Settlers vandalized at least 20 cars overnight Tuesday in a Ramallah village, Israeli news site Ynet reported.
The local village council of Sinjil said that all of the cars' tires had been slashed by a group of around 10 people. Eyewitnesses reported that some of the group were wearing army style uniform, although locals do not think Israel's army was involved in the incident.
Jewish settlers vandalize Palestinian cars under IOF protection
Dozens of Jewish settlers attacked the Sinjil village, north of Ramallah, under Israeli military protection and vandalized 26 Palestinian cars.
Ayub Suweid, the chairman of the Sinjil municipality, told Quds Press on Wednesday that the settlers were protected by Israeli occupation forces.
He said that they blasted and destroyed 26 Palestinian cars shortly after midnight.
He pointed out that his village is surrounded by four Jewish settlements, established on village land, and that settlers routinely attack the village and vandalize civilian property.
Suweid said that 70% of the village land falls within the C zone that according to the Oslo accords give fully control over it to the Israeli occupation authorities.
The municipality chairman said that he contacted human rights organizations and the Red Cross in addition to the Palestinian liaison office and complained about the repeated settlers’ attack but none could provide protection and the attacks continued.
27 nov 2012
Report: Israeli police order Palestinians off buses
Israel police are ordering Palestinian passengers off buses at the request of Israeli settlers, the Israeli daily Haaretz reported Tuesday.
An Israeli army reservist told Haaretz that Israeli police stationed near Salfit ordered Palestinians off buses at least several times, leaving them to walk several miles and then catch taxis home.
Most of the Palestinians were laborers working around Tel Aviv.
Israeli police told Haaretz they were making sure Palestinian laborers returned to the West Bank from the same place they exited.
"The fact that a laborer has a legal work permit doesn't allow him to travel directly to the territories without going through an established crossing point," the police said in a statement.
Israel's Transport Ministry is mulling adding separate bus lines for Palestinians between the West Bank and Israel.
Settlement mayor Ron Nachman is working with the Israeli army, police and transport ministry to stop Palestinians boarding buses that go to Ariel, he wrote on his Facebook page.
"All of them are working on this problem, and we hope that they will soon find a solution to the reality that is bothering our people," he wrote.
Responding to the post, one commenter wrote "finally you remembered that we have buses filled with Arabs?" while others commented that Palestinians were "terrorists" and "monkeys."
Aqsa: Likud chose the most notorious pro-temple candidates for the Knesset
The Aqsa foundation for endowment and heritage warned that the Israeli right-wing political stream calling for the construction of the alleged temple of Solomon and the division of the Aqsa Mosque is growing.
In a press release on Tuesday, the Aqsa foundation said that the most notorious Israeli politicians and lawmakers are among the Likud party's top 20 candidates for the upcoming Knesset election.
The figureheads of the party’s far-right stream who topped the list included Moshe Feiglin, Ze'ev Elkin, Danny Danon and Tzipi Hotovely.
The foundation said that these Likud figureheads are posing a threat to the Aqsa Mosque, which necessitates the need for more action to guard and protect the Aqsa Mosque.
"Feiglin, in his first statement upon the release of the results that ranked him 15 in the Likud's list, said that 'choosing him was the start of the road that would led to the building of the shrine on the temple mount'" the foundation underlined.
The other hardline Likud candidates, according to the Palestinian foundation, were active players in the desecration campaigns that took place many times at the Aqsa Mosque, and all of them support the Jewish settlers' violations against the Islamic holy places.
The Aqsa foundation for endowment and heritage urged the Muslim nation to urgently move to save the Aqsa Mosque against the mounting Jewish dangers threatening it.
26 nov 2012
Blacklisted settlers will be banned from entering EU countries
The European Union is recommending a blacklist of "known violent settlers" who will be blocked from entering EU member states, the Hebrew newspaper Haaretz has revealed on Monday.
In January of this year, the consuls general of the EU countries in East Jerusalem and Ramallah wrote a report dealing with settler violence against Palestinians in the West Bank, especially the incidents the settlers refer to as "price tag" revenge attacks, Haaretz pointed out.
The report recommended that EU headquarters in Brussels draw up a blacklist of settlers who would be forbidden entry into the 27 EU states.
The consuls’ report lay unaddressed for five months, until the EU foreign ministers decided, on May 14, to take practical steps against settler violence in Area C in the West Bank, which is under full Israeli military and civilian control, according to the newspaper.
25 nov 2012
'Price tag Gaza' sprayed on vandalized car in Jerusalem
Vandals slashed the tires of several cars in the East Jerusalem neighborhood of Shufat on Sunday morning, spraying one with the slogan 'Price tag - Gaza', Israeli police said.
Police spokesman Mickey Rosenfeld said the force had opened an investigation.
'Price tag' is the slogan used by right-wing extremists to describe vandalism and violence against Palestinians, usually in the West Bank, in revenge for policies they disagree with.
Israel's right-wing have criticized Israeli premier Benjamin Netanyahu for halting a military operation in the Gaza Strip on Wednesday, ending eight-days of deadly bombardments.
During the conflict, the Jerusalem tram was planted with two fake bombs, Rosenfeld said. On Sunday morning, a Palestinian citizen of Israel was arrested in connected with these incidents, and another Palestinian was detained on suspicion of throwing a Molotov cocktail at the tram last week.
Jewish settlers attack, destroy Palestinian farmland
Jewish settlers attacked the village of Qasra, south of Nablus city, and destroyed vast areas of its farmland, local sources said.
Ghassan Daghlas, in-charge of monitoring settlement activity north of the West Bank, said on Sunday that the settlers from various settlements established on the village’s land attacked the village on Saturday.
He said that the settlers demolished walls built by the farmers to protect their land in the village, adding that the farmers were working on building those walls for the past five months.
Dahglas said that Israeli occupation forces arrested an old man in the village for trying to resist the settlers.
24 nov 2012
Hamas: Settlement activity in West Bank and Jerusalem reached its highest level
A report issued by Hamas' Media Office said that Israeli occupation is moving at an accelerated pace to legalize most of the outposts built on occupied West Bank lands and to encourage Jews to settle there.
It described the Israeli occupation authorities’ (IOA) measures as a flagrant violation of international humanitarian law and The Hague Regulations.
The report indicated that the IOA settlement activity in the occupied West Bank and Jerusalem in 2012 reached its highest level compared to the last ten years, as the number of settlement units which have been approved to be built since the beginning of the current year is over 2380 units.
Hamas also pointed out that, according to Palestinian statistical data, the number of settlements in the West Bank was 144 settlements by the end of 2011, while the number of settlers exceeded 536000. In contrast at least 130000 Jerusalemite citizens do not have houses, as the IOA imposes restrictions on giving them permits for the construction of houses.
The report, which monitors settlement projects and settlers' attacks during the period from October 16 to November 15 - 2012, revealed that "the IOA seeks to destroy the Islamic historical monuments in Wad Street to the east of occupied Jerusalem."
It said that the IOA aims to change the interfaces of houses and shops along the street linking the Damascus Gate and the gates of Al-Aqsa mosque from the western side, and down to the area of al-Buraq, under the pretext of repairs and maintenance of the street.
The report also dealt with settlers' attacks against Palestinian citizens in the West Bank and Jerusalem, such as attacks on agricultural crops, uprooting and stealing of olive trees, burning vehicles, physical attacks against civilians and writing racist slogans on walls.
23 nov 2012
Owner: 400 olive trees uprooted in south Hebron
Israeli settlers in the south Hebron hills uprooted around 400 olive trees belonging to a Palestinian farmer, locals said.
Abu Iyad Housheh visited his land near the Carmiel settlement on Thursday and found the two to three-year old trees had been destroyed overnight.
He has filed a complaint to the Israeli police. Police, soldiers and Israeli civil administration officers were summoned to the land to witnesses the destruction, he said.
Abu Housheh told Ma'an he will replant the trees, and will not be intimidated by settlers.
The UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian affairs reported that over 7,500 olive trees belonging to Palestinians were destroyed in 2011.
22 nov 2012
Committee: 5 wounded in Beit Ummar clash
Five Palestinians were wounded by rubber bullets fired by Israeli soldiers in Beit Ummar on Wednesday, a local committee said.
Committee spokesman Mohammad Ayad Awad said forces fired tear gas and rubber bullets at a demonstration against Israeli the attacks on Gaza.
An Israeli settler also fired at Palestinians, when soldiers were standing by, but no one was wounded, he said.
21 nov 2012
Settlers kidnap 3 Palestinians and hand them over to the IOF
Jewish settlers kidnapped on Wednesday morning three Palestinians from the town of Hawara, south of Nablus, and handed them over to the occupation forces.
The Hawara mayor, Mou'in Al-Dhamidi, said that a group of Israeli settlers from the settlement of "Yitzhar" kidnapped three citizens, after attacking them while they had been reaping olive fruits in al-Lahf area in the west of the town.
The three Palestinians were taken to the settlement, and then handed over to the occupation forces.
19 nov 2012
Settlers burn car, spray hate slogans in Ramallah village
Israeli settlers set fire to a Palestinian's car and spray-painted racist slogans in Ramallah village Sinjil early Monday, in the second settler attack overnight in the West Bank.
Locals told Ma'an a huge explosion woke them at 3 a.m. and they discovered the car had been torched. Residents tried to extinguish the blaze and found price tag slogans painted on the house where the car was parked.
Extremist settlers label acts of violence against Palestinians in the West Bank as a "price tag" campaign, exacting revenge for Israeli policies they disagree with.
In Nablus, villagers in Urif found their mosque had been set alight early Monday.
Palestinian official Ghassan Daghlas told Ma'an residents stopped the spread of the blaze and chased settlers out of the village.
PA official: Settlers torch Nablus mosque
Settlers torched a Nablus mosque overnight Sunday, a Palestinian Authority official said.
Ghassan Daghlas, who monitors settler activity in the northern West Bank, told Ma'an that a group of settlers from Yizhar entered the village of Urif and set fire to the entrance of a mosque.
Villagers managed to stop the fire from spreading and chased the settlers out of the village, Daghlas added.
"The settlers tried to break into the mosque, but it was locked," Orif resident Issam al-Safadi told Reuters.
"So they settled with burning the old carpet and the door."
Molotov cocktail thrown at settler vehicle near Ramallah
A settler car was targeted by a Molotov cocktail during clashes in a Ramallah village on Monday , Ma'an's reporter said.
Earlier, Israeli settlers set fire to a Palestinian car and spray-painted racist slogans in the Ramallah of village Sinjil, in the second settler attack overnight in the West Bank.
Settler attacks on Palestinian communities are routine and rarely prevented by Israeli forces or prosecuted by Israel's legal system.
14 nov 2012
Hundreds of settlers visit Nablus tomb
Hundreds of settlers visited Joseph's Tomb in Nablus overnight Tuesday, local sources told Ma'an.
Around 15 buses protected by Israel's military entered the tomb compound after midnight to perform religious rituals. The buses left at 6 a.m. on Wednesday.
Meanwhile, Israeli forces arrested three men from the nearby Balata refugee camp. Clashes with local youths broke out during the arrest operation.
Nidal Najwan al-Sheikh Khalil, 24, his brother Muhammad, 22, and Ahmad Naji Abu Hamadeh, 23, were named by locals as those detained.
An Israeli army spokeswoman said there were no reports of any arrests overnight.
Under the 1993 Oslo Accords, the site in Nablus was to remain under Israeli control. But the Israeli army evacuated the premises in October 2000 shortly after the start of the second intifada, or uprising, and it was immediately destroyed and burnt by the Palestinians.
The restoration of the tomb was completed recently, and following improved security cooperation with the Palestinian Authority, the army allows Jewish worshipers to make monthly nocturnal pilgrimages to the site.
13 nov 2012
Racist graffiti, arson by Israeli settlers in Bethlehem
A group of right-wing Israeli settlers tried to set fire to a Palestinian home near Bethlehem Sunday night, and spraypainted racist graffiti on the home and nearby structures.
The graffiti included 'Death to Arabs', which has become a rallying cry in recent years for the right-wing settler movement, whose state objective is to rid the West Bank of its indigenous Palestinian inhabitants and take over their land to annex it to Israel.
The incident took place at around 2:30 am, Monday morning, in the village of al-Manshiya southeast of Bethlehem.
According to reports from local sources, the settlers poured gasoline on the home of Younis Abu Dayyeh in the village, and spraypainted racist slogans, then tried to light the gasoline on fire. They were chased out by the villagers before they managed to carry out the arson attack.
This incident is just the latest in a string of arsons, sabotage, property destruction and racist graffiti by settlers, in addition to violent attacks on Palestinian farmers and shepherds with guns, sticks and rocks.
In the last week, Israeli settlers uprooted over one hundred olive trees belonging to Palestinian farmers near Nablus. In this case, as in many others, the destruction of the olive trees deprives the Palestinian farmers of their sole source of livelihood, and is an attempt to force them out of the West Bank.
The uprooting of the trees was also accompanied by racist graffiti reading 'Death to Arabs' and 'Pricetag'.
Israeli settlers storm evacuated settlement in Jinin
The Israeli settlers stormed on Tuesday afternoon the evacuated settlement Kadim east of Jenin, cut off the road and tried to assault citizens.
Local sources said that settlers closed the main street that connects the city of Jenin with the village of Arrana east of the city, holding banners bearing “closed military zones” in order to prevent the citizens from reaching the area.
They also closed the bypass road that links Nazareth Street and the Jalama village, preventing citizens from approaching those areas.
The citizens pointed out that the Israeli settlers started chanting hostile slogans against Arabs under the protection of Israeli military forces.
Meanwhile, Israeli occupation forces and Israeli settlers closed for the second day in a row, the main road and side roads east of the city of Jenin, and declared them closed military zones where they prevented farmers from having access to their lands.
More than 50 settlers protected by a large force of the Israeli army, took position yesterday at the Kadim evacuated settlement east of Jenin, and set up tents, and blocked roads leading to the areas east of the city, and declared them closed military zones.
Eyewitnesses confirmed to PIC reporter that the Israeli settlers accompanied by occupation forces were deployed in the mentioned settlement until Tuesday morning.
Local sources confirmed that Israeli soldiers erected more tents within the mentioned settlement, and began to close several roads east of Jenin, and tried to assault farmers and prevented them from reaching their agricultural lands.
12 nov 2012
Settlers Attempt to Burn a House in al-Manshiyah Village, South of Bethlehem
Settlers attempted at dawn, to burn a house in al-Manshiyah village southeast of Bethlehem, and spray painted racist slogans at the walls of another house in the same village.
Coordinator of Popular Resistance Against the Wall and Settlement, Hassan Brejiyeh, said that a group of settlers raided the village at dawn, and spray painted racist slogans at the house of al-Sheikh Younes Abu Dayeh and tried to burn a house. The village's citizens confronted them and threw stones at the settlers before they flee.
Brejiyeh said that these attacks have previously occurred in order to force the citizens to deport and leave their lands and properties.
He also added that despite of this escalation, "Israel will not kill our determination. We will stay steadfast in our land."
11 nov 2012
Palestinian youth hospitalized after Jewish settlers throw rocks on him
A 22-year-old Palestinian youth was hospitalized on Sunday after a group of Jewish settlers threw rocks on him in downtown Al-Khalil.
Palestinian security sources said that the settlers threw stones on Tamer Abu Odeh while standing in front of his house in the Old City of Al-Khalil, adding that he was carried to hospital.
Meanwhile, Israeli occupation forces stormed a number of suburbs in Al-Khalil at dawn and installed a roadblock at the outskirts of nearby Edhna village, locals reported.
10 nov 2012
Man injured by settlers in Hebron
Settlers in Hebron threw stones at a Palestinian man on Saturday, causing moderate head injuries, medics said.
Samir Jaber, 20, was taken to hospital for treatment after settlers from Kiryat Arba threw stones at him in an unprovoked attack.
Hebron was split into areas of Palestinian and Israeli control under a 1997 agreement.
The Israeli military-controlled H2 zone includes the ancient Old City, home of the revered Ibrahimi Mosque -- also split into a synagogue referred to as the Tomb of the Patriarchs.
Around 800 Jewish settlers live among 30,000 Palestinians in the parts of the ancient city that are under Israeli control.
Settler attacks against Palestinians are routine in the occupied territories, with Israeli military authorities rarely intervening or bringing the perpetrators to justice.
7 nov 2012
Aqsa foundation: 1,100 Jews defiled the Aqsa Mosque last October
The Aqsa foundation for endowment and heritage said Tuesday that the number of Jewish settlers who desecrated the Aqsa Mosque last October alone amounted to 1,100 persons.
In a press release, the foundation warned that there is unprecedented increase in the number of settlers and Israelis who storm the Aqsa Mosque and noted that their number may rise by the end of this year to 12,000 settlers, which is 30 percent more than the last year.
It emphasized the only defense method to protect the Aqsa Mosque is the human shield formed by Palestinian worshipers and urged the Muslim nation to hasten to revolt for the Aqsa Mosque.
According to statistics prepared by the Aqsa foundation in cooperation with Imart Al-Aqsa organization, the number of non-Muslims who defiled the Aqsa Mosque last October amounted to 1, 100 settlers, 252 soldiers and officers, and 22,000 foreign tourists.
The Aqsa foundation pointed that most of the settlers performed Jewish rituals and dances in different parts of the Aqsa Mosque.
In another incident, Maariv newspaper said Israeli minister of transportation Yisrael Katz would open on Wednesday a new road connecting the Ibrahimi Mosque with Kiryat Arba settlement.
The newspaper added that this road would allow thousands of Jews to visit the Ibrahimi Mosque around the clock.
The Israeli army also informed the director of Islamic endowments Zayd Al-Ja'bari in Al-Khalil on Tuesday afternoon that it would close the Ibrahimi Mosque next Friday and Saturday at the pretext of Jewish celebrations.
Jabari strongly denounced such Israeli violation of the sanctity of the Ibrahimi Mosque and described it as an infringement on divine religions and freedom of worship.
"The Ibrahimi Mosque with all its areas and premises is purely Islamic and the Jews have nothing to do with it, so all measures taken against it are illegal," he stressed.
Clashes erupt after storming Yussef's Tomb by hundreds of settlers
Hundreds of Israeli settlers stormed at dawn on Wednesday, the city of Nablus in the northern West Bank, and performed religious rituals in Youssef's Tomb under the protection of the Israeli army.
Eyewitnesses said that a number of Israeli military vehicles stormed the eastern part of Nablus, and headed towards Yussef’s tomb to secure the entry of buses and cars carrying hundreds of Jewish settlers who came to perform religious Talmudic rituals.
The sources added that clashes have erupted between Israeli forces and Palestinian youths in the area surrounding the Youssef's Tomb, where the occupation forces fired stun grenades and tear gas against Palestinian houses in the area. Many injuries were reported among the residents who threw stones and empty bottles as a response to their provocation.
It should be noted that the Israeli settlers have repeatedly stormed the Tomb which was an Islamic mosque built over a tomb of an Islamic Sheikh named Youssef Dweikat from the town of Balata. It was seized by Israeli settlers just after the occupation of the West Bank in 1967 under the pretext that it contains Tomb of Prophet Youssef.
6 nov 2012
Jewish settler fires at Palestinian homes
A Jewish settler opened indiscriminate fire at Palestinian homes in the Old City of al-Khalil on Monday night.
Quds Press quoted eyewitnesses as saying that the settler opened fire from his automatic machinegun at Palestinian homes and shops, adding that no casualties were suffered.
Meanwhile, Israeli army patrols stormed a number of suburbs in al-Khalil city and nearby towns of Dura and Al-Shuyukh with no arrests reported.
5 nov 2012
Settlers Occupy Palestinian Residence In Jerusalem
The Maan Mix Satellite TV station broadcast a video documenting several Israeli soldiers breaking into a Palestinian residential building in occupied East Jerusalem, terrifying the family and forcing them to leave their home under the claim that they own it.
The building, located in the At-Tour neighborhood, in occupied East Jerusalem, belongs to the family of resident Mohammad Abu Al-Hawa.
The Maan Mix team was in the area when the attack took place, and managed to document parts of the attack.
The settlers removed the iron bars from the window of Fatima Abu Al-Hawa, who fainted due to fear of the attacking settlers, after they violently jumped into her room through the window carrying their weapons, and shouting at her to leave the home.
The settlers claimed that the El-Ad settler organization purchased the home from “its Palestinian owner” who allegedly purchased it from the Abu Al-Hawa family.
The settlers carried a court order granting them ownership, but did not even wait for the police to evict the family, and decided to attack it and throw the seven family members out.
Mahmoud Abu Al-Hawa told Maan Mix that his family has been fighting a legal battle in Israeli courts to prove ownership since 2006, and that he spent more than $60.000 in legal costs since then; the money he used for legal fees was his retirement compensation. He said that the settlers eventually bribed the lawyer.
It is worth mentioning that the settlers control two apartments in the building that has a strategic location as it has a direct view of the Al-Aqsa Mosque and the Old City of Jerusalem, while the army raises a large Israeli flag on its rooftop.
The settlers claim that they purchased the home from a Palestinian resident who bought it from Abu Al-Hawa family.
Family leaves East Jerusalem home after settler attack
A Palestinian family is evicted from their home in Beit Hanina in order to make way for settlers to move into the property.
Jewish settlers on Monday attacked a Palestinian family in East Jerusalem, forcing them from their homes, the family said.
Mahmoud Abu al-Hawa told Ma'an the settlers smashed the windows of his home in al-Tur and ransacked his elderly mother's room, causing her to pass out, he said.
An Israeli court has ruled that a relative of al-Hawa sold the home to the Elad settler association, he said.
The 7-member family left their home on Monday fearing further settler attacks, al-Hawa said.
The home is in a building overlooking the Al-Aqsa Mosque in Jerusalem's Old City. Israeli settlers now control two apartments in the building.
The Elad association is a private Israeli organization which promotes settlement building in East Jerusalem. The US state department in July criticized the group for disregarding the diverse religious history of sites it controls in East Jerusalem.
Israel captured East Jerusalem in 1967 and later annexed it in a move never recognized by the international community. Palestinians seek East Jerusalem as the capital of their hoped-for state.
Committee: Settlers destroy dozens of trees in Hebron
Settlers from Kiryat Arba uprooted dozens of olive trees in Hebron on Monday, a local agricultural committee said.
Over 70 olive and plum trees were destroyed by settlers on land belonging to Hamad al-Zaro, the committee said.
Since 1967, 800,000 olive trees have been uprooted by Israeli forces, resulting in a loss of around $55 million to the Palestinian economy, according to a report by the Palestinian Authority Ministry of National Economy and the Applied Research Institute of Jerusalem.
Settlers Uproot Palestinian Trees Near Hebron
A number of extremist Israeli settlers uprooted dozens of olive and prune trees that belong to a resident of Hebron, in the southern part of the occupied West Bank.
Resident Rashed Hamed Az-Zaro, stated that the settlers uprooted his trees located near the Keryat Arba’ illegal settlement, and left the scene.
The Palestinian Agricultural Relief reported that, last year, the settlers uprooted more than 70 Roman Olive trees that belong to the resident.
The Agricultural Relief added that this year witnessed a sharp escalation in the number of Israeli settler attacks against Palestinian villagers and their lands.
Two days ago, a Palestinian resident was injured in Orif village, near the northern West Bank city of Nablus, after Israeli soldiers opened fire at dozens of villagers who clashed with Israeli settlers invading their village.
4 nov 2012
Jewish settlers and troops attack Urif villagers in Nablus
A Palestinian young man was injured and another was detained on Saturday evening during attacks by Jewish settlers and troops in Urif village south of Nablus city.
According to Quds Press, a group of fanatic Jewish settlers from the nearby settlement Yitzhar went on the rampage through the village attacking its residents and damaging property.
Eyewitnesses told it that a 19-year-old boy named Walid Al-Safadi was badly injured in his head by the settlers.
They added that a force of Israeli troops violently stormed the village to protect the Jewish assailants and clashed with the young men who were defending themselves and homes.
The troops attacked the young men and fired a barrage of rubber bullets and tear gas grenades before they withdraw from the village taking with them one of the young men in chain.
Likud candidate breaks into Aqsa plazas
Likud candidate for the parliamentary elections Moshe Feiglin along with a group of settlers broke into the holy Aqsa mosque on Sunday under heavy police protection.
The Aqsa Foundation for Endowment and Heritage said in a statement that Feiglin entered the Aqsa through Maghareba gate in the company of a group of settlers and strolled inside it.
It said that Israeli security forces prevented Palestinians from approaching the areas in which the Likud candidate and settlers walked, adding that worshippers inside the mosque could only chant slogans against the tour.
Meanwhile, local sources said that Jewish settlers wrote racist slogans on houses in Shufat in occupied Jerusalem and assaulted citizens’ property and vehicles.
They said that Israeli occupation forces were providing protection for those settlers who damaged a number of vehicles in the process.
3 nov 2012
PA official: 1 injured in settler raid on Nablus village
Settlers raided the Nablus village of Urif on Saturday, injuring one man, a PA official said.
Ghassan Daghlas, who monitors settler activity in the northern West Bank, told Ma'an that over a dozen settlers raided the village, leading to clashes with locals.
Walid Safadi, 19, received head injuries in the incident.
Israeli forces arrested Issam Safadi during the clashes, locals said.
An Israeli army spokeswoman said around 20 settlers and 20 Palestinians gathered near Yizhar settlement opposite Urif village, but had no reports of arrests or clashes.
The Nablus district experienced the majority of settler violence in 2011. The UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian affairs reported that over 2,500 olive trees were destroyed in September 2011, and 7,500 throughout 2011.
Settler attacks on Palestinian communities and their property are systematic and rarely prosecuted by Israeli authorities.
1 nov 2012
11-year-old Palestinian girl in critical condition after settler runs over her
A Palestinian child was in serious condition after a hit-and-run incident near Beit Ummar village in Al-Khalil on Wednesday.
Mohammed Awad, the coordinator of the popular anti-settlement committee in the village, told Quds Press that Hala Abu Ayyash, 11, suffered various injures in the incident.
A Jewish settler ran her over with his car on the main road connecting Al-Khalil to Jerusalem, which is near to her house, Awad added.
He said that the child was hospitalized in serious condition and would be moved to Hadassah hospital in Jerusalem in view of her condition.
The local village council of Sinjil said that all of the cars' tires had been slashed by a group of around 10 people. Eyewitnesses reported that some of the group were wearing army style uniform, although locals do not think Israel's army was involved in the incident.
Jewish settlers vandalize Palestinian cars under IOF protection
Dozens of Jewish settlers attacked the Sinjil village, north of Ramallah, under Israeli military protection and vandalized 26 Palestinian cars.
Ayub Suweid, the chairman of the Sinjil municipality, told Quds Press on Wednesday that the settlers were protected by Israeli occupation forces.
He said that they blasted and destroyed 26 Palestinian cars shortly after midnight.
He pointed out that his village is surrounded by four Jewish settlements, established on village land, and that settlers routinely attack the village and vandalize civilian property.
Suweid said that 70% of the village land falls within the C zone that according to the Oslo accords give fully control over it to the Israeli occupation authorities.
The municipality chairman said that he contacted human rights organizations and the Red Cross in addition to the Palestinian liaison office and complained about the repeated settlers’ attack but none could provide protection and the attacks continued.
27 nov 2012
Report: Israeli police order Palestinians off buses
Israel police are ordering Palestinian passengers off buses at the request of Israeli settlers, the Israeli daily Haaretz reported Tuesday.
An Israeli army reservist told Haaretz that Israeli police stationed near Salfit ordered Palestinians off buses at least several times, leaving them to walk several miles and then catch taxis home.
Most of the Palestinians were laborers working around Tel Aviv.
Israeli police told Haaretz they were making sure Palestinian laborers returned to the West Bank from the same place they exited.
"The fact that a laborer has a legal work permit doesn't allow him to travel directly to the territories without going through an established crossing point," the police said in a statement.
Israel's Transport Ministry is mulling adding separate bus lines for Palestinians between the West Bank and Israel.
Settlement mayor Ron Nachman is working with the Israeli army, police and transport ministry to stop Palestinians boarding buses that go to Ariel, he wrote on his Facebook page.
"All of them are working on this problem, and we hope that they will soon find a solution to the reality that is bothering our people," he wrote.
Responding to the post, one commenter wrote "finally you remembered that we have buses filled with Arabs?" while others commented that Palestinians were "terrorists" and "monkeys."
Aqsa: Likud chose the most notorious pro-temple candidates for the Knesset
The Aqsa foundation for endowment and heritage warned that the Israeli right-wing political stream calling for the construction of the alleged temple of Solomon and the division of the Aqsa Mosque is growing.
In a press release on Tuesday, the Aqsa foundation said that the most notorious Israeli politicians and lawmakers are among the Likud party's top 20 candidates for the upcoming Knesset election.
The figureheads of the party’s far-right stream who topped the list included Moshe Feiglin, Ze'ev Elkin, Danny Danon and Tzipi Hotovely.
The foundation said that these Likud figureheads are posing a threat to the Aqsa Mosque, which necessitates the need for more action to guard and protect the Aqsa Mosque.
"Feiglin, in his first statement upon the release of the results that ranked him 15 in the Likud's list, said that 'choosing him was the start of the road that would led to the building of the shrine on the temple mount'" the foundation underlined.
The other hardline Likud candidates, according to the Palestinian foundation, were active players in the desecration campaigns that took place many times at the Aqsa Mosque, and all of them support the Jewish settlers' violations against the Islamic holy places.
The Aqsa foundation for endowment and heritage urged the Muslim nation to urgently move to save the Aqsa Mosque against the mounting Jewish dangers threatening it.
26 nov 2012
Blacklisted settlers will be banned from entering EU countries
The European Union is recommending a blacklist of "known violent settlers" who will be blocked from entering EU member states, the Hebrew newspaper Haaretz has revealed on Monday.
In January of this year, the consuls general of the EU countries in East Jerusalem and Ramallah wrote a report dealing with settler violence against Palestinians in the West Bank, especially the incidents the settlers refer to as "price tag" revenge attacks, Haaretz pointed out.
The report recommended that EU headquarters in Brussels draw up a blacklist of settlers who would be forbidden entry into the 27 EU states.
The consuls’ report lay unaddressed for five months, until the EU foreign ministers decided, on May 14, to take practical steps against settler violence in Area C in the West Bank, which is under full Israeli military and civilian control, according to the newspaper.
25 nov 2012
'Price tag Gaza' sprayed on vandalized car in Jerusalem
Vandals slashed the tires of several cars in the East Jerusalem neighborhood of Shufat on Sunday morning, spraying one with the slogan 'Price tag - Gaza', Israeli police said.
Police spokesman Mickey Rosenfeld said the force had opened an investigation.
'Price tag' is the slogan used by right-wing extremists to describe vandalism and violence against Palestinians, usually in the West Bank, in revenge for policies they disagree with.
Israel's right-wing have criticized Israeli premier Benjamin Netanyahu for halting a military operation in the Gaza Strip on Wednesday, ending eight-days of deadly bombardments.
During the conflict, the Jerusalem tram was planted with two fake bombs, Rosenfeld said. On Sunday morning, a Palestinian citizen of Israel was arrested in connected with these incidents, and another Palestinian was detained on suspicion of throwing a Molotov cocktail at the tram last week.
Jewish settlers attack, destroy Palestinian farmland
Jewish settlers attacked the village of Qasra, south of Nablus city, and destroyed vast areas of its farmland, local sources said.
Ghassan Daghlas, in-charge of monitoring settlement activity north of the West Bank, said on Sunday that the settlers from various settlements established on the village’s land attacked the village on Saturday.
He said that the settlers demolished walls built by the farmers to protect their land in the village, adding that the farmers were working on building those walls for the past five months.
Dahglas said that Israeli occupation forces arrested an old man in the village for trying to resist the settlers.
24 nov 2012
Hamas: Settlement activity in West Bank and Jerusalem reached its highest level
A report issued by Hamas' Media Office said that Israeli occupation is moving at an accelerated pace to legalize most of the outposts built on occupied West Bank lands and to encourage Jews to settle there.
It described the Israeli occupation authorities’ (IOA) measures as a flagrant violation of international humanitarian law and The Hague Regulations.
The report indicated that the IOA settlement activity in the occupied West Bank and Jerusalem in 2012 reached its highest level compared to the last ten years, as the number of settlement units which have been approved to be built since the beginning of the current year is over 2380 units.
Hamas also pointed out that, according to Palestinian statistical data, the number of settlements in the West Bank was 144 settlements by the end of 2011, while the number of settlers exceeded 536000. In contrast at least 130000 Jerusalemite citizens do not have houses, as the IOA imposes restrictions on giving them permits for the construction of houses.
The report, which monitors settlement projects and settlers' attacks during the period from October 16 to November 15 - 2012, revealed that "the IOA seeks to destroy the Islamic historical monuments in Wad Street to the east of occupied Jerusalem."
It said that the IOA aims to change the interfaces of houses and shops along the street linking the Damascus Gate and the gates of Al-Aqsa mosque from the western side, and down to the area of al-Buraq, under the pretext of repairs and maintenance of the street.
The report also dealt with settlers' attacks against Palestinian citizens in the West Bank and Jerusalem, such as attacks on agricultural crops, uprooting and stealing of olive trees, burning vehicles, physical attacks against civilians and writing racist slogans on walls.
23 nov 2012
Owner: 400 olive trees uprooted in south Hebron
Israeli settlers in the south Hebron hills uprooted around 400 olive trees belonging to a Palestinian farmer, locals said.
Abu Iyad Housheh visited his land near the Carmiel settlement on Thursday and found the two to three-year old trees had been destroyed overnight.
He has filed a complaint to the Israeli police. Police, soldiers and Israeli civil administration officers were summoned to the land to witnesses the destruction, he said.
Abu Housheh told Ma'an he will replant the trees, and will not be intimidated by settlers.
The UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian affairs reported that over 7,500 olive trees belonging to Palestinians were destroyed in 2011.
22 nov 2012
Committee: 5 wounded in Beit Ummar clash
Five Palestinians were wounded by rubber bullets fired by Israeli soldiers in Beit Ummar on Wednesday, a local committee said.
Committee spokesman Mohammad Ayad Awad said forces fired tear gas and rubber bullets at a demonstration against Israeli the attacks on Gaza.
An Israeli settler also fired at Palestinians, when soldiers were standing by, but no one was wounded, he said.
21 nov 2012
Settlers kidnap 3 Palestinians and hand them over to the IOF
Jewish settlers kidnapped on Wednesday morning three Palestinians from the town of Hawara, south of Nablus, and handed them over to the occupation forces.
The Hawara mayor, Mou'in Al-Dhamidi, said that a group of Israeli settlers from the settlement of "Yitzhar" kidnapped three citizens, after attacking them while they had been reaping olive fruits in al-Lahf area in the west of the town.
The three Palestinians were taken to the settlement, and then handed over to the occupation forces.
19 nov 2012
Settlers burn car, spray hate slogans in Ramallah village
Israeli settlers set fire to a Palestinian's car and spray-painted racist slogans in Ramallah village Sinjil early Monday, in the second settler attack overnight in the West Bank.
Locals told Ma'an a huge explosion woke them at 3 a.m. and they discovered the car had been torched. Residents tried to extinguish the blaze and found price tag slogans painted on the house where the car was parked.
Extremist settlers label acts of violence against Palestinians in the West Bank as a "price tag" campaign, exacting revenge for Israeli policies they disagree with.
In Nablus, villagers in Urif found their mosque had been set alight early Monday.
Palestinian official Ghassan Daghlas told Ma'an residents stopped the spread of the blaze and chased settlers out of the village.
PA official: Settlers torch Nablus mosque
Settlers torched a Nablus mosque overnight Sunday, a Palestinian Authority official said.
Ghassan Daghlas, who monitors settler activity in the northern West Bank, told Ma'an that a group of settlers from Yizhar entered the village of Urif and set fire to the entrance of a mosque.
Villagers managed to stop the fire from spreading and chased the settlers out of the village, Daghlas added.
"The settlers tried to break into the mosque, but it was locked," Orif resident Issam al-Safadi told Reuters.
"So they settled with burning the old carpet and the door."
Molotov cocktail thrown at settler vehicle near Ramallah
A settler car was targeted by a Molotov cocktail during clashes in a Ramallah village on Monday , Ma'an's reporter said.
Earlier, Israeli settlers set fire to a Palestinian car and spray-painted racist slogans in the Ramallah of village Sinjil, in the second settler attack overnight in the West Bank.
Settler attacks on Palestinian communities are routine and rarely prevented by Israeli forces or prosecuted by Israel's legal system.
14 nov 2012
Hundreds of settlers visit Nablus tomb
Hundreds of settlers visited Joseph's Tomb in Nablus overnight Tuesday, local sources told Ma'an.
Around 15 buses protected by Israel's military entered the tomb compound after midnight to perform religious rituals. The buses left at 6 a.m. on Wednesday.
Meanwhile, Israeli forces arrested three men from the nearby Balata refugee camp. Clashes with local youths broke out during the arrest operation.
Nidal Najwan al-Sheikh Khalil, 24, his brother Muhammad, 22, and Ahmad Naji Abu Hamadeh, 23, were named by locals as those detained.
An Israeli army spokeswoman said there were no reports of any arrests overnight.
Under the 1993 Oslo Accords, the site in Nablus was to remain under Israeli control. But the Israeli army evacuated the premises in October 2000 shortly after the start of the second intifada, or uprising, and it was immediately destroyed and burnt by the Palestinians.
The restoration of the tomb was completed recently, and following improved security cooperation with the Palestinian Authority, the army allows Jewish worshipers to make monthly nocturnal pilgrimages to the site.
13 nov 2012
Racist graffiti, arson by Israeli settlers in Bethlehem
A group of right-wing Israeli settlers tried to set fire to a Palestinian home near Bethlehem Sunday night, and spraypainted racist graffiti on the home and nearby structures.
The graffiti included 'Death to Arabs', which has become a rallying cry in recent years for the right-wing settler movement, whose state objective is to rid the West Bank of its indigenous Palestinian inhabitants and take over their land to annex it to Israel.
The incident took place at around 2:30 am, Monday morning, in the village of al-Manshiya southeast of Bethlehem.
According to reports from local sources, the settlers poured gasoline on the home of Younis Abu Dayyeh in the village, and spraypainted racist slogans, then tried to light the gasoline on fire. They were chased out by the villagers before they managed to carry out the arson attack.
This incident is just the latest in a string of arsons, sabotage, property destruction and racist graffiti by settlers, in addition to violent attacks on Palestinian farmers and shepherds with guns, sticks and rocks.
In the last week, Israeli settlers uprooted over one hundred olive trees belonging to Palestinian farmers near Nablus. In this case, as in many others, the destruction of the olive trees deprives the Palestinian farmers of their sole source of livelihood, and is an attempt to force them out of the West Bank.
The uprooting of the trees was also accompanied by racist graffiti reading 'Death to Arabs' and 'Pricetag'.
Israeli settlers storm evacuated settlement in Jinin
The Israeli settlers stormed on Tuesday afternoon the evacuated settlement Kadim east of Jenin, cut off the road and tried to assault citizens.
Local sources said that settlers closed the main street that connects the city of Jenin with the village of Arrana east of the city, holding banners bearing “closed military zones” in order to prevent the citizens from reaching the area.
They also closed the bypass road that links Nazareth Street and the Jalama village, preventing citizens from approaching those areas.
The citizens pointed out that the Israeli settlers started chanting hostile slogans against Arabs under the protection of Israeli military forces.
Meanwhile, Israeli occupation forces and Israeli settlers closed for the second day in a row, the main road and side roads east of the city of Jenin, and declared them closed military zones where they prevented farmers from having access to their lands.
More than 50 settlers protected by a large force of the Israeli army, took position yesterday at the Kadim evacuated settlement east of Jenin, and set up tents, and blocked roads leading to the areas east of the city, and declared them closed military zones.
Eyewitnesses confirmed to PIC reporter that the Israeli settlers accompanied by occupation forces were deployed in the mentioned settlement until Tuesday morning.
Local sources confirmed that Israeli soldiers erected more tents within the mentioned settlement, and began to close several roads east of Jenin, and tried to assault farmers and prevented them from reaching their agricultural lands.
12 nov 2012
Settlers Attempt to Burn a House in al-Manshiyah Village, South of Bethlehem
Settlers attempted at dawn, to burn a house in al-Manshiyah village southeast of Bethlehem, and spray painted racist slogans at the walls of another house in the same village.
Coordinator of Popular Resistance Against the Wall and Settlement, Hassan Brejiyeh, said that a group of settlers raided the village at dawn, and spray painted racist slogans at the house of al-Sheikh Younes Abu Dayeh and tried to burn a house. The village's citizens confronted them and threw stones at the settlers before they flee.
Brejiyeh said that these attacks have previously occurred in order to force the citizens to deport and leave their lands and properties.
He also added that despite of this escalation, "Israel will not kill our determination. We will stay steadfast in our land."
11 nov 2012
Palestinian youth hospitalized after Jewish settlers throw rocks on him
A 22-year-old Palestinian youth was hospitalized on Sunday after a group of Jewish settlers threw rocks on him in downtown Al-Khalil.
Palestinian security sources said that the settlers threw stones on Tamer Abu Odeh while standing in front of his house in the Old City of Al-Khalil, adding that he was carried to hospital.
Meanwhile, Israeli occupation forces stormed a number of suburbs in Al-Khalil at dawn and installed a roadblock at the outskirts of nearby Edhna village, locals reported.
10 nov 2012
Man injured by settlers in Hebron
Settlers in Hebron threw stones at a Palestinian man on Saturday, causing moderate head injuries, medics said.
Samir Jaber, 20, was taken to hospital for treatment after settlers from Kiryat Arba threw stones at him in an unprovoked attack.
Hebron was split into areas of Palestinian and Israeli control under a 1997 agreement.
The Israeli military-controlled H2 zone includes the ancient Old City, home of the revered Ibrahimi Mosque -- also split into a synagogue referred to as the Tomb of the Patriarchs.
Around 800 Jewish settlers live among 30,000 Palestinians in the parts of the ancient city that are under Israeli control.
Settler attacks against Palestinians are routine in the occupied territories, with Israeli military authorities rarely intervening or bringing the perpetrators to justice.
7 nov 2012
Aqsa foundation: 1,100 Jews defiled the Aqsa Mosque last October
The Aqsa foundation for endowment and heritage said Tuesday that the number of Jewish settlers who desecrated the Aqsa Mosque last October alone amounted to 1,100 persons.
In a press release, the foundation warned that there is unprecedented increase in the number of settlers and Israelis who storm the Aqsa Mosque and noted that their number may rise by the end of this year to 12,000 settlers, which is 30 percent more than the last year.
It emphasized the only defense method to protect the Aqsa Mosque is the human shield formed by Palestinian worshipers and urged the Muslim nation to hasten to revolt for the Aqsa Mosque.
According to statistics prepared by the Aqsa foundation in cooperation with Imart Al-Aqsa organization, the number of non-Muslims who defiled the Aqsa Mosque last October amounted to 1, 100 settlers, 252 soldiers and officers, and 22,000 foreign tourists.
The Aqsa foundation pointed that most of the settlers performed Jewish rituals and dances in different parts of the Aqsa Mosque.
In another incident, Maariv newspaper said Israeli minister of transportation Yisrael Katz would open on Wednesday a new road connecting the Ibrahimi Mosque with Kiryat Arba settlement.
The newspaper added that this road would allow thousands of Jews to visit the Ibrahimi Mosque around the clock.
The Israeli army also informed the director of Islamic endowments Zayd Al-Ja'bari in Al-Khalil on Tuesday afternoon that it would close the Ibrahimi Mosque next Friday and Saturday at the pretext of Jewish celebrations.
Jabari strongly denounced such Israeli violation of the sanctity of the Ibrahimi Mosque and described it as an infringement on divine religions and freedom of worship.
"The Ibrahimi Mosque with all its areas and premises is purely Islamic and the Jews have nothing to do with it, so all measures taken against it are illegal," he stressed.
Clashes erupt after storming Yussef's Tomb by hundreds of settlers
Hundreds of Israeli settlers stormed at dawn on Wednesday, the city of Nablus in the northern West Bank, and performed religious rituals in Youssef's Tomb under the protection of the Israeli army.
Eyewitnesses said that a number of Israeli military vehicles stormed the eastern part of Nablus, and headed towards Yussef’s tomb to secure the entry of buses and cars carrying hundreds of Jewish settlers who came to perform religious Talmudic rituals.
The sources added that clashes have erupted between Israeli forces and Palestinian youths in the area surrounding the Youssef's Tomb, where the occupation forces fired stun grenades and tear gas against Palestinian houses in the area. Many injuries were reported among the residents who threw stones and empty bottles as a response to their provocation.
It should be noted that the Israeli settlers have repeatedly stormed the Tomb which was an Islamic mosque built over a tomb of an Islamic Sheikh named Youssef Dweikat from the town of Balata. It was seized by Israeli settlers just after the occupation of the West Bank in 1967 under the pretext that it contains Tomb of Prophet Youssef.
6 nov 2012
Jewish settler fires at Palestinian homes
A Jewish settler opened indiscriminate fire at Palestinian homes in the Old City of al-Khalil on Monday night.
Quds Press quoted eyewitnesses as saying that the settler opened fire from his automatic machinegun at Palestinian homes and shops, adding that no casualties were suffered.
Meanwhile, Israeli army patrols stormed a number of suburbs in al-Khalil city and nearby towns of Dura and Al-Shuyukh with no arrests reported.
5 nov 2012
Settlers Occupy Palestinian Residence In Jerusalem
The Maan Mix Satellite TV station broadcast a video documenting several Israeli soldiers breaking into a Palestinian residential building in occupied East Jerusalem, terrifying the family and forcing them to leave their home under the claim that they own it.
The building, located in the At-Tour neighborhood, in occupied East Jerusalem, belongs to the family of resident Mohammad Abu Al-Hawa.
The Maan Mix team was in the area when the attack took place, and managed to document parts of the attack.
The settlers removed the iron bars from the window of Fatima Abu Al-Hawa, who fainted due to fear of the attacking settlers, after they violently jumped into her room through the window carrying their weapons, and shouting at her to leave the home.
The settlers claimed that the El-Ad settler organization purchased the home from “its Palestinian owner” who allegedly purchased it from the Abu Al-Hawa family.
The settlers carried a court order granting them ownership, but did not even wait for the police to evict the family, and decided to attack it and throw the seven family members out.
Mahmoud Abu Al-Hawa told Maan Mix that his family has been fighting a legal battle in Israeli courts to prove ownership since 2006, and that he spent more than $60.000 in legal costs since then; the money he used for legal fees was his retirement compensation. He said that the settlers eventually bribed the lawyer.
It is worth mentioning that the settlers control two apartments in the building that has a strategic location as it has a direct view of the Al-Aqsa Mosque and the Old City of Jerusalem, while the army raises a large Israeli flag on its rooftop.
The settlers claim that they purchased the home from a Palestinian resident who bought it from Abu Al-Hawa family.
Family leaves East Jerusalem home after settler attack
A Palestinian family is evicted from their home in Beit Hanina in order to make way for settlers to move into the property.
Jewish settlers on Monday attacked a Palestinian family in East Jerusalem, forcing them from their homes, the family said.
Mahmoud Abu al-Hawa told Ma'an the settlers smashed the windows of his home in al-Tur and ransacked his elderly mother's room, causing her to pass out, he said.
An Israeli court has ruled that a relative of al-Hawa sold the home to the Elad settler association, he said.
The 7-member family left their home on Monday fearing further settler attacks, al-Hawa said.
The home is in a building overlooking the Al-Aqsa Mosque in Jerusalem's Old City. Israeli settlers now control two apartments in the building.
The Elad association is a private Israeli organization which promotes settlement building in East Jerusalem. The US state department in July criticized the group for disregarding the diverse religious history of sites it controls in East Jerusalem.
Israel captured East Jerusalem in 1967 and later annexed it in a move never recognized by the international community. Palestinians seek East Jerusalem as the capital of their hoped-for state.
Committee: Settlers destroy dozens of trees in Hebron
Settlers from Kiryat Arba uprooted dozens of olive trees in Hebron on Monday, a local agricultural committee said.
Over 70 olive and plum trees were destroyed by settlers on land belonging to Hamad al-Zaro, the committee said.
Since 1967, 800,000 olive trees have been uprooted by Israeli forces, resulting in a loss of around $55 million to the Palestinian economy, according to a report by the Palestinian Authority Ministry of National Economy and the Applied Research Institute of Jerusalem.
Settlers Uproot Palestinian Trees Near Hebron
A number of extremist Israeli settlers uprooted dozens of olive and prune trees that belong to a resident of Hebron, in the southern part of the occupied West Bank.
Resident Rashed Hamed Az-Zaro, stated that the settlers uprooted his trees located near the Keryat Arba’ illegal settlement, and left the scene.
The Palestinian Agricultural Relief reported that, last year, the settlers uprooted more than 70 Roman Olive trees that belong to the resident.
The Agricultural Relief added that this year witnessed a sharp escalation in the number of Israeli settler attacks against Palestinian villagers and their lands.
Two days ago, a Palestinian resident was injured in Orif village, near the northern West Bank city of Nablus, after Israeli soldiers opened fire at dozens of villagers who clashed with Israeli settlers invading their village.
4 nov 2012
Jewish settlers and troops attack Urif villagers in Nablus
A Palestinian young man was injured and another was detained on Saturday evening during attacks by Jewish settlers and troops in Urif village south of Nablus city.
According to Quds Press, a group of fanatic Jewish settlers from the nearby settlement Yitzhar went on the rampage through the village attacking its residents and damaging property.
Eyewitnesses told it that a 19-year-old boy named Walid Al-Safadi was badly injured in his head by the settlers.
They added that a force of Israeli troops violently stormed the village to protect the Jewish assailants and clashed with the young men who were defending themselves and homes.
The troops attacked the young men and fired a barrage of rubber bullets and tear gas grenades before they withdraw from the village taking with them one of the young men in chain.
Likud candidate breaks into Aqsa plazas
Likud candidate for the parliamentary elections Moshe Feiglin along with a group of settlers broke into the holy Aqsa mosque on Sunday under heavy police protection.
The Aqsa Foundation for Endowment and Heritage said in a statement that Feiglin entered the Aqsa through Maghareba gate in the company of a group of settlers and strolled inside it.
It said that Israeli security forces prevented Palestinians from approaching the areas in which the Likud candidate and settlers walked, adding that worshippers inside the mosque could only chant slogans against the tour.
Meanwhile, local sources said that Jewish settlers wrote racist slogans on houses in Shufat in occupied Jerusalem and assaulted citizens’ property and vehicles.
They said that Israeli occupation forces were providing protection for those settlers who damaged a number of vehicles in the process.
3 nov 2012
PA official: 1 injured in settler raid on Nablus village
Settlers raided the Nablus village of Urif on Saturday, injuring one man, a PA official said.
Ghassan Daghlas, who monitors settler activity in the northern West Bank, told Ma'an that over a dozen settlers raided the village, leading to clashes with locals.
Walid Safadi, 19, received head injuries in the incident.
Israeli forces arrested Issam Safadi during the clashes, locals said.
An Israeli army spokeswoman said around 20 settlers and 20 Palestinians gathered near Yizhar settlement opposite Urif village, but had no reports of arrests or clashes.
The Nablus district experienced the majority of settler violence in 2011. The UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian affairs reported that over 2,500 olive trees were destroyed in September 2011, and 7,500 throughout 2011.
Settler attacks on Palestinian communities and their property are systematic and rarely prosecuted by Israeli authorities.
1 nov 2012
11-year-old Palestinian girl in critical condition after settler runs over her
A Palestinian child was in serious condition after a hit-and-run incident near Beit Ummar village in Al-Khalil on Wednesday.
Mohammed Awad, the coordinator of the popular anti-settlement committee in the village, told Quds Press that Hala Abu Ayyash, 11, suffered various injures in the incident.
A Jewish settler ran her over with his car on the main road connecting Al-Khalil to Jerusalem, which is near to her house, Awad added.
He said that the child was hospitalized in serious condition and would be moved to Hadassah hospital in Jerusalem in view of her condition.
