- 1 nov 2010
Officers suspected of robbing Palestinians
Two Border Guard officers took wallets, cell phones from Palestinians they were sent to arrest, police say.
Border Guard officers were dispatched to arrest Palestinians residing illegally in Israel, but instead opted to steal their wallets and personal belongings, police say.
The two officers were arrested on suspicion they repeatedly took advantage of their operational activity in order to rob Palestinians.
The two were interrogated by the Police Investigations Unit, and will be brought to a remand hearing at the Rishon Lezion Magistrate's Court on Monday.
In one of the incidents, the officers – one serving in mandatory service and the other an non-commissioned officer – were dispatched to the southern town of Rahat and located a house where, according to suspicion, Palestinians without a visa were residing.
According to testimonies obtained by the Police Investigations Unit, the two entered the basement of the house, took the Palestinians' wallets and cell phones while threatening them with their weapons, and escaped the scene.
The Palestinians filed a complaint with the Police Investigations Unit, and the two officers were arrested later that day. The officers are suspected of robbing some 15 illegal residents. Some of the stolen artifacts were located and returned to their owners.
http://www.ynetnews.com/articles/0,7340,L-3977958,00.html 21 dec 2010, 07:02 , Respect -
Maria 2 nov 2010
IOA bulldozes Beit Ummar land to establish 50 new housing units
AL-KHALIL, (PIC)-- The Israeli occupation authority is accelerating the bulldozing of Palestinian land in Beit Ummar village, Al-Khalil district, in preparation for building 50 new housing units.
Mohammed Awad, heading a Palestinian solidarity committee in the village, said on Tuesday that the units and the land would be annexed to the settlement of Karmi Tzur.
He underlined that the bulldozing started a few weeks ago and accelerated recently, noting that the bulldozed Palestinian land contained vineyards and other fruitful trees.
http://bit.ly/amFcrx
Israel bulldozes Gaza village
An Israeli bulldozer accompanied by tanks, Israeli bulldozers have driven deep into the Gaza Strip before proceeding to flatten areas within a central town, say eyewitnesses.
The intrusion took place on Monday, when the vehicles advanced hundreds of meters into the agricultural town of Wadi as-Salqa, the Ma'an news agency reported.
They then began to rove around and raze what lay before them on the ground.
Israel conducted a self-proclaimed withdrawal from Gaza in 2005 -- the enclave it occupied along with other Palestinian territories in 1967.
However, Israeli forces have been carrying out regular deadly forays into the Gaza strip sliver ever since the so-called pullout.
Tel Aviv says the assaults are meant to respond to or prevent rocket attacks on Israel by Palestinian resistance fighters, although the home-made projectiles seldom leave any casualties or considerable damage to property.
The Israeli military also targets Gaza's civilians, including minors, who search the areas of former Israeli settlements for collectable debris.
http://www.presstv.ir/detail/149264.html
Structure demolished in East Jerusalem
JERUSALEM (Ma'an) -- Israeli municipal workers demolished a 300-square-meter car wash in the East Jerusalem neighborhood of Beit Hanina on Tuesday, putting 20 residents out of work.
The business belonged to Jerusalem resident Majdi Yasser Salhab.
Israel's municipality of Jerusalem said the car wash was erected without a permit. It was an "illegal shack, with no building permit whatsoever," a spokesman said adding that a court order for its destruction was issued in April 2007 and affirmed in court in March 2009.
Reports from the UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs have noted permits for Palestinian residents of East Jerusalem are nearly impossible to obtain, and can take years to process when successful, prompting families to build necessary living and working quarters without the necessary papers.
Palestinians in East Jerusalem are not Israeli citizens.
http://www.maannews.net/eng/ViewDetails.aspx?ID=330080
IOA bulldozes Beit Ummar land to establish 50 new housing units
AL-KHALIL, (PIC)-- The Israeli occupation authority is accelerating the bulldozing of Palestinian land in Beit Ummar village, Al-Khalil district, in preparation for building 50 new housing units.
Mohammed Awad, heading a Palestinian solidarity committee in the village, said on Tuesday that the units and the land would be annexed to the settlement of Karmi Tzur.
He underlined that the bulldozing started a few weeks ago and accelerated recently, noting that the bulldozed Palestinian land contained vineyards and other fruitful trees.
http://bit.ly/amFcrx
Israel bulldozes Gaza village
An Israeli bulldozer accompanied by tanks, Israeli bulldozers have driven deep into the Gaza Strip before proceeding to flatten areas within a central town, say eyewitnesses.
The intrusion took place on Monday, when the vehicles advanced hundreds of meters into the agricultural town of Wadi as-Salqa, the Ma'an news agency reported.
They then began to rove around and raze what lay before them on the ground.
Israel conducted a self-proclaimed withdrawal from Gaza in 2005 -- the enclave it occupied along with other Palestinian territories in 1967.
However, Israeli forces have been carrying out regular deadly forays into the Gaza strip sliver ever since the so-called pullout.
Tel Aviv says the assaults are meant to respond to or prevent rocket attacks on Israel by Palestinian resistance fighters, although the home-made projectiles seldom leave any casualties or considerable damage to property.
The Israeli military also targets Gaza's civilians, including minors, who search the areas of former Israeli settlements for collectable debris.
http://www.presstv.ir/detail/149264.html
Structure demolished in East Jerusalem
JERUSALEM (Ma'an) -- Israeli municipal workers demolished a 300-square-meter car wash in the East Jerusalem neighborhood of Beit Hanina on Tuesday, putting 20 residents out of work.
The business belonged to Jerusalem resident Majdi Yasser Salhab.
Israel's municipality of Jerusalem said the car wash was erected without a permit. It was an "illegal shack, with no building permit whatsoever," a spokesman said adding that a court order for its destruction was issued in April 2007 and affirmed in court in March 2009.
Reports from the UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs have noted permits for Palestinian residents of East Jerusalem are nearly impossible to obtain, and can take years to process when successful, prompting families to build necessary living and working quarters without the necessary papers.
Palestinians in East Jerusalem are not Israeli citizens.
http://www.maannews.net/eng/ViewDetails.aspx?ID=330080
22 dec 2010, 13:29 , Respect -
Maria 3 nov 2010
IOF destroys Palestinian project in OJ, detains four brothers in Tulkarem
OCCUPIED JERUSALEM, (PIC)-- Israeli occupation forces (IOF) escorted bulldozers in destroying the foundation stone of a Palestinian road paving project in Enata village, occupied Jerusalem, at a late hour on Tuesday night.
Local sources said that the step was a clear message that Israel would not allow any Palestinian project in Jerusalem even if it was solely intended for the services sector.
The Israeli occupation authority is fervently, meanwhile, wiping out Palestinian landmarks in the holy city and Judaizing it.
In a separate incident, IOF soldiers detained four Palestinian brothers of the Jayusi family in Tulkarem in a pre dawn raid on Wednesday, locals reported.
They added that the soldiers fired live bullets and stun grenades during the operation spreading panic among civilians in Kur village, Tulkarem district, where the brothers were apprehended.
http://bit.ly/cRyNf9 22 dec 2010, 21:16 , Respect -
Maria 4 nov 2010
Demolition orders issued, military raids
Bustan
Jerusalem Municipality officers, accompanied by armed forces, canvassed Silwan on Sunday, 30 October morning to deliver vast numbers of demolition orders to Palestinian families and store-owners in the village.
A military raid of the village was staged immediately thereafter.
http://silwanic.net/?p=21773
Israel razes two Palestinian homes in Ara
RAMALLAH, (PIC)-- Israeli bulldozers razed two Palestinian homes in Ara village, in the Triangle area occupied since 1948, at the pretext of lack of construction permits.
The demolition, which took place at dawn, was protected by large numbers of policemen, who blocked citizens from heading to the scene to defend the houses.
Israeli occupation forces (IOF) on Wednesday served eight demolition notices to Bedouin families in the southern Jordan Valley.
Eyewitnesses said that the notices were delivered in the wake of a raid on those areas north of Jericho.
IOF bulldozers also leveled vast areas of land in Oja area in Jordan Valley in preparation for controlling the land, locals reported.
http://bit.ly/9vrvko
24 dec 2010, 00:28 , Respect -
Maria 7 nov 2010
Hamas condemns the Rahet mosque demolition
DAMASCUS, (PIC)-- Hamas strongly condemned the Israeli demolition of the Sahwa mosque in Rahet in the Negev, in 1948 occupied Palestine, at dawn Sunday and the assault on citizens of the city and the arrest of some of them.
The movement said in a statement that the step is a blatant attack on the mosque and a racist practice that is hostile to all heavenly religions and freedom of worship.
It pointed out that Israel was at the same time giving a blind eye to the extremist Jewish settlers' attacks on the holy Aqsa Mosque in occupied Jerusalem and other mosques in the West Bank.
Hamas urged the Palestinian people to cement ranks and to stand fast in face of the Israeli aggression. It also asked the Arab and Islamic countries along with human rights groups to protect the places of worship and deter Israeli crimes against freedoms guaranteed by international doctrines and laws.
Israeli bulldozers, escorted by hundreds of policemen, razed the mosque at an early hour on Sunday at the pretext it was built without permit.
The Hebrew radio said that Bedouin citizens of the city "rioted" against the demolition and that some of them were arrested while others were treated in local clinics after inhaling gas fired by policemen.
http://bit.ly/9TJn2x
Rahat mosque razed; police officers stoned
Hunderd of police officers securing Rahat
Land Administration personnel demolish mosque built in Bedouin city without a permit; residents demonstrate, throw stones at security forces; no injuries. Mayor: Crime committed against entire public by wicked government.
Some 700 police officers secured Israel Land Administration personnel who demolished a mosque in Rahat in the early hours of Sunday morning. The mosque was built without a proper permit.
Hundreds of the Bedouin city's residents demonstrated against the mosque's demolition, and some of them threw stones at police officers. No injuries were reported, and officers used tear gas to disperse the crowd.
Mosque ruins in Rahat
Police forces have yet to leave the Negev city for fear of riots.
The mayor said the land on which the mosque was built is under the Rahat Municipality's jurisdiction, "but I guess we are living in a Third World country.
"We could have reached a compromise and the razing could have been delayed, but this is a wicked government," Abu-Seheban said.
Police officials said the mosque was demolished after the conclusion of all judicial proceedings.
A Land Administration official said, "The construction of the mosque on State-owned land was funded by the Islamist Movement in violation of the law."
Rahat resident Younes Abu Janem said, "Seeing the mosque being destroyed is infuriating. They would never destroy a synagogue."
Another resident called the mosque's destruction "racist." He said the property was previously used to conduct drug deals and that the mosque was built to eradicate the phenomenon.
http://www.ynetnews.com/articles/0,7340,L-3980592,00.html
MK: Remove memorial for Silwan riots instigator
Memorial in Mugrabi Gate
Barkat asked to get rid of 'illegal' monument commemorating Palestinian shot while throwing stones.
Knesset Member Miri Regev (Likud) sent a letter to Jerusalem Mayor Nir Barkat Sunday
demanding he remove a memorial set up in Silwan for a Palestinian man who was shot to death by an Israeli security guard. The incident led to riots in east Jerusalem last September.
In her letter, MK Regev claimed that the memorial is illegal and "perpetuates the legacy of a Fatah militant who headed a terrorist organization."
Memorial for Sarhan in Jerusalem Samer Sarhan was shot to death by a Jewish security guard in September 22. A police inquiry indicated that residents blocked the guard's way and pelted him with stones. Feeling threatened, he drew his hand gun and fired, causing Sarhan's death. Police were familiar with Sarhan from previous criminal activity. A screwdriver and a knife were found on his body.
"I learned that a monument was recently set up in memory of the shahid Samer Sarhan near the Mugrabi Gate in Jerusalem," MK Regev noted in her letter. Sarhan, she said, "was involved in an attempted lynch of an Israeli security guard as he guarded the legal traffic of passers-by in Jerusalem."
Regev claimed that the unauthorized installation of monuments was illegal and that failure to enforce this will once again be construed as weakness and disregard for the rule of law. She added that it would also encourage more illegal monuments.
September riots in Silwan
The MK mentioned that requests for commemoration by bereaved parents are usually subject to the approval of various municipal planning committees and noted no such request was put forth in Sarhan's case.
She also pointed to a recently approved Knesset law aimed at withdrawing burial fees in cases of nationalistically motivated crimes. "This law was meant to send a clear message to all those seeking to harm state citizens," she wrote. "I am confident that this can be applied to matters pertaining to memorials in a broader context."
http://www.ynetnews.com/articles/0,7340,L-3981064,00.html
26 dec 2010, 19:51 , Respect -
Maria 8 nov 2010
International committee vows to restore Mount of Olives
Distinguished panel confronts grave desecrations, violence and security deterioration plaguing ancient Jerusalem burial ground.
In its first key public forum, the International Committee for the Preservation of Har Hazeitim (Mount of Olives Cemetery) held a major public event Saturday at the Jerusalem Great Synagogue under the banner of Reclaiming Our Abandoned Ancestors.
The Committee’s expressed goal is to dramatically improve the current situation of the historic burial ground which has been "racked by rampant desecrations, violence directed at visitors and general neglect."
The Committee unveiled a list of urgent action demands spelling out key changes on the ground to ensure the safety and sanctity of the famous Jewish cemetery. In front of an audience of close to 1,000 people, Knesset Member Danny Danon (Likud), community leader Adv. David Martin and moderator Ruthie Blum Leibowitz explored the current state of the cemetery and its significance in Jewish history as well as what is needed to rehabilitate the site.
The continuous deterioration and unmanageable situation occurring at the Mount of Olives is crying out for Israel and world Jewry to take constructive action to yield positive, sustained results, said New York businessman Avraham Lubinsky, the founding chairman of ICPHH.
It is a completely unacceptable situation when families visiting the graves of loved ones do so in fear of stonings and other violent attacks.
'General neglect and disrepair'
MK Danon told those on hand, At present, there is a need to call ahead for a security escort prior to visiting Har Hazeitim to ensure the safety of visitors to the site. This is not acceptable in Israel in 2010.
"What is lacking is one minister with both the mandate and the power to protect the Mount of Olives Cemetery and who will achieve meaningful change, he added.
The Committee includes representatives of major Jewish organizations including Malcolm Hoenlein, executive vice chairman of the Conference of Presidents of Major American Jewish Organizations.
The historic cemetery, known in Hebrew as Har Hazeitim, overlooks Jerusalem%u2019s Old City and is home to graves traditionally associated with Biblical figures as well as modern-day Israeli legends including Prime Minister Menachem Begin and reviver of modern Hebrew Eliezer Ben-Yehuda.
The Mount of Olives has been used as a Jewish cemetery for over 3,000 years and is comprised of approximately 150,000 graves. The site is also holy to Christians and there are numerous churches in the vicinity.
"In recent years, the cemetery has fallen into a state of general neglect and disrepair, with local Arab villagers driving across it to take shortcuts and sometimes attacking Jewish visitors to the graves," ICPHH said.
http://www.ynetnews.com/articles/0,7340,L-3981588,00.html (12 mei 2010)
Vandalism returns to Mount of Olives cemetery
Day after State Comptroller Report indicates neglect of massive cemetery, 23 headstones smashed. 'Coalition crises threatened over moving few graves that might be Jewish, whereas here memory of Jews is desecrated,' says brother of someone buried in cemetery.
In the shadow of harsh criticism from the state comptroller on the neglect of the Mount of Olives, 23 smashed headstones were discovered Wednesday in the ancient cemetery.
"It is simply outrageous," said Yehezkel, whose sister S. is buried in the cemetery, to Ynet.
The police said that a number of cases of vandalism and damage to be headstones have been incurred in recent months. As part of a wider investigation that has been launched into these incidents, a forensics patrol car arrived on the site Wednesday in order to collect evidence that will help locate the perpetrators. Yehezkel is convinced that "young Arab boys from nearby villages" are responsible.
According to estimates, there are upwards of 60,000 graves in the 74-acre cemetery. For many years, the cemetery suffered from vandalism. Only in August 2005 did the police decide that an annual NIS 50 million (about $13 million) would be invested between the years 2006 to 2013 in the rehabilitation, development, and maintenance of the basin surrounding Jerusalem's Old City, including the Mount of Olives.
The promises to reel in criminal activity on the site do not comfort the family of S., who is buried in the complex. "They wander around there all the time, and the police could make it easy on themselves by installing security cameras, something we have been demanding for quite some time," said Yehezkel. "The government knows how to make threats of coalition crises if a few graves are moved that could have Jews buried in them, while here there is a continual affront to the memory of Jews."
The State Comptroller's Report, which was published Tuesday, addressed the neglect of the cemetery. "Despite the vandalism and the criminal activity in the cemetery, East Jerusalem Development Ltd has not focused on regular upkeep of the cemetery above all else, but on pushing forward the planning and implementation of an all-encompassing security plan for the Mount of Olives range, including the cemetery," claimed State Comptroller Micha Lindenstrauss.
Lindenstrauss also claimed that cemetery affairs have fallen between the bureaucratic cracks in that the jurisdiction of the body responsible for coordinating cemetery activity has yet to be arranged in its regulations, and, as such, damage to the graves will likely continue. The investment of millions of shekels towards rehabilitation may be wasted.
Religious Affairs Minsiter Yakov Margi said to Ynet following the report on the smashed headstones that the cabinet decision on Mount of Olives security should be upheld, or it should be placed under the authority of his ministry. "I am deeply shocked by the neglect, the lawlessness, and the lack of security that plague the Mount of Olives," added Margi.
http://www.ynetnews.com/articles/0,7340,L-3888827,00.html
Israeli police threaten to tear down Sahwa Mosque in Negev area again
NAZARETH, (PIC)-- The inspector-general of the Israeli police, who personally supervised the demolition of Al-Sahwa mosque in Rahat city of the Negev region, said the mosque will be razed again after the Palestinians there finish rebuilding it.
Bulldozers sent by the Israeli interior ministry under military protection flattened at dawn Sunday the mosque at the pretext of unlicensed construction, and consequently violent clashes broke out between the Palestinian residents of Al-Rahat city and the Israeli troops.
Dozens of Palestinians embarked immediately after the demolition on reconstructing the mosque, while the Israeli administration of lands threatened to knock down the mosque again.
For its part, the Islamic Movement in the 1948 occupied lands strongly denounced Israel for destroying this mosque, saying that Israel reached the highest level of its injustice and aggression.
This new Israeli violation against Palestinian mosques was also condemned by different Palestinian parties, where the Hamas change and reform parliamentary bloc said that this act is a translation of the concept of the Jewish state.
Hamas parliamentary bloc expressed its belief that Israel's crimes against mosques and Islamic holy sites would lead to its demise sooner or later and would make the Muslim Palestinian people more determined to defend their religion and more adherent to their national rights.
The association of Palestinian scholars considered that Israel violated all red lines and disregarded the feelings of more than one and a half billion Muslims all over the world.
It said that Israel flouted all values, norms and international laws that confirm the need for respecting religions and protecting other peoples' right to practice religious rituals and worship.
Masajedna Al-Da'awiya (our mosques for Da'wa) network, for its part, urged the Palestinians of Al-Rahat city to revolt against the Israeli occupation forces and continue to protect their mosque.
The network described Israel's demolition of Al-Sahwa mosque as part of an all-out religious war waged by Israel against Muslims and called on the Arab and Muslim nations to move in support of Islam and Palestinian mosques.
Palestinian minister of religious affairs Taleb Abu Sha'ar deplored the crime and warned of the dangers of the persistent Israeli violations against Islamic holy shrines.
Abu Sha'ar considered the escalating Israeli violations against mosques as a systematic scenario aimed at eliminating Islam and its foundations from Palestine, noting that during last month, the Jewish settlers launched attacks on 20 mosques in different areas of the occupied Palestinian territories.
http://bit.ly/9lF0vK
Al-Aqsa preacher slams demolition of Negev mosque
JERUSALEM (Ma'an) -- The orator of Jerusalem's iconic Al-Aqsa Mosque condemned on Sunday Israel's demolition of a mosque in the Bedouin town of Rahat, in the Negev, as a part of an attempt to drive Palestinians off their land.
Yousef Jumah Salamah said the demolition was a "crime that was carried out by Israeli soldiers."
He added: "Demolishing the mosque ad ransacking its contents is a criminal act., this act of total demolition of the mosque under the pretext that it is unlicensed."
"These are not new acts but were preceded by many incidents and attacks, when the Israeli authorities demolished dozens of mosques inside Israel turning some of them into museums, barns, restaurants, synagogues and parking lots," he said.
Earlier, Israeli police arrested five people who were protesting the demolition.
Police spokesman Mickey Rosenfeld said the protestors had thrown rocks at the police, who were providing security for civil authority workers who were taking down the structure.
The mosque had been built without the necessary permission, and was earmarked for demolition under a court order.
According to Rosenfeld, Rahat inhabitants had rejected compromise proposals to build the mosque in another location.
http://www.maannews.net/eng/ViewDetails.aspx?ID=331739
Hundreds of Israeli police demolish mosque; 1,000 Bedouins protest the demolition
A massive force of Israeli police, accompanied by officials with the Israeli Lands Administration, descended on the Palestinian Bedouin town of Rahat, in southern Israel, where they demolished a mosque that they claimed was 'built without a permit'.
Palestinian Bedouins have lived in the Negev desert in present-day Israel for centuries, but since the creation of Israel in 1948, have been forbidden from building homes and other structures. Israeli authorities have repeatedly forced the Bedouin population to move from one place to another, and have dislocated whole villages.
Israeli authorities pushed the Bedouin population into the town of Rahat, where it fails to provide basic services, and routinely denies permits to the local population to build homes and other buildings.
The mosque destroyed Sunday was constructed seven months ago on a vacant lot which had been the site of drug dealing and use. Local imams said they wanted to transform the site into a place of community and prayer, to displace the bad elements that had previously congregated there.
While the Mayor of Rahat, Faiz Abu Sahiban, originally denied a permit for the mosque to be built, he later stood up for the mosque against Israeli federal authorities who ordered its destruction. Abu Sahiban said that the demolition on Sunday, led by the Israeli Lands Administration, was illegal because the land in question was Rahat municipal property and not the jurisdiction of the Israeli Lands Administration.
Around 1,000 people gathered to protest the demolition of the mosque. Some tried to stand in the way of bulldozers as they rammed into the walls of the building. Five people were arrested, and taken to Israeli government detention facilities.
The residents of Rahat gathered at the site after the mosque was demolished, and began to rebuild it. They told reporters that no matter how many times the Israeli authorities destroy the mosque, they will rebuild it again.
http://www.imemc.org/article/59845?utm_source=twitterfeed&utm_medium=twitter
Jerusalem Municipal Police Remove Statue of Slain Samer Sirhan
Maysa Abu Ghazala Jerusalem PNN - Israeli municipal workers and border police in Jerusalem removed a statue meant to commemorate Samer Sirhan, the 22-year-old Palestinian killed in Silwan by an Israeli border guard on September 22.
Christian church asked Jerusalem mayor Nir Barkat to remove the statue, claiming it was inciting violence.
Jawwad Sayyam, director of the Wadi Helwa Information Center, said the statue was taken down in less than a minute. Olive trees, also planted in memory of Sirhand, were torn down as well.
The Israeli occupation policy is to call us terrorists because we don't take orders from them, said Sayyam.
Sayyam pointed to the detainment of 42 year old Thaer al-Qaaq of Wadi Helwa on the pretext of trying to run over an Israeli settler, saying it was because Thaer was one of Sirhan's close friends.
Fatah members in Silwan erected the statue of Sirhan over the past month, in addition to planting olive trees. Spokesman Adnan Ghayth said the evening before the removal that the statue was not just stones, but a reminder of Sirhan's life and martyrdom. He said if the statue was torn down, it would be rebuilt.
Fakhry Abu Diab of the Committee to Defend Silwan told Wafa reporters that the statue's removal demonstrated Israel's malevolent mindset.
http://bit.ly/cQ6kAn
26 dec 2010, 19:52 , Respect -
Maria 11 nov 2010
Clashes as Israel demolishes East Jerusalem building
JERUSALEM (Ma'an) -- Israeli authorities demolished part of a Palestinian-owned sheep bard in the East Jerusalem neighborhood of Al-Isawiya on Thursday, the owners said.
Photojournalists with the PA government news service WAFA captured the demolition, which officials at the Israeli municipality of Jerusalem said they had nothing to do with.
An Israeli police spokesman said he was unaware of the event.
The owner of the building, Maher Muhammad Muheisen, said Israeli municipal officials came to his home on Wednesday night to inform him that he had no permit for the structure, which he said was built 15 years earlier. Israeli authorities have ordered him to finish the demolition of the building himself, he added.
Angered by what they call increased police persecution of Palestinian residents of the neighborhood, young men from Al-Isawiya lashed out against Israeli presence in the area, on one occasion stoning the car of Hebrew University Students who said they got lost in the area.
When Israeli forces arrived, clashes erupted between young men in the area and the police. Police are reportedly blocking streets in the area.
Since the beginning of the week, residents have said municipal car safety spot checks targeted residents unfairly, remanding almost 80 percent of vehicles that were pulled over to have service performed on them or face a revocation of permits for the cars.
On Tuesday, municipal workers arriving for the third day of checks were pelted with stones, sparking a fresh round of clashes.
Israeli police spokesman Micky Rosenfeld told AFP: "Throughout the night there were seven people who were arrested who took part directly in the last two days of disturbances in Issawiya."
"All of them were directly involved in throwing stones at border patrol and police who were on patrol there," he added.
http://www.maannews.net/eng/ViewDetails.aspx?ID=332990
Israeli Bulldozers Demolish Sheep Farm in the Village of al-Issaweyeh, Jerusalem
Palestinian sources in Jerusalem reported, on Thursday, that bulldozers belonging to the Israeli controlled Jerusalem municipality demolished a sheep and horse farm in al-Issaweyeh village in North West Jerusalem.
Witnesses said that Maher Muhessen, the owner of the farm, received notification of the decision to demolish his farm only yesterday, with the reason stated that it was constructed without permission from the municipality.
The farm is 500 square meters and it is home to dozens of sheep and horses.
Also, a large force of Israeli army personnel closed the northern entrance of the village of al-Issaweyeh with concrete barriers and put a road sign that permits only the residents of the village to enter.
http://www.imemc.org/article/59886
28 dec 2010, 23:17 , Respect -
Maria 12 nov 2010
Amnesty launches appeal to save Bedouin village
LONDON (Ma'an) -- Amnesty International launched an urgent appeal Friday to prevent Israeli forces demolishing a Bedouin village in southern Israel.
The rights group said residents of Al-Araqib village face forcible eviction and the destruction of their property for the seventh time since July. The residents are Israeli citizens, and one third of them are children, a statement from the organization said.
Israeli forces continued to demolish homes in the area, destroying villagers' attempts to rebuild, Amnesty said, noting that a nearby mosque was destroyed in recent days.
On 27 July, all 40 homes in the Al-Araqib village were destroyed and 300 residents, all Israeli citizens, were evicted during the raid after an Israeli court deemed the village illegally built on state land. The Bedouin residents say they have proof of land ownership, and have been in court for several years.
At least 200 children were left homeless as a result, as police removed residents property into prepared containers, and bulldozers razed buildings and sheepfolds, local activists said in a statement. Fruit orchards and olive grove trees were destroyed in the process.
Israeli activists who were present at the initial demolition described the move as an "act of war, such as is undertaken against an enemy."
The village has been rebuilt and destroyed several times over the summer, most recently on 13 October when the entire village was demolished.
The UN Human Rights Committee and the UN Committee on the Elimination of Racial Discrimination have both expressed concern over Israel's policy toward its Bedouin population. In July, UNHRC called on Israeli authorities to "respect the Bedouin population's right to their ancestral land and their traditional livelihood based on agriculture."
http://www.maannews.net/eng/ViewDetails.aspx?ID=333379
30 dec 2010, 22:23 , Respect -
Maria 13 nov 2010
Hundreds protest house razing plan in Arab town
About 400 people, including leftist activists and Arab Israelis, are marching in the Arab town of Taibe to protest the authorities' intention to raze four illegal houses in town.
http://www.ynetnews.com/articles/0,7340,L-3983839,00.html
'Israel to raze more Palestinian homes'
A community center active in reporting rights violations in East al-Quds (Jerusalem) has warned of an Israeli plan to demolish more Palestinian homes after Eid al-Adha.
At least three homes have been "cleared for demolition" by Israeli officials, a statement from the center said, adding that most of the targeted buildings were in an area where an Israeli city plan would see 25 percent of the homes in the neighborhood demolished for the creation of a park, Ma'an news agency reported on Saturday.
The demolitions could begin as early as 21 November, when the Muslims' Eid al-Adha holiday comes to an end.
According to the report, three Palestinian families have so far received demolition notices.
Reports by the Israeli Committee against House Demolitions indicate that some 20,000 homes in East al-Quds have standing demolition orders against them, while thousands of others have "stop work" orders, mandating owners to cease construction and apply for a permit to build.
Occupied in 1967, East al-Quds was illegally annexed to Israel in the 1980s, bringing more than 225,000 Palestinians under Israeli occupation, reports say.
Residents must apply to municipalities they do not recognize for permits to build homes. Those who do apply, face discrimination with a small fraction of residents being granted permits.
http://www.presstv.ir/detail/150809.html
Jerusalem center warns of demolitions wave after Eid
JERUSALEM (Ma'an) -- An East Jerusalem community center active in reporting rights violations in the neighborhood of Silwan warned on Saturday of an impending wave of home demolitions to begin following the Eid Al-Adha holiday.
At least three homes had been "cleared for demolition" by Israeli officials, a statement from the center said, adding the most of the targeted buildings were in the Silwan area, where an Israeli city plan would see 25 percent of the homes in the neighborhood demolished for the creation of a national park.
The demolitions, the center said, could begin as early as 21 November, when the holiday marking Abram's dedication to god - Eid Al-Adha - comes to an end.
The families of Khalil Abbasi, Muhammad Ar-Razim, and Ayman Abu Rmeila, in Swilan and Beit Hanina, have all been served demolition notices, the center's statement said, adding that they had reason to believe the demolitions would be immanent.
According to the Israeli Committee Against House Demolitions, 20,000 homes in East Jerusalem have standing demolition orders against them, while thousands of others have "stop work" orders, mandating owners to cease construction and apply for a permit to build.
Occupied in 1967, East Jerusalem was illegally annexed to Israel in the 1980s, bringing more than 225,000 Palestinians under Israeli governance. Residents must apply to a municipal government they do not recognize for permits to build. Those who do apply face discrimination, with a small fraction of residents being granted permits.
http://www.maannews.net/eng/ViewDetails.aspx?ID=333430
OCHA: 313 Palestinian structures demolished in 2010
RAMALLAH, (PIC)-- A report issued by the UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) said in its monthly report that the Israeli occupation authorities demolished 313 Palestinian structures in the first ten months of 2010.
The report also highlighted the settlers' disruption of the olive harvest in the West Bank and the effects of the Israeli war on Gaza on the olive harvest there:
"The olive harvest, which officially began in October, was repeatedly disrupted by violent attacks from Israeli settlers. During the month, over 3,700 olive trees were burned, uprooted, killed with chemicals or otherwise vandalized."
" the Gaza Strip, most of the olive groves that existed in areas up to 1,500 meters from the fence with Israel (17 percent of Gaza's territory), were uprooted during Israel's Cast Lead offensive and the incursions conducted on a regular basis since then (including 19 this month).
Access to the remaining trees in these areas is prevented by Israeli forces, through the opening of warning fire of live rounds. In October, 11 civilians were injured in these areas, including one elderly farmer who was picking olives. None of these cases has led to the opening of an investigation."
On the Israeli blockade on the Gaza Strip the report said: "Despite the recent increase in the volume and variety of imports, the entire population of Gaza remains subjected to collective punishment. The bulk of the population remains locked in as a result of the general ban on the movement of people through the crossing with Israel and Egypt.
While the latter (Rafah) has been operating on a daily basis since last July, only limited categories of people are allowed to cross. Moreover, the sweeping restrictions on the import of basic construction materials and on the export of goods continued to impede economic recovery, as well as the ability to address immense, and growing, housing and infrastructure needs.
On demolitions: "In October, a total of 25 structures were demolished in the West Bank, including East Jerusalem, displacing 39 Palestinians and affecting at least 76 others.
In the first ten months of 2010, a total of 313 Palestinian structures were demolished in these areas.6 While this represent an increase compared to the number of structures demolished during the parallel period in 2009 (255), fewer people have been displaced in 2010 demolitions (402 compared to 546).
Two of this month's demolitions occurred in the context of a military operation in the Israeli controlled area of Hebron (H2), while the rest were carried out due to the lack of Israeli-issued building permits."
The report also talked about torture of Palestinian prisoners in Israeli interrogations centers and jails, but ignored torture in PA jails.
http://bit.ly/cQShvw
31 dec 2010, 19:15 , Respect -
Maria 15 nov 2010
Israel raids home of alleged Hamas finance man
GAZA CITY (MA'AN) -- Israeli forces raided the home of an alleged Hamas finance official in the West Bank city of Tulkarem and seizing cash and property on Monday, the Israeli military said.
According to AFP, Israeli military radio reported that the raid, which targeted the home of carpet dealer Ali Dadu, netted rugs, computers, two cars, television sets and jewelry.
Dadu on June 27th, 2010 on suspicion of transferring hundreds of thousands of dollars to to Hamas' network in the West Bank. He was sentenced in August to a nine month prison term and a fine of 15,000 shekels ($4,000), and 12 months probation.
The military claimed that Dadu admitted during interrogation to having received $620,000 smuggled into the West Bank by Hamas.
In addition, Ali Dadu's son, Diaa Dadu, was also arrested. Diaa told military investigators that he estimated $900,000 was transferred to his father.
In addition to army soldiers, the military said, agents of Israel's Internal Security Agency also participated, along with an assessor.
16 nov 2010
Jerusalem demolition plan approved
The Jerusalem planning committee has given initial approval to a proposal for demolishing 22 Palestinian homes in East Jerusalem's Silwan neighbourhood to make room for a tourist centre.
Nir Barkat, the mayor of Jerusalem, requested approval for the controversial plan on Monday.
Palestinians describe the plan as forced displacement, but Barkat insists it would revitalise tourism in the neighbourhood.
Barkat first proposed the demolition months ago, but he shelved the plan in March under pressure from Binyamin Netanyahu, the Israeli prime minister. Netanyahu asked Barkat to consult with the Palestinian families who would lose their homes.
A spokesman for Barkat said on Monday that the municipality had finished those consultations.
Now, after fine-tuning the plan and seeking more co-operation with the residents the municipality is ready to submit the plans for the first stage of approval, Stephan Miller, Barkat's spokesman, said.
The plan still must undergo several additional approvals before any demolitions take place. The Jerusalem planning committee is the municipal body responsible for approving all construction in the city.
Fast-track Judaisation
Activists in Silwan denounced the latest move as another step in the fast-track Judaisation of East Jerusalem.
It pre-empts the possibility of Jerusalem ever being a shared city, or indeed capital of a Palestinian state, they said in a statement. This in itself precludes peace.
Several members of Meretz, a left-wing Israeli political party, threatened to resign their seats on Jerusalem's city council over the announcement.
Mark Regev, Netanyahu's spokesman, said the prime minister still wants more dialogue with the affected families.
This is a preliminary planning procedure and it still gives time, more than enough time, for dialogue to continue, he said.
PJ Crowley, a spokesman for the US state department, said the US government was concerned about the announcement.
This is expressly the kind of step that we think undermines trust that is fundamental to making progress to the proximity talks and ultimately to direct negotiations, Crowley said.
The Palestinian Authority has not yet commented on Monday's decision. Muhammad Ishtayeh, a PA cabinet minister, said after the plan was announced in March that there was no way Palestinians could accept it.
The King's Garden
The Palestinian homes targeted for demolition are in Silwan's al-Bustan quarter, which Israel calls Gan Hamelech the King's Garden because the biblical King David supposedly wrote his psalms in the neighbourhood.
The homes would be razed and replaced with a collection of shops, restaurants, art galleries and a large community centre.
Israeli officials say the displaced families would be allowed to build new homes elsewhere in the neighbourhood but haven't said whether they will compensate those families for their losses.
Israeli officials say that all of the 88 Palestinian homes in Silwan are built illegally. It is extremely difficult for Palestinians to obtain construction permits in East Jerusalem, so many families build their homes without the required paperwork.
Barkat's proposal would allow residents of the other 66 Silwan homes the ones not slated for demolition to retroactively apply for construction permits, according to a report in the Jerusalem Post.
http://bit.ly/diokHJ
Jerusalem Mayor: Municipality not allowed to raze homes for political reasons
Barkat responds to State Control Committee regarding lax enforcement against illegal construction in the city.
Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has not given the Jerusalem municipality permission to demolish homes in the eastern Arab neighborhoods on the basis of political reasons, Mayor Nir Barkat said on Tuesday.
"As of today, the Prime Minister's Bureau does not permit the demolition of homes," Barkat told the State Control Committee. "The bottom line is that the Jerusalem municipality can not carry out any demolitions unless accompanied by the police."
This was the first time Barkat has openly admitted to the fact that the Prime Minister's Bureau has interfered with the matter of home demolitions in East Jerusalem. The city carried out just 20 home demolitions in the last year, compared to an average of 70 to 100 in the years prior.
The committee had met to discuss a recent State Comptroller report criticizing the municipality for allowing illegal construction in area over the last decade. Barkat explained that due to budget constraints, the municipality was only able to demolish some 100 homes in a year including only dozens in East Jerusalem.
"Therefore we focus on the most extreme and brutal cases," Barkat told the committee.
Barkat himseld has faced criticism and demands for explanations from the U.S. after the Jerusalem municipal planning committee decided to destroy 22 houses in the Arab neighborhood of Silwan, which it says were built illegally.
The city's plan was to raze the homes and construct a tourism center in their place. An additional 66 homes built without the proper permits would receive approval retroactively.
In a statement on the matter over the summer, the U.S. State Department said that the decision would derail the peace process between Israel and the Palestinians.
http://bit.ly/cKCfEC
2 jan 2011, 23:59 , Respect -
Maria 18 nov 2010
Israel orders demolition of 88 homes in E. Jerusalem
RAMALLAH: The Israeli Attorney Yehuda Weinstein ordered the Jewish-dominated Jerusalem Municipality to raze dozens of homes in the East Jerusalem neighborhood of Silwan, Palestinian officials said.
Ahmed Al-Rowaidhi, the chief of Al-Quds Unit at the Palestinian presidency, said that Weinstein gave the municipality to demolish around 88 homes in Al-Bustan area in Silwan under the pretext that they were illegally built.
According to the official, Israeli will evict 1500 Palestinians from Al-Bustan to make room for a tourist center in the area. The center, which is called Al-Bustan in Arabic and Gan Hamelekh (King's Garden) in Hebrew, is to include restaurants and boutique hotels.
He added that Weinstein's order may affect 20,000 homes in East Jerusalem which Israel says were illegally built. He warned that Israel will displace around 100,000 Palestinians from East Jerusalem if it implements its demolition threats to change the demographic status in the city to Judaize it.
Rowaidhi added that the owners cannot obtain the licenses due to the lack of building plans in the threatened areas and the laws and regulation imposed on Jerusalemites by the municipality.
For his part, the head of the Committee for Defending Land in Silwan, Fakhri Abu Diab said that Weinstein's order came after Tuesday's Knesset emergency session which discussed the demolition of homes in East Jerusalem and mainly on the neighborhood of Silwan.
Abu-Diab added that the Israeli attorney general also ordered the municipality to seal of immediately a controversial Jewish residence in Silwan.
He added that the decision against Beit Yonatan building where eight Jewish occupier families live is to avoid international criticism and to indicate that Israel is implementing the law and not targeting only one party.
The two Palestinian officials urged the Arab leaders to to make efficient decisions to face the wild Israeli campaign it carries out against Jerusalem and other Palestinian holy sites.
The policy of house demolitions and settlement building in East Jerusalem are being used by the Israeli authorities and Jerusalem municipality to increase Jewish presence and manipulate the composition of the population in order to gain more control over the city prior to final status talks with the Palestinian Authority.
Israel and the Palestinians dispute over Jerusalem, as Israel says united Jerusalem is its eternal capital, while the Palestinians call for having the eastern part of the city, which was occupied by Israel in 1967, as the capital of their future statehood.
The Palestinians suspended the direct peace talks with Israel on Oct. 2, four weeks after the US-sponsored talks were launched in Washington.
The decision was made after the Israeli government refused to extend a 10-month moratorium on freezing settlement construction that ended in Sept. 26, throwing peace talks into jeopardy and prompting the US to offer Israel incentives including 20 F-35s fighter jets in exchange for three additional months freeze.
In a separate development, Israeli forces arrested 12 Palestinian, foreign and Israeli peace activists near the West Bank city of Bethlehem.
Palestinian security sources said that the Israeli forces raided the Ein Al-Beida area, to the south of Bethlehem while preparing the land for winter crop season and arrested the twelve, including five Israelis.
Israeli security sources said that the twelve were arrested over suspicions that they attempted to set fire to a field belonging to Jewish occupiers near the settlement of Bat Ayin in Gush Etzion, to the south of Bethlehem.
The sources said that detainees were handed over to Israeli police for questioning.
http://arabnews.com/middleeast/article195443.ece
4 jan 2011, 10:09 , Respect -
Maria 19 nov 2010
Protests against land confiscation met with riot gear
BETHLEHEM (Ma'an) -- Protests against land confiscation and the separation wall continued on Friday, as villagers from affected areas along the Green Line and next to settlements took to the streets demanding an end to the illegal measures.
In the central West Bank tows of Bil'in, Ni'lin and An-Nabi Saleh, Israeli forces met groups of protesters with rubber-coated bullets and tear gas, with locals reporting one man struck directly by a bullet and lightly injured in Bil'in. The injured man was identified as Kamel Al-Khatib.
The military said it was unaware of any injuries.
An Israeli military spokesman said turnout for the marches was average, with approximately 50 protesters gathering in Bil'in and Ni'lin, with 30 in An-Nabi Saleh.
Representatives from the Popular Campaign said clashes erupted in Ni'lin after Israeli forces breached the separation barrier and chased protesting youth into adjacent olive groves, coming after them with riot dispersal mechanisms.
The military spokesman said nothing out of the ordinary occurred during the protest.
Since 2005, villages whose lands were confiscated by the construction of Israel's separation wall have protested the move with weekly demonstrations. Residents, supported by contingents of international, Israeli and Palestinian activists, have marched from the centers of teh villages, often starting from the mosque after noon prayers, and headed toward the site of the land confiscation.
In Bil'in and Ni'lin, confiscated lands lie west of the separation wall, and each week villagers demand access to the lands. Each week Israeli military forces face off with the protesters. Officials say riot dispersal mechanisms are a response to rock throwing by the demonstrators.
http://www.maannews.net/eng/ViewDetails.aspx?ID=334188