7 may 2016
After Netanyahu offered a seminar for all UN personnel in Israel on the Jewish people's historical connection with the land, their leader replied with a firm no.
The United Nations Special Coordinator for the Middle East Peace Process turned down on Saturday Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's idea to give a history lesson to United Nations personnel, after UNESCO called on Israel to respect the Muslim freedom of religion in a document that completely omitted any Jewish historical connection or religious significance to the site.
Last month, UNESCO "strongly condemn(ed) the Israeli aggressions and illegal measures against the freedom of worship and Muslims’ access to their Holy Site Al-Aqsa Mosque/Al-Haram Al Sharif," the third holiest site in Islam.
For Jews, who refer to the area as the Temple Mount, it is the holiest site in the religion.
Netanyahu was furious that the Jewish term for the site was not mentioned and terming the resolution "absurd" and stating that it "ignores the unique historic connection of Judaism to the Temple Mount, where the two temples stood for a thousand years and to which every Jew in the world has prayed for thousands of years." On Friday, he proposed to "personally organize" what he termed "a seminar on Jewish history for all UN personnel in Israel" and for diplomats.
No thanks, responded the United Nations Special Coordinator for the Middle East Peace Process, Nickolay Mladenov, the next day.
"If somebody wants to send invitations, he can address them to Paris and to the member states' ambassadors to UNESCO there," he stated in a communiqué. "The UN personnel in Jerusalem knows very well the history of the region, of its people and of its religions."
The United Nations Special Coordinator for the Middle East Peace Process turned down on Saturday Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's idea to give a history lesson to United Nations personnel, after UNESCO called on Israel to respect the Muslim freedom of religion in a document that completely omitted any Jewish historical connection or religious significance to the site.
Last month, UNESCO "strongly condemn(ed) the Israeli aggressions and illegal measures against the freedom of worship and Muslims’ access to their Holy Site Al-Aqsa Mosque/Al-Haram Al Sharif," the third holiest site in Islam.
For Jews, who refer to the area as the Temple Mount, it is the holiest site in the religion.
Netanyahu was furious that the Jewish term for the site was not mentioned and terming the resolution "absurd" and stating that it "ignores the unique historic connection of Judaism to the Temple Mount, where the two temples stood for a thousand years and to which every Jew in the world has prayed for thousands of years." On Friday, he proposed to "personally organize" what he termed "a seminar on Jewish history for all UN personnel in Israel" and for diplomats.
No thanks, responded the United Nations Special Coordinator for the Middle East Peace Process, Nickolay Mladenov, the next day.
"If somebody wants to send invitations, he can address them to Paris and to the member states' ambassadors to UNESCO there," he stated in a communiqué. "The UN personnel in Jerusalem knows very well the history of the region, of its people and of its religions."
The secretary of Fatah's revolutionary council said Saturday that a Palestine Liberation Organization (PLO) decision to limit relations with Israel is “very serious this time.”
Amin Maqboul told Ma’an that the decision was made to "end all aspects of security coordination with Israel.”
He added that PA security services were instructed to start implementing the decision “under supervision of the Palestinian political echelon” and that security agencies will decide whether to implement the decision gradually or entirely.
The Fatah official said that “relations between both sides are so complicated that halting coordination may lead to a serious crisis.”
Israeli forces, he said, may carry out a sudden incursion into Palestinian controlled areas without notifying the Palestinian security services in advance “and that could prompt armed clashes.”
He pointed out complications could arise during visits by right wing Israelis to Joseph’s Tomb in Nablus. Such problematic issues, which have so far been under control through security coordination, will remain questionable, he said.
The main motivation behind ending the PA’s security relationship with Israel, Maqboul stressed, was for the PA to not remain silent about the near daily raids conducted by Israeli forces inside the West Bank, which legitimizes Israel’s illegal occupation of these areas.
He added that the decision did not mean the PA was declaring an intention to begin armed fighting with Israel or indicate a “shift from one stage to another,” but was merely made in response to Israel’s refusal to stop entering Area A -- the 18 percent of the occupied West Bank which are officially under full Palestinian civil and security jurisdiction.
However, Maqboul concluded by saying the PLO might reconsider its decision if Israel commits to not entering area A.
The decision in question was made by the PLO Executive Committee on Wednesday to start implementing a former decision made by the PLO Central Council in March that threatened to limit coordination with Israel if the "current situation" were to continue.
Then, in April, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu announced in an Isreali security cabinet meeting that in spite of the talks with Palestinian officials, Israeli armed forces would continue their military incursions into Area A.
PLO Secretary-General Saeb Erekat told Ma’an in response to the Israeli security cabinet decision: “What Israel wants is for everyone to talk about details -- Area A, a few maritime miles in Gaza -- while in the bigger picture they continue moving ahead with their settlements and imposing an apartheid system over our people.”
Deputy head of Hamas’ politburo Ismail Haniyeh said on Friday in a statement regarding the recent Israeli hostilities in the Gaza Strip that has so far killed one Palestinian woman and injured several others: "I hope that statements by the PA regarding limiting relations with the (Israeli) occupation are implemented on the ground, and that security coordination with occupation must be stopped.”
The PA has repeatedly threatened to put an end to the security coordination with Israel over the years.
However, a recent report by Israeli newspaper Haaretz revealed that Palestinian security forces have carried out 40 percent of detentions of “suspected terrorists” in the occupied West Bank in past months.
In March, Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas stirred controversy in an interview when he credited the ongoing security coordination between the PA and Israel for curbing a wave of Palestinian attacks on Israeli targets.
The Fatah-dominated PA and Israeli forces have worked in coordination since the Oslo Accords in 1993, which planned for a gradual power transfer of the occupied West Bank from Israeli forces to the PA over the course of five years.
More than 20 years on, however, any transfer of power has yet to take place.
The Hamas movement and other Palestinian groups have repeatedly accused the PA of aligning with Israel's goals in the occupied West Bank, and recently of preventing a sustained uprising against Israel.
More than 200 Palestinians and nearly 30 Israelis have been killed since a surge in violence began in the occupied Palestinian territory last October.
The recent violence has been marked by small-scale attacks and attempted attacks, the majority carried out by Palestinian individuals on Israeli military targets.
Amin Maqboul told Ma’an that the decision was made to "end all aspects of security coordination with Israel.”
He added that PA security services were instructed to start implementing the decision “under supervision of the Palestinian political echelon” and that security agencies will decide whether to implement the decision gradually or entirely.
The Fatah official said that “relations between both sides are so complicated that halting coordination may lead to a serious crisis.”
Israeli forces, he said, may carry out a sudden incursion into Palestinian controlled areas without notifying the Palestinian security services in advance “and that could prompt armed clashes.”
He pointed out complications could arise during visits by right wing Israelis to Joseph’s Tomb in Nablus. Such problematic issues, which have so far been under control through security coordination, will remain questionable, he said.
The main motivation behind ending the PA’s security relationship with Israel, Maqboul stressed, was for the PA to not remain silent about the near daily raids conducted by Israeli forces inside the West Bank, which legitimizes Israel’s illegal occupation of these areas.
He added that the decision did not mean the PA was declaring an intention to begin armed fighting with Israel or indicate a “shift from one stage to another,” but was merely made in response to Israel’s refusal to stop entering Area A -- the 18 percent of the occupied West Bank which are officially under full Palestinian civil and security jurisdiction.
However, Maqboul concluded by saying the PLO might reconsider its decision if Israel commits to not entering area A.
The decision in question was made by the PLO Executive Committee on Wednesday to start implementing a former decision made by the PLO Central Council in March that threatened to limit coordination with Israel if the "current situation" were to continue.
Then, in April, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu announced in an Isreali security cabinet meeting that in spite of the talks with Palestinian officials, Israeli armed forces would continue their military incursions into Area A.
PLO Secretary-General Saeb Erekat told Ma’an in response to the Israeli security cabinet decision: “What Israel wants is for everyone to talk about details -- Area A, a few maritime miles in Gaza -- while in the bigger picture they continue moving ahead with their settlements and imposing an apartheid system over our people.”
Deputy head of Hamas’ politburo Ismail Haniyeh said on Friday in a statement regarding the recent Israeli hostilities in the Gaza Strip that has so far killed one Palestinian woman and injured several others: "I hope that statements by the PA regarding limiting relations with the (Israeli) occupation are implemented on the ground, and that security coordination with occupation must be stopped.”
The PA has repeatedly threatened to put an end to the security coordination with Israel over the years.
However, a recent report by Israeli newspaper Haaretz revealed that Palestinian security forces have carried out 40 percent of detentions of “suspected terrorists” in the occupied West Bank in past months.
In March, Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas stirred controversy in an interview when he credited the ongoing security coordination between the PA and Israel for curbing a wave of Palestinian attacks on Israeli targets.
The Fatah-dominated PA and Israeli forces have worked in coordination since the Oslo Accords in 1993, which planned for a gradual power transfer of the occupied West Bank from Israeli forces to the PA over the course of five years.
More than 20 years on, however, any transfer of power has yet to take place.
The Hamas movement and other Palestinian groups have repeatedly accused the PA of aligning with Israel's goals in the occupied West Bank, and recently of preventing a sustained uprising against Israel.
More than 200 Palestinians and nearly 30 Israelis have been killed since a surge in violence began in the occupied Palestinian territory last October.
The recent violence has been marked by small-scale attacks and attempted attacks, the majority carried out by Palestinian individuals on Israeli military targets.
6 may 2016
Following UNESCO's report omitting any Jewish connection to the Temple Mount, the PM has invited all UN personnel in Israel to a lesson in Jewish history.
The prime minister has invited all United Nations staff in Israel to attend a seminar on Jewish history, after a decision by a UN cultural body that failed to acknowledge Jewish ties to Jerusalem's holiest site.
In the decision last month, UNESCO condemned Israel for security restrictions and other measures at the site, known to Muslims as Haram al-Sharif or the al-Aqsa compound and to Jews as Temple Mount. UNESCO referred to it only by its Arabic name.
"I was shocked to hear that UNESCO adopted a decision denying any Jewish connection to the Temple Mount, our holiest site," Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said in a statement.
"It is hard to believe that anyone, let alone an organization tasked with preserving history, could deny this link, which spans thousands of years."
To counter what a member of Netanyahu's staff called "this historical ignorance", the prime minister, who is a keen historian, said he would host a special lecture on Jewish history for all UN personnel in Israel.
It was not immediately clear when the seminar would be held, but staff indicated it could be next week. It was also unclear how many UN staff and diplomats planned to attend. UNESCO had no immediate comment.
UNESCO, the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization, based in Paris, frequently issues decisions critical of Israel. Many are sponsored and seconded by Islamic states.
The holy site in the heart of the Old City of Jerusalem, home to the Dome of the Rock and the Aqsa Mosque, has been a source of friction between Israel and the Muslim world for decades.
Israel seized the Old City during the 1967 Middle East war. After its capture, Israel agreed to maintain the status quo at the site, which had effectively been in Islamic hands since the 12th century.
Non-Muslims are allowed to visit the site but are not allowed to pray there. Jews instead pray at the Western Wall, a retaining wall for an ancient Jewish temple that once stood in the area where the Dome of the Rock now sits.
In recent years, ultra-nationalist religious Jews have pushed for more access to the site and even to pray there, causing tension with Muslims, who worry the status quo might change. Netanyahu has repeatedly said it will not.
The prime minister has invited all United Nations staff in Israel to attend a seminar on Jewish history, after a decision by a UN cultural body that failed to acknowledge Jewish ties to Jerusalem's holiest site.
In the decision last month, UNESCO condemned Israel for security restrictions and other measures at the site, known to Muslims as Haram al-Sharif or the al-Aqsa compound and to Jews as Temple Mount. UNESCO referred to it only by its Arabic name.
"I was shocked to hear that UNESCO adopted a decision denying any Jewish connection to the Temple Mount, our holiest site," Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said in a statement.
"It is hard to believe that anyone, let alone an organization tasked with preserving history, could deny this link, which spans thousands of years."
To counter what a member of Netanyahu's staff called "this historical ignorance", the prime minister, who is a keen historian, said he would host a special lecture on Jewish history for all UN personnel in Israel.
It was not immediately clear when the seminar would be held, but staff indicated it could be next week. It was also unclear how many UN staff and diplomats planned to attend. UNESCO had no immediate comment.
UNESCO, the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization, based in Paris, frequently issues decisions critical of Israel. Many are sponsored and seconded by Islamic states.
The holy site in the heart of the Old City of Jerusalem, home to the Dome of the Rock and the Aqsa Mosque, has been a source of friction between Israel and the Muslim world for decades.
Israel seized the Old City during the 1967 Middle East war. After its capture, Israel agreed to maintain the status quo at the site, which had effectively been in Islamic hands since the 12th century.
Non-Muslims are allowed to visit the site but are not allowed to pray there. Jews instead pray at the Western Wall, a retaining wall for an ancient Jewish temple that once stood in the area where the Dome of the Rock now sits.
In recent years, ultra-nationalist religious Jews have pushed for more access to the site and even to pray there, causing tension with Muslims, who worry the status quo might change. Netanyahu has repeatedly said it will not.
5 may 2016
The Palestinian Authority (PA) security forces on Wednesday afternoon helped the Israeli occupation army evacuate four Jewish settlers from an area in Bethlehem.
Palestinian and Israeli security sources claimed the settlers strayed into a Palestinian village in Bethlehem province.
Maariv newspaper said that that PA police officers directed the soldiers to the safest routes for the evacuation of the settlers from Khirbet al-Loz village and escorted them all to the nearest military post.
It added that the settlers went on a recreational trip from Ashdod city to the Dead Sea area, but they entered a Palestinian area by mistake, noting that the PA liaison office immediately informed the Israeli side about their presence in the village.
Palestinian and Israeli security sources claimed the settlers strayed into a Palestinian village in Bethlehem province.
Maariv newspaper said that that PA police officers directed the soldiers to the safest routes for the evacuation of the settlers from Khirbet al-Loz village and escorted them all to the nearest military post.
It added that the settlers went on a recreational trip from Ashdod city to the Dead Sea area, but they entered a Palestinian area by mistake, noting that the PA liaison office immediately informed the Israeli side about their presence in the village.
4 may 2016
Ahmad Reyad Shahada
The anti-occupation Jerusalem Intifada will go on unabated until Palestinians’ demands are met and Israeli terrorism is over, Hamas spokesman Hussam Badran said.
Badran said in a press statement the Israeli occupation security apparatuses have been anticipating an unprecedented escalation in the near future.
The Hamas leader hailed the anti-occupation car-ramming attack carried out on Tuesday by the Palestinian youth Ahmad Reyad Shahada, from the Qalandiya refugee camp, who was killed by Israeli soldiers on the spot, saying it is the natural response to Israeli aggressions on al-Aqsa Mosque and the Muslim worshipers.
Badran called on the Palestinian masses to join the funeral procession of slain Shahada at the Qalandiya refugee camp at noontime on Wednesday and to express their support for armed resistance.
Badran further acclaimed the anti-occupation stabbing carried out in Occupied Jerusalem on Monday, adding that the anti-occupation youth will be always committed to the national liberation struggle no matter the price.
Serious deterioration in condition of Israeli injured soldier
One of the three Israeli soldiers who were injured in yesterday’s ramming attack near Ramallah suffered a serious health deterioration, Israeli media sources said. His life is in danger, Israeli radio quoted medical sources as saying.
Earlier Tuesday, a Palestinian young man was shot and killed by Israeli gunfire after he allegedly rammed his car into a group of Israeli soldiers near the illegal settlement of Dolev in Ramallah, injuring three of them.
For its part, Yediot Ahranot Hebrew newspaper affirmed that one of the three injured soldiers, who was transported to Tel HaShomer Hospital in a helicopter, is clinically dead.
The two other soldiers were evacuated to Hadassah Ein Karem Hospital in an ambulance in light to moderate conditions suffering from multiple injuries, according to the paper.
The body of the slain Palestinian was immediately handed over to the Palestinian Red Crescent.
More than 200 Palestinians were shot and killed by Israeli soldiers since October 2015. With the Palestinian death rate climbing as Israeli forces continue their crackdown on Palestinian protesters across the occupied West Bank and Gaza Strip's border, Israel's extrajudicial killings policy is once again being questioned.
Amnesty International has recently released a report titled, "No Justification for deliberate attacks on civilians, unlawful killings by Israeli forces, or collective punishment of Palestinians". The report said that many of the Israeli killings come close to the definition of extrajudicial killings.
The anti-occupation Jerusalem Intifada will go on unabated until Palestinians’ demands are met and Israeli terrorism is over, Hamas spokesman Hussam Badran said.
Badran said in a press statement the Israeli occupation security apparatuses have been anticipating an unprecedented escalation in the near future.
The Hamas leader hailed the anti-occupation car-ramming attack carried out on Tuesday by the Palestinian youth Ahmad Reyad Shahada, from the Qalandiya refugee camp, who was killed by Israeli soldiers on the spot, saying it is the natural response to Israeli aggressions on al-Aqsa Mosque and the Muslim worshipers.
Badran called on the Palestinian masses to join the funeral procession of slain Shahada at the Qalandiya refugee camp at noontime on Wednesday and to express their support for armed resistance.
Badran further acclaimed the anti-occupation stabbing carried out in Occupied Jerusalem on Monday, adding that the anti-occupation youth will be always committed to the national liberation struggle no matter the price.
Serious deterioration in condition of Israeli injured soldier
One of the three Israeli soldiers who were injured in yesterday’s ramming attack near Ramallah suffered a serious health deterioration, Israeli media sources said. His life is in danger, Israeli radio quoted medical sources as saying.
Earlier Tuesday, a Palestinian young man was shot and killed by Israeli gunfire after he allegedly rammed his car into a group of Israeli soldiers near the illegal settlement of Dolev in Ramallah, injuring three of them.
For its part, Yediot Ahranot Hebrew newspaper affirmed that one of the three injured soldiers, who was transported to Tel HaShomer Hospital in a helicopter, is clinically dead.
The two other soldiers were evacuated to Hadassah Ein Karem Hospital in an ambulance in light to moderate conditions suffering from multiple injuries, according to the paper.
The body of the slain Palestinian was immediately handed over to the Palestinian Red Crescent.
More than 200 Palestinians were shot and killed by Israeli soldiers since October 2015. With the Palestinian death rate climbing as Israeli forces continue their crackdown on Palestinian protesters across the occupied West Bank and Gaza Strip's border, Israel's extrajudicial killings policy is once again being questioned.
Amnesty International has recently released a report titled, "No Justification for deliberate attacks on civilians, unlawful killings by Israeli forces, or collective punishment of Palestinians". The report said that many of the Israeli killings come close to the definition of extrajudicial killings.
3 may 2016
The Israeli occupation police are to detain Sheikh Raed Salah on the eighth of May and will allow all media outlets to broadcast the news along with photos of Salah handcuffed and clothed in the blue uniform of prison to terrorize all those who defend al-Aqsa Mosque.
The Israeli occupation authorities (IOA) has recently sentenced Sheikh Raed Salah, head of the Islamic movement in the occupied Palestinian territories, to nine months, starting on the date mentioned, under the pretext of incitement to violence and racism in Wadi Joz speech in 2007.
All Jewish extremist parties in recent months took turn in the incitement against Sheikh Salah, even the top of the pyramid of the Zionist regime, Benjamin Netanyahu, who accused him two weeks ago of trying to blow up the situation in al-Aqsa Mosque with the advent of the Easter holiday.
Wadi Joz speech
The Israeli authorities tried since February 2007 to find out from between the lines of Sheikh Raed Salah's Wadi Joz speech anything to charge him with, so as to take him away from the scene in Jerusalem and Al-Aqsa by detention.
Lawyer Khaled Zabarqah, a specialist in the affairs of Jerusalem, confirms to the PIC reporter, commenting on the charge against Sheikh, "On that day, the bridge of the Moroccan Gate, which connects the Buraq Square to the Mughrabi Gate, had been targeted by the occupation which also prevented Sheikh Salah from entry to al-Aqsa Mosque, so people thronged in Wadi Joz where Sheik Salah delivered the speech which later spread on the media.”
Zabarqah indicated that Salah's speech addressed the crimes of the occupation, speaking about the required support for Jerusalem and al-Aqsa Mosque from the Arab and Islamic nation.
The Israeli occupation responded by an indictment and a case against him that dates back to 2007, but it only recently passed a prison sentence of nine months against him.
Dr. Jamal Amr, an expert in the affairs of Jerusalem and the settlements, told the PIC reporter that he had attended the speech personally and that it did not violate the law, stressing that "the occupation's goal is just to find a pretext to silence and kill the sound of resistance, and outlaw all of the Sheikh's activities and to make him an exemplary to anyone who follows his path".
Amr expects that the occupation will open other files against Sheikh Salah after dealing with the file of Wadi Joz speech; including the file of financing sources and his association with outlawed movements, and the file of obstructing the police's work; these files will be as pretexts to constantly keep him under the threat of detention.
Al- Aqsa Mosque is currently living "in the eye of the storm", as described by Fakhri Abu Diab, academic activist in institutions founded for the defense of the territory of Jerusalem, "Because the occupation targets anti-occupation activists, especially in Jerusalem."
Netanyahu and the extreme right
The Israeli premier's accusation against Sheikh Salah of inciting violence with the advent of the Easter holiday constituted an attempt to ride the wave and win the support of the extreme right.
Lawyer Zabarqah believes that the incitement by Netanyahu as the head of Israeli government creates the conditions for targeting Sheikh Salah physically by Jewish extremists.
He continues: "The second explanation is that Netanyahu's statement carries an interference of the government in the work of the judiciary, which is incompatible with the democratic system, but Netanyahu bypasses it to silence Sheikh Salah."
Removing Sheikh Raed Salah off the scene, especially after the understandings of the United States Secretary, John Kerry, in 2015, creates conditions –according to lawyer Zabarqah's analysis- to target al-Aqsa Mosque, taking advantage of the decline of Arab and regional positions.
The conditions that al-Aqsa is passing through are not only bad political and field conditions but the problem here is that they coincide with the official Arab regimes collusion with the Israeli occupation, according to Zabarqah's viewpoint.
“This creates a historic opportunity for the occupation to Judaize al-Aqsa”. Dr. Jamal Amr said that "the leaning of the Israeli society to the extreme right encourages Netanyahu to incite against Sheikh Salah to win their electoral votes”.
He added: "Netanyahu fights any Islamic trend in the region to weaken it, especially in Jerusalem, as the region respects the strong. He also tries to create confusion and to frustrate the Arab ordinary citizen by saying that he had contacts with Sunni Arab states".
Among the most serious attempts to Judaize al-Aqsa Mosque monitored by expert Amr is a recently issued map for tourists where al-Aqsa Mosque is not mentioned at all, but rather signs with "Temple Mount" are written on it in place of the Aqsa.
The absence of Sheikh Salah
The absence of Sheikh Raed Salah from the streets of Jerusalem and Al-Aqsa would facilitate the Judaization and violations in Jerusalem by the Israeli occupation and the extreme right, as Salah represented personally, and with his movement and followers, a bulwark in face of the Judaization practices.
Fakhri Abu Diab confirms that Salah is a link between Palestine and the outside world. He, furthermore, gives moral, psychological and material support for the sit-inners, because of which his movement was banned last year and now he is to be jailed.
He added to the PIC reporter that: "The occupation was disturbed recently when Sheikh Salah repaired Marwani Masjid and continued with Al- Bayareq project, transporting worshipers from all areas of 1948 Palestine to the al-Aqsa Mosque.”
The number of these worshipers, however, had decreased due to the decision of banning the Islamic movement, and now will decrease more due to the detention of the Sheikh, he added.
Abu Diab pointed out that the absence of Salah from the scene will affect the restoration projects of homes in the Bustan neighborhood of Silwan and the aid provided for the poor families living in the vicinity of al-Aqsa and Jerusalem; it will affect as well the support of Muslim and Arab institutions which prefer to contact with him personally.
25 right-wing Jewish organizations are in agreement on targeting Sheikh Salah under Israeli political and security cover and protection in an unprecedented harmony.
Preparations are still under way in 1948 occupied Palestine by all parties and activists to accompany Sheikh Raed Salah, on the eighth of May, in a march that starts from the town of Umm al-Fahm, at eight o'clock in the morning reaching the Ramle prison gate, to which Sheikh Raed will be transferred to serve his prison term.
The Israeli occupation authorities (IOA) has recently sentenced Sheikh Raed Salah, head of the Islamic movement in the occupied Palestinian territories, to nine months, starting on the date mentioned, under the pretext of incitement to violence and racism in Wadi Joz speech in 2007.
All Jewish extremist parties in recent months took turn in the incitement against Sheikh Salah, even the top of the pyramid of the Zionist regime, Benjamin Netanyahu, who accused him two weeks ago of trying to blow up the situation in al-Aqsa Mosque with the advent of the Easter holiday.
Wadi Joz speech
The Israeli authorities tried since February 2007 to find out from between the lines of Sheikh Raed Salah's Wadi Joz speech anything to charge him with, so as to take him away from the scene in Jerusalem and Al-Aqsa by detention.
Lawyer Khaled Zabarqah, a specialist in the affairs of Jerusalem, confirms to the PIC reporter, commenting on the charge against Sheikh, "On that day, the bridge of the Moroccan Gate, which connects the Buraq Square to the Mughrabi Gate, had been targeted by the occupation which also prevented Sheikh Salah from entry to al-Aqsa Mosque, so people thronged in Wadi Joz where Sheik Salah delivered the speech which later spread on the media.”
Zabarqah indicated that Salah's speech addressed the crimes of the occupation, speaking about the required support for Jerusalem and al-Aqsa Mosque from the Arab and Islamic nation.
The Israeli occupation responded by an indictment and a case against him that dates back to 2007, but it only recently passed a prison sentence of nine months against him.
Dr. Jamal Amr, an expert in the affairs of Jerusalem and the settlements, told the PIC reporter that he had attended the speech personally and that it did not violate the law, stressing that "the occupation's goal is just to find a pretext to silence and kill the sound of resistance, and outlaw all of the Sheikh's activities and to make him an exemplary to anyone who follows his path".
Amr expects that the occupation will open other files against Sheikh Salah after dealing with the file of Wadi Joz speech; including the file of financing sources and his association with outlawed movements, and the file of obstructing the police's work; these files will be as pretexts to constantly keep him under the threat of detention.
Al- Aqsa Mosque is currently living "in the eye of the storm", as described by Fakhri Abu Diab, academic activist in institutions founded for the defense of the territory of Jerusalem, "Because the occupation targets anti-occupation activists, especially in Jerusalem."
Netanyahu and the extreme right
The Israeli premier's accusation against Sheikh Salah of inciting violence with the advent of the Easter holiday constituted an attempt to ride the wave and win the support of the extreme right.
Lawyer Zabarqah believes that the incitement by Netanyahu as the head of Israeli government creates the conditions for targeting Sheikh Salah physically by Jewish extremists.
He continues: "The second explanation is that Netanyahu's statement carries an interference of the government in the work of the judiciary, which is incompatible with the democratic system, but Netanyahu bypasses it to silence Sheikh Salah."
Removing Sheikh Raed Salah off the scene, especially after the understandings of the United States Secretary, John Kerry, in 2015, creates conditions –according to lawyer Zabarqah's analysis- to target al-Aqsa Mosque, taking advantage of the decline of Arab and regional positions.
The conditions that al-Aqsa is passing through are not only bad political and field conditions but the problem here is that they coincide with the official Arab regimes collusion with the Israeli occupation, according to Zabarqah's viewpoint.
“This creates a historic opportunity for the occupation to Judaize al-Aqsa”. Dr. Jamal Amr said that "the leaning of the Israeli society to the extreme right encourages Netanyahu to incite against Sheikh Salah to win their electoral votes”.
He added: "Netanyahu fights any Islamic trend in the region to weaken it, especially in Jerusalem, as the region respects the strong. He also tries to create confusion and to frustrate the Arab ordinary citizen by saying that he had contacts with Sunni Arab states".
Among the most serious attempts to Judaize al-Aqsa Mosque monitored by expert Amr is a recently issued map for tourists where al-Aqsa Mosque is not mentioned at all, but rather signs with "Temple Mount" are written on it in place of the Aqsa.
The absence of Sheikh Salah
The absence of Sheikh Raed Salah from the streets of Jerusalem and Al-Aqsa would facilitate the Judaization and violations in Jerusalem by the Israeli occupation and the extreme right, as Salah represented personally, and with his movement and followers, a bulwark in face of the Judaization practices.
Fakhri Abu Diab confirms that Salah is a link between Palestine and the outside world. He, furthermore, gives moral, psychological and material support for the sit-inners, because of which his movement was banned last year and now he is to be jailed.
He added to the PIC reporter that: "The occupation was disturbed recently when Sheikh Salah repaired Marwani Masjid and continued with Al- Bayareq project, transporting worshipers from all areas of 1948 Palestine to the al-Aqsa Mosque.”
The number of these worshipers, however, had decreased due to the decision of banning the Islamic movement, and now will decrease more due to the detention of the Sheikh, he added.
Abu Diab pointed out that the absence of Salah from the scene will affect the restoration projects of homes in the Bustan neighborhood of Silwan and the aid provided for the poor families living in the vicinity of al-Aqsa and Jerusalem; it will affect as well the support of Muslim and Arab institutions which prefer to contact with him personally.
25 right-wing Jewish organizations are in agreement on targeting Sheikh Salah under Israeli political and security cover and protection in an unprecedented harmony.
Preparations are still under way in 1948 occupied Palestine by all parties and activists to accompany Sheikh Raed Salah, on the eighth of May, in a march that starts from the town of Umm al-Fahm, at eight o'clock in the morning reaching the Ramle prison gate, to which Sheikh Raed will be transferred to serve his prison term.
The Palestinian Authority (PA) security apparatuses arrested 10 Palestinians from the occupied West Bank and injured others on account of their involvement in anti-occupation activism.
Reporting from Nablus, a PIC journalist said the PA attacked a reception held to welcome the newly-released detainee Alam Ubeid after nine years in Israeli jails.
Several Palestinians were left injured as the PA forces showered the area with live bullet fire.
In Tulkarem, the PA Preventive Forces kidnapped the ex-prisoner Alaa Shreitah just one month after he had been released from Israeli jails, where he had spent 14 years.
The same forces kidnapped 22-year-old Ahmad Abu Zuhra from his workplace. Sources-based in Ramallah also said the PA forces kidnapped the ex-prisoner Musaab al-Barghouti, who had previously been tortured in PA lock-ups.
Meanwhile, the Israeli occupation forces kidnapped three young men from Termes’aya village, a couple of days after they had been released from the PA prison, where they had served a three-month-sentence on charges of planning for anti-occupation activities.
A Palestinian instructor and university student were also kidnapped by the PA General Intelligence from al-Khalil city.
The PA intelligence in Bethlehem kidnapped the youngster Ahmad Radi from the Aida refugee camp at the same time as the PA Preventive Forces kidnapped the two brothers Khalil and Omar Kanaan, enrolled at the Quds University. Ibrahim Surur was also kidnapped in the process.
Earlier, on Monday evening, the PA intelligence troops kidnapped the journalist Adeeb al-Atrash after they summoned him for interrogation in al-Khalil, the journalist’s family told the PIC.
Journalist al-Atrash was arrested shortly after he had received his MA degree from a university abroad. The family slammed Israel’s abduction of their son, saying the move is a serious violation of Palestinians’ right to the freedom of the press.
Reporting from Nablus, a PIC journalist said the PA attacked a reception held to welcome the newly-released detainee Alam Ubeid after nine years in Israeli jails.
Several Palestinians were left injured as the PA forces showered the area with live bullet fire.
In Tulkarem, the PA Preventive Forces kidnapped the ex-prisoner Alaa Shreitah just one month after he had been released from Israeli jails, where he had spent 14 years.
The same forces kidnapped 22-year-old Ahmad Abu Zuhra from his workplace. Sources-based in Ramallah also said the PA forces kidnapped the ex-prisoner Musaab al-Barghouti, who had previously been tortured in PA lock-ups.
Meanwhile, the Israeli occupation forces kidnapped three young men from Termes’aya village, a couple of days after they had been released from the PA prison, where they had served a three-month-sentence on charges of planning for anti-occupation activities.
A Palestinian instructor and university student were also kidnapped by the PA General Intelligence from al-Khalil city.
The PA intelligence in Bethlehem kidnapped the youngster Ahmad Radi from the Aida refugee camp at the same time as the PA Preventive Forces kidnapped the two brothers Khalil and Omar Kanaan, enrolled at the Quds University. Ibrahim Surur was also kidnapped in the process.
Earlier, on Monday evening, the PA intelligence troops kidnapped the journalist Adeeb al-Atrash after they summoned him for interrogation in al-Khalil, the journalist’s family told the PIC.
Journalist al-Atrash was arrested shortly after he had received his MA degree from a university abroad. The family slammed Israel’s abduction of their son, saying the move is a serious violation of Palestinians’ right to the freedom of the press.
Three Palestinian journalists sustained minor injuries on Tuesday after Israeli forces attempted to suppress a “peaceful” sit-in with stun grenades and tear gas outside Israel’s Ofer detention center on World Press Freedom Day.
A group of Palestinian journalists used the occasion to direct attention to the plight of Palestinian journalists currently being held in Israeli custody as a result of Israel’s widely-condemned crackdown on Palestinian journalists since a wave of unrest erupted across the occupied Palestinian territory in October.
At least 43 Palestinian journalists have been detained by Israeli forces since October, who have reported cases of torture, medical negligence, and unreasonable and illegal rulings by Israeli authorities, according to a recent report by the Committee to Support Palestinian Journalists.
Staging a sit-in outside the Ofer detention center, the demonstrators raised posters of imprisoned Palestinian journalists and demanded the release of 20 who are currently being held in Israeli prisons.
Israeli soldiers fired tear gas and stun grenades at the journalists, despite reports that the protest was peaceful, wounding Zahir Abu Hussein, Muhammad Shawasha, and Ali Ubeidat.
An Israeli army spokesperson told Ma'an they were looking into reports on the incident.
Israel’s Ofer detention center, which is illegally located on privately-held Palestinian land near Ramallah in the central West Bank, has been the scene of protests in the last week over the arbitrary arrest of Omar Nazzal, a well-known Palestinian journalist currently held at the detention center.
Nazzal was detained on April 23 at the Allenby Bridge between the occupied West Bank and Jordan en route to a European Federation of Journalist conference in Bosnia.
On Monday, the Israeli authorities extended Nazzal’s administrative detention for four months, for alleged involvement with the Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine (PFLP), which Israel has declared a “terrorist” organization along with the majority of other Palestinian political parties.
Nazzal joins the some 700 Palestinians being held by Israel under administrative detention -- internment without trial or charge.
In a statement released in March, Palestinian media freedoms group MADA said it was “highly concerned” by recent Israeli resolutions targeting Palestinian media, saying it neglected “the main reason for the whole conflict, which is the continuous occupation and all systematic violations against Palestinian people.”
The watchdog reported a total of 599 violation against media freedoms in the occupied Palestinian territory over 2015, marking a 16 percent average increase from 2014.
Israeli authorities were also the target of criticism last month after reports surfaced of Israeli forces banning bulletproof vests from entering the Gaza Strip, jeopardizing the safety of Palestinian journalists in the besieged enclave who often experience missile and live firing by Israeli forces during clashes.
"Israel’s systematic assault on Palestinian journalists and media institutions is part of a broader campaign to instill fear and silence in an entire population,” Jamal Dajani of the Palestinian Prime Minister's Office said in a press release Tuesday.
“Today, freedom of expression has become grounds for arrest, under the Israeli pretext of incitement. Israel wants to stop Palestinians from reporting on Israeli human rights violations; Israel doesn’t want the world to know the real facts on the ground."
A group of Palestinian journalists used the occasion to direct attention to the plight of Palestinian journalists currently being held in Israeli custody as a result of Israel’s widely-condemned crackdown on Palestinian journalists since a wave of unrest erupted across the occupied Palestinian territory in October.
At least 43 Palestinian journalists have been detained by Israeli forces since October, who have reported cases of torture, medical negligence, and unreasonable and illegal rulings by Israeli authorities, according to a recent report by the Committee to Support Palestinian Journalists.
Staging a sit-in outside the Ofer detention center, the demonstrators raised posters of imprisoned Palestinian journalists and demanded the release of 20 who are currently being held in Israeli prisons.
Israeli soldiers fired tear gas and stun grenades at the journalists, despite reports that the protest was peaceful, wounding Zahir Abu Hussein, Muhammad Shawasha, and Ali Ubeidat.
An Israeli army spokesperson told Ma'an they were looking into reports on the incident.
Israel’s Ofer detention center, which is illegally located on privately-held Palestinian land near Ramallah in the central West Bank, has been the scene of protests in the last week over the arbitrary arrest of Omar Nazzal, a well-known Palestinian journalist currently held at the detention center.
Nazzal was detained on April 23 at the Allenby Bridge between the occupied West Bank and Jordan en route to a European Federation of Journalist conference in Bosnia.
On Monday, the Israeli authorities extended Nazzal’s administrative detention for four months, for alleged involvement with the Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine (PFLP), which Israel has declared a “terrorist” organization along with the majority of other Palestinian political parties.
Nazzal joins the some 700 Palestinians being held by Israel under administrative detention -- internment without trial or charge.
In a statement released in March, Palestinian media freedoms group MADA said it was “highly concerned” by recent Israeli resolutions targeting Palestinian media, saying it neglected “the main reason for the whole conflict, which is the continuous occupation and all systematic violations against Palestinian people.”
The watchdog reported a total of 599 violation against media freedoms in the occupied Palestinian territory over 2015, marking a 16 percent average increase from 2014.
Israeli authorities were also the target of criticism last month after reports surfaced of Israeli forces banning bulletproof vests from entering the Gaza Strip, jeopardizing the safety of Palestinian journalists in the besieged enclave who often experience missile and live firing by Israeli forces during clashes.
"Israel’s systematic assault on Palestinian journalists and media institutions is part of a broader campaign to instill fear and silence in an entire population,” Jamal Dajani of the Palestinian Prime Minister's Office said in a press release Tuesday.
“Today, freedom of expression has become grounds for arrest, under the Israeli pretext of incitement. Israel wants to stop Palestinians from reporting on Israeli human rights violations; Israel doesn’t want the world to know the real facts on the ground."
Palestinian Minister of Awqaf and Religious Affairs Yousif Edais said that Israeli occupation forces and settlers carried out 124 violations against Muslims’ sacred places during April; mostly at the Aqsa Mosque in Occupied Jerusalem and al-Haram al-Ibrahimi Mosque in al-Khalil.
In a statement on Monday, Sheikh Edais pointed out that the IOF banned calling for prayers at al-Ibrahimi Mosque for 63 times and continued their aggressive practices at Waqf properties in Jericho, al-Khalil and Joseph's Tomb in Nablus.
Minister Edais underlined that about 1800 settlers stormed the Aqsa Mosque last month bringing the number of settlers who broke into the holy site since the beginning of the year to 4800.
In a statement on Monday, Sheikh Edais pointed out that the IOF banned calling for prayers at al-Ibrahimi Mosque for 63 times and continued their aggressive practices at Waqf properties in Jericho, al-Khalil and Joseph's Tomb in Nablus.
Minister Edais underlined that about 1800 settlers stormed the Aqsa Mosque last month bringing the number of settlers who broke into the holy site since the beginning of the year to 4800.