7 dec 2008
A settler walks through the Wadi Hussein area of Hebron
"They were deeply involved. It was obvious," explained Jamal Abu Sa'ifan of the role Israeli police and military forces played during the settler riots in the aftermath of the evacuation of the "House of Contention" Thursday.
Abu Sa'ifan filmed the now-famous footage of an Israeli settler shooting two of his relatives during the riots. His account of Thursday's violence suggests that not only did Israeli forces fail to prevent the settlers' violent and apparently ethnically-motivated attack on the local population, but in fact facilitated these attacks.
By Sunday, even Israeli Prime Minister Ehud Olmert had labeled what took place on Thursday a "pogrom" against "innocent Palestinians."
On the day Hebron was set on fire by settlers, however, Olmert released a statement praising his military for a "quick and efficient evacuation."
Olmert also pledged on Thursday that "any attempt by violent elements to attack the Palestinian population and cause unrest in Judea and Samaria [Israel's term for the West Bank] will be met with a sharp and immediate response by the security establishment."
According to witnesses, the response of the Israeli troops in Hebron to settler violence was neither sharp nor immediate. On the contrary, the soldiers actively enabled the settlers in their attacks. The testimony of Palestinians present in Hebron during the riots suggests that Israeli forces in the area were negligent in their failure to stop what now appears to be a coordinated assault on the civilian residents of the neighborhood.
"When they pulled the settlers out of the house, a large number of settlers came down [from the nearby settlement]. I was filming them. I went down to by uncle's house, where settlers shot by cousin and uncle," said Abu Sa'ifan.
"Five minutes later, when my relatives were taken to the hospital, the army came and took all the young [Palestinian] men in the area and put them in one house in the valley," he said, indicating that soldiers wanted to remove individuals most likely to fight against violent setters. "Then the settlers came and set fires. They doused palm leaves in gasoline set fire to them in piles." And few were able to prevent the attacks.
Abu Sa'ifan's house abuts the Kiryat Arba settlement, home to some 7,000 Israeli Jews. Following the evacuation, masked settlers jumped down from the settlement on to the roof of his house, smashing his water tanks, solar panels, and satellite dish, while most of the family took shelter inside. The settlers smashed windows, rained stones on the house, attacked Palestinians with clubs and occasionally shot at them with firearms.
Still imprisoned in one house, the young men of the neighborhood were unable to put out the fires or confront the rampaging settlers. Most of the women were soothing children, though others were outside with the older men of the neighborhood doing their best to dissuade settler youth from torching more homes.
The Israeli soldiers and police in the area stood by during the rampage.
After attacking Abu Sa'ifan's house, the settlers "continued to house after house. They tried to burn four or five other houses. Also they destroyed more water tanks and solar panels." In other words, the settler mob acted systematically, assaulting every Palestinian dwelling in the neighborhood. Settlers across the city joined in the violence.
The riots that took place were expected and militant settlers from the area were prepared to act when the time came. In the settler enclaves in Tel Rumeida and Hebron's old Souq, half of which has been shut down by the Israeli military, settlers poured out of the Israeli-controlled "H2" zone and into the center of metropolitan Hebron, smashing cars, hurling stones, and setting houses ablaze. At that time, witnesses said, the newly deployed Palestinian security forces vanished from the streets.
When Ma'an's reporter and photographer visited Abu Sa'ifan on Saturday, piles of half-burned debris lay around his modest concrete house. The windows were broken. A plastic bottle of gasoline with Hebrew writing had been discarded in the yard. Above the house, settlers peered down through the fence from Kiryat Arba as if observing animals in a zoo.
Thursday's riots were the culmination of two weeks of violence. Abu Sa'ifan said he and the 25 members of his family living in the houses bordering Kiryat Arba have not had a good night's rest in 15 days.
Abu Sa'ifan's house was just one target of a "price-tag" campaign settler groups announced weeks in advance of the evacuation. The premise of this "campaign" was simple: if the Israeli state evacuates just one building containing 250 of the nearly half a million settlers in the West Bank, the settler movement "exacts a price" from the state, rampaging through Hebron and other points in the West Bank.
When Israeli border police and soldiers in riot gear surprised the settlers occupying the Rajabi family house, only a handful were arrested. The rest of the 250 right-wing Israelis were turned loose into Hebron streets. They turned their rage on the Palestinians in the neighborhood.
Many found themselves asking why the settlers were not detained or otherwise separated from the Palestinians in the area after being dragged from the home. Separation of hostile populations only seems logical, especially after weeks of escalating violence by many settler groups in the area. The government must have foreseen the violence.
Officers in the Israeli military Spokesperson's office claimed that the Israeli police made the decision to remove settlers from the Rajabi home and release them into the Hebron area. Police Spokesperson Micky Rosenfeld said the decision not to arrest the settlers was made by the military. He added that the police were instructed to remove the settlers "quickly" and with "minimum injuries," there was no mention of arresting settlers. "We accomplished [our] mission," he said.
Later the military Spokesperson responded to Ma'an saying: "The IDF, the Israel Police and the Border Police did the maximum to prevent and contain the riots. Arrests were carried out on the scene before, during and after the removal of the settlers. The majority of the rioters were dispersed."
"It should be noted that the evacuation was completed in less than an hour," the Spokesperson added.
Yet the unanswered questions are legion. Ten days earlier, shortly after the High Court's order to have the settlers evicted, settlers cut through the fence separating them from the Palestinians in the Wadi Hussein neighborhood. When the eviction finally took place the fence was still missing, allowing settlers to leap from the raised settlement wall above the Palestinain neighborhood onto the defenseless Palestinian houses.
The actions of the Israeli security personnel and government officials must be questioned on several fronts. Why did the Israeli Defense Minister, Ehud Barak, wait more than two weeks before implementing the court order, allowing the settlers time to prepare? Why were the consciences of the extra 600 Israeli troops deployed for the eviction not stirred by the sight of Jews systematically attacking people for their ethnicity?
The Israeli state, meanwhile, secured the publicity it sought, despite the riots. A photo of an Israeli officer dragging a shrieking settler from the house appeared accompanying the New York Times' staff-written account of the evacuation. The drama communicated to the world is that of the Israeli state boldly confronting its extremists. Only a sentence is devoted to the anti-Palestinian pogrom that was directly caused by the eviction.
What is not mentioned is that the entire conflagration over the "House of Contention" was created by Israel, beginning with the state's acceptance of the militant settler enclaves throughout Hebron, and ending with the very details of how the evacuation was carried out.
"They were deeply involved. It was obvious," explained Jamal Abu Sa'ifan of the role Israeli police and military forces played during the settler riots in the aftermath of the evacuation of the "House of Contention" Thursday.
Abu Sa'ifan filmed the now-famous footage of an Israeli settler shooting two of his relatives during the riots. His account of Thursday's violence suggests that not only did Israeli forces fail to prevent the settlers' violent and apparently ethnically-motivated attack on the local population, but in fact facilitated these attacks.
By Sunday, even Israeli Prime Minister Ehud Olmert had labeled what took place on Thursday a "pogrom" against "innocent Palestinians."
On the day Hebron was set on fire by settlers, however, Olmert released a statement praising his military for a "quick and efficient evacuation."
Olmert also pledged on Thursday that "any attempt by violent elements to attack the Palestinian population and cause unrest in Judea and Samaria [Israel's term for the West Bank] will be met with a sharp and immediate response by the security establishment."
According to witnesses, the response of the Israeli troops in Hebron to settler violence was neither sharp nor immediate. On the contrary, the soldiers actively enabled the settlers in their attacks. The testimony of Palestinians present in Hebron during the riots suggests that Israeli forces in the area were negligent in their failure to stop what now appears to be a coordinated assault on the civilian residents of the neighborhood.
"When they pulled the settlers out of the house, a large number of settlers came down [from the nearby settlement]. I was filming them. I went down to by uncle's house, where settlers shot by cousin and uncle," said Abu Sa'ifan.
"Five minutes later, when my relatives were taken to the hospital, the army came and took all the young [Palestinian] men in the area and put them in one house in the valley," he said, indicating that soldiers wanted to remove individuals most likely to fight against violent setters. "Then the settlers came and set fires. They doused palm leaves in gasoline set fire to them in piles." And few were able to prevent the attacks.
Abu Sa'ifan's house abuts the Kiryat Arba settlement, home to some 7,000 Israeli Jews. Following the evacuation, masked settlers jumped down from the settlement on to the roof of his house, smashing his water tanks, solar panels, and satellite dish, while most of the family took shelter inside. The settlers smashed windows, rained stones on the house, attacked Palestinians with clubs and occasionally shot at them with firearms.
Still imprisoned in one house, the young men of the neighborhood were unable to put out the fires or confront the rampaging settlers. Most of the women were soothing children, though others were outside with the older men of the neighborhood doing their best to dissuade settler youth from torching more homes.
The Israeli soldiers and police in the area stood by during the rampage.
After attacking Abu Sa'ifan's house, the settlers "continued to house after house. They tried to burn four or five other houses. Also they destroyed more water tanks and solar panels." In other words, the settler mob acted systematically, assaulting every Palestinian dwelling in the neighborhood. Settlers across the city joined in the violence.
The riots that took place were expected and militant settlers from the area were prepared to act when the time came. In the settler enclaves in Tel Rumeida and Hebron's old Souq, half of which has been shut down by the Israeli military, settlers poured out of the Israeli-controlled "H2" zone and into the center of metropolitan Hebron, smashing cars, hurling stones, and setting houses ablaze. At that time, witnesses said, the newly deployed Palestinian security forces vanished from the streets.
When Ma'an's reporter and photographer visited Abu Sa'ifan on Saturday, piles of half-burned debris lay around his modest concrete house. The windows were broken. A plastic bottle of gasoline with Hebrew writing had been discarded in the yard. Above the house, settlers peered down through the fence from Kiryat Arba as if observing animals in a zoo.
Thursday's riots were the culmination of two weeks of violence. Abu Sa'ifan said he and the 25 members of his family living in the houses bordering Kiryat Arba have not had a good night's rest in 15 days.
Abu Sa'ifan's house was just one target of a "price-tag" campaign settler groups announced weeks in advance of the evacuation. The premise of this "campaign" was simple: if the Israeli state evacuates just one building containing 250 of the nearly half a million settlers in the West Bank, the settler movement "exacts a price" from the state, rampaging through Hebron and other points in the West Bank.
When Israeli border police and soldiers in riot gear surprised the settlers occupying the Rajabi family house, only a handful were arrested. The rest of the 250 right-wing Israelis were turned loose into Hebron streets. They turned their rage on the Palestinians in the neighborhood.
Many found themselves asking why the settlers were not detained or otherwise separated from the Palestinians in the area after being dragged from the home. Separation of hostile populations only seems logical, especially after weeks of escalating violence by many settler groups in the area. The government must have foreseen the violence.
Officers in the Israeli military Spokesperson's office claimed that the Israeli police made the decision to remove settlers from the Rajabi home and release them into the Hebron area. Police Spokesperson Micky Rosenfeld said the decision not to arrest the settlers was made by the military. He added that the police were instructed to remove the settlers "quickly" and with "minimum injuries," there was no mention of arresting settlers. "We accomplished [our] mission," he said.
Later the military Spokesperson responded to Ma'an saying: "The IDF, the Israel Police and the Border Police did the maximum to prevent and contain the riots. Arrests were carried out on the scene before, during and after the removal of the settlers. The majority of the rioters were dispersed."
"It should be noted that the evacuation was completed in less than an hour," the Spokesperson added.
Yet the unanswered questions are legion. Ten days earlier, shortly after the High Court's order to have the settlers evicted, settlers cut through the fence separating them from the Palestinians in the Wadi Hussein neighborhood. When the eviction finally took place the fence was still missing, allowing settlers to leap from the raised settlement wall above the Palestinain neighborhood onto the defenseless Palestinian houses.
The actions of the Israeli security personnel and government officials must be questioned on several fronts. Why did the Israeli Defense Minister, Ehud Barak, wait more than two weeks before implementing the court order, allowing the settlers time to prepare? Why were the consciences of the extra 600 Israeli troops deployed for the eviction not stirred by the sight of Jews systematically attacking people for their ethnicity?
The Israeli state, meanwhile, secured the publicity it sought, despite the riots. A photo of an Israeli officer dragging a shrieking settler from the house appeared accompanying the New York Times' staff-written account of the evacuation. The drama communicated to the world is that of the Israeli state boldly confronting its extremists. Only a sentence is devoted to the anti-Palestinian pogrom that was directly caused by the eviction.
What is not mentioned is that the entire conflagration over the "House of Contention" was created by Israel, beginning with the state's acceptance of the militant settler enclaves throughout Hebron, and ending with the very details of how the evacuation was carried out.
A group of Israeli Knesset members (MKs) and peace activists preparing to sail aid to Gaza from the Jaffa port south of Tel Aviv were halted and the ship, along with three of the crew, were seized by Israeli police.
According to Israeli media sources the ship, and its cargo of food, medicines and toys for the Eid celebration, has been transferred to a nearby Tel Aviv marina.
Police reportedly arrested the activists and halted the ship in accordance with the Israeli law that prohibits citizens from entering Gaza without a permit. The law is designed to keep out the settlers removed from the area in 2005, and also prevent moderate or even curious Israelis from visiting the Gaza Strip.
Organizer of the voyage Zahi Nujaidat, however, called the move illegal, saying that no Israeli authorities had warned the group that the voyage was prohibited. Nujaidat said as far as he was concerned that law made no distinction between an Israeli sailing to Acre, Tiberias or Gaza City.
Israeli media outlet Yedioth Ahronoth said police bolstered numbers in Jaffa "for fear of riots."
Arab MK Mohammad Barakeh asked media members why a strong Israel would be afraid of a humanitarian act.
This is the second ship halted by Israeli security forces in as many weeks.
On 1 December a ship from Libya attempted to enter Gaza waters carrying 3,000 tons of foods and medications, but was routed by Israeli warships. Libyan officials called an emergency meeting of the UN Security Council following the incident, to try and force Israel to allow the ship access.
Libyan officials called the Israeli move "piracy," and ordered the ship to dock in Europe while the matter is addressed.
According to Israeli media sources the ship, and its cargo of food, medicines and toys for the Eid celebration, has been transferred to a nearby Tel Aviv marina.
Police reportedly arrested the activists and halted the ship in accordance with the Israeli law that prohibits citizens from entering Gaza without a permit. The law is designed to keep out the settlers removed from the area in 2005, and also prevent moderate or even curious Israelis from visiting the Gaza Strip.
Organizer of the voyage Zahi Nujaidat, however, called the move illegal, saying that no Israeli authorities had warned the group that the voyage was prohibited. Nujaidat said as far as he was concerned that law made no distinction between an Israeli sailing to Acre, Tiberias or Gaza City.
Israeli media outlet Yedioth Ahronoth said police bolstered numbers in Jaffa "for fear of riots."
Arab MK Mohammad Barakeh asked media members why a strong Israel would be afraid of a humanitarian act.
This is the second ship halted by Israeli security forces in as many weeks.
On 1 December a ship from Libya attempted to enter Gaza waters carrying 3,000 tons of foods and medications, but was routed by Israeli warships. Libyan officials called an emergency meeting of the UN Security Council following the incident, to try and force Israel to allow the ship access.
Libyan officials called the Israeli move "piracy," and ordered the ship to dock in Europe while the matter is addressed.
Two Palestinian fighters were injured by an Israeli artillery shell in the Al-Faraheen neighborhood of Khan Younis Sunday morning.
According to the Popular Resistance Committees (PRC) Israeli forces fired on the fighters from close range from near the Kissufim military base east of Khan Younis.
The injured activists have not yet been identified.
On Saturday Israeli tanks, warplanes and helicopters breached the Gaza borders on Saturday in pursuit of resistance activists preparing to launch projectiles at Israeli targets. One fighter was killed and another seriously injured in three separate incidents.
Throughout Saturday five homemade projectiles were launched from the Gaza strip towards Israeli targets.
According to the Popular Resistance Committees (PRC) Israeli forces fired on the fighters from close range from near the Kissufim military base east of Khan Younis.
The injured activists have not yet been identified.
On Saturday Israeli tanks, warplanes and helicopters breached the Gaza borders on Saturday in pursuit of resistance activists preparing to launch projectiles at Israeli targets. One fighter was killed and another seriously injured in three separate incidents.
Throughout Saturday five homemade projectiles were launched from the Gaza strip towards Israeli targets.
Other attacks
Gaza fighters say they clashed with invading Israeli forces
PFLP military wing fires two projectiles at Ashkelon
Gaza fighters say they clashed with invading Israeli forces
PFLP military wing fires two projectiles at Ashkelon
6 dec 2008
Israeli tanks, warplanes and helicopters breached the Gaza borders on Saturday in pursuit of resistance activists preparing to launch projectiles at Israeli targets Saturday.
One fighter was killed and another seriously injured in three separate incidents.
Late Saturday an Israeli warplane opened fire on a group of activists in the Tal Az-Za'tar neighborhood of the Jabalia refugee camp in the northern Gaza Strip. Palestinian medical sources confirmed one fighter was seriously injured and was moved to hospital.
Saturday evening resistance fighters preparing to launch projectiles at Sderot were shot at by Israeli helicopters. The fighters, near Beit Hanoun, escaped the live fire. No injuries were reported.
Throughout the day five homemade projectiles were launched from the Gaza strip towards Israeli targets, and an An-Nasser Brigades activist was killed by fire from an Israeli tank infiltrating Gaza borders mid-day.
Three projectiles claimed by Fatah's Al-Aqsa Brigades were launched towards the Israeli city of Ashkelon, and two by the An-Nasser Brigades towards Sderot.
The Al-Aqsa Brigades released a statement following the attack saying the projectiles came as a response to the Israeli settler attacks against Palestinians in Hebron.
An-Nasser Brigadesman killed
Earlier Saturday a 21-year-old Palestinian affiliated with the An-Nasser Brigades was killed by an Israeli tank, according to the Brigades' spokesperson.
The youth was identified as Raed Mueaweh Yousef, who according to the group's statement was targeted by Israeli forces while he was in the Juhr Ad-Dik area in the east of Gaza. Clashes between the Brigades and the Israeli forces broke out, and Yousef was killed by Israeli fire.
One fighter was killed and another seriously injured in three separate incidents.
Late Saturday an Israeli warplane opened fire on a group of activists in the Tal Az-Za'tar neighborhood of the Jabalia refugee camp in the northern Gaza Strip. Palestinian medical sources confirmed one fighter was seriously injured and was moved to hospital.
Saturday evening resistance fighters preparing to launch projectiles at Sderot were shot at by Israeli helicopters. The fighters, near Beit Hanoun, escaped the live fire. No injuries were reported.
Throughout the day five homemade projectiles were launched from the Gaza strip towards Israeli targets, and an An-Nasser Brigades activist was killed by fire from an Israeli tank infiltrating Gaza borders mid-day.
Three projectiles claimed by Fatah's Al-Aqsa Brigades were launched towards the Israeli city of Ashkelon, and two by the An-Nasser Brigades towards Sderot.
The Al-Aqsa Brigades released a statement following the attack saying the projectiles came as a response to the Israeli settler attacks against Palestinians in Hebron.
An-Nasser Brigadesman killed
Earlier Saturday a 21-year-old Palestinian affiliated with the An-Nasser Brigades was killed by an Israeli tank, according to the Brigades' spokesperson.
The youth was identified as Raed Mueaweh Yousef, who according to the group's statement was targeted by Israeli forces while he was in the Juhr Ad-Dik area in the east of Gaza. Clashes between the Brigades and the Israeli forces broke out, and Yousef was killed by Israeli fire.
Two Palestinians were injured Saturday evening when their car skidded off the road after being showered with stones by settlers.
The work colleagues were on their way to Nablus, heading home after working for the day in Ramallah.
Palestinian medical sources identified the two as 23-year-old Atef Ibrahim Muhammad Rashid and 29-year-old Samah Husam Baslat. The man and woman were moved to hospital in Nablus, where their conditions are described as moderate.
Israeli authorities closed the Hawara checkpoint south of Nablus on Saturday after dozens of Israeli settlers demonstrated against the forcible eviction of a group of settlers from a Palestinian home in Hebron on Thursday.
Travel in and out of the northern West Bank was severely restricted, until Israeli forces opened the Awarta checkpoint, west of the city, to allow citizens to head home for the approaching Eid Al-Adha holiday.
The Awarta checkpoint was closed on Friday after settlers broke into Azmout village east of Nablus and threw stones and homes and citizens. Settlers also blocked Aitsar street south of Nablus with barriers and large boulders, and smashed the windows of Palestinian cars parked in the area.
Israeli forces have been restricting the mobility of West Bank Palestinians in the wake of the forcible eviction in Hebron, in which two Palestinians were shot by right-wing hard-line Israeli settlers who were being dragged out of the Palestinian home.
Settlers have been exacting retribution for the actions of the Israeli army against Palestinians. The Israeli soldiers charged with evicting the home were acting on the orders of the High Court, who requested that the settlers be evicted.
The work colleagues were on their way to Nablus, heading home after working for the day in Ramallah.
Palestinian medical sources identified the two as 23-year-old Atef Ibrahim Muhammad Rashid and 29-year-old Samah Husam Baslat. The man and woman were moved to hospital in Nablus, where their conditions are described as moderate.
Israeli authorities closed the Hawara checkpoint south of Nablus on Saturday after dozens of Israeli settlers demonstrated against the forcible eviction of a group of settlers from a Palestinian home in Hebron on Thursday.
Travel in and out of the northern West Bank was severely restricted, until Israeli forces opened the Awarta checkpoint, west of the city, to allow citizens to head home for the approaching Eid Al-Adha holiday.
The Awarta checkpoint was closed on Friday after settlers broke into Azmout village east of Nablus and threw stones and homes and citizens. Settlers also blocked Aitsar street south of Nablus with barriers and large boulders, and smashed the windows of Palestinian cars parked in the area.
Israeli forces have been restricting the mobility of West Bank Palestinians in the wake of the forcible eviction in Hebron, in which two Palestinians were shot by right-wing hard-line Israeli settlers who were being dragged out of the Palestinian home.
Settlers have been exacting retribution for the actions of the Israeli army against Palestinians. The Israeli soldiers charged with evicting the home were acting on the orders of the High Court, who requested that the settlers be evicted.
A mob of Israeli settlers set ablaze a Palestinian home in the Old City of Hebron on Saturday after climbing to the roof and damaging the home's interior, according to the family who owns the home.
Nidal Al-'Uweiwi, the house's owner, said that on Saturday several settlers stormed the house from the roof, setting fire to the living room and "completely destroying" the kitchen, all while the 11-member family hid themselves in a separate room.
Al-'Uwewi told Ma'an that he called Palestinian Authority (PA) police, who arrived on the scene. Firefighters later arrived to extinguish the fire.
Two police officers were hurt as they suffered smoke inhalation while trying to rescue the family. The officers were transferred to a nearby hospital by ambulances sent from the Palestinian Red Crescent.
On Friday, Settlers attacked the nearby house of the Abu-Se'ifan family and during ensuing clashes, a settler fired his handgun at 40-year-old Hosni Abu-Se'ifan, who was shot in the chest and is in stable condition. His father, 65-year-old Abd al-Hai Abu-Sa'ifan, was moderately wounded in the arm. The two were taken to a Hebron hospital.
The video shows other members of the family, who manage to overcome the shooter, before a security guard from the nearby settlement of Kiryat Arba arrives at the scene and fires his weapon in the air.
B'Tselem is currently delivering the video to the Hebron Police, "demanding that the assailant is immediately brought to justice and that the involvement of the security guard be investigated."
Additionally, the rights group is demanding that security forces "investigate the failures that allowed settlers to riot throughout the afternoon and evening in Hebron's Palestinian neighborhoods."
B'Tselem also claimed that the Israeli army knew "in advance" that settlers would attack Palestinians in reaction to the eviction.
The statement and video came a day after a "wave of settler violence" was unleashed against Palestinians in retaliation for the Israeli army's actions against illegal settlements in Hebron.
Israeli forces forcibly removed 250 right-wing settlers from a Palestinian house in the West Bank city of Hebron, weeks after the Israeli High Court ordered their eviction.
Settlers have repeatedly attacked Palestinian homes in the city over the past few days. Prior to the evacuation, Israeli settlers fired randomly at Palestinian homes. Settlers set fire to two Palestinian homes and a store, later attacking a number of residents in the Wadi Hussein area of Hebron.
The evacuation touched off violent settler attacks across the West Bank.
Nidal Al-'Uweiwi, the house's owner, said that on Saturday several settlers stormed the house from the roof, setting fire to the living room and "completely destroying" the kitchen, all while the 11-member family hid themselves in a separate room.
Al-'Uwewi told Ma'an that he called Palestinian Authority (PA) police, who arrived on the scene. Firefighters later arrived to extinguish the fire.
Two police officers were hurt as they suffered smoke inhalation while trying to rescue the family. The officers were transferred to a nearby hospital by ambulances sent from the Palestinian Red Crescent.
On Friday, Settlers attacked the nearby house of the Abu-Se'ifan family and during ensuing clashes, a settler fired his handgun at 40-year-old Hosni Abu-Se'ifan, who was shot in the chest and is in stable condition. His father, 65-year-old Abd al-Hai Abu-Sa'ifan, was moderately wounded in the arm. The two were taken to a Hebron hospital.
The video shows other members of the family, who manage to overcome the shooter, before a security guard from the nearby settlement of Kiryat Arba arrives at the scene and fires his weapon in the air.
B'Tselem is currently delivering the video to the Hebron Police, "demanding that the assailant is immediately brought to justice and that the involvement of the security guard be investigated."
Additionally, the rights group is demanding that security forces "investigate the failures that allowed settlers to riot throughout the afternoon and evening in Hebron's Palestinian neighborhoods."
B'Tselem also claimed that the Israeli army knew "in advance" that settlers would attack Palestinians in reaction to the eviction.
The statement and video came a day after a "wave of settler violence" was unleashed against Palestinians in retaliation for the Israeli army's actions against illegal settlements in Hebron.
Israeli forces forcibly removed 250 right-wing settlers from a Palestinian house in the West Bank city of Hebron, weeks after the Israeli High Court ordered their eviction.
Settlers have repeatedly attacked Palestinian homes in the city over the past few days. Prior to the evacuation, Israeli settlers fired randomly at Palestinian homes. Settlers set fire to two Palestinian homes and a store, later attacking a number of residents in the Wadi Hussein area of Hebron.
The evacuation touched off violent settler attacks across the West Bank.
Other attacks
Settlers block road south of Nablus; Israeli forces periodically close Huwwara
UN Security Council condemns Hebron settler violence
PRC wing fires seven homemade projectiles at Israeli towns
Settlers block road south of Nablus; Israeli forces periodically close Huwwara
UN Security Council condemns Hebron settler violence
PRC wing fires seven homemade projectiles at Israeli towns
5 dec 2008
An Israeli settler throws a stone at Palestinians
Settlers destroyed eighty small olive trees only recently planted by a Palestinian farmer near Tulkarem in the northern West Bank on Friday.
The vandals came from the illegal Israeli settlement Avne Hefez which is built on the lands of the Palestinian village of Shufa. They left the settlement and descended on the olive field of A'zmi Saleh.
Member of land defense committee in Tulkarem Tahsin Hamid reported the destruction of a district water pipe, preventing municipal water from reaching some remote villages.
The acts of vandalism come one day after the Israeli army forcibly evicted over 250 right-wing settlers from a home in Hebron, in the southern West Bank. The eviction, ordered three weeks earlier by the Israeli High Court, set of a deluge of retaliatory attacks that settlers have aimed at Palestinians.
In Hebron settlers set homes on fire and injured dozens of Palestinians, and similar attacks were reported in the village of Burin near Nablus on Thursday, where homes were spray painted, car windows smashed and some vehicles set on fire.
Palestinians and Israeli peace organizations have condemned the attacks, and members of the international community are watching events closely.
Settlers destroyed eighty small olive trees only recently planted by a Palestinian farmer near Tulkarem in the northern West Bank on Friday.
The vandals came from the illegal Israeli settlement Avne Hefez which is built on the lands of the Palestinian village of Shufa. They left the settlement and descended on the olive field of A'zmi Saleh.
Member of land defense committee in Tulkarem Tahsin Hamid reported the destruction of a district water pipe, preventing municipal water from reaching some remote villages.
The acts of vandalism come one day after the Israeli army forcibly evicted over 250 right-wing settlers from a home in Hebron, in the southern West Bank. The eviction, ordered three weeks earlier by the Israeli High Court, set of a deluge of retaliatory attacks that settlers have aimed at Palestinians.
In Hebron settlers set homes on fire and injured dozens of Palestinians, and similar attacks were reported in the village of Burin near Nablus on Thursday, where homes were spray painted, car windows smashed and some vehicles set on fire.
Palestinians and Israeli peace organizations have condemned the attacks, and members of the international community are watching events closely.
Six protesters were injured after demonstration marches in the villages of Bil'in and Al-Ma'sara were assaulted by Israeli soldiers during their weekly march in protest against aggressive Israeli policies on Friday.
In Al-Ma'asra spokesperson for the People's Committee Against The Walll Mohammed Breijieh said in a statement that this week's protest was an act in solidarity with the people of Hebron. In his speech to the demonstrators Breijeh called what Israeli soldiers and settlers are doing in Hebron the "biggest proof of the barbaric attacks and plans to displace Palestinian people from their own lands."
Coordinator of the protest Mahmoud Zawahreh said Israel should take reasonability for their actions, since they were the ones to allow and even encourage the settlers to take up residence in Hebron and engage in racial attacks against the city's Palestinian residents.
In Bil'in, marchers made their way to the site of the separation wall calling out slogans condemning the settler violence in Hebron. Spokespeople from the demonstration's organizing committee spoke out against the settlers' attacks on Palestinian civilians, Islamic holy sites, houses and farms. They said the attacks affected all aspects of life and should be confronted by popular demonstrations and mobilization. "We can't remain silent," one protester said.
Those injured by rubber bullets and tear gas canisters in Bil'in were identified as 10-year-old Samer Mohammed Samara, Husam Kamal Alkhatib and Mohammed Ali Abu Saadi.
In Al-Ma'asra spokesperson for the People's Committee Against The Walll Mohammed Breijieh said in a statement that this week's protest was an act in solidarity with the people of Hebron. In his speech to the demonstrators Breijeh called what Israeli soldiers and settlers are doing in Hebron the "biggest proof of the barbaric attacks and plans to displace Palestinian people from their own lands."
Coordinator of the protest Mahmoud Zawahreh said Israel should take reasonability for their actions, since they were the ones to allow and even encourage the settlers to take up residence in Hebron and engage in racial attacks against the city's Palestinian residents.
In Bil'in, marchers made their way to the site of the separation wall calling out slogans condemning the settler violence in Hebron. Spokespeople from the demonstration's organizing committee spoke out against the settlers' attacks on Palestinian civilians, Islamic holy sites, houses and farms. They said the attacks affected all aspects of life and should be confronted by popular demonstrations and mobilization. "We can't remain silent," one protester said.
Those injured by rubber bullets and tear gas canisters in Bil'in were identified as 10-year-old Samer Mohammed Samara, Husam Kamal Alkhatib and Mohammed Ali Abu Saadi.
Video still of the shooting provided by B'Tselem
An Israeli human rights organization released footage to Ma'an documenting an Israeli settler shooting two members of a Palestinian family on Thursday in Hebron.
B'Tselem provided the footage, which was originally filmed by Palestinian resident of Hebron Jamal Abu-Sa'ifan following the eviction of the new settlement on Thursday afternoon.
Settlers attacked the nearby house of the Abu-Se'ifan family and during ensuing clashes, a settler fired his handgun at 40-year-old Hosni Abu-Se'ifan, who was shot in the chest and is in stable condition. His father, 65-year-old Abd al-Hai Abu-Sa'ifan, was moderately wounded in the arm. The two were taken to a Hebron hospital.
The video shows other members of the family, who manage to overcome the shooter, before a security guard from the nearby settlement of Kiryat Arba arrives at the scene and fires his weapon in the air.
B'Tselem is currently delivering the video to the Hebron Police, "demanding that the assailant is immediately brought to justice and that the involvement of the security guard be investigated."
Additionally, the rights group is demanding that security forces "investigate the failures that allowed settlers to riot throughout the afternoon and evening in Hebron's Palestinian neighborhoods."
B'Tselem also claimed that the Israeli army knew "in advance" that settlers would attack Palestinians in reaction to the eviction.
The statement and video came a day after a "wave of settler violence" was unleashed against Palestinians in retaliation for the Israeli army's actions against illegal settlements in Hebron.
Israeli forces forcibly removed 250 right-wing settlers from a Palestinian house in the West Bank city of Hebron, weeks after the Israeli High Court ordered their eviction.
Settlers have repeatedly attacked Palestinian homes in the city over the past few days. Prior to the evacuation, Israeli settlers fired randomly at Palestinian homes. Settlers set fire to two Palestinian homes and a store, later attacking a number of residents in the Wadi Hussein area of Hebron.
The evacuation touched off violent settler attacks across the West Bank.
An Israeli human rights organization released footage to Ma'an documenting an Israeli settler shooting two members of a Palestinian family on Thursday in Hebron.
B'Tselem provided the footage, which was originally filmed by Palestinian resident of Hebron Jamal Abu-Sa'ifan following the eviction of the new settlement on Thursday afternoon.
Settlers attacked the nearby house of the Abu-Se'ifan family and during ensuing clashes, a settler fired his handgun at 40-year-old Hosni Abu-Se'ifan, who was shot in the chest and is in stable condition. His father, 65-year-old Abd al-Hai Abu-Sa'ifan, was moderately wounded in the arm. The two were taken to a Hebron hospital.
The video shows other members of the family, who manage to overcome the shooter, before a security guard from the nearby settlement of Kiryat Arba arrives at the scene and fires his weapon in the air.
B'Tselem is currently delivering the video to the Hebron Police, "demanding that the assailant is immediately brought to justice and that the involvement of the security guard be investigated."
Additionally, the rights group is demanding that security forces "investigate the failures that allowed settlers to riot throughout the afternoon and evening in Hebron's Palestinian neighborhoods."
B'Tselem also claimed that the Israeli army knew "in advance" that settlers would attack Palestinians in reaction to the eviction.
The statement and video came a day after a "wave of settler violence" was unleashed against Palestinians in retaliation for the Israeli army's actions against illegal settlements in Hebron.
Israeli forces forcibly removed 250 right-wing settlers from a Palestinian house in the West Bank city of Hebron, weeks after the Israeli High Court ordered their eviction.
Settlers have repeatedly attacked Palestinian homes in the city over the past few days. Prior to the evacuation, Israeli settlers fired randomly at Palestinian homes. Settlers set fire to two Palestinian homes and a store, later attacking a number of residents in the Wadi Hussein area of Hebron.
The evacuation touched off violent settler attacks across the West Bank.
Other attacks
PRC fires three projectiles on two Israeli posts
DFLP: World must hold Israel responsible for settler violence, ensure Palestinian safety
Al-Aqsa Brigades fires homemade shell on Sderot
Armed groups claim multiple projectiles launched overnight
Libyan aid ship docks at Greek port; still plans to reach Gaza Strip
Israel bans West Bank Palestinians from prayer at Al-Aqsa
PRC fires three projectiles on two Israeli posts
DFLP: World must hold Israel responsible for settler violence, ensure Palestinian safety
Al-Aqsa Brigades fires homemade shell on Sderot
Armed groups claim multiple projectiles launched overnight
Libyan aid ship docks at Greek port; still plans to reach Gaza Strip
Israel bans West Bank Palestinians from prayer at Al-Aqsa
4 dec 2008
Settlers invaded the northern West Bank city of Nablus on Thursday afternoon, furious that the Israeli army evacuated the so-called House of Contention in Hebron.
Israeli extremists set fire to fields and vehicles in the city as dozens were injured in Hebron as soldiers evicted 13 families that were illegally occupying a house that belongs to a Palestinian family.
In the ensuing chaos, settlers set fire to Palestinian homes while Israeli soldiers arrested several Jewish settlers in the area. Palestinians and Israelis alike are reported to have suffered numerous injuries, including teargas inhalation and heavy bruising, medical sources told Ma'an on Thursday.
Israeli forces forcibly removed 250 right-wing settlers from a Palestinian house in the West Bank city of Hebron, weeks after the Israeli High Court ordered their eviction.
The evacuation touched off violent settler attacks accross the West Bank.
Israeli extremists set fire to fields and vehicles in the city as dozens were injured in Hebron as soldiers evicted 13 families that were illegally occupying a house that belongs to a Palestinian family.
In the ensuing chaos, settlers set fire to Palestinian homes while Israeli soldiers arrested several Jewish settlers in the area. Palestinians and Israelis alike are reported to have suffered numerous injuries, including teargas inhalation and heavy bruising, medical sources told Ma'an on Thursday.
Israeli forces forcibly removed 250 right-wing settlers from a Palestinian house in the West Bank city of Hebron, weeks after the Israeli High Court ordered their eviction.
The evacuation touched off violent settler attacks accross the West Bank.
An Israeli soldier paints over graffiti in Qalqilia
Settlers graffitied racist slogans about Islam and the Muslim Prophet Mohammad on buildings in the West Bank villages of Azzun, An-Nabi Elyas, Kafr Laqif, Jinsafut, Immatin and Al-Funduq east of Qalqilia on Thursday.
Israeli settler attacks against Palestinians and their properties in the West Bank escalated over the summer, and several instances of riots and vandalism occurred in the northern West Bank near Nablus, and in the south near Hebron.
Eyewitness to the Thursday attacks reported seeing four settlers write abusive words and signs on buildings, break car windows and slash tires in An-Nabi Elyas.
Israeli forces have reportedly spread throughout the village of Azzun, though no clashes have been reported.
Settlers graffitied racist slogans about Islam and the Muslim Prophet Mohammad on buildings in the West Bank villages of Azzun, An-Nabi Elyas, Kafr Laqif, Jinsafut, Immatin and Al-Funduq east of Qalqilia on Thursday.
Israeli settler attacks against Palestinians and their properties in the West Bank escalated over the summer, and several instances of riots and vandalism occurred in the northern West Bank near Nablus, and in the south near Hebron.
Eyewitness to the Thursday attacks reported seeing four settlers write abusive words and signs on buildings, break car windows and slash tires in An-Nabi Elyas.
Israeli forces have reportedly spread throughout the village of Azzun, though no clashes have been reported.
Hebron home set on fire by Israeli settlers, Thursday
Israeli forces forcibly removed 250 right-wing settlers from a Palestinian house in the West Bank city of Hebron, weeks after the Israeli High Court ordered their eviction.
The evacuation touched off violent settler attacks across the West Bank.
Witnesses said that there are Palestinian families "who are besieged in their homes" that were set on fire by Israeli settlers, while the Israeli army prevented Palestinian medics from reaching the homes. Ten Palestinians were reported injured as a result of the army's inaction.
Settlers have repeatedly attacked Palestinian homes in the city over the past few days. Prior to the evacuation, Israeli settlers fired randomly at Palestinian homes. Settlers set fire to two Palestinian homes and a store, later attacking a number of residents in the Wadi Hussein area of Hebron.
Haj Mohamad Abu Aisha, a resident of Tel Rumeida, said that settlers in the Ramaat Yesahi outpost chased children in the area and hurled stones at their homes. No injuries were reported there.
Mohamad Naser Ad-Din, a resident of the same area, said that dozens of settlers who were accompanied by the army attacked residents' homes with tear gas canisters and rubber-coated bullets. Cases of inhalation injuries were reported.
A child identified as Amal Al-Muhtaseb sustained bruises, along with her father, Abed-Ar Ra'uf, when they were attacked by settlers near the Al-Ibrahimi Mosque. Settlers also set fire to a Palestinian fire vehicle that was on the scene in Hebron.
Hebron Governor Husein Al-A'raj held the Israeli army responsible for the consequences of the events in Hebron, demanding they stop the settlers' attacks and affirming that "the protection of residents who are in an Israeli controlled area is the responsibility of the army, according to the Geneva Conventions."
Israeli troops were filmed dragging the settlers from the building. Police also reportedly used teargas. Twenty settlers sustained mild injuries during the evacuation.
Israeli Defense Minister Ehud Barak failed to reach an agreement during a meeting with settlers over the so-called "House of Contention" earlier on Thursday.
The meeting was a last ditch attempt to persuade the settlers to leave the building without a violent showdown with police. Barak now says that he is prepared to use force to evict the 13 settler families.
Fearing a crackdown by the army, settlers rioted in Hebron over the last three days, attacking Palestinians with stones and clubs while Israeli soldiers and police looked on.
Settler attacks on Palestinians in Hebron have been on the rise since the summer, and spiked after an Israeli High Court decision to evacuate Israeli settlers from the Al-Rajabi home in November.
The building at the center of the latest controversy belongs to the Al-Rajabi family, but was taken over by Israeli settlers in the spring of 2007 and renamed "Beit HaShalom." The Al-Rajabi family brought the case to court, where the setters claimed to have purchased the home. The Court found that the settlers presented forged ownership documents, and ordered the home to be evacuated pending investigation.
Earlier on Thursday, Israeli police arrested ten young Israeli boys suspected of storming another building near the Ar-Rajabi house in Hebron on Wednesday, as well as a 15-year-old girl suspected of attacking an Israeli soldier and seven right-winged activists who blockaded one of the routes to the house.
Settlers invaded the northern West Bank city of Nablus on Thursday afternoon, furious that the Israeli army evacuated the so-called House of Contention in Hebron.
Israeli extremists set fire to fields and vehicles in the city as dozens were injured in Hebron as soldiers evicted 13 families that were illegally occupying a house that belongs to a Palestinian family.
In the ensuing chaos, settlers set fire to Palestinian homes while Israeli soldiers arrested several Jewish settlers in the area. Palestinians and Israelis alike are reported to have suffered numerous injuries, including teargas inhalation and heavy bruising, medical sources told Ma'an on Thursday.
Israeli forces forcibly removed 250 right-wing settlers from a Palestinian house in the West Bank city of Hebron, weeks after the Israeli High Court ordered their eviction.
The evacuation touched off violent settler attacks across the West Bank.
Witnesses said that there are Palestinian families "who are besieged in their homes" that were set on fire by Israeli settlers, while the Israeli army prevented Palestinian medics from reaching the homes. Ten Palestinians were reported injured as a result of the army's inaction.
Settlers have repeatedly attacked Palestinian homes in the city over the past few days. Prior to the evacuation, Israeli settlers fired randomly at Palestinian homes. Settlers set fire to two Palestinian homes and a store, later attacking a number of residents in the Wadi Hussein area of Hebron.
Haj Mohamad Abu Aisha, a resident of Tel Rumeida, said that settlers in the Ramaat Yesahi outpost chased children in the area and hurled stones at their homes. No injuries were reported there.
Mohamad Naser Ad-Din, a resident of the same area, said that dozens of settlers who were accompanied by the army attacked residents' homes with tear gas canisters and rubber-coated bullets. Cases of inhalation injuries were reported.
A child identified as Amal Al-Muhtaseb sustained bruises, along with her father, Abed-Ar Ra'uf, when they were attacked by settlers near the Al-Ibrahimi Mosque. Settlers also set fire to a Palestinian fire vehicle that was on the scene in Hebron.
Hebron Governor Husein Al-A'raj held the Israeli army responsible for the consequences of the events in Hebron, demanding they stop the settlers' attacks and affirming that "the protection of residents who are in an Israeli controlled area is the responsibility of the army, according to the Geneva Conventions."
Israeli troops were filmed dragging the settlers from the building. Police also reportedly used teargas. Twenty settlers sustained mild injuries during the evacuation.
Israeli Defense Minister Ehud Barak failed to reach an agreement during a meeting with settlers over the so-called "House of Contention" earlier on Thursday.
The meeting was a last ditch attempt to persuade the settlers to leave the building without a violent showdown with police. Barak now says that he is prepared to use force to evict the 13 settler families.
Fearing a crackdown by the army, settlers rioted in Hebron over the last three days, attacking Palestinians with stones and clubs while Israeli soldiers and police looked on.
Settler attacks on Palestinians in Hebron have been on the rise since the summer, and spiked after an Israeli High Court decision to evacuate Israeli settlers from the Al-Rajabi home in November.
The building at the center of the latest controversy belongs to the Al-Rajabi family, but was taken over by Israeli settlers in the spring of 2007 and renamed "Beit HaShalom." The Al-Rajabi family brought the case to court, where the setters claimed to have purchased the home. The Court found that the settlers presented forged ownership documents, and ordered the home to be evacuated pending investigation.
Earlier on Thursday, Israeli police arrested ten young Israeli boys suspected of storming another building near the Ar-Rajabi house in Hebron on Wednesday, as well as a 15-year-old girl suspected of attacking an Israeli soldier and seven right-winged activists who blockaded one of the routes to the house.
Settlers invaded the northern West Bank city of Nablus on Thursday afternoon, furious that the Israeli army evacuated the so-called House of Contention in Hebron.
Israeli extremists set fire to fields and vehicles in the city as dozens were injured in Hebron as soldiers evicted 13 families that were illegally occupying a house that belongs to a Palestinian family.
In the ensuing chaos, settlers set fire to Palestinian homes while Israeli soldiers arrested several Jewish settlers in the area. Palestinians and Israelis alike are reported to have suffered numerous injuries, including teargas inhalation and heavy bruising, medical sources told Ma'an on Thursday.
Other attack
Palestinian armed groups denounce Hebron settler attacks
Abbas reimburses Palestinian after settlers steal horse
Israel demolishes dozens of Bedouin and Palestinian houses within own borders
Due to Israeli ban, Gaza banks lack cash for PA workers
Palestinian permanent observer addresses UN on Gaza crisis
Libya accuses Israel of piracy for blocking Gaza aid ship
Israel: Mortar shell lands in Negev; projectile in Ashkelon claimed by Al-Aqsa Brigades
Israel to allow shipment of urgent aid into Gaza
Palestinian armed groups denounce Hebron settler attacks
Abbas reimburses Palestinian after settlers steal horse
Israel demolishes dozens of Bedouin and Palestinian houses within own borders
Due to Israeli ban, Gaza banks lack cash for PA workers
Palestinian permanent observer addresses UN on Gaza crisis
Libya accuses Israel of piracy for blocking Gaza aid ship
Israel: Mortar shell lands in Negev; projectile in Ashkelon claimed by Al-Aqsa Brigades
Israel to allow shipment of urgent aid into Gaza
3 dec 2008
A Palestinian journalist was stoned by Israeli settlers in Hebron on Tuesday.
The victim, Amer Abdeen, a 28-year-old photojournalist for Palmedia, was also shot by Israeli forces last year.
The Palestinian Ministry of Information condemned the repeated attacks on Palestinian journalists and media in the Palestinian territories, calling the attacks an attempt to impose a media blackout and ignore Israeli attacks and settlers' crimes.
The victim, Amer Abdeen, a 28-year-old photojournalist for Palmedia, was also shot by Israeli forces last year.
The Palestinian Ministry of Information condemned the repeated attacks on Palestinian journalists and media in the Palestinian territories, calling the attacks an attempt to impose a media blackout and ignore Israeli attacks and settlers' crimes.
A 31-year-old Palestinian man was stabbed by Jews in the ultra-orthodox Meah Shearim neighborhood in Jerusalem on Wednesday.
Local sources identified the victim as Hamid Abid Hamid from the Wadi Al-Joz neighborhood of East Jerusalem.
According to police and medics who spoke to the victim, the attack was politically motivated.
The Magen David Adom ambulance service took the man to the city's Shaare Zedek Hospital in serious condition.
Magen David Adom paramedic Mordechai Harush told the Israeli news site Ynet: "The man told us he works nearby and that while he was on his way home, several Jews that he didn't know attacked him.
"We were called onto the scene by the police. We found him lying on the sidewalk covered in blood. He was fully conscious and we found that he had been stabbed in the back three times," he added.
Local sources identified the victim as Hamid Abid Hamid from the Wadi Al-Joz neighborhood of East Jerusalem.
According to police and medics who spoke to the victim, the attack was politically motivated.
The Magen David Adom ambulance service took the man to the city's Shaare Zedek Hospital in serious condition.
Magen David Adom paramedic Mordechai Harush told the Israeli news site Ynet: "The man told us he works nearby and that while he was on his way home, several Jews that he didn't know attacked him.
"We were called onto the scene by the police. We found him lying on the sidewalk covered in blood. He was fully conscious and we found that he had been stabbed in the back three times," he added.
Other attacks
Palestinian negotiator condemns West Bank settler attacks
Israeli forces seize 14 Palestinians in West Bank raids
Palestinian negotiator condemns West Bank settler attacks
Israeli forces seize 14 Palestinians in West Bank raids
2 dec 2008
Medics treat the wounded in southern Gaza on Tuesday
Two Palestinian teenagers were killed and four others were injured in an Israeli airstrike in southern Gaza on Tuesday, according to Palestinian medical sources.
Israeli helicopters reportedly launched an attack on the road to the disused Yasser Arafat Airport east of the city of Rafah in the southern Gaza Strip on Tuesday.
According to Mu'awiya Hassanein, the director of Ambulance and Emergency Services within the Palestinian Health Ministry, one of the wounded Palestinians is in critical condition at the European Hospital in the Gaza city of Khan Younis.
Medics said the two dead teenagers arrived "torn to pieces" at Abu Yousif An-Najjar Hospital, in the city of Rafah. Hassanein identified the victims as 15-year-old Ramzi Ad-Duheini and 17-year-old Ahmad Hammad.
Earlier, Israeli military vehicles, including tanks and bulldozers, entered the airport area 200 meters from the border with Israel.
Clashes erupted between invading forces and Palestinian fighters that fired several mortar rounds. Hamas' Al-Qassam Brigades said their fighters launched five mortar shells at the vehicles, according to a statement sent to Ma'an.
The Israeli ground forces left on Tuesday morning and returned later in the afternoon around the time of the air raid, sources added.
The Israeli attack came after a homemade projectile fired from the northern Gaza Strip landed in Israeli territory near Gaza, causing no damage. The Popular Resistance Committees (PRC) claimed responsibility for that attack.
Also on Tuesday, the Hamas movement began a series of consultations with other Palestinian factions regarding the future of a fragile ceasefire agreement with Israel.
The Egyptian-brokered truce, which went into effect in June, has been undermined by weeks of violence and an ongoing blockade on Gaza's borders. The agreement is due to expire on 19 December.
Two Palestinian teenagers were killed and four others were injured in an Israeli airstrike in southern Gaza on Tuesday, according to Palestinian medical sources.
Israeli helicopters reportedly launched an attack on the road to the disused Yasser Arafat Airport east of the city of Rafah in the southern Gaza Strip on Tuesday.
According to Mu'awiya Hassanein, the director of Ambulance and Emergency Services within the Palestinian Health Ministry, one of the wounded Palestinians is in critical condition at the European Hospital in the Gaza city of Khan Younis.
Medics said the two dead teenagers arrived "torn to pieces" at Abu Yousif An-Najjar Hospital, in the city of Rafah. Hassanein identified the victims as 15-year-old Ramzi Ad-Duheini and 17-year-old Ahmad Hammad.
Earlier, Israeli military vehicles, including tanks and bulldozers, entered the airport area 200 meters from the border with Israel.
Clashes erupted between invading forces and Palestinian fighters that fired several mortar rounds. Hamas' Al-Qassam Brigades said their fighters launched five mortar shells at the vehicles, according to a statement sent to Ma'an.
The Israeli ground forces left on Tuesday morning and returned later in the afternoon around the time of the air raid, sources added.
The Israeli attack came after a homemade projectile fired from the northern Gaza Strip landed in Israeli territory near Gaza, causing no damage. The Popular Resistance Committees (PRC) claimed responsibility for that attack.
Also on Tuesday, the Hamas movement began a series of consultations with other Palestinian factions regarding the future of a fragile ceasefire agreement with Israel.
The Egyptian-brokered truce, which went into effect in June, has been undermined by weeks of violence and an ongoing blockade on Gaza's borders. The agreement is due to expire on 19 December.
A number of Israeli military vehicles were witnessed entering the Gaza Strip east of Rafah on Tuesday, searching the area and razing parts of its Westernmost border, local residents told Ma'an.
Meanwhile, the Al-Qassam Brigades claimed responsibility for launching five mortar shells at the military vehicles, forcing them to turn back to the Western Negev.
The Al-Qassam Brigades is the militant wing of the Hamas movement.
Meanwhile, the Al-Qassam Brigades claimed responsibility for launching five mortar shells at the military vehicles, forcing them to turn back to the Western Negev.
The Al-Qassam Brigades is the militant wing of the Hamas movement.
Israeli settlers rampaged through five villages in the northern West Bank early on Tuesday, vandalizing mosques, attacking farms and harassing residents.
In the villages of Yatma, Qabalan and As-Sawiya, south of Nablus, settlers slashed the tires of more than 20 cars and also set fire to thousands of shekels worth of straw bales, used as animal feed.
In As-Sawiya, settlers wrote slogans insulting Islam and the prophet Mohammad on the walls of a local mosque.
Hikmat Abu Ras, a resident of As-Sawiya who works for the Palestinian Ministry of Planning, said that when residents awoke they witnessed the settlers already fleeing the village. He said settlers painted a star of David and slogans such as "Death to Arabs" on the village mosque.
He said that residents of the village, particularly students, were harassed by settlers while they waited for transportation in the morning on the road between Nablus and Ramallah.
As-Sawiya is ringed by three settlements: Rechelim, Eli and Shilo.
Separately, Palestinian medical sources reported that Israeli troops installed a new gate on the Nablus-Tulkarem road and erected a checkpoint near the village of Deir Sharaf.
Also, dozens of settlers demonstrated near the Za'tara checkpoint, north of Nablus, while Israeli soldiers massed to protect them.
Meanwhile, residents of Sinjil and Turmus'ayya in the north of Ramallah governorate found racist slogans written in Hebrew painted on the floors of two mosques when they arrived for morning prayers on Tuesday.
Residents denounced what they said was an attack by settlers and an affront to their religion.
In the villages of Yatma, Qabalan and As-Sawiya, south of Nablus, settlers slashed the tires of more than 20 cars and also set fire to thousands of shekels worth of straw bales, used as animal feed.
In As-Sawiya, settlers wrote slogans insulting Islam and the prophet Mohammad on the walls of a local mosque.
Hikmat Abu Ras, a resident of As-Sawiya who works for the Palestinian Ministry of Planning, said that when residents awoke they witnessed the settlers already fleeing the village. He said settlers painted a star of David and slogans such as "Death to Arabs" on the village mosque.
He said that residents of the village, particularly students, were harassed by settlers while they waited for transportation in the morning on the road between Nablus and Ramallah.
As-Sawiya is ringed by three settlements: Rechelim, Eli and Shilo.
Separately, Palestinian medical sources reported that Israeli troops installed a new gate on the Nablus-Tulkarem road and erected a checkpoint near the village of Deir Sharaf.
Also, dozens of settlers demonstrated near the Za'tara checkpoint, north of Nablus, while Israeli soldiers massed to protect them.
Meanwhile, residents of Sinjil and Turmus'ayya in the north of Ramallah governorate found racist slogans written in Hebrew painted on the floors of two mosques when they arrived for morning prayers on Tuesday.
Residents denounced what they said was an attack by settlers and an affront to their religion.
The Ar-Rajabi house
Several Palestinians and an Israeli captain were injured when settlers attacked Palestinian houses near a controversial settler-occupied building in the West Bank city of Hebron on Monday night.
The sources added that dozens of settlers hurled rocks and beat residents with clubs. An Israeli captain was beaten when soldiers attempted to intervene.
An employee of the Palestinian Red Crescent said that their ambulances transported three injured children to Hebron Public Hospital. The children were identified as 16-year-old Sa'ed Nasser Al-Ja'bari, his 13-year-old brother Makram Al-Ja'bari and 10-year-old Adli Suleiman Al-Ja'bari. Medics said the children had been bruised all over their bodies.
Local sources said the attack took place near the Ar-Rajabi family house, also known as the "House of Contention" in the Ar-Ras neighborhood of Hebron. The Israeli high court has ordered the settlers to leave the house, a command settler groups have vowed to resist.
Anticipating a showdown with Israeli police and military forces, the settlers have launched a series of violent attacks on their Palestinian neighbors over the last two weeks.
The court ordered the settlers to leave the Ar-Rajabi house by 19 November. The Israeli military allowed that deadline to lapse in hopes of persuading the squatters to leave peacefully.
On Monday right-wing activists stepped up their preparations for a fight with the army as rumors spread that the eviction order would soon be enforced.
Several Palestinians and an Israeli captain were injured when settlers attacked Palestinian houses near a controversial settler-occupied building in the West Bank city of Hebron on Monday night.
The sources added that dozens of settlers hurled rocks and beat residents with clubs. An Israeli captain was beaten when soldiers attempted to intervene.
An employee of the Palestinian Red Crescent said that their ambulances transported three injured children to Hebron Public Hospital. The children were identified as 16-year-old Sa'ed Nasser Al-Ja'bari, his 13-year-old brother Makram Al-Ja'bari and 10-year-old Adli Suleiman Al-Ja'bari. Medics said the children had been bruised all over their bodies.
Local sources said the attack took place near the Ar-Rajabi family house, also known as the "House of Contention" in the Ar-Ras neighborhood of Hebron. The Israeli high court has ordered the settlers to leave the house, a command settler groups have vowed to resist.
Anticipating a showdown with Israeli police and military forces, the settlers have launched a series of violent attacks on their Palestinian neighbors over the last two weeks.
The court ordered the settlers to leave the Ar-Rajabi house by 19 November. The Israeli military allowed that deadline to lapse in hopes of persuading the squatters to leave peacefully.
On Monday right-wing activists stepped up their preparations for a fight with the army as rumors spread that the eviction order would soon be enforced.
Israeli forces killed a Palestinian man formerly affiliated to the armed wing of Fatah, the Al-Aqsa Brigades, in Balata Refugee Camp in the West Bank city of Nablus at Midnight on Monday.
The man was identified as 27-year-old Mohammad Abu Thraa, a fighter who had been pardoned by Israel as a part of an amnesty agreement with the Palestinian Authority (PA).
Nablus Governor Jamal Muheisin accused Israel of deliberately assassinating Abu Thraa.
Muheisin confirmed that Abu Thraa had, as a part of his amnesty deal, spent time in the PA's Al-Juneid prison. After receiving a formal pardon, he would spend his days in his house, and then would be transported to the prison by a Palestinian Preventive Security bus.
The governor added that there is "no justification" for killing a man already pardoned by Israel. He called the operation "cowardly."
Hundreds of Palestinian fighters, mainly those affiliated with Fatah, have signed amnesty contracts, under which they agree to renounce armed struggle and spend a stint in jail in exchange for a pardon from Israel and a return to civilian life without the fear of pursuit by Israeli forces.
The Israeli army claimed that its forces shot Abu Thraa while attempting to arrest him, and that he died after being transferred to Beilinson Hospital in the Israeli city of Petah Tikva.
While no blood was found at the scene where Abu Thraa was seized, gunshots were heard immediately after the soldiers arrested him.
Meanwhile, Israeli forces seized nine other Palestinians during overnight raids across the West Bank. Sources in the Israeli army reported that they arrested residents of the cities of Jenin, Ramallah and Bethlehem.
The man was identified as 27-year-old Mohammad Abu Thraa, a fighter who had been pardoned by Israel as a part of an amnesty agreement with the Palestinian Authority (PA).
Nablus Governor Jamal Muheisin accused Israel of deliberately assassinating Abu Thraa.
Muheisin confirmed that Abu Thraa had, as a part of his amnesty deal, spent time in the PA's Al-Juneid prison. After receiving a formal pardon, he would spend his days in his house, and then would be transported to the prison by a Palestinian Preventive Security bus.
The governor added that there is "no justification" for killing a man already pardoned by Israel. He called the operation "cowardly."
Hundreds of Palestinian fighters, mainly those affiliated with Fatah, have signed amnesty contracts, under which they agree to renounce armed struggle and spend a stint in jail in exchange for a pardon from Israel and a return to civilian life without the fear of pursuit by Israeli forces.
The Israeli army claimed that its forces shot Abu Thraa while attempting to arrest him, and that he died after being transferred to Beilinson Hospital in the Israeli city of Petah Tikva.
While no blood was found at the scene where Abu Thraa was seized, gunshots were heard immediately after the soldiers arrested him.
Meanwhile, Israeli forces seized nine other Palestinians during overnight raids across the West Bank. Sources in the Israeli army reported that they arrested residents of the cities of Jenin, Ramallah and Bethlehem.
Other attacks
Lawyer: Wall ruling could cut off 20,000 Jerusalem residents
Mortar shell fired from Gaza; Israeli blockade enters 27th day
Hamas holds talks with Gaza factions regarding future of truce
Israeli police on alert for attack in Tel Aviv
Lawyer: Wall ruling could cut off 20,000 Jerusalem residents
Mortar shell fired from Gaza; Israeli blockade enters 27th day
Hamas holds talks with Gaza factions regarding future of truce
Israeli police on alert for attack in Tel Aviv
1 dec 2008
Israeli settlers' dogs attacked and injured four Palestinians in the West Bank city of Hebron on Monday, medical sources confirmed.
Local sources said the four were attacked on Al-Sahleh street in the Old City of Hebron, near the Ibrahimi Mosque.
Medical sources at the Hebron Government Hospital identified the victims as 44-year-old Muhammad Zaid Abdul-Rahim Abu Sneineh, 16 year-old Ahmed Ashour and 14 year-olds Abdel Hadi Mustafa Abu Madi and Asad Ghanem.
Half of Hebron's old city is inhabited by militant Israeli settlers, who are protected by Israeli soldiers. Tensions have been high in the city after the Israeli high-court ordered the eviction last week of a settler-occupied house.
Local sources said the four were attacked on Al-Sahleh street in the Old City of Hebron, near the Ibrahimi Mosque.
Medical sources at the Hebron Government Hospital identified the victims as 44-year-old Muhammad Zaid Abdul-Rahim Abu Sneineh, 16 year-old Ahmed Ashour and 14 year-olds Abdel Hadi Mustafa Abu Madi and Asad Ghanem.
Half of Hebron's old city is inhabited by militant Israeli settlers, who are protected by Israeli soldiers. Tensions have been high in the city after the Israeli high-court ordered the eviction last week of a settler-occupied house.
Israel reportedly warned Hamas and Islamic Jihad on Monday of a large-scale military operation in the Gaza Strip if they continue firing rockets at Israeli towns.
Hamas leaders responded by calling for a halt to shelling.
Anonymous Hamas and Islamic Jihad officials told the Kuwait based Al-Jaridah newspaper that the warning was relayed to senior Hamas leader Muhammad Nazzal by Qatari officials.
Despite Hamas' appeal, Palestinian sources in Gaza say Hamas failed to convince other armed groups to stop firing projectiles and go ahead with the ceasefire. Their military wing, Al-Qassam Brigades, for example, refuses to follow directives related to halting projectiles from their political echelon.
Hamas has called on their leaders in Damascus to convince Hamas leaders in exile to help stop Gaza-based military organizations from shelling Israeli towns.
Hamas leaders responded by calling for a halt to shelling.
Anonymous Hamas and Islamic Jihad officials told the Kuwait based Al-Jaridah newspaper that the warning was relayed to senior Hamas leader Muhammad Nazzal by Qatari officials.
Despite Hamas' appeal, Palestinian sources in Gaza say Hamas failed to convince other armed groups to stop firing projectiles and go ahead with the ceasefire. Their military wing, Al-Qassam Brigades, for example, refuses to follow directives related to halting projectiles from their political echelon.
Hamas has called on their leaders in Damascus to convince Hamas leaders in exile to help stop Gaza-based military organizations from shelling Israeli towns.
The building at the center of the controversy
Five Palestinian citizens were left cut and bruised after falling victim to an attack by Israeli settlers north east of the old city of Hebron.
The settlers are currently occupying the home of the Rajabi family, who are pursuing the matter in the Israeli High Court and disputing the settlers' claim that the home was sold to the group in 2007.
A researcher for the Israeli Human Rights group B'tselem was also injured as he attempted to contact Israeli police in the area and ask them to prevent the settlers from assaulting locals. While in the area the researchers was also hit with a rock, and the soldiers he spoke with took no action against the violence.
Settlers claim the building, "Beit Hashalom," was purchased from a Palestinian family for 700,000 US dollars in 2007, and have been using the facility as a residential, religious and educational site ever since.
Last week the building was ordered evacuated while the High Court in Israel determined who in fact owns the structure. Palestinians brought the case in front of the court earlier this year.
The High Court decision has sparked several waves of violence in the area.
Five Palestinian citizens were left cut and bruised after falling victim to an attack by Israeli settlers north east of the old city of Hebron.
The settlers are currently occupying the home of the Rajabi family, who are pursuing the matter in the Israeli High Court and disputing the settlers' claim that the home was sold to the group in 2007.
A researcher for the Israeli Human Rights group B'tselem was also injured as he attempted to contact Israeli police in the area and ask them to prevent the settlers from assaulting locals. While in the area the researchers was also hit with a rock, and the soldiers he spoke with took no action against the violence.
Settlers claim the building, "Beit Hashalom," was purchased from a Palestinian family for 700,000 US dollars in 2007, and have been using the facility as a residential, religious and educational site ever since.
Last week the building was ordered evacuated while the High Court in Israel determined who in fact owns the structure. Palestinians brought the case in front of the court earlier this year.
The High Court decision has sparked several waves of violence in the area.
Palestinians wait to receive the Libyan aid ship
The Libyan aid ship destined for Gaza and turned away by Israeli warships landed in the Egyptian port of Al-Arish Monday afternoon.
The boat, carrying 3,000 tons of aid, entered Gazan coastal waters at 6:20am and was immediately ordered to turn around. The ship altered its course to Al-Arish, from where it is hoped supplies can be transferred into Gaza through the Rafah border in the south.
During a gathering at the Gaza port meant to receive the diverted ship Head of the Popular Committee Against the Siege Jamal Al-Khudari said he spoke to the Libyan Minister of Health by phone in order to review the situation.
He called on the international community to pressure Israel to allow the ship access to the Gaza port. Three ships have brought aid and international activists into Gaza since August. The boats, affiliated with the Free Gaza movement, were cleared by Cyprus customs, and notified Israeli naval authorities that they were humanitarian vessels delivering aid.
It is not clear how close to Gaza the Libyan ship was when it was turned around by the Israeli navy, or what justification was given to the ship when it was ordered to turn away. According to the Free Gaza movement ,the Israeli navy's actions on the Mediterranean Sea - to what extent and at what boundaries Gazan waters were policed - are an indicator of Israeli official policy on the continued occupation of the Gaza Strip despite the unilateral withdrawal in 2005.
The aid in the turned-away ship is a gift from the Libyan government to the besieged Gazan population.
Minister of social affairs in the de facto government Ahmad Al-Kurd called on the Arab world to send aid through Rafah crossing rather than by sea. "We remind the billion Muslims around the world that they have brothers starving to death in the Gaza Strip," he added.
Minister of Health in the de facto government Bassem Na'im had harsh words for the Arab and Islamic world, condemning their silence while Gaza "dies a slow death."
Senior leader in the An-Nasser brigades, the armed wing of the Popular Resistance Committees, Abu Abir said he considered the turning away of aid a violation of the truce.
Earlier Monday Al-Khudari indicated that the wheels of international diplomacy were at work to try and have the ship dock in Gaza. It is not clear whether Egypt will allow the aid through Rafah crossing, although several Arab countries pledged to send aid to Gaza over land through Rafah at the last Arab Foreign Ministers Meeting in Cairo.
The Libyan aid ship destined for Gaza and turned away by Israeli warships landed in the Egyptian port of Al-Arish Monday afternoon.
The boat, carrying 3,000 tons of aid, entered Gazan coastal waters at 6:20am and was immediately ordered to turn around. The ship altered its course to Al-Arish, from where it is hoped supplies can be transferred into Gaza through the Rafah border in the south.
During a gathering at the Gaza port meant to receive the diverted ship Head of the Popular Committee Against the Siege Jamal Al-Khudari said he spoke to the Libyan Minister of Health by phone in order to review the situation.
He called on the international community to pressure Israel to allow the ship access to the Gaza port. Three ships have brought aid and international activists into Gaza since August. The boats, affiliated with the Free Gaza movement, were cleared by Cyprus customs, and notified Israeli naval authorities that they were humanitarian vessels delivering aid.
It is not clear how close to Gaza the Libyan ship was when it was turned around by the Israeli navy, or what justification was given to the ship when it was ordered to turn away. According to the Free Gaza movement ,the Israeli navy's actions on the Mediterranean Sea - to what extent and at what boundaries Gazan waters were policed - are an indicator of Israeli official policy on the continued occupation of the Gaza Strip despite the unilateral withdrawal in 2005.
The aid in the turned-away ship is a gift from the Libyan government to the besieged Gazan population.
Minister of social affairs in the de facto government Ahmad Al-Kurd called on the Arab world to send aid through Rafah crossing rather than by sea. "We remind the billion Muslims around the world that they have brothers starving to death in the Gaza Strip," he added.
Minister of Health in the de facto government Bassem Na'im had harsh words for the Arab and Islamic world, condemning their silence while Gaza "dies a slow death."
Senior leader in the An-Nasser brigades, the armed wing of the Popular Resistance Committees, Abu Abir said he considered the turning away of aid a violation of the truce.
Earlier Monday Al-Khudari indicated that the wheels of international diplomacy were at work to try and have the ship dock in Gaza. It is not clear whether Egypt will allow the aid through Rafah crossing, although several Arab countries pledged to send aid to Gaza over land through Rafah at the last Arab Foreign Ministers Meeting in Cairo.
Other attacks
Thursday final day for Gaza pilgrims to leave for Hajj; no solution in sight
Ill woman denied medical treatment as she awaits trial in Israel; family appeals for help
Al-Quds Brigades: Using prisoners as human shields will lead to shelling deep inside Israel
Thursday final day for Gaza pilgrims to leave for Hajj; no solution in sight
Ill woman denied medical treatment as she awaits trial in Israel; family appeals for help
Al-Quds Brigades: Using prisoners as human shields will lead to shelling deep inside Israel
