Isra
lives in the old city of Jerusalem in a household of 10. Her house
shares the entrance with other houses that have been taken over by
Israeli settlers. “There is a stairway that leads to a yard and then to
the settlers’ houses and to ours,” Isra explains. “There is also a
synagogue on top of our house that is frequently visited by settlers,”
she adds.
On 5 September 2012, she went out of the house to go to the shop and her settler neighbour was sitting on the stairs with some friends. “I said to him 'Zlikha,' which means 'excuse me' so I could go down, but when I passed he put his foot in front of me and pushed me down the stairs,” reports Isra. “I fell on my mouth, and also hurt my knees. I felt a lot of pain because I had a surgery in my mouth when I was little and it is very sensitive.”
“While I was still on the ground, the settler took a small bottle out of his pocket and started spraying it on my face. My eyes and face started burning, and I realised he had sprayed gas on me,” continues seven-year-old Isra. “His friends started laughing and saying things in Hebrew that I could not understand.”
Isra got up and rushed to her uncle’s house nearby. She was “scared he might knock me down again and his friends would laugh at me or beat me.” There, she found her sister Fatima and told her what happened. Fatima and her cousin walked Isra back home. Fatima climbed the stairs alone and told her older brother about the attack, while Isra waited with her cousin downstairs.
When Isra’s brother came out, he told her not to be scared and that he would take action “so they would not do it again.” “I said to him ‘I am scared they might take you to prison’, but he went up and started talking to the settlers in Hebrew,” says Isra. “Then I heard children saying that the Israeli police and army had arrived and when I looked behind I saw policemen and soldiers. My brother told them what they had done to me. Then a policeman asked me 'which one hit you and sprayed gas on you?' and I pointed to the settler. The policeman talked to the settler in Hebrew and took the gas spray from him. Then, they took him to the police station for questioning.”
Isra’s family decided not to file a complaint because, given the pervasive impunity regarding settler violence, “it is useless.” Isra says: “I am still scared to go out alone to the neighbourhood or to the store because the settlers might be sitting on the stairs and they might beat me again.”
According to the Israeli organisation Yesh Din, over 90 percent [PDF] of complaints submitted by Palestinians against settlers end without indictments being filed.
Settler 'torched farm produce' near Jericho
An Israeli settler on Wednesday torched bales of wheat and alfalfa in Ein al-Duyuk north of Jericho, witnesses said.
The agricultural produce belonged to Suleiman Zayid, who lives in a Bedouin community in Ein al-Duyuk.
The settler, from the nearby Mevo'ot Jericho settlement set fire to 37 bales at Zayid's farm, an onlooker told Ma'an.
A committee from the Palestinian Authority Ministry of Agriculture has visited the farm to assess the damage.
Settlers Destroy 20 Olive Trees south of Nablus
Jewish settlers Wednesday destroyed around 20 olive trees in Burin, a village south of the northern West Bank city of Nablus, according to a local activist.
Ghassan Douglas, in charge of settlements file at the Palestinian Authority in the northern part of the West Bank, said a number of settlers from the Israeli settlement of Yitzhar, built illegally on the village land, stormed an area in the village and destroyed around 20 olive trees.
He called upon the international parties and human rights organizations to pressure Israel to stop these non-stopping and ongoing settlers’ attacks.
Hamas condemns Israeli attack on Latrun Monastery
Hamas Movement considered that the Israeli attack on Latrun Monastery and religious sites in Palestine an offense and a racist policy, and called for facing it both domestically and internationally.
Hamas' remark came following an attack on Latrun Monastery church in occupied Jerusalem by Jewish extremists who set fire to the entrance door of the church and spray-painted slogans against the Christian religion on its walls.
It said in a statement on Tuesday: "We in Hamas strongly condemn the crime of aggression on the Latrun monastery in occupied Jerusalem. We consider it a racist heinous crime and a flagrant assault on the sanctity of mosques and churches."
The Islamic resistance movement also pointed out that such attack exposes the true face of the racist Israeli occupation.
It called on the Palestinian people to join forces in confronting the occupation and settlers' arrogance, as it called the international organizations and the Arab League to protect the Islamic and Christian holy sites and support the steadfastness of the Palestinian people in Jerusalem and all Palestinian territories.
France Condemns Arson of Monastery in Jerusalem
Spokesman of the French Ministry of Foreign Affairs, in a statement Wednesday, said France condemned Jewish settlers setting fire to a monastery in Latrun, an area west of Jerusalem, describing it as an act of vandalism directed at a place of worship and peace.
It expressed its wholehearted solidarity with the community of monks, “The Cistercian Abbey of Latrun is a religious community protected by France under the so-called Chauvel-Fischer agreements concluded with the State of Israel,” said the statement.
France called on the Israeli authorities to shed full light on these serious acts and to bring those responsible to justice.
Foreign Ministry Calls on Vatican to Condemn Setting Fire to Monastery
Foreign ministry, in a statement Wednesday, called on the state of Vatican and Pope Benedict XVI to condemn setting fire to a Monastery by Jewish settlers in Latrun, an area west of Jerusalem.
The ministry urged the state of Vatican to immediately recognize the state of Palestine based on the 1967 borders with Jerusalem as its capital, as well as to link its relations with Israel based on Israel’s adherence to the peace references, international legitimacy, and the Palestinian people’s rights.
It also called on the international community, particularly the international Quartet, to condemn this criminal racist settlers’ attack and to hold the Israeli government fully responsible for it and for the failure of the peace process and negotiations.
It urged the United Nations, its Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon, and its human rights organizations to uphold their responsibilities towards the Palestinian people and their right to self- determination.
EU Condemns Increasing Number, Severity of Settler Attacks Against Palestinian Civilians
EU missions in Jerusalem and Ramallah reiterate the EU's condemnation of continuous settler violence and deliberate provocations against Palestinian civilians. EU missions in Jerusalem and Ramallah are particularly concerned about the increasing number and the severity of recent incidents against Palestinian civilians by extremist settlers in the West Bank, including East Jerusalem.
The EU missions in Jerusalem and Ramallah welcome that members of the Israeli government have condemned recent acts of violence by settlers and have pledged compensation for the victims. They also welcome that legal proceedings have been initiated, including arrests of suspects. The EU Missions in Jerusalem and Ramallah also expect comprehensive measures by the Government of Israel to prevent settler violence and to protect Palestinian civilians. They call on the government of Israel to bring the perpetrators to justice and to comply with its obligations under international law.
The EU recalls its position that settlement activity is illegal under international law and threatens to make a two-state solution impossible. Together with settler violence, it undermines the Middle East Peace Process. The international community has repeatedly called upon both parties to refrain from any provocative action.
Erekat Accuses Israeli Authority of Supporting Terrorism
PLO's Chief Negotiator, Saeb Erekat, accused Israeli authority of supporting settlers' terror attacks and crimes.
Erekat condemned in a press release, settlers' latest attack on the Monastery of Notre-Dame de Sept-Douleurs, in Latrun, in the occupied West Bank. Israeli settlers burnt the entrance of the church and sprayed anti-Christian slogans on the monastery door.
"Israeli authority bore full responsibility for providing settlers with motivations to live in this land and for protecting and supporting them in their terrorist attacks," Said Erekat
4 sept 2012
Vandals desecrate Latrun Monastery
Door of Christian holy site torched; 'Jesus is a monkey', names of West Bank outposts spray-painted on walls. 'Whoever did this has no God,' says monastery guard. Police launch investigation.
Vandals set fire to the entrance door of the Latrun Monastery early Tuesday and spray-painted slogans against the Christian religion on its walls, including names of West Bank outposts and "Jesus is a monkey".
The Jerusalem District Police launched an investigation into the incident.
The monastery's wooden door caught fire. The abbot, Father Louie, told Ynet: "At around 3:30 am, a monk sleeping in one of the guest rooms heard a noise, went outside and saw the door burning. He entered our rooms and began shouting and waking us up.
"I went outside and saw the entire door on fire. He put out the fire with an extinguisher we had. If he hadn't done that, everything would have caught fire."
The monastery's guard, Elias, called the police. "I didn't see anything," he said. "At around 3:30 am I drove by and didn't see anything suspicious. Ten minutes later I saw the door on fire and the graffiti.
"I'm sure that whoever did it came from the olive grove because the gate isn't high there and one can easily jump over it. Unfortunately, there are no security cameras here."
The monks appeared very offended by the incident.
"I know there is some tension, but I don't understand why it has to do with us," said Father Louie. "We're Christians and we have nothing to do with it. We try to do everything with love. We are saddened by this incident. It's a shame that some people are unwilling to live with and accept people who are different."
Acting Jerusalem District Police Commander Meni Yitzhaki visited the monastery on Tuesday morning.
"We've appointed a special investigation team to look into the incident," he said. "We are taking it very seriously and view it as extremely severe. This is the reason I have come here. We'll catch the vandals and handle the situation with other security elements. We are very sorry about this incident."
"This monastery has many visitors," noted the guard, Elias. "People come in all the time. The monks go to sleep early and no one noticed a thing. Whoever did this has no God, they just say they do."
The police have been preparing for "price tag" actions by extreme right-wing activists, which are usually directed at Palestinians, following the evacuation of the West Bank outpost of Migron in recent days.
The targeting of a Christian symbol has the potential of making waves in the Western world, which is widely covering the situation in Jerusalem and its surroundings.
This isn't the first time a Christian site has been the target of such an operation. In February, vandals daubed "Death to Christianity" on a Jerusalem church and slashed the tires of three vehicles parked nearby.
Islamic-Christian Commission Condemns Settlers Setting Fire to Monastery
The Islamic-Christian Commission in Support of Jerusalem and Holy Sites, in a statement Tuesday, condemned Jewish settlers setting fire to a Monastery in Latrun, an area west of Jerusalem, and spraying anti-Christian graffiti on its walls in an apparent “price tag” attack.
The committee stressed the existence of a racial extremist Israeli plan aiming to start a religious war between Muslims and Christians, on one hand, and with Jews on the other hand, aiming to change the political conflict into a religious conflict.
It held the Israeli authorities fully responsible for this attack, calling for the need to stop the attacks against holy sites and places of worship and respect all religions.
Meanwhile, the Grand Mufti of Jerusalem, Amin El Husseini, condemned the attack on the monastery and all settlers’ attacks, provided by the Israeli authorities security cover, on places of worship.
He said these settlers’ attacks reflect the hatred of settlers toward the Palestinian people, including Muslims and Christians.
It also condemned the Israeli authorities’ complicity with settlers in their attacks against holy sites and places of worship.
He called on the human rights organizations to monitor these Israeli violations against the Palestinian people’s right to freedom of religion, calling to enact a law criminalizing anyone who abuses the religious sanctities and put them on trial.
Presidency Condemns Settlers Setting Fire to Monastery
Presidency, in a statement Tuesday, condemned Jewish settlers setting fire to a Monastery in Latrun, an area west of Jerusalem.
It said that this attack is a dangerous and criminal act that infuses hate and malice.
The presidency held Israeli government responsible for the settlers’ ongoing attacks against Palestinians, their properties and holy sites. It called on the international community to stop such actions that threaten peace and stability in the area.
Settlers Seize Palestinian Houses to Construct Jewish Settlement in Jerusalem
Israeli newspaper Haaretz said on Monday 3rd September, that Jewish settlers seized a part of a Palestinian house in Ra's al-Amoud neighborhood, East of Jerusalem after legal struggle lasted for 20 years.
The Palestinian family expressed that evacuating part of their house is the beginning of the evacuation process of several Palestinian houses to construct 50 new units for Jewish and to establish the biggest Jewish settlement.
The Hebrew language newspaper Haaretz revealed that the Magistrate court in Jerusalem issued an order to the family to evacuate parts of their house after 1989, and the court refused any appeals since then. The settlers came to the house along with the Israeli police and entered to their part of the house.
Attorney Shlomo Lecker, representative of the Palestinian family said that the Israel's main goal is to expel Palestinian families out of their houses. The destiny of Palestinians who live in West of Jerusalem, Haifa, Akka, Tel Aviv and other parts of Israel is very risky.
Settlers Attack Palestinian Cars, South of Nablus
On Tuesday 4th September, settlers from Yitzhar settlement attacked and threw stones at Palestinian cars in Hawarah Street, south of Nablus.
Eyewitnesses said that number of settlers attacked and threw stones at Palestinian cars in the road that leads to Yitzhar settlement causing material damages.
Eyewitnesses said that Israeli forces closed Hawarah checkpoint from both sides.
Suburb areas, south and east of Nablus governorate, witness daily attacks by settlers against Palestinians and their properties.
Settlers Attack Palestinians at Hawara Checkpoint
Jewish Settlers from Yitzhar settlement Tuesday hurled stones at Palestinians’ vehicles on Hawara main road, south of Nablus, according to witnesses.
They said that Israeli soldiers blocked Hawara checkpoint from both ways.
The rural areas of southern and eastern Nablus witness almost daily attacks by settlers on residents and their property.
3 sept 2012
Settlers Harass Hebron Hills Children, says Group
Palestinian Children of Tuba and Magayir al-Abeed villages, in the South Hebron Hills, are still exposed to regular attacks by Havat Ma'on settlers even under Israeli military escort, according to a press release by the rights group Operation Dove.
Since 2001, Israeli settlers from Havat Ma'on outpost have repeatedly attacked the children, aged between 6 and 15 years, on their way to and from school, preventing almost all of them from attending school and forcing the few able children to take longer and rougher path.
In order to reach the school of At-Tuwani, the children coming from Tuba and Magayir al-Abeed usually walk through the shortest route (about 20 minutes) that passes between the Israeli settlement of Ma'on and Havat Ma'on outpost (Hill 833).
This route is the main road linking their villages and At-Tuwani.
In 2004, the volunteers of Operation Dove and Christian Peacemaker Teams (CPT) begun to accompany the children along the shortest route, but the violent attacks against the children and the volunteers made this solution impracticable.
These attacks brought the matter to the attention of the Children Rights Committee of the Knesset, which established in November 2004 a military escort to protect the children.From November 2004, CPT and Operation Dove have constantly monitored the military escort, documenting the failures of the Israeli army and the settlers’ violence.
During the school year 2011-2012, the volunteers of Operation Dove registered that in 35% of the cases; the military escort was late, causing the children to lose about 19 hours of lessons.
In addition, in 48% of cases, the military escort arrived late after school, forcing the children to wait for a total time of about 21 hours. While in eight cases (2% of the total), the military escort did not arrive at all.
Moreover, the soldiers themselves were aggressive toward the children in 28 registered cases, forcing them to run or putting them at risk with their behavior.
In 47% of the cases, the soldiers did not walk with the children and in 54% of them; the soldiers did not complete the agreed route, leaving the children in danger where they were repeatedly attacked by the settlers.
During the last school year, there were 17 cases of aggressive behavior practiced by Israeli settlers against Palestinian children; a total of 143 attacks since the beginning of the military escort.
Although there were instances of effective intervention by the military in protecting the children, it can be concluded that the escort continues to be insufficient and often negligent in defending the Palestinian children from violence and ensuring their right to education, in violation of Articles 2-3-6-16-19-38 of the International Convention on the Rights of the Child and Article 26 of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights.
Settlers throw stones at Palestinian cars in Nablus
Israeli settlers continued their attacks against Palestinian citizens in various parts of the West Bank , where they threw, on Sunday, stones at passing cars, near the village of Hawara, south of Nablus, causing damage to a number of them.
Local sources had stated that the settlers fled toward the settlement of "Yitzhar" near Hawara, while the Israeli seventh channel claimed that the IOF started combing operation in the area looking for the settlers who carried out the attack and fled.
The settlers’ attack follows previous attacks against the people of that region and their properties where settlers have been continuously setting ambushes along the road from Nablus to Ramallah, throwing stones at passing cars.
Jewish settlers storm Aqsa plazas
Jewish university students stormed the plazas of the Aqsa mosque on Monday under protection of the Israeli police.
The Aqsa Foundation said that the students entered the mosque at the pretext of launching a guided tour.
The Foundation published photos of the students while strolling inside the Aqsa with policemen escorting them.
PA official: Settlers attack laborers in Nablus
Settlers attacked a group of Palestinian laborers in Nablus on Sunday, a PA official said.
Ghassan Doughlas, who monitors settlement activity in the northern West Bank, told Ma'an that settlers from Shilo physically assaulted workers on a main road near the village of Qaryut, which is located opposite the illegal settlement.
The workers were paving roads in the area at the time of the attack and a scanning device worth around 50,000 shekels ($12,400) was destroyed in the assault, Doughlas said.
Settler attacks against Palestinians and their property is systematic in the occupied West Bank with the perpetrators rarely facing prosecution.
On Saturday, settlers from Nahal Negohot attacked a service taxi and its passengers near Dura, with the transit vehicle managing to escape, locals said.
Five Palestinians were wounded on Friday morning after a group of settlers threw stones at their bus near Ramallah, witnesses said.
On Monday, a group of Israeli settlers attacked an elderly man from Khirbet Bir Al-Idd village, near Hebron, medics and the Israeli army said.
Eight residents of the illegal Mitzpe Yair attacked Ismail Ibrahim al-Adra, 65, and then fled the scene, locals told Ma'an.
Last week, Israeli police arrested three Israeli settlers, aged 12 to 13, suspected of firebombing a Palestinian taxi near Hebron.
Israeli settlers move into Silwan home
Israeli settlers, accompanied by police guards, moved into a section of a Palestinian home in East Jerusalem on Sunday, locals said.
Israeli authorities had informed the Hamdullah family they would have to evacuate part of their home in the Silwan neighborhood of Ras al-Amud after a court ruling said it belonged to settlers, local group the Wadi al-Hilweh information center said.
The family says they have been living on the premises since 1952 after purchasing the land from the al-Ghoul family.
Israeli daily Haaretz said that settler patron Irwin Moskowitz bought the land in 1990 from Orthodox Jewish groups, who claimed they had bought the land before 1948.
In 2005 a Jerusalem court ruled that the family must evacuate all buildings constructed after 1989.
Moskowitz wants to expand Maaleh Hazeitim, the largest settlement in East Jerusalem, on the land.
The Hamdullah home lies in a critical neighborhood near the Al-Aqsa Mosque, the site of a number of settlements and controversial Israeli archeological digs, which residents fear are intended to cement Israeli control over the area.
Israel annexed East Jerusalem -- regarded as the capital of a future Palestinian state -- after a 1967 war, a move never recognized by the international community.
Rights committee warns of equalizing Palestinian refugees with Jewish colonizers
A Palestinian committee specialized in Palestinian refugees' rights denounced "I am a Jewish refugee" campaign, which aims to give Jewish colonizers the same rights which Palestinian refugees may get in any future resolution.
The Palestinian Refugee Rights Committee confirmed in a press statement on Sunday that "the Jews who willingly left their places of residence in other countries and headed to Palestine within the colonial project designed to control Palestine and expel its people, cannot be considered equal to victims of Zionist heinous crimes."
It noted that the international community, represented in the General Assembly of the United Nations, did not declare cases of Jewish refugees, on the contrary, it issued, in the light of Palestinian Nakba in 1948, Resolution 194, paragraph (11) of which explicitly requires the return of Palestinian refugees to their hometowns from which they have been displaced.
The Committee emphasized on Palestinians determination to extract their rights to dignified return, to establish their Palestinian state and to confront "all Zionist crimes and all racist decisions issued by the Zionist gangs".
The Israeli newspaper Yediot Ahranot revealed that the initiator of this campaign is the Deputy Foreign Minister, Danny Ayalon, who said that the campaign aims to promote recognition and compensation for the refugees and their families.
Aylon also claimed that “around 850,000 Arab Jews were expelled or left their homes penniless and arrived in Israel as refugees” and that “the story of their expulsion has never won recognition by the international community or any of the Israeli governments."
The Israeli Foreign Ministry called the Jewish refugees coming from the Arab states to upload videos telling the stories of their deportation and expulsion from those countries just because they are Jews.
Outposts and Price Tag Violence: A Blow Upon a Bruise
As Israel dismantles the Migron outpost, a new report on settler violence and outposts is issued by the UNESCO Chair of Human Rights at Al Najah National University and the Alternative Information Center (AIC)
Outposts and Price Tag Violence: A Blow Upon a Bruise presents outpost-related events, including 'price tag' violence, as the logical continuation of the Israeli settlement enterprise and an important weathervane of Israeli policy in the occupied Palestinian territory.
Since the 1990s, when Israel officially pledged to stop construction of new settlements, it has tacitly permitted and often overtly assisted the establishment of over 100 outposts and since 2008, 'price tag' violence has emerged as a settler response to potential outpost demolitions by the Israeli government.
Since June 2008 there have been over 60 verified 'price tag' attacks that have targeted 110 communities, of which 25 featured religious slurs or desecration, including 9 cases of mosque arson."
Outposts and 'price tag' violence are rooted in disrespect for international and Israeli law by Israeli government authorities and settlers alike. In addition, Israeli public officials and government institutions are involved in planning and constructing the outposts, to which millions of dollars in public funds are channeled. Since March 2011 the official Israeli policy is to "legalize" the outposts.
Moreover the report claims that outpost demolitions only convey the semblance of law enforcement. Between 1997 and 2007, the Israeli Civil Administration executed only 3 per cent of the outstanding demolition orders against illegal Israeli construction in the oPt; usually only "dummy" outposts are targeted, which are rebuilt the next day.
The report also demonstrates that price tag attacks, which have involved nighttime infiltration by settlers into the heart of Palestinian villages and racial and religious attacks against Palestinians, appear to be intentionally provocative acts, meant to bring about a Palestinian reaction. Government fears of further "price tag" attacks that could destabilise the security situation in the West Bank, the logic goes, will coerce the Israeli government into not demolishing outposts.
Migron Outpost Evicted, Clashes Reported
Israeli sources reported that despite the fact the some settlers of the Migron illegal outpost in the occupied West Bank have voluntarily left the outpost, dozens of teenage settlers clashes with officers of the Israeli “Border Guard Units.
Israeli Ynet News reported that the eviction of the Migron outpost was completed Sunday, and that the settlers of the outpost pledged to nonviolently resist their eviction, but several young settlers from nearby illegal outposts arrived in Migron and clashed with the soldiers.
The Ynet added that several settlers even climbed the rooftop of one of the homes, and refused to come down; the army then tried to talk them into coming down, but several hours later, the soldiers stormed the house and removed the settlers by force.
Dozens of Israeli soldiers were also deployed on roads that lead to the illegal outpost in an attempt to prevent extremist settlers from arriving into the area to cause trouble and to resist the eviction of the illegal settlement, built on privately-owned Palestinian lands.
The settlers issued a statement saying that “Migron settlers feel betrayed by the government of Benjamin Netanyahu”.
The court mandated eviction date of the illegal settlement is Tuesday, September 4, but several settler families have voluntarily left their homes Sunday. The eviction was repeatedly delayed, and the Israeli government recently asked the court to delay it for three more years, but the court refused.
Originally, the court ordered the eviction of the settlers by March 31 2012, but the army never evicted it, and the government tried to reach an agreement with the settlers despite the fact that their outpost is illegal under Israeli law.
The court ordered the eviction of Migron as it was built on privately-owned Palestinian lands, north of occupied Jerusalem.
In pictures: the eviction of Palestinian family in Ras al-Amoud
On 5 September 2012, she went out of the house to go to the shop and her settler neighbour was sitting on the stairs with some friends. “I said to him 'Zlikha,' which means 'excuse me' so I could go down, but when I passed he put his foot in front of me and pushed me down the stairs,” reports Isra. “I fell on my mouth, and also hurt my knees. I felt a lot of pain because I had a surgery in my mouth when I was little and it is very sensitive.”
“While I was still on the ground, the settler took a small bottle out of his pocket and started spraying it on my face. My eyes and face started burning, and I realised he had sprayed gas on me,” continues seven-year-old Isra. “His friends started laughing and saying things in Hebrew that I could not understand.”
Isra got up and rushed to her uncle’s house nearby. She was “scared he might knock me down again and his friends would laugh at me or beat me.” There, she found her sister Fatima and told her what happened. Fatima and her cousin walked Isra back home. Fatima climbed the stairs alone and told her older brother about the attack, while Isra waited with her cousin downstairs.
When Isra’s brother came out, he told her not to be scared and that he would take action “so they would not do it again.” “I said to him ‘I am scared they might take you to prison’, but he went up and started talking to the settlers in Hebrew,” says Isra. “Then I heard children saying that the Israeli police and army had arrived and when I looked behind I saw policemen and soldiers. My brother told them what they had done to me. Then a policeman asked me 'which one hit you and sprayed gas on you?' and I pointed to the settler. The policeman talked to the settler in Hebrew and took the gas spray from him. Then, they took him to the police station for questioning.”
Isra’s family decided not to file a complaint because, given the pervasive impunity regarding settler violence, “it is useless.” Isra says: “I am still scared to go out alone to the neighbourhood or to the store because the settlers might be sitting on the stairs and they might beat me again.”
According to the Israeli organisation Yesh Din, over 90 percent [PDF] of complaints submitted by Palestinians against settlers end without indictments being filed.
Settler 'torched farm produce' near Jericho
An Israeli settler on Wednesday torched bales of wheat and alfalfa in Ein al-Duyuk north of Jericho, witnesses said.
The agricultural produce belonged to Suleiman Zayid, who lives in a Bedouin community in Ein al-Duyuk.
The settler, from the nearby Mevo'ot Jericho settlement set fire to 37 bales at Zayid's farm, an onlooker told Ma'an.
A committee from the Palestinian Authority Ministry of Agriculture has visited the farm to assess the damage.
Settlers Destroy 20 Olive Trees south of Nablus
Jewish settlers Wednesday destroyed around 20 olive trees in Burin, a village south of the northern West Bank city of Nablus, according to a local activist.
Ghassan Douglas, in charge of settlements file at the Palestinian Authority in the northern part of the West Bank, said a number of settlers from the Israeli settlement of Yitzhar, built illegally on the village land, stormed an area in the village and destroyed around 20 olive trees.
He called upon the international parties and human rights organizations to pressure Israel to stop these non-stopping and ongoing settlers’ attacks.
Hamas condemns Israeli attack on Latrun Monastery
Hamas Movement considered that the Israeli attack on Latrun Monastery and religious sites in Palestine an offense and a racist policy, and called for facing it both domestically and internationally.
Hamas' remark came following an attack on Latrun Monastery church in occupied Jerusalem by Jewish extremists who set fire to the entrance door of the church and spray-painted slogans against the Christian religion on its walls.
It said in a statement on Tuesday: "We in Hamas strongly condemn the crime of aggression on the Latrun monastery in occupied Jerusalem. We consider it a racist heinous crime and a flagrant assault on the sanctity of mosques and churches."
The Islamic resistance movement also pointed out that such attack exposes the true face of the racist Israeli occupation.
It called on the Palestinian people to join forces in confronting the occupation and settlers' arrogance, as it called the international organizations and the Arab League to protect the Islamic and Christian holy sites and support the steadfastness of the Palestinian people in Jerusalem and all Palestinian territories.
France Condemns Arson of Monastery in Jerusalem
Spokesman of the French Ministry of Foreign Affairs, in a statement Wednesday, said France condemned Jewish settlers setting fire to a monastery in Latrun, an area west of Jerusalem, describing it as an act of vandalism directed at a place of worship and peace.
It expressed its wholehearted solidarity with the community of monks, “The Cistercian Abbey of Latrun is a religious community protected by France under the so-called Chauvel-Fischer agreements concluded with the State of Israel,” said the statement.
France called on the Israeli authorities to shed full light on these serious acts and to bring those responsible to justice.
Foreign Ministry Calls on Vatican to Condemn Setting Fire to Monastery
Foreign ministry, in a statement Wednesday, called on the state of Vatican and Pope Benedict XVI to condemn setting fire to a Monastery by Jewish settlers in Latrun, an area west of Jerusalem.
The ministry urged the state of Vatican to immediately recognize the state of Palestine based on the 1967 borders with Jerusalem as its capital, as well as to link its relations with Israel based on Israel’s adherence to the peace references, international legitimacy, and the Palestinian people’s rights.
It also called on the international community, particularly the international Quartet, to condemn this criminal racist settlers’ attack and to hold the Israeli government fully responsible for it and for the failure of the peace process and negotiations.
It urged the United Nations, its Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon, and its human rights organizations to uphold their responsibilities towards the Palestinian people and their right to self- determination.
EU Condemns Increasing Number, Severity of Settler Attacks Against Palestinian Civilians
EU missions in Jerusalem and Ramallah reiterate the EU's condemnation of continuous settler violence and deliberate provocations against Palestinian civilians. EU missions in Jerusalem and Ramallah are particularly concerned about the increasing number and the severity of recent incidents against Palestinian civilians by extremist settlers in the West Bank, including East Jerusalem.
The EU missions in Jerusalem and Ramallah welcome that members of the Israeli government have condemned recent acts of violence by settlers and have pledged compensation for the victims. They also welcome that legal proceedings have been initiated, including arrests of suspects. The EU Missions in Jerusalem and Ramallah also expect comprehensive measures by the Government of Israel to prevent settler violence and to protect Palestinian civilians. They call on the government of Israel to bring the perpetrators to justice and to comply with its obligations under international law.
The EU recalls its position that settlement activity is illegal under international law and threatens to make a two-state solution impossible. Together with settler violence, it undermines the Middle East Peace Process. The international community has repeatedly called upon both parties to refrain from any provocative action.
Erekat Accuses Israeli Authority of Supporting Terrorism
PLO's Chief Negotiator, Saeb Erekat, accused Israeli authority of supporting settlers' terror attacks and crimes.
Erekat condemned in a press release, settlers' latest attack on the Monastery of Notre-Dame de Sept-Douleurs, in Latrun, in the occupied West Bank. Israeli settlers burnt the entrance of the church and sprayed anti-Christian slogans on the monastery door.
"Israeli authority bore full responsibility for providing settlers with motivations to live in this land and for protecting and supporting them in their terrorist attacks," Said Erekat
4 sept 2012
Vandals desecrate Latrun Monastery
Door of Christian holy site torched; 'Jesus is a monkey', names of West Bank outposts spray-painted on walls. 'Whoever did this has no God,' says monastery guard. Police launch investigation.
Vandals set fire to the entrance door of the Latrun Monastery early Tuesday and spray-painted slogans against the Christian religion on its walls, including names of West Bank outposts and "Jesus is a monkey".
The Jerusalem District Police launched an investigation into the incident.
The monastery's wooden door caught fire. The abbot, Father Louie, told Ynet: "At around 3:30 am, a monk sleeping in one of the guest rooms heard a noise, went outside and saw the door burning. He entered our rooms and began shouting and waking us up.
"I went outside and saw the entire door on fire. He put out the fire with an extinguisher we had. If he hadn't done that, everything would have caught fire."
The monastery's guard, Elias, called the police. "I didn't see anything," he said. "At around 3:30 am I drove by and didn't see anything suspicious. Ten minutes later I saw the door on fire and the graffiti.
"I'm sure that whoever did it came from the olive grove because the gate isn't high there and one can easily jump over it. Unfortunately, there are no security cameras here."
The monks appeared very offended by the incident.
"I know there is some tension, but I don't understand why it has to do with us," said Father Louie. "We're Christians and we have nothing to do with it. We try to do everything with love. We are saddened by this incident. It's a shame that some people are unwilling to live with and accept people who are different."
Acting Jerusalem District Police Commander Meni Yitzhaki visited the monastery on Tuesday morning.
"We've appointed a special investigation team to look into the incident," he said. "We are taking it very seriously and view it as extremely severe. This is the reason I have come here. We'll catch the vandals and handle the situation with other security elements. We are very sorry about this incident."
"This monastery has many visitors," noted the guard, Elias. "People come in all the time. The monks go to sleep early and no one noticed a thing. Whoever did this has no God, they just say they do."
The police have been preparing for "price tag" actions by extreme right-wing activists, which are usually directed at Palestinians, following the evacuation of the West Bank outpost of Migron in recent days.
The targeting of a Christian symbol has the potential of making waves in the Western world, which is widely covering the situation in Jerusalem and its surroundings.
This isn't the first time a Christian site has been the target of such an operation. In February, vandals daubed "Death to Christianity" on a Jerusalem church and slashed the tires of three vehicles parked nearby.
Islamic-Christian Commission Condemns Settlers Setting Fire to Monastery
The Islamic-Christian Commission in Support of Jerusalem and Holy Sites, in a statement Tuesday, condemned Jewish settlers setting fire to a Monastery in Latrun, an area west of Jerusalem, and spraying anti-Christian graffiti on its walls in an apparent “price tag” attack.
The committee stressed the existence of a racial extremist Israeli plan aiming to start a religious war between Muslims and Christians, on one hand, and with Jews on the other hand, aiming to change the political conflict into a religious conflict.
It held the Israeli authorities fully responsible for this attack, calling for the need to stop the attacks against holy sites and places of worship and respect all religions.
Meanwhile, the Grand Mufti of Jerusalem, Amin El Husseini, condemned the attack on the monastery and all settlers’ attacks, provided by the Israeli authorities security cover, on places of worship.
He said these settlers’ attacks reflect the hatred of settlers toward the Palestinian people, including Muslims and Christians.
It also condemned the Israeli authorities’ complicity with settlers in their attacks against holy sites and places of worship.
He called on the human rights organizations to monitor these Israeli violations against the Palestinian people’s right to freedom of religion, calling to enact a law criminalizing anyone who abuses the religious sanctities and put them on trial.
Presidency Condemns Settlers Setting Fire to Monastery
Presidency, in a statement Tuesday, condemned Jewish settlers setting fire to a Monastery in Latrun, an area west of Jerusalem.
It said that this attack is a dangerous and criminal act that infuses hate and malice.
The presidency held Israeli government responsible for the settlers’ ongoing attacks against Palestinians, their properties and holy sites. It called on the international community to stop such actions that threaten peace and stability in the area.
Settlers Seize Palestinian Houses to Construct Jewish Settlement in Jerusalem
Israeli newspaper Haaretz said on Monday 3rd September, that Jewish settlers seized a part of a Palestinian house in Ra's al-Amoud neighborhood, East of Jerusalem after legal struggle lasted for 20 years.
The Palestinian family expressed that evacuating part of their house is the beginning of the evacuation process of several Palestinian houses to construct 50 new units for Jewish and to establish the biggest Jewish settlement.
The Hebrew language newspaper Haaretz revealed that the Magistrate court in Jerusalem issued an order to the family to evacuate parts of their house after 1989, and the court refused any appeals since then. The settlers came to the house along with the Israeli police and entered to their part of the house.
Attorney Shlomo Lecker, representative of the Palestinian family said that the Israel's main goal is to expel Palestinian families out of their houses. The destiny of Palestinians who live in West of Jerusalem, Haifa, Akka, Tel Aviv and other parts of Israel is very risky.
Settlers Attack Palestinian Cars, South of Nablus
On Tuesday 4th September, settlers from Yitzhar settlement attacked and threw stones at Palestinian cars in Hawarah Street, south of Nablus.
Eyewitnesses said that number of settlers attacked and threw stones at Palestinian cars in the road that leads to Yitzhar settlement causing material damages.
Eyewitnesses said that Israeli forces closed Hawarah checkpoint from both sides.
Suburb areas, south and east of Nablus governorate, witness daily attacks by settlers against Palestinians and their properties.
Settlers Attack Palestinians at Hawara Checkpoint
Jewish Settlers from Yitzhar settlement Tuesday hurled stones at Palestinians’ vehicles on Hawara main road, south of Nablus, according to witnesses.
They said that Israeli soldiers blocked Hawara checkpoint from both ways.
The rural areas of southern and eastern Nablus witness almost daily attacks by settlers on residents and their property.
3 sept 2012
Settlers Harass Hebron Hills Children, says Group
Palestinian Children of Tuba and Magayir al-Abeed villages, in the South Hebron Hills, are still exposed to regular attacks by Havat Ma'on settlers even under Israeli military escort, according to a press release by the rights group Operation Dove.
Since 2001, Israeli settlers from Havat Ma'on outpost have repeatedly attacked the children, aged between 6 and 15 years, on their way to and from school, preventing almost all of them from attending school and forcing the few able children to take longer and rougher path.
In order to reach the school of At-Tuwani, the children coming from Tuba and Magayir al-Abeed usually walk through the shortest route (about 20 minutes) that passes between the Israeli settlement of Ma'on and Havat Ma'on outpost (Hill 833).
This route is the main road linking their villages and At-Tuwani.
In 2004, the volunteers of Operation Dove and Christian Peacemaker Teams (CPT) begun to accompany the children along the shortest route, but the violent attacks against the children and the volunteers made this solution impracticable.
These attacks brought the matter to the attention of the Children Rights Committee of the Knesset, which established in November 2004 a military escort to protect the children.From November 2004, CPT and Operation Dove have constantly monitored the military escort, documenting the failures of the Israeli army and the settlers’ violence.
During the school year 2011-2012, the volunteers of Operation Dove registered that in 35% of the cases; the military escort was late, causing the children to lose about 19 hours of lessons.
In addition, in 48% of cases, the military escort arrived late after school, forcing the children to wait for a total time of about 21 hours. While in eight cases (2% of the total), the military escort did not arrive at all.
Moreover, the soldiers themselves were aggressive toward the children in 28 registered cases, forcing them to run or putting them at risk with their behavior.
In 47% of the cases, the soldiers did not walk with the children and in 54% of them; the soldiers did not complete the agreed route, leaving the children in danger where they were repeatedly attacked by the settlers.
During the last school year, there were 17 cases of aggressive behavior practiced by Israeli settlers against Palestinian children; a total of 143 attacks since the beginning of the military escort.
Although there were instances of effective intervention by the military in protecting the children, it can be concluded that the escort continues to be insufficient and often negligent in defending the Palestinian children from violence and ensuring their right to education, in violation of Articles 2-3-6-16-19-38 of the International Convention on the Rights of the Child and Article 26 of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights.
Settlers throw stones at Palestinian cars in Nablus
Israeli settlers continued their attacks against Palestinian citizens in various parts of the West Bank , where they threw, on Sunday, stones at passing cars, near the village of Hawara, south of Nablus, causing damage to a number of them.
Local sources had stated that the settlers fled toward the settlement of "Yitzhar" near Hawara, while the Israeli seventh channel claimed that the IOF started combing operation in the area looking for the settlers who carried out the attack and fled.
The settlers’ attack follows previous attacks against the people of that region and their properties where settlers have been continuously setting ambushes along the road from Nablus to Ramallah, throwing stones at passing cars.
Jewish settlers storm Aqsa plazas
Jewish university students stormed the plazas of the Aqsa mosque on Monday under protection of the Israeli police.
The Aqsa Foundation said that the students entered the mosque at the pretext of launching a guided tour.
The Foundation published photos of the students while strolling inside the Aqsa with policemen escorting them.
PA official: Settlers attack laborers in Nablus
Settlers attacked a group of Palestinian laborers in Nablus on Sunday, a PA official said.
Ghassan Doughlas, who monitors settlement activity in the northern West Bank, told Ma'an that settlers from Shilo physically assaulted workers on a main road near the village of Qaryut, which is located opposite the illegal settlement.
The workers were paving roads in the area at the time of the attack and a scanning device worth around 50,000 shekels ($12,400) was destroyed in the assault, Doughlas said.
Settler attacks against Palestinians and their property is systematic in the occupied West Bank with the perpetrators rarely facing prosecution.
On Saturday, settlers from Nahal Negohot attacked a service taxi and its passengers near Dura, with the transit vehicle managing to escape, locals said.
Five Palestinians were wounded on Friday morning after a group of settlers threw stones at their bus near Ramallah, witnesses said.
On Monday, a group of Israeli settlers attacked an elderly man from Khirbet Bir Al-Idd village, near Hebron, medics and the Israeli army said.
Eight residents of the illegal Mitzpe Yair attacked Ismail Ibrahim al-Adra, 65, and then fled the scene, locals told Ma'an.
Last week, Israeli police arrested three Israeli settlers, aged 12 to 13, suspected of firebombing a Palestinian taxi near Hebron.
Israeli settlers move into Silwan home
Israeli settlers, accompanied by police guards, moved into a section of a Palestinian home in East Jerusalem on Sunday, locals said.
Israeli authorities had informed the Hamdullah family they would have to evacuate part of their home in the Silwan neighborhood of Ras al-Amud after a court ruling said it belonged to settlers, local group the Wadi al-Hilweh information center said.
The family says they have been living on the premises since 1952 after purchasing the land from the al-Ghoul family.
Israeli daily Haaretz said that settler patron Irwin Moskowitz bought the land in 1990 from Orthodox Jewish groups, who claimed they had bought the land before 1948.
In 2005 a Jerusalem court ruled that the family must evacuate all buildings constructed after 1989.
Moskowitz wants to expand Maaleh Hazeitim, the largest settlement in East Jerusalem, on the land.
The Hamdullah home lies in a critical neighborhood near the Al-Aqsa Mosque, the site of a number of settlements and controversial Israeli archeological digs, which residents fear are intended to cement Israeli control over the area.
Israel annexed East Jerusalem -- regarded as the capital of a future Palestinian state -- after a 1967 war, a move never recognized by the international community.
Rights committee warns of equalizing Palestinian refugees with Jewish colonizers
A Palestinian committee specialized in Palestinian refugees' rights denounced "I am a Jewish refugee" campaign, which aims to give Jewish colonizers the same rights which Palestinian refugees may get in any future resolution.
The Palestinian Refugee Rights Committee confirmed in a press statement on Sunday that "the Jews who willingly left their places of residence in other countries and headed to Palestine within the colonial project designed to control Palestine and expel its people, cannot be considered equal to victims of Zionist heinous crimes."
It noted that the international community, represented in the General Assembly of the United Nations, did not declare cases of Jewish refugees, on the contrary, it issued, in the light of Palestinian Nakba in 1948, Resolution 194, paragraph (11) of which explicitly requires the return of Palestinian refugees to their hometowns from which they have been displaced.
The Committee emphasized on Palestinians determination to extract their rights to dignified return, to establish their Palestinian state and to confront "all Zionist crimes and all racist decisions issued by the Zionist gangs".
The Israeli newspaper Yediot Ahranot revealed that the initiator of this campaign is the Deputy Foreign Minister, Danny Ayalon, who said that the campaign aims to promote recognition and compensation for the refugees and their families.
Aylon also claimed that “around 850,000 Arab Jews were expelled or left their homes penniless and arrived in Israel as refugees” and that “the story of their expulsion has never won recognition by the international community or any of the Israeli governments."
The Israeli Foreign Ministry called the Jewish refugees coming from the Arab states to upload videos telling the stories of their deportation and expulsion from those countries just because they are Jews.
Outposts and Price Tag Violence: A Blow Upon a Bruise
As Israel dismantles the Migron outpost, a new report on settler violence and outposts is issued by the UNESCO Chair of Human Rights at Al Najah National University and the Alternative Information Center (AIC)
Outposts and Price Tag Violence: A Blow Upon a Bruise presents outpost-related events, including 'price tag' violence, as the logical continuation of the Israeli settlement enterprise and an important weathervane of Israeli policy in the occupied Palestinian territory.
Since the 1990s, when Israel officially pledged to stop construction of new settlements, it has tacitly permitted and often overtly assisted the establishment of over 100 outposts and since 2008, 'price tag' violence has emerged as a settler response to potential outpost demolitions by the Israeli government.
Since June 2008 there have been over 60 verified 'price tag' attacks that have targeted 110 communities, of which 25 featured religious slurs or desecration, including 9 cases of mosque arson."
Outposts and 'price tag' violence are rooted in disrespect for international and Israeli law by Israeli government authorities and settlers alike. In addition, Israeli public officials and government institutions are involved in planning and constructing the outposts, to which millions of dollars in public funds are channeled. Since March 2011 the official Israeli policy is to "legalize" the outposts.
Moreover the report claims that outpost demolitions only convey the semblance of law enforcement. Between 1997 and 2007, the Israeli Civil Administration executed only 3 per cent of the outstanding demolition orders against illegal Israeli construction in the oPt; usually only "dummy" outposts are targeted, which are rebuilt the next day.
The report also demonstrates that price tag attacks, which have involved nighttime infiltration by settlers into the heart of Palestinian villages and racial and religious attacks against Palestinians, appear to be intentionally provocative acts, meant to bring about a Palestinian reaction. Government fears of further "price tag" attacks that could destabilise the security situation in the West Bank, the logic goes, will coerce the Israeli government into not demolishing outposts.
Migron Outpost Evicted, Clashes Reported
Israeli sources reported that despite the fact the some settlers of the Migron illegal outpost in the occupied West Bank have voluntarily left the outpost, dozens of teenage settlers clashes with officers of the Israeli “Border Guard Units.
Israeli Ynet News reported that the eviction of the Migron outpost was completed Sunday, and that the settlers of the outpost pledged to nonviolently resist their eviction, but several young settlers from nearby illegal outposts arrived in Migron and clashed with the soldiers.
The Ynet added that several settlers even climbed the rooftop of one of the homes, and refused to come down; the army then tried to talk them into coming down, but several hours later, the soldiers stormed the house and removed the settlers by force.
Dozens of Israeli soldiers were also deployed on roads that lead to the illegal outpost in an attempt to prevent extremist settlers from arriving into the area to cause trouble and to resist the eviction of the illegal settlement, built on privately-owned Palestinian lands.
The settlers issued a statement saying that “Migron settlers feel betrayed by the government of Benjamin Netanyahu”.
The court mandated eviction date of the illegal settlement is Tuesday, September 4, but several settler families have voluntarily left their homes Sunday. The eviction was repeatedly delayed, and the Israeli government recently asked the court to delay it for three more years, but the court refused.
Originally, the court ordered the eviction of the settlers by March 31 2012, but the army never evicted it, and the government tried to reach an agreement with the settlers despite the fact that their outpost is illegal under Israeli law.
The court ordered the eviction of Migron as it was built on privately-owned Palestinian lands, north of occupied Jerusalem.
In pictures: the eviction of Palestinian family in Ras al-Amoud
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Israeli settlers were involved in the eviction of the Hamdallah family home in Ras al-Amoud, Silwan on Sunday, 2 September. Settlers claim ownership to the home, and were sighted taking and marking measurements of the building, despite the Hamdallah’s ownership of the house and several others in the area.
Armed officers of a private security company are currently standing guard in the partially-occupied home. One bedroom and a bathroom were evicted following a 2000 High Court decision that ruled the house be given over to the settlers, after 15 years of legal battle. |
The court then ruled that the family could stay in the section of the house that was built before 1989, but they must move their belongings from three other warehouses and destroy an outside wall, allowing the settlers to move their caravans beside the home.
A settler group is planning to construct 20 residential settlement units on the land to extend the Ma’aleh Zetim settlement. Settlers are currently fortifying the portion of the home they have occupied, saying that they do not intend to use it for the time being.
2 sept 2012
Jerusalemite wounded in clashes with settlers
A gang of 20 Jewish settlers attacked Jerusalemite houses in Shufat refugee camp to the north of occupied Jerusalem on Saturday night.
The Israeli radio reported that a Jerusalemite was injured in the incident while many houses were damaged.
The broadcast said that Haredim (ultra-orthodox Jews) threw rocks at the houses, adding that the Jerusalemite man was hit in his head and taken to hospital.
Israeli army: Migron settlers begin leaving homes
A settler group is planning to construct 20 residential settlement units on the land to extend the Ma’aleh Zetim settlement. Settlers are currently fortifying the portion of the home they have occupied, saying that they do not intend to use it for the time being.
2 sept 2012
Jerusalemite wounded in clashes with settlers
A gang of 20 Jewish settlers attacked Jerusalemite houses in Shufat refugee camp to the north of occupied Jerusalem on Saturday night.
The Israeli radio reported that a Jerusalemite was injured in the incident while many houses were damaged.
The broadcast said that Haredim (ultra-orthodox Jews) threw rocks at the houses, adding that the Jerusalemite man was hit in his head and taken to hospital.
Israeli army: Migron settlers begin leaving homes
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Jewish settlers began leaving the unauthorized outpost of Migron in the
occupied West Bank on Sunday, the military said, obeying an Israeli
supreme court order to vacate their homes by Tuesday.
A number of families began moving out of their homes in the hilltop settlement of about 50 families in an orderly fashion, a spokeswoman said, although a few said they would remain and would not go voluntarily, an Israel Radio report added. A police spokesman said officers had started handing eviction orders to the families before dawn. The court had delayed several deadlines set for evacuating the settlement in the past year after last-minute appeals. |
Israeli authorities had voiced concern that settlers could respond violently to any evacuation orders but there was no sign of violent protest on Sunday.
The court last week rejected an appeal by the settlers to delay the evacuation, which a separate ruling a year ago decided was built on privately owned Palestinian land.
Migron is one of dozens of hilltop outposts built more than a decade ago without Israeli government authorization on land captured by Israel in the 1967 Middle East War but which Palestinians claim for a future independent state.
Settlers had sought a delay in moving out, saying temporary homes for them elsewhere in the West Bank were not ready. Others maintained they had purchased the land in question.
In numerous instances, settlers have defied government orders and rebuilt unauthorized outposts that had been removed.
Jewish settlements built on territory Israel captured in a 1967 war are one of the main obstacles to a resumption of Palestinian-Israeli peace talks stalled since late 2010.
Palestinians want to establish a state in the West Bank, Gaza and East Jerusalem and say settlements deny them a contiguous, viable entity.
The United Nations deems all Israeli settlements in the West Bank to be illegal. Israel disputes this and distinguishes between about 120 settlements it has sanctioned and about 100 outposts erected by settlers without authorization.
About 500,000 Israeli settlers live on occupied Palestinian land.
Update: Israel evicts settlers from Migron outpost
Israeli settler families were on Sunday evicted from an outpost in the occupied West Bank after a court ruled that it had been built illegally on Palestinian land.
A number of families began moving out of their homes in the hilltop settlement of about 50 families in an orderly fashion, a spokeswoman said, but eight youths who came to the Migron outpost to protest against the eviction were arrested.
A police spokesman said officers had started handing eviction orders to the families before dawn.
The court had delayed several deadlines set for evacuating the settlement in the past year after last-minute appeals. Israeli authorities had voiced concern that settlers could respond violently to any evacuation orders but there was no sign of violent protest on Sunday.
The court last week rejected an appeal by the settlers to delay the evacuation, which a separate ruling a year ago decided was built on privately owned Palestinian land.
Migron is one of dozens of hilltop outposts built more than a decade ago without Israeli government authorization on land captured by Israel in the 1967 Middle East War but which Palestinians claim for a future independent state.
Settlers had sought a delay in moving out, saying temporary homes for them elsewhere in the West Bank were not ready. Others maintained they had purchased the land in question.
In numerous instances, settlers have defied government orders and rebuilt unauthorized outposts that had been removed.
Jewish settlements built on territory Israel captured in a 1967 war are one of the main obstacles to a resumption of Palestinian-Israeli peace talks stalled since late 2010.
Palestinians want to establish a state in the West Bank, Gaza and East Jerusalem and say settlements deny them a contiguous, viable entity.
The United Nations deems all Israeli settlements in the West Bank to be illegal. Israel disputes this and distinguishes between about 120 settlements it has sanctioned and about 100 outposts erected by settlers without authorization.
About 500,000 Israeli settlers live on occupied Palestinian land.
1 sept 2012
Settlers Hurl Stones At Palestinian Homes In Jerusalem
Dozens of extremist Israeli settlers hurled stones and empty, on Saturday evening, at Palestinian homes in Shu’faat neighborhood, in occupied East Jerusalem, one resident was injured.
Israeli Police Spokeswoman for Arab Media, Luba Samri, said that extremist settlers of the Ramat Shlomo illegal outpost, hurled stones and empty bottles at homes in the nearby Palestinian neighborhood.
One resident was injured in his head after being hit by a stone hurled by one of the settlers.
Samri added that Israeli Policemen went to the neighborhood and apprehended two settlers, including a minor who attacked a policewoman while trying to apprehend him.
Clashes were reported between Palestinian youth and Israeli settlers following the settlers attack; one settler was injured.
Settlers attack vehicle near Hebron town
Settlers attacked a vehicle in the Hebron town of Dura on Saturday, official news agency Wafa reported.
Settlers from Nahal Negohot attacked a service taxi and its passengers near Dura, with the transit vehicle managing to escape, locals told Wafa.
Settler attacks against Palestinians and their property is systematic in the occupied West Bank with the perpetrators rarely facing prosecution.
Five Palestinians were wounded on Friday morning after a group of settlers threw stones at their bus near Ramallah, witnesses said.
On Monday, a group of Israeli settlers attacked an elderly man from Khirbet Bir Al-Idd village, near Hebron, medics and the Israeli army said.
Eight residents of the illegal Mitzpe Yair attacked Ismail Ibrahim al-Adra, 65, and then fled the scene, locals told Ma'an.
26 attacks by Jewish settlers documented last month
Different human rights organizations were able to document last August 26 attacks by extremist Jewish settlers against Palestinians and their property in the West Bank and noted that there were other attacks not documented for many reasons, according to Haaretz newspaper.
These attacks were reported by B'Tselem, OCHA, Coexistence, and There is Law, organizations active in the occupied Palestinian lands.
The newspaper explained that in four different arson attacks, 19 Palestinians sustained injuries and the most dangerous one happened when Jewish settlers threw a Molotov cocktail at a Palestinian car boarded by six passengers from Nahalin village from the same family.
All the six Palestinians were admitted to the hospital, two of them were in serious condition and the others suffered moderate burn injuries.
The newspaper also mentioned other incidents in which Palestinians sustained injuries during attacks by settlers.
Different arson attacks were reportedly carried out by Jewish extremists on Palestinian homes and cars in different West Bank areas.
The court last week rejected an appeal by the settlers to delay the evacuation, which a separate ruling a year ago decided was built on privately owned Palestinian land.
Migron is one of dozens of hilltop outposts built more than a decade ago without Israeli government authorization on land captured by Israel in the 1967 Middle East War but which Palestinians claim for a future independent state.
Settlers had sought a delay in moving out, saying temporary homes for them elsewhere in the West Bank were not ready. Others maintained they had purchased the land in question.
In numerous instances, settlers have defied government orders and rebuilt unauthorized outposts that had been removed.
Jewish settlements built on territory Israel captured in a 1967 war are one of the main obstacles to a resumption of Palestinian-Israeli peace talks stalled since late 2010.
Palestinians want to establish a state in the West Bank, Gaza and East Jerusalem and say settlements deny them a contiguous, viable entity.
The United Nations deems all Israeli settlements in the West Bank to be illegal. Israel disputes this and distinguishes between about 120 settlements it has sanctioned and about 100 outposts erected by settlers without authorization.
About 500,000 Israeli settlers live on occupied Palestinian land.
Update: Israel evicts settlers from Migron outpost
Israeli settler families were on Sunday evicted from an outpost in the occupied West Bank after a court ruled that it had been built illegally on Palestinian land.
A number of families began moving out of their homes in the hilltop settlement of about 50 families in an orderly fashion, a spokeswoman said, but eight youths who came to the Migron outpost to protest against the eviction were arrested.
A police spokesman said officers had started handing eviction orders to the families before dawn.
The court had delayed several deadlines set for evacuating the settlement in the past year after last-minute appeals. Israeli authorities had voiced concern that settlers could respond violently to any evacuation orders but there was no sign of violent protest on Sunday.
The court last week rejected an appeal by the settlers to delay the evacuation, which a separate ruling a year ago decided was built on privately owned Palestinian land.
Migron is one of dozens of hilltop outposts built more than a decade ago without Israeli government authorization on land captured by Israel in the 1967 Middle East War but which Palestinians claim for a future independent state.
Settlers had sought a delay in moving out, saying temporary homes for them elsewhere in the West Bank were not ready. Others maintained they had purchased the land in question.
In numerous instances, settlers have defied government orders and rebuilt unauthorized outposts that had been removed.
Jewish settlements built on territory Israel captured in a 1967 war are one of the main obstacles to a resumption of Palestinian-Israeli peace talks stalled since late 2010.
Palestinians want to establish a state in the West Bank, Gaza and East Jerusalem and say settlements deny them a contiguous, viable entity.
The United Nations deems all Israeli settlements in the West Bank to be illegal. Israel disputes this and distinguishes between about 120 settlements it has sanctioned and about 100 outposts erected by settlers without authorization.
About 500,000 Israeli settlers live on occupied Palestinian land.
1 sept 2012
Settlers Hurl Stones At Palestinian Homes In Jerusalem
Dozens of extremist Israeli settlers hurled stones and empty, on Saturday evening, at Palestinian homes in Shu’faat neighborhood, in occupied East Jerusalem, one resident was injured.
Israeli Police Spokeswoman for Arab Media, Luba Samri, said that extremist settlers of the Ramat Shlomo illegal outpost, hurled stones and empty bottles at homes in the nearby Palestinian neighborhood.
One resident was injured in his head after being hit by a stone hurled by one of the settlers.
Samri added that Israeli Policemen went to the neighborhood and apprehended two settlers, including a minor who attacked a policewoman while trying to apprehend him.
Clashes were reported between Palestinian youth and Israeli settlers following the settlers attack; one settler was injured.
Settlers attack vehicle near Hebron town
Settlers attacked a vehicle in the Hebron town of Dura on Saturday, official news agency Wafa reported.
Settlers from Nahal Negohot attacked a service taxi and its passengers near Dura, with the transit vehicle managing to escape, locals told Wafa.
Settler attacks against Palestinians and their property is systematic in the occupied West Bank with the perpetrators rarely facing prosecution.
Five Palestinians were wounded on Friday morning after a group of settlers threw stones at their bus near Ramallah, witnesses said.
On Monday, a group of Israeli settlers attacked an elderly man from Khirbet Bir Al-Idd village, near Hebron, medics and the Israeli army said.
Eight residents of the illegal Mitzpe Yair attacked Ismail Ibrahim al-Adra, 65, and then fled the scene, locals told Ma'an.
26 attacks by Jewish settlers documented last month
Different human rights organizations were able to document last August 26 attacks by extremist Jewish settlers against Palestinians and their property in the West Bank and noted that there were other attacks not documented for many reasons, according to Haaretz newspaper.
These attacks were reported by B'Tselem, OCHA, Coexistence, and There is Law, organizations active in the occupied Palestinian lands.
The newspaper explained that in four different arson attacks, 19 Palestinians sustained injuries and the most dangerous one happened when Jewish settlers threw a Molotov cocktail at a Palestinian car boarded by six passengers from Nahalin village from the same family.
All the six Palestinians were admitted to the hospital, two of them were in serious condition and the others suffered moderate burn injuries.
The newspaper also mentioned other incidents in which Palestinians sustained injuries during attacks by settlers.
Different arson attacks were reportedly carried out by Jewish extremists on Palestinian homes and cars in different West Bank areas.
