المكتب الوطني للدفاع عن الارض ومقاومة الاستيطان منظمة التحرير الفلسطينية
Related Articles
By: Madeeha Araj,
Within the context of the Israeli ethnic cleansing and judaization strategy, Israeli PM Netanyahu requested the US envoys Jared Kouchner and Jason Greenblatt to agree on annexing settlements to Jerusalem in return for giving towns in Wadi Ara to the Palestinian Authority as part of a “future peace agreement,” as the Israeli Gov’t intends to make a demographic change there that depends on maximizing settlers and minimizing Palestinian presence in the city. Netanyahu has announced his intention to support a proposed law allowing the expansion of the area of jurisdiction of the Israeli municipality in Jerusalem, including the Maaleh Adumim, Betar Illit, Givat Ze’ev, Efrat and the Gush Etzion settlements.
Political circles in Israel circulate a law calling for the drive out a number of Palestinian towns and villages, such as, Shoafat, Isawyah, Jabal Al-Mukaber, Beit Hanina and Sor Baher, where more than 300,000 Palestinian people live, and then transfer responsibility of those areas to the Palestinian Authority. The so-called draft law considered “Jerusalem as democratic Capital and a city of Jewish people.” The law proved that the % of the Palestinians in Jerusalem is constantly increasing. In 1967, Palestinians were 26% of the city’s population, and today they are about 40%. According to the law, the government will be asked to present a practical plan to guarantee the character of Jerusalem as a Jewish city within 6 months, and then to submit the plan for approval by the Knesset.
In Jerusalem, the Knesset’s constitutional commission approved in first reading a law that bans the division of Jerusalem city even if it is within a formal political settlement, and ensures the occupation’s control of the city. In a meeting at the Ariel settlement, the Likud party’s office overwhelmingly opposed the establishment of a Palestinian State to the west of the Jordan River.
At the same time, Deputy Mayor of of the occupation municipality in Jerusalem, Meir Turgeman, revealed the approval of the planning and building committees in Jerusalem of 859 new settlement units in the occupied Jerusalem, and stressed to go ahead with his municipality’s plans to build more settlement units. Last year, we promised to build in Gilo and Pisgat Ze’ev. He also revealed the District Committee’s approval of plans for the construction of 365 housing units on the “Hmrglit in Gilo street,” it is a huge project that includes the construction of 2 towers, each with a height of 30 floors, and several buildings each of the 6 floors heights. The committee also approved the construction of 274 housing units in Pisgat Ze’ev, and 4 towers each of which consists of 18-storey height, and another building with 18-storey, the committee also approved the improvement of the commercial center in the “Prophet Jacob settlement within the project of evacuation and construction. The project includes the demolition of the commercial center which was built in the 70s, which consists of 2 floors, and the construction of 3 buildings, each consisting of 12 floors, and the construction of another building of 9 floors. The total number of housing units within the project will be 220 units, and total area of 4375 sq.m. for the commercial area, 2850 sq.m for public buildings.
On the other hand, Yair Lapid, head of the “Yesh Attid” party, and head of the “Jewish House” party, Minister of Education, Naftali Bennett, participated in the inaugurating of a monument that was rebuilt in the settlement of Nativ Haavot after the Israeli Supreme Court, A decision to demolish this outpost and evacuate the settlers. The Israeli Supreme Court issued a resolution to demolish and evacuate the settlement outpost until next March. Since 2001, the outpost has been built on private Palestinian land belonging to Khader village, Bethlehem.
At the same time, Netanyahu has ordered the resumption of construction in the alternative settlement of Amihai to re-house the evacuated settlers from the Amona outpost. Netanyahu ordered the relevant authorities and contacted Housing Minister, Yoav Galant to resume the construction at the settlement, but due to financial crisis, work at the settlement was suspended for about a month.
In a provocative escalation, KM, Betzeliel Smutrich of the Jewish House party called for the establishment of a synagogue in the courtyard of the Holy Mosque. He added that work should be implemented in 3 stages, the first, construction of a synagogue there. Second, punishing the Palestinians in the West Bank claiming that the executor of the Halmish settlement’s operation came from there. Third, settlement construction in the West Bank shall continue, Israeli sovereignty on it shall be restored, and hundreds of thousands of Jews shall be settled in the West Bank in order to ensure that no Palestinian state would be established.
The National Bureau documented the following Israeli Occupation and Settlers’ Violations during the last week:
Jerusalem:
- Cutting old trees inside the Al-Aqsa Mosque, and severely beating Jerusalemite, Yaser Hadra before arresting him near the Lions’ Gate.
- Demolishing the historic tiles near the Al-Aqsa Mosque at the Lions’ Gate.
Hebron:
- Throwing stones at Palestinian vehicles near the Ayoun Junction, as well as in the near the “Kiryat Arba” settlement, built on the Palestinian citizens’ land.
- Chanting racist slogans demanding the deportation of Palestinians, including the “Death to the Arabs.”
- Attacking children in the old town of Hebron and hardly beaten them. Witnesses said five settlers attacked the children near the Ibrahimi Mosque, shouting “Death to the Arabs.” A 14-year-old boy, Saeed Sha’ban Shaloudi, was admitted to the hospital in a critical situation, and Bilal al-Natsheh, 12, and Moh’ed Khaled Tamimi, 15 were slightly injured.
- A notification to demolishing a facility for raising cattle in the Beit Umar town under the pretext of being built without a permit. The area of the facility is 800 sq.m, belonging to Omar ‘Issa Edais.
- Confiscating 4 donums to expand the military tower built on the Abu-Sneineh Hill, Hebron, and then bulldozed it. The land belongs to the Amr family.
- Breaking into and searching the house of Ali Ibrahim Abu-Rajab in the old city, and then raised the Israeli flag on it.
- Announcing the Al-Ibrahimi Mosque in Hebron as a closed military zone.
Ramalah:
- The Helmish settlers erected tents near a military occupation checkpoint, and started to fetch mobile homes – “caravans,” and iron fences to the area, with the aim of establishing a new outpost.
- Placing barbed wires at the main entrance of the Ni’ilin town, and closing the entrance of Qobar village for the third time, and then handing over a notification to the detained, Omar Abdel Jalil Abd’s family, to demolish their house.
- Throwing stones at Palestinian vehicles near the Beit-El settlement, at the Ramallah-Jalazoun road, and closing the main entrances of the Qobar and Deir-Nizam villages. They also closed St. 60 at the entrance of Al-Loban Al-Sharqeia village, and then fired bullets and gas bombs at citizens’ houses.
Bethlehem:
- Throwing stones at citizens on the bypass road no. 60.
- Confiscating a caravan belonging to Moh’d Ali Qatush in the Pateer town. Qatush used it to sell some products to tourists there.
Nablus
- Appeal to the official and human rights organizations to stop cutting the water pipes, the almost daily attacks carried out by settlers living in the Yitzhar settlement against the Palestinians of the Ma’dma village, and turning them into a pool to be used by settlers.
- Shouting racist slogans, attacking the homes in the Asira Qebliya village, closing the Jit-Huwwara road, and attacking Palestinian vehicles. And the closure of Hiwara St. from the Hawara checkpoint to the Yitzhar.
Tulkarm:
The closure of the road to and from the Shufeh village, preventing the movement of citizens and attacking vehicles.
Salfit:
- Placing more new caravans alongside the old ones above the lands of Yasuf village, near the Za’tara checkpoint.
Qalqilia:
- Extending the decision to seize the Moh’d Rasim Hussein’s house in the Azzon town, Qalqilya, and kept it as a closed military one.
- Throwing stones at citizens’ vehicles near the village of Jeet.
Jenin:
- Invading the Dahr-Maleh town, behind the apartheid wall south of Jenin, and chanted anti-Arab slogans.
- Invading the evacuated the settlement of Genem, and chanted racist slogans against Arabs and Muslims..
- Closing the southern entrances of Yabad village with cement cubes along the main road, near the Dutan checkpoint that links the Jenin – Tulkarm Governorates.
