of Al-Khalil, was hospitalized on Sunday after Israeli occupation forces (IOF) attacked him.
Local sources said that Raed Humaidat was rushed to Yatta government hospital after the IOF soldiers severely beat him.
In another incident, the IOF served a demolition notice to a Palestinian living near Kiryat Arba settlement, claiming that his house was built without permit.
http://fwd4.me/12Al
OCHA: Israel displaced more than 60 Palestinians last week
RAMALLAH, (PIC)-- The UN office for the coordination of humanitarian affairs (OCHA) said Israel displaced more than 60 Palestinians during one week after demolishing their homes in West Bank areas in addition to its demolition of other homes and structures.
In a recent report, OCHA stated that Israel destroyed 17 Palestinian homes last weeks in the West Bank, seven of them were razed in Area C.
The demolition of these homes led to the displacement of 60 Palestinians including 40 children at least, it added.
Its report noted that some of these razed homes were provided by the UN humanitarian response fund as emergency assistance for Palestinian civilians who had been displaced following earlier demolitions.
It also said two other homes in the occupied city of Jerusalem were also demolished during the reporting week by their Palestinian owners who were forced by the Israeli authorities to do so.
At least 100 Palestinian civilians lost their means of livelihoods during the week after Israel knocked down 11 structures used by them for commercial purposes, including animal shelters and stores, according to the report.
The report also pointed out that the Israeli authorities, during its demolitions in Hazma village northeast of occupied Jerusalem, confiscated containers full of fuel and civilian equipment including fuel pumps and power generators.
Israel also ordered the cessation of construction activities in two Palestinian residential buildings in Hajja village near Qalqiliya city and annexed 30 dunums of Palestinian land owned by Deir Istiya villagers at the pretext of their location near Emmanuel settlement.
http://fwd4.me/12AZ
- 4 juni 2012
Israeli maneuvers in Jordan Valley cut water supplies to nearby village
NABLUS, (PIC)-- Villagers in Ein Shibli village in central Jordan Valley have complained that maneuvers conducted by the Israeli occupation forces (IOF) at the slopes of nearby mountains had cut off water supplies to their homes.
Locals said that hundreds of IOF troops were exercising with live ammunition and sleeping in tents pitched near their village.
They complained that the soldiers have deliberately shut down water springs that supplied the village with water for their crops and house use.
The municipal council of the village said in a press release that around one thousand IOF soldiers and more than 70 armored vehicles were deployed in the nearby mountainous area.
It said that the military exercises damaged cultivated land lots and cut off water supplies to the village.
http://fwd4.me/12Ie 5 jun 2012, 15:11 , Respect -
Maria 5 juni 2012
Occupation destroys Palestinian houses in the northern Jordan Valley
NORTHERN JORDAN VALLEY,(PIC)-- Occupation bulldozers started on Tuesday morning demolishing Palestinian houses in Al-Meeta hamlet in Wadi-Al-Maleh northern Jordan Valley in the eastern West Bank.
Municipality chief of Wadi-Al-Maleh and Bedouin villages, Aref Daraghmeh, told Quds Press that IOF broke into Al-Meeta hamlet in Wadi al-Maleh area in the northern part of the occupied Jordan Valley, handing notifications for the demolition of four Palestinian houses. He also pointed out that the Israeli bulldozers raided the area before the expiry of the warning period and started demolishing several houses and forced other families to demolish their homes with their own hands.
Daraghmeh added that the bulldozers and demolition machinery accompanied by Israeli Military forces prevented citizens from addressing them or to get close of the area under the pretext that it is a closed military area, effectively banning Palestinian access to it.
Daraghmeh pointed out that the Israeli military forces have ordered a large number of Palestinian families to leave their homes in Wadi-Al-Maleh a couple of days as the army prepares to carry out military maneuvers in the area. He added that this systematic Israeli aggression aims to evacuate the area from its Palestinian residents and to take control over it.
http://fwd4.me/12LE
The occupation notify the demolition of houses in the Jordan valley
TUBAS, (PIC)-- The IOF ordered, this morning, the residents of Wadi-Al-Maleh in the northern Jordan valley to evacuate their homes and handed demolition notices to four families living in the area.
Local sources said that hundreds of soldiers surrounded the area and ordered the eviction of a large number of Palestinian families from their homes for ten days under the pretext of conducting military trainings in the area.
Israel's ultimatum, which came without prior notice, ordered the families to leave within 24 hours otherwise they will face arrests and fines. The IOF also prevented the entry and exit from the area and had earlier blocked local Palestinian inhabitants from returning to work in their farmlands.
Besides, IOF raided Al-Meeta hamlet in Wadi-Al-Maleh, handed a demolition notice to four Palestinian families and ordered them to evacuate their homes immediately under the pretext of being built without a permit.
http://fwd4.me/12LF
Update: Families Forced to Demolish their Own Homes in Jordan Valley
The Israeli authorities Tuesday forced four Palestinian families to demolish with their own hands their homes in Wadi al-Maleh area in the northern part of the occupied Jordan Valley as a prelude to evacuate the area from its Palestinian residents, according to a local activist.
Aref Daraghme, head of Wadi al-Maleh village council, said the Israeli authorities gave the families, which live in one area of the village, 24 hours to leave their homes and move somewhere else.
However, Israeli army units arrived at the area before the expiry of the warning period and forced the families to demolish their homes with their own hands.
He said the Israeli authorities had previously demolished a large number of Palestinian houses in the same area and prevented residents from working on their land. All of this is done for the benefit of illegal settlements in the Jordan valley, he said.
Meanwhile, the Israeli military Tuesday ordered a large number of Palestinian families to leave their homes in the Jordan Valley for a couple of days as the army prepares to carry out military maneuvers in the area.
http://english.wafa.ps/index.php?action=detail&id=19974
Families Ordered to Leave Homes in Jordan Valley
The Israeli authorities Tuesday ordered four Palestinian families to leave their homes in Wadi al-Maleh area in the northern part of the occupied Jordan Valley as a prelude to evacuate the area from its Palestinian residents, according to a local official.
Aref Daraghme, head of Wadi al-Maleh village council, said the Israeli authorities gave the families, which live in one section of the village, 24 hours to leave their homes and move somewhere else.
He said the Israeli authorities had previously demolished a large number of Palestinian houses in the same area and prevented residents from working on their land. All of this is done for the benefit of illegal settlements in the Jordan valley, he said.
Meanwhile, the Israeli military Tuesday ordered a large number of Palestinian families to leave their homes in the Jordan Valley for a couple of days as the army prepares to carry out military maneuvers in the area.
http://english.wafa.ps/index.php?action=detail&id=19973 6 jun 2012, 15:02 , Respect -
Maria 6 juni 2012
Israeli authorities raze Palestinian homes in the Negev
RAMALLAH, (PIC)-- Israeli police and special forces went on a demolition spree in the Negev desert, south of Palestine occupied in 1948, on Wednesday at the pretext of unlicensed building.
The joint forces razed a number of Palestinian homes in what Tel Aviv calls unrecognized villages.
Witnesses said that the police forces tore down three houses in Tal Al-Saba after interior ministry staffers glued orders for the demolition of ten houses in the village.
The police forces sealed off the vicinity of those houses to block citizens from approaching as huge bulldozer went on the demolition streak.
Locals said that Israeli bulldozes then razed two houses in Um Ratam village and a shed in Hawra village.
The demolition spree follows the announcement of an Israeli government plan to confiscate 800000 dunums of Negev land and displacing 30000 Negev Bedouins from their so-called “unrecognized villages” and relocating them in “recognized” villages and towns in the desert.
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Despite Court Ruling, Soldiers Ban Farmers from Land
Despite the fact that an Israeli court had ruled in favor of Palestinian landowners against attempts by Jewish settlers to take their land, settlers, protected by soldiers, Wednesday prevented Palestinian farmers from reaching their agricultural land east of the town of Yatta, north of Hebron, under the pretext the land is an Israeli military area, according to a local activist.
An Israeli court had issued a ruling last year ordering return of the land to its Palestinian owners.
Ratib al-Jabour, coordinator of the Popular Committee against the Wall and Settlements in southern Hebron, told WAFA that settlers from the Israeli settlement of Susiya prevented farmers from harvesting their land planted with wheat and barley.
He said soldiers protected the settlers as they pushed the farmers out of their land in an attempt to force them to abandon their land in order to seize it for settlement expansion.
http://english.wafa.ps/index.php?action=detail&id=19993
IOA orders the demolition of 29 houses in Bustan suburb
OCCUPIED JERUSALEM, (PIC)-- The Israeli occupation authority (IOA) has notified defense lawyer of Bustan suburb in occupied Jerusalem of court orders for the demolition of 29 houses.
The committee in defense of Silwan said that all legal means were trekked in a bid to avoid the demolition of those houses but to no avail, adding that the Israeli court orders said that the houses should be razed before September.
The committee charged in a statement on Wednesday that the IOA was circumventing the laws in order to pave the way for razing those houses and build Toratic parks in place of the entire suburb.
It said that the inhabitants were afraid the demolition process might start any time following issuance of the court order.
http://fwd4.me/12PH 7 jun 2012, 15:09 , Respect -
Maria 7 juni 2012
IOF confiscates water tank, causes water crisis in village
JORDAN VALLEY, (PIC)-- Israeli occupation forces (IOF) confiscated a water tank in Khirbat Farsiya in the northern Jordan Valley that carries water to the inhabitants.
The soldiers had confiscated three other tanks a few weeks ago causing an acute water shortage for the inhabitants.
Mohammed Daraghme said that the soldiers confiscated the tank from him while carrying it to the village and fined him 1700 shekels. They also warned him against carrying water to the area.
Inhabitants own thousands of cattle heads and depend on water tanks after the IOF prevented them from using the water springs in nearby Wadi Al-Malih.
In a similar act, IOF soldiers demolished five water wells to the west of Jenin in a fresh demolition spree in that area.
Locals said that the soldiers warned the owners of those wells against rebuilding them, adding that the act meant a total destruction of agriculture in hundreds of fertile dunums.
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Israeli Bulldozers Destroy Six Water Wells in West Bank
Israeli bulldozers Thursday destroyed six water wells east of the northern West Bank city of Jenin, according to local and security sources.
They said that Israeli bulldozers, accompanied by 10 Israeli military vehicles, destroyed two artesian water wells, which were used to irrigate dozens of dunums of agricultural land at a crossroad with the village of Beit Qad east of Jenin.
Meanwhile, Israeli bulldozers, protected by soldiers, destroyed four other water wells in Deir Abu Daif village east of Jenin.
Governor of Jenin, Talal Dweikat, condemned the destruction of the water wells and said that these measures are part of an Israeli policy aimed at getting Palestinians to leave their land for the benefit of settlement expansion.
http://english.wafa.ps/index.php?action=detail&id=19998
Israelis Stop Palestinians from Getting Drinking Water
Israeli forces Thursday seized a water tanker that was used to supply parts of the occupied Jordan Valley with drinking water and imposed a $450 fine on its owner, according to a local official.
Aref Daraghme, head of Wadi al-Maleh village council, said that Israeli forces seized the tanker while it was on its way to supply drinking water to an area in Wadi al-Maleh area and took it to an army base.
Local residents in these remote areas of the Jordan Valley rely on tankers for their daily water supply since the Israeli authorities prohibit development in these areas in an attempt to drive residents away from their land in order to seize it.
http://english.wafa.ps/index.php?action=detail&id=19996 12 jun 2012, 10:46 , Respect -
Maria 12 juni 2012
Israeli forces order Hebron village demolished after settler case
HEBRON (Ma’an) -- Israeli forces on Tuesday handed a southern West Bank village demolition orders for each of its 50 buildings, a week after Israeli authorities agreed to halt all construction in the area in response to a petition filed by a settler group.
Susiya village, in the south Hebron hills, has three days to appeal the decision before their village is demolished, resident Nasser Nawaja told Ma'an.
The community's lawyer Quamar Mishirqi said she will file an objection to Israel's High Court.
The mass demolition notices come days after an Israeli court heard Susiya's case to remain in their homes. The village is fighting a petition by the neighboring Jewish-only settlement also called Susiya, and an Israeli group pushing to demolish Palestinian buildings called Regavim.
Last Wednesday, the court decided to implement a total freeze on building in the village, and the state agreed to inform the court of its plans for the village with 90 days, as requested in the Regavim petition.
While Regavim is registered as a non-governmental organization and says it is interested in equal application of the law, a Ma'an report last month showed it is run by residents of Israeli settlements and illegal outposts, with political connections to local government and the Likud and National Union parties.
Further, according to Israeli experts who reviewed the group’s official reports, the NGO is financed by publicly funded local councils of Israeli settlements in the West Bank.
The United Nations humanitarian affairs office has warned that Susiya, a hamlet of 350 people, including 120 children, is at immediate risk of forced displacement as a result of Regavim’s petition.
Nawaja told Ma'an the demolition orders intend to clear the village of its inhabitants in order to use the land for Israeli settlements. All settlements are illegal under international law.
The village lies in an area called Masafer Yatta, long besieged by settlements and their outpost offshoots, as well as a steady stream of demolition orders.
Residents of the area are a mixture of pre-1948 communities squeezed by their proximity to the ceasefire line with the new Israeli state, agricultural lands farmed by Yatta residents who moved out to live on their fields, and Bedouin encampments set up by those displaced from the Negev desert in the war to establish Israel.
When Israel began building settlements in the area in the early 1980s, villagers say the army started putting pressure on them to move from Masafer Yatta.
In 1999, the entire population was evacuated by the Israeli army. After a battle in Israel’s High Court, residents were granted ‘temporary’ permission to return.
"The court agreed this is our land, but they will not give us permission to build on it," says Susiya council chief Muhammad Ahmed Nawaja.
International law experts say that under the Fourth Geneva Convention Israel must provide for the needs of the occupied Palestinian population, and are prohibited from demolishing any structure that has a civilian purpose.
http://www.maannews.net/eng/ViewDetails.aspx?ID=494781
IOA threatens the demolition of 15 Palestinian buildings near Yatta
AL-KHALIL, (PIC)-- The Israeli occupation authority (IOA) has threatened to demolish 15 buildings near Yatta, in Al-Khalil province, at the pretext of lack of construction permits.
Ratib Al-Jabour, the coordinator of the public committee in Yatta, said Israeli occupation forces accompanied officials of the “civil administration” who served the demolition notices to 15 families in Susiya, to the south east of Yatta town.
He said that the notices ordered the families to evacuate their homes and buildings within three days.
Jabour, who described the demolition as the result of settlement ambitions in the area, said that the buildings include a medical center and a kindergarten.
He underlined that Susiya is coveted by Jewish settlers in nearby settlements and is the constant target of attacks on their part.
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Israel to Demolish Homes, Kindergarten, Clinic near Hebron
The Israeli military authorities Tuesday told Palestinian residents of Susiya, in the south Hebron hills, of its intention to demolish their homes and tents in addition to a kindergarten and a health clinic under the pretext of “protecting the security of Israeli settlers,” according to a local activist.
Ratib al-Jabour, coordinator of the Popular Committee against the Wall and Settlements in southern West Bank city of Hebron, told WAFA that Israeli soldiers handed 17 Palestinians from Abu Sabha and al-Nawagaa families notices to demolish their homes and tents claiming they threaten the security of settlers from the nearby settlement of Susiya, built illegally on Palestinian land from the village of Susiya.
Israeli forces constantly target the local residents to force them to leave in order to seize their land for the benefit of settlement expansion.
http://english.wafa.ps/index.php?action=detail&id=20042
Israel to Seize Palestinian Land South of Bethlehem
Israeli authorities notified a Palestinian of a decision to seize her land in al-Khader, a town in south of Bethlehem, a local activist said Tuesday.
Ahmad Salah, coordinator of the popular committee against settlements in al-Khader, said Israeli soldiers left the seizure notice on the land belonging to Rana Tabileh. A farmer found the notice by accident.
Salah said the notice regarding the five-dunum plot also ordered the landowners to remove a fence built around the land within 45 days.
Tabileh will be forced to pay costs for the evacuation of the land if it failed to do it herself before the set deadline, added Salah.
He said if the land is seized, Palestinian farmers will not be able to reach their property located in the same area, which is a part of an Israeli scheme to seize Palestinian land to link settlements in the vicinity of Bethlehem.
http://english.wafa.ps/index.php?action=detail&id=20038
IOF serves demolition notices to two brothers
TULKAREM, (PIC)-- The Israeli occupation forces (IOF) served demolition notices to two brothers in Faron town in Tulkarem province on Monday, local sources said.
They said that IOF soldiers escorting employees with the construction and planning committee handed the notices to Bassam and Hussam Suleiman.
The two brothers each own a two-story home that provided shelter for ten members of both families.
The committee members alleged that the homes should be razed because of their proximity to the separation wall, and referred them to the committee’s branch in Beit El for that purpose.
http://fwd4.me/12vT
Israel Demolishes A Home, Structures, In Jerusalem
Palestinian sources reported that Israeli soldiers demolished, on Tuesday at dawn, a Palestinian building in Beit Hanina neighborhood, north of occupied East Jerusalem. The army also demolished sheds and structures In Jabal Al-Mokabbir.
The Jerusalem Municipality sent bulldozers accompanied by several Israeli military jeeps to demolish the building that has been recently built, and was in its final stages of interior design.
In related news, soldiers bulldozed 700 meters of hothouses and stables in As-Sal’a area, in Jabal Al-Mokabbir, south of occupied East Jerusalem. The structures belong to Aziz Jamil Ja’bees.
Ja’bees stated that the attack took place around 7:30 in the morning and that the soldiers removed the livestock from the stables and spilled approximately 30 Tons of barley.
The Jerusalem Municipality also imposed a 50.000 NIS fine on Ja’bees, and informed him that he must remove the rubble on his own expense.
The resident paid more than 30.000 NIS in legal expenses while trying to save his property but to no avail.
The recent destruction of Palestinian property is the latest on ongoing and systematic polices targeting Palestinian homes and property in occupied East Jerusalem.
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Israeli authorities 'demolish East Jerusalem agricultural complex'
JERUSALEM (Ma'an) -- Israeli authorities demolished a complex of sheep barns in an East Jerusalem neighborhood on Tuesday morning, a local rights group said.
Bulldozers tore down the 700 square-meter steel buildings belonging to Aziz Jamil Jaabees in the as-Salaa neighborhood in Jabal al-Mukabbir, the Jerusalem Center for Social and Economic Rights said.
The family of 10 were ordered to pay a 50,000 shekel ($12,800) demolition fee, the center added, noting that 20 tons of barley were also destroyed in the incident.
Jaabees told the group his family had already paid 30,000 shekels ($7,720) for a lawyer to prevent the demolition.
The animal shelters were the only source of income for five households, the center added.
Palestinian politician Mustafa Barghouti warned in May that a spate of recent demolition orders were part of Israel's "race against time" to Judaize Jerusalem by imposing facts on the ground.
On Monday, the Israeli Interior Ministry approved the building of a tourist center in East Jerusalem, sparking outrage among residents who say it will lead to more forced evictions of Palestinian homes and exert Israeli control over the area.
Israel captured East Jerusalem in the 1967 Six Day War and later annexed it in a move never recognized by the rest of the world.
http://fwd4.me/12vD 13 jun 2012, 10:31 , Respect -
Maria 13 juni 2012
Occupation orders the demolition of 52 Palestinian buildings and tents
AL-KHALIL,(PIC)-- The so-called “civil administration” ordered the demolition of 52 Palestinian buildings and tents at Susia village southern Al-Khalil, including homes, a medical clinic, a child nursery, and solar power plant which represents the only electricity provider in the region.
Arab 48 website quoted Haaretz as saying that the demolitions are expected in three days but an appeal against the demolitions by human rights organizations is expected to be lodged at Israeli courts.
The newspaper added that the demolition orders were issued after a petition presented to the Supreme Court by the right wing association Rajavim in order to speed up the demolition orders issued against the Palestinian village. The judges headed by Chief of the Supreme Court Asher Gronis responded to the petition and issued a temporary injunction that prevents people of Susia to add buildings and tents as long as there was no decision about the village's resident's petition to prevent the planning and construction in the village.
It is noted that the fight over the land started 25 years ago, where in 1986 the occupation announced the village territories as a "national park", expelling the villagers to another neighboring agricultural land. In 2001 the Palestinians were expelled again by the Israeli army and settlers who demolished their makeshift homes and caves.
Haaretz pointed out that the Supreme Court issued a decision to stop demolishing the houses and to stop attempts to evacuate the village because there is no approval yet for the outline plan of the village. The villagers were forced to return to their lands and to build without obtaining permits. Later, these buildings were added to 18 other buildings which are going to be demolished.
Meanwhile the occupation authorities handed a demolition notifications to four Palestinian homes and agricultural facility in the town of Beit Awa west of Al-Khalil southern West Bank.
Mohamed Suwayta, director of the Eliassria Municipality, told "Quds Press" that the so-called Committee of construction and organization of the Israeli Army handed demolition notifications to houses of three brothers from Sweiti family and an agricultural facility for raising sheep and poultry near the apartheid wall under the pretext of building without permit.
Sweiti pointed out that the occupation called on the houses' owners to review "Beit El” settlement near Ramallah to protest against the decision.
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South Hebron Hills Village of Al Mufaqarah Continues Campaign to Exist
Saturday, June 9th, the South Hebron Hills village of Al Mufaqarah experienced its fourth consecutive week of hosting the R-Exist Campaign, organized the by the Popular Struggle Coordination Committee. Despite Israeli forces continually attempting to thwart the efforts of locals and Israeli, Palestinian and international volunteers in building homes for the cave dwelling community, the campaign continues.
Al Mufaqarah is home to approximately 150 Palestinians, who have made a living farming the land and raising sheep for over 200 years. The four adjacent Jewish settlements and outposts have created a particularly dire set of consequences for the rural village. Locals lack running water and electricity and have suffered from settler violence since the 1990’s when Israel began its attempts to annex the land. Last November, Israeli forces demolished several families’ homes, a cattle shed, a building that housed a generator and the village mosque.
The R-Exist Campaign has made the goal of building one house per week every Saturday, but the last two weeks have seen the incursion of the IOF and the Israeli District Coordination Office in every aspect of the building. Locals seeking to transport building materials have been forced to smuggle them in through neighboring villages and soldiers and police have visited and monitored the village consistently.
Like the dozen or so other villages in the surrounding South Hebron Hills community, Al Mufaqarah does not have permission to build any structure, due to is existence within Area C, where Israel has full civil and security control.
Currently, the third home is still under construction. After Israeli forces stopped the construction of the new mosque last Saturday, leaders are organizing plans for how they will continue the campaign and finish all 15 homes.
Leaders of the community actually anticipate the likelihood of the homes being demolished, but demonstrate a stubborn sense of determination. Mahmoud Hamandeh, a local member of the community insists, “every time they demolish, we will rebuild.” The village is hoping its diligence will bring the local Israeli authorities to recognize the legitimacy of the community, cease demolition orders and allow it to remain on its land.
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Israel destroys Palestinian commercial stores in Beit Hanina
The Israeli occupation authority (IOA) on Tuesday demolished a Palestinian building of six commercial stores in Beit Hanina town east of occupied Jerusalem at the pretext of unlicensed construction.
Jerusalemite citizens Taleb Idris and Osama Malhi said the IOA had refused to give them a license for the building and ordered them along with the other storekeepers to have their stores knocked down by next July 15, but the Israeli bulldozers surprisingly came on Tuesday to carry out the demolition.
Idris noted that about 22 Jerusalemite families would suffer after their only means of livelihood were destroyed.
"The Zionist authorities aim to throw us out of Jerusalem, and I can find no other explanation why they violated the decision to delay the demolition and did not give us a chance to obtain a license for the building, especially after we have paid all the fines imposed on us by the municipality," Idris stated on behalf of his fellow storekeepers.
In a related context, the Jerusalem center for social and economic rights warned that Israel intends to carry out a large-scale demolition campaign, in cooperation with the civil unit of its army, throughout the Palestinian neighborhoods and towns of Jerusalem.
The center said in a report that the demolition process that happened on Tuesday in Sala neighborhood in Al-Makbar Mount was the beginning of this campaign.
It also that a Palestinian family of 30 individuals was told to leave their house in Shuafat town northeast of Jerusalem as a prelude to demolishing it, while a number of Israeli bulldozers gathered on the bridge of the French Hill waiting for imminent demolition orders.
http://fwd4.me/133A
Israeli court orders demolition of Jerusalemite house
OCCUPIED JERUSALEM, (PIC)-- The Israeli municipality court in occupied Jerusalem has ordered the demolition of Fakhri Abu Diab’s house in Silwan in occupied Jerusalem and fined him 35000 shekels.
The court upheld the municipality’s planning and construction committee’s decision and said would not grant Abu Diab another chance to challenge the decision.
Abu Diab described the ruling as “political and malicious”, adding that the presiding judge did not allow his lawyer to say a word and she even ordered his expulsion from court.
http://fwd4.me/133C
IOA confiscates thousands of square meters of land
BETHLEHEM, (PIC)-- The Israeli occupation authority (IOA) has confiscated five thousand square meters (five dunums) of Palestinian land in Khader village, south of Bethlehem.
Ahmed Salah, the coordinator of the popular committee in the village, told Quds Press on Tuesday that the IOA left a notification in the land of Rana Tubaila telling her that she should evacuate the cultivated land lot.
He said that the IOA also ordered Rana to destroy the trees planted in the land and the water well that was built for irrigation purposes.
Salah said that the IOA claimed that the land was “state property” and warned Rana that she should carry out the order within 45 days or else face heavy fine and prosecution.
The coordinator underlined that the confiscation of this land lot would close the road leading to 1500 dunums of land in Khader village and would serve the scheme of linking Jewish settlements in southern Bethlehem to those on its western flank.
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Occupation gives demolition notices for 5 homes in the southwest of al-Khalil
AL-KHALIL, (PIC)-- The IOF notified, on Tuesday, of the demolition of five homes in the village of Beit Awa to the southwest of Al-Khalil in the West Bank, under the pretext of unlicensed construction.
Local sources in the village told PIC that the occupation forces, accompanied with "Civil Administration" officers, handed over the owners of five houses written notifications ordering them to immediately evacuate their houses which will be demolished, giving them a limited period of time during which they will be allowed the appeal in the headquarters of the "civil administration" in "Beit El" settlement near Ramallah.
The sources confirmed that the five houses, which are located near the apartheid wall, had been given building licenses from the municipality of the village, and that most of them had been built even before the apartheid wall.
http://fwd4.me/131E 14 jun 2012, 14:01 , Respect -
Maria 14 juni 2012
Shops bulldozed in Beit Hanina
Israeli bulldozers demolished several shops in the Palestinian district of Beit Hanina in East Jerusalem on Thursday 14 June.
The shops, belonging to the Edris family of Jannet Adan neighborhood of Beit Hanina were demolished by Municipality bulldozers, were the second site of destruction that day.
700 square meters of retail buildings belonging to Sal’a neighborhood resident Aziz Ja’aibes were also demolished, leaving the five families the businesses it supported with no income.
http://silwanic.net/?p=27237
IOF troops raid southern Gaza using tanks, helicopter gunships
KHAN YOUNIS, (PIC)-- Israeli occupation forces (IOF) mounting tanks and backed by helicopter gunships raided southern Gaza Strip afternoon Thursday, local sources said.
Local sources told the PIC reporter that IOF troops in ten tanks and a bulldozer raided Khuza’a town to the east of Khan Younis, in southern Gaza Strip.
They said that the soldiers advanced 500 meters into the town and unleashed the bulldozers on a destruction streak as they fired in all directions.
The military choppers took part in the incursion and fired at crops starting fires that destroyed vast tracts of land cultivated with wheat and barley.
http://fwd4.me/13BA
Israel demolishes villages in southern Palestine
(2:29) Israel demolishes villages in southern Palestine - Press TV News
The Struggle of South Hebron Hills Village to Keep Living on its Land
AT-TUWANI, SOUTH HEBRON HILLS, (WAFA) - On the only road that connects the area of Massafer Yatta with the city of Yatta and the rest of the West Bank, a tractor was carrying building material towards the village of At-Tuwani.
It was June 8 and at 8 p.m. two jeeps from the Israeli army were waiting for it. The tractor driver was stopped and forced to go back.
After a while the soldiers stopped another tractor and order the driver to turn back, but this time the driver refused. The soldiers then surrounded him and forced him to wait for the police.
After hearing this news, around 30 Palestinians coming from the villages of At-Tuwani, Al Mufaqarah and Ar Rakeez reached that place but were not able to approach the tractor; suddenly, a group of about 15 women crossed the checkpoint and started walking towards the tractor, ignoring the orders of the soldiers.
In a couple of minutes the pressure of those women made it possible to break through the roadblock, and the soldiers, disarmed by the women’s strong will, had to step aside and let the tractor go to the village.
On the same day in the village of Al Mufaqarah during the afternoon, the Israeli army, together with the police, kept another Palestinian that was carrying building material and the inhabitants intervened in order to avoid his arrest.
These events, related to the permanent control of the area, are part of the Israeli strategy to boycott the nonviolent campaign “Al-Mufaqarah R-Exist”; this last was launched on May 19 by the local community of Al Mufaqarah, the Popular Struggle Coordination Committee and the South Hebron Hills Popular Resistance Committee, and follows the path of the village of At-Tuwani.
The target is to build 15 houses and to defend the legitimate right of this Palestinian community to exist on their own land.
Every Saturday a group of Palestinians, Israeli activists and other internationals work together in order to build those new houses, but since the very beginning of the campaign the Israeli army has tried several times to discourage the initiative; in fact, on June 2, the nonviolent action didn't take place because of the strong military presence on the area that prevented the delivery of the building materials.
On June 10, the Israeli civil administration and the army delivered in the village of Al Mufaqarah three stop working orders, one of them designed to the first house built during the campaign: this means that whoever will be caught working on these projects will be arrested.
Furthermore, if the inhabitants will not appeal to the High Court before June 21, the buildings will receive a demolition order.
Al Mufaqarah is located in the C area of the West Bank, which is under Israeli civil and military control: within this area every construction has to receive the permit to be built by the Israeli civil administration.
The purpose of this is clearly to prevent the development of Palestinian communities, rejecting every building permit and demolishing anything considered “illegal”. At the same time, the Israeli settlements and outposts in the area, even though are illegal under the international law, are continuously expanding, and the settlers keep attacking and bothering the Palestinians.
This policy of restrictions, enclosures, demolitions, evacuations and abuse, together with the violence carried on by the settlers in the area, actually denies the human rights of the Palestinians, threatening their everyday life on their own lands.
Nevertheless, the South Hebron Hills Palestinian communities have not surrendered and have decided to resist in a nonviolent way to the occupation.
The existence of the village of Al Mufaqarah has always been violated by those strategies of oppression that aim at the evacuation of the community, but at the same time this is a great example of nonviolence resistance.
In 1999, Al Mufaqarah and other 12 villages received an order of evacuation as they were located in the “Firing Zone” (military training area). The inhabitants though never gave up and appealed to the Supreme Court, which, after six months, recognized their right to go back to their lands.
Al Mufaqarah nonviolent struggle is not over: last autumn, the community tried to connect the electricity network from the village of At-Tuwani, and they started building the pylons in order to bring the light.
Unfortunately, at 7 a.m. on November 3, an excavator escorted by 25 soldiers demolished all of them. After a few weeks, two bulldozers escorted by the army broke into the village and pulled down one after another, two houses, a cowshed, the mosque and structure of the current generator.
While doing this, a Palestinian girl, rushing to take her things from her house that was about to be demolished, was suffocated from tear gas thrown by the soldiers; after making her kneel, they arrested her and her cousin, who was trying to get her some water for relief.
The very next day hundreds of people from the South Hebron Hills reached the old rubble of the mosque and began to pray. After that, they immediately started the reconstruction of the village, previously cut down by a stop-working order.
These villages will not vanish from the maps. These villages will not stop their nonviolent struggle for their right to exist. Al Mufaqarah, At-Tuwani and the other communities exist and resist. Al-Mufaqarah R-Exist campaign will go on, because one rebuilt wall is worth more than 100 demolished houses, because a tractor unchained by 15 women is worth more than a hundred roads blocked by the soldiers.
Every Saturday, in Al Mufaqarah, people are building.
(Operation Dove is a non-violent international peace movement working to help Palestinians in the South Hebron Hills live in peace on their land.)
http://english.wafa.ps/index.php?action=detail&id=20060 15 jun 2012, 12:40 , Respect -
Maria 15 juni 2012
Friday: Susiya Village To Protest Demolition Orders
42 standing demolition orders to structures and houses in Susiya, threatening the existence of the village in itself
On Friday, June 15th at 6pm the Palestinian communities of the south Hebron hills, joined by Israeli and international activists, will be holding a protest in Susiya village.
The demonstrators will protest the demolition orders that were delivered by the Israeli civil administration for 42 structures and houses in the village, and the systematic displacement of Palestinians living in South Hebron Hills area.
Background:
On Monday, 11th of June, the Israeli Civil Administration delivered demolition orders for 42 structures to the people of Susiya, a village in the South Hebron Hills, threatening the existence of the village itself.
Beginning in the 1980s, the Israeli occupying powers have targeted this area by establishing Jewish settlements and outposts. Since 1994, fifty-eight demolition orders have been issued to the surrounding Palestinian villages. The Israeli association, Regavim recently opened a case calling the village of Susiya an illegal Palestinian outpost despite its possession of land deeds dating back to the Ottoman Empire.
A judge in the Israeli Supreme Court ruled the demolitions to be implemented in Susiya within 3 days, leaving an insufficient amount of time to legally object the orders and bypassing the existing law that stop-work orders must be issued first. There has been an "oral agreement," to postpone until Tuesday but the integrity of this promise remains in question, as Israeli authorities have been especially heavy-handed in this area.
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Palestinian detained as Israel closes produce stands
HEBRON (Ma’an) -- Israeli forces raided fruit and vegetable stands on the Jerusalem-Hebron road between Beit Ummar and Halhul villages, local activists said Thursday.
The border guards and police confiscated goods and damaged stands belonging to Palestinian farmers, spokesman for the popular committee against settlement Muhammad Awad said.
Forces closed the road and detained Muhammad Khader Awad, 17, he said.
http://www.maannews.net/eng/ViewDetails.aspx?ID=495440 16 jun 2012, 11:32 , Respect -
Maria 16 juni 2012
Ruinous Record: Arab village demolished 38 times in Israel
(4:55) Ruinous Record: Arab village demolished 38 times in Israel
Residents of a Palestinian village have contacted the Guinness Book of World Records to register that their village was demolished by Israel 38 times. For more on this story RT talks to Jeff Halper, co-founder and executive director of the Israeli Committee against House Demolitions.
Newspapers Review: Demolition of Historic Sites, Egyptian Elections focus of Dailies
The ancient mosque (circled in red, click on pict to enlarge) in the German aerial photograph from 1931
Reports of Israeli demolition of historic Islamic buildings in East Jerusalem following 1967 and the Egyptian run-off presidential elections were the focus of Saturday’s issue of the three Palestinian Arabic dailies.
Al-Quds highlighted a report that appeared in the Israeli newspaper Haaretz based on a rare photo proving that Israel has destroyed after its occupation of East Jerusalem in 1967 the all-Arab Magharbe quarter in East Jerusalem to build the Western Wall plaza one of the few remaining historic mosques from the time of the famous Muslim leader Salah Eddin over 800 years ago.
Al-Ayyam featured the Egyptian run-off presidential elections between the Muslim Brotherhood’s candidate Mohamed Morsy and Ahmed Shafiq, the last prime minister in the administration of ousted president Hosni Mubarak.
The dailies reported on the Israeli assaults targeting the weekly Friday non-violent demonstrations against the Apartheid Wall and settlements across the West Bank. They said dozens of suffocation cases among the protesters were reported due to Israeli army use of tear gas, as well as four injuries from rubber-coated metal bullets, including a journalist and two international activists.
PLO Executive Committee member Saeb Erekat denied in statement published by the dailies reports of a meeting between President Mahmoud Abbas and Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu.
Erekat revealed that Israeli deputy Prime Minister Shaul Mofaz requested to meet Abbas and that the request is being considered but that no date has been set for the meeting.
Al-Hayat al-Jadida featured the return of calm to the Palestinian refugee camp Nahr al-Bared north of Beirut after a Palestinian refugee was shot and killed during a violent standoff between camp residents and the Lebanese army on Friday.
http://english.wafa.ps/index.php?action=detail&id=20066 17 jun 2012, 10:49 , Respect -
Maria 17 juni 2012
IOF soldiers bulldoze Palestinian cultivated land
AL-KHALIL, (PIC)-- Israeli occupation forces (IOF) bulldozed Palestinian cultivated land lots near Dura town in Al-Khalil province on Sunday morning, security sources said.
The sources told the PIC reporter that the IOF bulldozers damaged land in Kharsa village owned by two families.
Meanwhile, Jewish settlers attacked Palestinian homes in Salaima suburb in the Old City of Al-Khalil.
http://fwd4.me/13M2
Israeli Authorities Force Palestinian to Demolish His House
Israeli authorities Sunday forced a Palestinian man to demolish with his own hands his house and his farm in Beit Iksa, a village northwest of East Jerusalem, according to a local activist.
Sharif Liqyanieh said the Israeli municipality of Jerusalem issued about a week ago a self-demolition order of his house and farm under the pretext of building it without permit, despite the fact that he obtained a perfectly legal permit from the Ministry of Local Government.
The Israeli authorities handed Laqyanieh the notice and gave him a three-day deadline to demolish his property, or else the municipality will demolish it and obligate him to pay the costs, which would amount to thousands of dollars.
http://english.wafa.ps/index.php?action=detail&id=20071 18 jun 2012, 12:30 , Respect -
Maria 18 juni 2012
Israeli forces issue 35 demolition orders in Beit Ummar
Israeli forces on Monday handed multiple demolition orders to homes near the settlement of Karmi Zur in Beit Ummar, a local committee spokesman said.
Muhammad Ayyad Awad, from the popular committee against the wall, told Ma'an that Israeli forces raided the Hebron village and handed out 35 demolition orders to residents.
The military orders state that if residents wish to contest the decision they must go to the Israeli Beit Eli military court before July 3.
On Tuesday, Israeli forces handed Susiya village in Hebron demolition orders for each of its 50 buildings, a week after Israeli authorities agreed to halt all construction in the area in response to a petition filed by settler group Regavim.
International law experts say that under the Fourth Geneva Convention Israel must provide for the needs of the occupied Palestinian population, and are prohibited from demolishing any structure that has a civilian purpose.
http://www.maannews.net/eng/ViewDetails.aspx?ID=496498
EU calls on Israel to Halt Expulsion of Palestinians in Area C
The European Union called on Israel to halt a policy of forced transfer to Palestinian residents of Area C, which is under full Israeli control, and to meet its obligations regarding living conditions in these area, a press release said Monday.
The call came after a group of EU diplomats visited on Friday the village of Susiya in the Southern Hebron Hills “to show their concerns over the humanitarian impact and political implications of the recent demolition orders for the village's 50 residential shelters,” said the EU release.
The group met with representatives of the village and received a briefing about recent developments which have increased the risk of forced displacement for the village's population.
The diplomats toured the village which is located very close to the Susiya settlement in Area C. The residents of Susiya explained that access to land has been progressively reduced due to settlement construction and settler violence, with a negative impact on their livelihoods and security.
“The EU has called upon Israel to meet its obligations regarding the living conditions of the Palestinian population in Area C, including halting forced transfer of population and demolition of Palestinian housing and infrastructure, simplifying administrative procedures to obtain building permits, ensuring access to water and addressing humanitarian needs,” said the press release.
http://english.wafa.ps/index.php?action=detail&id=20082
Occupation forces conduct a survey of wells west of Jenin
The Israeli occupation forces have stormed, on Sunday afternoon, Marj Bin Amer Plain west of Jenin and launched combing operations in search of water wells, investigating a number of farmers.
Local sources pointed out that several equipped vehicles accompanied by white military jeeps belong to the Israel Water Authority have entered to the plains of Silat Harthiya, Taanack, and Yamoun towns and conducted a Survey of private drinking water wells, an act which has been repeated in the recent times.
The occupation forces have interrogated the farmers in that region, and asked them about the water wells which they used in light of an extensive campaign aimed at targeting water resources in the occupied West Bank.
The occupation forces had demolished, last week, six wells east of Jenin, in addition to dozens wells that were filled during the past year.
http://fwd4.me/13Qt 19 jun 2012, 16:22 , Respect -
Maria 19 juni 2012
IOF soldiers raze houses, animal enclosures in Al-Khalil village
Israeli occupation forces (IOF) razed a number of houses and animal enclosures in Rahwa hamlet near Dhaheria town, south of Al-Khalil, at noon Wednesday, locals told the PIC.
They said that IOF soldiers escorted bulldozers that knocked down two houses made of asbestos in addition to a number of tents and animal enclosures and other installations.
The locals recalled that the IOF soldiers had previously leveled many homes in the same hamlet at the pretext of not obtaining permits to reside in the area.
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Israeli army bulldozers destroy Bedouin tin houses, animal pens
Israeli army bulldozers razed seven Palestinian tin houses and a number of animal pens to the east of Bethlehem on Tuesday, local sources said.
They told Quds Press that the houses and pens are owned by Palestinian Bedouins of the Karshan tribe in the eastern desert area of Bethlehem.
Abdul Fattah Hamayel, the mayor of Bethlehem, described the demolition as “criminal” and in violation of all international norms.
http://fwd4.me/13cY
Five Stop Work Orders Delivered in South Hebron Hills
Israeli authorities delivered on Monday five stop working orders to the Palestinian village of Tuba in the South Hebron Hills, involving two of the three families living in the area, according to a press release by the rights group Operation Dove.
The order gave the residents until July 9 to appeal to the Israeli High Court to change the order before it turns into demolition orders.
The orders concern 20 people and include: three tents and a toilet made of tin, a compound for the sheep and a pavilion belonging to the first family; a house, a tent used as storage and one with concrete floor belonging to the second family.
Two stop working orders have been given to 10 solar panels and an electric turbine donated in 2010 by “Comet-Me”, an Israeli non-governmental organization that supports the economic and social empowerment of local communities through material support and environmental sustainability.
The Palestinian families of Tuba have already been forced to evacuate from a military training zone in 1999.
The village is located in an isolated position: the primary services are in the nearby communities, such as Yatta and At-Tuwani, connected to Tuba by a public road that cannot be used by Palestinians.
The road, in fact, runs through Ma’on settlement and Havat Ma’on outpost and the inhabitants of the area are therefore forced to walk longer and through unsafe secondary streets. Harassment and violent attacks against Palestinians, in particular children, often came from Havat Ma'on.
Operation Dove has maintained an international presence in At-Tuwani and South Hebron Hills since 2004.
http://english.wafa.ps/index.php?action=detail&id=20092
Israeli Forces Seize Five Water Tankers in Jordan Valley
Israeli forces Tuesday seized five water tankers in al-Buqia area of the Jordan Valley, the only source of water in some parts of the occupied Valley, according to local official.
Aref Daraghme, head of Wadi al-Maleh village council, said that Israeli forces seized the tankers that were used to supply parts of the occupied Jordan Valley with drinking water, leaving several families that depend on animal husbandry for a living with no water.
Local residents in these remote areas of the Jordan Valley rely on tankers for their daily water supply since the Israeli authorities prohibit development in these areas in an attempt to drive residents away from their land in order to seize it.
http://english.wafa.ps/index.php?action=detail&id=20094
Confiscations and arrests in North Valleys
JORDAN VALLEY,(PIC)-- Israeli occupation forces stormed on Tuesday evening, Buqei'a plain in the northern Jordan Valley and arrested three citizens and handed other citizens demolition notifications and confiscated citizens' properties.
Local sources said that Israeli soldiers surrounded the area of Ras Ahmar in the plain near Tamoun and arrested three citizens, Muhammad Salmi, Muhammad Alsodi Hazza, and Ahmed Yousef Daraghmeh and took them to an unknown destination.
IOF also confiscated a car owned by Ahmed Daraghmeh, as well as "pools" belonging to citizens living in that area where the Israeli authorities prevent building in that region under the pretext that it is a military zone.
Citizens pointed out that the IOF handed four citizens evacuation notifications, asking them to leave under the pretext that it is a military training area.
http://fwd4.me/13Yc 21 jun 2012, 09:21 , Respect -
Maria 21 juni 2012
Report: 90% of WB water is under occupation control
The water crisis in the West Bank worsens especially in the southern provinces, each year with the beginning of summer, because of the increased water consumption. Many officials and experts said that this water crisis is due to the occupation control over water resources and the local mismanagement in distributing water.
Palestinian water Authority Chief Shaddad Attili held the Israeli occupation responsible for the water crisis because of its disregard to Oslo conventions and its refusal to provide the Palestinian territories with the quantities of water upon which the two sides agreed and to allow drilling wells and setting up projects for water supply.
Attili told Quds Press that the occupation is controlling about 90% of water resources in the West Bank while only the remaining 10% are given to the Palestinians. Yet, the occupation authorities have been refusing to establish transmission lines for water in areas classified as "C", which are under full Israeli control according to Oslo agreement.
He criticized the local bodies in a number of Palestinian municipalities, holding them partly responsible for the water crisis because of the mismanagement of the distribution and the transport of water and the absence of tables that identify the arrival of water to certain areas, in addition to the lack of improvement and maintenance of the water transmission networks, which doubles the amount of lost water.
The Palestinian official stressed that "the water is available in larger quantities than last year and there will be no crisis this year, especially after planning a number of projects to control the water crisis based on drilling four new water wells in the south, in addition to a big project to reduce wastage of water," noting that "the amount of water owned by the citizens in their private wells exceeds the amount of water owned by the government"
For his part; Abdul Hadi Hantash, an expert in settlement affairs, stated that the occupation controls 84% of the amount of water in the West Bank after seizing its three water basins and preventing Palestinians from exploiting them.
He told Quds Press that the occupation authorities transmit 52% of the amount of water in the West Bank to the 1948- occupied Palestine and one-third of the amount water is transferred to the settlements leaving the West Bank with only 16% of the amount of water.
The Palestinian expert revealed that the occupation prevented the Palestinians even from exploiting the bulk of the 532 springs of water of the West Bank after demolishing many of them, while it prevented the drilling of wells and building of dams for rainwater utilization.
http://fwd4.me/13kG 22 jun 2012, 13:25 , Respect -
Maria 22 juni 2012
Occupation forces attack citizens in Ain al-Hilweh in Jordan Valley
Five Palestinians were injured including two women, on Thursday, in Ainal-Hilweh in Wadi al-Maleh northern Jordan Valley during clashes with the Israeli forces who tried to confiscate a water tank.
Local sources told PIC that the citizens have been subjected to severe beatings when soldiers surrounded the hamlet, and tried to confiscate the water tanks in order to force the Bedouin people to leave the region under the pretext that it is a military zone.
For its part, the village council in wadi al-Maleh and the Bedouin regions in the Jordan Valley said in a press release that the occupation policies in the region aim at pressuring the residents and displacing them, adding that the occupation confiscated 13 tankers in the Bedouin regions.
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Hundreds protest Israeli demolition orders in Hebron village
Hundreds of people took part in a demonstration on Friday in the Hebron village of Susiya to protest Israeli plans to undertake mass demolitions in the area, a local committee member said.
Over 200 Palestinian, Israeli and international peace activists gathered outside of the buildings slated for demolition, Hafeth Balal, coordinator for the popular committee against the wall, said.
Israeli forces fired tear gas and stun grenades at protestors, he added.
Last week, Israeli forces issued demolition orders to Susiya village for each of its 50 buildings, a week after Israeli authorities agreed to halt all construction in the area in response to a petition filed by a settler group.
The United Nations humanitarian affairs office has warned that Susiya, a hamlet of 350 people, including 120 children, is at immediate risk of forced displacement as a result of Israeli settler group Regavim’s petition.
Local resident Nasser Nawaja told Ma'an that the demolition orders intend to clear the village of its inhabitants in order to use the land for Israeli settlements.
International law experts say that under the Fourth Geneva Convention Israel must provide for the needs of the occupied Palestinian population, and are prohibited from demolishing any structure that has a civilian purpose.
http://www.maannews.net/eng/ViewDetails.aspx?ID=497687
Occupation seizes Jordanian agricultural equipment
AMMAN,(PIC)-- A Jordanian official said that the Israeli occupation forces seized, on Thursday, agricultural equipment belonging to Jordanian farmers in Wadi al-Maleh area in the northern part of the Jordan Valley.
The head of the local council in Wadi Al Maleh, Aref Daraghmeh, confirmed in a press statement that the IOF have seized several water tanks and agricultural tractors in Wadi al-Maleh area in the northern part of the Jordan Valley.
Daraghmeh said that the occupation forces raided the area and towed the water tanks to a military camp used to store the seized tanks. He warned against a mass exodus from that area that relies on those water tanks to supply the agricultural lands, pointing out that the seizure of the water tanks by the Israeli forces will leave dozens of families without any source of water.
http://fwd4.me/13rG 23 jun 2012, 10:43 , Respect -
Maria 23 juni 2012
Jordanian farmers threaten to sue the Israeli government
Jordanian farmers have threatened to go to court to sue the Israeli government over the growing number of fires that spill over from the occupied Palestinian land to their land.
The farmers in statements to the press on Friday said that the fire cause heavy material damage to their farms and crops.
They appealed to the Jordanian government to adopt a firm position against the recurrent phenomenon, and to demand reparations from Tel Aviv over their losses.
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