One of the suspects in court
Appearing before court, 15-year-old suspected of assaulting Arab youth in Jerusalem lashes out at victim, says 'If I catch him, I'll beat him.
He should die'.
One of the suspects in the Jerusalem lynch case appeared at the Jerusalem Magistrate's Court for a remand hearing on Monday.
Upon his arrival, he effectively confessed to the charges and lashed out at the victim, who is still in hospital. "He can die for all I care, he cursed my mother," he said. "There were 40-50 kids who all beat him."
"I was at the square, I was involved," the 15-year-old admitted. "If I catch him I'll punch him. He should die. He's Arab, if you go the Damascus Gate you get stabbed."
Meanwhile, police continue to investigate the brutal assault. On Sunday, four more suspects were arrested in connection with the case: A 15-year-old girl and three teenage boys aged 13, 15, and 17.
The 13-year-old suspect was remanded in custody for one day on Monday. His family claims that he was buying a water bottle for the victim at the time of the assault. Police said additional suspects are slated to be arrested.
A Jerusalem police official described the course of events. "A girl incited and pushed the others to hurt the Arab youths.
More suspects to be arrested
There was an assault and racist slurs. They (the suspects) claim the main reason for the assault was another criminal event involving the girl and the others which took place prior to Thursday." He noted that more than 10 suspects are involved in the incident.
On Sunday, a police official said in court, "It was a lynch, plain and simple. The victim lost consciousness and was considered dead until medics arrived and performed CPR."
Kfir Brigade hazing suspects reach plea bargain
Nine out of 10 defendants confess to aggravated assault, insist on being demoted to privates, not corporals.
The Jaffa Military Court on Monday approved plea bargains reached between the prosecution and nine of the 10 defendants in the Kfir Brigade hazing case.
Under an amended indictment, the defendants confessed to aggravated assault and will serve 58 days in prison, of which seven will be deducted as part of a "holiday clemency."
The court also discussed the issue of their demotion. The prosecution motioned to demote the combatants to corporals, but the defendants insisted they be demoted to privates. The reason: Combat pride which prevents them from wearing corporal ranks. Their request was accepted.
As part of the plea bargain, the defendants negotiated to have their criminal records expunged after five years. Negotiations with the 10th defendant are ongoing. "We have no intention of imposing a long criminal record," said the military prosecutor who cited the defendants' years of service.
During the hearing, one of the defendants expressed his remorse. "We are aware of the severity of our actions and regret them. The 'seniority trial' was done in good spirits among comrades."
He noted that the victim had played along with the hazing. "Throughout our military service, we received numerous punches from our commanders and other soldiers and were always 'good sports' about it.
"The sadness and pain that we feel is not because of the punishments we will receive but because of the knowledge that we injured a fellow comrade. We ask for his forgiveness even before Yom Kippur."
Attorney Shai Roda, who represents one of the defendants, explained that his client does not feel he should wear a corporal's rank "because combatants don’t wear such ranks. It's humiliating to them."
Israel Police: Hundreds watched attempt to lynch Palestinians in Jerusalem, did not interfere
Four minors, including one girl, arrested in connection with attack at Zion Square in which one victim was seriously injured and three others were slightly hurt.
After initially treating the event as a brawl, police on Sunday for the first time referred to the attack on Palestinian youths by dozens of Jewish teens in Jerusalem early last Friday as a "lynching."
A police representative told the Magistrate's Court that hundreds of people watched the event without helping the victims.
Witnesses say the attack lasted a short while before police arrived and the attackers fled.
Four minors between the ages of 13-15, including one girl, were arrested on Sunday in connection with the attack at Zion Square, in which one victim was seriously injured and three others were slightly hurt.
Earlier, the court extended by four days the detention of the 19-year-old man arrested Friday. Police believe there will be further arrests.
Sergeant First Class Shmuel Shenhav defined the attack as a lynch, and said: "The victim lost his consciousness and was thought to be dead until a Magen David Adom [emergency paramedic] crew arrived and resuscitated him. He was anesthetized and on a respirator in the hospital for days. This was an extremely severe crime. Only a miracle saved him from death."
A 13-year-old suspect brought into court yesterday did not deny he was present at the scene, but said he wasn't involved in the beating. His mother, L., told Haaretz: "They came at noon while he was sleeping. The investigators woke him up and took him to the police car. How can they do such a thing to a young kid?"
The suspect's brother, who was also present at the scene, said outside the court that it was the four Arab youths who had provoked passersby and "made passes at Jewish girls." He added: "Why should an Arab make passes at my sister? They shouldn't be here, it's our area. For what other reason would they come here if not to make passes at Jewish girls?"
The 19-year-old suspect's attorney, Ariel Attari, said that his client wasn't present at the scene and said he had an alibi for the entire time.
Meanwhile, victim Jamal Julani remains in serious condition, according to the authorities. Julani, 17, from Jerusalem's Ras al-Amud neighborhood, was admitted to the intensive care unit at Hadassah University Hospital, Ein Karem in critical condition. His mother told Haaretz that he had regained consciousness but is very confused, did not remember the assault and did not understand why he was in the hospital.
"There were four of us," one of the victim's cousins, Mohammed Mujahad, said Saturday, recalling what happened when he and his three cousins reached Zion Square after midnight Thursday. "Suddenly maybe 50 Jews came toward us shouting, 'Arabs Arabs.' I don't understand what they said. They weren't calling us. They were just generally shouting."
According to an eyewitness, the group of teenagers appeared to be hunting for Arab victims, calling out "Death to Arabs" and other anti-Arab slurs.
"We walked slowly, so there wouldn't be trouble," related Nuaman Julani, another of Jamal's cousins. "Suddenly one said to Jamal, 'What are you doing, you son of a bitch?' Jamal tried to flee, but [the attacker] whacked him in the chest and [Jamal] fell."
The incident was brief, according to Mujahad and Nuaman Julani. One of the cousins says he saw a few attackers hitting and kicking Jamal as he lay on the ground. Both noted that police quickly arrived, after which all the perpetrators dispersed.
Jewish settlers establish poultry farm on Palestinian land
Jewish settlers seized a piece of land in Khader village south of Bethlehem and established a poultry farm on it, local sources said.
Ahmed Salah, the coordinator of the popular anti-settlement committee in the village, told Quds Press on Sunday that the piece of land is owned by Subaih family in Khilat Ein Masur area.
He said that the area is mountainous and lacks electricity and running water services, adding that the settlers carry water to the area using primitive means.
Salah said that the settlers were trying to control an area of ten dunums that surrounds the farm using dogs to scare off the owners, noting that the area is near to a settlement, which they were trying to “fatten”.
State: Migron must be evicted on time
Prosecution informs High Court of Justice that residents of illegal West Bank outpost must be evicted according to court-set schedule, despite claim of land ownership.
The State Prosecutor's Office informed the High Court of Justice on Monday that the illegal West Bank outpost of Migron must be evicted according to the schedule previously set by the court, despite the fact that the settlers living there claim to have bought the land.
The Prosecution briefed the Ministerial Committee on Settlements on its position in the matter on Sunday night.
The State further told the court that the legality of the alleged land acquisition was being reviewed.
"There is no legal feasibility for the petitioners' continued stay in Migron… Honoring and adhering to the court's ruling in the matter mandates that Migron will be evicted as scheduled," the State said.
"All of the structures built in Migron are illegal and have has standing razing orders against them for years,"
Nevertheless, the State said that the question of the legality of some of the buildings, built on land the settlers claim to have purchased from their Arab owners, is still under review.
The Prosecution asked the court for three additional months in order to examine the issue, but stressed that despite that, the buildings cannot be used as housing units.
The Regavim Movement – a social movement for preserving Israel's State lands and national properties – said that the Prosecution's brief "Lacks any legal logic and essentially mocks the Ministerial Committee on Settlements. It's hard not to think that the State has made up its mind to evict Migron from the very beginning and is now trying to find a way to reason its moves."
A statement by Migron said that, "The question of who is the 'State' became very poignant today. The Court is facing a tough decision – does it adopt the decision made by a responsible government, that seeks to keep a settlement built on acquired land; or does it side with the Prosecution, and force the government to evict law abiding citizens."
19 aug 2012
Jewish settlers expand settlement outposts in Al-Khalil
Jewish settlers in two unauthorized settlement outposts established east of Yatta town in Al-Khalil province have started to expand their settlement outposts, local sources said.
They said that settlers installed nine caravans in those settlements at a late night hour on Friday, noting that an Israeli court had ordered the dismantling of those two outposts and returning the land to their rightful (Palestinian) owners.
Meanwhile, a group of other settlers in the same area, to the east of Yatta, cut off 30 olive trees owned by members of one Palestinian family.
Other sources said that Israeli occupation forces confiscated a tractor to the south east of Yatta owned by a Palestinian farmer.
Settlers visit sites of evacuated West Bank settlements, vow to return
A group of settlers on Thursday visited the sites of two northern West Bank settlements evacuated by Israel in the 2005 redeployment from the Gaza Strip – Ganim and Kadim.
Settlers noted that this was their tenth visit to the sites since the redeployment. The group wrote graffiti in the area, including ‘Ganim and Kadim we will be back’ and the date on which they visited the area.
Israelis throws rocks at Palestinian car near Bethlehem, car damaged
Several Israelis are reported to have thrown rocks at a Palestinian-driven car near the settlement of Alon Shvut in the Gush Etzion settlement bloc near Bethlehem on Sunday afternoon. No one was injured but the car was damaged.
Israeli security forces caught an Israeli citizen suspected of involvement in the incident, and he was transferred to the Israeli police for questioning.
18 aug 2012
For first time, U.S. State Department defines settler violence as terrorism
In annual report on terrorism in foreign countries, U.S. government report defines so-called 'price-tag' attacks against Palestinians in the West Bank as acts of terror.
A report by the U.S. State Department defines, for the first time, violence perpetrated by Israeli settlers in the West Bank as acts of terrorism.
The Country Reports on Terrorism, which under U.S. law is produced annually by the State Department and presented to the U.S. Congress, was published two weeks ago. It contained a chapter on Israel, the West Bank and Gaza.
A section of the report entitled "Countering Radicalization and Violent Extremism" addressed so-called "price-tag" attacks, which are committed primarily against Palestinians and their property by West Bank settlers.
The report mentions an attack on the Israel Defense Forces Ephraim Brigade Headquarters against the IDF's Efraim Regional Brigade headquarters in the West Bank.
That attack "sparked a public debate in Israel on the phenomenon of settler violence; political and security officials pledged to implement several steps to curb and punish these violent attacks," according to the report.
The report also notes that Israeli Defense Minister Ehud Barak labeled such attacks as having the characteristics of terrorist acts. Former IDF Head of Central Command Avi Mizrahi is also mentioned describing attacks against Palestinians and against their property as "terror."
During 2011, the report says, ten mosques in the West Bank and in Jerusalem were set on fire – a dramatic increase compared to past years, following "six such incidents in 2010 and one in 2009." The report also states that Israeli authorities believe that the attacks were "perpetrated by settlers."
Under the title "2011 Terrorist Incidents," the report describes the main terrorist attacks carried out in the West Bank in the Gaza Strip in that year. Alongside rocket attacks from Gaza, the report mentions seven incidents, three of which were considered "price-tag" attacks - the spraying of hate graffiti on Muslim graves at the Mamilla Cemetery in Jerusalem, the burning of a Jerusalem mosque and the vandalizing of a mosque in the West Bank village of Burqa.
Over the weekend, the State Department issued a statement condemning the attack on a Palestinian taxi on Thursday, which was suspected to have been carried out by extremist settlers.
"The United States condemns in the strongest possible terms yesterday’s attack on a Palestinian taxi in the West Bank," State Department spokeswoman, Victoria Nuland, said.
"We extend our deepest sympathies to the victims, among them children, and we hope for their speedy recovery. We note that the Government of Israel has also condemned this heinous attack and pledged to bring the perpetrators to justice. We look to Israeli law enforcement officials to do so expeditiously. We urge all parties to avoid any actions that could lead to an escalation of violence."
Appearing before court, 15-year-old suspected of assaulting Arab youth in Jerusalem lashes out at victim, says 'If I catch him, I'll beat him.
He should die'.
One of the suspects in the Jerusalem lynch case appeared at the Jerusalem Magistrate's Court for a remand hearing on Monday.
Upon his arrival, he effectively confessed to the charges and lashed out at the victim, who is still in hospital. "He can die for all I care, he cursed my mother," he said. "There were 40-50 kids who all beat him."
"I was at the square, I was involved," the 15-year-old admitted. "If I catch him I'll punch him. He should die. He's Arab, if you go the Damascus Gate you get stabbed."
Meanwhile, police continue to investigate the brutal assault. On Sunday, four more suspects were arrested in connection with the case: A 15-year-old girl and three teenage boys aged 13, 15, and 17.
The 13-year-old suspect was remanded in custody for one day on Monday. His family claims that he was buying a water bottle for the victim at the time of the assault. Police said additional suspects are slated to be arrested.
A Jerusalem police official described the course of events. "A girl incited and pushed the others to hurt the Arab youths.
More suspects to be arrested
There was an assault and racist slurs. They (the suspects) claim the main reason for the assault was another criminal event involving the girl and the others which took place prior to Thursday." He noted that more than 10 suspects are involved in the incident.
On Sunday, a police official said in court, "It was a lynch, plain and simple. The victim lost consciousness and was considered dead until medics arrived and performed CPR."
Kfir Brigade hazing suspects reach plea bargain
Nine out of 10 defendants confess to aggravated assault, insist on being demoted to privates, not corporals.
The Jaffa Military Court on Monday approved plea bargains reached between the prosecution and nine of the 10 defendants in the Kfir Brigade hazing case.
Under an amended indictment, the defendants confessed to aggravated assault and will serve 58 days in prison, of which seven will be deducted as part of a "holiday clemency."
The court also discussed the issue of their demotion. The prosecution motioned to demote the combatants to corporals, but the defendants insisted they be demoted to privates. The reason: Combat pride which prevents them from wearing corporal ranks. Their request was accepted.
As part of the plea bargain, the defendants negotiated to have their criminal records expunged after five years. Negotiations with the 10th defendant are ongoing. "We have no intention of imposing a long criminal record," said the military prosecutor who cited the defendants' years of service.
During the hearing, one of the defendants expressed his remorse. "We are aware of the severity of our actions and regret them. The 'seniority trial' was done in good spirits among comrades."
He noted that the victim had played along with the hazing. "Throughout our military service, we received numerous punches from our commanders and other soldiers and were always 'good sports' about it.
"The sadness and pain that we feel is not because of the punishments we will receive but because of the knowledge that we injured a fellow comrade. We ask for his forgiveness even before Yom Kippur."
Attorney Shai Roda, who represents one of the defendants, explained that his client does not feel he should wear a corporal's rank "because combatants don’t wear such ranks. It's humiliating to them."
Israel Police: Hundreds watched attempt to lynch Palestinians in Jerusalem, did not interfere
Four minors, including one girl, arrested in connection with attack at Zion Square in which one victim was seriously injured and three others were slightly hurt.
After initially treating the event as a brawl, police on Sunday for the first time referred to the attack on Palestinian youths by dozens of Jewish teens in Jerusalem early last Friday as a "lynching."
A police representative told the Magistrate's Court that hundreds of people watched the event without helping the victims.
Witnesses say the attack lasted a short while before police arrived and the attackers fled.
Four minors between the ages of 13-15, including one girl, were arrested on Sunday in connection with the attack at Zion Square, in which one victim was seriously injured and three others were slightly hurt.
Earlier, the court extended by four days the detention of the 19-year-old man arrested Friday. Police believe there will be further arrests.
Sergeant First Class Shmuel Shenhav defined the attack as a lynch, and said: "The victim lost his consciousness and was thought to be dead until a Magen David Adom [emergency paramedic] crew arrived and resuscitated him. He was anesthetized and on a respirator in the hospital for days. This was an extremely severe crime. Only a miracle saved him from death."
A 13-year-old suspect brought into court yesterday did not deny he was present at the scene, but said he wasn't involved in the beating. His mother, L., told Haaretz: "They came at noon while he was sleeping. The investigators woke him up and took him to the police car. How can they do such a thing to a young kid?"
The suspect's brother, who was also present at the scene, said outside the court that it was the four Arab youths who had provoked passersby and "made passes at Jewish girls." He added: "Why should an Arab make passes at my sister? They shouldn't be here, it's our area. For what other reason would they come here if not to make passes at Jewish girls?"
The 19-year-old suspect's attorney, Ariel Attari, said that his client wasn't present at the scene and said he had an alibi for the entire time.
Meanwhile, victim Jamal Julani remains in serious condition, according to the authorities. Julani, 17, from Jerusalem's Ras al-Amud neighborhood, was admitted to the intensive care unit at Hadassah University Hospital, Ein Karem in critical condition. His mother told Haaretz that he had regained consciousness but is very confused, did not remember the assault and did not understand why he was in the hospital.
"There were four of us," one of the victim's cousins, Mohammed Mujahad, said Saturday, recalling what happened when he and his three cousins reached Zion Square after midnight Thursday. "Suddenly maybe 50 Jews came toward us shouting, 'Arabs Arabs.' I don't understand what they said. They weren't calling us. They were just generally shouting."
According to an eyewitness, the group of teenagers appeared to be hunting for Arab victims, calling out "Death to Arabs" and other anti-Arab slurs.
"We walked slowly, so there wouldn't be trouble," related Nuaman Julani, another of Jamal's cousins. "Suddenly one said to Jamal, 'What are you doing, you son of a bitch?' Jamal tried to flee, but [the attacker] whacked him in the chest and [Jamal] fell."
The incident was brief, according to Mujahad and Nuaman Julani. One of the cousins says he saw a few attackers hitting and kicking Jamal as he lay on the ground. Both noted that police quickly arrived, after which all the perpetrators dispersed.
Jewish settlers establish poultry farm on Palestinian land
Jewish settlers seized a piece of land in Khader village south of Bethlehem and established a poultry farm on it, local sources said.
Ahmed Salah, the coordinator of the popular anti-settlement committee in the village, told Quds Press on Sunday that the piece of land is owned by Subaih family in Khilat Ein Masur area.
He said that the area is mountainous and lacks electricity and running water services, adding that the settlers carry water to the area using primitive means.
Salah said that the settlers were trying to control an area of ten dunums that surrounds the farm using dogs to scare off the owners, noting that the area is near to a settlement, which they were trying to “fatten”.
State: Migron must be evicted on time
Prosecution informs High Court of Justice that residents of illegal West Bank outpost must be evicted according to court-set schedule, despite claim of land ownership.
The State Prosecutor's Office informed the High Court of Justice on Monday that the illegal West Bank outpost of Migron must be evicted according to the schedule previously set by the court, despite the fact that the settlers living there claim to have bought the land.
The Prosecution briefed the Ministerial Committee on Settlements on its position in the matter on Sunday night.
The State further told the court that the legality of the alleged land acquisition was being reviewed.
"There is no legal feasibility for the petitioners' continued stay in Migron… Honoring and adhering to the court's ruling in the matter mandates that Migron will be evicted as scheduled," the State said.
"All of the structures built in Migron are illegal and have has standing razing orders against them for years,"
Nevertheless, the State said that the question of the legality of some of the buildings, built on land the settlers claim to have purchased from their Arab owners, is still under review.
The Prosecution asked the court for three additional months in order to examine the issue, but stressed that despite that, the buildings cannot be used as housing units.
The Regavim Movement – a social movement for preserving Israel's State lands and national properties – said that the Prosecution's brief "Lacks any legal logic and essentially mocks the Ministerial Committee on Settlements. It's hard not to think that the State has made up its mind to evict Migron from the very beginning and is now trying to find a way to reason its moves."
A statement by Migron said that, "The question of who is the 'State' became very poignant today. The Court is facing a tough decision – does it adopt the decision made by a responsible government, that seeks to keep a settlement built on acquired land; or does it side with the Prosecution, and force the government to evict law abiding citizens."
19 aug 2012
Jewish settlers expand settlement outposts in Al-Khalil
Jewish settlers in two unauthorized settlement outposts established east of Yatta town in Al-Khalil province have started to expand their settlement outposts, local sources said.
They said that settlers installed nine caravans in those settlements at a late night hour on Friday, noting that an Israeli court had ordered the dismantling of those two outposts and returning the land to their rightful (Palestinian) owners.
Meanwhile, a group of other settlers in the same area, to the east of Yatta, cut off 30 olive trees owned by members of one Palestinian family.
Other sources said that Israeli occupation forces confiscated a tractor to the south east of Yatta owned by a Palestinian farmer.
Settlers visit sites of evacuated West Bank settlements, vow to return
A group of settlers on Thursday visited the sites of two northern West Bank settlements evacuated by Israel in the 2005 redeployment from the Gaza Strip – Ganim and Kadim.
Settlers noted that this was their tenth visit to the sites since the redeployment. The group wrote graffiti in the area, including ‘Ganim and Kadim we will be back’ and the date on which they visited the area.
Israelis throws rocks at Palestinian car near Bethlehem, car damaged
Several Israelis are reported to have thrown rocks at a Palestinian-driven car near the settlement of Alon Shvut in the Gush Etzion settlement bloc near Bethlehem on Sunday afternoon. No one was injured but the car was damaged.
Israeli security forces caught an Israeli citizen suspected of involvement in the incident, and he was transferred to the Israeli police for questioning.
18 aug 2012
For first time, U.S. State Department defines settler violence as terrorism
In annual report on terrorism in foreign countries, U.S. government report defines so-called 'price-tag' attacks against Palestinians in the West Bank as acts of terror.
A report by the U.S. State Department defines, for the first time, violence perpetrated by Israeli settlers in the West Bank as acts of terrorism.
The Country Reports on Terrorism, which under U.S. law is produced annually by the State Department and presented to the U.S. Congress, was published two weeks ago. It contained a chapter on Israel, the West Bank and Gaza.
A section of the report entitled "Countering Radicalization and Violent Extremism" addressed so-called "price-tag" attacks, which are committed primarily against Palestinians and their property by West Bank settlers.
The report mentions an attack on the Israel Defense Forces Ephraim Brigade Headquarters against the IDF's Efraim Regional Brigade headquarters in the West Bank.
That attack "sparked a public debate in Israel on the phenomenon of settler violence; political and security officials pledged to implement several steps to curb and punish these violent attacks," according to the report.
The report also notes that Israeli Defense Minister Ehud Barak labeled such attacks as having the characteristics of terrorist acts. Former IDF Head of Central Command Avi Mizrahi is also mentioned describing attacks against Palestinians and against their property as "terror."
During 2011, the report says, ten mosques in the West Bank and in Jerusalem were set on fire – a dramatic increase compared to past years, following "six such incidents in 2010 and one in 2009." The report also states that Israeli authorities believe that the attacks were "perpetrated by settlers."
Under the title "2011 Terrorist Incidents," the report describes the main terrorist attacks carried out in the West Bank in the Gaza Strip in that year. Alongside rocket attacks from Gaza, the report mentions seven incidents, three of which were considered "price-tag" attacks - the spraying of hate graffiti on Muslim graves at the Mamilla Cemetery in Jerusalem, the burning of a Jerusalem mosque and the vandalizing of a mosque in the West Bank village of Burqa.
Over the weekend, the State Department issued a statement condemning the attack on a Palestinian taxi on Thursday, which was suspected to have been carried out by extremist settlers.
"The United States condemns in the strongest possible terms yesterday’s attack on a Palestinian taxi in the West Bank," State Department spokeswoman, Victoria Nuland, said.
"We extend our deepest sympathies to the victims, among them children, and we hope for their speedy recovery. We note that the Government of Israel has also condemned this heinous attack and pledged to bring the perpetrators to justice. We look to Israeli law enforcement officials to do so expeditiously. We urge all parties to avoid any actions that could lead to an escalation of violence."
|
|
On Friday, Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas told a
Palestinian radio station that the attacks by Israeli settlers against
Palestinians are "being carried out under the cover of the Israeli
occupation army and must cease.
Abbas noted that, if the IDF so desired, such attacks could be prevented. "This is happening in front of their eyes and they are not batting an eyelid," Abbas said. "This is evidence of the racist policy still nesting in the army and the settlers' mentality. Following Thursday's attack, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu sent reassuring messages to Abbas, apparently fearing the attack might spark violence in the West Bank. |
The Prime Minister's Office said Netanyahu's
envoy Yitzhak Molcho called Abbas and Palestinian Prime Minister Salam
Fayyad, assuring them Netanyahu had ordered Israel's security forces to do everything in their power to locate and arrest whoever was responsible for the attack.
Netanyahu's message to Abbas was considered unusual, as the premier usually makes do with condemning such events.
US condemns attack on Palestinian taxi in W. Bank
Jewish extremists believed behind attack that hurts 6 Palestinians in W. Bank; Netanyahu to Abbas: J'lem not taking incident lightly.
The United States on Friday condemned "in the strongest possible terms" Thursday's attack on a Palestinian taxi in the West Bank, which left six people lightly to moderately wounded, including two children.
"We extend our deepest sympathies to the victims, among them children, and we hope for their speedy recovery. We note that the Government of Israel has also condemned this heinous attack and pledged to bring the perpetrators to justice," the US State Department said in a statement.
"We look to Israeli law enforcement officials to do so expeditiously. We urge all parties to avoid any actions that could lead to an escalation of violence," the statement continued.
Earlier Friday, Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu and Police Inspector General Yochanan Danino vowed to bring to justice the unknown assailants who threw a Molotov cocktail at the taxi outside the Gush Etzion settlement of Bat Ayin on Thursday night.
Results from an initial investigation raised fears that Jewish extremists could have perpetrated the attack.
Netanyahu sent a message to Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas and PA Prime Minister Salam Fayyad on Friday, saying that he viewed the firebomb attack as a "very serious" offense and that all efforts would be made to bring the perpetrators to justice.
Netanyahu's special envoy Yitzhak Molcho called PA chief negotiator Saeb Erekat with the message for Abbas and Fayyad.
The prime minister added that he would ensure the Palestinian victims of the attack were receiving proper medical treatment.
During a briefing held at the Temple Mount complex on the occasion of the last Friday of Ramadan, Danino referred to the Molotov cocktail attack as "a very severe incident" and said he has instructed police to do whatever it takes to bring the perpetrators to justice as soon as possible. Danino added that Israel Police "won't allow extremist criminals to disrupt and inflame daily life across Israel, in particular in areas that are especially sensitive.
Judea and Samaria Commander Brigadier General Hagai Mordechai said Thursday that the incident could compromise security and stability in the West Bank.
On Thursday night Mordechai increased IDF presence along friction points on West Bank roads.
A security source said that it would have been obvious to the assailants that they were targeting a Palestinian taxi, because the attack occurred in day light in a place with good visibility.
The yellow vehicle with a green Palestinian license plate, typically of West Bank Palestinian taxis, could not have been mistaken for any other kind of vehicle, the security source said.
But, the source added, that the investigation was still in its initial stages.
According to the police, the taxi flipped and burst into flames after the Molotov cocktail hit it. Paramedics evacuated all six wounded to Hadassah Ein Kerem Hospital shortly thereafter.
Police said they found a second, ready-to-use Molotov cocktail near the site of the firebombing. They would not comment as to whether or not Jewish extremists firebombed the taxi, saying they are still in the initial stages of the investigation.
The Shin Bet joined police and IDF troops in the search for the assailants, which is currently ongoing in the West Bank.
The Shin Bet had initially refused to comment on whether or not they consider the incident a “Price Tag” attack, the name given to attacks by Jewish extremists against Palestinians in order to protest government policies, saying that the investigation is still in its initial phase. The Shin Bet also placed a gag order on details of the attack.
The Tag Meir group condemned the attack in a statement released by the organization's chairman Dr. Gadi Gvaryahu, saying "We must not allow such Price Tag attacks to become commonplace." Gvaryahu added: "The security apparatus must do everything in its power to arrest those responsible for attacking an innocent Palestinian family."
Tovah Lazaroff contributed to this report.
Jerusalemite teen seriously wounded in Jewish settlers’ mob attack
A Jerusalemite teen was hospitalized with a serious injury after a Jewish mob attacked him and his friends in western Jerusalem on Thursday night.
Eyewitnesses said that Jewish settlers attacked a number of Jerusalemite Arabs who were shopping at Jaffa Street seriously wounding one of them after he was severely beaten in his chest and head.
Jamal Al-Joulani was taken to Hadassah Ein Karem hospital’s intensive care unit where his mother Nariman told AFP that doctors told her that his condition was “difficult”.
Two of his friends, both 17 years old, said that they were walking in the street when suddenly they were attacked by a mob of 50 Jewish youths. They said that the youths were shouting at them and calling them bad names.
They told AFP that they did not quarrel with the youths, adding that monitoring cameras would detail everything if anybody cared about watching their recording.
Hebrew newspaper Yediot Ahronot reported the following on its website: “An activist at an aid organization for youths at risk, who witnessed the event, posted a message on Facebook, claiming that the incident was more like "a lynch."
"Today I saw a lynch with my very own eyes, at Zion Square in the center of Jerusalem," she wrote.
"We arrived for our usual volunteering shift at Zion Square and not more than half-an-hour later, (we heard) screams: 'A Jew is a (good) soul; an Arab is a son-of-a…'. (We saw) dozens of teens running and gathering around, starting to deliver deadly blows to three Arab teens who were peacefully walking by," the activist wrote.
"When one of the Arab teens fell onto the floor, they continued to kick his head, and he lost consciousness... the assailants ran away and the rest gathered in a circle (around him) and some continued to shout with hatred in their eyes."”
Jewish teen arrested in connection to Jerusalem 'lynch'
Arab teenager assaulted in capital's Zion square has no recollection of violent incident; suspect, 19, denies involvement in case.
Police arrested a Jewish teen aged 19 on suspicion of involvement in a Thursday brawl between Jews and Arabs in Jerusalem. The suspect, a Jerusalem resident, is being questioned by police.
Additional suspects are expected to be arrested later in the week. Police said the suspect denied the allegations against him.
Meanwhile, the victim of the assault, a 17-year-old Arab from east Jerusalem, has woken up from his coma. He could not remember who assaulted him or any other detail relating to the incident. Police said they would check security camera footage as part of their investigation.
"I was surprised to be in the hospital," the victim told Ynet. "I still don't know why I'm here." He added that he does not know whether he was assaulted by Jews.
"I don't remember anything. All I remember is being in Hebron and waking up in the hospital with aches all over my body. I'm constantly shivering."
The victim's mother postulated that the reason her son could not remember anything to do with the assault was the medication he was given.
She noted that the family fears for her son's life. "My son went out with his friends to buy clothes for the holiday and once they arrived on the scene were attacked by racist Jews for no reason," she said.
"We all know police forces were present near the scene but they did not intervene, despite the fact that if it had been an Arab who slapped a Jew, we would have seen large forces arriving and the whole country flamed against Arabs."
She called on the police to arrest the suspects "and not take the matter lightly."
"They should be heavily punished because they caused us suffering. We will take legal action if we don't see results." She noted she was scared to let her kids out on the street.
Another family member said that there is a dangerous phenomenon in Jerusalem where "dozens of settlers roam the shops and brutally assault Arabs when they see them." He said the police fail to stop this phenomenon.
17 aug 2012
Olive grove destroyed in south Hebron
Israeli settlers destroyed 30 olive trees in a Palestinian grove in the south Hebron hills on Thursday, a local official said.
The trees in al-Hamra valley, neighboring the Havat Maon settler outpost, are owned by the al-Rabee family, popular committee coordinator Rateb al-Jabour said.
Al-Jabour condemned aggression by settlers in the area, and said the attitude of the Israeli authorities gives permission to the settlers to conduct such acts.
Italian peace group Operation Dove said 97 Palestinian trees have been destroyed since January, and the largest amount has taken place in the Humra valley.
Also on Thursday, the UN Humanitarian Coordinator for the occupied Palestinian territory visited the south Hebron hills village Jinba, one of eight slated for demolition by Israeli authorities to make way for a military training zone.
Maxwell Gaylard said: "These are already some of the most vulnerable families in the West Bank -- forcibly displacing them from their homes and lands would have a serious immediate and long-term impact on their physical, socio-economic and emotional welfare."
Report: Palestinian, Israeli group clash in West Jerusalem
Tel Aviv- An 18-year-old Palestinian was seriously injured in a fight between a group of Palestinians and Israelis in West Jerusalem on Thursday night, Israeli media reported.
Israeli news site Ynet said the man was taken to Ein Kerem hospital with serious head injuries after the brawl broke out in Zion Square.
Israeli police are searching the area for suspects, the report said.
16 aug 2012
Six Palestinians Wounded, Some Seriously In Settler Attack On Their Car Near Hebron
Netanyahu's message to Abbas was considered unusual, as the premier usually makes do with condemning such events.
US condemns attack on Palestinian taxi in W. Bank
Jewish extremists believed behind attack that hurts 6 Palestinians in W. Bank; Netanyahu to Abbas: J'lem not taking incident lightly.
The United States on Friday condemned "in the strongest possible terms" Thursday's attack on a Palestinian taxi in the West Bank, which left six people lightly to moderately wounded, including two children.
"We extend our deepest sympathies to the victims, among them children, and we hope for their speedy recovery. We note that the Government of Israel has also condemned this heinous attack and pledged to bring the perpetrators to justice," the US State Department said in a statement.
"We look to Israeli law enforcement officials to do so expeditiously. We urge all parties to avoid any actions that could lead to an escalation of violence," the statement continued.
Earlier Friday, Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu and Police Inspector General Yochanan Danino vowed to bring to justice the unknown assailants who threw a Molotov cocktail at the taxi outside the Gush Etzion settlement of Bat Ayin on Thursday night.
Results from an initial investigation raised fears that Jewish extremists could have perpetrated the attack.
Netanyahu sent a message to Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas and PA Prime Minister Salam Fayyad on Friday, saying that he viewed the firebomb attack as a "very serious" offense and that all efforts would be made to bring the perpetrators to justice.
Netanyahu's special envoy Yitzhak Molcho called PA chief negotiator Saeb Erekat with the message for Abbas and Fayyad.
The prime minister added that he would ensure the Palestinian victims of the attack were receiving proper medical treatment.
During a briefing held at the Temple Mount complex on the occasion of the last Friday of Ramadan, Danino referred to the Molotov cocktail attack as "a very severe incident" and said he has instructed police to do whatever it takes to bring the perpetrators to justice as soon as possible. Danino added that Israel Police "won't allow extremist criminals to disrupt and inflame daily life across Israel, in particular in areas that are especially sensitive.
Judea and Samaria Commander Brigadier General Hagai Mordechai said Thursday that the incident could compromise security and stability in the West Bank.
On Thursday night Mordechai increased IDF presence along friction points on West Bank roads.
A security source said that it would have been obvious to the assailants that they were targeting a Palestinian taxi, because the attack occurred in day light in a place with good visibility.
The yellow vehicle with a green Palestinian license plate, typically of West Bank Palestinian taxis, could not have been mistaken for any other kind of vehicle, the security source said.
But, the source added, that the investigation was still in its initial stages.
According to the police, the taxi flipped and burst into flames after the Molotov cocktail hit it. Paramedics evacuated all six wounded to Hadassah Ein Kerem Hospital shortly thereafter.
Police said they found a second, ready-to-use Molotov cocktail near the site of the firebombing. They would not comment as to whether or not Jewish extremists firebombed the taxi, saying they are still in the initial stages of the investigation.
The Shin Bet joined police and IDF troops in the search for the assailants, which is currently ongoing in the West Bank.
The Shin Bet had initially refused to comment on whether or not they consider the incident a “Price Tag” attack, the name given to attacks by Jewish extremists against Palestinians in order to protest government policies, saying that the investigation is still in its initial phase. The Shin Bet also placed a gag order on details of the attack.
The Tag Meir group condemned the attack in a statement released by the organization's chairman Dr. Gadi Gvaryahu, saying "We must not allow such Price Tag attacks to become commonplace." Gvaryahu added: "The security apparatus must do everything in its power to arrest those responsible for attacking an innocent Palestinian family."
Tovah Lazaroff contributed to this report.
Jerusalemite teen seriously wounded in Jewish settlers’ mob attack
A Jerusalemite teen was hospitalized with a serious injury after a Jewish mob attacked him and his friends in western Jerusalem on Thursday night.
Eyewitnesses said that Jewish settlers attacked a number of Jerusalemite Arabs who were shopping at Jaffa Street seriously wounding one of them after he was severely beaten in his chest and head.
Jamal Al-Joulani was taken to Hadassah Ein Karem hospital’s intensive care unit where his mother Nariman told AFP that doctors told her that his condition was “difficult”.
Two of his friends, both 17 years old, said that they were walking in the street when suddenly they were attacked by a mob of 50 Jewish youths. They said that the youths were shouting at them and calling them bad names.
They told AFP that they did not quarrel with the youths, adding that monitoring cameras would detail everything if anybody cared about watching their recording.
Hebrew newspaper Yediot Ahronot reported the following on its website: “An activist at an aid organization for youths at risk, who witnessed the event, posted a message on Facebook, claiming that the incident was more like "a lynch."
"Today I saw a lynch with my very own eyes, at Zion Square in the center of Jerusalem," she wrote.
"We arrived for our usual volunteering shift at Zion Square and not more than half-an-hour later, (we heard) screams: 'A Jew is a (good) soul; an Arab is a son-of-a…'. (We saw) dozens of teens running and gathering around, starting to deliver deadly blows to three Arab teens who were peacefully walking by," the activist wrote.
"When one of the Arab teens fell onto the floor, they continued to kick his head, and he lost consciousness... the assailants ran away and the rest gathered in a circle (around him) and some continued to shout with hatred in their eyes."”
Jewish teen arrested in connection to Jerusalem 'lynch'
Arab teenager assaulted in capital's Zion square has no recollection of violent incident; suspect, 19, denies involvement in case.
Police arrested a Jewish teen aged 19 on suspicion of involvement in a Thursday brawl between Jews and Arabs in Jerusalem. The suspect, a Jerusalem resident, is being questioned by police.
Additional suspects are expected to be arrested later in the week. Police said the suspect denied the allegations against him.
Meanwhile, the victim of the assault, a 17-year-old Arab from east Jerusalem, has woken up from his coma. He could not remember who assaulted him or any other detail relating to the incident. Police said they would check security camera footage as part of their investigation.
"I was surprised to be in the hospital," the victim told Ynet. "I still don't know why I'm here." He added that he does not know whether he was assaulted by Jews.
"I don't remember anything. All I remember is being in Hebron and waking up in the hospital with aches all over my body. I'm constantly shivering."
The victim's mother postulated that the reason her son could not remember anything to do with the assault was the medication he was given.
She noted that the family fears for her son's life. "My son went out with his friends to buy clothes for the holiday and once they arrived on the scene were attacked by racist Jews for no reason," she said.
"We all know police forces were present near the scene but they did not intervene, despite the fact that if it had been an Arab who slapped a Jew, we would have seen large forces arriving and the whole country flamed against Arabs."
She called on the police to arrest the suspects "and not take the matter lightly."
"They should be heavily punished because they caused us suffering. We will take legal action if we don't see results." She noted she was scared to let her kids out on the street.
Another family member said that there is a dangerous phenomenon in Jerusalem where "dozens of settlers roam the shops and brutally assault Arabs when they see them." He said the police fail to stop this phenomenon.
17 aug 2012
Olive grove destroyed in south Hebron
Israeli settlers destroyed 30 olive trees in a Palestinian grove in the south Hebron hills on Thursday, a local official said.
The trees in al-Hamra valley, neighboring the Havat Maon settler outpost, are owned by the al-Rabee family, popular committee coordinator Rateb al-Jabour said.
Al-Jabour condemned aggression by settlers in the area, and said the attitude of the Israeli authorities gives permission to the settlers to conduct such acts.
Italian peace group Operation Dove said 97 Palestinian trees have been destroyed since January, and the largest amount has taken place in the Humra valley.
Also on Thursday, the UN Humanitarian Coordinator for the occupied Palestinian territory visited the south Hebron hills village Jinba, one of eight slated for demolition by Israeli authorities to make way for a military training zone.
Maxwell Gaylard said: "These are already some of the most vulnerable families in the West Bank -- forcibly displacing them from their homes and lands would have a serious immediate and long-term impact on their physical, socio-economic and emotional welfare."
Report: Palestinian, Israeli group clash in West Jerusalem
Tel Aviv- An 18-year-old Palestinian was seriously injured in a fight between a group of Palestinians and Israelis in West Jerusalem on Thursday night, Israeli media reported.
Israeli news site Ynet said the man was taken to Ein Kerem hospital with serious head injuries after the brawl broke out in Zion Square.
Israeli police are searching the area for suspects, the report said.
16 aug 2012
Six Palestinians Wounded, Some Seriously In Settler Attack On Their Car Near Hebron
|
|
Six Palestinians were wounded, three seriously, when Israeli settlers
hurled a cocktail bomb at the car they were riding on the
Bethlehem-Hebron road on Thursday.
Palestinian media sources reported that settlers from Beit Ayin settlement in the Etzion settlment bloc threw a cocktail bomb at the van en route to wounding the driver and five members of Ghayatha family, including two children. Israeli ambulance arrived at the scene and evacuated the wounded to Hadasa hospital in Jerusalem. Three of the wounded suffer second degree burns. The car drove for around hundred meter after the attack before it flipped over on the side of the road. Traces of the fire bomb and a lighter were found on the road side. |
Israeli police also arrived at the scene and closed the road on both ways for around two hours, eyewitnesses reported.
Settler violence increased since 2005 when Israel unilaterally withdrew from the Gaza Strip and moved out all its settlers.
Most of the settler attacks against Palestinians are not followed up by Israeli police.
http://www.imemc
Father, Mother And Children Injured By Settlers Firebomb
Palestinian medical sources in Bethlehem reported Thursday that a cab driver, a Palestinian father, mother and their children, from Nahhalin town, near Bethlehem, suffered moderate to severe injuries after fundamentalist Israeli settlers hurled a firebomb at the Palestinian cab.
The attack took place when the Palestinian Taxi was driving near the illegal Bat Ayin and Gavot illegal settlements, close to the Gush Etzion settlement block, south the occupied West Bank city of Bethlehem.
Medical sources reported that a cab driving a Palestinian family was attacked by extremist settlers who also hurled a firebomb at it leading to six injuries; the wounded six family members received initial treatment in Bethlehem before being moved to the Hadassah Israeli hospital in Jerusalem due to the seriousness of their injuries.
Head of the Emergency Department of the Red Crescent in Bethlehem, Abdul-Halim Ja’afra, reported that wounded residents were identified as Bassam (cab driver) Mahmoud Ghayatha, 55, Ayman Hassan Ghayatha, 35, his wife Jamila Abdul-Hai, 28, their children; Mohammad, 5, and Eman, 4, and Hasan Mohammad Hasan Ghayatha, 26.
Residents Ayman, Jamila and Hasan suffered second and third-degree burns, while the children, Mohammad and Eman suffered first-degree burns.
The Israeli police reported that the attack was carried out by Jewish settlers, and that the assault was nationally motivated.
According to the Maan News Agency, the office of Israeli Prime Minister, Benjamin Netanyahu, issued a statement denouncing the attack and stating that he instructed the Internal Security Services to act decisively and apprehend the assailants.
Extremist settler groups in the occupied West Bank are behind hundreds of attacks against the Palestinians, their lands and property, leading to dozens of casualties and significant damages.
Such attacks included the burning of mosques and churches in occupied Palestine, torching Palestinian farmlands, destroying Palestinian wells and property, and uprooting hundreds of trees, in addition to flooding Palestinian farmlands with sewage.
15 aug 2012
Settlers Empty Palestinian Well, Flood Farmlands
A group of extremist Israeli settlers used electric pumps to empty a Palestinian irrigation well and flooded Palestinian farmlands in as-Seer area, east of Sa’ir town, near the southern West Bank city of Hebron.
Resident Yassin Mohammad ash-Shalalda, told the Land Research Center that settlers of Esfir and Mitzad settlements carried out their attack on Tuesday at night.
The settlers reportedly used a motor pump to empty the well and flooded the nearby Palestinian farmlands. He added that several hundred cubic meters of land were wasted in the attack, and that the residents use this water for both irrigation and as a source of drinking water for their livestock.
Ash-Shalalda further stated that the residents filed a complaint to the Israeli police in Keryat Arba’ settlement in Hebron, but are not hopeful that there will be any affirmative action by the police due to the fact that numerous previous assaults, carried out by the settlers, were never investigated
The area in question is subject to frequent attacks especially since the settlers of both the illegal settlements of Mitzad and Esfir have been trying to expand their colonies at the expense of privately-owned Palestinian lands. The two outposts were also built on privately-owned Palestinian land.
Israeli settlements in the occupied Palestinian territories, including in and around occupied East Jerusalem, are illegal under international law and the Fourth Geneva Convention to which Israel is a signatory.
Israel’s settlements in the West Bank are turning Palestinian cities, towns and villages into isolated ghettoes, while Israel and the extremist settlers continue to focus on fertile Palestinian lands, mainly in the Jordan Valley. Most Israeli settlements and outposts are also built on hilltops surrounding different parts of the occupied West Bank.
Netanyahu To Ignore Report On Legalizing West Bank Settlement Outposts
Fearing international repercussions and criticism, Israeli Prime Minister, Benjamin Netanyahu, decided to shelve a report prepared by former Supreme Court Judge, Edmond Levy, as the report calls for “legalizing” Israeli settlement outposts in the occupied West Bank as they, allegedly, are “part of the state of Israel’.
Israeli daily, Haaretz, reported that the report Netanyahu decided to bury, does not only call for legalizing settlement outposts, but also allows easier expansion of existing “legal” Israeli settlements in the occupied Palestinian territories. The report was submitted to Netanyahu on June 21.
Netanyahu told several cabinet ministers that “the main issue in this report is the fact that it concluded that the Fourth Geneva convention is not applicable in the occupied West Bank” as the territory, according to Levy, “is not occupied, but is part of Israel”.
Netanyahu is not acknowledging the fact that Israel’s presence in the Palestinian territories is occupation by itself, but he fears that highlighting this report would lead to international controversy as the report contradicts different articles of the Fourth Geneva Convention, to which Israel is a signatory, and other facets of International Law.
Haaretz added that approving this report without acknowledging the section that discusses Israel’s presence in the West Bank, could in a way or another be explained as an Israeli recognition of its presence in the West Bank as an occupying force.
On Tuesday, Netanyahu held a meeting with the so-called Ministerial Committee for Settlement Affairs to discuss matters related to illegal settlement outposts in the West Bank. Haaretz said that Ministers Gilad Erdan and Daniel Hershkowitz demanded Netanyahu to discuss the report but he strongly rejected their demands.
According to the Israeli paper, among other issues, the Ministerial Committee discussed the issue of the illegal settlement of Migron, as 17 settler families filed a petition to the Israeli High Court demanding the state not to evict them as they allegedly “bought the lands from their Palestinian owners”. Israel is still investigating the purchase claim.
The Israeli State Prosecutor’s Office claims that the settlers bought a quarter of one lot, referred to as Lot #23. Also, the Office claims that the settlers fully purchased Lot #2, yet, such a purchase is effectively useless as there is no road access to it.
Haaretz further reported that the Ministers decided to grant a 90-day stay on a demolition order of structures illegally built on Lot #10 as they intend to further investigate “the legal status of the land”.
The Ministers also discussed the legality of a settlement outpost in a building at a Palestinian wholesale market in the Hebron, in the southern part of the West Bank.
The Israeli Peace Now Movement filed a petition demanding that Israel remove the settlers who are illegally squatting in the market, but Israel claims that the area was officially owned by Jews, and that Jordan confiscated the area after considering it as “enemy property”. It was then rented to Arabs, according to Israeli claims. This claim strips property rights of the Palestinian owners of the market area.
The market has been fully closed under Israeli military orders since 2000. All Palestinian shops are closed and the entire street is under the control of Israeli settlers and soldiers.
Following Israel’s occupation of Hebron and the rest of the West Bank in 1967, the army continued to rent the structures to the shopkeepers, but after the second Intifada started in later September 2000, the army ordered the closure of all shops under security claims. Renters’ rights were never revoked, Haaretz said.
Israeli settlers, without any legal ruling, took over the building and considered it part of the Avraham Avinu settlement; the Israeli army decided to evict the settlers but never acted on its decision while Peace Now filed an appeal to the Israeli High Court demanding that it enforce the decision.
Haaretz reported that, despite the fact that the ministers decided to evict the settlers, the Israeli army that maintains the structure decided to subsequently rent it out to the settlers.
The ministers decided that the settlers should be evicted, but the army, as the building's “custodian”, is supposed to improve and maintain the structure. They also decided it should be rented out to the Jewish community of Hebron, with the army holding the rent money in a trust fund until the building is returned to the Palestinians. The Israeli Court is yet to render a final decision on the matter.
Furthermore, the Ministerial Panel decided to overturn a previous decision to demolish two under-construction buildings in the illegal Beit El Dreinoff settlement.
The buildings in question were erected without construction permits and the land they were built on was confiscated by the Israeli military for “military purposes”; Israeli Human Rights group, Yesh Din, filed a petition to the Israeli High Court demanding the demolition of the buildings.
The government of Benjamin Netanyahu said that the buildings will be removed by April this year, but never acted on its decision and kept requesting numerous stays on the demolition orders that were eventually rendered fruitless as the Ministerial Committee decided that Beit El needs to present a “Master Plan” that would enable the “legalization” of the settlement outpost.
Following its occupation of the West Bank after the 1967 war, Israel legalized numerous illegal settlement outposts erected by the settlers on privately-owned Palestinian lands. Consecutive Israel governments continued to build and legalize settlements.
Settler violence increased since 2005 when Israel unilaterally withdrew from the Gaza Strip and moved out all its settlers.
Most of the settler attacks against Palestinians are not followed up by Israeli police.
http://www.imemc
Father, Mother And Children Injured By Settlers Firebomb
Palestinian medical sources in Bethlehem reported Thursday that a cab driver, a Palestinian father, mother and their children, from Nahhalin town, near Bethlehem, suffered moderate to severe injuries after fundamentalist Israeli settlers hurled a firebomb at the Palestinian cab.
The attack took place when the Palestinian Taxi was driving near the illegal Bat Ayin and Gavot illegal settlements, close to the Gush Etzion settlement block, south the occupied West Bank city of Bethlehem.
Medical sources reported that a cab driving a Palestinian family was attacked by extremist settlers who also hurled a firebomb at it leading to six injuries; the wounded six family members received initial treatment in Bethlehem before being moved to the Hadassah Israeli hospital in Jerusalem due to the seriousness of their injuries.
Head of the Emergency Department of the Red Crescent in Bethlehem, Abdul-Halim Ja’afra, reported that wounded residents were identified as Bassam (cab driver) Mahmoud Ghayatha, 55, Ayman Hassan Ghayatha, 35, his wife Jamila Abdul-Hai, 28, their children; Mohammad, 5, and Eman, 4, and Hasan Mohammad Hasan Ghayatha, 26.
Residents Ayman, Jamila and Hasan suffered second and third-degree burns, while the children, Mohammad and Eman suffered first-degree burns.
The Israeli police reported that the attack was carried out by Jewish settlers, and that the assault was nationally motivated.
According to the Maan News Agency, the office of Israeli Prime Minister, Benjamin Netanyahu, issued a statement denouncing the attack and stating that he instructed the Internal Security Services to act decisively and apprehend the assailants.
Extremist settler groups in the occupied West Bank are behind hundreds of attacks against the Palestinians, their lands and property, leading to dozens of casualties and significant damages.
Such attacks included the burning of mosques and churches in occupied Palestine, torching Palestinian farmlands, destroying Palestinian wells and property, and uprooting hundreds of trees, in addition to flooding Palestinian farmlands with sewage.
15 aug 2012
Settlers Empty Palestinian Well, Flood Farmlands
A group of extremist Israeli settlers used electric pumps to empty a Palestinian irrigation well and flooded Palestinian farmlands in as-Seer area, east of Sa’ir town, near the southern West Bank city of Hebron.
Resident Yassin Mohammad ash-Shalalda, told the Land Research Center that settlers of Esfir and Mitzad settlements carried out their attack on Tuesday at night.
The settlers reportedly used a motor pump to empty the well and flooded the nearby Palestinian farmlands. He added that several hundred cubic meters of land were wasted in the attack, and that the residents use this water for both irrigation and as a source of drinking water for their livestock.
Ash-Shalalda further stated that the residents filed a complaint to the Israeli police in Keryat Arba’ settlement in Hebron, but are not hopeful that there will be any affirmative action by the police due to the fact that numerous previous assaults, carried out by the settlers, were never investigated
The area in question is subject to frequent attacks especially since the settlers of both the illegal settlements of Mitzad and Esfir have been trying to expand their colonies at the expense of privately-owned Palestinian lands. The two outposts were also built on privately-owned Palestinian land.
Israeli settlements in the occupied Palestinian territories, including in and around occupied East Jerusalem, are illegal under international law and the Fourth Geneva Convention to which Israel is a signatory.
Israel’s settlements in the West Bank are turning Palestinian cities, towns and villages into isolated ghettoes, while Israel and the extremist settlers continue to focus on fertile Palestinian lands, mainly in the Jordan Valley. Most Israeli settlements and outposts are also built on hilltops surrounding different parts of the occupied West Bank.
Netanyahu To Ignore Report On Legalizing West Bank Settlement Outposts
Fearing international repercussions and criticism, Israeli Prime Minister, Benjamin Netanyahu, decided to shelve a report prepared by former Supreme Court Judge, Edmond Levy, as the report calls for “legalizing” Israeli settlement outposts in the occupied West Bank as they, allegedly, are “part of the state of Israel’.
Israeli daily, Haaretz, reported that the report Netanyahu decided to bury, does not only call for legalizing settlement outposts, but also allows easier expansion of existing “legal” Israeli settlements in the occupied Palestinian territories. The report was submitted to Netanyahu on June 21.
Netanyahu told several cabinet ministers that “the main issue in this report is the fact that it concluded that the Fourth Geneva convention is not applicable in the occupied West Bank” as the territory, according to Levy, “is not occupied, but is part of Israel”.
Netanyahu is not acknowledging the fact that Israel’s presence in the Palestinian territories is occupation by itself, but he fears that highlighting this report would lead to international controversy as the report contradicts different articles of the Fourth Geneva Convention, to which Israel is a signatory, and other facets of International Law.
Haaretz added that approving this report without acknowledging the section that discusses Israel’s presence in the West Bank, could in a way or another be explained as an Israeli recognition of its presence in the West Bank as an occupying force.
On Tuesday, Netanyahu held a meeting with the so-called Ministerial Committee for Settlement Affairs to discuss matters related to illegal settlement outposts in the West Bank. Haaretz said that Ministers Gilad Erdan and Daniel Hershkowitz demanded Netanyahu to discuss the report but he strongly rejected their demands.
According to the Israeli paper, among other issues, the Ministerial Committee discussed the issue of the illegal settlement of Migron, as 17 settler families filed a petition to the Israeli High Court demanding the state not to evict them as they allegedly “bought the lands from their Palestinian owners”. Israel is still investigating the purchase claim.
The Israeli State Prosecutor’s Office claims that the settlers bought a quarter of one lot, referred to as Lot #23. Also, the Office claims that the settlers fully purchased Lot #2, yet, such a purchase is effectively useless as there is no road access to it.
Haaretz further reported that the Ministers decided to grant a 90-day stay on a demolition order of structures illegally built on Lot #10 as they intend to further investigate “the legal status of the land”.
The Ministers also discussed the legality of a settlement outpost in a building at a Palestinian wholesale market in the Hebron, in the southern part of the West Bank.
The Israeli Peace Now Movement filed a petition demanding that Israel remove the settlers who are illegally squatting in the market, but Israel claims that the area was officially owned by Jews, and that Jordan confiscated the area after considering it as “enemy property”. It was then rented to Arabs, according to Israeli claims. This claim strips property rights of the Palestinian owners of the market area.
The market has been fully closed under Israeli military orders since 2000. All Palestinian shops are closed and the entire street is under the control of Israeli settlers and soldiers.
Following Israel’s occupation of Hebron and the rest of the West Bank in 1967, the army continued to rent the structures to the shopkeepers, but after the second Intifada started in later September 2000, the army ordered the closure of all shops under security claims. Renters’ rights were never revoked, Haaretz said.
Israeli settlers, without any legal ruling, took over the building and considered it part of the Avraham Avinu settlement; the Israeli army decided to evict the settlers but never acted on its decision while Peace Now filed an appeal to the Israeli High Court demanding that it enforce the decision.
Haaretz reported that, despite the fact that the ministers decided to evict the settlers, the Israeli army that maintains the structure decided to subsequently rent it out to the settlers.
The ministers decided that the settlers should be evicted, but the army, as the building's “custodian”, is supposed to improve and maintain the structure. They also decided it should be rented out to the Jewish community of Hebron, with the army holding the rent money in a trust fund until the building is returned to the Palestinians. The Israeli Court is yet to render a final decision on the matter.
Furthermore, the Ministerial Panel decided to overturn a previous decision to demolish two under-construction buildings in the illegal Beit El Dreinoff settlement.
The buildings in question were erected without construction permits and the land they were built on was confiscated by the Israeli military for “military purposes”; Israeli Human Rights group, Yesh Din, filed a petition to the Israeli High Court demanding the demolition of the buildings.
The government of Benjamin Netanyahu said that the buildings will be removed by April this year, but never acted on its decision and kept requesting numerous stays on the demolition orders that were eventually rendered fruitless as the Ministerial Committee decided that Beit El needs to present a “Master Plan” that would enable the “legalization” of the settlement outpost.
Following its occupation of the West Bank after the 1967 war, Israel legalized numerous illegal settlement outposts erected by the settlers on privately-owned Palestinian lands. Consecutive Israel governments continued to build and legalize settlements.
