- 9 aug 2012
The distanced people off the Aqsa prays near his gates
The people that were distanced from the Aqsa for “Security reasons”
spends their Fridays and the Ramadan prayers outside of its doors to state their right to be and pray in it.
7 young men from the old city of Jerusalem were raised on the Aqsa yards and today they are prevented from reaching and praying in it, according to the 1945th British emergency law put on them by the general of the Israeli army in the area as an excuse of; “Protecting the security and the sake of the people and the order”
The young men are; Hamza Zg’ir, he was distanced for the last 2.5 years.
Misbah Abu Sbeh, for the last 2 years
Fadi al Ja’ba, one year
Jamil Abasi and Ahmad al Jalad from the beginning of Ramadan 2012.
The young men stated that they are staying around the gates to assure their right to pray in it, as they were ruled to keep a 20 meters distance from it, so they picked a corner near
The Lions gate to pray in it, They pray every Friday of Ramadan, and after dinner.
They expressed their feelings by saying how hard it is to see thousands going in to the Aqsa in Ramadan while they, the citizens of Jerusalem aren’t allowed to step in.
Hamza Zg’ir, Haitham al Ja’ba, and Misbah Abu Sbeh were released at 11.7.12 after spending 5 months in prison, they were ruled by the military not to inter the Aqsa for 6 months, Even though it was ruled on 8.3.12while they were in prison and this rule ends in 7.9.12
They were released after the negotiations between their lawyers and the prosecute and they agreed to change the charges from “An illegal organization- The Aqsa youth” to “Participating in activities in East Jerusalem”
http://silwanic.net/?p=27971
17 oct 2012, 23:50 , Respect -
Maria 18 aug 2012
The judge of the Israeli Magistrates’ Court rules to release under conditions the 14 years old Abd al Rahim Ez al Deen Barbar after he spent a few hours in the Maskubiye police station
Abed al-Rahim ez al Deen Barbar, 14
Boy arrested, held overnight and forced to confess to throwing stones
A local Palestinian boy has been released on bail by the Israeli Magistrates Court after being detained at Maskubiye Police Station under accusation of throwing stones. Abed al-Rahim ez al Deen Barbar, aged 14, was arrested on 14 August in Silwan by Israeli authorities and forced to confess to a charges of throwing stones at a military jeep. He was released on a 10-day house arrest sentence, conditional on payment of a 500 NIS fine and signing for a further 5,000 should he break his conditions.
Barbar was taken on his way from his home in Ras al-Amoud to Jerusalem’s Old City to buy new clothes, said his mother to Silwanic. She found out later from a neighbor that her son was arrested and had been taken to Salah al-Din Police Station. On arrival, she said, they were told that he had been transferred to Maskubiye in West Jerusalem.
“We waited for an investigator and ‘Behaviour Officer’ for a long time, while Abed waited alone and handcuffed in a cell. Only when the investigation finally started was his father allowed in.” Speaking about the pressure Barbar was put under by investigators to confess, she said that he was told to “admit that you threw the stone, and you will go home with your father.”
Barbar was held by police overnight before he was brought before the Magistrates Court the following morning. He was not released from Maskubiye, however; he was forced to wait until he was transferred back to Salah al-Din.
Barbar’s mother expressed gratitude to Silwanic and the Wadi Hilweh Information Center, the Prisoner’s Club, the Prisoner’s Parents’ Committee, and fellow arrestees and prisoners from Jerusalem for standing with her family during the ordeal.
http://silwanic.net/?p=28113...Read more 13 nov 2012, 16:16 , Respect -
Maria 18 aug 2012
Family home raided in Silwan after settler attack on children
Israeli forces raided a Palestinian family home in Silwan on Saturday, 18 aug. The Karki family were accused by armed forces of attacking nearby Israeli settlers.
Ahmad Siyam told Silwanic that a group of Palestinian children playing in the street were in fact attacked by settlers, leading to a confrontation. When the children continued playing after, a settler arrived 10 minutes later with an Israeli forces escort to arrest the children. When the children ran away, armed forces raided the Karki home.
http://silwanic.net/?p=28259
13 nov 2012, 16:17 , Respect -
Maria 18 aug 2012
Around half million prays in the Aqsa at the Qader night
Thousands flock to Al-Aqsa for holy night of Ramadan
Worshipers in the tens of thousands attended the evening prayer at Al-Aqsa Mosque in honor of the holy Ramadan night of Qader. People flocked from around occupied 48 Palestine and the West Bank, many of whom had not visited Al-Aqsa since the Second Intifada. Men aged 12-40 years were denied entry by Israeli guards, while women of all ages were allowed access.
The presiding sheikh of Alaqsa prayed for the uniting of all Muslims, for the Israeli siege of Al-Aqsa to be broken, and for freedom for all prisoners in Israeli jails. Two hours of prayer ushered in the commencement of the Qader night in the Al-Aqsa complex, which had steadily filled with worshipers since the early morning. West Bank attendees arrived early to spend the entire day in the complex, praying and reading the Quran.
Men and women divided themselves into their own areas in the complex, as Palestinian and Islamic flags fluttered in the breeze overhead. Israeli police were positioned at all entrances to the Old City of Jerusalem and to Al-Aqsa, and closed off a number of main streets in the Old City that afternoon.
http://silwanic.net/?p=28109 13 nov 2012, 16:17 , Respect -
Maria 22 aug 2012
Al Essawiye: The under cover unit arrests the young man Muhammad Mahmoud and attacks Him
Muhammad Abdallah Mahmood, 19
Teenage boy arrested and beaten by undercover officers in Assawiye
Undercover Israeli officers assaulted and arrested a young Palestinian man in Assawiye neighborhood of East Jerusalem on Wednesday, 22 August.
Muhammad Abdallah Mahmood, 19, was walking home when he was attacked and badly beaten by an undercover Musta’revim unit 50 metres from his grandmother’s home, where he had been staying.
Mahmood’s brother Fadi Mahmood told Silwanic that officers beat his brother both with their fists and weapons and had sustained injuries all over his body.
Mahmood was treated at Hadasa Ein Karen Hospital, still in police custody, before being brought before the Jerusalem Magistrates Court on the morning of 23 August. His family was denied permission to visit or contact him whilst in hospital.
The Mahmood family home was raided by Israeli forces yesterday. Armed officers forced their way into the property while Mahmood’s parents were at home bearing an arrest warrant for Fadi Mahmood, and searched the house. Furniture and belongings were damaged. Police dogs were used in the search, which took an hour to complete.
http://silwanic.net/?p=28222
13 nov 2012, 16:27 , Respect -
Maria 24 aug 2012
The Park of Memadyon police uses a new weapon and attacks a citizen from Jerusalem
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Fb4fNNivqOc
Israeli police ruthlessly attack Palestinian picnicker with tasers
A Palestinian resident of Jerusalem was attacked by Israeli police in a park near Tel Aviv last Tuesday, 14 August, while picnicking with his friends and family. Talal al-Sayad was attacked by Israeli police when attempting to intervene in a police attack on another man in Mimadyon Park in Ramat Gan outside Tel Aviv while he celebrated the end of Ramadan there.
Sayad told Silwan that he witnessed police, armed with tasers and pepper spray, attacking a man in the park that day. When he attempted to help the man and offered to wash his face from the pepper spray, police screamed at Sayad and aimed their guns at him, despite the fact that Sayad was carrying his 3-year old son in his arms.
Said Sayad: “Many of us, both Israelis and Palestinians, gathered around the injured man. The police threatened me, then shot me with a taser. It seemed like a new weapon they had, attached to the end of their gun, and hit me in four sharp shots.
They can shoot the taser at someone from 10 meter away – I was tased until I fainted. When I came to all I remember is a crushing pressure on my stomach, burns on my body and that I was unable to breathe. When I tried to get up they tased me again. Israeli forces then handcuffed me and continued to tase me.”
Sayad was taken to Ramat Gan Police Station and held for five hours, during which he threw up continually was denied the medical attention he urgently required. Two of his friends were also taken by police, all of them accused of attempting to help the initial man they witnessed the attack upon escape police custody.
Sayad states that he intends to press charges against the Mahash police department. He considers his case strong, given that the entire attack was caught on camera. “I was attacked in front of my two children,” he says. “They are 13 and 3 years old.”
http://silwanic.net/?p=28213 13 nov 2012, 16:39 , Respect -
Maria 24 aug 2012
Garbage over garbage , a painful sight in the holidays in Jerusalem
Silwan awash with waste as Municipality denies garbage collection during holiday season
As Ramadan 2012 draws to a close, garbage is piled high throughout the streets of East Jerusalem. The Jerusalem Municipality continues to refuse thousands of tax-paying Palestinian residents of the city basic council services such as rubbish collection, forcing many to take waste disposal into their own hands and burn their rubbish in garbage cans. Ein al-Adha, the feast marking the end of Ramadan, was clouded with dangerous smoke this year, composed not only of waste from Palestinian residents, but additional waste dumped in their garbage cans by Israeli settlers.
The Jerusalem Municipality has not collected waste from Silwan (with the exception of settlement facilities) since last Thursday, 16 August. While Municipality waste workers visited Silwan on Monday and Tuesday of this week, they ignored the majority of waste lying on the ground, only a small portion of which has been able to be cleaned up by youth community efforts.
http://silwanic.net/?p=28217 13 nov 2012, 22:14 , Respect -
Maria 26 aug 2012
Antiquities Authority starts new phase of Umayyad Palaces excavation
The Israeli Antiquities Authority commenced with a new phase of excavation of the remains of the Islamic Umayyad-era Palaces in Silwan, south of Al-Aqsa Mosque, on Sunday 26 August. Wadi Hilweh Information Center reporters photographed Antiquities Authority workers preparing for a new dig.
The remains of the palaces were opened by authorities in June last year as part of a scheme to highlight biblical history in the region. Information signs were posted around the site referencing an alleged connection to the First and Second Temples of Jewish history. New archaeological “finds” were also added to support its claims of exclusively Jewish history.
The excavations, which take place near Bab al-Rahme Cemetery, have upset great inconvenience to the local Palestinian community, with one family prevented from burying a deceased family member in the cemetery by Antiquities Authorities, who claimed that they held the rights to the burial land.
http://silwanic.net/?p=28257 13 nov 2012, 22:14 , Respect -
Maria 27 aug 2012
Bulldozers destroy fruit shop housing 27 people
A Palestinian fruit shop was demolished by Jerusalem Municipality bulldozers on Monday, 27 August, in East Jerusalem. Shop owner Ismail Mahmoud Jaber was told by Israeli forces that he had no permit for the shop before he and his sons were assaulted by officers.
Jaber told Silwanic that the officials arrived with the bulldozers arrived at dawn, ordering his sons Muhammad and Malek out of the shop before demolishing it. His sons were not allowed anytime to remove the produce from the shop before its destruction.
The shop, originally constructed from found materials, was built on land that has belonged to his son Mahmood for the last two years. In addition to providing the family’s livelihood through trade, it also housed 27 family members, costing them an estimated 100,000 NIS in losses. Jaber had been pursuing the correct permit since the beginning of the year, when he was notified by authorities of the requirement.
http://silwanic.net/?p=28429 13 nov 2012, 22:14 , Respect -
Maria 28 aug 2012
Israeli forces raid fruit shop, confiscate 50,000 NIS of produce
Israeli forces and Jerusalem Municipality officers raided a fruit shop in Sultan Suliman Street in Jerusalem on Tuesday, 28 August. 50,000 NIS worth of produce was confiscated by officers, who gave the owners 24 hours to remove the umbrella at the shop’s entrance or face fines of 500 NIS.
The Maswade family, who owns the store, were confronted by Israeli officers who confiscated vast amounts of produce and put them in trucks nearby. Officers claimed that the shop had extended beyond its legal limits under Israeli law.
http://silwanic.net/?p=28376 13 nov 2012, 22:14 , Respect -
Maria 28 aug 2012
Israeli armed forces occupy Al-Aqsa
Israeli military forces and settlers forced entry to the Al-Aqsa Mosque complex on Tuesday, 28 August. One hundred police officers, soldiers and settlers entered the Al-Aqsa complex that morning, in what Al-Aqsa authorities have deemed a “preparatory” invasion in the lead up to the next Jewish holiday, which are often marked by confrontation in Jerusalem.
Thirty-five armed forces officers entered through Dung Gate, allowing settlers a passage through to the Dome of the Rock, where they remained for two hours. Sixty soldiers then entered at midday, stationing themselves at the Abu Bakr terrace, then near the Marwani Chapel. They left through the Silsila Gate after one hour.
The presence of Israeli forces prevented Muhammad Abu al-Sharif, a renowned activist with the Al-Aqsa Students group, who had intended to make a public visit to the complex that day
http://silwanic.net/?p=28427 13 nov 2012, 22:15 , Respect -
Maria 28 aug 2012
Ministry of Defence to close Shuafat checkpoint and extend Wall
The Israeli Ministry of Defence has announced its plans to seal off one of two checkpoints through which the 65,000 Palestinian residents of Shuafat refugee camp can pass to enter Jerusalem.
The extension of the Separation Wall and closing of the Ras Khamis checkpoint will occur in contravention to a 2008 High Court of Justice ruling that stated Shuafat Camp requires a total of eight pedestrian and four vehicle crossings before the checkpoint could be closed.
The decision will affect not only Shuafat itself but three other villages crowded into the camp: Ras Shehada, Dahiyat al-Salaam and Ras Khamis.
Twenty surveillance cameras were removed from the Ras Khamis border on Sunday, 26 August in preparation for its closing, which is expected to take place next Tuesday. The Separation Wall will then be extended to encircle the new border of Shuafat. The construction of the Wall is expected to further carve up the area, forcing locals to drive and walk through narrow streets, causing traffic congestion and impacting on trade.
http://silwanic.net/?p=28271 13 nov 2012, 22:15 , Respect -
Maria 1 sept 2012
Imam al-Zag’el speaks out against cemetery annexation at public prayer
Dozens of Silwan residents gathered for the weekly public Friday prayer in the Al-Bustan protest tent in Silwan last week, 31 August. In his sermon, Imam al-Sheikh Imad al-Zag’el spoke about the Israeli decision to annex 1,800 acres of the Bab al-Rahme Cemetery, and told those assembled to continue to bury their dead in the cemetery despite the development
http://silwanic.net/?p=28597 13 nov 2012, 22:15 , Respect -
Maria 1 sept 2012
Ras al-Khamis checkpoint closing in Shuafat delayed but still to go ahead
The Israeli Ministry of Defense has announced that it will delay the closing of the Ras al-Khamis checkpoint between Shuafat Camp and Israel, pending a legal ruling on the case. Head of Ras al-Khamis Development Committee Jamil Sanduka told Silwanic that lawyers learnt on Tuesday that the closing has been delayed, but will go ahead.
Construction activity is currently underway for the closing, with bulldozers digging an area to complete the Apartheid Wall between Shuafat and West Jerusalem. Israeli forces posted a sign at Ras al-Khamis checkpoint stating that the gate would be closed in a number of days, with the border between the West Bank and Israel now running along where the checkpoint currently is.
http://silwanic.net/?p=28601 13 nov 2012, 22:15 , Respect -
Maria 1 sept 2012
Philippines ambassador visits Silwan, pledges support
The Philippines ambassador to Tel- Aviv visited the Wadi Hilweh Information Center in Silwan this week to learn first-hand more about Israeli settlement expansion, the militarization of the neighborhood and the Center’s work in the community. Ambassador Jinroso Kalonk was met by Center staff who presented detailed information on Israeli settlement projects and the political archaeology of the City of David settlement throughout Wadi Hilweh, Baten al-Hawa and al-Bustan, and the difficulties faced by the Palestinian people of Silwan because of it.
Ambassador was also briefed on child arrests in Silwan, which has reached over 100 recent cases, and viewed a screening of the film Remain Childhood that explores the urgent issue of child arrest in Silwan. Ambassador expressed his shock at the situation during a tour of the region, and pledged to advocate for Silwan and East Jerusalem on the international platform.
http://silwanic.net/?p=28641
- 11 juli 2012
The passing away of the second of the martyr Samer Sarhan
Silwan was shocked by the passing away of Ahmad Sarhan (36 years old) the second brother of the martyr Samer Sarhan that passes away in less than a year.
Samer Sarhan was killed in September 2010, then his brother Jihad in August 2011 and last Sunday Ahmad passed away during his sleep like Jihad.
Ahmad spent almost 7 years in the Israeli prisons and after the death of his brother Samer he became depressed, on each meeting you can notice the signs on his face.
http://silwanic.net/?p=27525
9 sep 2012, 13:40 , Respect -
Maria 23 juli 2012
Settlers’ install locked gate to Silwan Spring
Confrontations broke out in the Ein Silwan area on Monday evening, 23 July, when Palestinian residents of Silwan removed a barrier installed by settlers at the southern entrance to Silwan Spring.
Israeli settlers had installed the locked steel gate to Silwan Spring that day during the quiet hours of a Ramadan afternoon, claiming that the Imam of Ein Silwan Mosque would be given keys to the gate – a claim refuted by the local Islamic council. Residents responded by attempting to dislodge the gate themselves, which Israeli forces responded to by attacking them with sound grenades. Clashes erupted, with residents throwing stones at Israeli troops.
Residents have asserted that they are committed to resisting Israeli attempts to control the historical Ein Silwan. The northern entrance to the site is already under settler control, and can only be accessed by Israeli settlers and tourists. Palestinians entering through the southern entrance are often subjected to settler harassment.
http://silwanic.net/?p=27753
9 sep 2012, 13:40 , Respect -
Maria 24 juli 2012
Tens of thousands pray in al-Aqsa Mosque on the first Friday of Ramadan
Around 70,000 prayers gathered in al- Aqsa mosque to pray on the first Friday of Ramadan. Most of them were from Jerusalem, the Palestinians of the 48, and a few were from the West Bank.
The area was full of Israeli forces. They were on the gates of the old city and the Mosque, putting up steel barriers and using a hot-air balloon to film and supervise the delegations in al- Aqsa. The police also closed the main streets of Jerusalem and allowed only a few public buses to pass through, while clearing special streets for pedestrians.
On Friday, the Israeli police allowed men above 40 years of age who carried a West Bank ID to pray in Jerusalem without a permit.
The women didn’t have any age limit. Children had to be above 12 years old and must be accompanied by one of their parents.
The yards of al-Aqsa were prepared for men and women. They set up umbrellas outside to make more space for the prayers, and put ventilators in the yard to cool off the heat.
The Orator of al- Aqsa mosque said that people should use that month to end fights and conciliate with people, and stop bad habits that don’t suit Muslims. He invited the people to keep visiting al- Aqsa mosque during the month of Ramadan and the rest of the year.
http://silwanic.net/?p=27656
9 sep 2012, 13:40 , Respect -
Maria 25 juli 2012
The police in invites the child Muhammad Zidani for an investigation for the second time in 2 days
14-year old Muhammad Ziad Zidani, arrested in raid and interrogated
A 14-year old child was summoned for investigation by Israeli police for the second time in two days. Muhammad Ziad Zidani was summoned on 25 July to Maskubiye prison for interrogation just two days after his release from police custody.
Zidani’s brother Bassem told Silwanic that Israeli forces arrested their father at Al-Aqsa Mosque after completing his dawn prayer, and told him to present his son Muhammad for investigation, threatening to raid their family home.
“When my father brought Muhammad for investigation he wasn’t charged,” says Bassem. “But they asked him questions about youth activities in the city, and then tried to kick our father out of the interrogation room as he objected to their line of questioning.”
Muhammad and his 17-year old brother Amer were arrested on 22 July during a dawn raid on their family home. Israeli forces confiscated their clothes, handcuffed the boys’ legs and arms and held them in Maskubiye prison. Muhammad was released that afternoon, while Amer’s arrest was extended until 26 July.
http://silwanic.net/?p=27758
9 sep 2012, 13:40 , Respect -
Maria 26 juli 2012
Settlers break into Al-Aqsa in lead up to Second Temple anniversary
Israeli settlers and soldiers have staged repeated break-ins to Al-Aqsa Mosque in Jerusalem’s Old City in recent weeks, as the anniversary of the destruction of the Second Temple looms for the city’s religious Jewish population.
Thirty settlers forced their way into Al-Aqsa again last night, 26 June, where they filmed an interview with one settler present. When Al-Aqsa guards attempted to intervene they were stopped by Israeli police.
More than a hundred Israeli settlers broke into Al-Aqsa Mosque on Wednesday, 18 June, in a provocative marking of the “anniversary of the destruction of the Second Temple”, which falls on 29 July.
Approximately 120 settlers broke into the Al-Aqsa complex that morning through Dung Gate and spread out throughout the grounds, loudly reciting prayers. Eyewitnesses report that Al-Aqsa guards and religious students intervened when settlers began screaming religious statements.
58 settlers and 28 uniformed Israeli soldiers broke into Al-Aqsa on 16 July as part of an organized tour. Sub-groups were led throughout the mosque complex, with settlers and soldiers taking photographs of the holy site.
The recent spate of provocative incursions into the third most holy site in Islam comes amidst a climate of right-wing Israeli agitation for the construction of the “Third Temple”, a symbolic concept of religious Judaism. Websites and pamphlets promoting its construction detail the steps required for its rebuilding and the religious ceremonies that will take place.
Such visions of the “Third Temple” are commonly associated in the minds of right-wing Israelis with the destruction of Al-Aqsa Mosque and all traces of Palestinian and Islamic heritage in Jerusalem, and the primacy of Jewish presence.
http://silwanic.net/?p=27806
9 sep 2012, 14:11 , Respect -
Maria 28 juli 2012
Roads blocked for settlers to reach annexed land
Clashes erupted in Wadi Hilweh today when Israeli forces shut down a local street to ensure Israeli settlers a “safe passage” to a block of land appropriated several years ago.
The street was cordoned off as Palestinian residents were coming home and preparing to break their fast for the day at the height of a summer Ramadan.
The settlers amassed close to the City of David settlement, while Israeli forces threatened Palestinians that they would face arrest if they did not disperse following confrontations.
http://silwanic.net/?p=27755
9 sep 2012, 14:11 , Respect -
Maria 29 juli 2012
Breaking in to the house of the released prisoner Mu’taz Hijazi and inviting him to be investigated
Last Tuesday, The Israeli forces breaks in to the house of Mu’taz Hijazi the released prisoner that lives in the T’awri neighborhood, serving him an invitation to the Salah Edin police station in Jerusalem at the beginning of August .
The released prisoner Hijazi Mu’taz cleared that a few of the Border guards alongside a few
Intelligence Agents broke in to his house while he was sick in his bed since he was after a surgery in his eyes, and while raiding his house
The agents investigated his parents then gave him the invitation to be investigated in Salah Edin’s police station beginning of August.
The released prisoner Mu’taz Hijazi spent 11 years and a half in prison, 10 of them being isolated, he was released on the 5th of June, 2012
http://silwanic.net/?p=27808
11 sep 2012, 10:30 , Respect -
Maria 29 juli 2012
An agent from the special unit dressed in Arabs uniform (Mista’revim) kidnaps a young man from Silwan
A young man from Silwan was kidnapped by undercover Israeli officers on Sunday, 29 July. Talal Hijazi, aged 20, was taken from an al-Bustan coffee shop that evening when he was accosted by Israeli Mista’revim unit officers dressed as Arabs at the coffee house after the evening Ramadan meal.
Eye witnesses state that eight officers entered the establishment, one of them dressed in the traditional dishdash garment, and speaking fluent Arabic. The officer approached Hijazi, put his hand on his shoulder and threw him to the ground. He then drew a concealed gun and took Hijazi outside.
Clashes broke out in the coffee house as officers then fired sound grenades, tear gas and rubber-coated steel bullets inside the crowded and enclosed space. Patrons responded by throwing stones at the officers, who fled the scene.
http://silwanic.net/?p=27853
12 sep 2012, 08:18 , Respect -
Maria 1 aug 2012
Israeli authorities issue new order for closure of Bet al-Sharq
Israeli authorities renewed the order for the closure of Orient House (Bet al-Sharq ) and the Arab Studies Organization for a period of six months on Monday, 30 July. The order is the twentieth of its kind, as the repression of the organization enters its eleventh year.
The renewed closure, set to commence from5 August, was issued in an order from Defence Minister Ezhak Ahrnofetsh, with Israeli forces hung on the gate of the Organization building. The closure was issued on grounds of upholding the law, particularly in the Occupied Territories, said Ahrnofetsh’s statement.
Bet al-Sharq was closed by Israeli forces for the first time on 9 August 2000, seventy days after the killing of prominent Palestinian activitist Faisal al-Husseini by Israeli forces. Husseini was involved in Bet al-Sharq, as well as the Jerusalem chapter of the Free Palestine organization.
Husseini’s killing took place as part of a Jerusalem-wide crackdown on civil rights organizations.Since then, Bet al-Sharq has sought support from the United Nations, the European Union, the Quartet committee and other governmental and local organizations, requesting a strong stance against the closure of Palestinian civil society groups that work towards a just peace and a better future for the next generation.
The Norwegian Foreign Affairs Minister in particular has taken up the issue of Israel’s repression of Bet al-Sharq, to which Israeli president Shimon Perez responded with a false claim of commitment to protection of all Jerusalem civil society organizations and its citizens, says Bet al-Sharq.
http://silwanic.net/?p=27849 19 sep 2012, 11:45 , Respect -
Maria 3 aug 2012
Thousands of citizens visited the Aqsa on the 3rd Friday in Ramadan.
300,000 attend Ramadan prayer at Al-Aqsa
Worshipers in their hundreds of thousands attended the third Friday prayer in the holy month of Ramadan at Al-Aqsa Mosque in Jerusalem’s Old City on 3 August, despite Israeli attempts to prevent many from entering it by bureaucratic restrictions.
Israeli authorities have attempted to impose a cut-off age of men aged 40 years or under from the West Bank on entering Al-Aqsa during Ramadan. The mosque’s compound was, however, flooded by over 300,000 worshipers on Friday from Jerusalem and around the 1948 region of Palestine, who are not subject to the same restrictions as West Bank residents. Only West Bank men in their later years were able to join the crowd.
Israeli forces, many of them on horseback, patrolled the surrounding area, while an armed forces helicopter and hot air balloon maintained surveillance from the skies.
The Islamic Mufti Muhammad Hussein made a speech to those assembled, stating that the 144 acres that comprises the Al-Aqsa complex belonged only to the Muslims, as stated by Allah, despite Israeli attempts to make claims on it. He asked those in attendance to visit Al-Aqsa every day of the year in an effort to protect it
http://silwanic.net/?p=27998 19 sep 2012, 11:45 , Respect -
Maria 3 aug 2012
Hassan Badea al-Taber
The citizen Hassan Badea al Taber “Akram Bader” the martyr of “Trying to survive”
Palestinian man shot dead by Israeli authorities
A Palestinian man was shot and killed by Israeli forces last monday outside Bettilo village near Ramallah. Hassan Badea al-Taber, aged 46, had left his home in Bettilo and was on his way to Jerusalem when he was shot by Israeli forces on the southern edge of the village. Al-Taber’s body is still being held by Israeli authorities for analysis, they claim. Authorities promised to transfer the body to the family on 1 August at the Ni’lin or Qalandia checkpoints between the West Bank and Israel. Al-Taber’s two sons, Muhammad (aged 20) and Alaa (17) were expected to meet them to collect the body.
Al-Taber, known to his community as Akram Badea Bader, was on his way from the West Bank to Jerusalem to work, traveling in a white Ford vehicle. Before they reached the Zaim checkpoint the driver received a phone call from a driver further down the road warning him that the situation at the checkpoint was volatile and that it was better to turn around. At that moment shots were fired at the car, hitting Al-Taber in the back of his neck, killing him instantly. Other passengers in the car sustained gunshot injuries.
Eyewitnesses from Zaim village report hearing single shots and machine gun fire around midnight that night. When residents appeared on the scene they saw a car with all its tires shot out and injured people waiting for medical assistance.
Khaled Ziyade, a 23-year old injured worker injured in the car stated that: “We were on our way to work in Israel. When we reached the Zaim checkpoint the soldier asked the driver to stop, but we didn’t because nobody had a work permit. When he tried to turn back the soldiers started to shot at us.” Ziyade sustained a bullet wound to his leg. Also present was 27-year old Ashraf al-Sabti, hit by two bullets in his leg and shoulder.
The family of Al-Taber told Silwanic that he had previously entered Israeli areas with a permit, having worked there as a painter for almost 20 years.
http://silwanic.net/?p=27874
19 sep 2012, 11:56 , Respect -
Maria 4 aug 2012
Clashes at Damascus Gate
Three young Palestinian girls were injured, and another three arrested, by Israeli police forces at Damascus Gate on Saturday 4 August.
Eyewitnesses state that confrontations erupted when Israeli forces arrested a Palestinian child during an argument between him and an Israeli settler at Damascus Gate to Jerusalem’s Old City. When the settler tried to hit the child, on-lookers attempted to intervene, prompting Israeli forces to step in. A physical fight then broke out, with more Israeli special forces arriving and beating local Palestinians trying to protect the child, with clashes extending to Salah al-Din Street of East Jerusalem.
Witnesses report that an Israeli soldier was removed by paramedics when he was hit in the head with a stone. An Israeli settler and several young Palestinian men were also injured when they were assaulted. One man broke his leg while attempting to jump from a high wall.
Confrontations broke out several hours later when stones were thrown at an Israeli Eged bus and a Red Star of David ambulance, with the Damascus Gate roundabout shut down for a period of time.
Israeli police stated that five Israeli bus passengers were treated for their injuries at hospital.
http://silwanic.net/?p=28001 20 sep 2012, 15:10 , Respect -
Maria 4 aug 2012
The release of 2 youths and the extension of the arrest of 2 others
The release of 2 youths from Silwan and the extension of the arrest of 2 other youths, including the released prisoner Samer al Esawi
Last Sunday, the Magistrates’ Court released 2 youths, Lo’ai al Reshk and Amer Zidani, and extended the arrest of the released prisoner Samer al Esawi and the 18 year old Ahmad Muhammad Hussen Dirbas.
In an interview with the youth Amer Zidani he told us that the Magistrates’ Court released him and Lo’ai al Reshk but they have to attend the Maskubiye police station and sign weekly. He explained that they were investigated after being suspects in an incident in which Molotov cocktails were thrown at a settlement in Ras al Amoud and an Israeli house in the T’awri neighborhood was burnt.
Zidani told us that they were tested by polygraph, in which a suspect is questioned while sensors are attached to a suspects body and monitored by computer. Zidani said,
“Sitting while attached to the polygraph was exhausting and stressful. I sat there for more than an hour. I complained to the investigator about pains in my hand but he ignored me and kept investigating. I was interrogated the whole time I spent in the Maskubiye station, almost a week. One of the investigators tried to hit me and threatened to imprison me for 4-5 years according to the charges and evidence they have. They claimed that my dad and brother testified against me.”
Zidani added that the investigator told him that he will investigate further and arrest and charge him again
The Magistrates’ Court also extended the detention of Ahmad Sarhan until Wednesday, and the released prisoner Samer Al Esawi until next Wednesday, accusing him of breaking the rules of the last Prisoners’ Exchange deal.Samer Al Esawi was arrested on 7.7.12.
http://silwanic.net/?p=27882
22 sep 2012, 12:03 , Respect -
Maria 9 aug 2012
A press conference under the title ” An aggressive attack on the Aqsa mosque”
A popular religious and national figure warned us about the dangerous Israeli attacks on the Aqsa mosque and the hill of the Dun gate to force a new reality on the Aqsa mosque.
These things were said in a press conference that was organized by the Aqsa organization in the Hakawati theatre. The organization presented a TV report that documented the continuity of the Dun gate road that is attached to the West side of the Aqsa mosque wall. The wall on the way to the Dun gate is being demolished with axes and shovels,while dozens of diggers are breaking the stones, clearing the road and breaking it into pieces which are then removed in plastic buckets, straight to bags on the side of the road.
The organization clarified that along with the excavation the occupation is working on preparing the inside of the road to the Dun gate.
During the press conference Sheik Raed Salah, the head of the Islamic movement, spoke and warned that the current phase that the Aqsa is going through is dangerous. He said; “The Israeli attacks are the proof of a countdown to the building of the second temple according to myth over the Aqsa mosque.”
He mentioned the biblical gardens that the occupation is planning to establish around the Aqsa mosque, that begin in Silwan and end at the Esawiye, in addition to the illusional tombs. He also spoke about the raids into the Aqsa during Ramadan by the settlers, the army and the intelligence service. Up until the middle of 2012 the mosque was invaded by almost 2722 Israelis and 1953 Israeli forces with military uniforms, alongside the religious ceremonies inside the holy Aqsa mosque covered by Israeli media.
The head of the Islamic staff is Akrama Sabri and Hatem Abd al Qader is the head of the Jerusalem file in Fatah
http://silwanic.net/?p=27969
25 sep 2012, 11:58 , Respect -
Maria 9 aug 2012
The General Union of the Palestinian youth honors the volunteers of One eye on Jerusalem, the other on Lebanon.
The general Union of the Palestinian youth affirmed that ”Jerusalem, the prisoners, and the right of return”are firm goals and no one will let go of them or make any concessions.
It was during a group Ramadan meal in the hall of Der Tarif, in Eim al Sharayet north of Jerusalem. A night was held to honor the efforts of the volunteers and media people that worked on the campaign One eye on Jerusalem, the other on Lebanon. Many popular figures, and a young delegation from all over Jerusalem attended the event.
The campaign started on the first days of Ramadan, when many expulsions were distributed in Jerusalem and Lebanon.
The Palestinian General Youth Union have many political and social projects. Its head, Mu’tasam Taym said;” We have many plans and projects that target many areas that need our help in Jerusalem and Lebanon”.
They also prepared a computer room for the children inLebanon, and they will give away sweets and candies to the families of the martyrs and the injured. He said ;”The union will volunteer in the Aqsa on the Qader night to clean its yards”
He announced a housing project that will be presented to the head of the execution department, Abu Mazen the Palestinian president. It is housing units for the new young couples on the Awqaf lands to cherish the solidarity and to protect the land from the settlements and the confiscation of the land.
He also said they will organize a Arab youth Summitwith the title of “Jerusalem” so they bring attention back to the city as a Muslim Arab city.
In his speech he spoke about the settlers in Jerusalem that broke into the Aqsa, disturbng the Islamic Arabic silence.
Wasel Abu Yussef, the member of the execution committee of the Liberation Organization, Sultan abu al Uyon, a member of the main committee and one of fatah’s youth leaders inJerusalem, Mousa Abassi from the campaign, attended.
At the end of the event many Shields were given to the volunteers and the media people on the campaign.
http://silwanic.net/?p=27975