المكتب الوطني للدفاع عن الارض ومقاومة الاستيطان منظمة التحرير الفلسطينية
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By: Madeeha Al-A’raj
The National Bureau for defending land and resisting settlements ( nbprs ) stated in its latest weekly report , that what is described as a “compromise” about the Evitar settlement project on the Sbeeh Mountain to the south of Nablus, West Bank, is merely a circumvention to create a de facto position on the ground, to establish a new settlement, as the Israeli settlers are the ones who decide the policy of the Israeli government in the occupied Palestinian territory. The Israeli Occupation Army tries to show that it opposes the establishment of the settlement, but this is untrue. It controls the West Bank, and that the establishment of the settlement outpost took place but makes nothing to stop it. The soldiers themselves help the construction of the outpost, which expanded within a month to include more than 50 families, living in stone buildings in addition to mobile caravans, electricity and sewage lines, paving of streets, the establishment of a religious school, a synagogue and a nursery for children. Dozens of volunteers were summoned to help accelerate the construction to impose a new fait accompli, and all of this was done under the auspices of the Netanyahu Government, the Israeli army, and the Israeli Civil Administration.
As for the “settlement” reached by the occupation army, with the government’s blessing, with the leaders of the settlement council in the occupied West Bank, which requires the evacuation of the outpost of “Avitar” provided that a military force from the occupation army remains permanently at the site, and to keep 30 religious school students and 3 families of the school staff in the outpost, on which a military religious school will be established after 6 weeks, provided that they live in some of the housing units that were built on the nearby mountain heights. The status of the lands on which the settlement outpost “Avitar” was built, will be discussed, and later the settlement outpost will be settled and legalized, and this clearly confirms the occupation’s army and government’s compliance with the settlers’ demands to swallow and confiscate Palestinian lands, and the willingness of the minister responsible for this, the Minister of Security, Benny Gantz to legitimize a fait accompli that was not allowed and illegal according to their laws.
In previous statements, Gantz told the settler leaders that there would be no settlement and that the outpost would be evacuated. Yossi Dagan came and described the agreement as an unprecedented historical achievement for 30 years, as the occupation army agreed not to evict the settlers’ homes even though they were built without the necessary permits. A statement issued by the settlers in this outpost, in response to the settlement concluded with them, stated that “the families will evacuate themselves voluntarily, and within half a year it will be possible to establish a real settlement,” and in practice they received a commitment to a permanent point. There was an expression of understanding at the government and administration level. The city (belonging to the occupation army) and a pledge from the “Samaria Settlements Regional Council” of Israeli control of this point, which it considers strategic.
Within the context, the Israeli ‘Kerem Nevut’ organization, which monitors the settlers’ practices aimed at controlling the Palestinian lands, said that the Jewish settlers in the West Bank are using dogs on a large scale to carry out attacks against the Palestinians. And that the use of dogs has become one of the means employed by settlers to deter Palestinians from cultivating their land throughout the West Bank in order to pave the way for their control over it, and considered this as weapon a “weapon of oppression,” and the organization said in a series of tweets on its account that settlers use dogs to attack Palestinians specifically in the vicinity of settlement points that were inaugurated on private Palestinian lands without obtaining the permission of the Israeli government and army, noting that the settlers’ attacks using dogs are carried out under the hearing and sight of the occupation army soldiers.
On the other hand, the occupation authorities and the municipality of Moshe Leon began implementing their plan to displace Jerusalemites in the Al-Bustan neighborhood in the town of Silwan, and began demolishing a commercial facility belonging to the citizen, Nidal Al-Rajabi, after he refused to implement a prior notification of self-demolition, noting that the demolition of the epic paves the way to reach the homes threatened with demolition.
Within the context, the United Nations called on Israel to respect the status quo in the city of Jerusalem and to stop settlement, eviction and demolition operations against the Palestinians. This came in a speech of the United Nations Under-Secretary-General for Political Affairs, Rose Marie DiCarlo, during the international conference held via video link on ‘Forced demographic change in Jerusalem – grave breaches and a threat to peace.’ The conference sheds light on the ongoing Israeli practices to change the demographics and the current situation in Jerusalem, with a special focus on the eviction and demolition of Palestinians from their homes. In her speech during the conference, DiCarlo stressed the need to ‘respect the status quo in Jerusalem and stop demolitions, evictions and illegal settlement activity in the occupied Palestinian territories,’ while the head of the United Nations Committee on the Exercise of the Rights of the Palestinian People, Sheikh Niang, stressed during the conference that “Israeli settlements in East Jerusalem constitutes a flagrant violation of United Nations resolutions and international law” and that the settlements “are a major obstacle to peace between Palestinians and Israelis.”
List of Israeli Assaults over the Last Week Documented by the National Bureau:
Jerusalem:
- Forcing a citizen to demolish his own 32 m2 room in the Al-Thawri Neighborhood to the south of the city, under the pretext of not having a building permit, and another to demolish his own warehouse in the Wadi Hilweh Neighborhood in Silwan to avoid paying high fines, under the same pretext.
- Demolishing a 60 m2 apartment located on the third floor of a residential building in the Sweih Neighborhood, besides demolishing a warehouse and a livestock farm located in the Wadi Hummus area of the lands of the Sur Baher town, south of Jerusalem, under the pretext of not having a building permit.
- Seizing a residential building in the Wadi Hilweh Neighborhood in Silwan town after closing the entrance to Hosh Al-Fakhoury with a truck and seizing a property to construct an outpost.
Hebron:
- Attacking the lands and homes of citizens in the Al-Tawana village in Masafer Yatta, south of Hebron, under strict Israeli protection, opening fire and throwing stones at the houses in the village.
- Burning two residential tents belonging to the citizen Hatem Makhamra.
- Bulldozing lands threatened with confiscation with an area of hundreds of dunams in the “Mishnas Al-Rasm” area, located in the “Jamrorah” area in the Beit Kahil town, west of Hebron, close to the Tarqumiya checkpoint.
- Closing the water springs with cement in the Baqa’a area, east of Hebron, knowing that they are used to irrigate the cultivated lands in the area.
Bethlehem:
- Handing demolition notices for 4 inhabited homes belonging to the Abu Al-Teen family in the “Sme’a’” area in the Ein Gweizeh neighborhood northwest of the village of Al Walaja, under the pretext of not having a building permit
- Notifiying to stop construction of two houses under construction in the Kisan village, east of Bethlehem, under the pretext of not having a building permit, confiscated a concrete mixer, as well.
Ramallah:
- Rejecting a new petition submitted by Israeli human rights organization for the Defence of the Individual “HaMoked” on behalf of the family of the prisoner Montaser Shalabi to prevent the demolition of their house in Turmusaya, near Ramallah.
Nablus:
- Attacking Palestinian homes in the northern area of Einabus village, south of Nablus.
- Cutting fruitful trees, stealing a water pump and electric wires in the Jalud village, south of Nablus.
- Opening fire towards the Palestinian citizen vehicle Yousef Fayadh Dawabsheh, 40 on his way home in the Douma village, causing material damage to the vehicle and shattering its windows, no injuries reported.
- Torching fire of scores of dunums of agricultural land in the southern area of Burin village.
- Uprooting dozens of olive trees in the village of Jalud belonging to Rageh Hammoud.
Qalqilya:
- Handing 4 demolishing notices to agricultural rooms in the village of Al-Nabi Elias, east of Qalqilya, under the pretext of building in Area C, and preventing the Palestinian farmers there from establishing any agricultural facilities.
Salfeet:
- Demolishing an agricultural room with an area of 70 m2 in the town of Bruqin, west of Salfeet under the pretext of building in Area C.
Jordan Valley:
- Handing a stop working notice on a 12 m2 pergola in the “Al-Sakoot” area in the northern Jordan Valley.
- Injuring 3 young men with bruises as a result of the Israeli settlers attack east of the Tayasir village, east of Tubas, and were admitted to hospital.
