- 11 aug 2011
Israel Occupation Forces serves demolition notice to owner of water well
JERICHO, (PIC)-- Israeli occupation forces (IOF) served a notice to a Palestinian citizen in Nuwaima village, Jericho province, that his water well would be razed because it was built without permit in area C of the West Bank.
Local sources charged that the notice fell in line with the Israeli occupation authority’s war against the Palestinian population’s water resources in the West Bank in general and in Jericho in particular.
They said that the IOA wants to turn the Palestinian land into land not fit for cultivation and thus force its owners to desert it.
Zuhair Manasra, the head of the society of palm growers in Jericho, refuted the IOA claim that the water well was located in C area, adding that it is located in A area.
He said that the IOA decision would lead to the death of palm trees in the entire area, noting that it contains 4000 trees.
The IOA seeks to redirect all water resources in the Jordan Valley to serve 30 Jewish settlements there inhabited by 9500 settlers who consume double the consumption of the entire Palestinian population in the West Bank.
http://fwd4.me/0i79
Israel Occupation Authority flattens Palestinian home in occupied Jerusalem
OCCUPIED JERUSALEM, (PIC)-- The Israeli occupation authority (IOA) razed the home of Majed Al-Rajabi in Baka’a area to the southwest of occupied Jerusalem on Wednesday due to the usual pretext of lack of construction permit.
Rajabi said that the IOA glued a demolition order on his 60 square meter home a week ago, adding that he had purchased the house seven years ago when it was a deserted shop.
The IOA had razed another home for Rajabi in 2009 in Beit Hanina in occupied Jerusalem at the same pretext.
Rajabi said that his son-in-law, who lives near him, has received a similar demolition notice, noting that he also had purchased it four years ago when it was a deserted shop.
http://fwd4.me/0i78 5 dec 2011, 14:08 , Respect -
Maria 13 aug 2011
US Congressional candidate believes Israel aims to destroy al-Aqsa Mosque
http://fwd4.me/0i77 5 dec 2011, 14:08 , Respect -
Maria 5 dec 2011, 14:08 , Respect -
Maria 5 dec 2011, 14:08 , Respect -
Maria 5 dec 2011, 14:08 , Respect -
Maria 19 aug 2011
Israeli Occupation Forces hand eight home owners demolition notices
http://fwd4.me/0i76 5 dec 2011, 14:08 , Respect -
Maria 5 dec 2011, 14:08 , Respect -
Maria 21 aug 2011
Settlers raid Nablus village
http://www.maannews.net/eng/ViewDetails.aspx?ID=414956 5 dec 2011, 14:08 , Respect -
Maria 22 aug 2011
Night of Israeli violence: Al Aqsa Mosque barricade, house demolition, gang beating, arrests
http://fwd4.me/0i6F 5 dec 2011, 14:09 , Respect -
Maria 23 aug 2011
Israel digging new tunnels in Muslim Quarter of J’lem’s Old City
http://fwd4.me/0i6C
Al-Qawasmi home, ripped apart by Israeli military – in pictures
http://fwd4.me/0i6D 5 dec 2011, 14:09 , Respect -
Maria 24 aug 2011
Farmer: Settlers uproot trees in Beit Ummar
http://www.maannews.net/eng/ViewDetails.aspx?ID=415618
Supreme Court ruling turns village into open-air prison
http://fwd4.me/0i68
Jewish settlers cut off Palestinian olive trees
http://fwd4.me/0i69
Settlers Uproot Olive Trees, Grapevines, Plum Trees Near Hebron
http://www.imemc.org/article/61877 5 dec 2011, 14:09 , Respect -
Maria 25 aug 2011
Silwan committee unveils Israeli scheme to take over Al-Bustan zone
http://fwd4.me/0i65
Witnesses: Settlers burn hundreds of olive trees
http://fwd4.me/0i64
Jewish settlers set Palestinian olive trees on fire
http://fwd4.me/0i62
Archaeologists protest removal of Muslim graves
BETHLEHEM (Ma'an) -- The "surreptitious and unscientific" removal of hundreds of bodies from ancient Muslim graves in Jerusalem violates international and Israeli law, a group of archaeologists warned Friday.
Some 84 archaeologists and and professors of archaeology from universities and research centers around the world signed a letter appealing to Jerusalem's mayor, the Israeli Antiquities Authority and the Simon Wiesenthal Center to abandon plans to build a Museum of Tolerance on the historic Mamilla cemetery.
The cemetery is the burial ground of thousands of Muslim leaders, Sufi saints and Jerusalem families dating back to at least the 12th century. It is said to have been in use as early as the seventh century, when the companions of the Prophet Muhammad were reputedly buried.
In 1948, when Israel took control of the cemetery, the Israeli Religious Affairs Ministry recognized Mamilla "to be one of the most prominent Muslim cemeteries, where seventy thousand Muslim warriors of armies are interred along with many Muslim scholars. Israel will always know to protect and respect this site."
Pointing to the Simon Wiesenthal Center's work to preserve Jewish cemeteries around the world, the archeologists appealed to the center to show tolerance by respecting the dead and "ceasing construction on the burial grounds of generations of Jerusalem's Muslim population."
Hundreds of bodies have already been removed, and the archaeologists said pictures showed bones "haphazardly placed in cardboard boxes" revealing an "utter disregard for these human remains."
Meanwhile reports that disinterred remains were placed in a mass grave without any proper records suggested the Simon Wiesenthal Center intended "to conceal the hundreds of disinterred remains so as to continue with the Museum project," the letter said.
The archaeologists refer to an affidavit submitted to Israel's Supreme Court by the Israeli Antiquities Authority's chief excavator Gideon Suleimani in a case opposing construction of the Museum in 2008.
Suleimani directed a preliminary excavation of the graveyard in 2005, prior to Israeli authorities' approval of the museum.
He said he warned the Simon Wiesenthal Center that their chosen site was "a crowded cemetery, containing three of four layers of graves," but that the center put him under pressure "to complete the works quickly."
Consequently, no correct or complete record was established and "an archaeological crime" was committed as the valuable site was destroyed, Suleimani told the court.
He also said the IAA's claim that construction was approved on the site because of a lack of scientific data was "a factual and archaeological lie."
Suleimani said that after his excavations around 2,000 graves remained on the site, but the IAA reported that there was no evidence of "further skeletons."
The chief excavator said he was told by an official at the Israeli Ministry of Religious Affairs that if one Jewish grave was found, the excavations would be stopped immediately.
Noting the discrepancy, the archaeologists concluded: "Continued neglect to preserve this valuable archaeological and heritage site will only demonstrate the failure of Israeli authorities and the SWC to uphold the same ethical, religious and archaeological standards equally and without bias, for the burial sites of Jews and non-Jews alike."
http://www.maannews.net/eng/ViewDetails.aspx?ID=431920
Israeli Municipality to Demolish
JERUSALEM, (WAFA) - Israeli Municipality of Jerusalem said Tuesday that Bab El-Magharbeh (Dung Gate) bridge in Jerusalem’s Old City is in danger of collapse or fire and must be demolished within 30 days.
Israeli authorities issued, five months ago, a permit to demolish the Dung Gate bridge and build another one in accordance with Israeli plans which aim to Judaize the area, but the police postponed the demolition for fear of the outbreak of protests by Palestinians.
Israeli authorities are working to change the character of Jerusalem’s Old City, including the demolition of the Dung Gate bridge, which is used by Israeli police and security as well as the Jews when entering Al-Aqsa Mosque courtyards.
The engineer in charge of the Western (Wailing) Wall said that if the bridge is not demolished, the Israeli municipality will seek legal action.
http://english.wafa.ps/index.php?action=detail&id=17864
Jerusalem Municipality: al-Aqsa’s Moroccan Gate Bridge Will Be Destroyed in 30 Days
A spokesman for the Jerusalem municipality announced on Tuesday that the bridge to the Moroccan Gate, one of the entrances to the Haram al-Sharif or Noble Sanctuary, must be collapsed or burned in the next 30 days.
The Moroccan Gate bridge has been in disrepair for a number of years and was severely damaged by Israeli authorities in an attempt to demolish it in 2007. According to Palestinian official news wire Wafa, the municipality engineer in charge of the Western Wall said that t judicial proceedings might follow if the bridge is not collapsed on schedule.
Five months ago, the Israeli government gave permission to collapse the bridge and build an Israeli-planned replacement, but the police delayed the collapse for fear of demonstrations by Palestinians.
http://fwd4.me/0fcf
Israeli Soldiers Demolish House, Uproot Trees
JERUSALEM, (WAFA) – Israeli soldiers Tuesday demolished a house and a farm, and uprooted a number of trees in Anata town, northeast of Jerusalem, according to local sources.
They said that Israeli soldiers raided the town from the northeastern entrance and surrounded the targeted area, before demolishing the house and its farm and uprooting a number of trees.
The soldiers claimed the house was demolished on the pretext of building without a permit in an area under the security control of Israel.
The town of Anata has witnessed a number of clashes between Palestinians and Israeli soldiers, who use excessive force to disperse them.
http://english.wafa.ps/index.php?action=detail&id=17865 5 dec 2011, 14:09 , Respect -
Maria 5 dec 2011, 14:09 , Respect -
Maria 28 aug 2011
Jerusalem parking lot ‘to be built on private Palestinian land’
http://www.maannews.net/eng/ViewDetails.aspx?ID=416674 5 dec 2011, 14:09 , Respect -
Maria 30 aug 2011
Israeli attempts to confiscate 4 dunums in Sheikh Jarrah
http://fwd4.me/0i5x
- 2 aug 2011
Israel ups Palestinian home demolitions
Palestinians react after their homes were destroyed by Israeli bulldozers in the West Bank
A UN relief agency says Israel has escalated demolitions of Palestinian homes in the occupied West Bank “alarmingly” in the first half of this year.
The United Nations Relief and Works Agency (UNRWA), which provides aid for Palestinian refugees, said Tuesday Israeli forces have demolished 356 structures in the first six months of 2011, compared with 431 during the whole of 2010, AFP reported.
“Demolitions by the Israeli authorities in the West Bank have escalated alarmingly,” said UNRWA spokesman Chris Gunness.
Israeli emolitions have displaced 700 people in the first six months of this year, compared with 594 in the whole of last year, the agency stated.
“Most demolitions have targeted already vulnerable Bedouin and herding communities,” Gunness pointed out, adding, “In many cases, demolition orders have been issued to virtually the whole community, leaving these communities facing a real danger of complete destruction.”
The home demolitions are taking place in a large area, which constitutes 60 percent of the West Bank and is under full Israeli control, according to UNRWA.
“This means that it is virtually impossible for a Palestinian to obtain a permit for construction, while Israeli settlements receive preferential treatment in the allocation of water and land, and approval of development plans,” Gunness further explained.
The UN agency officials have noted that demolitions of Palestinian homes appear to be concentrated in areas considered for “settlement expansion.”
“Most disturbing of all is the clear link we now see between settlement expansion and demolitions and the forced displacements that result,” Gunness finaly said.
In September 2010, the Israeli regime resumed the expansion of settlements in the occupied Palestinian territories after a 10-month partial freeze, prompting the Palestinian Authority leaders to break off the US-sponsored talks with Tel-Aviv that had resumed after a lengthy stalemate.
http://www.presstv.ir/detail/192073.html
UNRWA: Clear link between settlements and demolitions
JERUSALEM (Ma'an) -- The link between Israel's settlement expansion in the West Bank and the displacement of Palestinians from their homes is now "abundantly clear," UNRWA spokesman Chris Gunness said Tuesday.
"Many displacements are taking place where settlements are expanding and with it we are seeing an upturn in vicious attacks by Jewish settlers. Palestinians are being thrown off their ancestral lands to make way for settlers," Gunness told Ma'an.
Figures released Tuesday by the UN agency for Palestinian refugees showed a sharp rise in demolitions of Palestinian homes and livelihood structures by Israeli authorities in the West Bank.
The UN Relief and Works Agency said 356 structures had been demolished in the first six months of this year, compared with 431 for the whole of 2010.
And the agency said 700 people had been displaced by the demolitions in the first six months of 2011, compared with 594 in the whole of 2010. In June and July, some 605 Palestinians were displaced or affected by demolitions, many of whom were children.
Israel's restrictions on movement, confiscation of land and resources, revocation of residency rights, harassment from the Israeli military, settler attacks and lack of protection against settler attacks were also causes of displacement in the West Bank, the UN agency said.
Israel's demolitions and policies in Area C -- the 60 percent of the West Bank under full Israeli control -- were driving already poor families deeper into poverty, Gunness said.
"There is growing evidence that it is destroying the very fabric of these communities and ultimately contributing to a demographic shift which is changing the ethnic make-up of the West Bank," he added.
Israel only allows Palestinians to build on one percent of Area C under a system UN High Commissioner for Human Rights Navi Pilay has condemned as discriminatory. Most demolitions occur in Area C.
Israel says its demolitions of homes are based only on whether the structures in question have the appropriate permits.
But Gunness said demolitions had escalated in areas targeted for settlement expansion, adding that it was "a cause of great concern."
Meanwhile, the UN official says it is "virtually impossible" for Palestinians to obtain permission to build on their land "while Israeli settlements receive preferential treatment in the allocation of water and land, and approval of development plans."
UNRWA urged the Israeli government to end the displacement and dispossession of Palestinians in the occupied territories "including immediately ceasing demolitions of Palestinian-owned structures."
"We call for transparency, accountability and an end to policies and practices that violate Israel's obligations under international law."
Israel's construction of Jewish-only settlements on occupied Palestinian land is illegal under international law.
The last round of peace talks collapsed over Israel's refusal to extend a partial freeze on settlement construction.The Palestinians say they will not negotiate while Israel builds on land which would be a Palestinian state under an agreement.
http://www.maannews.net/eng/ViewDetails.aspx?ID=410450
Settlers torch 150 dunams of farmland to the south of Nablus
On Sunday a group of Israeli settlers set ablaze 150 Dunams of farmland belonging to the village of Jaloud in Nablus (to the north of the Occupied West Bank), leaving the lands completely destroyed.
Ghassan Daghlas, who is responsible for the settlements issue in the north of the West Bank, said that settlers from the Shvut Rachel settlement established on Palestinian citizens' land in the town of Galud, (to the south of Nablus), torched around 150 Dunams of farmland, agricultural fields and crops.
Daghlas added that the fire continued to burn for hours before fire-fighters extinguished it, which caused great material losses for the Palestinian owners of the farmlands.
This fire comes in the context of a series of settlers' attacks on Palestinian citizens and their property.
http://fwd4.me/0i7C 5 dec 2011, 14:07 , Respect -
Maria 8 aug 2011
Palestinian residents of Silwan suffer under the City of David settlement “improvement” project – in pictures
Silwan, Jerusalem (SILWANIC) -- Israeli developers overseeing the “Improvement of the City of David settelment ” project in Silwan are engaging in underhanded retaliation to the Israeli Supreme Court’s ruling that an important part of the construction project is illegal.
Those punished are the residents of Silwan themselves. Israeli construction crews have taken to working on the streets of Silwan themselves, leaving gaping holes in the roads, a serious safety issue for residents. Many children, women and elderly people have already been injured when falling into the holes, and indeed several cars have crashed as a result.
Despite complaints lodged by the residents of mWadi Hilweh, the worst-affected district of Silwan, Israeli authorities have paid no attention thus far, instead spreading rumours to sow disunity amongst the community.
Authorities have requested that the court’s decision be waived in order to complete the project, a request that has been refused. Muriya, the company contracted for the project, have stated however that they intend to complete the contested Wadi Hilweh parking lot project.
The Jerusalem Municipality intends to eliminate street parking on Wadi Hilweh Street, claiming that the street is not wide enough, without offering a viable alternative to the community.
The “Improvement” project is of benefit only to the settlement movement in Silwan and the associated tourism industry. The Municipality has a strong working relationship with settlement association Elad, a relationship that translates into unbridled support for the settlement enterprise in the village.
http://silwanic.net/?p=18964 5 dec 2011, 14:07 , Respect -
Maria 9 aug 2011
Israel 'deploys drones' over offshore gas fields
JERUSALEM (AFP) -- Israel has deployed drones to keep watch on gas fields off its northern coast, fearing attack by the Hezbollah militia from neighboring Lebanon, the Jerusalem Post daily reported on Tuesday.
The fields lie in a part of the Mediterranean that is claimed by Israel for gas exploration and production, but Lebanon says the fields lie within its territorial waters.
"The decision to deploy drones was made in order to maintain a 24-hour presence over the site," the paper said, adding that the air force was equipped with the locally made Heron drone, which has special electro-optics designed for maritime work.
The Israeli military would not confirm or deny the Post report.
The paper said that the air force started aerial surveillance after a warning last month from Hezbollah, which in 2006 fought a deadly war with Israel in which it used anti-ship missiles.
The "Heron" drone is pictured at the Palmahim Airbase in central Israel
"The Israeli enemy cannot drill a single meter in these waters to search for gas and oil if the zone is disputed ... No company can carry out prospecting work in waters whose sovereignty is contested," the Shiite group said.
The Hezbollah threat came after Israel's cabinet approved a map of the country's proposed maritime borders with Lebanon and submitted it to the United Nations, which has been asked to mediate in the dispute.
The map conflicts with one submitted by Lebanon to the UN last year, which gives Israel less territory.
The two countries are technically at war and will not negotiate face to face.
The disputed zone consists of about 854 square kilometers.
The two biggest known offshore fields, Tamar and Leviathan, lie respectively about 80 kilometers and 130 kilometers off Israel's northern city of Haifa.
Tamar is believed to hold at least 238 billion cubic meters cubic feet of gas, while Leviathan is believed to have reserves of 450 billion cubic meters.
In June an Israeli company announced the discovery of two new natural gas fields, Sarah and Mira, around 70 kilometers off the city of Hadera further south.
http://www.maannews.net/eng/ViewDetails.aspx?ID=411946
8 aug 2011
Palestinian residents of Silwan suffer under the City of David settlement “improvement” project – in pictures
Palestinian residents of Silwan suffer under the City of David settlement “improvement” project – in pictures