- 11 juli 2011
Farmers' valley declared closed military zone
NABLUS (Ma'an) -- Israeli forces declared a valley south of Nablus a closed military zone on Monday, while olive trees were uprooted from the area.
Ma'an correspondent said Israeli forces blocked residents from entering and exiting the Wadi Qana area.
A number of villagers from nearby Deir Istiya, including village mayor Nazmi Sulaiman, were briefly detained by Israeli forces on Monday, Sulaiman told Ma'an.
An Israeli army spokesperson said he had no information about the closed military zone or detentions.
Palestinians in the northern West Bank region depend on rich agricultural lands like Wadi Qana for their livelihoods, with farmers regularly blocked from their fields by the activities of nearby Jewish-only settlements, which surround the wadi on all sides.
Neighboring Deir Istiya, just edging into the Salfit district, is a farming community surrounded by large Israeli settlements including Ariel, Immanuel and Qarne Shomron.
http://www.maannews.net/eng/ViewDetails.aspx?ID=404154
14 jan 2012, 19:10 , Respect -
Settlers Torch Olive Orchards Near Nablus
A group of fundamentalist Israeli settlers torched on Friday Palestinian olive orchards in Jabal Suleiman area, near Burin village, south of the northern West Bank city of Nablus.
Eyewitnesses reported that at least twenty heavily armed extremist settlers burnt at least 80 Dunams of farmlands, including dozens of olive trees.
Israeli soldiers arrived at the scene but did not attempt to remove the settlers, or even stop them, and also obstructed the work of Palestinian firefighters.
The settlers also attacked several Palestinian homes in Burin and in the nearby Huwwara village, and hurled stones at the homes and the residents; damage was reported, no injuries.
The attack is part of a series of escalated violations carried out by the settlers against local Palestinian farmers, and their orchards.
http://www.imemc.org/article/61693
14 jan 2012, 19:11 , Respect -
Army gas canisters set fire to Palestinian land
JERUSALEM (Ma’an) -- Israeli soldiers fired gas canisters at residents in the town of Qatana, near Jerusalem, on Thursday, causing fires which spread through olive and fig groves, reports say.
The fire also damaged vineyards and the electricity grid in the area, a spokesman from the town's police department Ashraf Shamasneh said, noting that the Israeli army did not contact the fire department at any point.
Palestinian firefighters were unable to reach all areas affected by the fire, and several homes in the town were damaged.
Local witnesses said that Israeli forces deliberately set fire to properties, some even using their own lighters, as soldiers had threatened to burn property if they were harassed by residents, reports say.
The town has long been subject to harassment from soldiers, locals say.
This attack is the second within days in which gas canisters were fired on the residents' homes and agricultural lands.
http://www.maannews.net/eng/ViewDetails.aspx?ID=405392 14 jan 2012, 19:13 , Respect -
Settlers attack foreign observers near Hebron
BETHLEHEM (Ma'an) -- Three settlers from the illegal Havat Maon settlement south of Hebron attacked a group of internationals on Monday in the Meshakna valley, a Christian peace group said.
"Around 6.35 p.m. three settlers attacked two members of Operation Dove and one member of the Christian Peacemaker Teams with clubs and stones in the Meshakha valley outside of At-Tuwani in the South Hebron Hills," a CPT statement said.
"The settlers were observed coming out of the outpost of Havat Maon covering their faces with scarves then running with clubs in their hands toward two Palestinian shepherds who were grazing their sheep in a valley nearby.
"The masked settlers could not catch the shepherds who were alerted of the approaching danger. The attackers then turned and ran toward the internationals who entered the valley to intervene and document the attack.
"Three young masked settlers armed with clubs made threats and then attempted to strike the internationals as they filmed their actions. As the internationals retreated the settlers begin throwing stones narrowly missing their targets. No internationals were injured at the end."
This is the fifth case of settler violence from the outpost of Havat Maon against internationals and Palestinians in the last 30 days, the statement added.
Operation Dove and Christian Peacemaker Teams have maintained an international presence in At-Tuwani and the South Hebron Hills since 2004.
According to the Fourth Geneva Convention, the Hague Regulations, the International Court of Justice, and several United Nations resolutions, all Israeli settlements and outposts in the Occupied Palestinian Territories are illegal.
Havat Maon is also considered illegal under Israeli law, as are several outposts in the West Bank.
A report by the Palestinian Authority found that settler violence increased "dramatically" in June 2011, documenting 139 attacks in the West Bank and the destruction of over 3,600 olive trees and vineyards.
http://www.maannews.net/eng/ViewDetails.aspx?ID=406578 14 jan 2012, 19:17 , Respect -
Palestinian, Israeli firefighters control fire near Bethlehem
BETHLEHEM (Ma’an) – More than 70,000 square meters of olive fields belonging to Cremisan Monastery in Beit Jala burned Wednesday before Palestinian and Israeli firefighters managed to put out the blaze.
Palestinian civil defense officials in Bethlehem said 20 dunums were completely burnt, while the other 50 sustained partial damage. Part of the area which burst into flames is under Palestinian control, the other under Israeli control.
Officials said all the civil defense units in Bethlehem participated in the operation. Firefighters of the Palestinian national forces were also summoned. Areas where firefighting vehicles could not access were controlled manually.
The Israelis sent two vehicles and two helicopters to help with the fire, the Palestinian side said.
http://www.maannews.net/eng/ViewDetails.aspx?ID=407005
14 jan 2012, 19:18 , Respect -
Israel uproots dozens of olive trees in Jordan Valley
SALFIT, (PIC)-- Israeli bulldozers have begun to uproot olive groves in Beit Iksa village in Jerusalem province.
Local farmers said on Thursday the excavations, which took place on lands along the Israeli Ramot settlement, are aimed at paving the way for a wall to be erected along the southern and western sides of the village, completely isolating it from surrounding areas.
Tens of fruit trees belonging to Palestinian families have begun to be dug out, witnesses said.
Meanwhile, Israeli authorities have handed over demolition notices against three Palestinian homes in the West Bank town of Zawiya in Salfit province.
The homes have been there for decades, said Zawiya mayor Khadir Shaqir.
Elsewhere, condemnation abounds after Israeli occupation authorities have destroyed a barn owned by a Palestinian farmer in Zubeidat in the central Jordan Valley area.
Sources said the move was aimed at displacing the residents of the Jordan Valley to pave the way for more Israeli settlements in the Jordan Valley.
http://fwd4.me/07H5
14 jan 2012, 19:19 , Respect -
Settlers burn Palestinian fields in Nablus village
NABLUS (Ma’an) -- A group of Israeli settlers torched agricultural fields on Friday near the village of Burin in the West Bank city of Nablus.
“Some settlers from the Yizhar settlement adjacent to the village set fire to the area south of the village and fled the scene,” Head of Burin village council Ali Ead told Ma'an.
“The fire had erupted in wide areas of fields planted with olive trees.”
Hundreds of residents in the village arrived at the scene and helped extinguish the fire.
An almost identical attack took place one week ago as settlers from Yizhar set fire to dozens of dunams of Palestinian land.
The latest attack by settlers comes amid a string of violent incidents in the occupied West Bank.
On Monday, settlers attacked a group of international observers near Hebron, the fifth such case of settler violence against internationals in the area over the last 30 days.
Also on Monday, settlers attacked three Palestinian shepherds near Jerusalem, causing serious injuries.
On Friday July 15, Israeli settlers from the illegal settlement of Yizhar set fire to Palestinian land near the village of Burin, south of Nablus.
Two days earlier, a Palestinian teenager sustained bruises after Israeli settlers pelted his car with stones near the site of the former Israeli settlement of Homesh, which was evacuated in 2005.
According to the Fourth Geneva Convention, the Hague Regulations, the International Court of Justice, and several United Nations resolutions, all Israeli settlements and outposts in the Occupied Palestinian Territories are illegal.
A report by the Palestinian Authority found that settler violence increased "dramatically" in June 2011, documenting 139 attacks on Palestinians in the West Bank and the destruction of over 3,600 olive trees and vineyards.
An Israeli army general recently warned that unchecked settler "terror" against Palestinians in the occupied West Bank threatens to plunge the territory into conflict, reports said.
http://www.maannews.net/eng/ViewDetails.aspx?ID=407415
14 jan 2012, 19:21 , Respect -
IOF uproots, robs 100 olive trees
OCCUPIED JERUSALEM, (PIC)-- The Israeli occupation forces (IOF) uprooted 100 olive trees from Beit Egza village, northwest of occupied Jerusalem, and took them in trucks to an unknown destination.
Local sources charged the IOF soldiers with stealing the decades old trees after claiming there was a decision to confiscate them.
They pointed out that the soldiers leveled the ground after uprooting the trees, some of which are more than one hundred years old.
They added that the soldiers have been bulldozing in the vicinity of the area for weeks, digging water wells and completing a wall around a nearby settlement that would tighten the noose around the village.
The sources reported clashes between the soldiers and young men from the village during the bulldozing that led to the detention of one of them and the injury of others.
http://fwd4.me/07Mh
14 jan 2012, 19:21 , Respect -
Jewish settlers assault shepherd, start fire in olive trees
NABLUS, (PIC)-- Jewish settlers from an evacuated settlement in Qasra village to the southwest of Nablus assaulted a Palestinian shepherd and killed two of his sheep on Friday evening, local source said.
They added that villagers rushed to rescue the shepherd and clashes ensued in which Israeli occupation forces intervened and sided by the settlers.
They said that the IOF soldiers took away Sami Sarhan, one of the village’s youth, in the wake of the confrontations.
In another development, Jewish settlers from Yitzhar settlement burnt five dunums of Palestinian land in Burin village, south of Nablus, on Thursday night and started fire in tens of olive trees, locals reported.
http://fwd4.me/07LU
14 jan 2012, 19:22 , Respect -
Civil defense crews extinguish fire near Ramallah
RAMALLAH (Ma’an) -- Palestinian Civil Defense crews were able to extinguish a fire which broke out on Wednesday in the village of Rantis northwest of Ramallah.
The fire was caused by an electrical fault at a center for communications in the village, a Civil Defense spokesman said.
Fire crews in Nilin rushed to the scene of the fire and prevented it from spreading.
Fires also reportedly broke out in Qalandia, Tulkarem, Jenin and Hebron.
The fires in Jenin and Hebron broke out in olive groves and forested areas in the villages of Surif, Hebron and Silat Harithiya, Jenin.
A vehicle caught fire as a result of an electrical fault in Tulkarem.
Fire crews successfully extinguished all fires.
http://www.maannews.net/eng/ViewDetails.aspx?ID=408839 14 jan 2012, 19:25 , Respect -
Witnesses: Settlers set fire to olive trees in Burin
NABLUS (Ma'an) -- Israeli settlers on Friday torched olive trees in Burin village, south of Nablus, and fired live ammunition at firefighters' trucks trying to reach the blaze, Palestinian Authority officials said.
PA settlement affairs official Ghassan Doughlas said the fire continued to rage as firefighters were unable to reach the area.
Witnesses said clashes erupted between the settlers and villagers, and that Israeli soldiers fired live ammunition, rubber-coated steel bullets and tear gas at the Palestinians.
Resident Khaled Omran said Israeli forces prevented Palestinian firefighters from putting out the fire.
An Israeli military spokeswoman said soldiers had fired "regular riot dispersal means" to end the clashes, but said no live ammunition was used.
She declined to comment on whether soldiers obstructed Palestinian firefighters.
http://www.maannews.net/eng/ViewDetails.aspx?ID=409447
Settlers set fire to olive groves in Nablus
NABLUS, (PIC)-- A group of Jewish settlers from the Itamar settlement, which is built on confiscated Palestinian land to near Nablus in the northern West Bank, on Thursday set fire to Palestinian crops and olive groves in lands belonging to the residents of the village of Awarta to the east of Nablus.
The Awarta village council said in a statement that settlers set fire to fields in the north east of the village resulting in the burning of seven dunums (1 dunum= 1000 square meters) of producing olive trees.
The council added that civil defence teams from nearby Bourin village helped tackle the fire which resulted in great loss to Palestinian farmers.
http://fwd4.me/07q1
14 jan 2012, 19:26 , Respect -
Settlers torch Nablus village fields
NABLUS (Ma’an) -- Israeli settlers torched acres of land near Nablus on Sunday, a Palestinian official said.
Palestinian Authority settlements official Ghassan Doughlas said settlers set fire to 150 dunums of fields belonging to Palestinian villagers south of the northern West Bank city, destroying dozens of olive trees.
http://www.maannews.net/eng/ViewDetails.aspx?ID=409939
14 jan 2012, 19:29 , Respect -
Israel slaps restraining orders on 12 settlers
JERUSALEM (AFP) -- Twelve Israeli settlers accused of setting fire to Palestinian mosques, property and vehicles have been slapped with restraining orders limiting their movement in the West Bank, the military said on Tuesday.
In a statement, the Israeli military said it had signed off on the restraining orders based on recommendations from the Israel Security Agency, the internal security service.
The orders range from three months to a year, with six settlers told to stay away from certain communities, three prohibited from entering the Yitzhar settlement south of Nablus, and three more prevented from entering the West Bank at all.
"The orders follow the culmination of information recently gathered by the ISA, according to which a group of extreme activists living in the vicinity of Yitzhar have been, for the past two years, involved in leading, directing and executing violent and clandestine activity targeting Palestinian residents," the statement said.
"These activities include igniting a number of mosques, vehicles, and buildings that belong to Palestinians, therefore endangering lives and disrupting public order."
"According to security assessments these acts, and more so the igniting of mosques, can be potentially detrimental to the entire area."
The Palestinians regularly accuse settlers in the West Bank of attacking them and their property.
Hardline settlers have adopted what they call a "price tag" policy under which they attack Palestinians, their fields or villages, whenever the Israeli government takes measures to curb settlement construction.
In June, attackers rolled lit tires inside a mosque in Al-Mughayyir village, some 20 kilometers northeast of Ramallah in the West Bank, starting a small fire that damaged prayer mats.
They also spray-painted anti-Arab slogans on the walls along with the words "Alei Ayin," the name of a nearby settlement outpost demolished by Israeli police in an operation that sparked fierce clashes with the settlers.
The mosque attack was condemned by the Israeli government and much of the international community.
A report by the Palestinian Authority found that settler violence increased "dramatically" in June 2011, documenting 139 attacks in the West Bank and the destruction of over 3,600 olive trees and vineyards.
http://www.maannews.net/eng/ViewDetails.aspx?ID=410409 14 jan 2012, 19:31 , Respect -
Jewish settlers set Palestinian fields on fire
NABLUS, (PIC) Fanatic Jewish settlers on Thursday evening set fire to Palestinian agricultural fields in the village of Bourin to the south of the northern West Bank city of Nablus.
Ali Eid, head of the Bourin village council, told PIC that a number of Jewish settlers set fields planted with olive trees to the east of the village.
He said that it was not easy to estimate the damage, at the time, because settlers stopped villagers and the fire crews from reaching the affected fields to put the fire out.
He also said that settlers assaulted the fire crews who reached the scene and that there were altercations between the settlers and IOF troops.
The village of Bourin and nearby villages are often the target of settler violence, including setting crops and trees on fire to bankrupt Palestinian farmers and force them to leave their lands so that the settlers can confiscate them.
http://fwd4.me/08LE
14 jan 2012, 19:32 , Respect -
Israeli soldiers torch dozens of olive trees in W. Bank village
QALQILIYA, (PIC)-- The Israeli occupation forces (IOF) set fire to dozens of fruitful olive trees, some of them perennials, in Kafr Kadum village, Qalqiliya city.
Eyewitnesses reported that the trees were burnt down after the Israeli troops fired tear gas and stun grenades on them.
32 olive trees were burnt after the villagers were able to stop the fire from spreading to other trees.
Hundreds of olive trees have been torched since the start of this year by Israeli settlers and troops in different West Bank areas.
http://fwd4.me/08wc