29 june 2012
Israeli Sources Claim %80 Of Migron Lands Have Been Bought
The Israeli Today (Israel Hayom) Newspaper claimed that it received information stating that more than %80 of the lands where the illegal Migron settlement is built, were recently purchased from the Palestinians in the West Bank, in an attempt to avoid the implementation of a High Court order for the settlement’s evacuation by August 1st this year.
The paper said that a source involved in what it called the “transaction”, said that the lands in question are currently completely legal, as the purchase was allegedly made in a valid legal manner.
It added that the alleged Palestinian sellers and the Israeli purchasers have kept the identity of the American Jewish Millionaire who donated the money for buying the lands, anonymous.
According to the report, the Jewish Millionaire donated hundreds of thousands of US Dollars to enable the settlers buy the lands from more than one Palestinian land owner, and that the deal was conducted it utmost secrecy that even the settlers of Migron did not know about it until the media published the story.
The settlers are hoping that purchasing the lands from the Palestinians will void an Israeli High Court ruling ordering the removal of the illegal outpost, especially since, according to the report, most of the lands are now legally owned by Jews, and only 4 out of seventy buildings are now on Palestinian-owned lands.
The paper added that the “only fear now is for the lives of the Palestinians who sold their lands to the settlers, as they will likely be considered to be traitors to their people”, and added that the Police spokesperson of Migron settlement, confirmed the purchase and said that Israeli Education Minister is aware of the deal.
There are fifty settler families living in the illegal Migron settlement that was built on privately-owned Palestinian lands in 1999.
Israeli Peace Now Movement filed, in 2006, a petition to the Israeli High Court of Justice demanding the removal of the illegal outpost, and the return of the lands to their Palestinian owners.
The court acknowledged the fact that the illegal settlement was built on privately-owned Palestinian lands, but did not issue a final ruling until August of last year when it ruled that the settlers must evacuate the outpost by the end of March 2012.
But the Israeli government failed to implement the High Court ruling and continued to hold talks with the settlers in an attempt to find a solution.
The Israel Today paper said that the settlers in Migron finally signed an agreement to relocate to the nearby Givat HaYekev settlement, and the agreement was filed with the Israeli High Court in order to issue a ruling to delay the demolition for three years until new homes are built for them in Givat HaYekev. But the High Court ruled that all homes in Migron must be evacuated by August 1st this year.
With the claimed purchase of the Palestinian lands, the Israeli government will not be “legally” obliged to implement the High Court ruling, Israeli sources claimed.
But on the international level, and the Fourth Geneva Convention to which Israel is a signatory, settlements built on occupied lands are illegal, therefore, Israel’s settlements in the occupied West Bank, including in and around occupied East Jerusalem, are illegal.
Settlements they also violate International Law, especially the Fourth Geneva convention that forbids an occupying power from moving “all or part of its population into territory it occupies”.
Israeli Sources Claim %80 Of Migron Lands Have Been Bought
The Israeli Today (Israel Hayom) Newspaper claimed that it received information stating that more than %80 of the lands where the illegal Migron settlement is built, were recently purchased from the Palestinians in the West Bank, in an attempt to avoid the implementation of a High Court order for the settlement’s evacuation by August 1st this year.
The paper said that a source involved in what it called the “transaction”, said that the lands in question are currently completely legal, as the purchase was allegedly made in a valid legal manner.
It added that the alleged Palestinian sellers and the Israeli purchasers have kept the identity of the American Jewish Millionaire who donated the money for buying the lands, anonymous.
According to the report, the Jewish Millionaire donated hundreds of thousands of US Dollars to enable the settlers buy the lands from more than one Palestinian land owner, and that the deal was conducted it utmost secrecy that even the settlers of Migron did not know about it until the media published the story.
The settlers are hoping that purchasing the lands from the Palestinians will void an Israeli High Court ruling ordering the removal of the illegal outpost, especially since, according to the report, most of the lands are now legally owned by Jews, and only 4 out of seventy buildings are now on Palestinian-owned lands.
The paper added that the “only fear now is for the lives of the Palestinians who sold their lands to the settlers, as they will likely be considered to be traitors to their people”, and added that the Police spokesperson of Migron settlement, confirmed the purchase and said that Israeli Education Minister is aware of the deal.
There are fifty settler families living in the illegal Migron settlement that was built on privately-owned Palestinian lands in 1999.
Israeli Peace Now Movement filed, in 2006, a petition to the Israeli High Court of Justice demanding the removal of the illegal outpost, and the return of the lands to their Palestinian owners.
The court acknowledged the fact that the illegal settlement was built on privately-owned Palestinian lands, but did not issue a final ruling until August of last year when it ruled that the settlers must evacuate the outpost by the end of March 2012.
But the Israeli government failed to implement the High Court ruling and continued to hold talks with the settlers in an attempt to find a solution.
The Israel Today paper said that the settlers in Migron finally signed an agreement to relocate to the nearby Givat HaYekev settlement, and the agreement was filed with the Israeli High Court in order to issue a ruling to delay the demolition for three years until new homes are built for them in Givat HaYekev. But the High Court ruled that all homes in Migron must be evacuated by August 1st this year.
With the claimed purchase of the Palestinian lands, the Israeli government will not be “legally” obliged to implement the High Court ruling, Israeli sources claimed.
But on the international level, and the Fourth Geneva Convention to which Israel is a signatory, settlements built on occupied lands are illegal, therefore, Israel’s settlements in the occupied West Bank, including in and around occupied East Jerusalem, are illegal.
Settlements they also violate International Law, especially the Fourth Geneva convention that forbids an occupying power from moving “all or part of its population into territory it occupies”.
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This video on our website: http://www.breakingthesilence.org.il/testimonies/videos/89783
For more Breaking the Silence videos: http://www.breakingthesilence.org.il/testimonies/videos
27 june 2012
Report: Settler guard shoots Palestinian near Jerusalem
A security guard at an Israeli settlement in the occupied West Bank shot and seriously injured a Palestinian man Wednesday, Israeli media reported.
The man, in his 30s but not otherwise identified, suffered a gunshot wound to the stomach after being shot by a guard at the illegal Maale Adumim settlement near Jerusalem, Israel's Ynet news site reported.
According to the report, the guard thought the man intended to steal his gun.
Israel Approves 180 New Units For Settlers In Jerusalem
The Construction and Planning Committee in Jerusalem approved Tuesday the construction of 180 units for Jewish settlers in the Armon HaNetziv settlement in East Tel Peut. Israel will construct five huge residential buildings, in addition to a sixth building for public use, and three buildings for the Engineering Department of Armon HaNetziv.
Ahmad Sob-Laban, member of the Field Researchers Union in Jerusalem stated that Palestinian residents filed several appeals against the new settlement plan due to the fact that the new structures will be built on privately-owned Palestinian lands, but the plan was approved.
Sob Laban added that the appeals stated that in 1967, and after Israel occupied the West Bank and East Jerusalem, the Israeli government confiscated nearly 2,000 dunams for settlement construction in the Sur Baher and Em Leson neighborhoods of Jerusalem.
He said that the Palestinians in occupied East Jerusalem, especially in Sur Baher and Um Leson, cannot expand their residential areas due to severe Israeli restrictions. Israel continues to construct and expand Jewish-only settlements by stealing Palestinian lands on which to build.
Sob-Laban also said that the Israel refused to allow the Arab residents of the area to build new housing for young couples, and instead approved 180 new units in Armon HaNetziv. The settlement itself was illegally built on Palestinian lands in 1973, and is now home to nearly 12,000 settlers.
The new settlement plan parallels current constructions taking place in Armon HaNetziv; Israel previously approved the construction of 440 units at the expense of Palestinians in Sur Baher.
The plan was approved by the so-called Regional Committee in 2005; bids were issued in 2008 and the constructions are proceeding.
26 june 2012
Settlers: No one will break our spirit
Eviction of Beit El's contested Ulpana neighborhood underway by Civil Administration. Settlers pledge no violence, vow: 'God willing, we will rebuild homes'.
The eviction of Uplana, the contested neighborhood in the West Bank settlement of Beit El, began Tuesday morning, bringing an end to a tumultuous legal battle over its future.
Defense Ministry bulldozers, movers and contractors arrived at the settlement in the early morning hours to oversee the process.
The High Court-ordered, government-backed eviction will include the relocation of 33 of the neighborhood's families, 16 of which are to move Tuesday.
Some 100 Defense Ministry officials, divided into teams, paired up with the families in order to offer them the logistic assistance necessary. "We are doing everything in our power to ease this difficult process for the families," a defense source told Ynet Ulpana Defense establishment officials said that the eviction and relocation process of all families is expected to be completed by Friday.
Beit El Rabbi Zalman Melamed led a morning prayer service ahead of the eviction: "God willing, there will be an even bigger neighborhood here. We will return to these homes and the land of Israel will be rebuilt," he told the worshippers.
Ahead of the relocation, which will see five contested buildings moved several hundred yards away to Beit El's military base, the defense establishment had caravillas shuttled to the settlement
The settlers have pledges a clam eviction, but at least four of the families said they would mount "peaceful resistance" vis-à-vis IDF soldiers and Civil Administion officers who are slated to carry out the eviction.
According to the settlers, Rabbi Melamed – who was instrumental in brokering the settlers' consent to the move – said that peaceful resistance did not contradict the agreement struck with the government The caravillas in Beit El Security officials said that they were aware of plans to passively resist the eviction, and have made sure to clear all rocks and tires placed in the area as part of the early "resistance plan" and in an effort to prevent the situation from deteriorating.
Tents erected in the eviction path have also been removed.
IDF forces in the sector have been placed on high alert ahead of possible retaliation or "price tag" acts by settlers. Many of the residents assisting the families moving were sporting black shirts reading "Ulpana – We'll be Back," and "Expelled.
"This is a personal moment of grief, I'm in mourning," an Ulpana resident told Ynet. Our hearts are broker, but we will hold our heads up high. No one will break our spirit."
Israel Evacuates Ulpana Settlement
Israeli authorities started Tuesday evacuating Ulpana outpost near the settlement of Beit El, north of Ramallah, in preparation for demolishing it in accordance with an Israeli Supreme Court decision.
Israeli reports said 15 housing units are going to be demolished Tuesday and the remaining 15 units will be demolished on Wednesday.
The Israeli government promised the settlers to build 300 housing units in the illegal settlement of Beit El for the 30 it is going to demolish in Ulpana.
Israel Demolishes Ulpana Settlement Neighborhood
Israeli authorities Tuesday started demolishing the settlement neighborhood Ulpana in Beit El settlement, near Ramallah, in accordance with Israeli Supreme Court decision.
Israeli sources said that 15 housing units are going to be demolished Tuesday and the remaining units will be demolished on Wednesday.
The total number of illegal housing units, which are expected to be demolished, amounts to 30 units.
To be noted, the Israeli government promised to build 300 housing units for the units that will be demolished in Ulpana.
State motions to postpone Ulpana eviction
For more Breaking the Silence videos: http://www.breakingthesilence.org.il/testimonies/videos
27 june 2012
Report: Settler guard shoots Palestinian near Jerusalem
A security guard at an Israeli settlement in the occupied West Bank shot and seriously injured a Palestinian man Wednesday, Israeli media reported.
The man, in his 30s but not otherwise identified, suffered a gunshot wound to the stomach after being shot by a guard at the illegal Maale Adumim settlement near Jerusalem, Israel's Ynet news site reported.
According to the report, the guard thought the man intended to steal his gun.
Israel Approves 180 New Units For Settlers In Jerusalem
The Construction and Planning Committee in Jerusalem approved Tuesday the construction of 180 units for Jewish settlers in the Armon HaNetziv settlement in East Tel Peut. Israel will construct five huge residential buildings, in addition to a sixth building for public use, and three buildings for the Engineering Department of Armon HaNetziv.
Ahmad Sob-Laban, member of the Field Researchers Union in Jerusalem stated that Palestinian residents filed several appeals against the new settlement plan due to the fact that the new structures will be built on privately-owned Palestinian lands, but the plan was approved.
Sob Laban added that the appeals stated that in 1967, and after Israel occupied the West Bank and East Jerusalem, the Israeli government confiscated nearly 2,000 dunams for settlement construction in the Sur Baher and Em Leson neighborhoods of Jerusalem.
He said that the Palestinians in occupied East Jerusalem, especially in Sur Baher and Um Leson, cannot expand their residential areas due to severe Israeli restrictions. Israel continues to construct and expand Jewish-only settlements by stealing Palestinian lands on which to build.
Sob-Laban also said that the Israel refused to allow the Arab residents of the area to build new housing for young couples, and instead approved 180 new units in Armon HaNetziv. The settlement itself was illegally built on Palestinian lands in 1973, and is now home to nearly 12,000 settlers.
The new settlement plan parallels current constructions taking place in Armon HaNetziv; Israel previously approved the construction of 440 units at the expense of Palestinians in Sur Baher.
The plan was approved by the so-called Regional Committee in 2005; bids were issued in 2008 and the constructions are proceeding.
26 june 2012
Settlers: No one will break our spirit
Eviction of Beit El's contested Ulpana neighborhood underway by Civil Administration. Settlers pledge no violence, vow: 'God willing, we will rebuild homes'.
The eviction of Uplana, the contested neighborhood in the West Bank settlement of Beit El, began Tuesday morning, bringing an end to a tumultuous legal battle over its future.
Defense Ministry bulldozers, movers and contractors arrived at the settlement in the early morning hours to oversee the process.
The High Court-ordered, government-backed eviction will include the relocation of 33 of the neighborhood's families, 16 of which are to move Tuesday.
Some 100 Defense Ministry officials, divided into teams, paired up with the families in order to offer them the logistic assistance necessary. "We are doing everything in our power to ease this difficult process for the families," a defense source told Ynet Ulpana Defense establishment officials said that the eviction and relocation process of all families is expected to be completed by Friday.
Beit El Rabbi Zalman Melamed led a morning prayer service ahead of the eviction: "God willing, there will be an even bigger neighborhood here. We will return to these homes and the land of Israel will be rebuilt," he told the worshippers.
Ahead of the relocation, which will see five contested buildings moved several hundred yards away to Beit El's military base, the defense establishment had caravillas shuttled to the settlement
The settlers have pledges a clam eviction, but at least four of the families said they would mount "peaceful resistance" vis-à-vis IDF soldiers and Civil Administion officers who are slated to carry out the eviction.
According to the settlers, Rabbi Melamed – who was instrumental in brokering the settlers' consent to the move – said that peaceful resistance did not contradict the agreement struck with the government The caravillas in Beit El Security officials said that they were aware of plans to passively resist the eviction, and have made sure to clear all rocks and tires placed in the area as part of the early "resistance plan" and in an effort to prevent the situation from deteriorating.
Tents erected in the eviction path have also been removed.
IDF forces in the sector have been placed on high alert ahead of possible retaliation or "price tag" acts by settlers. Many of the residents assisting the families moving were sporting black shirts reading "Ulpana – We'll be Back," and "Expelled.
"This is a personal moment of grief, I'm in mourning," an Ulpana resident told Ynet. Our hearts are broker, but we will hold our heads up high. No one will break our spirit."
Israel Evacuates Ulpana Settlement
Israeli authorities started Tuesday evacuating Ulpana outpost near the settlement of Beit El, north of Ramallah, in preparation for demolishing it in accordance with an Israeli Supreme Court decision.
Israeli reports said 15 housing units are going to be demolished Tuesday and the remaining 15 units will be demolished on Wednesday.
The Israeli government promised the settlers to build 300 housing units in the illegal settlement of Beit El for the 30 it is going to demolish in Ulpana.
Israel Demolishes Ulpana Settlement Neighborhood
Israeli authorities Tuesday started demolishing the settlement neighborhood Ulpana in Beit El settlement, near Ramallah, in accordance with Israeli Supreme Court decision.
Israeli sources said that 15 housing units are going to be demolished Tuesday and the remaining units will be demolished on Wednesday.
The total number of illegal housing units, which are expected to be demolished, amounts to 30 units.
To be noted, the Israeli government promised to build 300 housing units for the units that will be demolished in Ulpana.
State motions to postpone Ulpana eviction
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State asks High Court to extend deadline for relocation of evicted Ulpana homes to November.
The State has filed a motion with the High Court of Justice to postpone the relocation of the of the Ulpana homes until November. The motion said that the extension will "significantly help implement the verdict in a peaceful manner." Meanwhile, members of the Hilltop Youth barricaded themselves inside one the evicted houses before being removed from the site by Ulpana residents. There was no police involvement. |
On
Tuesday, 16 families moved out of their homes in Beit El's Ulpana
neighborhood into temporary housing inside the community. Defense
Ministry workers helped the families move their belongings in what was
the first stage of the evacuation.
The remainder of the families will move out on Thursday.
In its motion, the State is asking to postpone the eviction until November 15 citing complex engineering considerations. The State stressed that the motion applies to the evacuation of the structures alone, while the inhabitants will be cleared of the buildings by July 1, according to plan.
The State further noted that the government wishes to minimize the potential for clashes with the residents and is trying to work out a peaceful solution to the implementation of the court's ruling.
The government reserves the right to decide the manner in which the structures will be removed, the motion noted.
The remainder of the families will move out on Thursday.
In its motion, the State is asking to postpone the eviction until November 15 citing complex engineering considerations. The State stressed that the motion applies to the evacuation of the structures alone, while the inhabitants will be cleared of the buildings by July 1, according to plan.
The State further noted that the government wishes to minimize the potential for clashes with the residents and is trying to work out a peaceful solution to the implementation of the court's ruling.
The government reserves the right to decide the manner in which the structures will be removed, the motion noted.
Dozens of Jewish settlers barge into Aqsa mosque
Dozens of Jewish settlers entered the Aqsa mosque on Tuesday morning escorted by special police forces, local sources said.
They said that the settlers and foreign tourists entered the Aqsa in groups via the Maghareba gate, walked in its plazas, hoisted the Israeli flag, and took group photos.
A big number of Israeli soldiers on Monday broke into the Aqsa plazas and raised the Israeli flag in front of the Dome of the Rock.
24 june 2012
Palestinian Farmer Wins Legal Precedent against Israel
Six years have passed since Khalid Yasin first began his legal battle against Jewish settlers – a battle which is expected to culminate, and for the first time, in the demolishing of the settlement outpost Ulpana, built on private Palestinian land near the illegal West Bank settlement of Beit El.
Yasin, a Palestinian father of five and a farmer residing in the village of Dura al-Qari near Ramallah, filed a lawsuit in an Israeli court against several Israeli officials in a legal precedent to get back his 11 dunums of land, which were illegally taken over by Beit El settlers.
Yasin spoke to WAFA about his long and painful journey to get his land back, which first started in 1995 when he, along with other village residents, started to notice suspicious structures being set up on their land.
“At first the settlers put up caravans and tents to celebrate their festivals and holidays,” he said. “But after a while, these structures started to take a more permanent nature.”
The village residents protested the obviously malicious attempt by the settlers to take control of more of their land, with an aim to expand the settlement hovering over the village like a shadow of death.
“A man named Khair Qasim was killed during one of these protests,” said Yasin. “The village residents were not allowed to enter their land and were frequently terrorized by the settlers, who were armed most of the time.”
Later on, Yasin was denied access to his land after settlers annexed it to build Ulpana, a small settlement outpost of five buildings.
Dura al-Qari was once a thriving village of 5600 dunums and a population of several thousand farmers living in peace and off cultivating their land.
When Israel occupied the West Bank in 1967, it turned a Jordanian army camp that was set up near the village on land that belonged to the town of al-Bireh, Ramallah’s twin city, into an Israeli army base. Eventually, and over the years, the Israeli camp expanded to nearby Dura al-Qari and annexed more than 1500 dunums of the village’s agricultural land for that purpose.
But the army did not stop here. The camp was then turned into a civilian settlement outpost, which expanded over the years at the expense of Dura al-Qari to become Beit El settlement. Eventually, the Israeli military government decided that most of Dura al-Qari’s land would become out of reach for its 3500 residents and deemed it Area C, which means Palestinians would not be allowed to develop it in any way. This encouraged the settlers to take over more Palestinian land and built Ulpana believing they can easily get away with their act.
Dora al-Qari was left with only 800 dunums of its land, which is only the built up area.
“In 2006, the settlers started razing land in preparation for the expansion of the new outpost, Ulpana,” said Yasin. “I had enough and decided to build a case against them with the help of Yesh Din, an Israeli human rights group providing legal assistance to citizens of the Palestinian Territory.”
On October 29, 2008, after two years of struggle to bring necessary documents to prove ownership of the land, Yasin and Harbi Mustafa, another man whose land was annexed by Beit El settlers, finally filed a lawsuit against several Israeli officials, including Defense Minister Ehud Barak, demanding to evict the illegal settlers from their land and to get it back.
Less than a month after, on November 17, 2008, the Israeli Supreme Court issued an order to demolish all illegal structures built on Yasin and Mustafa lands. However, the order was met with deaf ears by the settlers who continued to build on the land.
“The Israeli government didn’t abide by the court’s order to dismantle the five buildings and failed to carry out the demolition order,” said Yasin.
Four years later, Yasin filed a petition to execute the Israeli Supreme Court’s ruling, and won again with another court decision stating that he is entitled to his land and all buildings must be dismantled.
“They (the settlers) set fire to two cars that I owned. They don’t hesitate to unleash their anger by setting fire to mosques and spraying racist words such as ‘Revenge for Ulpana’ on houses that belong to Palestinians,” he said with anger.
“I have been bribed many times with huge sums of money to relinquish the case, but I would never do that because it is not worth my people getting hurt by the settlers’ savagery,” he stressed.
On April 27, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu informed the Supreme Court that his government would not enforce its order because it needs more time to re-house Ulpana settlers.
The court rejected the Israeli government’s second appeal with a final court decision in favor of Yasin to be executed by July 1.
Less than a week away from the date which was set to demolish Ulpana, Yasin looked from the window of his house from which he can see his land and said: “I am very content and happy. I’m not sure what is going to happen, but for now I’m really happy that I won this battle against Israel.”
When Yasin was asked whether he was afraid of reprisal by settlers he said, “Abbas Ibn Firnas (an Arab scientist) attempted to fly and died. However, he was the one to inspire the world how to fly.”
Settlers Storm Land in Jenin
A number of Jewish settlers Sunday cut part of the barbered wire fence placed around a Palestinian agricultural land in al-Khader, a town west of Bethlehem, and stormed it, according to a local activist.
Coordinator of the National Committee against the Apartheid Wall Ahmad Salah told WAFA that settlers cut part of the barbered wire fence to open a way for them inside the land.
He added that settlers have escalated their arbitrary measures against the town’s farmers as a prelude to seize the land, aiming to establish Biblical Gardens there.
23 june 2012
Newspapers Review: Daily Highlights Forgeries by Jewish Settlers
Al-Quds newspaper Saturday highlighted a report in an Israeli daily about Jewish settlers’ involvement in forgery of land deed to take over land that belongs to Palestinians in order to build housing units in Beit El settlement including Ulpana outpost.
It reported on Peace Now rights group that Ulpana neighborhood is built on years of land theft and forgery saying that Palestinians never sold their land.
Al-Ayyam featured Israeli government appeal to postpone eviction of the settlement outpost Givat Asaf, east of Ramallah.
It highlighted attempts by the Israeli authorities to move al-Jahalin Bedouins in an-Naqab region in order to expand nearby settlements.
Al-Hayat al-Jadida reported on the West Jerusalem municipality’s bargain to build a Jewish neighborhood in the town of Abu Dis near Jerusalem in exchange for building thousands of apartments for Palestinians.
The three dailies highlighted the ongoing Israeli airstrikes on the Gaza Strip, resulting in the death of two Palestinians on Friday and injuring others.
The papers printed photos of Palestinians and foreign activists during demonstrations to protest Israeli decision to demolish a number of homes in the village of Susia, south of Hebron.
Jewish settlers storm evacuated settlement outpost south of Jenin
Jewish settlers stormed the evacuated Tarsala settlement outpost to the south of Jenin at dawn Saturday under protection of the Israeli occupation forces (IOF), local sources said.
They said that the settlers, mostly young men, remained in the site for a few hours and offered rituals and chanted anti-Arab slogans
The sources noted that the site was repeatedly stormed during the current month.
Tarsala is one of four sites evacuated by the IOF in the West Bank in 2005 shortly after the withdrawal from Gaza Strip.
21 june 2012
Palestinian from Jaffa badly wounded in blade attack by Jewish fanatics
Extremist Jewish settlers on Thursday morning stabbed a Palestinian young man from Jaffa city causing him a serious injury.
A Palestinian source said the Palestinian young man was stabbed by three Jewish settlers while he was working inside his shop in Rishon Lezion city.
The source added that the young man was badly wounded in the upper part of his body and was transferred to Asaf Harofeh hospital.
The Israeli occupation police claimed in a press release that that a group of Jews quarreled with the owner of the store and stabbed the young man before they fled the scene. The police refused to reveal the identity of the victim.
Hundreds of settlers break into Yussef’s Tomb performing Talmudic rituals
Hundreds of Jewish settlers broke into Yussef’s Tomb to the east of Nablus in West bank last night to perform Talmudic rituals under IOF protection.
Eyewitnesses said that 15 military vehicles stormed the eastern part of Nablus, and headed towards Yussef's tomb to secure the entry of buses and cars carrying hundreds of Jewish settlers who came to perform religious Talmudic rituals.
The sources affirmed that the occupation forces fired stun grenades and tear gas against Palestinian houses in the area. They continued in their rituals till the morning hours, using loudspeakers and loud music during their prayers, caused great nuisance to the residents who threw stones and empty bottles as a response to their provocation.
It should be noted that the Israeli settlers have repeatedly stormed the Tomb which was an Islamic mosque built over a tomb of an Islamic Sheikh named Youssef Dweikat from the town of Balata. It was seized by Israeli settlers just after the occupation of the West Bank in 1967 under the pretext that it contains Tomb of Prophet Youssef.
Raids, Confrontations at Joseph’s Tomb
On Thursday, 21st June, extremist Jewish settler groups raided Joseph's tomb south of Nablus, and performed their Talmudic rituals.
Settlers broke into Joseph's tomb under the protection of the Israeli army soldiers. There was a confrontation between the Palestinians and settlers and the Israeli army announced the arrest of seven settlers who tried to incite riots and violence in the area.
20 june 2012
Israel Promises 300 Units In Exchange For Relocating 5 Homes
The conservative Israeli government of Prime Minister, Benjamin Netanyahu, reached agreement with residents of the Ulpana illegal settlement, near the central West Bank city of Ramallah, stating that Israel will build 300 apartment units for Jewish settlers, in exchange for relocating five illegal homes.
Israeli Ynet News reported that Zalman Melamed, the Rabbi of Beit El illegal settlement, and representatives of the Israeli government, reached the deal on Tuesday.
The five illegal homes will be relocated to a location within the settlement boundaries, and “in return”, Israel will construct 300 units on what it calls “state land”.
The five homes in question were built, by Israel’s admission, on privately-owned Palestinian lands; the settlers will leave their homes in a week.
Ynet added that the implementation of the agreement requires the approval of the Israeli High Court of Justice, but approval is practically guaranteed.
Despite the fact that Israel will be building 300 new units for the settlers in the occupied West Bank, some settlers in Ulpana were complaining about what they called the “eviction” of the five homes, and said that the move “shames the government”.
Netanyahu will be presenting the deal to the so-called Ministerial Committee on Settlements during its meeting Wednesday.
The government of Netanyahu and his coalition partners, most of them settlers and supporters of the settlement movement, is one of the most fundamentalist coalition governments in Israel’s history, and one of the strongest supporters of the illegal settlement movement.
Israel’s settlements in the occupied Palestinian territories are illegal under International Law, and also violate the Fourth Geneva Convention to which Israel is a signatory.
The West Bank, including occupied East Jerusalem, is riddled with settlements taking over large areas of Palestinian lands. These are usually situated on hilltops to prevent the Palestinians from their natural right to expand their communities and from having access to what is left of their lands.
Israel’s illegal Annexation Wall in the West Bank is built in a manner that isolates Palestinian farmers from their farmlands and orchards in the West Bank, and allows the expansion of existing illegal Israeli settlements.
On July 9, 2004, the International Court of Justice at The Hague, in the Netherlands, issued an advisory ruling considering the Israel’s Annexation Wall as illegal, and warned of the legal consequences of its construction.
Similar to all United Nations and Security Council resolutions calling on Israel to withdraw from the occupied territories, Israel ignored the ruling.
Ulpana evacuation deal: Beit El to get 10 apartment buildings
Beit El's rabbi says settler reps, government close to finalizing deal on voluntary evacuation of five homes built on Palestinian land; according to deal, 10 apartment buildings will be constructed in settlement.
It appears that a confrontation between Jewish settlers and security forces will be avoided: Beit El Chief Rabbi Zalman Melamed said Monday evening that a deal on the voluntary evacuation of five homes in the settlement's Ulpana neighborhood was imminent.
Melamed, who has been negotiating with the government on behalf of the neighborhood's residents, said all activity surrounding the settlement will be frozen for the next 24 hours, adding that the agreement, if finalized, would include "significant achievements" for the settlers.
The High Court has instructed the State to evacuate five homes in Ulpana by July 1 because they were built on private Palestinian land.
According to the agreement, 10 apartment buildings consisting of 30 units each will be built in Beit El. The buildings will be constructed on the grounds of a Border Guard base situated at the entrance to the settlement. The base will be evacuated.
A leader of the teenagers who planned to resist the evacuation said in response to the agreement, "We are very angry. If it's true – we were sold out.
"They are doing to us exactly what they did to Gush Katif (in Gaza) and Migron. We haven’t learned anything," he told Ynet Monday night.
On Sunday, dozens of youngsters equipped with hundreds of sacks of cement, iron rods, wooden boards, and mechanical equipment arrived at Ulpana. They began building barricades around the neighborhood and on top of the homes slated to be evacuated.
The teens also set up barriers at the entrance to the neighborhood, where they remain in contact via MIRS phones. Throughout the day, some of them – wearing masks – threw rocks at soldiers who happened to be in the area and at anyone else they suspected of being involved with the evacuation.
However, Rabbi Melamed said that even if a deal is not struck, the evacuation will be non-violent. Violent resistance would taint the settlers' image in the media, the rabbi told his students.
The rabbi said he decided to reach an agreement with the government after realizing the evacuation could not be avoided.
Details of the agreement were discussed Monday during a meeting between settler representatives and senior political and military figures, including Environmental Protection Minister Gilad Erdan, Cabinet Secretary Zvi Hauser and Major General Eitan Dangot, the coordinator of government activities in the territories.
Government officials confirmed that significant headway was made towards a non-violent evacuation of homes in Ulpana.
In a move meant to placate the Right following the failed vote on the settlement regulation bill, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu recently approved the construction of 851 housing units in the West Bank – 300 for Beit El and 551 for four other settlements.
The settlement regulation bill, which attempted evade the High Court ruling by retroactively legalizing Jewish outposts, was voted down by the Knesset.
Official: Settlers erect homes, level land by Nablus outposts
Israeli settlers have brought 45 caravans to expand settler outposts near Nablus, a local official said Wednesday.
Construction began on Monday on three settler outposts adjacent to Eli and Shilo settlements in the northern West Bank, PA official monitoring settler activities Ghassan Daghlas told Ma'an.
Bulldozers have razed more than 60,000 square meters of agricultural land near Palestinian villages Jalud, Qaryut and Jurish, he said, noting that settlers had constructed several cement homes and brought in caravans.
The settler homes lie just 300 meters from Palestinian houses in Jalud village, Daghlas said.
He urged government protection for Palestinians suffering violence by settlers in the occupied West Bank. In 2011, the UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs reported that settler attacks had increased by 50 percent on the previous year.
The Nablus area experienced the majority of settler violence during this period, with settlers routinely destroying Palestinian agricultural crops, vandalizing property, and physically assaulting locals, according to a study by The Palestine Center.
All Jewish-only settlements in the occupied West Bank are illegal under international law. Israel distinguishes between illegal settlements it has approved and illegal outposts which were never granted official authorization.
Recent rulings by the Israeli Supreme Court ordering that several outposts built on Palestinian land be taken down have proved a major test for Israeli premier Benjamin Netanyahu, who is loath either to upset his ultranationalist base or defy Israel's judiciary over policy in the West Bank.
After a High Court ruling, Netanyahu's government reached a deal with settlers in the Ulpana outpost in recent weeks to physically relocate the buildings, and erect 300 new homes elsewhere in the adjacent Beit El settlement.
Dozens of Jewish settlers entered the Aqsa mosque on Tuesday morning escorted by special police forces, local sources said.
They said that the settlers and foreign tourists entered the Aqsa in groups via the Maghareba gate, walked in its plazas, hoisted the Israeli flag, and took group photos.
A big number of Israeli soldiers on Monday broke into the Aqsa plazas and raised the Israeli flag in front of the Dome of the Rock.
24 june 2012
Palestinian Farmer Wins Legal Precedent against Israel
Six years have passed since Khalid Yasin first began his legal battle against Jewish settlers – a battle which is expected to culminate, and for the first time, in the demolishing of the settlement outpost Ulpana, built on private Palestinian land near the illegal West Bank settlement of Beit El.
Yasin, a Palestinian father of five and a farmer residing in the village of Dura al-Qari near Ramallah, filed a lawsuit in an Israeli court against several Israeli officials in a legal precedent to get back his 11 dunums of land, which were illegally taken over by Beit El settlers.
Yasin spoke to WAFA about his long and painful journey to get his land back, which first started in 1995 when he, along with other village residents, started to notice suspicious structures being set up on their land.
“At first the settlers put up caravans and tents to celebrate their festivals and holidays,” he said. “But after a while, these structures started to take a more permanent nature.”
The village residents protested the obviously malicious attempt by the settlers to take control of more of their land, with an aim to expand the settlement hovering over the village like a shadow of death.
“A man named Khair Qasim was killed during one of these protests,” said Yasin. “The village residents were not allowed to enter their land and were frequently terrorized by the settlers, who were armed most of the time.”
Later on, Yasin was denied access to his land after settlers annexed it to build Ulpana, a small settlement outpost of five buildings.
Dura al-Qari was once a thriving village of 5600 dunums and a population of several thousand farmers living in peace and off cultivating their land.
When Israel occupied the West Bank in 1967, it turned a Jordanian army camp that was set up near the village on land that belonged to the town of al-Bireh, Ramallah’s twin city, into an Israeli army base. Eventually, and over the years, the Israeli camp expanded to nearby Dura al-Qari and annexed more than 1500 dunums of the village’s agricultural land for that purpose.
But the army did not stop here. The camp was then turned into a civilian settlement outpost, which expanded over the years at the expense of Dura al-Qari to become Beit El settlement. Eventually, the Israeli military government decided that most of Dura al-Qari’s land would become out of reach for its 3500 residents and deemed it Area C, which means Palestinians would not be allowed to develop it in any way. This encouraged the settlers to take over more Palestinian land and built Ulpana believing they can easily get away with their act.
Dora al-Qari was left with only 800 dunums of its land, which is only the built up area.
“In 2006, the settlers started razing land in preparation for the expansion of the new outpost, Ulpana,” said Yasin. “I had enough and decided to build a case against them with the help of Yesh Din, an Israeli human rights group providing legal assistance to citizens of the Palestinian Territory.”
On October 29, 2008, after two years of struggle to bring necessary documents to prove ownership of the land, Yasin and Harbi Mustafa, another man whose land was annexed by Beit El settlers, finally filed a lawsuit against several Israeli officials, including Defense Minister Ehud Barak, demanding to evict the illegal settlers from their land and to get it back.
Less than a month after, on November 17, 2008, the Israeli Supreme Court issued an order to demolish all illegal structures built on Yasin and Mustafa lands. However, the order was met with deaf ears by the settlers who continued to build on the land.
“The Israeli government didn’t abide by the court’s order to dismantle the five buildings and failed to carry out the demolition order,” said Yasin.
Four years later, Yasin filed a petition to execute the Israeli Supreme Court’s ruling, and won again with another court decision stating that he is entitled to his land and all buildings must be dismantled.
“They (the settlers) set fire to two cars that I owned. They don’t hesitate to unleash their anger by setting fire to mosques and spraying racist words such as ‘Revenge for Ulpana’ on houses that belong to Palestinians,” he said with anger.
“I have been bribed many times with huge sums of money to relinquish the case, but I would never do that because it is not worth my people getting hurt by the settlers’ savagery,” he stressed.
On April 27, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu informed the Supreme Court that his government would not enforce its order because it needs more time to re-house Ulpana settlers.
The court rejected the Israeli government’s second appeal with a final court decision in favor of Yasin to be executed by July 1.
Less than a week away from the date which was set to demolish Ulpana, Yasin looked from the window of his house from which he can see his land and said: “I am very content and happy. I’m not sure what is going to happen, but for now I’m really happy that I won this battle against Israel.”
When Yasin was asked whether he was afraid of reprisal by settlers he said, “Abbas Ibn Firnas (an Arab scientist) attempted to fly and died. However, he was the one to inspire the world how to fly.”
Settlers Storm Land in Jenin
A number of Jewish settlers Sunday cut part of the barbered wire fence placed around a Palestinian agricultural land in al-Khader, a town west of Bethlehem, and stormed it, according to a local activist.
Coordinator of the National Committee against the Apartheid Wall Ahmad Salah told WAFA that settlers cut part of the barbered wire fence to open a way for them inside the land.
He added that settlers have escalated their arbitrary measures against the town’s farmers as a prelude to seize the land, aiming to establish Biblical Gardens there.
23 june 2012
Newspapers Review: Daily Highlights Forgeries by Jewish Settlers
Al-Quds newspaper Saturday highlighted a report in an Israeli daily about Jewish settlers’ involvement in forgery of land deed to take over land that belongs to Palestinians in order to build housing units in Beit El settlement including Ulpana outpost.
It reported on Peace Now rights group that Ulpana neighborhood is built on years of land theft and forgery saying that Palestinians never sold their land.
Al-Ayyam featured Israeli government appeal to postpone eviction of the settlement outpost Givat Asaf, east of Ramallah.
It highlighted attempts by the Israeli authorities to move al-Jahalin Bedouins in an-Naqab region in order to expand nearby settlements.
Al-Hayat al-Jadida reported on the West Jerusalem municipality’s bargain to build a Jewish neighborhood in the town of Abu Dis near Jerusalem in exchange for building thousands of apartments for Palestinians.
The three dailies highlighted the ongoing Israeli airstrikes on the Gaza Strip, resulting in the death of two Palestinians on Friday and injuring others.
The papers printed photos of Palestinians and foreign activists during demonstrations to protest Israeli decision to demolish a number of homes in the village of Susia, south of Hebron.
Jewish settlers storm evacuated settlement outpost south of Jenin
Jewish settlers stormed the evacuated Tarsala settlement outpost to the south of Jenin at dawn Saturday under protection of the Israeli occupation forces (IOF), local sources said.
They said that the settlers, mostly young men, remained in the site for a few hours and offered rituals and chanted anti-Arab slogans
The sources noted that the site was repeatedly stormed during the current month.
Tarsala is one of four sites evacuated by the IOF in the West Bank in 2005 shortly after the withdrawal from Gaza Strip.
21 june 2012
Palestinian from Jaffa badly wounded in blade attack by Jewish fanatics
Extremist Jewish settlers on Thursday morning stabbed a Palestinian young man from Jaffa city causing him a serious injury.
A Palestinian source said the Palestinian young man was stabbed by three Jewish settlers while he was working inside his shop in Rishon Lezion city.
The source added that the young man was badly wounded in the upper part of his body and was transferred to Asaf Harofeh hospital.
The Israeli occupation police claimed in a press release that that a group of Jews quarreled with the owner of the store and stabbed the young man before they fled the scene. The police refused to reveal the identity of the victim.
Hundreds of settlers break into Yussef’s Tomb performing Talmudic rituals
Hundreds of Jewish settlers broke into Yussef’s Tomb to the east of Nablus in West bank last night to perform Talmudic rituals under IOF protection.
Eyewitnesses said that 15 military vehicles stormed the eastern part of Nablus, and headed towards Yussef's tomb to secure the entry of buses and cars carrying hundreds of Jewish settlers who came to perform religious Talmudic rituals.
The sources affirmed that the occupation forces fired stun grenades and tear gas against Palestinian houses in the area. They continued in their rituals till the morning hours, using loudspeakers and loud music during their prayers, caused great nuisance to the residents who threw stones and empty bottles as a response to their provocation.
It should be noted that the Israeli settlers have repeatedly stormed the Tomb which was an Islamic mosque built over a tomb of an Islamic Sheikh named Youssef Dweikat from the town of Balata. It was seized by Israeli settlers just after the occupation of the West Bank in 1967 under the pretext that it contains Tomb of Prophet Youssef.
Raids, Confrontations at Joseph’s Tomb
On Thursday, 21st June, extremist Jewish settler groups raided Joseph's tomb south of Nablus, and performed their Talmudic rituals.
Settlers broke into Joseph's tomb under the protection of the Israeli army soldiers. There was a confrontation between the Palestinians and settlers and the Israeli army announced the arrest of seven settlers who tried to incite riots and violence in the area.
20 june 2012
Israel Promises 300 Units In Exchange For Relocating 5 Homes
The conservative Israeli government of Prime Minister, Benjamin Netanyahu, reached agreement with residents of the Ulpana illegal settlement, near the central West Bank city of Ramallah, stating that Israel will build 300 apartment units for Jewish settlers, in exchange for relocating five illegal homes.
Israeli Ynet News reported that Zalman Melamed, the Rabbi of Beit El illegal settlement, and representatives of the Israeli government, reached the deal on Tuesday.
The five illegal homes will be relocated to a location within the settlement boundaries, and “in return”, Israel will construct 300 units on what it calls “state land”.
The five homes in question were built, by Israel’s admission, on privately-owned Palestinian lands; the settlers will leave their homes in a week.
Ynet added that the implementation of the agreement requires the approval of the Israeli High Court of Justice, but approval is practically guaranteed.
Despite the fact that Israel will be building 300 new units for the settlers in the occupied West Bank, some settlers in Ulpana were complaining about what they called the “eviction” of the five homes, and said that the move “shames the government”.
Netanyahu will be presenting the deal to the so-called Ministerial Committee on Settlements during its meeting Wednesday.
The government of Netanyahu and his coalition partners, most of them settlers and supporters of the settlement movement, is one of the most fundamentalist coalition governments in Israel’s history, and one of the strongest supporters of the illegal settlement movement.
Israel’s settlements in the occupied Palestinian territories are illegal under International Law, and also violate the Fourth Geneva Convention to which Israel is a signatory.
The West Bank, including occupied East Jerusalem, is riddled with settlements taking over large areas of Palestinian lands. These are usually situated on hilltops to prevent the Palestinians from their natural right to expand their communities and from having access to what is left of their lands.
Israel’s illegal Annexation Wall in the West Bank is built in a manner that isolates Palestinian farmers from their farmlands and orchards in the West Bank, and allows the expansion of existing illegal Israeli settlements.
On July 9, 2004, the International Court of Justice at The Hague, in the Netherlands, issued an advisory ruling considering the Israel’s Annexation Wall as illegal, and warned of the legal consequences of its construction.
Similar to all United Nations and Security Council resolutions calling on Israel to withdraw from the occupied territories, Israel ignored the ruling.
Ulpana evacuation deal: Beit El to get 10 apartment buildings
Beit El's rabbi says settler reps, government close to finalizing deal on voluntary evacuation of five homes built on Palestinian land; according to deal, 10 apartment buildings will be constructed in settlement.
It appears that a confrontation between Jewish settlers and security forces will be avoided: Beit El Chief Rabbi Zalman Melamed said Monday evening that a deal on the voluntary evacuation of five homes in the settlement's Ulpana neighborhood was imminent.
Melamed, who has been negotiating with the government on behalf of the neighborhood's residents, said all activity surrounding the settlement will be frozen for the next 24 hours, adding that the agreement, if finalized, would include "significant achievements" for the settlers.
The High Court has instructed the State to evacuate five homes in Ulpana by July 1 because they were built on private Palestinian land.
According to the agreement, 10 apartment buildings consisting of 30 units each will be built in Beit El. The buildings will be constructed on the grounds of a Border Guard base situated at the entrance to the settlement. The base will be evacuated.
A leader of the teenagers who planned to resist the evacuation said in response to the agreement, "We are very angry. If it's true – we were sold out.
"They are doing to us exactly what they did to Gush Katif (in Gaza) and Migron. We haven’t learned anything," he told Ynet Monday night.
On Sunday, dozens of youngsters equipped with hundreds of sacks of cement, iron rods, wooden boards, and mechanical equipment arrived at Ulpana. They began building barricades around the neighborhood and on top of the homes slated to be evacuated.
The teens also set up barriers at the entrance to the neighborhood, where they remain in contact via MIRS phones. Throughout the day, some of them – wearing masks – threw rocks at soldiers who happened to be in the area and at anyone else they suspected of being involved with the evacuation.
However, Rabbi Melamed said that even if a deal is not struck, the evacuation will be non-violent. Violent resistance would taint the settlers' image in the media, the rabbi told his students.
The rabbi said he decided to reach an agreement with the government after realizing the evacuation could not be avoided.
Details of the agreement were discussed Monday during a meeting between settler representatives and senior political and military figures, including Environmental Protection Minister Gilad Erdan, Cabinet Secretary Zvi Hauser and Major General Eitan Dangot, the coordinator of government activities in the territories.
Government officials confirmed that significant headway was made towards a non-violent evacuation of homes in Ulpana.
In a move meant to placate the Right following the failed vote on the settlement regulation bill, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu recently approved the construction of 851 housing units in the West Bank – 300 for Beit El and 551 for four other settlements.
The settlement regulation bill, which attempted evade the High Court ruling by retroactively legalizing Jewish outposts, was voted down by the Knesset.
Official: Settlers erect homes, level land by Nablus outposts
Israeli settlers have brought 45 caravans to expand settler outposts near Nablus, a local official said Wednesday.
Construction began on Monday on three settler outposts adjacent to Eli and Shilo settlements in the northern West Bank, PA official monitoring settler activities Ghassan Daghlas told Ma'an.
Bulldozers have razed more than 60,000 square meters of agricultural land near Palestinian villages Jalud, Qaryut and Jurish, he said, noting that settlers had constructed several cement homes and brought in caravans.
The settler homes lie just 300 meters from Palestinian houses in Jalud village, Daghlas said.
He urged government protection for Palestinians suffering violence by settlers in the occupied West Bank. In 2011, the UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs reported that settler attacks had increased by 50 percent on the previous year.
The Nablus area experienced the majority of settler violence during this period, with settlers routinely destroying Palestinian agricultural crops, vandalizing property, and physically assaulting locals, according to a study by The Palestine Center.
All Jewish-only settlements in the occupied West Bank are illegal under international law. Israel distinguishes between illegal settlements it has approved and illegal outposts which were never granted official authorization.
Recent rulings by the Israeli Supreme Court ordering that several outposts built on Palestinian land be taken down have proved a major test for Israeli premier Benjamin Netanyahu, who is loath either to upset his ultranationalist base or defy Israel's judiciary over policy in the West Bank.
After a High Court ruling, Netanyahu's government reached a deal with settlers in the Ulpana outpost in recent weeks to physically relocate the buildings, and erect 300 new homes elsewhere in the adjacent Beit El settlement.