المكتب الوطني للدفاع عن الارض ومقاومة الاستيطان منظمة التحرير الفلسطينية
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By: Madeeha Araj,
The National Bureau for defending land and resisting settlements stated in its latest weekly report , that the days before leaving to Lisbon to meet the American Secretary of State, Pompeo, the Israeli Occupation Prime Minister, Netanyahu reiterated his statements on imposing “Israeli sovereignty” on the Jordan Valley, and the northern Dead Sea making use of the American political support, and to discuss with him other issues, including an American recognition of the annexation of the Jordan Valley in the occupied Palestinian West Bank. Moreover, Netanyahu added that his entity “has the full right” to annex the Jordan Valley and other parts of the occupied West Bank.
During his campaign for the Knesset’s elections that took place in Sep. 17, 2019, Netanyahu has obviously announced he would impose Israeli sovereignty over the Jordan Valley and the northern Dead Sea in the West Bank, if he is re-elected. Worth mentioning that the Jordan Valley and the northern Dead Sea are a large area with an area of 24% of the area of the West Bank. Knowing that there are 37 settlements and outposts in the Jordan Valley, which control 12% of it, where about 9,500 Israeli settlers live.
According to reports issued by the Council of Settlements, Israel earns from the Jordan Valley settlements about US $ 650 – 750 million annually i.e. more than what it gains from all the exports of the Palestinian Authority to the Israeli occupation state. By depriving the Palestinians of controlling and investing in this region, Israel is directing a severe blow to the Palestinian economy, especially since the Jordan Valley is considered the key to sustainable development of the national economy, which is the food basket of Palestine, but is completely emptied by the occupation. According to multiple reports, including the World Bank, the Palestinians’ loss as a result of preventing them from accessing their legitimate resources in the Jordan Valley and the Dead Sea amounted to $ 3.4 billion annually, besides depriving the Palestinian Authority of thousands of jobs as well. Within the context, the Prosecutor of the International Criminal Court, Fatou Bensouda, finally expressed her concern about the Israeli government’s plans to annex the Jordan Valley.
Violating the Palestinian citizen’s rights under Israeli occupation, and in a clear challenge to the EU and the international community, Minister of the Israeli Occupation Army, Bennet pledged to launch an unprecedented campaign of demolition of Palestinian buildings located in Area C in the occupied West Bank under the pretext of not having required licenses. Bennet also met last week, EU ambassadors in Israel, he informed them that there is an intention to demolish all the buildings under full Israeli security control even if they are funded by them. Furthermore, Bennett decided to establish a new settlement neighborhood in the wholesale market “Al-Hasba” in the old city of Hebron, owned by the Hebron Municipality, Islamic Waqf and the people.
Within a different context, the occupation municipality in Jerusalem pays NIS 5 million every year to the “Amana Association,” which builds settlement outposts, including the rent of its office with an amount of NIS 913,000 in 2018, and an amount of NIS 930,000 this year. It should be noted that the Israeli government the Israeli government, during its last meeting, removed a clause regarding legal supervision of the decision to transfer 40 million shekels to the settlements in the West Bank. The cause for concern is that the public funds are transferred to illegal outposts. The clause was deleted at the request of Minister of the Environment and Jerusalem, Zeev Elkin who claimed that the goal of removing it is to avoid showing discrimination in comparison with other similar decisions. The Israeli government approved the transfer of NIS 40 million to settlements in the West Bank in order to enhance security.
A list of Israeli Assaults over the Last Week, Documented by the National Bureau
Jerusalem:
- Demolishing 165 homes in the occupied Jerusalem since the beginning of 2019, under the pretext of being built without permits, forcing some of the Jerusalemites to demolish their homes with their own hands, otherwise heavy fines will be imposed on them.
Hebron:
- Threatening shop-owners near the Ibrahimi Mosque in the center of Hebron to close their shops by force.
- Demolishing a room belonging to an elderly lady, and 3 rooms for the Shehadeh family in the Musafir Yatta.
- Attacking farmers from the Jabareen family in Om Al-Arayes area, south of Hebron, some of them were plowing their land to grow winter crops.
- Destroying an industrial facility in the Al-Dahereia town, south of Hebron.
Bethlehem:
- Notes to confiscate 4 donums in the Al-Jabaa village, southwest of Bethlehem with the aim of establishing an Israeli Park near the Hala military checkpoint. It is mentioned that the occupation warned a month ago to seize more than 2000 donums for citizens of the village.
Nablus:
- A new road was built near the “Itzhar” settlement, south of Nablus, with the aim of seizing hundreds of donums of agricultural land in Burin village.
- Closing the main road between Nablus and Jenin near the entrance to the evacuated “Homesh settlement”, and they obstructed the movement of citizens and entered “Caravana” to the settlement.
- Settlers stormed the archaeological site in the Sebastia town, north of Nablus, protected by the occupation forces, knowing that the town is witnessing repeated incursions by settlers amid harassment and threats to stop the Baidar Tourist Square project by the occupation forces.
Qalqilia:
- Dashing 3 civilians by a settler near the eastern entrance to the Qalqilia city, one of the injured was transferred to Darwish Nazzal Governmental Hospital in Qalqilia. His condition was described as minor, while the other two were transferred to a hospital in the 1948 line.
- Installing security cameras on the Habla tunnel, south of Qalqilia.
Tulkarm:
- Closing a road leading to the forests of the Qaffin town, north of Tulkarm, with soil and large rocks, preventing farmers from accessing their agricultural lands in the area, handing over a notice to citizen, Nidal Ajouli to stop construction on his land in the same place.
Jordan Valley:
- Demolishing 2 water tanks in the Tubas plain, with a capacity of one thousand cups, in the Einoon area, another one, with a cup capacity of 1,000 cups, owned by a number of farmers in the same area.
- Seizing an agricultural tractor, belonging to citizen, Abd-Moh’d Bani Odeh. Expelling shepherds from the farms in the Al-Farsiya area in the northern Jordan Valley.
- Assaulting foreign solidarity activists, shepherds in the Makhoul area in the Wadi Al-Maleh.
