المكتب الوطني للدفاع عن الارض ومقاومة الاستيطان منظمة التحرير الفلسطينية
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By: Madeeha Al-A’raj
The fNational Bureau for defending land and resisting settlements ( nbprs ) stated in its latest weekly report , that the fogy position of the new US Administration on the Palestinian – Israeli conflict has encouraged the Netanyahu Gov’t to go ahead with the settlement policy, as it started very recently to transfer the E1 area into a settlement project, knowing that such act was previously seen by the Administration as provocative and unaccepted act. Moreover, the new US Administration’s concern on the Israeli – Palestinian file is at its lowest level, and gives green light to Israel to start robbing the area and turning it into settlement area. Thus, started to open a bypass road near the Annata, Al-Azzareia and Abu Diss towns east of the holy city through Al-Zaiem which means full control over the area in favor of the Ma’ale Adumim settlement, which is the largest one in the West Bank, and the building of about 12,000 settlement units. Consequently, isolating the city of Jerusalem from other Palestinian governorates, and completely isolating the northern parts of the West Bank from the southern parts.
It was also revealed that there was a plan for the occupation municipality in the occupied Jerusalem to establish expansion projects in the settlement of Pisgat Zeev north of the city, at a cost of NIS 350 million. The project includes building 900 new settlement units near the Malha commercial complex in central Jerusalem, commercial complexes, and a railway to connect Pisgat Zeev with the west of occupied Jerusalem. In the details of this settlement neighborhood, the so-called Israel Land Authority is seeking to approve a 205 dunum master plan that includes sports facilities and housing units distributed over 24 storey buildings, in addition to 250 protected housing units, and offices of an area of 330 square meters. The cost of this project is estimated at about NIS 14 million.
In a scene indicating hateful racist behavior, the District Planning and Building Committee of the occupation authorities in Jerusalem rejected a structural plan for the development and expansion of the village of Al Walaja, claiming to preserve the natural landscape and traditional agriculture in the village, at a time when the committee itself approved large building plans in settlements in the area following the rejection of the development plan, 38 homes in Al Walaja are threatened with demolition, and demolition orders have been issued against it, along with dozens of other homes facing the threat of demolition in the village. The residents of Al-Walaja are prevented from building homes for them, claiming that there is no outline plan for the village. The villagers have sought to draw up a master plan for 15 years, with the help of the Israeli human rights organization “Bimkom”. However, the District Committee refused to consider this map.
Within the context of the policy of restricting citizens of the Jordan Valley and pushing them to leave their lands, the occupation army expels the Palestinian shepherds from the so-called ‘firing zones’ there, and at the same time allows settlers to stay there and build in it without obtaining permission to do so. This is evident from the Israeli army’s response to the freedom of information request submitted by the Israeli human rights activist, Attorney Itai Mack, following repeated incidents in which the army forbids entry of Palestinians into grazing lands in firing zones, and settlers are allowed to do so. It is known that the occupation army declared about 45% of the area of the Jordan Valley as ‘firing zones’. In it, settlers are allowed to establish random outposts, and between this random settlement outpost in the northern Jordan Valley, as well as the random settlement outpost ‘Shirat Ha’asafim’ which was built in 2016 under the title ‘farm’.
List of Israeli Assaults over the Last Week Documented by the National Bureau:
Jerusalem:
- Forcing a Palestinian to demolish his own house in the Sur Baher town under the pretext of not having a building permit.
- Breaking into the Romanian Orthodox Church.
- Forcing the Abu Hadwan family to dismantle an outer room made of iron and shades overlooking the Al-Aqsa Mosque.
- Storming the courtyards of the Al-Aqsa Mosque, from the Moroccan Gate protected by the Israeli occupation forces.
Hebron:
- Attacking Haitham Tayseer Abu Aysha, 20, in the Tel Rumeida neighborhood, causing him bruises.
- Insulting and chasing the journalist, Musab Shawar in Hebron, while documenting the Israeli violations in the Old City.
- Attacking the cattle herders and expelling them in the Masafer Yatta.
- Cutting down 50 old olive trees in the Hamra area, near the village of Tuwani.
- Demolishing a tent in Yatta and two solidarity tents in the Khirbet Al-Rukayz.
- Threatening to kill the mayor of Hebron, Tayseer Abu Sneina, as part of an incitement campaign aimed to Judaize Hebron and its old town.
Bethlehem:
- Conducting archaeological excavations in the lands of Kisan village, east of Bethlehem, in the Dahr Al-Mizrab area, to establish a new Israeli outpost.
- Notifying of the demolition of a livestock farm in the village of Al-Fardis under the pretext of not having a building permit.
- Storming the “Jeb Al-Deeb” area, east of Bethlehem, and holding a party on the Palestinian land to seize it
- Surveying about 500 dunams in the village of Kisan, east of Bethlehem, in the Khirbet Al-Mizrab area, in the southeast of the town with the aim of seizing it, to establish a new settlement outpost.
Ramallah:
- Attacking farmers in the town of Sinjil, north of Ramallah, and trying to expel them from their lands in the northeastern region of the town, uprooted agricultural crops on the lands as well.
- Fencing lands in the “Bir Jamal” area near the “Al Owaina” and “Lahef” areas, east of the village of Kafr Malik, east of Ramallah, with the aim of seizing it.
- Demolishing water well in the Jibait area in the village of Al Mughayer, east of Ramallah, under the pretext of not having a building permit.
- A number of young men suffocated by tear gas in the village of Kafr Naama, west of Ramallah, in the “Bab Al-Taqah” area near the Jabal Al-Risan.
Nablus:
- Notifying to stop construction in 7 houses in the town of Sarra, west of Nablus, located in the western region opposite the “Hafad Gilad” outpost.
- Spraying farmers’ lands in the Khirbet Tana in the town of Beit Furik with toxic materials and attacking farmers, forced them to leave their lands as well.
- Bulldozing the Palestinian lands in the Iraq Milady area north of the town of Einabus, with the aim of expanding the borders of Yitzhar settlement, which is built on the lands of six villages south of Nablus.
- Injuring a citizen by being dropped from a high wall in the eastern town of the Laban Al-Sharqyieh, causing others bruises as well.
- Injuring two Palestinian by rubber-coated metal bullets, in addition to dozens of suffocation cases during an activity to plant olive seedlings in the Beit Dajan village, east of Nablus.
- Uprooting dozens of trees in the Khirbet Sarra in the village of Qaryut, south of Nablus, and placing a caravan on the Khirbet lands near the settlement of “Shvut Rachel”.
- Reconstructing a settlement outpost in the southern area of the lands of the town of Qusra, southeast of Nablus.
Jordan valley:
- Demolishing two mobile homes in the Khirbet Yarza, east of Tubas, under the pretext of not having a building permit.
- Demolishing 4 agricultural ponds in the village of Marj Naajah, and Khirbet Allan “Al-Shouneh” from the village of Al-Jiftlik with a capacity of 4900 cups, one fed about 50 dunums of grapes, while the other fed about 15 dunums of dates under the pretext of being in “state lands,” despite being registered in the “Tapu”.
- Bulldozing the Palestinian lands and pastures north of the “Maskiyot” settlement in the northern Jordan Valley, to continue building a fence placed by settlers a few months ago, extending from the “Maskiyot” settlement to the “Mazuqah” camp, near “Makhoul”, on an area of more than 30,000 dunams.
- Bilal Shehadeh Bawatneh, 52, was killed after being run over by an Israeli settler near the Ein Al-Bayda Junction in the northern Jordan Valley.
