24 may 2016
British film director Ken Loach has said that he has much to tell about Palestine and its people, affirming that everyone has to know the nature of the Israeli occupation.
In press remarks, Loach stated that he also has a lot of cinematic ideas on Palestine and stressed the need to let everyone know about what really happens in Palestine and Gaza. He said that the silence on Israel's violations in Palestine is much worse than committing a crime.
The British director will participate in the Palestine film festival slated to be held in Paris next month.
In press remarks, Loach stated that he also has a lot of cinematic ideas on Palestine and stressed the need to let everyone know about what really happens in Palestine and Gaza. He said that the silence on Israel's violations in Palestine is much worse than committing a crime.
The British director will participate in the Palestine film festival slated to be held in Paris next month.
22 may 2016
Considered by many to be one of the most extreme members of the right, Yehuda Glick's battle to allow Jews to visit the Temple Mount nearly cost him his life when he was severely injured by a Palestinian terrorist; this week, a year and a half after he was miraculously saved, Glick will be sworn in to the Knesset, replacing the newly-resigned Minister of Defense Moshe Ya'alon
It was only a year and a half ago that right-wing activist Yehuda Glick was dangling between life and death. After being shot point-blank four times by a terrorist, he managed to utter "Shema yisrael" (the Jewish declaration of faith that the devout strive to say before death) before falling into a dark sleep from which he arose ten days later. This week, following Minister of Defense Moshe Ya'alon's resignation, Glick is to be sworn in to the Knesset, which will make him perhaps the most controversial MK in the current government, having incited severe criticism from the Palestinians, the left, and the right.
"I feel that God hugged me, and that he didn't let me go for a minute while my life was in danger, wrapping me up in so much love," said Glick. "I was in such critical condition that a lot of people thought I wasn't going to make it, and that if I were, I'd be severely disabled for the rest of my life. And now here I am, standing on my own two feet and being sworn in to the Knesset. God must have thought I still have things to do in the Knesset. I'm glad to be alive and have God put his faith in me."
Glick's politics are tricky to pin down. On the one hand, he is considered an extremist who fights for the entry of Jews to the Temple Mount, which could potentially ignite the Middle East and the entire world at large. On the other hand, he is one of the most vocal detractors of Sgt. Elor Azaria, who shot a neutralized terrorist to death earlier this year. His stance earned Glick some new enemies, this time from the right. Glick has also voiced criticism over Yisrael Beytenu Leader Avigdor Lieberman's appointment as minister of defense and has pushed instead for a unity government with the Labor Party. This is despite the fact that it was Lieberman's recent agreement with Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu that facilitated Glick's entry to the government.
"I understand Ya'alon's pain," said Glick. "But I think he shouldn't have resigned, and I even call upon him now—if there is still a chance—to stay. Ya'alon is an asset to the people of Israel and certainly to Likud."
Do you recant the things you said about Lieberman?
"I wish him a lot of luck. His success is our success. The position of minister of defense is the most senior position apart from that of the prime minister, and I hope he understands the obligation that comes with it. I also didn't like the comments Lieberman made against (Zionist Union Leader) Isaac Herzog. (Herzog) tried to do what he thought should be done, but the level of ridicule aimed at him at this point is beyond the pale."
Attacks from the right Glick, 51, vividly remembers October 29, 2014. "I was at an annual event celebrating the Rambam's visit to the Temple Mount," he recalled. "The event included a left-wing speaker and a Muslim and invoked a feeling of solidarity and strength. As it was winding down, the only people left were me and two of my friends, Moriah and Shai. My wife Yafi was bringing the car around. I started walking toward the car to load it up, when a short man with a small container stopped next to me. He said, 'I'm so sorry,' and since I didn't understand what he was referring to, I came closer. That was when he pulled out a gun, said, 'You're an enemy of Al-Aqsa' and shot me point-blank with four bullets in the center of my body.
"All four bullets entered and exited my body. I started bleeding. Moriah and Shai ran over to me, and I ran toward them, or rather limped. Then I lay down on the sidewalk. A few seconds later, Shai reached me. I hear Moriah saying, 'He's completely pale,' and Shai saying, 'We just witnessed a murder. Go take care of Yafi, and I'll take care of Yehuda.'"
"Shai lay on me, took my shirt off and screamed into my ear something I'll never forget: 'Rabbi Yehuda, don't leave us, we need you.' That was when I realized I was in mortal danger. Shai was on the phone with a paramedic friend of his, who was guiding him in how to treat me. He was trying to stop the blood when I began to stutter 'Shema Yisrael.' They put me in an ambulance, and my wife came in with me and held my hand. She spoke to me while I tried to calm her down. That was when I started losing consciousness."
Did the assassination attempt change you?
"I suppose it did. It became even clearer to me how dangerous violence can be, and how we as a democracy need to make sure that elected officials working toward certain principles are safe. One of the surgeons who operated on me was Muslim, and I think he did a lot more for Islam than the Muslim who shot me in the name of Islam. People who think God wants them to promote hatred are misinterpreting his will. Despite being all the more committed to the mission God has created me, I feel it has given me a new path for a dialogue with the many people who are willing to listen."
The Palestinians see you as a symbol for the extreme right, with your entry in to the Knesset together with Lieberman's new appointment seen as a radical break to the right.
"The Palestinian press is full of attacks against me as a radical Jew. They're right. I'm very extreme in my belief in peace. I'm extreme in my faith in a respectful dialogue, and that bothers those whose agenda is built on violence and hate. I'll keep working toward peace as well as human rights for everyone, and I'm sorry for any person who refuses to engage in a dialogue with me."
The father of eight (two of them foster children) and grandfather of six, Glick, who lives in the settlement of Otniel, has repeatedly enraged Palestinians, left-wing activists and moderate centrists. Over the last few months, he has even managed to anger his friends from the right when expressing his shock at the Hebron soldier who shot a neutralized terrorist. "The fact that the terrorist who set out on this mission didn't believe he would survive does not justify the soldier's horrifying actions," Glick had written on Twitter, adding that, despite the incident, the IDF remains the most moral army in the world.
Not that defending the IDF did him any good. Moments after the tweet went up, the soldier's supporters already began attacking him. The same day, Glick posted another tweet, saying, "It is grotesque and sickening to see the malicious satisfaction of those who dance upon the blood and protest the IDF following the soldier's behavior. No less sickening, though, are those who praise his actions." At this point, his Twitter and Facebook feeds began to fill up with personal threats, among them, "I'll get you yet, you stinking leftie," "Too bad they didn't murder you when you were injured" and "Too bad this is the man we were happy didn't die."
'We will be victorious at the Temple Mount!'Glick's Facebook cover photo has "We will be victorious at the Temple Mount!" written in bold letters, with his redheaded face appearing in his profile picture below. His father, former dean of the Faculty of Health Sciences at Ben-Gurion University, Prof. Shimon Glick, described his son during an interview to Ynet's sister publication, Yedioth Ahronoth, after his assassination attempt. "We agreed to disagree, and I love him with all my heart," said the senior Glick, whose political views differ from those of his son.
How does your father, a human rights activist, react to your joining the Knesset?
"My father is a very dear man. I myself am a human rights activist. I'm a very extreme person, who believes in human rights in an extreme way, and I got all that from my father. He is a humanist; he truly loves mankind."
"We don't always see eye to eye, but he was the one who taught me Jewish and Western values, which talk about a plethora of opinions. My parents taught me about human dignity, and that you should listen to the opinions of those who don't necessarily voice your own. The two of us communicate on a daily basis. He advises, encourages, supports and sometimes reprimands me. At times I accept what he tells me and at times I don't. He respects that."
What will do as an MK?
"I don't want to come out with any big declarations yet. Working in the Knesset is a team effort, not a solo one, and I'm going to be part of a wonderful, diverse group called Likud. We have a real democracy complete with distinct opinions. I am entering a government that is headed by a man, who despite what is said about him cares about the country and its people. I hope that I'll act in a cordial and open manner, and enter into a dialogue with people from all walks of life, both from the coalition and the opposition. I hope to be a part of promoting peace."
Glick continued, "I was elected to represent the Judea and Samaria region, and as their representative I am committed to doing anything to improve the security and quality of life in the area. There are half a million citizens living in the area (Jewish citizens. —NB) who should all have equal rights, and I hope we will figure out how to cohabitate in peace with the Arabs living with us."
Will you visit the Temple Mount as an MK?
"I hope so. I'm all for Jews and Muslims visiting the Temple Mount together, but if Prime Minister Netanyahu asks me not to go there, I won't."
You said the Temple Mount will be a center for peace.
"That's our goal, and the vision of the Jewish spirit. The Temple Mount is supposed to be the place out of which the message of 'They shall beat their swords into plowshares, and their spears into pruning hooks, neither shall they learn war any more' should come out."
It was only a year and a half ago that right-wing activist Yehuda Glick was dangling between life and death. After being shot point-blank four times by a terrorist, he managed to utter "Shema yisrael" (the Jewish declaration of faith that the devout strive to say before death) before falling into a dark sleep from which he arose ten days later. This week, following Minister of Defense Moshe Ya'alon's resignation, Glick is to be sworn in to the Knesset, which will make him perhaps the most controversial MK in the current government, having incited severe criticism from the Palestinians, the left, and the right.
"I feel that God hugged me, and that he didn't let me go for a minute while my life was in danger, wrapping me up in so much love," said Glick. "I was in such critical condition that a lot of people thought I wasn't going to make it, and that if I were, I'd be severely disabled for the rest of my life. And now here I am, standing on my own two feet and being sworn in to the Knesset. God must have thought I still have things to do in the Knesset. I'm glad to be alive and have God put his faith in me."
Glick's politics are tricky to pin down. On the one hand, he is considered an extremist who fights for the entry of Jews to the Temple Mount, which could potentially ignite the Middle East and the entire world at large. On the other hand, he is one of the most vocal detractors of Sgt. Elor Azaria, who shot a neutralized terrorist to death earlier this year. His stance earned Glick some new enemies, this time from the right. Glick has also voiced criticism over Yisrael Beytenu Leader Avigdor Lieberman's appointment as minister of defense and has pushed instead for a unity government with the Labor Party. This is despite the fact that it was Lieberman's recent agreement with Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu that facilitated Glick's entry to the government.
"I understand Ya'alon's pain," said Glick. "But I think he shouldn't have resigned, and I even call upon him now—if there is still a chance—to stay. Ya'alon is an asset to the people of Israel and certainly to Likud."
Do you recant the things you said about Lieberman?
"I wish him a lot of luck. His success is our success. The position of minister of defense is the most senior position apart from that of the prime minister, and I hope he understands the obligation that comes with it. I also didn't like the comments Lieberman made against (Zionist Union Leader) Isaac Herzog. (Herzog) tried to do what he thought should be done, but the level of ridicule aimed at him at this point is beyond the pale."
Attacks from the right Glick, 51, vividly remembers October 29, 2014. "I was at an annual event celebrating the Rambam's visit to the Temple Mount," he recalled. "The event included a left-wing speaker and a Muslim and invoked a feeling of solidarity and strength. As it was winding down, the only people left were me and two of my friends, Moriah and Shai. My wife Yafi was bringing the car around. I started walking toward the car to load it up, when a short man with a small container stopped next to me. He said, 'I'm so sorry,' and since I didn't understand what he was referring to, I came closer. That was when he pulled out a gun, said, 'You're an enemy of Al-Aqsa' and shot me point-blank with four bullets in the center of my body.
"All four bullets entered and exited my body. I started bleeding. Moriah and Shai ran over to me, and I ran toward them, or rather limped. Then I lay down on the sidewalk. A few seconds later, Shai reached me. I hear Moriah saying, 'He's completely pale,' and Shai saying, 'We just witnessed a murder. Go take care of Yafi, and I'll take care of Yehuda.'"
"Shai lay on me, took my shirt off and screamed into my ear something I'll never forget: 'Rabbi Yehuda, don't leave us, we need you.' That was when I realized I was in mortal danger. Shai was on the phone with a paramedic friend of his, who was guiding him in how to treat me. He was trying to stop the blood when I began to stutter 'Shema Yisrael.' They put me in an ambulance, and my wife came in with me and held my hand. She spoke to me while I tried to calm her down. That was when I started losing consciousness."
Did the assassination attempt change you?
"I suppose it did. It became even clearer to me how dangerous violence can be, and how we as a democracy need to make sure that elected officials working toward certain principles are safe. One of the surgeons who operated on me was Muslim, and I think he did a lot more for Islam than the Muslim who shot me in the name of Islam. People who think God wants them to promote hatred are misinterpreting his will. Despite being all the more committed to the mission God has created me, I feel it has given me a new path for a dialogue with the many people who are willing to listen."
The Palestinians see you as a symbol for the extreme right, with your entry in to the Knesset together with Lieberman's new appointment seen as a radical break to the right.
"The Palestinian press is full of attacks against me as a radical Jew. They're right. I'm very extreme in my belief in peace. I'm extreme in my faith in a respectful dialogue, and that bothers those whose agenda is built on violence and hate. I'll keep working toward peace as well as human rights for everyone, and I'm sorry for any person who refuses to engage in a dialogue with me."
The father of eight (two of them foster children) and grandfather of six, Glick, who lives in the settlement of Otniel, has repeatedly enraged Palestinians, left-wing activists and moderate centrists. Over the last few months, he has even managed to anger his friends from the right when expressing his shock at the Hebron soldier who shot a neutralized terrorist. "The fact that the terrorist who set out on this mission didn't believe he would survive does not justify the soldier's horrifying actions," Glick had written on Twitter, adding that, despite the incident, the IDF remains the most moral army in the world.
Not that defending the IDF did him any good. Moments after the tweet went up, the soldier's supporters already began attacking him. The same day, Glick posted another tweet, saying, "It is grotesque and sickening to see the malicious satisfaction of those who dance upon the blood and protest the IDF following the soldier's behavior. No less sickening, though, are those who praise his actions." At this point, his Twitter and Facebook feeds began to fill up with personal threats, among them, "I'll get you yet, you stinking leftie," "Too bad they didn't murder you when you were injured" and "Too bad this is the man we were happy didn't die."
'We will be victorious at the Temple Mount!'Glick's Facebook cover photo has "We will be victorious at the Temple Mount!" written in bold letters, with his redheaded face appearing in his profile picture below. His father, former dean of the Faculty of Health Sciences at Ben-Gurion University, Prof. Shimon Glick, described his son during an interview to Ynet's sister publication, Yedioth Ahronoth, after his assassination attempt. "We agreed to disagree, and I love him with all my heart," said the senior Glick, whose political views differ from those of his son.
How does your father, a human rights activist, react to your joining the Knesset?
"My father is a very dear man. I myself am a human rights activist. I'm a very extreme person, who believes in human rights in an extreme way, and I got all that from my father. He is a humanist; he truly loves mankind."
"We don't always see eye to eye, but he was the one who taught me Jewish and Western values, which talk about a plethora of opinions. My parents taught me about human dignity, and that you should listen to the opinions of those who don't necessarily voice your own. The two of us communicate on a daily basis. He advises, encourages, supports and sometimes reprimands me. At times I accept what he tells me and at times I don't. He respects that."
What will do as an MK?
"I don't want to come out with any big declarations yet. Working in the Knesset is a team effort, not a solo one, and I'm going to be part of a wonderful, diverse group called Likud. We have a real democracy complete with distinct opinions. I am entering a government that is headed by a man, who despite what is said about him cares about the country and its people. I hope that I'll act in a cordial and open manner, and enter into a dialogue with people from all walks of life, both from the coalition and the opposition. I hope to be a part of promoting peace."
Glick continued, "I was elected to represent the Judea and Samaria region, and as their representative I am committed to doing anything to improve the security and quality of life in the area. There are half a million citizens living in the area (Jewish citizens. —NB) who should all have equal rights, and I hope we will figure out how to cohabitate in peace with the Arabs living with us."
Will you visit the Temple Mount as an MK?
"I hope so. I'm all for Jews and Muslims visiting the Temple Mount together, but if Prime Minister Netanyahu asks me not to go there, I won't."
You said the Temple Mount will be a center for peace.
"That's our goal, and the vision of the Jewish spirit. The Temple Mount is supposed to be the place out of which the message of 'They shall beat their swords into plowshares, and their spears into pruning hooks, neither shall they learn war any more' should come out."
By Kamel Hawwash
The cricket season is in full swing in England and this was possibly playing on my mind when I read this headline in Haaretz: “Israel seized Palestinian family's East Jerusalem land behind Its back, gave it to settler NGO.”
My immediate reaction was this is simply not cricket, a British term used to describe an act that is unfair, not honest, or immoral.
Israel should know all about this as it has a cricket team and one that is a member of the European Cricket Council. In fact, Israel expropriated the land from the Abu Ta’ah family in East Jerusalem without a tender and against the rules, then handed it over to Amana, an organisation that works to establish settlements and outposts for Jews.
A double whammy! Not only was the land taken from the family, it was given to an organisation that exists to take over as much Palestinian land as possible through any means, especially in occupied East Jerusalem, but worse was that - it will use it to establish its headquarters in the heart of Palestinian East Jerusalem.
Amana was formed as an offshoot of the messianic Zionist movement Gush Emunim and is run by Ze'ev Hever, a convicted terrorist. It has a long and chequered history of fabricating documents to take Palestinian land and property under the pretence that it once belonged to Jews or that it had been bought legally from previous owners. It was formed in 1976 with the goal of "establishing communities" only for Jews in the occupied territories.
An investigation into its subsidiary Al-Watan (Arabic name for homeland), a company run by Hever, revealed that 14 out of 15 supposed real estate acquisitions it made were forged. That isn’t cricket. Elad is another group that works to take over Palestinian property and land in East Jerusalem and settle it with Jews. It received $115 million in donations between 2006 and 2013, which, according to a Haaretz investigation, came mostly from companies registered in global tax shelters such as the Bahamas, the Virgin Islands and the Seychelles, and it is unclear who controls them.
Another group that benefits from these donations is Ateret Cohanim, an Israeli Jewish organisation which works for the creation of a Jewish majority in the Old City and Arab neighbourhoods in East Jerusalem. Two of its main funders are American Jewish businessman Irving Moskowitz and his wife Cherna Moskowitz.
In around 2000, Ateret Cohanim and Elad began to acquire land in Palestinian neighbourhoods of East Jerusalem outside the Old City and particularly around what they call the "City of David" area, which is part of the Palestinian neighbourhood of Silwan. Stories abound of Palestinian families in Silwan waking up to find Jewish settlers, protected by Israeli security forces, moving into homes in Silwan.
The methods used to take over land or property belonging to, or rented for decades by, Palestinians are many. One is to claim that Jews owned them prior to the establishment of the state of Israel and that they should revert to the state. The Palestinian families are evicted and the property turned over to settler organisations that move Jewish settlers into them, despite the settlers not being descendants of the supposed original Jewish owners. Appeals to the Israeli courts usually fail to reverse the takeover, and the "transfer" stands.
Palestinians not only see this as a deliberate policy to replace them with Jews with no connection to the properties, but as a form of incitement. That isn’t cricket. Another hotspot and focus for settler takeover of Palestinian homes is the Palestinian city of Alkhalil (Hebron). Ever since the first settlement was created there shortly after the Six Day War, and the planting of settlers in the centre of the city, settler groups and organisations have been working to occupy buildings to gently change the "demographics" in its centre.
An example of this was the takeover by dozens of settlers of parts of a Palestinian property on the sensitive Shuhada street, which they claimed they had bought legally. Protected by the Israeli army, the settlers are known to terrorise the local population of 200,000 inhabitants in order to push as many of them as possible to leave. Israel has also divided the Ibrahimi mosque, which it claims as the Cave of the Patriarch, against the will of the almost wholly Muslim population of the city. That isn’t cricket.
The practice of enticing Palestinians with substantial amounts of money to sell their properties to settler organisations is well established, and where the direct approach fails attempts to achieve this through devious and backhanded means are well known to Palestinians. This normally involves using Palestinians as front men to a sale to gain trust, but in reality the sale was always to settler organisations or individuals. Palestinians deal harshly with those who sell their property to settlers and, when found, the rogues who facilitate these shady deals are also targeted.
Another means of taking over Palestinian property and transferring it to Jewish settlers is the use of what is called the absentee property law. This framework allows Israel to confiscate Palestinian property where the owners left or were forced to flee as a result of the establishment of the state of Israel and were not able to (that is not allowed) to return. Initially, Israel had not applied this to East Jerusalem, but this changed in 2015 when the Supreme Court ruled that it could be applied to East Jerusalem, thus making it "legal" for homes to be taken and essentially handed over to settlers by the state.
This is in defiance of international law, which is clear that East Jerusalem is illegally occupied. Estimates of how much of Israel’s territory is confiscated under the absentee law is uncertain. However, the Independent’s Robert Fisk reported that when he interviewed the Israeli Custodian of Absentee Property, he estimated this to be up to 70 percent of the territory of Israel, the West Bank and the Gaza Strip.
What the above demonstrates is that Israel as a state and those organisations set up to increase the population of Jews living in the occupied Palestinian territories together use a combination of laws, forgeries, deceptions and outright brute force to take over Palestinian property to increase the presence of Jews, especially in East Jerusalem and Hebron.
The case of the Abu Ta’ah land in Sheikh Jarrah takes this a step further. The state itself was alleged to have used every trick in the book to complete this transfer, which the Palestinians see as blatant fabrication and theft. As the French work to convene an international peace conference to restart another round of futile talks between Palestinians and Israelis, there will be talk of confidence- and trust-building measures to create an atmosphere that helps both sides make the "necessary concessions".
Israel could start with ending its determined effort to replace Palestinians with settlers, suspend the absentee property law, and return the Abu Ta’ah land to its rightful owners. That would be cricket.
Kamel Hawwash is a British/Palestinian engineering professor based at the University of Birmingham and a long-standing campaigner for justice, especially for the Palestinian people. He is vice chair of the Palestine Solidarity Campaign (PSC) and appears regularly in the media as commentator on Middle East issues. - This article was published in the Middle East Eye website.
The cricket season is in full swing in England and this was possibly playing on my mind when I read this headline in Haaretz: “Israel seized Palestinian family's East Jerusalem land behind Its back, gave it to settler NGO.”
My immediate reaction was this is simply not cricket, a British term used to describe an act that is unfair, not honest, or immoral.
Israel should know all about this as it has a cricket team and one that is a member of the European Cricket Council. In fact, Israel expropriated the land from the Abu Ta’ah family in East Jerusalem without a tender and against the rules, then handed it over to Amana, an organisation that works to establish settlements and outposts for Jews.
A double whammy! Not only was the land taken from the family, it was given to an organisation that exists to take over as much Palestinian land as possible through any means, especially in occupied East Jerusalem, but worse was that - it will use it to establish its headquarters in the heart of Palestinian East Jerusalem.
Amana was formed as an offshoot of the messianic Zionist movement Gush Emunim and is run by Ze'ev Hever, a convicted terrorist. It has a long and chequered history of fabricating documents to take Palestinian land and property under the pretence that it once belonged to Jews or that it had been bought legally from previous owners. It was formed in 1976 with the goal of "establishing communities" only for Jews in the occupied territories.
An investigation into its subsidiary Al-Watan (Arabic name for homeland), a company run by Hever, revealed that 14 out of 15 supposed real estate acquisitions it made were forged. That isn’t cricket. Elad is another group that works to take over Palestinian property and land in East Jerusalem and settle it with Jews. It received $115 million in donations between 2006 and 2013, which, according to a Haaretz investigation, came mostly from companies registered in global tax shelters such as the Bahamas, the Virgin Islands and the Seychelles, and it is unclear who controls them.
Another group that benefits from these donations is Ateret Cohanim, an Israeli Jewish organisation which works for the creation of a Jewish majority in the Old City and Arab neighbourhoods in East Jerusalem. Two of its main funders are American Jewish businessman Irving Moskowitz and his wife Cherna Moskowitz.
In around 2000, Ateret Cohanim and Elad began to acquire land in Palestinian neighbourhoods of East Jerusalem outside the Old City and particularly around what they call the "City of David" area, which is part of the Palestinian neighbourhood of Silwan. Stories abound of Palestinian families in Silwan waking up to find Jewish settlers, protected by Israeli security forces, moving into homes in Silwan.
The methods used to take over land or property belonging to, or rented for decades by, Palestinians are many. One is to claim that Jews owned them prior to the establishment of the state of Israel and that they should revert to the state. The Palestinian families are evicted and the property turned over to settler organisations that move Jewish settlers into them, despite the settlers not being descendants of the supposed original Jewish owners. Appeals to the Israeli courts usually fail to reverse the takeover, and the "transfer" stands.
Palestinians not only see this as a deliberate policy to replace them with Jews with no connection to the properties, but as a form of incitement. That isn’t cricket. Another hotspot and focus for settler takeover of Palestinian homes is the Palestinian city of Alkhalil (Hebron). Ever since the first settlement was created there shortly after the Six Day War, and the planting of settlers in the centre of the city, settler groups and organisations have been working to occupy buildings to gently change the "demographics" in its centre.
An example of this was the takeover by dozens of settlers of parts of a Palestinian property on the sensitive Shuhada street, which they claimed they had bought legally. Protected by the Israeli army, the settlers are known to terrorise the local population of 200,000 inhabitants in order to push as many of them as possible to leave. Israel has also divided the Ibrahimi mosque, which it claims as the Cave of the Patriarch, against the will of the almost wholly Muslim population of the city. That isn’t cricket.
The practice of enticing Palestinians with substantial amounts of money to sell their properties to settler organisations is well established, and where the direct approach fails attempts to achieve this through devious and backhanded means are well known to Palestinians. This normally involves using Palestinians as front men to a sale to gain trust, but in reality the sale was always to settler organisations or individuals. Palestinians deal harshly with those who sell their property to settlers and, when found, the rogues who facilitate these shady deals are also targeted.
Another means of taking over Palestinian property and transferring it to Jewish settlers is the use of what is called the absentee property law. This framework allows Israel to confiscate Palestinian property where the owners left or were forced to flee as a result of the establishment of the state of Israel and were not able to (that is not allowed) to return. Initially, Israel had not applied this to East Jerusalem, but this changed in 2015 when the Supreme Court ruled that it could be applied to East Jerusalem, thus making it "legal" for homes to be taken and essentially handed over to settlers by the state.
This is in defiance of international law, which is clear that East Jerusalem is illegally occupied. Estimates of how much of Israel’s territory is confiscated under the absentee law is uncertain. However, the Independent’s Robert Fisk reported that when he interviewed the Israeli Custodian of Absentee Property, he estimated this to be up to 70 percent of the territory of Israel, the West Bank and the Gaza Strip.
What the above demonstrates is that Israel as a state and those organisations set up to increase the population of Jews living in the occupied Palestinian territories together use a combination of laws, forgeries, deceptions and outright brute force to take over Palestinian property to increase the presence of Jews, especially in East Jerusalem and Hebron.
The case of the Abu Ta’ah land in Sheikh Jarrah takes this a step further. The state itself was alleged to have used every trick in the book to complete this transfer, which the Palestinians see as blatant fabrication and theft. As the French work to convene an international peace conference to restart another round of futile talks between Palestinians and Israelis, there will be talk of confidence- and trust-building measures to create an atmosphere that helps both sides make the "necessary concessions".
Israel could start with ending its determined effort to replace Palestinians with settlers, suspend the absentee property law, and return the Abu Ta’ah land to its rightful owners. That would be cricket.
Kamel Hawwash is a British/Palestinian engineering professor based at the University of Birmingham and a long-standing campaigner for justice, especially for the Palestinian people. He is vice chair of the Palestine Solidarity Campaign (PSC) and appears regularly in the media as commentator on Middle East issues. - This article was published in the Middle East Eye website.
21 may 2016
By Khalid Amayreh in occupied Palestine
Today a real Nazi star is rising in Israel’s sky as former extremist minister Avigdor Lieberman is being groomed for becoming Israel’s new War Minister.
Lieberman, an ex-club bouncer, reportedly with pedophile tendencies, has been promised the defense portfolio by Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu following the dismissal of erstwhile Defense minister Moshe Yaalon.
The appointment of Lieberman at the helm of the Defense Ministry, many observers agree, marks an unprecedented Nadir in Israeli politics. Some Jewish writers have already compared the dramatic ascendance of Lieberman to the country’s top security post with the rise in Germany of the Nazi party in the late 1920s.
The man is seen as encapsulating a genocidal combination of both German Nazism and Soviet Stalinism. Stalin is reportedly Lieberman’s ultimate role model. Moreover, it is widely thought that had millions of Jews not been exterminated by Nazism, Hitler too would have become Lieberman’s hero.
In 2006, this writer wrote the following, after Lieberman was elected to the Knesset: “Lieberman is more than just “controversial” as the Zionist and Zionist-controlled media would portray him, mainly in order to evade facing the reality of his fascist-mindset.
He is actually a dangerous demagogic politician and warmonger who advocates ethnic cleansing, genocide and a nuclear Armageddon.
In fact, the man can be viewed as a Hitler-in-the-making with very little exaggeration. Lieberman’s thuggish behavior is very well known even among Jews in Israel.
In 1999, the former Moldovan immigrant attacked and savagely beat, some say bit, a neighbor’s child for allegedly beating his own son. The affair was publicized in Israel but eventually died down when Lieberman’s star rose, first as a lawmaker representing Jewish immigrants from the former Soviet Union and second as cabinet minister in Ariel Sharon’s government 2001-2003.
As a cabinet minister Lieberman espoused Nazi-like ideas so brazenly that then Foreign Minister Shimon Peres had to warn him that he might be summoned to The Hague to stand trial for crimes against humanity if he decided to effect his racist ideology.
On 8 March, 2002, the Israeli newspaper Yediot Ahronot quoted him as saying the following during a cabinet meeting: At eight o’clock, we bomb all commercial centers (in the occupied territories), at 12 o’clock we bomb all fuel stations, and at two o’clock in the afternoon, we bomb all the banks, and we keep the border crossings open (to allow Palestinians to flee).”
Today, Lieberman remains unchanged, unreformed and unrepentant to put it very mildly. His bloodthirstiness, criminal-mindedness, and genocidal savagery are as affronting as ever.
That is why we may well be about to witness a new turning point in the annals of the Arab-Israel conflict, a turning point characterized by pornographic genocidal violence, probably unseen since 1948. The genocidal thug is already threatening to murder Palestinian leaders, including Ismael Haniyya, the former elected Palestinian Prime Minister.
He is also threatening, rather brashly, PLO Chairman Mahmoud Abbas, telling him “you either heed our orders or will meet Yasser Arafat’s and Ahmed Yasin’s fate.” (Yasin was assassinated by Israel in Gaza on 22 March, 2004, and Arafat, who died on 11 November the same year, is widely believed to have been poisoned by Israeli agents.)
A final word to the Israeli Jewish society: Don’t you ever think that a Nazi or Nazi-like War Minister will benefit you or bring about more security, stability and peace to you. I strongly believe the opposite would happen. Many Germans thought the same with regard to the Third Reich.
We know the rest of the story. And don’t you ever think that Jewish morality wouldn’t allow the emergence of a Jewish Hitler. Germany was probably the most cultured society under the sun in the years leading up to the Holocaust.
Just think about it.
Khalid Amayreh is a veteran Palestinian journalist and current affair political commentator living in Dura, occupied Palestine.
Today a real Nazi star is rising in Israel’s sky as former extremist minister Avigdor Lieberman is being groomed for becoming Israel’s new War Minister.
Lieberman, an ex-club bouncer, reportedly with pedophile tendencies, has been promised the defense portfolio by Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu following the dismissal of erstwhile Defense minister Moshe Yaalon.
The appointment of Lieberman at the helm of the Defense Ministry, many observers agree, marks an unprecedented Nadir in Israeli politics. Some Jewish writers have already compared the dramatic ascendance of Lieberman to the country’s top security post with the rise in Germany of the Nazi party in the late 1920s.
The man is seen as encapsulating a genocidal combination of both German Nazism and Soviet Stalinism. Stalin is reportedly Lieberman’s ultimate role model. Moreover, it is widely thought that had millions of Jews not been exterminated by Nazism, Hitler too would have become Lieberman’s hero.
In 2006, this writer wrote the following, after Lieberman was elected to the Knesset: “Lieberman is more than just “controversial” as the Zionist and Zionist-controlled media would portray him, mainly in order to evade facing the reality of his fascist-mindset.
He is actually a dangerous demagogic politician and warmonger who advocates ethnic cleansing, genocide and a nuclear Armageddon.
In fact, the man can be viewed as a Hitler-in-the-making with very little exaggeration. Lieberman’s thuggish behavior is very well known even among Jews in Israel.
In 1999, the former Moldovan immigrant attacked and savagely beat, some say bit, a neighbor’s child for allegedly beating his own son. The affair was publicized in Israel but eventually died down when Lieberman’s star rose, first as a lawmaker representing Jewish immigrants from the former Soviet Union and second as cabinet minister in Ariel Sharon’s government 2001-2003.
As a cabinet minister Lieberman espoused Nazi-like ideas so brazenly that then Foreign Minister Shimon Peres had to warn him that he might be summoned to The Hague to stand trial for crimes against humanity if he decided to effect his racist ideology.
On 8 March, 2002, the Israeli newspaper Yediot Ahronot quoted him as saying the following during a cabinet meeting: At eight o’clock, we bomb all commercial centers (in the occupied territories), at 12 o’clock we bomb all fuel stations, and at two o’clock in the afternoon, we bomb all the banks, and we keep the border crossings open (to allow Palestinians to flee).”
Today, Lieberman remains unchanged, unreformed and unrepentant to put it very mildly. His bloodthirstiness, criminal-mindedness, and genocidal savagery are as affronting as ever.
That is why we may well be about to witness a new turning point in the annals of the Arab-Israel conflict, a turning point characterized by pornographic genocidal violence, probably unseen since 1948. The genocidal thug is already threatening to murder Palestinian leaders, including Ismael Haniyya, the former elected Palestinian Prime Minister.
He is also threatening, rather brashly, PLO Chairman Mahmoud Abbas, telling him “you either heed our orders or will meet Yasser Arafat’s and Ahmed Yasin’s fate.” (Yasin was assassinated by Israel in Gaza on 22 March, 2004, and Arafat, who died on 11 November the same year, is widely believed to have been poisoned by Israeli agents.)
A final word to the Israeli Jewish society: Don’t you ever think that a Nazi or Nazi-like War Minister will benefit you or bring about more security, stability and peace to you. I strongly believe the opposite would happen. Many Germans thought the same with regard to the Third Reich.
We know the rest of the story. And don’t you ever think that Jewish morality wouldn’t allow the emergence of a Jewish Hitler. Germany was probably the most cultured society under the sun in the years leading up to the Holocaust.
Just think about it.
Khalid Amayreh is a veteran Palestinian journalist and current affair political commentator living in Dura, occupied Palestine.
19 may 2016
The Israeli Occupation Authorities (IOA) arrested 28 young women over Facebook posts since the outbreak of Jerusalem Intifada last October, the Palestine Center for Prisoners Studies revealed Thursday.
The rights center stated that Israeli forces notably escalated arrests against Palestinian women over the past seven months under flimsy pretexts.
According to the center, some Palestinian women were arrested while confronting settlers’ break-ins into al-Aqsa Mosque, or allegedly planning anti-occupation attacks, or visiting their relatives in Israeli jails.
However, Israeli authorities invented since the outbreak of Jerusalem Intifada a new charge against Palestinian women. 28 Palestinian young women were arrested for “incitement” in social media.
At least six of them are still held behind Israeli bars, while eight others were held in administrative detention.
The rights group stated that Israel’s deliberate targeting of Palestinian women came as part of its collective punishment policy.
The rights center stated that Israeli forces notably escalated arrests against Palestinian women over the past seven months under flimsy pretexts.
According to the center, some Palestinian women were arrested while confronting settlers’ break-ins into al-Aqsa Mosque, or allegedly planning anti-occupation attacks, or visiting their relatives in Israeli jails.
However, Israeli authorities invented since the outbreak of Jerusalem Intifada a new charge against Palestinian women. 28 Palestinian young women were arrested for “incitement” in social media.
At least six of them are still held behind Israeli bars, while eight others were held in administrative detention.
The rights group stated that Israel’s deliberate targeting of Palestinian women came as part of its collective punishment policy.
The International Relations Council in Palestine has strongly denounced French president François Hollande for apologizing to Israel for the UNESCO's resolution that refuted any Jewish link to the Aqsa Mosque.
In a press release on Wednesday, head of the council Basem Na'im stated that the Jews have no historical link to the Aqsa Mosque and there is nothing proving their claims about it.
"This has been confirmed by the organization's resolution last month, which set the record straight," he said.
Na'im expressed concern that the positions of some major countries could affect the resolutions taken by UN organizations and cause considerable injustice to other countries. He accused Israeli premier Benjamin Netanyahu of leading an Israeli campaign to pressure UN organizations and its members to change their positions on the Aqsa Mosque and adopt the Jewish fake claims about it.
He demanded the Arab and Islamic countries to quickly and seriously move to confront this Israeli campaign and prevent any attempt to pressure the UNESCO to backtrack on its decision.
In a press release on Wednesday, head of the council Basem Na'im stated that the Jews have no historical link to the Aqsa Mosque and there is nothing proving their claims about it.
"This has been confirmed by the organization's resolution last month, which set the record straight," he said.
Na'im expressed concern that the positions of some major countries could affect the resolutions taken by UN organizations and cause considerable injustice to other countries. He accused Israeli premier Benjamin Netanyahu of leading an Israeli campaign to pressure UN organizations and its members to change their positions on the Aqsa Mosque and adopt the Jewish fake claims about it.
He demanded the Arab and Islamic countries to quickly and seriously move to confront this Israeli campaign and prevent any attempt to pressure the UNESCO to backtrack on its decision.
15 may 2016
The Movements of Hamas and Islamic Jihad have called on the Palestinian young people for activating the Palestinian intifada (uprising) in the West Bank and Gaza border areas on Sunday, which marks the 68th anniversary of the Nakba.
In a joint press release on Sunday, the two Movements hailed the call made yesterday by youth groups for actively participating, on the Nakba Day, in protests and confrontations with the Israeli occupation forces (IOF) in all flashpoint areas.
Earlier, the Intifada Youth Coalition had declared May 15, which marks the 68th Nakba anniversary, a day of anger against the Israeli occupation and called upon the Palestinian young people to clash with its troops in all occupied territories.
"Let May 15 be a day of marching and returning to our villages and areas and a day of confrontation between the Palestinian youths and the occupation in all flashpoint areas," a spokesman for the coalition told a news conference on Saturday in Gaza.
In a joint press release on Sunday, the two Movements hailed the call made yesterday by youth groups for actively participating, on the Nakba Day, in protests and confrontations with the Israeli occupation forces (IOF) in all flashpoint areas.
Earlier, the Intifada Youth Coalition had declared May 15, which marks the 68th Nakba anniversary, a day of anger against the Israeli occupation and called upon the Palestinian young people to clash with its troops in all occupied territories.
"Let May 15 be a day of marching and returning to our villages and areas and a day of confrontation between the Palestinian youths and the occupation in all flashpoint areas," a spokesman for the coalition told a news conference on Saturday in Gaza.
The Islamic party in Malaysia and the office of deputy head of International Union of Muslim Scholars concluded the events of Jerusalem Week in Kuala Lumpur on Sunday in commemoration of the Palestinian Nakba by stressing the support of Jerusalem Intifada and the refusal of normalization with Israel.
In a press conference on Sunday morning, the Chairman of the Islamic Party of Malaysia, Sheikh Abdul Hadi Awang said that the Palestinian Question and the Aqsa Mosque must be the central issue of the Muslim Nation.
Awang underlined that his party along with the Malaysian government agree on the support of the Palestinian Question.
In an exclusive statement to the PIC, Awang said, “Jerusalem Intifada frightens the Israeli occupation, diminishes its settlement hopes, and renews the Muslim Nation’s hopes of the approach of liberation”.
Awang praised the heroism and sacrifices of the Palestinian people as well as their steadfastness and determination in confronting the Israeli occupation.
The events of Jerusalem Week lasted for a week from May 6 to May 15 and included dozens of workshops, speeches, marches, and competitions.
In a press conference on Sunday morning, the Chairman of the Islamic Party of Malaysia, Sheikh Abdul Hadi Awang said that the Palestinian Question and the Aqsa Mosque must be the central issue of the Muslim Nation.
Awang underlined that his party along with the Malaysian government agree on the support of the Palestinian Question.
In an exclusive statement to the PIC, Awang said, “Jerusalem Intifada frightens the Israeli occupation, diminishes its settlement hopes, and renews the Muslim Nation’s hopes of the approach of liberation”.
Awang praised the heroism and sacrifices of the Palestinian people as well as their steadfastness and determination in confronting the Israeli occupation.
The events of Jerusalem Week lasted for a week from May 6 to May 15 and included dozens of workshops, speeches, marches, and competitions.
The United Nations Children’s Emergency Fund (UNICEF) has reported that the Israeli army have killed 25 Palestinian children in the last three months of 2015, and expressed its concern about the dangerous increase in the arrest and imprisonment of children.
The UNICEF said that the soldiers have killed 25 Palestinian children, including five girls, shot and injured 1310 children in different parts of the occupied state of Palestine.
23 children (19 males and 4 females) were killed in the West Bank and Jerusalem, and 2 in the Gaza Strip.
It also said that, in the same time-frame, three Israeli children were injured in Palestinian attacks, near Israeli colonies in the occupied West Bank, and west Jerusalem.
The UNICEF expressed its deep concern over the excessive use of force by the Israeli military and police, especially cases when they killed Palestinian children who carried out stabbing attacks, and those who were suspected of intending to conduct such attacks.
One of the cases mentioned by the UNICEF was the death of a 17-year-old Palestinian girl, who was shot with at least five live rounds, after the Israeli soldiers took her for a search.
It said the Israeli military claimed the girl attempted to stab a policeman, but eyewitness testimonies said that she posed no threat to the soldiers, and was shouting that she did not carry a knife.
The UNICEF also stated that even before the current escalation started in October 2015, the Israeli army killed four Palestinian children, and injured 165 others, in the period between July and September.
In addition, the UNICEF said it is deeply concerned regarding the alarming number of Palestinian children, between the ages of 12 and 17, who are imprisoned by Israel, and added that the number of imprisoned children stood at 422 by the end of December 2015, which is the highest since March of 2009.
The UNICEF also stated that, last year, Israeli soldiers arrested, on average, 219 Palestinian children every month, an issue that is a %15 increase from 2014.
It is worth mentioning that the Israeli law allows prosecuting Palestinian children as young as 12 years of age.
The UNICEF said that the soldiers have killed 25 Palestinian children, including five girls, shot and injured 1310 children in different parts of the occupied state of Palestine.
23 children (19 males and 4 females) were killed in the West Bank and Jerusalem, and 2 in the Gaza Strip.
It also said that, in the same time-frame, three Israeli children were injured in Palestinian attacks, near Israeli colonies in the occupied West Bank, and west Jerusalem.
The UNICEF expressed its deep concern over the excessive use of force by the Israeli military and police, especially cases when they killed Palestinian children who carried out stabbing attacks, and those who were suspected of intending to conduct such attacks.
One of the cases mentioned by the UNICEF was the death of a 17-year-old Palestinian girl, who was shot with at least five live rounds, after the Israeli soldiers took her for a search.
It said the Israeli military claimed the girl attempted to stab a policeman, but eyewitness testimonies said that she posed no threat to the soldiers, and was shouting that she did not carry a knife.
The UNICEF also stated that even before the current escalation started in October 2015, the Israeli army killed four Palestinian children, and injured 165 others, in the period between July and September.
In addition, the UNICEF said it is deeply concerned regarding the alarming number of Palestinian children, between the ages of 12 and 17, who are imprisoned by Israel, and added that the number of imprisoned children stood at 422 by the end of December 2015, which is the highest since March of 2009.
The UNICEF also stated that, last year, Israeli soldiers arrested, on average, 219 Palestinian children every month, an issue that is a %15 increase from 2014.
It is worth mentioning that the Israeli law allows prosecuting Palestinian children as young as 12 years of age.
13 may 2016
Israeli Occupation forces (IOF) on Thursday barred Palestinian marchers, who kicked off last Saturday from Haifa city in 1948 Occupied Palestine towards Occupied Jerusalem, from accessing the Aqsa Mosque.
The march’s spokesman Sindbad Taha told Quds Press that the IOF stopped the march in Wadi al-Joz district east of Occupied Jerusalem and barred participants from approaching the Aqsa neither collectively nor individually and threatened them with arrest.
Israeli police stopped the marchers on Wednesday at an Israeli barrier and forced them to use buses just to disrupt the march which is launched for the second year on the anniversary of the Palestinian Nakba in 1948.
The march’s spokesman Sindbad Taha told Quds Press that the IOF stopped the march in Wadi al-Joz district east of Occupied Jerusalem and barred participants from approaching the Aqsa neither collectively nor individually and threatened them with arrest.
Israeli police stopped the marchers on Wednesday at an Israeli barrier and forced them to use buses just to disrupt the march which is launched for the second year on the anniversary of the Palestinian Nakba in 1948.
The Israeli occupation authority has banned eight Palestinian journalists from traveling under security pretexts since the beginning of the current year, the Palestinian committee for the support of journalists said.
In a press release on Thursday, the committee accused Israel of banning the travel of journalists to punish them and restrict their work.
Last January, Israeli Shin Bet officers prevented 31-year-old Anas Dar Abed, working for a local magazine, from traveling through al-Karama crossing, according to the committee.
Two other journalists were also denied travel in February, including photojournalist Imad Nassar, from Gaza, who was banned from traveling to the UAE after he won the title of the best photographer in 2015 in a contest organized in Sharjah.
During the same month, the Shin Bet barred journalist Mohamed Abu Fayadh from crossing from Gaza to the West Bank. Five other journalists from Gaza and the West Bank were also prevented from travel through different crossings in March, April and May.
In a press release on Thursday, the committee accused Israel of banning the travel of journalists to punish them and restrict their work.
Last January, Israeli Shin Bet officers prevented 31-year-old Anas Dar Abed, working for a local magazine, from traveling through al-Karama crossing, according to the committee.
Two other journalists were also denied travel in February, including photojournalist Imad Nassar, from Gaza, who was banned from traveling to the UAE after he won the title of the best photographer in 2015 in a contest organized in Sharjah.
During the same month, the Shin Bet barred journalist Mohamed Abu Fayadh from crossing from Gaza to the West Bank. Five other journalists from Gaza and the West Bank were also prevented from travel through different crossings in March, April and May.
12 may 2016
The Israeli police arrested Thursday seven Palestinian minors for allegedly being involved in anti-occupation attacks.
According to Israeli police’s statement, six of the arrested minors are aged between 14 and 17 and were detained for allegedly setting fire near the Apartheid Wall north of occupied Jerusalem.
Along the same line, violent clashes erupted in Nabi Yacob area after being brutally stormed by Israeli policemen amid heavy fire of teargas bombs and sound grenades.
A 16-year-old boy was also arrested for allegedly being involved in stone-throwing attack against settlers’ cars, causing material damage. Since the outbreak of Jerusalem Intifada on October 1 last year, Israel stepped up its arrest campaigns against Palestinian children.
According the Palestine Center for Prisoners’ Studies, more than 2000 Palestinian minors were arrested since October 1. 2000 minors were among 5500 detainees rounded up since the outbreak of Jerusalem Intifada, spokesman for the center Riyad al-Ashqar clarified.
70% of the detained minors were arrested in al-Khalil and occupied Jerusalem, he added, pointing out that many of them are under the age of 10 while 32 of them suffered live bullet injuries during their arrest.
The majority of the child detainees were released, while 450 minors are still held behind Israeli bars including an 11-year-old boy.
According to Israeli police’s statement, six of the arrested minors are aged between 14 and 17 and were detained for allegedly setting fire near the Apartheid Wall north of occupied Jerusalem.
Along the same line, violent clashes erupted in Nabi Yacob area after being brutally stormed by Israeli policemen amid heavy fire of teargas bombs and sound grenades.
A 16-year-old boy was also arrested for allegedly being involved in stone-throwing attack against settlers’ cars, causing material damage. Since the outbreak of Jerusalem Intifada on October 1 last year, Israel stepped up its arrest campaigns against Palestinian children.
According the Palestine Center for Prisoners’ Studies, more than 2000 Palestinian minors were arrested since October 1. 2000 minors were among 5500 detainees rounded up since the outbreak of Jerusalem Intifada, spokesman for the center Riyad al-Ashqar clarified.
70% of the detained minors were arrested in al-Khalil and occupied Jerusalem, he added, pointing out that many of them are under the age of 10 while 32 of them suffered live bullet injuries during their arrest.
The majority of the child detainees were released, while 450 minors are still held behind Israeli bars including an 11-year-old boy.
The Palestinian Prisoners Society (PPS) has reported that the Israeli Authorities imprisoned 647 Palestinians under arbitrary Administrative Detention order, without charges, since October 1, 2015.
The PPS said that the current number of Palestinian detainees, held under Administrative Detention orders, is 750, and that this is first the number reached this level since 2008.
It added that Israeli military courts issued 1144 Administrative Detention orders since October 1st of last year, including new orders and renewal of existing orders.
It also said that most of these orders were made by the Ofer Israeli military court, north of Ramallah, in the occupied West Bank.
The PPS said such orders witnessed a sharp rise after Israel’s Prime Minister, Benjamin Netanyahu, instructed the military to escalate this policy, as part of the collective punishment measures issued against the Palestinians.
The PPS said that the current number of Palestinian detainees, held under Administrative Detention orders, is 750, and that this is first the number reached this level since 2008.
It added that Israeli military courts issued 1144 Administrative Detention orders since October 1st of last year, including new orders and renewal of existing orders.
It also said that most of these orders were made by the Ofer Israeli military court, north of Ramallah, in the occupied West Bank.
The PPS said such orders witnessed a sharp rise after Israel’s Prime Minister, Benjamin Netanyahu, instructed the military to escalate this policy, as part of the collective punishment measures issued against the Palestinians.
Israeli settlers stepped up overnight their attacks against Palestinians and their properties as they were celebrating their Jewish holidays.
In al-Khalil, a group of settlers stoned late yesterday several Palestinian homes in the Old City. The settlers threw stones and empty bottles at a number of local homes after they performed Talmudic rituals at the Ibrahimi Mosque, the PIC reporter affirmed.
Following the settlers’ attack, clashes erupted in the area during which several local youths were injured.
On the other hand, hundreds of settlers closed all roads leading to the evacuated settlements of Sanur and Homesh north of occupied West Bank and performed Talmudic rituals in the area.
Sanur and Homesh settlements were evacuated in 2005 and returned to their Palestinian owners amid a rise in attempts by Israeli settlers to wrest back control of the lands.
In al-Khalil, a group of settlers stoned late yesterday several Palestinian homes in the Old City. The settlers threw stones and empty bottles at a number of local homes after they performed Talmudic rituals at the Ibrahimi Mosque, the PIC reporter affirmed.
Following the settlers’ attack, clashes erupted in the area during which several local youths were injured.
On the other hand, hundreds of settlers closed all roads leading to the evacuated settlements of Sanur and Homesh north of occupied West Bank and performed Talmudic rituals in the area.
Sanur and Homesh settlements were evacuated in 2005 and returned to their Palestinian owners amid a rise in attempts by Israeli settlers to wrest back control of the lands.
11 may 2016
Jewish organizations Tuesday called for raising the Israeli flag over the Dome of the Rock at the Aqsa Mosque during the commemoration of the Palestine Nakba in 1948 which coincides on May 15.
The organizations concerned with what has been known as “calling for building Temple of Solomon” published posters on social media networking and electronic websites demonstrating a Jewish settler over the Dome of the Rock while raising the Israeli flag.
In a similar context, Hebrew Yedioth Ahronoth newspaper stated that Israeli Minister of Culture and Sports Miri Regev works on setting a new law that obligates all institutions funded by the Israeli government to raise the Israeli flag including sports stadiums, theaters, and public halls.
The organizations concerned with what has been known as “calling for building Temple of Solomon” published posters on social media networking and electronic websites demonstrating a Jewish settler over the Dome of the Rock while raising the Israeli flag.
In a similar context, Hebrew Yedioth Ahronoth newspaper stated that Israeli Minister of Culture and Sports Miri Regev works on setting a new law that obligates all institutions funded by the Israeli government to raise the Israeli flag including sports stadiums, theaters, and public halls.
10 may 2016
Israeli settlers took over at dawn Monday a big Palestinian home belonging to Elyousbashi Jerusalemite family in al-Saadiya neighborhood in the Old City of Occupied Jerusalem.
Activist Alaa al-Haddad, one of the Old City’s inhabitants, told the PIC reporter that 40 settlers broke into the home and performed Talmudic rituals in its yard.
He added that the house is a huge property consisting of three levels and overlooking the Aqsa Mosque.
The family members were not at home at the moment of the settlers' incursion, he pointed out.
Activist Alaa al-Haddad, one of the Old City’s inhabitants, told the PIC reporter that 40 settlers broke into the home and performed Talmudic rituals in its yard.
He added that the house is a huge property consisting of three levels and overlooking the Aqsa Mosque.
The family members were not at home at the moment of the settlers' incursion, he pointed out.
MP Bassem al-Za'arir said that the arrest of Sheikh Salah aims at muting the free voices defending the Aqsa and Occupied Jerusalem and constitutes an attempt to end Jerusalem Intifada.
In a press statement on Monday, Za'arir opined that Sheikh Salah, who is a key figure and key component of Jerusalem Intifada, has become a model for the defense of Occupied Jerusalem and the Aqsa Mosque as well as other sacred places.
He called for massive support for Occupied Jerusalem and the Aqsa holy site after the arrest of Sheikh Salah, saying that his detention will not weaken the determination of the Palestinian people.
In a press statement on Monday, Za'arir opined that Sheikh Salah, who is a key figure and key component of Jerusalem Intifada, has become a model for the defense of Occupied Jerusalem and the Aqsa Mosque as well as other sacred places.
He called for massive support for Occupied Jerusalem and the Aqsa holy site after the arrest of Sheikh Salah, saying that his detention will not weaken the determination of the Palestinian people.
Israeli police installed security cameras at Ghawanmeh gate’s minaret in the northwest corner of the Aqsa Mosque within a campaign of fixing dozens of mobile digital cameras at various locations.
The Islamic Awqaf Department along with the Awqaf council and the higher Islamic committee in Occupied Jerusalem condemned the Israeli measure.
They considered the move as violating the status quo and understandings applicable in Jerusalem since its eastern part was occupied by Israel in 1967.
Sheikh Azzam al-Khatib, head of the Islamic Awqaf Department, denounced the measure and said it is a blatant violation of Muslims’ rights of worship as well as the international norms and laws.
Khatib underlined that the Ministry of Awqaf, the government and the Jordanian Royal Diwan were acquainted with these Israeli violations which also included installing cameras at al-Magharebah gate and above the windows of al-Tankaziya School which overlooks the Aqsa Mosque from the eastern side.
The Islamic Awqaf Department along with the Awqaf council and the higher Islamic committee in Occupied Jerusalem condemned the Israeli measure.
They considered the move as violating the status quo and understandings applicable in Jerusalem since its eastern part was occupied by Israel in 1967.
Sheikh Azzam al-Khatib, head of the Islamic Awqaf Department, denounced the measure and said it is a blatant violation of Muslims’ rights of worship as well as the international norms and laws.
Khatib underlined that the Ministry of Awqaf, the government and the Jordanian Royal Diwan were acquainted with these Israeli violations which also included installing cameras at al-Magharebah gate and above the windows of al-Tankaziya School which overlooks the Aqsa Mosque from the eastern side.
8 may 2016
Studies and documentation unit at detainees and ex-detainees committee in Gaza Strip revealed that the Israeli Occupation Forces (IOF) arrested 5,677 Palestinians since October, 01, 2015 until the end of April this year.
Abdunnaser Farwana, head of the unit, said that the Israeli arrests included males and females of different ages including 3,508 cases in the West Bank, 1,872 in Occupied Jerusalem, 169 in 1948 Occupied Palestine and 128 in Gaza Strip.
Farwana called on the international community to provide international protection for the Palestinian captives and to put an end to the Israeli daily arrests and aggressive practices against detainees, which run contrary to the international law.
Abdunnaser Farwana, head of the unit, said that the Israeli arrests included males and females of different ages including 3,508 cases in the West Bank, 1,872 in Occupied Jerusalem, 169 in 1948 Occupied Palestine and 128 in Gaza Strip.
Farwana called on the international community to provide international protection for the Palestinian captives and to put an end to the Israeli daily arrests and aggressive practices against detainees, which run contrary to the international law.