- 12 oct 2010
Israeli Police Arrest 8-Year-Old
Omran Mufid Mansour
Silwan, Jerusalem (SILWANIC) -- At 4am this morning, Israeli forces arrested an 8-year-old child, Omran Mufid Mansour, from his home in Beer Ayoub area of Silwan.
Omran's brother Mohammed
The boy was taken to the police station in Jerusalem, where he was interrogated for four hours on accusations of stone-throwing and then released. It should be noted that this child has a similar name to one of the two children hit last Friday by the head of the Elad settlement association, David Be'eri.
Omran's brother Mohammed, age 13, was also arrested last night by undercover Israeli troops.
http://silwanic.net/?p=7243 15 jan 2012, 14:49 , Respect -
Maria 13 oct 2010
Rightist MK: Stone throwers should be put to death
OCCUPIED JERUSALEM, (PIC)-- Far right Israeli Knesset member Michael Ben-Ari called for the death penalty to be placed against everyone who throws stones or endangers the lives of settlers.
The two Arab members of Knesset Talab Al Sane and Ahmed Al Tibi described Ben-Ari as an extremist fascist. The former responded by accusing them of "using children to kill".
This came during an urgent meeting that was convened to deliberate the incident of settler chief in east Jerusalem David Bari who ran over and seriously injured two boys after they allegedly threw stones at his vehicle.
This is not the first time Arab citizens in Silwan have used children in dangerous circumstances, and send them to confront Jewish citizens who are passing by, said MK Danny Damon
Ben-Ari previously said that 500 Palestinians should be killed against every one Jew, and not six to one as is the case today, claiming that this is the only way to stop Palestinian terrorism.
Israel's Internal Security minister Yitzhak Aharonovich has instructed the Jerusalem police force to launch a wide-ranging arrest campaign in the eastern areas of the city in an effort to reduce the phenomenon of stone-throwing at Jewish settlers in the regions.
Aharonovich said while touring Tuesday morning the Jerusalem districts of Issawiya and Silwan: Dozens of stone throwers will be arrested if necessary in order to restore calm and order.
The statement was made in the wake of dozens of youngsters who confronted the provocative tour by throwing stones at the cars of right-wingers from the Israeli Knesset.
http://bit.ly/aLiQTL 15 jan 2012, 14:50 , Respect -
Maria p 15 jan 2012, 14:51 , Respect -
Maria 15 oct 2010
Violent confrontations in Silwan leave injuries
The head of the Islamic supreme forum in Jerusalem Sheikh Akrima Sabri; Mr. Hatem abdel Kader was reported injured- in charge for the Jerusalem file; Mr. Fakhri Abu Diab- Member of Al-Bustan committee and other tens of Jerusalemites, were reported injured on Friday October 15 after inhaling tear gas fired by the Israeli occupation forces, who attach the sit-in ten in Silwan, before the conclusion of the Friday prayer.
It is reported that young Jerusalemites reacted by belting the assailants with stones, during the confrontation the Israeli forces fired rubber bullets and tear gases canisters on the worshippers.
Eyewitnesses reported 15 young men injured after hit with rubber bullets, while tens of them suffered of suffocation due to gas inhalation.
Sheikh Akrima Sabri and Mr. Hatem Abdel Kader were transferred to a nearby home for treatment after they were injured, therefore Mr. Fakhri Abu Diab who was injured also were transferred to Al-Makasid hospital, while Abel Kader was transferred later to Al-Mutali' hospital.
A large number of paramedics and journalists were also injured during the confrontation.
It is reported that the clashes were spread later to Wadi Helwa, where settlers belted the houses of the Arab citizens with stones. Eyewitnesses confirmed that the Israeli police provided protection for settlers who attacked the houses in Wadi Helwa.
http://www.pls48.net/en/default.asp?CatID=0&ID=870
3 Palestinians injured in clashes in Silwan
JERUSALEM (Ma'an) -- Three Palestinians were injured including a 35-year-old woman in clashes between young men and Israeli forces Thursday in the Silwan area south of Jerusalem.
Jawad Seyam, head of Wadi Helwa Information Center, said that Israeli soldiers violently and harshly beat Abdallah Gheith, 17, and Mohammad Maher Abed Al-Wahed, 19, before arresting them.
"When Abadallah's mother interfered the soldiers had attacked her too, and she was transferred to the hospital for treatment, he added insisting that the Israeli forces initiated the incident.
http://www.maannews.net/eng/ViewDetails.aspx?ID=324255
15 injured in Silwan in Jerusalem
OCCUPIED JERUSALEM, (PIC)-- Clashes between residents of the Silwan suburb in occupied Jerusalem and IOF troops broke out anew on Friday afternoon resulting in 15 Palestinians being injured and dozens suffering breathing difficulties as a result of inhaling teargas.
Local sources said that IOF troops and occupation police in large numbers stormed, during the Friday prayers, the "steadfastness tent" where the residents of Silwan are staging a sit-in. The soldiers fired teargas at the worshipers in tent sparking clashes between the unarmed worshipers and the occupation troops.
Fifteen were injured including Sheikh Ekrema Sabri, Chairman of the Supreme Islamic Council, Hatem Abdelqader, a Fatah high ranking official, Fakhri Abu Diab, member of the Bustan neighborhood defense committee, a 4-year-old girl.
Sheikh Sabri had delivered a sermon stressing that the Palestinian people will never give up their right to Jerusalem and that they will defend the holy city. He also called on Palestinians to unite in the face of the Zionist occupation.
http://bit.ly/aBrekf 15 jan 2012, 14:52 , Respect -
Maria 15 oct 2010
10 Palestinians injured in Silwan clashes
JERUSALEM (Ma'an) -- Ten Palestinians were injured by rubber bullets and dozens inhaled tear gas during clashes with Israeli forces after noon prayers Friday in the Al-Bustan area of Silwan in East Jerusalem.
Fatah official Hatem Abdul Qader and Sheikh Ikrima Sabri were among those who inhaled gas. He told Ma'an that forces threw the gas canisters at worshipers without cause.
Abdul Qader also claimed the gas affected muscles differently than the usual kind.
http://www.maannews.net/eng/ViewDetails.aspx?ID=324400
A woman is injured and two youth are arrested in renewed clashes in Silwan
OCCUPIED JERUSALEM, (PIC)-- Clashes between local Palestinian youth and IOF soldiers erupted again on Thursday evening in the Silwan suburb to the south of the Aqsa Mosque in the holy city.
Jawad Seyam, head of the information center of Wadi Helwa, said that the clashes resulted in the injury of a Palestinian woman and that the IOF soldiers arrested two Palestinian youth.
Eyewitnesses said that Nahlah Gaith, from Ra's al-Amoud neighborhood in Silwan received injuries all over her body as a result of being assaulted by the IOF soldiers when she tried to stop them from arresting her son.
The witnesses further said that the soldier beat the mother, her son 17-year-old Abdullah Gaith and 19-year-old Muhammad Maher before arresting the two young men.
The suburb has become a hotspot for friction because of increasing attacks by the Jewish settlers and the occupation soldiers on the local residents as well as occupation plans to demolish 110 Palestinian homes in the suburb to serve the occupation scheme of ethnically cleansing and Judaizing the holy city.
Seyam also said that the IOF soldiers threatened Naim Ruwaidin the owner of the house on which a protest tent was setup giving him till Sunday to tear down the tent.
http://bit.ly/9znbJu 15 jan 2012, 14:52 , Respect -
Maria 17 oct 2011
Children hit by settler leader arrested
Silwan, Jerusalem (SILWANIC) -- Israeli forces today arrested an 11-year-old boy, Imran Mansour, from his home in the Wadi Hilweh neighborhood of Silwan despite his poor health, and refused to allow the boy's parents to accompany him, asking them to come later to the police station instead. The police also ordered the father of another boy, Eyad Gheith, to bring his child to the station for questioning.
Eyad was released after being interrogated, while Imran Monsour was transfered to trial and immediately prosecuted.
The Israeli Magistrate's Court decided to place Imran under house arrest after school for a period of 14 days and ordered his parents to pay a fine of 2000 NIS, with an additional fine of 10,000 NIS threatened if Imran does not obey the orders of the court.
It is noteworthy that both Imran and Eyad were hit last week by settler leader David Be'eri, who has led the campaign to Judaize Silwan since the late 1980s.
According to a relative of Imran Mansour, they are trying to distort the fact that the settler hit Imran. We have no confidence in the Israeli Police to provide any help for the child, and did not file a complaint because our past experience with the Israeli Police has taught us there is no point filing complaints if the aggressor is a settler, particularly in Silwan.
http://silwanic.net/?p=7576
- 18 oct 2010
Center: 6 detained in Silwan
JERUSALEM (Ma'an) -- Israeli authorities detained six young Palestinian men from the East Jerusalem neighborhood of Silwan on Monday, the Wadi Hilwa Information Center said.
Center director Jawad Siyam said the six were detained early in the morning, and identified them as Khalil Odeh, Muhammad Al-Abbasy, Mahdi Al-Abbasy, Ali Al-Abbasy and two from the Ash-Shweiki family.
Siyam also said Israeli forces turned a building in the Baten Al-Hawa area into an observation point shortly before the detentions.
Locals said forces also confiscated the car owned by Muhammad Hussein Ar-Ruweidi.
A spokesman for Israel's National Police did not return a phone call seeking comment.
http://www.maannews.net/eng/ViewDetails.aspx?ID=325210
Israeli violent quelling of Jerusalemites in Silwan injure 20 civilians
OCCUPIED JERUSALEM, (PIC)-- Israeli occupation policemen and border guards used violence against unarmed Jerusalemite citizens in Silwan last night injuring 20 of them.
Local sources said that heavily-armed security men besieged the entire town of Silwan, south of the Aqsa Mosque in occupied Jerusalem, using police dogs while special forces were deployed at entrances and alleys surrounding the town.
They said that violent confrontations took place in several Silwan neighborhoods between stone throwing youths and the policemen who fired teargas canisters causing breathing difficulties for more tan 20 Jerusalemites. The policemen, who numbered more than a thousand, fired the gas bombs at the houses.
Meanwhile, citizens foiled an attempt by the police to tear down a sit-in tent in Wadi Hilwa suburb in Silwan.
Jawad Siyam, the director of Wadi Hilwa information center, said that citizens gathered inside the tent as masked young men burnt tires forcing the Israeli occupation police to withdraw from the vicinity of the tent.
He said that Zionist settlers threw stones at the citizens who responded likewise.
http://bit.ly/afFrX5
60 Minutes Reports On Silwan, East Jerusalem
A Palestinian Woman Pleads with Israeli Soldiers During Recent Clashes in Silwan. Photo: Joseph Dana
Silwan is a dangerous neighborhood. Not only because of the simmering political tensions between the Palestinians and the Jewish settlers occupying houses in the city, but also because the neighborhood is one of the centers of the drug trade. But of all the cities and villages in the West Bank, the Palestinians of Silwan have a reputation as being on the forefront of resistance to Israel's steady takeover of Palestinian land. In fact, they often proclaim that the third intifada will begin in Silwan regardless of what is happening in the rest of the West Bank.
Recently, a thirty five year father of three living in Silwan was shot by a private settler security guard. Days of rioting and clashes between Palestinians and Israeli border police followed. I was in Silwan during these riots and at times it felt as though the third intifada was already underway.
Silwan is located in East Jerusalem's holy basin, which encompasses the north, east and south of the Old City. Over the past five years, the Israeli government has been encouraging Jewish settlers to settle in the holy basin in order to disconnect East Jerusalem from the rest of Palestine, effectively making an equitable two state solution impossible. From Sheikh Jarrah in the north to Silwan in the south, settlers have been taking over and changing the ethnic make up of what would, according to the 2003 Road Map, become the Palestinian capital.
The method of Israeli acquisition of Palestinian land and property in East Jerusalem varies. In Sheikh Jarrah, Israeli courts have sided with settler organizations attempting to prove that certain houses in the neighborhood were owned by Jewish families before 1948 and thus should be returned to Jewish families today. This, of course, raises the questions about homes belonging to Palestinian families in 1948 in places like Jaffa, Lod, and West Jerusalem. But that question has been left unanswered. Due to the historical depth of Silwan, settler organizations lead by a group named ELAD, which is listed as a 501 c3 charity in the United States, have invested millions of dollars to create archaeological parks which attempt to strengthen the Jewish claim to the land through archaeology.
CBS 60 Minutes recently visited Silwan to interview settler leaders, visit their archaeological parks and discuss the situation with Palestinians. Their report began with a tour of ruins with an ELAD representative named Doron Spielman. Spielman's last position was as an IDF spokesman, and he has recently been featured in the acclaimed documentary Budrus, which describes one West Bank village's non-violent struggle against the Israeli separation barrier. In the film, Spielman unabashedly defends the arbitrary placement of the separation wall on Palestinian farmland. In the 60 Minutes segment, he defends the paramount importance of Jewish history in Jerusalem above everything, including the rights of Palestinians who have been living in Silwan for generations.
The segment explores the fever pitch at which Israel is working to excavate biblical ruins in order to provide justification for removal of Palestinians from East Jerusalem. The logic on display is clear: The more archaeological ruins that are found in Silwan, the greater rationale for kicking Palestinians out of the neighborhood by demolishing their homes. Shockingly, the 60 Minutes producers do not attempt to water down the story, instead allowing the settlers and their representatives to appear as they are: Zealots hellbent on making permanent Israel's control over Palestinian East Jerusalem.
Even the secular mayor of Jerusalem, Nir Barket, comes across as a politician unwilling to address the suffering of his Palestinian constituents. At one point in the segment, Barket is discussing his plan to demolish twenty two Palestinian houses in order to make room for a garden which will form an important part of the archaeological theme park which he envisions for Silwan. His rationale for demolition is that the houses are considered illegal by the Israeli government. What is not explained, however, is that these houses are considered illegal because it is virtually impossible for Palestinians of East Jerusalem to obtain building permits. In a truly Kafkaesque system, Palestinian life is stifled by a myriad of bureaucratic measures which do not allow for any growth.
What is on display in the 60 Minutes segment on Silwan is the complete lack of regard that Israeli officials have for the Palestinian residents of East Jerusalem. From the settler leaders of ELAD to the mayor of Jerusalem, the message of intolerance towards the rights of East Jerusalem Palestinians is clear and unavoidable. At this point, the resistance to Israeli occupation in Silwan is unarmed and largely non-violent. However, the aggressive polices of the Israeli government are pushing Silwan toward a violent outcome. Of course, armed resistance would play right into the hands of the settlers and their supporters, enabling them to cast Palestinians as terrorists who simply oppose the existence of Jews in Jerusalem. The 60 Minutes piece clearly shows that this is not the case.
http://josephdana.com/2010/10/60-minutes-reports-on-silwan-east-jerusalem/ 15 jan 2012, 14:53 , Respect -
Maria p 15 jan 2012, 14:54 , Respect -
Maria 21 oct 2010
Undercover Israeli agents detain five Silwan youths
Israeli undercover police filmed on dramatic raid door itnnews
JERUSALEM, (PIC)-- Undercover Israeli security men arrested five Palestinian Jerusalemites in Silwan town, in occupied Jerusalem, on Wednesday night, local sources said.
They said that the young men were walking near the sit-in tent in the Bustan suburb in Silwan when the agents, disguised as women and workers, apprehended them.
The sources noted that the Israeli occupation police and border police had intensified their presence in various suburbs in Silwan.
In the West Bank, Israeli occupation forces (IOF) rounded up seven Palestinian citizens at dawn Thursday.
Yediot Ahronot reported that the detention of the "wanted" citizens took part in Nablus and Bethlehem districts.
http://bit.ly/bKf2Ny
5 detained in Silwan overnight
JERUSALEM (Ma'an) -- Israeli special forces detained five Palestinians from the flashpoint Silwan neighborhood in East Jerusalem overnight on Wednesday.
The detentions followed a wave of arrests at dawn on Wednesday, when nine Palestinians were detained from their homes in the Ein El-Lozeh and Ber Yacoub areas of Silwan. Those arrested included Sahib Ar-Rajabi, 13, Islam Odeh, 16, Murad Al-Banna, 22, Shaqa Al-Abasi, 20, Muhammad Abbasi, 18, Mahdi Abbasi, 23, and Ziyad Odeh, 15. An Israeli court extended their detention until Friday.
An Israeli police spokesman was not immediately available for comment.
http://www.maannews.net/eng/ViewDetails.aspx?ID=326102 15 jan 2012, 14:55 , Respect -
Maria 22 oct 2010
Global Elders meet residents of the Silwan Jerusalem suburb
OCCUPIED JERUSALEM, (PIC)-- The Global Elders delegation visiting the Middle East have met Thursday with Palestinian residents of the Jerusalem suburb of Silwan, and listened to their stories of suffering resulting from Israeli occupation measures such as demolition of Palestinian homes and encouragement of Jewish settlement in the suburb.
Palestinian citizens presented the delegates with a complete picture on the Israeli schemes to force them out of their homes and the plan to demolish 88 Palestinian homes in the Bustan suburb, in addition to the increasing Israeli settlers' atrocities against the Palestinian civilians.
The delegation which is lead by former Irish president and former commissioner of the UNHRC Mary Robinson and included former US president Jimmy Carter visited the sit-in tent set up by the affected citizens in the Bustan suburb, and spoke to their representatives.
Mary Robinson said after the visit: "Jerusalem lies at the heart of the Israeli-Palestinian conflict and agreement on its future must also be at the heart of any solution. The changing ethnic and religious character of the city has regional and global implications.
As Elders we try to bring hope, but I was shocked at the practices the Jerusalem authorities are being allowed to get away with. All kinds of clever methods are being used to surround and squeeze the Palestinian population tunnels, settler houses, new roads, and now tourist attractions. A solution must be found that respects the human rights of all.
http://bit.ly/dk6omw
Elders censure Israel over discrimination in east Jerusalem
JERUSALEM The Elders, a group of retired world figures, criticised Israeli policies in Arab east Jerusalem on Thursday, saying they undermined regional peace efforts and Israel's standing as a democracy.
"If a solution to the conflict between Israelis and Palestinians is to be found it has to be here in Jerusalem as well," said delegation leader and former Irish president Mary Robinson.
"We as Elders fear the possibility of a two state solution may be fading away, may be lost because of what is happening here in Jerusalem," she told a press conference.
Earlier, the Elders visited Silwan, a flashpoint neighbourhood in occupied east Jerusalem, listening to residents whose homes face demolition under a city plan to make way for a new biblical tourism park.
Robinson said the unequal treatment of the city's Jewish and Arab residents, together with plans to compel new non-Jewish citizens to swear an oath of loyalty to Israel as a Jewish state were undermining Israel's standing.
"We are worried that Israel is at risk of losing its credibility as a democratic state," she said.
In an apparent U-turn, Israel on Monday said the proposed law would apply to all new citizens, including Jews, but the amendment is facing opposition and is unlikely to gain enough support to pass into law.
The Silwan meeting took place in a protest tent that has become the focal point of the campaign against the planned house demolitions.
Aida Rishek, a mother of seven who lives in one of the condemned houses in Silwan's Al-Bustan area, told the former statesmen about the fear of being evicted from her home at any time.
"We want a promise from you," she said speaking through an interpreter. "Give us just one night to sleep without the fear of the arrest of my husband and my children."
Others described how undercover police units arrested children, how settlers and their security guards acted violently with impunity and how settler groups dominated the tourism industry in the crumbling neighbourhood that lies just south of the walls of Jerusalem's Old City.
One child, Muslim Odeh, 10, described being arrested and beaten, holding up a torn T-shirt and showing a scraped knee and a cut on his back.
"They made me kneel down and gave me a sandwich and wanted me to tell them who the other masked children were," he said.
Local children, many wearing T-shirts pulled up to cover their faces, often stand outside the tent throwing stones at settlers and Israeli security forces.
Former US president Jimmy Carter, who is part of the delegation, suggested the lasting solution would be a peace deal that would see Israel leave east Jerusalem.
"We don't have any authority, as you know, but we have a voice," said Carter. "We will be sure that they understand also the problems that you have described to us.
"And we will continue to work on a peaceful solution where the Israelis will withdraw from east Jerusalem and let this be the capital of a Palestinian state."
Later, Carter said they had raised the issue in talks with Jerusalem Mayor Nir Barkat and with parliament speaker Reuven Rivlin, telling Israel's treatment of its Arab citizens and other minorities was "very disturbing."
Barkat had, in turn, challenged the three about how they could celebrate the reunification of Berlin while calling for the division of Jerusalem. "The city must never be broken in two. No divided city in the world has ever succeeded," a statement from his office said.
The mayor later remarked: "It is clear to me that the involvement of biased third parties in the peace process does more damage than good. It pressures both sides to rush into a bad deal."
Israel considers all of Jerusalem to be its "eternal and indivisible" capital.
The Palestinians see east Jerusalem as the capital of their promised state. They oppose any attempt to widen Israeli control over the sector, which was captured in the Six Day War of 1967 and later annexed in a move never recognised by the international community.
The Elders' visit came after they held talks in the West Bank and Gaza Strip, Egypt, Syria and Jordan aimed at bolstering regional peace efforts.
http://bit.ly/bS0UiZ 15 jan 2012, 14:55 , Respect -
Maria 22 oct 2010
Silwan Children
(3:02) Silwan Children 15 jan 2012, 14:56 , Respect -
Maria 22 oct 2010
More Clashes Reported In East Jerusalem
Israeli soldiers invaded on Thursday at night the Al Tour neighborhood in occupied East Jerusalem, and clashed with dozens of residents.
Local sources reported that the soldiers invaded the neighborhood and conducted provocative acts against the residents.
Dozens of local youths hurled stones and empty bottles at the invading forces while undercover forces of the Israeli army also invaded the neighborhood. No injuries were reported until the time of this report.
Palestinian areas in East Jerusalem are witnessing nearly daily invasions and attacks carried out by Israeli soldiers and settlers.
Dozens of Palestinians, including several children, were wounded by Israeli fire during this week.
The clashes took place amidst Israeli soldier and settler invasions to several Palestinian neighborhoods, such as Wadi Hilwa and Wadi al-Raba in Silwan, and other invasions in Al Tour, Batn Al-Hawa, Wadi Hilwa and Al-Bustan.
http://bit.ly/agPTKN 15 jan 2012, 14:56 , Respect -
Maria p 15 jan 2012, 14:56 , Respect -
Maria 24 oct 2010
Official: Child hit by rubber bullet in Silwan clashes
JERUSALEM (Ma'an) -- Clashes broke out Sunday in the flashpoint East Jerusalem neighborhood of Silwan as Israeli authorities stormed the Al-Bustan area to hand down demolition notices, locals said.
Head of the committee defending Silwan homes Fakhri Abu Diab said a large force of Israeli border guards ransacked the area, using homes as vantage points to fire tear-gas canisters, stun-grenades and rubber bullets "in all directions."
An eight-year-old boy was hit three times by the rubber bullets, he added.
Several demolition notices were handed down to Samir Abu Sbeih, Yousif Abu Sneina, Nafith As-Sa'di and Sai'di Asila among others.
A spokesman for Israel's National Police did not immediately return a phone call seeking comment.
Center: Israel launching tax crackdown
On Wednesday, the Wad Hilwa Information Center said Israeli forces and officers began carrying out a detention campaign and tax crackdown in Silwan.
Center direct Jawad Siyam said wide-scale raids on stores in Silwan were being carried out, while armoured vehicles patrolled the streets, adding that police, border guards and tax officers were searching cars and "breaking into many stores."
"The officers in charge of these teams were instructed to continue the campaign and escalate it, similar to what happened in Shu'fat, until protests carried out by Palestinians against the settlers' provocation ends," Siyam said.
Tensions have remained high in Silwan, following the shooting death of Samer Sirhan, a Palestinian resident by an Israeli settler guard. The neighborhood was placed on lock-down for several days and since the center has reported dozens of detentions.
Weeks after Sirhan's, a video surfaced of an Israeli settler organization leader running down Palestinian children as they threw stones at his car. Later, Israeli police were said to have used the footage to detain and question the children seen in the video.
Israel's Jerusalem municipality did not respond to an email seeking comment.
http://www.maannews.net/eng/ViewDetails.aspx?ID=327002 15 jan 2012, 14:57 , Respect -
Maria 25 oct 2010
Al-Quds demolition orders spark clashes
Israeli soldiers have clashed with Palestinians in the East al-Quds (Jerusalem) neighborhood of Silwan, firing stun grenades and rubber bullets at the protesters.
Clashes broke out in Silwan on Sunday when Israeli authorities stormed the al-Bustan area to hand down demolition notices, Ma'an news agency quoted locals as saying.
Fakhri Abu Diab, the head of the committee for defending Silwan homes, said a large force of Israeli border guards overran the area, spraying tear-gas canisters, stun grenades and rubber bullets "in all directions."
He further pointed out that an eight-year-old boy was hit three times by rubber bullets.
Israeli municipality authorities want to carry out a plan -- known as 'Gan HaMelech' (King's Garden) in Hebrew -- that would involve razing tens of Palestinian homes that Israel labels as having been built without permits.
Thousands of Palestinian houses in East al-Quds have been built without Israeli permits, which residents and rights groups say are almost impossible to get and describe as a screen to destruct Palestinian houses.
Reports from the neighborhood indicate that Israeli forces have launched a tight crackdown on Palestinian protesters in the flashpoint through widespread detentions and tax collections.
Director of the Wad Hilwa Information Center Jawad Siyam said wide-scale raids on stores in Silwan were being carried out.
Armored vehicles patrolled the streets, adding that police, border guards and tax officers were searching cars and "breaking into" many stores, he said.
"The officers in charge of these teams were instructed to continue the campaign and escalate it until protests carried out by Palestinians against the settlers' provocation ends," Siyam stated.
Tensions have been high in Silwan following the shooting death of a Palestinian youth by an Israeli settler guard in late September. The neighborhood was locked down for several days and since that time, dozens have been reported arrested.
Earlier in October, a video surfaced of an Israeli settler organization leader hitting stone-hurling Palestinian children. Later, Israeli police were said to have used the footage to detain and question the children -- one of whom was seriously traumatized in the incident.
http://www.presstv.ir/detail/148141.html
28 oct 2010
Silwan Arabs: Mayor pouring fuel on fire
Municipality asks court to authorize immediate demolition of east Jerusalem structure it claims it is 'hotbed of violence, incitement.' Residents say tent set up on roof part of legitimate struggle against house demolitions.
The residents of the Al-Bustan neighborhood of Silwan in east Jerusalem have been campaigning against the demolition of Palestinian homes in the area for nearly three years. As part of the struggle, the residents set up a protest tent, which the Jerusalem Municipality is now looking to dismantle.
The tent, which is adorned with signs in Hebrew, Arabic and English, has become a symbol of the residents' struggle and is visited by people from all over the world. It was set up on the grounds of a community center which is slated for destruction in June 2011, in accordance with a court order.
The Jerusalem Municipality asked the court for authorization to raze the structure sooner, claiming it has become a hotbed of violent and dangerous conduct.
"They want to destroy our homes, and they won't even allow us to protest," said Attorney Ziad Kawar, who represents the residents. "This is an evil attempt by the City to silence the residents and trample on their human rights.
"This sort of conduct is redolent of dark regimes such as the one in Tehran," he said, "It's a shame that the authorities have decided to help the cause of radical right-wing groups that are pushing the State and region into an abyss."
"It seems as though the City of Jerusalem is looking for a third intidafa," said Fahri Abu-Dihab, whose house is also under the threat of demolition. "This tent is a symbol of legitimate protest against the destruction of homes in east Jerusalem. The municipality has declared war against us and it trying to stop our legal struggle to get us to react violently.
"The mayor (Nir Barkat) himself is pouring fuel on the fire," he said.
The Jerusalem Municipality said in response that a destruction order for the community center had been issued because it was built illegally and without the proper permits. The court ruled that the order is to be implemented in June 2011, and the City has already appealed this decision because the owners of the structure took advantage of the extension to illegally set up a huge tent on the roof.
"The structure serves as a breeding ground for violence, incitement, riots and stone-throwing," according to the municipality.
http://www.ynetnews.com/articles/0,7340,L-3976050,00.html
31 oct 2010
Center: Silwan resident suffers blindness after clashes
JERUSALEM (Ma'an) -- A resident of Silwan in occupied East Jerusalem is suffering severe vision problems after inhaling tear gas during recent clashes in the flashpoint neighborhood, a community center said.
The Wadi Hilwa Information Center said Ahmad Al-Juba, 20, gradually lost his vision since the clashes in late September, when Israeli forces used tear gas against protesters. Clashes broke out after a settler security guard shot dead resident Samer Sarhan.
According to the center, Al-Juba was transferred to an Israeli hospital, where it was said his vision was damaged by tear gas.
http://www.maannews.net/eng/ViewDetails.aspx?ID=329523
Undercover police expel minors arrested at scene of alleged stone throwing
OCCUPIED JERUSALEM, (PIC)-- An undercover Israeli security unit assaulted and arrested a group of children at the scene of an alleged rock throwing incident and turned them in for questioning, locals reported.
The sources said despite being under 14 years of age, courts set NIS 2,000-3,000 bail bonds on a number of the children and they were placed on house arrest outside of their homes in Jerusalem's Arab Silwan neighborhood.
Some of the children were sent to Al-Khalil and Shi'fat without regard for their scholastic obligations.
Commenting on the situation, one of the children's guardians said Israeli police penalize children without consideration for their social or educational statuses, adding that Israel's Jerusalem municipality does not provide cultural or recreational services to children in Silwan.
A parent of an underage arrestee said: What does the Israeli police expect from a child in Silwan when he sees how Israeli soldiers disrespect and insult his mother and spit on his father?
Undercover Israeli units have employed various methods to carry out arrests on minors. One boy Ahmed Hasouna, 13, was arrested by police pretending to harvest olives. He was then expelled to Al-Khalil where he has been serving house arrest.
http://bit.ly/9t3iwV
IOF kidnap five Palestinian boys in Silwan
SILWAN, (PIC)-- The Israeli occupation forces (IOF) kidnapped at dawn Sunday five Palestinian boys in Silwan town, south of the Aqsa Mosque in occupied Jerusalem, on suspicion of their participation in recent events in the occupied holy city and took them to Maskubiya detention center.
Local sources said that dozens of Israeli troops stormed the town at an early hour today and raided homes mainly in the neighborhoods of Battn Al-Hawa, Al-Hara Al-Wusta and Al-Bustan.
They added that the troops dealt harshly with the Palestinians and deliberately terrorized women and children during their raids.
In another context, the Palestinian residents of Silwan complained about the cracks and cave-ins that happen in their homes as a result of the underground excavations carried out by the Israeli authority of antiquities especially in the winter.
They reported that new fissures and cave-ins started to appear inside their homes with the advent of winter and said that they filed official complaints in this regard with the Israeli occupation authority, but to no avail.
In a separate incident, Israeli policemen kidnapped Sunday morning two Palestinian young men from their homes in Umm Al-Fahm city inside the 1948 occupied lands.
The Israeli police claimed they participated in last Wednesday clashes which broke out after Jewish extremist settlers led by right-wing Knesset member Baruch Marzal staged a provocative protest against Sheikh Ra'ed Salah, the head of the Islamic Movement.
Local sources said that the two young men will stand trial in Khudayrah city, adding that nine other young men and children have been detained since the clashes for allegedly throwing stones at policemen.
Earlier on Saturday, the IOF troops kidnapped specialist in settlement activities Issa Amro during his presence in the southern side of Al-Khalil city.
Eyewitness said that the troops blindfolded Amro and tied his hands behind his back before taking him to the PA-Israeli coordination office in the city.
Amro was detained as he was documenting Israeli settler's violations and assaults on the Palestinian residents of the old city in Al-Khalil during the religious celebrations that were taking place inside the Ibrahimi Mosque.
In another incident, the IOF troops fired intensively rubber and live bullets, and tear gas grenades at the peaceful march held every Saturday in protest at the segregation wall and settlement activities in Beit Ummar town, north of Al-Khalil.
The troops prevented by armed force the marchers from reaching the Palestinian lands near Karmi Tsur settlement at the pretext that the area next to the settlement is a closed military zone.
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