5 nov 2017
By Issam Aruri
In recent months, the security and humanitarian situation in Palestine has deteriorated considerably. Palestinian human rights organisations have documented unprecedented settlement expansion, emboldened by the international community's continued hand-wringing in the face of Israel's violations of international law.
Just last week, 176 new settlement units were announced to be built in occupied East Jerusalem. Residency revocations for Palestinians in Jerusalem are on the rise, forcing people out of their lifelong communities.
And now, the Knesset is considering an unprecedented bill that would annex some of the West Bank's largest illegal settlements to Jerusalem.
Demographic change
Dubbed the "Greater Jerusalem" Bill, it constitutes a de facto annexation of settlements built on occupied Palestinian land and regarded as illegal by international law and the European Union.
Among the settlements included in the bill is Ma'aleh Adumim, the largest settlement in the Jerusalem area and the Gush Etzion settlement cluster. The bill is sponsored by a member of Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's right–wing Likud party and enjoys his backing.
We must be clear that the Greater Jerusalem Bill is an exercise in demographic change through annexation. Under the Bill, the settlements' over 150,000 inhabitants would be considered residents of Jerusalem, enabling them to vote in and sway municipal elections.
It will also downgrade the status of three Palestinian neighbourhoods in Jerusalem, demoting the status of the approximately 100,000 Palestinians who live there - essentially creating Jerusalem's own Bantustans.
The bill's intention, according to its authors, Israeli Knesset Minister Yoav Kish and Transportation Minister Yisrael Katz, is two-fold: to increase the proportion of Jews to Palestinians in Jerusalem to ensure Jewish dominance of the city, and territorial expansion.
Katz openly expressed his intention for the bill to "ensure a Jewish majority in the united city and to expand its borders by adding 150,000 residents to the area of a greater Jerusalem," adding that it would serve to challenge all who question the Jewish people’s right to the whole of Jerusalem as the capital of a Jewish homeland.
Netanyahu voiced his support for the bill in October, indicating that the bill will pass quickly and with the government's blessing.
De-facto annexation
Demographic engineering is in clear violation of international law, as it uses manipulation of the makeup of the civilian population to accomplish political goals. Currently, Palestinians make up nearly 40 percent the population of Jerusalem.
If the bill passes, the addition of settler populations into Jerusalem's census will reduce that percentage to 32 percent. It is a sinister way of ensuring that Jerusalem is washed of its Palestinian identity and, by extension, Palestinian rights and interests, while still calling itself democratic.
Enacting laws that are anti-democratic or violate international law, however, is not a rarity for Israel. This January, the Knesset passed a law that retroactively legalises Israeli outposts built on private Palestinian land in the occupied West Bank.
International calls to abandon the "Regularisation Law" proved futile as the Knesset rapidly moved to pass it.
Palestinian human rights organisations, including my organisation, the Jerusalem Legal Aid and Human Rights Center (JLAC), are concerned that the Great Jerusalem Bill could face an eerily similar fate with public outcry and condemnations proving to be little more than lip service that only delays the inevitable.
Palestinians have had their human rights trampled upon systematically throughout the prolonged military occupation. We have lost huge swathes of our lands and had our communities fragmented. We have been warning for years that Israel's actions amount to de-facto annexation.
With the passage of the Greater Jerusalem Bill, our warnings would become a codified reality.
Genuine action
This should sound an alarm to European officials. Not only do these actions undermine UN Security Council resolutions and EU Foreign Affairs Council conclusions, they erode the potency of international law as a whole. More so, they destroy the prospects of peace.
Despite discussions about renewing the peace talks, and the Palestinian reconciliation agreement signed in Cairo last month, measures like the Greater Jerusalem Bill undo any positive steps made toward solving the conflict.
On Sunday, Israel's Ministerial Committee for Legislation delayed its vote on the bill to reportedly allow time for "diplomatic preparation". European officials should seize the time offered by the delay to unequivocally condemn the Greater Jerusalem Bill and spell out the diplomatic consequences of its passage.
This time, we need more than measured consideration and public statements. We need genuine action.
There are very real steps officials can take to pressure Israel to act in accordance with international law. They include an end to preferential trade agreements so long as settlement activity continues and support for accountability mechanisms.
Given the serious prospect of annexation, the European Commission should immediately halt any discussion about holding the EU-Israel Association Council.
If the international community continues to remain silent in the face of Israeli violations, it will be very hard to undo the damage being done to the prospects of achieving justice and peace.
European officials must stand tall and take the lead to stop the Greater Jerusalem Bill.
- Issam Aruri is the General Director of the Jerusalem Legal Aid and Human Rights Center (JLAC). He is a founding member of the Palestinian NGO Network (PNGO), which is a coalition of 140 Palestinian civil society organisations. His article was published in the Middle East Eye website.
In recent months, the security and humanitarian situation in Palestine has deteriorated considerably. Palestinian human rights organisations have documented unprecedented settlement expansion, emboldened by the international community's continued hand-wringing in the face of Israel's violations of international law.
Just last week, 176 new settlement units were announced to be built in occupied East Jerusalem. Residency revocations for Palestinians in Jerusalem are on the rise, forcing people out of their lifelong communities.
And now, the Knesset is considering an unprecedented bill that would annex some of the West Bank's largest illegal settlements to Jerusalem.
Demographic change
Dubbed the "Greater Jerusalem" Bill, it constitutes a de facto annexation of settlements built on occupied Palestinian land and regarded as illegal by international law and the European Union.
Among the settlements included in the bill is Ma'aleh Adumim, the largest settlement in the Jerusalem area and the Gush Etzion settlement cluster. The bill is sponsored by a member of Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's right–wing Likud party and enjoys his backing.
We must be clear that the Greater Jerusalem Bill is an exercise in demographic change through annexation. Under the Bill, the settlements' over 150,000 inhabitants would be considered residents of Jerusalem, enabling them to vote in and sway municipal elections.
It will also downgrade the status of three Palestinian neighbourhoods in Jerusalem, demoting the status of the approximately 100,000 Palestinians who live there - essentially creating Jerusalem's own Bantustans.
The bill's intention, according to its authors, Israeli Knesset Minister Yoav Kish and Transportation Minister Yisrael Katz, is two-fold: to increase the proportion of Jews to Palestinians in Jerusalem to ensure Jewish dominance of the city, and territorial expansion.
Katz openly expressed his intention for the bill to "ensure a Jewish majority in the united city and to expand its borders by adding 150,000 residents to the area of a greater Jerusalem," adding that it would serve to challenge all who question the Jewish people’s right to the whole of Jerusalem as the capital of a Jewish homeland.
Netanyahu voiced his support for the bill in October, indicating that the bill will pass quickly and with the government's blessing.
De-facto annexation
Demographic engineering is in clear violation of international law, as it uses manipulation of the makeup of the civilian population to accomplish political goals. Currently, Palestinians make up nearly 40 percent the population of Jerusalem.
If the bill passes, the addition of settler populations into Jerusalem's census will reduce that percentage to 32 percent. It is a sinister way of ensuring that Jerusalem is washed of its Palestinian identity and, by extension, Palestinian rights and interests, while still calling itself democratic.
Enacting laws that are anti-democratic or violate international law, however, is not a rarity for Israel. This January, the Knesset passed a law that retroactively legalises Israeli outposts built on private Palestinian land in the occupied West Bank.
International calls to abandon the "Regularisation Law" proved futile as the Knesset rapidly moved to pass it.
Palestinian human rights organisations, including my organisation, the Jerusalem Legal Aid and Human Rights Center (JLAC), are concerned that the Great Jerusalem Bill could face an eerily similar fate with public outcry and condemnations proving to be little more than lip service that only delays the inevitable.
Palestinians have had their human rights trampled upon systematically throughout the prolonged military occupation. We have lost huge swathes of our lands and had our communities fragmented. We have been warning for years that Israel's actions amount to de-facto annexation.
With the passage of the Greater Jerusalem Bill, our warnings would become a codified reality.
Genuine action
This should sound an alarm to European officials. Not only do these actions undermine UN Security Council resolutions and EU Foreign Affairs Council conclusions, they erode the potency of international law as a whole. More so, they destroy the prospects of peace.
Despite discussions about renewing the peace talks, and the Palestinian reconciliation agreement signed in Cairo last month, measures like the Greater Jerusalem Bill undo any positive steps made toward solving the conflict.
On Sunday, Israel's Ministerial Committee for Legislation delayed its vote on the bill to reportedly allow time for "diplomatic preparation". European officials should seize the time offered by the delay to unequivocally condemn the Greater Jerusalem Bill and spell out the diplomatic consequences of its passage.
This time, we need more than measured consideration and public statements. We need genuine action.
There are very real steps officials can take to pressure Israel to act in accordance with international law. They include an end to preferential trade agreements so long as settlement activity continues and support for accountability mechanisms.
Given the serious prospect of annexation, the European Commission should immediately halt any discussion about holding the EU-Israel Association Council.
If the international community continues to remain silent in the face of Israeli violations, it will be very hard to undo the damage being done to the prospects of achieving justice and peace.
European officials must stand tall and take the lead to stop the Greater Jerusalem Bill.
- Issam Aruri is the General Director of the Jerusalem Legal Aid and Human Rights Center (JLAC). He is a founding member of the Palestinian NGO Network (PNGO), which is a coalition of 140 Palestinian civil society organisations. His article was published in the Middle East Eye website.
Israel’s Internal Security Minister, Gilad Erdan, announced his intent to tighten military grip on Jerusalem’s Old City so as to quell projected anti-occupation attacks.
According to a Saturday report by Israel’s Channel 10, a plan forwarded by Erdan aims to tighten the noose around Palestinians’ neck in Bab al-Amoud and the Old City, in Occupied Jerusalem, by multiplying checkpoints across the area.
Israeli border police troops will reportedly be deployed around the Old City and Bab al-Amoud and 40 smart security cameras will be installed across the area to keep tabs on Palestinians’ movement.
The measures are slated to be put into operation by next month.
Erdan Announces Plan for Dozens of Jerusalem Checkpoints
Israeli Minister of Internal Security, Gilad Erdan, has prepared a plan which aims to intensify the security in the Bab al-Amud area and in the Old City district, through deploying dozens of checkpoints similar to those used by the military.
According to the PNN, the deployment of the Israeli forces and the border guards at those points, in addition to the deployment of 40 smart security cameras which the plan includes is, reportedly, to enable the Israeli police to monitor what is happening in the region.
The process of setting up these points will take place within a month, said Israeli Channel 10, noting that it will highly affect the image of the old town.
The Israeli occupation, during the past periods, has deployed dozens of surveillance cameras in the area, especially in the vicinity of Bab al-Amoud, as well as a near permanent checkpoint in the area where Israeli forces inspect citizen ID cards.
According to a Saturday report by Israel’s Channel 10, a plan forwarded by Erdan aims to tighten the noose around Palestinians’ neck in Bab al-Amoud and the Old City, in Occupied Jerusalem, by multiplying checkpoints across the area.
Israeli border police troops will reportedly be deployed around the Old City and Bab al-Amoud and 40 smart security cameras will be installed across the area to keep tabs on Palestinians’ movement.
The measures are slated to be put into operation by next month.
Erdan Announces Plan for Dozens of Jerusalem Checkpoints
Israeli Minister of Internal Security, Gilad Erdan, has prepared a plan which aims to intensify the security in the Bab al-Amud area and in the Old City district, through deploying dozens of checkpoints similar to those used by the military.
According to the PNN, the deployment of the Israeli forces and the border guards at those points, in addition to the deployment of 40 smart security cameras which the plan includes is, reportedly, to enable the Israeli police to monitor what is happening in the region.
The process of setting up these points will take place within a month, said Israeli Channel 10, noting that it will highly affect the image of the old town.
The Israeli occupation, during the past periods, has deployed dozens of surveillance cameras in the area, especially in the vicinity of Bab al-Amoud, as well as a near permanent checkpoint in the area where Israeli forces inspect citizen ID cards.
4 nov 2017
Hebrew media sources on Saturday revealed further details about the Israeli decision to launch a special police unit in Occupied Jerusalem following the tension that broke out recently at al-Aqsa Mosque.
They added that the plan also includes establishing 15 police centers and recruiting hundreds of new officers to work in the city.
Speaking at a ceremony honoring Israeli officers last week, Gilad Erdan, Israel's Public Security Minister, announced that the job of this special unit, which will include more than 100 policemen, is to maintain "public order" at al-Aqsa Mosque.
The formation of this unit, which will be equipped with advanced technology and intelligence capacities, will double the number of Israeli policemen in Jerusalem, the Hebrew sources noted.
This increase in the Israeli police staff in Jerusalem is the highest since the occupation of the city.
They added that the plan also includes establishing 15 police centers and recruiting hundreds of new officers to work in the city.
Speaking at a ceremony honoring Israeli officers last week, Gilad Erdan, Israel's Public Security Minister, announced that the job of this special unit, which will include more than 100 policemen, is to maintain "public order" at al-Aqsa Mosque.
The formation of this unit, which will be equipped with advanced technology and intelligence capacities, will double the number of Israeli policemen in Jerusalem, the Hebrew sources noted.
This increase in the Israeli police staff in Jerusalem is the highest since the occupation of the city.
The Israeli Occupation Forces (IOF) arrested, during October, 500 Palestinians including 70 minors and nine women from West Bank and Gaza Strip, rights group reported.
Palestine center for prisoners’ studies issued Friday a report documenting Israeli violations over the past month.
180 of the reported arrests were carried out in occupied Jerusalem including 45 in Issawiya town in one single night, the report revealed.
15 other arrests were reported in Gaza Strip including four fishermen detained while sailing off Gaza shores.
Also during October, IOF raided Palestinian media companies in West Bank, shutting down production facilities and closing offices in locations including Ramallah, Nablus, al-Khalil and Bethlehem.
Companies targeted by the raids included Palmedia, Ramsat and Trans Media, which the Israeli defence ministry accused of "incitement" and of providing production services to Hamas's al-Aqsa and al-Quds television channel.
Four journalists were also rounded up after IOF violently stormed their homes.
70 children were also detained during the same reported period including a 12-year-old child who was kidnapped in front of his school, while nine women were rounded up.
Meanwhile, 75 administrative detention orders were issued between the period two to six months over the last months, including 35 new orders while 40 orders were extensions.
The center pointed out that Israeli jailers continued their break-ins and attacks against Palestinians prisoners during October.
Palestine center for prisoners’ studies issued Friday a report documenting Israeli violations over the past month.
180 of the reported arrests were carried out in occupied Jerusalem including 45 in Issawiya town in one single night, the report revealed.
15 other arrests were reported in Gaza Strip including four fishermen detained while sailing off Gaza shores.
Also during October, IOF raided Palestinian media companies in West Bank, shutting down production facilities and closing offices in locations including Ramallah, Nablus, al-Khalil and Bethlehem.
Companies targeted by the raids included Palmedia, Ramsat and Trans Media, which the Israeli defence ministry accused of "incitement" and of providing production services to Hamas's al-Aqsa and al-Quds television channel.
Four journalists were also rounded up after IOF violently stormed their homes.
70 children were also detained during the same reported period including a 12-year-old child who was kidnapped in front of his school, while nine women were rounded up.
Meanwhile, 75 administrative detention orders were issued between the period two to six months over the last months, including 35 new orders while 40 orders were extensions.
The center pointed out that Israeli jailers continued their break-ins and attacks against Palestinians prisoners during October.
31 oct 2017
Israel’s Ministerial Committee for Legislation is set to discuss a bill ruling for sentencing Palestinian anti-occupation attackers to death.
The bill was forwarded to the Knesset in 2015 and received only the approbation of Israel Beytenou political party. The other parties along with Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu rejected the bill.
Following the anti-occupation stabbing attack carried out in July in Halamish settlement, built on Palestinian lands northwest of Ramallah, Israel Beytenou forwarded the bill once again.
The proposed bill was passed on to the Legislation Committee so as to garner votes in favor of the move by next week.
The bill gives a green light to the execution of a Palestinian attacker from the occupied West Bank following instructions from the Israeli war minister.
The bill was forwarded to the Knesset in 2015 and received only the approbation of Israel Beytenou political party. The other parties along with Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu rejected the bill.
Following the anti-occupation stabbing attack carried out in July in Halamish settlement, built on Palestinian lands northwest of Ramallah, Israel Beytenou forwarded the bill once again.
The proposed bill was passed on to the Legislation Committee so as to garner votes in favor of the move by next week.
The bill gives a green light to the execution of a Palestinian attacker from the occupied West Bank following instructions from the Israeli war minister.
An Israeli parliamentarian has expressed his support for formal apartheid, backing annexation of entire West Bank, but without its Palestinian inhabitants being granted the right to vote.
MK Miki Zohar, who is chair of the Knesset’s Special Committee for Distributive Justice and Social Equality, expressed his views in an interview with Haaretz newspaper.
“When we say to the Palestinians, ‘We are giving you a state, let’s make peace’ – it’s deceiving them,” Zohar told the paper.
“No one is going to give them a state, not the left either. I am saying: Let’s cut this problem off before it begins and stop with the lies. We’ll tell them: ‘Guys, no state, live here with us, prosper, earn a living, educate your children’.”
Asked whether he meant that Palestinians in an annexed West Bank would not vote in the Knesset elections, Zohar replied in the affirmative.
“We must always maintain control over the mechanisms of the state, as the Jewish people that received this country by right and not by an act of charity.”
Over the years it is very possible the Arabs could become the majority here, and I cannot take this risk.
According to Zohar, such views are “not extreme” but “realistic.”
He continued: “In my opinion, he [the Palestinian] doesn’t have the right to national identity, because he does not own the land of this country.”
“I want him as a resident by virtue of my own sense of fairness – because he was born here and lives here, I will not tell him to leave. I’m sorry to say this, but they have one conspicuous liability: They weren’t born Jews.”
With respect to Palestinians with Israeli citizenship, Zohar said: “They will have to choose if they are loyal to the state”, based on three conditions: “national service; recognition of the Israeli flag, which would fly above every public institution; and recognizing Israel as a Jewish and democratic state.”
“And this would not be the decision of an individual, but of a public authority. If they can’t meet these criteria, they would no longer be able to vote for the Knesset.”
MK Miki Zohar, who is chair of the Knesset’s Special Committee for Distributive Justice and Social Equality, expressed his views in an interview with Haaretz newspaper.
“When we say to the Palestinians, ‘We are giving you a state, let’s make peace’ – it’s deceiving them,” Zohar told the paper.
“No one is going to give them a state, not the left either. I am saying: Let’s cut this problem off before it begins and stop with the lies. We’ll tell them: ‘Guys, no state, live here with us, prosper, earn a living, educate your children’.”
Asked whether he meant that Palestinians in an annexed West Bank would not vote in the Knesset elections, Zohar replied in the affirmative.
“We must always maintain control over the mechanisms of the state, as the Jewish people that received this country by right and not by an act of charity.”
Over the years it is very possible the Arabs could become the majority here, and I cannot take this risk.
According to Zohar, such views are “not extreme” but “realistic.”
He continued: “In my opinion, he [the Palestinian] doesn’t have the right to national identity, because he does not own the land of this country.”
“I want him as a resident by virtue of my own sense of fairness – because he was born here and lives here, I will not tell him to leave. I’m sorry to say this, but they have one conspicuous liability: They weren’t born Jews.”
With respect to Palestinians with Israeli citizenship, Zohar said: “They will have to choose if they are loyal to the state”, based on three conditions: “national service; recognition of the Israeli flag, which would fly above every public institution; and recognizing Israel as a Jewish and democratic state.”
“And this would not be the decision of an individual, but of a public authority. If they can’t meet these criteria, they would no longer be able to vote for the Knesset.”
29 oct 2017
A US official on Sunday expressed the US administration's opposition to the Israeli government's vote on a controversial bill that entails a de facto annexation of West Bank settlements to Jerusalem.
The official, who spoke on condition of anonymity, said that the US is discouraging the actions that it believes will distract the concerned parties from focusing on the advancement of peace negotiations.
He continued that the Jerusalem expansion bill is considered one of those actions, Reuters reported.
Israel's Prime Minister, Benjamin Netanyahu, on Sunday decided to delay the vote on a draft law to include a number of West Bank settlements under the Israeli-controlled Jerusalem municipality.
Chairman of the Israeli government coalition, David Bitan, announced, based on Netanyahu's instructions, that the vote on Greater Jerusalem bill will be delayed until political coordination with the US is made despite that fact that a ministerial committee was scheduled to vote on the bill on Sunday to expedite its submission to the Knesset to be ratified.
The official, who spoke on condition of anonymity, said that the US is discouraging the actions that it believes will distract the concerned parties from focusing on the advancement of peace negotiations.
He continued that the Jerusalem expansion bill is considered one of those actions, Reuters reported.
Israel's Prime Minister, Benjamin Netanyahu, on Sunday decided to delay the vote on a draft law to include a number of West Bank settlements under the Israeli-controlled Jerusalem municipality.
Chairman of the Israeli government coalition, David Bitan, announced, based on Netanyahu's instructions, that the vote on Greater Jerusalem bill will be delayed until political coordination with the US is made despite that fact that a ministerial committee was scheduled to vote on the bill on Sunday to expedite its submission to the Knesset to be ratified.
Yedioth Ahronoth newspaper on Sunday reported that Israel's war minister, Avigdor Lieberman, is seeking to expand the scope of sanctions imposed on the Palestinians involved in anti-Israel attacks.
The paper explained that Lieberman wants to examine the possibility to expand the demolition policy targeting the homes of the Palestinians who carry out fatal attacks to include the homes of those who carry out attacks in which Israelis are injured.
According to the Hebrew newspaper, Lieberman said, "There is no difference between an attack that ends in murder and one that ends in a serious injury," adding, "Homes of terrorists must be destroyed in both cases."
The Israeli occupation forces have demolished dozens of Palestinian houses in the recent months as part of a punitive policy pursued against the Palestinians involved in attacks that lead to killing or injuring Israeli settlers or soldiers.
The paper explained that Lieberman wants to examine the possibility to expand the demolition policy targeting the homes of the Palestinians who carry out fatal attacks to include the homes of those who carry out attacks in which Israelis are injured.
According to the Hebrew newspaper, Lieberman said, "There is no difference between an attack that ends in murder and one that ends in a serious injury," adding, "Homes of terrorists must be destroyed in both cases."
The Israeli occupation forces have demolished dozens of Palestinian houses in the recent months as part of a punitive policy pursued against the Palestinians involved in attacks that lead to killing or injuring Israeli settlers or soldiers.
27 oct 2017
Israeli authorities declared Friday intention to launch a large-scale demolition campaign in Kafr Aqab neighborhood, north of occupied Jerusalem.
According to Haaretz Hebrew newspaper, the Israeli municipality in occupied Jerusalem is preparing to demolish five Palestinian buildings with a total of 138 apartments for being allegedly built without its permit.
Kafr Aqab neighborhood, isolated by Israel’s separation wall, is home for 60,000 Palestinians.
Local residents affirmed that the municipality has denied their requests for building permits, forcing them to build without them.
According to Haaretz Hebrew newspaper, the Israeli municipality in occupied Jerusalem is preparing to demolish five Palestinian buildings with a total of 138 apartments for being allegedly built without its permit.
Kafr Aqab neighborhood, isolated by Israel’s separation wall, is home for 60,000 Palestinians.
Local residents affirmed that the municipality has denied their requests for building permits, forcing them to build without them.
25 oct 2017
The website of Haaretz newspaper on Wednesday reported that the Israeli Ministerial Committee for Legislation is set to vote on Sunday on a bill to annex a number of West Bank settlements to Jerusalem.
The website pointed out that the bill, providing for annexing the settlements of Gush Etzion, Ma'aleh Adumim, Efrat, Beitar Illit and Givat Ze'ev to Jerusalem, was initiated by MK Yoav Kish of Likud party with the support of Transportation and Intelligence Minister Yisrael Katz.
According to this bill, which is part of a project called "Greater Jerusalem", the Israeli local authorities and settlement neighborhoods beyond the Green Line will be included under Israel's Jerusalem municipality.
The website noted that the bill is expected to be approved especially since it enjoys the support of Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and other parties in the government coalition.
Haaretz added that the Palestinian Authority is likely to strongly oppose the bill that will be seen as part of a de facto annexation of the West Bank territories.
Minister Katz said that the move would add thousands of Israeli residents to Jerusalem and reduce the number of Palestinians there.
The website pointed out that the bill, providing for annexing the settlements of Gush Etzion, Ma'aleh Adumim, Efrat, Beitar Illit and Givat Ze'ev to Jerusalem, was initiated by MK Yoav Kish of Likud party with the support of Transportation and Intelligence Minister Yisrael Katz.
According to this bill, which is part of a project called "Greater Jerusalem", the Israeli local authorities and settlement neighborhoods beyond the Green Line will be included under Israel's Jerusalem municipality.
The website noted that the bill is expected to be approved especially since it enjoys the support of Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and other parties in the government coalition.
Haaretz added that the Palestinian Authority is likely to strongly oppose the bill that will be seen as part of a de facto annexation of the West Bank territories.
Minister Katz said that the move would add thousands of Israeli residents to Jerusalem and reduce the number of Palestinians there.
23 oct 2017
The head of the Studies and Documentation Department at the Palestinian Detainees’ Committee, former political prisoner, Abdul-Nasser Ferwana, stated that Israel has issued around 3086 arbitrary Administrative detention orders, since October 1, 2015, holding hundreds of detainees captive without charges or trial.
Ferwana stated that 1285 (%42) of these orders were issued against detainees for the first time, and 1801 (%58) were renewals of existing orders.
He added that Israel is currently holding captive 450 Palestinians, including women, children and legislators, under Administrative Detention orders.
Administrative Detention policies aim at imprisoning hundreds of persons for extended periods; these orders are largely repeatedly renewed without charges or trial.
Many of these orders are renewed each time to three, four, or six months, in many cases, imprisoning dozens of detainees for years.
“Israel has transformed Administrative Detention from something that is occasionally used to a fixed policy in dealing with thousands of detainees since 1967. This includes males and females, including children.” Ferwana stated, “This illegal policy became a tool used by Israel to exact vengeance on detainees who are not facing any charges. It is immoral, and violates basic standards of human rights.”
Ferwana called on various local, regional and international legal and human rights groups to intervene, and end the escalating Israeli violations of International Law and the Four Geneva Convention, and added that Israel’s use and abuse of Administrative Detention was never occasional, but a fixed illegal policy, part of ongoing violations and oppression.”
He also stated that the silence of International Community, the unwillingness and idleness in dealing with these violations, have given Israel a green light to continue and escalate these violations, and pushed many detainees to hold individual and extended hunger strikes, demanding dignity and justice.
Ferwana stated that 1285 (%42) of these orders were issued against detainees for the first time, and 1801 (%58) were renewals of existing orders.
He added that Israel is currently holding captive 450 Palestinians, including women, children and legislators, under Administrative Detention orders.
Administrative Detention policies aim at imprisoning hundreds of persons for extended periods; these orders are largely repeatedly renewed without charges or trial.
Many of these orders are renewed each time to three, four, or six months, in many cases, imprisoning dozens of detainees for years.
“Israel has transformed Administrative Detention from something that is occasionally used to a fixed policy in dealing with thousands of detainees since 1967. This includes males and females, including children.” Ferwana stated, “This illegal policy became a tool used by Israel to exact vengeance on detainees who are not facing any charges. It is immoral, and violates basic standards of human rights.”
Ferwana called on various local, regional and international legal and human rights groups to intervene, and end the escalating Israeli violations of International Law and the Four Geneva Convention, and added that Israel’s use and abuse of Administrative Detention was never occasional, but a fixed illegal policy, part of ongoing violations and oppression.”
He also stated that the silence of International Community, the unwillingness and idleness in dealing with these violations, have given Israel a green light to continue and escalate these violations, and pushed many detainees to hold individual and extended hunger strikes, demanding dignity and justice.
19 oct 2017
A set of listening devices is about to be installed by the Israeli occupation forces across Occupied Jerusalem to alert police of “unexpected events.”
Sound detectors will be first fixed in Occupied Jerusalem to test their efficiency in notifying of unexpected events, particularly anti-occupation operations.
The Israeli Ministry of Internal Security received the approbation of the legal adviser to activate the spying installations.
The devices will enable the Israeli police to track sounds of events as they appear, moment by moment.
For the Palestinians such a move means an invasion of their privacy in streets and public places.
Israel’s Interior Security Minister Gilad Erdan claimed the devices would shore up the safety of Israeli settlers and prevent projected violence.
Sound detectors will be first fixed in Occupied Jerusalem to test their efficiency in notifying of unexpected events, particularly anti-occupation operations.
The Israeli Ministry of Internal Security received the approbation of the legal adviser to activate the spying installations.
The devices will enable the Israeli police to track sounds of events as they appear, moment by moment.
For the Palestinians such a move means an invasion of their privacy in streets and public places.
Israel’s Interior Security Minister Gilad Erdan claimed the devices would shore up the safety of Israeli settlers and prevent projected violence.
