المكتب الوطني للدفاع عن الارض ومقاومة الاستيطان منظمة التحرير الفلسطينية
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By: Madeeha Araj
The Israeli occupation is working to change the Civil Administration – the occupation’s arm in the Palestinian territories occupied in 1967 – into a civil apparatus through doubling-up its workers and abolishing its status. During successive meetings with the settlement leaders to enhance awareness toward expanding the civil administration, a plan was prepared by Head of the Civil Administration, Brigadier-General, Ahafat Ben Hor, and under the guidance of Coordinator of the Government Activities in the Occupied Territories, Major General, Yoav Mordechai that aims to consolidate the occupation in the territories occupied in 1967, after it became clear that there is no horizon for a political solution to the Israeli-Palestinian conflict. The plan was based on basic assumption that the Arab population, and the Jewish population (ie, the settlers) will remain in Judea and Samaria (the West Bank) for the foreseeable future. According to the plan, the number of civil employees at the Civil Administration will rise from 200 to 400 ones.
In charge of the Civil Administration, Ben Dahan, is thinking of ideas to change the Civil Administration into a civilian apparatus rather than a military one. Among his ‘ideas’ is shifting attention of the settlers’ affairs to ministries, as is the case with education.
On the other hand, more settlement units are being built in the Haioville outpost north of Ramallah. The outpost is illegal under Israeli law and is built on Palestinian land. It was established in 1998 without the approval of the Israeli government, where 12 illegal houses are being built near the home of Kobi Iliraz, the adviser of the Israeli occupation minister for settlement affairs in the settlement of Eli. Eliraz’s considers construction work under his care as a government’s support for that. Some of the homes at Haioville have been built by Amana, a nonprofit organization that builds homes in West Bank settlements.
According to the available data, 2 of 4 new building settlements at the Nabi Ya’aqob settlement in Jerusalem are ready. The settlement project on Avraham Rabbits St. in the settlement includes 4 buildings, each consisting of 9 floors, 78 units, other buildings is due to be completed soon that consist of 17 housing units and the other 20 units. The Euro-Israel co. is working on other settlement projects in East Jerusalem, of which 2 are in the Pisgat Ze’ev settlement. One consists of 24 housing units, the second includes 122 ones. The company also supervises the construction of 122 additional units in the Har Homa settlement, 32 units in the Ariel settlement and 96 units in the Modi’in settlement within the 1948 lands.
Within the context of the policy of annexation, teams from the occupation municipality in Jerusalem and various ministries have begun to implement a plan to decorate roads of Jerusalem to mark the 70th anniversary of the establishment of Israel. The Israeli authorities also plan to hold a military parade in the city of Jerusalem, the first of its kind in 45 years. Planes, tanks and thousands of soldiers will be used in the celebration. US $ 100,000 will be paid on that.
Within the framework of the silent provocations and ethnic cleansing in Jerusalem, the Israeli District Committee for Planning and Building approved administrative demolition orders for 12 residential buildings, most of them in Beit Hanina, east of occupied Jerusalem, and also issued administrative demolition orders for a 160 sq.m. building in Beit Hanina, 85 sq.m building and many others with about 90 sq.m. At the same time, Rabbi, Eliyahu decided to build a Jewish religious school near the entrance Al-Aqsa, despite the security tensions in Jerusalem.
At the same time, the Supreme Presidential Committee for the Churches in Palestine confirmed that the unfair resolution issued by the Israeli Central Court regarding the suspicious deal under-which the Imperial and Petra Bayt Hotels at Al-Mu’adamiya were leased for 99 years to 3 settlement companies, of which the Ateret Cohanim Association.
The National Bureau For Defending Land and Resisting Settlements warned against the danger of transferring the Civil Administration’s employees to state employees and employing them through the State Services Commission, and turning the Civil Administration into a civilian apparatus that deals with the affairs of settlers. The Bureau also condemned a settler’s running over four 4 children from the Silwan townm, causing severe injuries to them. Moreover, settlers from Itamar, Yitshar and Bracha built on the Aqraba village’s land have burnt 100 of olive trees south of Nablus, they also damaged 2 Palestinian vehicles and wrote racist anti-Arab slogans in the Um Safa village near Ramallah and Al-Bireh. The Bureau confirmed that the attacks are part of a series of ongoing attacks on the Palestinian territories. The Bureau held the Netanyahu government fully responsible for the incitement it waged along with its various branches and religious schools led by extremist rabbis and settlers, demanding the arrest of criminals and bringing them to a fair trial.
The National Bureau documented the following Israeli Occupation and Settlers’ Violations during the last week:
Jerusalem:
- Judaizing and ethnic cleansing policy continued in the Holy City.
- Demolishing a house belonging to the Shaludi family in the Jabal Al-Mukaber under the pretext of building without a permit.
- In Beit Hanina neighborhood.
- Informing the Shamasna family in the Sheikh Jarrah neighborhood to evacuate their house claiming that the house is owned by settlers, besides many other houses in the area known as the “Kabina Um Harun”, claiming that the houses belong to Jewish families, too. Within the context, the Israeli occupation forces distributed a number of demolition notices to demolish several facilities at the main entrances of Silwad, including notifications of houses, Al-Salam School, an iron factory.
- Settler dashed 3 children in the Silwan town, causing moderate injuries and they were taken to the hospital.
- Demolishing electric power plates erected by international donors to provide electricity to a primary school and a children’s nursery at the Abu-Nuwar complex near Jerusalem contrary to the prevailing regulations.
- Notifying 23 Palestinian families to demolish their houses in the Bedouin neighborhood of Al-Fahidiat in Jerusalem, they were given 72 hours to object the resolution.
Hebron:
- Armed settlers protected by Israeli soldiers attacked Palestinian homes near the Qiryat Arba settlement. They threw stones and empty bottles at them, and they chanted racist and abusive insults against the citizens, threatening them with more violence and attacks.
- Four workers survived death as number of settlers threw stones at them while they were renovating a building belonging to the Sharbati family in the Old City.
- Storming a house belonging to Ayed Shahatit, located near the Kharsa Junction that links the Dura town with the surrounding villages and a town. It is considered as a passage for settlers living in the settlements built on the Dura’s lands, and bypass road number 60.
- Confiscating a roof belonging to Al-Shahatit family, and erected a tent and raised the Israeli flag, while the Israeli bulldozers started to settle a 500-m land adjacent to it so as to prepare for erecting a military tower and iron gates even though the land is located in C area i.e. under Palestinian control.
Bethlehem:
- Erecting 9 mobile homes near the Nahalin village. Thus, confiscating more of the village’s land to expand the of Beitar Illit settlement that built on the Bethlehem villages’ lands, under a plan to increase the number of settlers up to 60,000, at the expense of the Arab village. Netanyahu has put the foundation stone for building 1,100 units in advance.
- Confiscating and bulldozing 70 donums of agricultural land in the Jab’a and Surayf villages, furthermore, storming Al-Khor area west of the village, bulldozed about 10 donums, belonging to the Abu Latifa, Hamdan and Abu Luha’s families under the pretext of setting up a training site for Israeli soldiers.
- Moreover, the Israeli occupation forces bulldozed a land near the military checkpoint west of the Jab’a village under the pretext of widening the checkpoint and building a military training camp.
Ramallah:
- Burning 2 vehicles in the Um Safa village, chanted raist slogans. They also erected a checkpoint on the eastern entrance of the village. They also unveiled new plan to construct more settlement units in the center of Haioville,
- Noteworthy to mention that Haioville is an illegal settlement built on Palestinian land. It was established in 1998. The Times of Israel reported that the construction of 12 houses was carried out illegally. The paper confirmed that the construction works will double the settlement size, which is practically a part of “Eli” settlement.
Nablus:
- Storming the city from the eastern area under the pretext of performing prayers at the Joseph’s Tomb, while settlers sent calls via “Facebook” to break into the Tomb. Moreover, settlers from the settlement of Itamar put to fire a 100 donums planted with citrus fruits of the Aqraba village.
