- 10 sept 2012
Experimental chemical plant polluting Palestinian village in the Negev
Silwanic has learnt that a private Israeli company is using lands belonging to the Palestinian village of Wadi al-Ne’am, north of Beer Sheba, for dangerous chemical experiments.
An outdoor chemical plant approximately two kilometers from the village was visited by Silwanic journalists, who found a sign hanging on the barbed wire perimeter that reads “Danger of drowning, do not approach” in Arabic, and “Danger of drowning and poisoning, do not approach” in Hebrew.
The whole region is polluted by chemical fumes that affect breathing, and cause skin irritation. The chemical plant and its industrial pools lie on hundreds of acres taken from villagers some 25 years ago, says tribal elder Sheikh Yussef al-Zaiadin. The plant was built without consultation with any local residents.
Information and signposting in Arabic remains unclear around the site. The extent of the environmental impact of the plant is enormous, and as yet not fully documented.
Both human residents and cattle are affected by the open chemical pools, with the chemicals produced sprayed over the village and surrounding plains by crop-duster aeroplanes, as a means of testing their efficacy. This has led to widespread cattle death and the death of surrounding vegetation. Many residents suffer from health problems such as shortness of breath, skin diseases and birth defects.
The chemical plant is only one of many Israeli factories and industrial sites that have confiscated thousands of acres of village land. A major power plant lies 100 meters from the village, while none of its residents receive electricity from the state, as is the situation faced by all “unrecognized” villages in the Negev desert.
Residents are forced to use generators and to buy water. Wadi al-Ne’am is home to 24,000 people, some of whose homes have demolition orders from the Israeli state, others whose homes have already been demolished.
The town’s residents own the land it is built on, and do not engage in a Bedouin “lifestyle” as the state claims. Community groups in Wadi al-Ne’am, along with the Wadi Hilweh Information Center, have issued a public statement calling for the Israeli government to intervene and remove the factories and chemical plant from their land, and to put a stop to their attempt to ethnically cleanse the Negev of its Palestinian inhabitants.
http://silwanic.net/?p=28742
IOF raze two water tanks, agricultural land south of Nablus
NABLUS, (PIC)-- The Israeli occupation forces (IOF) demolished Monday morning two water containers and a tract of agricultural land in Jurish town south of Nablus city.
Director of settlement affairs in northern West Bank Ghassan Daglas said three Israeli military bulldozers destroyed without prior notice two large water tanks belonging to villagers Ali Farhan and Mohamed Al-Raja.
Daglas noted that the water containers were built recently at a high cost, but today they were destroyed before even their owners used them.
He added that the bulldozers also destroyed about 15 dunums of recently cultivated land and razed irrigation networks belonging to the same owners.
Israeli court rules in favor of Nablus farmers
Farmers from Beit Furik tended their land on Thursday for the first time in ten years
NABLUS (Ma'an) -- Farmers in the Nablus village of Beit Furik tended their land last week for the first time in ten years, after Israel's supreme court ruled in favor of an appeal made in 2011, Israeli rights group Yesh Din said.
"Seeing farmers return to their lands after many years of a criminal denial of access is heartwarming," Yesh Din lawyer Michael Sfard said.
"I am glad that the Israeli legal system and an Israeli human rights organization, together with the village residents, were able to bring forth such results," he added.
Fences and barriers placed illegally around the Nablus settlement of Itamar and its surrounding outposts have prevented the residents of the village of Beit Furik from accessing their agricultural land for a decade, Yesh Din said.
With the help of the Israeli rights group, villagers and landowners petitioned Israel's High Court of Justice on August 22, 2011 to demand that residents be granted access to their land.
In its statement to the court, the Israeli state admitted the area had been closed off "improperly without an order," and ordered the military to regulate the closure of the area, which restored access to most of the village's agricultural land.
Villagers were also were awarded 7,500 shekels ($1,800) in damages.
"Regaining access to the land is very important for us in Beit Furik, our farmers are delighted to return after ten years of not being able to go to their own lands," Secretary General of Beit Furik Municipality Ahmed Mazen said.
"Next month the olive harvest begins, and the farmers will finally be able to pick the olives, to make olive oil, which will have a substantial financial impact," he added.
11 sep 2012, 15:37 , Respect -
Maria 11 sept 2012
Occupation hands demolition notices for 15 Palestinian homes
OCCUPIED JERUSALEM, (PIC)-- Employees of Jerusalem Municipality raided Silwan village in occupied city of Jerusalem accompanied by military forces, and distributed administrative demolition orders for a number of homes under the pretext of being built without a permit.
The Information Center in Wadi Hilweh said in a press release on Monday that the occupation distributed 15 demolition orders in the neighborhoods of Wadi Hilweh and Beydoun Street and prevented the residents from entering the houses which were stormed by Israeli forces.
Municipal workers were seen holding maps and cameras to take photos of houses threatened with demolition.
Israeli scheme to destroy the Umayyad and Abbasid monuments in Jerusalem
OCCUPIED JERUSALEM, (PIC)-- The Islamic-Christian commission for the support of Jerusalem and holy sites warned, on Monday, of an Israeli scheme to destroy historical monuments during Umayyad and Abbasid Caliphates period in Wadi Hilweh neighborhood entrance in Silwan to the south of Al Aqsa Mosque.
The commission said, in a press statement on Monday, that the Israeli scheme aimed to prove the Jewish right and the Talmudic story at these sites, calling to expose the Israeli practices and refute their claims and lies especially that the city of Jerusalem is being subjected to unprecedented Judaization plans.
The Islamic-Christian commission appealed to the international community and all cultural heritage institutions to intervene immediately to debunk the Israeli claims and reveal the truth to the world, calling to send specialized teams to examine and protect the history and ancient civilization which became subjected to Judaization and destruction.
The commission condemned the Israeli allegations that claim discovering a large water reservoir west of Al Aqsa Mosque, claiming that it was up to the period of the alleged First Temple, confirming the Israeli false allegations.
In related context, the commission condemned the Knesset's decision to discuss the Israeli construction in Bustan neighborhood in Silwan, south-Aqsa Mosque, which is threatened to be demolished to build the Talmudic "King's Garden".
The commission considered the Israeli decision as a collective punishment to demolish Jerusalemites' homes and expel them.
PA official: Israel to confiscate Nablus land for bypass road
Israeli forces handed evacuation orders to several land owners in Nablus villages
NABLUS (Ma'an) -- Israeli authorities will confiscate 800 acres of land west of Nablus to build a bypass road, a PA official said Tuesday.
Ghassan Doughlas, who monitors settlement activity in the northern West Bank, told Ma'an that Israeli forces handed confiscation orders to several farmers in the villages of Beit Iba, al-Naqura, Zawatta and Ijnisinya on Tuesday.
Doughlas called on the international community to intervene to stop the Israeli policy of land confiscation in the West Bank. The PA official also called for an end to settler attacks against Palestinian communities.
Settler violence against Palestinians is systematic in the occupied West Bank but the perpetrators are rarely prosecuted by Israel.
Occupation Confiscates 800 Dunums in Nablus
NABLUS,(PIC)-- Occupation authorities announced the confiscation of 800 Dunums (1 Dunum= 1000 square meters) of land belonging to Palestinian villagers, west of Nablus to make a road for the nearby settlement.
Ghassan Daghlas, official in charge of settlements file in the West Bank , confirmed that the occupation handed confiscation orders to the lands' owners.
He also said that the confiscated lands include 800 Dunums in towns of Beit Iba, Naqoura, Zawata, and Ajensenaa west of the city of Nablus.
Israeli occupation authorities continue to confiscate and seize lands in the West Bank for the benefit of settlement activities, disregarding the international and Arab demands to cease settlement.
12 sep 2012, 09:30 , Respect -
Maria 12 sept 2012
Unemployment in Gaza-Reporter's
(23:52) Unemployment in Gaza-Reporter's File-10-11-2012 2 x viewed
Israel To Confiscate Lands Near Nablus
The Israeli military and its so-called, Civil Administration Office in the occupied West Bank, decided to confiscate 675 Dunams (166.79 Acres) of privately-owned Palestinian lands in the Nablus district, in the northern part of the West Bank.
Ghassan Doughlas, a Palestinian official in charge of monitoring Israel’s settlement activities in the northern part of the West Bank, told the Maan News Agency that the lands Israel intends to take over are owned by the residents of Burin and Awarta villages.
He added that the official order will likely be handed by the army to the residents on Tuesday, and that most of the lands in question are Olive orchards.
It is worth mentioning that the army handed, Tuesday, confiscation orders targeting 800 Acres of Palestinian lands in order to pave bypass roads for Israeli settlers in living in illegal settlements in the Nablus area.
Israel confiscated hundreds of thousands of Dunams of Palestinian lands in the West Bank since it imposed its military occupation following the 1967 six-day war. The lands are used for the construction and expansion of Jewish only settlements, settler bypass roads, and for military purposes.
It is worth mentioning that Israel confiscated more than %60 of the West Bank for its settlement activities, military activities, and the construction of the illegal Annexation Wall. The Israeli actions are illegal under International law.
IOF raids lands in Juhor Dik and expel farmers
GAZA, (PIC)-- Israeli occupation forces (IOF) stormed, on Tuesday, the central Gaza Strip and fired at farmers and Palestinian houses there.
Eyewitnesses said that the IOF penetrated in the east of the town of "Juhor Dik", in the central Gaza Strip, and ordered the farmers to leave their lands and opened fire towards them, with no injuries reported.
They added that the troops opened, fire at citizens' houses in the area, after the farmers had left their lands at gunpoint,.
The Israeli troops started also bulldozing agricultural lands in the target area, and imposed a ban on citizens preventing farmers from approaching the border fence at distance of 300 meters.
PA official: Israel to confiscate 675 dunams of Nablus land
Olive trees pictured in Beit Jala.
NABLUS (Ma'an) -- Israeli authorities issued orders late Tuesday to confiscate 675 dunams of land in Nablus, having issued similar orders earlier in the day to confiscate 800 acres of land in a western area of the city, a PA official said.
Ghassan Doughlas, who monitors settlement activity in the northern West Bank, told Ma'an that the Israeli decision will confiscate land from Awarta and Burin villages in the center and east of Nablus.
Confiscation orders were delivered to the villages late on Tuesday, Doughlas said, adding that the land set to be annexed consists mainly of olive trees.
Israeli forces handed confiscation orders to several farmers in the Nablus villages of Beit Iba, al-Naqura, Zawatta and Ijnisinya on Tuesday, which will see 800 acres of land annexed in order to build an Israeli bypass road.
The dunam, a measurement unit dating back to the Ottoman empire, is equivalent to 1,000 square meters.
13 sep 2012, 10:32 , Respect -
Maria 13 sept 2012
Occupation stops the Norwegian agricultural project southern Al-Khalil
AL-KHALIL,(PIC)-- Occupation forces prevented, on Wednesday morning, the ongoing work of the agricultural wells project within "defend our rights" project, which is implemented by the Union of Agricultural Work Committees, funded by the Norwegian People's Aid, in the village of Alrhoh located near the town of Dahriya southern Al-Khalil.
The Union noted in a statement that the Israeli occupation forces stormed the village and stopped the ongoing work under the pretext that it is a "C" area (under the Israeli security control according to the Oslo Accords), pointing out that the occupation authorities demolished earlier this year sixteen tents.
The Union stated that the project is taking place in the settlement of "Tina Amrim" which extends at the territory of the region, in order to displace its residents.
The Union appealed to the international Union of Agricultural Work Committees and human rights organizations to intervene "to stop the Israeli practices against the Palestinian people, especially with the escalating demolition and confiscation notices and the repeated settlers' attacks on the various Palestinian areas in order to force the residents to flee.
Jerusalemites: The new Israeli map of Jerusalem aims to imit the Arab presence
OCCUPIED JERUSALEM,(PIC)-- Adala center and the Civic Coalition for Jerusalem institutions confirmed that the new map of the so-called Quds District, will inevitably lead to besiege the Palestinian Arab presence and the development of settlement activity and Jewish presence in the city.
During a press conference held in a hotel in Jerusalem, the Israeli National Council for Planning and Building rejected all objections made by the residents of East Jerusalem against the structural map for the Jerusalem District.
The representative of the National Coalition, Khalil Tufkaji, presented the Israeli structure policies in Jerusalem and the West Bank and its impact on the Palestinians' lives, saying that they aimed to reduce the Palestinian Arab presence.
For her part, the lawyer Suhad Bishara said in the conference that the Israeli new map of the so-called Quds District aims to connect the West Bank settlements economically, geographically and socially with the city of Jerusalem.
Adnan Hussein, Jerusalem governor, pointed out that this policy has been applied since 1967, adding that the Israeli occupation put great importance in targeting the old city of Jerusalem.
Adala center and the Civic Coalition for Jerusalem institutions have presented a detailed objection in 2008 Jerusalem against the structural map for the Jerusalem District.
Israel demolish Palestinian village in Negev for 42nd time
NAZARETH, (PIC)-- The Israeli occupation forces (IOF) demolished on Wednesday morning the village of Araqib in the Negev for the 42nd consecutive time at the pretext it is not recognized by Israel.
Israeli bulldozers escorted by policemen and troops knocked down without mercy all structures, homes and tin shacks that were built on the ruins of their homes that had been demolished for the first time in August 2010.
All the Araqib families with their children were rendered homeless.
Araqib village is one of 45 Arab villages in the Negev which the Israeli regime does not recognize. Its population is about 700 impoverished people and the livestock farming is their only source of living.
Israel to annex vast tract of cultivated land south of Nablus
NABLUS, (PIC)-- The Israeli occupation forces (IOF) handed Palestinian farmers decisions to annex hundreds of dunums from their agricultural land south of Nablus city.
Ghassan Daglas, director of settlement affairs in the West Bank, told Quds Press that an area of 675 dunums located between the villages of Awarta and Burin were annexed.
Daglas noted that this decision was taken one day after Israel declared its intention to annex 800 dunums of Palestinian land west of Nablus.
He affirmed there would be legal steps to face the Israeli annexation decisions.
Settlers Occupy Palestinian Lands Near Bethlehem
The Palestine News & Info Agency (WAFA) reported Thursday that a number of extremist settlers occupied privately-owned Palestinian lands that belong to residents of the Al-Khader town, near the West Bank city of Bethlehem.
Ahmad Salah, Coordinator of the Popular Committee Against the Wall in Al-Khader, told WAFA that the settlers occupied 2 Dunams (0.494 Acres) located in Irq Ath-Theeba area, close to the Efrat illegal settlement that was built on lands belonging to the residents. The two Dunams belong to resident Yousef Mahmoud Ghneim.
Salah said that Israeli soldiers prevented the villagers from reaching their lands, and added that the army requires all residents, who have lands close to Efrat settlement, to obtain permits from “security coordinator” of the settlement, in order to be able to enter their own lands and orchards.
He further stated that Al-Khader is facing a serious escalation as Israeli settlers, protected by the army, carried out several recent attacks, while the settlers also occupied large areas of Palestinian lands in order to build parks in different areas including “Ein Masour” and “Khallit Al-Fahem”.
Salah voiced an appeal to human rights and legal groups to intervene and stop the Israeli polices of land theft practiced against the reidents, and to ensure the residents are able to enter their vineyards this season, especially due to significant losses the villagers endured in previous seasons as the army prevented them from entering their lands.
In August, a group of Israeli settlers planted a Palestinian land that they illegally took over in May, near Al-Khader town. The settlers were seen planting 5 Dunams of farmland that they illegally occupied three months ago.
Court: Settlers purchased Hebron house legally
Disputed house near Hebron
Following five years of deliberations, Jerusalem court dismisses Palestinian's claim that deal to purchase house was never finalized. Kiryat Arba council head: Jews have right to settle in all of Israel.
The Jerusalem District Court on Thursday ruled that the State must return a house in Hebron to settlers who were evicted from it in December 2008, stating that they had purchased it legally.
Judge Moshe Baram determined that the Palestinian owner's claim that the purchase agreement had been annulled before it was finalized was not credible. He ordered the Palestinian to pay NIS 50,000 (about $13,000) in legal fees.
The affair began in March of 2007 when Jewish settlers moved into the so-called "house of contention," located on the main road linking Kiryat Arba to the Cave of the Patriarchs in Hebron. In response Faizi Rajabi, the seller, filed a police complaint saying he was the owner and that the purchase agreement was never finalized.
Following a lengthy legal battle, security forces removed the settlers from the house, also known as "Beit HaShalom," in December 2008. The eviction led to a series of violent clashes between settlers and security forces. Following the eviction, it was determined that the house would remain in the State's hands until the court rules on the settlers' ownership claims.
Evacuation of 'house of contention' in December 2008
On Thursday Judge Baram ordered the State to prepare to turn the house over to the settlers within a month. However, the judge stressed that he is not ordering the Civil Administration to pursue legal measures that would allow the settlers to live in the house. Jews who purchase a home in the territories cannot move into it without the Civil Administration's authorization.
The settlers lauded the court's decision and said they were convinced it would pave the way for the return of the Machpelah house to Jewish hands. Settlers were evicted from the Machpelah house five months ago.
"The verdict bolsters our claim that Jews have a right to settle in all parts of the Land of Israel," said Malachi Levinger, head of the Kiryat Arba Hebron Council. "I urge the government of Israel to allow the settlers to return to the house immediately, and at the same time rectify the injustice that was done at the Machpelah house."
In response to the ruling, Transportation Minister Yisrael Katz called on Defense Minister Ehud Barak to "instruct the Civil Administration to authorize the deal and allow the Jewish families to move into the house.
"The defense minister's decision (to evacuate the home) was reckless and was aimed at fanning the flames. Jews have always lived in Hebron, and they will continue to do so," the minister added.
Yesha Council head Danny Dayan urged Barak and Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu to "uphold the court's decision and not try to thwart it using various tricks."
PA Ministry: Settlement 'university' upgrade illegal
BETHLEHEM (Ma'an) -- The Palestinian Authority Ministry of Higher Education on Thursday condemned the Israeli government's approval to upgrade an education center in a West Bank settlement to the status of university.
The Israeli cabinet on Sunday approved the measure, even though the Israeli High Court is still considering a petition to block the move, Israeli newspaper The Jerusalem Post reported.
"The Ministry reaffirms that all Israeli settlements in the Occupied Palestinian Territory, including East Jerusalem, constitute a grave violation of international law and that any and all facts on the ground created within these illegal settlements are considered null and void in international law," a ministry statement said.
"Any dealing with this so-called university contradicts the spirit and principles of academic freedom, tolerance, and respect for international law," it continued, calling for world education bodies to boycott the settlement institution.
"The Ministry considers the Israeli government's upgrade of this settler establishment to be a clear indication of its commitment to intransigence and rejection of its clear obligations as an occupying Power under international law," the statement noted.
14 sep 2012, 10:55 , Respect -
Maria 14 sept 2012
Israel says 44 settlements on expropriated Palestinian land
TEL AVIV, Israel (Ma'an) -- The Israeli government is seeking court approval for the construction of settler homes on private Palestinian land in more than 40 settlements, an Israeli news report said Thursday.
All Israeli settlements on built occupied Palestinian land are illegal under international law. But Israel classes some settlements as legal, while others it says are built without following government and legal requirements, but they often receive retroactive approval.
The Israeli High Court ruled in 1979 that the army could no longer confiscate West Bank land from Palestinian land-owners for settlement building, but only for "military purposes."
Despite the ruling, Israeli daily Haaretz said the state prosecution admitted in a recent case that 44 settlements were erected totally or partially based on expropriation orders for private land that were initially issued for military purposes.
The state argued that the High Court ruling "does not prevent exploiting the potential of these communities (settlements)."
It is asking for court permission to use its judgment in planning settlement construction on private Palestinian lands.
The response was made in a case brought by a Palestinian from Ramallah village Dura al-Qara against the expansion of Beit El settlement on his land.
16 sep 2012, 08:34 , Respect -
Maria 15 sept 2012
Scores of settlers break into Dura south of al-Khalil
AL-KHALIL, (PIC)-- Dozens settlers stormed on Friday morning the area of Wadi Abu Qamra in Dura, south of al-Khalil.
The citizen Abu Hassan Omar told PIC that between 250 to 300 settlers stormed the Wadi Abu Qamra in the east of Dura, south of al-Khalil, protected by Israeli occupation soldiers, and started provoking the residents.
The groups of settlers had stormed the region, which is rich of agricultural crops and water wells, earlier in a sign to the occupation's intention to seize tracts of lands there.
18 sep 2012, 13:16 , Respect -
Maria 17 sept 2012
Israeli decision to seize cultivated land in Khader village
BETHLEHEM, (PIC)-- The Israeli occupation authority (IOA) handed a Palestinian citizen a notice of its intention to appropriate and destroy his agricultural land in Al-Khader village south of Bethlehem city.
Coordinator of Al-Khader popular committee Ahmed Salah said that the IOA warned citizen Abdullah Ghoneim that it would seize his six-dunum land which is located between the settlements of Daneil and Efrat.
He noted that the IOA would also level the agricultural land after its owner had cultivated it as part of a Dutch project that was carried out a few months ago.
19 sep 2012, 17:15 , Respect -
Maria 19 sept 2012
Farmers Near Bethlehem Got Land Confiscation Notices
On Wednesday 19th September, the occupation authority summoned Palestinian farmers from Wadi Fuken village West of Bethlehem to give them notices about land confiscation.
Head of the Village Council, Ahmad Sukar, told PNN that the farmers Saber Manasra and Jum'a Yousef Assaf have found the Israeli notices which show that Israel will confiscate 60 acres of their land in al-Bas and Khelit Arar adjacent to Tzur Hadassah settlement.
The farmers also found maps that show the lands which Israel plans to confiscate under claims that these are Israeli territories.
Palestinian farmer has a right to appeal the decision in Israeli courts within a period of 45 days.
Sukar revealed that Israel continues to seize the lands of Palestinians in Wadi fuken village, as Israel has confiscated 200 acres till now.
London: Singapore church and US TV held parties against Aqsa in J'lem
LONDON, (PIC)-- The Arab organization for human rights in Britain said a church group in Singapore and a Christian TV channel in the US participated in the organization of a raucous concert and other Judaization programs promoting the building of the alleged Jewish temple in occupied Jerusalem.
"The church called 'New Creation Church' which is based in Singapore organized in cooperation with trinity broadcasting network (TBN), one of the largest US media networks known for broadcasting its religious propaganda in Arabic, Persian and other languages, a trip to occupied Palestine for 10 days from 4 to 13, September 2012 mainly targeting the city of Jerusalem and the vicinity of the Aqsa Mosque and multiple programs, the most serious of which was a raucous concert near the Aqsa Mosque behind its mihrab (niche) and the Marwani Prayer House in Umayyad Palaces area. They also held another party on the Mount of Zeitoun (olives)," the British Arab organization stated.
"What hurts the heart most is the participation of Arab and Turkish airlines which transferred these groups to Jordan, their main station, before they headed to the occupied territories, and later these airlines also transferred them back to Jordan, which was a place for some of their activities as well," the organization added.
"The most prominent airlines that participated in the transfers were the royal Jordanian airlines, the Emirates, the Turkish, the Qatari and other airlines including the Israeli," it noted.
It also questioned if "these airlines were aware that it transported people threatening the international peace and security with their beliefs which call for the demolition of the Aqsa Mosque and the building of the temple."
Israel to 'confiscate 60 dunams' of Bethlehem land
BETHLEHEM (Ma'an) -- Israeli authorities issued orders on Wednesday to confiscate 60 dunams of land in Wadi Fukin village west of Bethlehem, local officials said.
Ahmad Sukkar, head of the village council, told Ma'an that Israeli authorities issued confiscation orders for land belonging to local farmers Rashad Manasrah and Goma Yoused Assaf.
The land areas set to be confiscated are planted with trees and vegetables, with farmers tending them daily.
Wadi Fukin is located next to Israel's separation wall and is overlooked by Betar Ilit settlement.
20 sep 2012, 11:29 , Respect -
Maria 20 sept 2012
IOA issues 3 demolition orders in Silwan
OCCUPIED JERUSALEM,(PIC)-- The Israeli Occupation Authorities (IOA) handed, on Wednesday, demolition orders against two houses and a Palestinian shop in the town of Silwan, south of Al-Aqsa Mosque in Jerusalem, under the pretext of being built without permit.
Wadi Hilweh Information Center confirmed that the IOA issued demolition orders against two Palestinian houses and a small store claiming they were built without permit despite the fact that the mentioned buildings were built since more than ten years.
In a related context; the Israeli Occupation Forces (IOF) closed the military checkpoint at the entrance to the suburb of Ras Khamis, near Shuafat refugee camp north of Jerusalem, to complete the construction of the latter part of the apartheid wall.
IOF closed Ras Khamis barrier and removed the surveillance cameras and the iron gates as a prelude to surround the area by the wall that will isolate more than 120 thousand Jerusalemite residents of the suburbs of Ras Khamis and Salam in addition to Shu'fat refugee camp.
Occupied Lives: Nothing Left to Hope For
(1:21) Occupied Lives: Nothing left to hope for
Youssef Abu Mghasib (38) owns 10 dunnums of farmland in Deir el Balah, in the central part of the Gaza Strip, just over 300 meters from the Gaza-Israeli border and beyond Israel's unilaterally imposed 300 meter buffer zone. Here, he grows olives and an assortment of vegetables to support his family, though Youssef lives with wife, 9 children, mother and sister in a home 500 meters from their farm. On 12 June 2012, Youssef's land was bulldozed by the Israeli Occupation Forces (IOF).
On the day of the bulldozing, Youssef recalls that: "I was watering plants on my farm when I heard the sound of the bulldozers and tanks. I could also hear heavy shooting. I was really scared that something would happen to me, so I ran home. The bulldozers came and destroyed all of my olive trees and crushed my vegetables. My irrigation system was completely destroyed. Nothing could be salvaged from the land. Then, just 4 days later, they came back with their tanks and leveled the land until all of it was finally flat."
The bulldozing of Abu Mghasib's land has subsequently plunged the family into financial and emotional turmoil: "I felt completely destroyed when they bulldozed my farm. I had been cultivating that land since 2001, when my father died and left it to me. It was destroyed in the Second Intifada, but I had worked very hard to plant new olive trees and put in an irrigation system. My mother had a nervous breakdown when they were bulldozing the land. She was shouting and crying and we had to rush her to hospital. My wife was also hysterical."
The loss of Youssef's land and equipment is estimated to be USD 20,000: "My land is not even within the 300 meters considered to be the buffer zone, yet it was destroyed. My irrigation pipes are now useless. I used to feed my family from that land and sell the extra produce in the market. I currently have no other source of income and no other occupation. When the opportunity arises, I work on other people's farms to make a few shekels. Life has just been hard since 12 June. I had taken out a loan before the land was destroyed to rebuild the farm. Now, I have no way of paying back this loan. My neighbors gave me a bale of wheat because we have nothing to eat, but it will not feed us forever. It pains me that I could not even afford to buy my children school bags."
Youssef admits that he is resigned to a life of abject poverty and sees no hope for himself or his family: "My children are well aware of our situation and the troubles we are facing. They told me that they just want to live a normal life. I also want that, but I have lost all hope now. I am struggling to find food and to clothe my family. It is a lot of pressure and I have a lot of anger and sadness inside me. I just think about providing for my family all day. Don't my children deserve sweets like other children? They don't even ask for anything anymore, because they know we have nothing. I have nowhere else to go and I know that, even if I plant again, Israel will come and take it away. Every day is worse than the one before. What is there left to hope for?"
The direct targeting of a civilian object constitutes a war crime, as codified in Article 8(2)(b)(ii) of the Rome Statute of the International Criminal Court. Similarly, under the Fourth Geneva Convention Article 53, the destruction of private property is prohibited unless rendered absolutely necessary by military operations. Subsequent attacks against private property in the buffer zone constitutes a violation of numerous human rights provisions, including the right to an adequate standard of living, contained in Article 11(1) of the International Covenant on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights.
Settlers Steal Palestinian Lands Near Bethlehem
A number of armed extremist Israeli settlers illegally confiscated, on Thursday, six Dunams of privately-owned Palestinian lands, south of Al-Khader, near the West Bank city of Bethlehem.
Ahmad Salah, Coordinator of the Popular Committee Against the Wall and Settlements in Al-Khader, stated that the lands in question are in Khallit A-Fahem area, located between the illegal Israeli settlements of Eliezer and Etzion.
Last Thursday, Salah stated that extremist settlers occupied 2 Dunams (0.494 Acres) of privately-owned Palestinian lands in Irq Ath-Theeba area, close to the Efrat illegal settlement that was built on lands belonging to the residents of Al-Khader. The two Dunams belong to resident Yousef Mahmoud Ghneim.
In August, a group of Israeli settlers planted a Palestinian land that they illegally took over in May, near Al-Khader town. The settlers were seen planting 5 Dunams of farmland that they illegally occupied three months ago.
The latest violations are part of ongoing assaults carried out by extremist Israeli settlers against the residents, their lands and property in the occupied West Bank, including in and around occupied East Jerusalem.
21 sep 2012, 10:49 , Respect -
Maria 21 sept 2012
Israeli Army Confiscates Lands in Jerusalem for Military Purposes
Israeli army issued on Thursday 20th September, an order to confiscate 14 acres of lands belonged to al-Khalayla neighborhood in al-Jeep village, northwest of Jerusalem for military purposes.
Head of the local council in al-Khalayla neighborhood, Ismail al-Khalayla said "We were surprised of the confiscation order of a 14 acres land, which belong to families from al-Khalayleh neighborhood to be used for military purposes. "
The Palestinian owners were given a one- month period to appeal in the court against this order.
Occupation confiscates lands west of Jerusalem
JERUSALEM, (PIC)--The occupation authorities continued confiscating lands in occupied Jerusalem in order to Judaize the city and expel its original people under flimsy allegations, where the Israeli forces issued an order to confiscate 14 dunums of Khalayleh neighborhood in the village of al-Jib northwest of Jerusalem, on the pretext of being used "for military purposes."
According to the Khalayleh council, the confiscation order was issued yesterday when the farmers were checking their trees.
The confiscation order gave the residents the right to challenge for a month. The land is adjacent to the old settlement of Giv’on.
Aid groups appeal to Quartet to halt demolitions
Southern Hebron village Um Fagareh after Israeli forces demolished a mosque, two houses, and a barn with children's pet rabbits.
BETHLEHEM (Ma’an) -- The international Quartet of Middle East negotiators must take immediate action to stop 13 Palestinian villages from being destroyed and evacuated in south Hebron, a group of 30 international organizations said Friday.
The rare appeal comes after several development agencies received demolition or stop work orders for aid projects in the area.
Oxfam said it was given notice by Israeli authorities that it is not permitted to enter the villages to continue its development projects.
The Quartet -- comprising the UN, US, European Union and Russia -- was established in 2002 with a mandate to improve conditions for a peace agreement between Israel and the Palestinians.
Palestinian leaders have increasingly questioned its relevance as the Israeli settler population in the occupied West Bank continues to grow, and with no prospect of peace talks on the horizon.
The coalition of aid and rights groups urged the negotiators to take concrete measures to press Israel to abide by international law when it meets in New York on Monday.
“The Quartet has issued 39 statements condemning the government of Israel’s violations of international law, yet the number of people displaced by unlawful demolition of Palestinian homes continues to increase at an unprecedented rate,” Country Director of Oxfam Nishant Pandey said.
The group notes that the demolitions have risen from a monthly average of 23 in 2009, to 64 in 2012.
Israeli military authorities announced in July they will evacuate eight Hebron villages in order to make space for a military firing zone, a measure which will leave 1,650 people homeless.
The aid groups say that five other neighboring villages are at risk of displacement as Israel has handed demolition orders to many of their homes.
Israeli firing zones take up around 18 percent of the West Bank, where 5,000 Palestinians live in 38 villages.
In total, Israel exercises full civil and security control over 60 percent of the West Bank. Israel says it only demolishes structures that are built illegally, while rights advocates say it is almost impossible for Palestinians to secure Israeli permits for even the most basic of structures.
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.
The Israeli government holds the view that the West Bank is not under occupation, but has the status of "disputed territory", which limits the applicability of the provisions of international humanitarian law.
But after 62 European-funded development projects demolished by Israeli authorities in 2011, the aid groups are calling for leadership from the Quartet of negotiators.
"It’s time for the Quartet to stop the euphemisms: Israel's demolitions of Palestinian homes and other structures without military necessity violate its obligations as an occupying power,” Human Rights Watch Middle East director Sarah Leah Whitson said.
Settlers seize Palestinian lands south of Bethlehem
BETHLAHEM, (PIC)-- Israeli settlers seized six dunums of land belonging to Palestinians south of Bethlehem, a local representative said on Thursday.
According to a statement by the Committee against Apartheid Wall, the settlers seized six dunums located in Khalet al-Fahm, near al-Khader, between the settlements of Elazar and Etzion south of the town, just few hours after the occupation authorities had handed over the citizens military notifications to confiscate tens of dunums of their agricultural lands.
The Committee coordinator, Ahmed Salah, pointed out that this escalation comes within the project of expanding the settlements and linking them with each other to form a settlement belt around the city of Jerusalem.
Report: occupation plans to expand over forty settlements in West Bank
A report issued by Hamas's Media Office stated that settlement activity and Judaization projects have been escalated, in an unprecedented way, in the occupied city of Jerusalem and throughout the West Bank during the past few months.
The report pointed out that the Israeli occupation is escalating demolition operations and notifications within the framework of settlement expansion in different parts of the West Bank, particularly in al-Khalil to the south.
It also pointed to the escalation in the confiscation of thousands of dunums of citizens' lands in order to expand the outposts, to open and expand bypass roads used by settlers and to put pressure on Palestinians.
Hamas's report, which monitors settlement projects and settlers attacks during the period between August 16, 2012 and September 15, 2012, said that the occupation is planning to expand more than forty settlements, established on private Palestinian lands in different parts of occupied West Bank, and to legitimize the previous construction operations under the pretext of "military purposes."
The report also monitored the escalation of Judaization schemes against the city of Jerusalem and Al-Aqsa Mosque, as it disclosed the persistent excavations around the Mosque, the frequent raids into it and the desecration of its courtyards.
It also dealt with the criminal and provocative acts committed by the Zionist settlers against Palestinian citizens as well as their lands, their crops and properties.
24 sep 2012, 09:50 , Respect -
Maria 23 sept 2012
Occupation releases wild boars east of Jenin to destroy olive crops
JININ,(PIC)-- The Israeli Occupation forces released dozens of wild boars into Palestinian agricultural fields in towns of Aannin,Tura and Barta'a, in Jenin district, in order to damage the crops and olive trees, the villagers reported.
The Agricultural Assembly in Annin confirmed, in a press statement on Saturday, that large trucks accompanied by Israeli military forces stopped yesterday evening near the wall areas and released wild boars towards the olive fields.
This new campaign was timed to coincide with the olive harvest, as the occupation forces closed the wall areas to control the farmers' movements into their fields. The Israeli forces released the boars aiming to destroy the olive harvesting season which represents the livelihoods for hundreds of Palestinian families, the Assembly added.
The Agricultural Assembly affirmed that the residents in the border areas near the wall were several times attacked by the wild boars, causing injuries to many of them.
24 sep 2012, 18:14 , Respect -
Maria 24 sept 2012
OCHA: Israeli occupation destroys 13 houses weekly in West Bank
OCCUPIED JERUSALEM, (PIC)-- A UN report said that the occupation authority is continuing their attacks on Palestinian civilians in the occupied West Bank since the beginning of the current year.
The report issued by UN Office for Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs in Palestinian territories OCHA revealed that the occupation has razed 465 Palestinian structures in the West Bank, including 136 houses, since the beginning of 2012, at the rate of 13 buildings per week compared to 12 building per week during the previous year.
According to the report, 676 Palestinians were displaced and rendered homeless as a result of these demolitions.
OCHA also reported that the occupation forces issued an order to seize six dunums of land in the village of Khader in the city of Bethlehem, South of the West Bank under the pretext that the land belongs to the occupation, and confiscated also 200 square meters of Palestinian land located near the Ibrahimi Mosque in al-Khalil city.
The UN organization’s weekly report added that the Israeli occupation forces handed over a new military order to confiscate 647 dunums of land belonging to eighty Palestinian families in the villages of Awarta and Burin in Nablus.
The Israeli army has ordered two weeks ago to halt construction and repair works on 17 Palestinian structures in Khirbet Irza, located near a closed military zone in Tubas.
According to OCHA’s report, since 1967the occupation army announced the allocation of nearly18 per cent of the occupied West Bank’s land for the establishment of closed military zones used for training its troops, which resulted in dramatically reducing the area of land available for housing for Palestinians.
Israeli forces confiscate cattle in Northern Jordan Valley
NORTHERN JORDAN VALLEY, (PIC)-- Israeli soldiers confiscated on Sunday around 100 cows, belonging to Palestinians in Ain al-Hilweh area, and transferred them to a military camp in the Northern Jordan Valley, according to local sources.
Head of Toubas and the Northern Jordan Valley council Marwan Toubassi said in a statement that the occupation confiscated Palestinians' livestock in an attempt to drive the citizens out of their lands by denying them their source of living.
He pointed out that this is the second time soldiers seize cattle and impose huge fines on Palestinians to retrieve them.
Eyewitnesses added that the Israeli troops had closed since morning hours on Sunday the grazing lands in al-Maleh area in Northern Jordan Valley, where they confiscated about 100 cattle owned by Jamal Mustafa Daraghmeh and his brother Ayed, then transferred the confiscated livestock to Samra army Camp.
25 sep 2012, 11:56 , Respect -
Maria 25 sept 2012
Occupation plans to demolish 3,700 houses in Silwan
OCCUPIED JERUSALEM, (PIC)-- The Committee for the Defense of Silwan said that the Israeli municipality in Jerusalem plans to demolish 3,727 homes in Jerusalem houaing 1,500 Jerusalemites a prelude to establish Talmudic gardens in the town.
Meir Margaret, Israeli member of the Jerusalem Municipal Council, has informed the committee that the municipality has been discussing demolishing houses in Silwan in the presence of police officers, contractors and housing associations, the Committee's Chairman, Fakhri Abu Diab, said.
Abu Diab told Safa news agency, on Sunday, that the occupation started handing the demolition orders on houses extensively since the beginning of this month in order to complete administrative and legal measures to start demolition operations.
The municipality handed on Sunday randomly 10 demolition notices not issued by the Israeli court for the demolition of 10 Jerusalemite houses built since more than a decade in the town of Silwan.
Abu Diab, owner of one of the houses threatened with demolition, said that Jerusalem municipality and the Israeli police continue terrorizing the Jerusalemites in Silwan in order not to protest against the demolition of their homes.
Deliani: Occupation Completes Demolition Procedures of Silwan Houses
On Monday 24th September, member of the Fatah party's revolutionary council, Demetri Deliani, said that the Israeli occupation is completing its legal procedures in Jerusalem municipality in preparation for the demolition of 88 residential units in the village of Silwan, south of al-Aqsa Mosque.
Deliani said in a press release that the occupation continues to escalate in Silwan village and distributes the illegal demolition orders in the village. In addition to, the occupation continues to arrest the minors, raid the houses and support settlers in their attacks against the residents.
He revealed that targeting Silwan is part of a bigger plan to seize and destroy al-Aqsa mosque. The occupation claims that Silwan is the city of David, where the Jewish temple exists and therefore they want to seize Silwan to reach al-Aqsa mosque under these claims and false pretexts.
Deliani also said that the defence of Silwan and its houses is like defending al-Aqsa and Jerusalem, and any failure will put our people in a very critical situation. We call on the Arab and Muslim world to visit Jerusalem and support its people to defend their right to preserve their holy sites, civilization and culture from the occupation and its attempts to judies the area.
27 sep 2012, 23:04 , Respect -
Maria 26 sept 2012
Occupation delivers notifications to halt construction in al-Khalil
AL-KHALIL,(PIC)-- The Land Research Center said in a statement, on Wednesday, that the so-called "Civil Administration" of the occupation raided two villages, and delivered notifications to halt construction of several houses and picked up pictures before leaving.
The notices asked the houses' owners to stop building construction, also fixed the twenty-third of October to hold a meeting of the so-called "Sub-Commission for inspection" in the Bethel settlement to demolish the houses or return them to their previous state.
The Centre indicated that among the facilities threatened to be demolished are two houses owned by Mahmoud Ibrahim Aladrh housing sixteen people, including eight children.
30 sep 2012, 21:05 , Respect -
Maria 30 sept 2012
Occupation seizes 1,800 meters from Bab al-Rahma Cemetery in Jerusalem
OCCUPIED JERUSALEM, (PIC)-- A Palestinian committee in occupied Jerusalem warned against the Israeli municipality of West Jerusalem decision to confiscate 1800 meters of the southern land of the Bab al-Rahma Cemetery in Jerusalem, and considered it a new aggression on Waqf and holy sites.
The Committee of Bab al-Rahma Cemetery in Silwan in occupied Jerusalem stated in a press statement that the Israeli occupation is violating the sanctity of Muslims and Christians holy sites in Jerusalem through attacking mosques, churches and other places of worship, as well as through attacking the dead in their graves, it said.
It said the confiscation of the cemetery’s land is an attempt to Judiaze it and establish tourist pathways and “Talmudic landmarks”, aiming to establish their alleged temple, preventing the Palestinian residents from burying their dead in this historic cemetery.
The committee warned against the danger on the holy city and towns and Al Aqsa Mosque especially after the Israeli escalating Judaization plans that aim to erase its Islamic and Christian Arab character.
The Committee criticized the Arab and Islamic passive attitude towards the Israeli Judaization systematic plans that could encourage the Israeli greed in the area.