By: Madeeha Araj,
In his latest weekly report about Israeli settlements activities in the occupied West Bank including Jerusalem the National Bureau for the Defense of Land stated , that
The course of hatred and attacks on the Palestinian people continue and take a more dangerous curve following the formation of more organized and coordinated extremist groups in the West Bank that launched calls under the title “there’s operations, no Arabs. Moreover, they called for gathering at road 60 that extends from Hebron to Nablus in order to prevent the Palestinians from using it. In their calls, the settlers wrote to Netanyahu, that if he fails to protect them, they will act themselves. Bit-Eil settlement council Headm Bin Yashai told the Israeli army leaders that he and other settlers would prevent the re-opening of th road.
According to Israeli information and reports, settler attacks on Palestinians classified as hate crimes have increased by 60% than the last year 2017. Data indicate that in 2017, there were 79 cases of aggression, but 2018 recorded 127 cases, which means that one assault every three days, including puncturing car tires, uprooting of trees and racist slogans on walls, injuries and physical assault, killing and assaulting animals. The highest number of attacks was recorded in the villages of Nablus, Ramallah and Hebron Governorates.
The Israeli army guarantees the protection of settlers on the streets of the occupied West Bank. A military statement stated that concrete cubes, obstacles and others have been erected to protect them. The army has also reinforced its army in several battalions in the West Bank to ensure the maximum protection of the psychological and material rights of settlers. “It is unreasonable to have an operation, and the next day waiting to have the same, said deputy president of the Knesset, Israel Yishlar, who called for the duplication of checkpoints by adding 12o new ones, thus, the Israeli government developed a new policy to punish Palestinians through building more illegal settlements using that as a preferred collective punishment by Israel against the Palestinians, though violating the international law and its resolution, the latest of which was resolution 2334 of 2016, which condemned the Israeli settlement policy.
Within this context, the Gush Etzion settlement council confirmed the completion of a plan to build of 14,864 new settlement units in the settlements of Gush Etzion, located between Bethlehem and Hebron. The head of the settlement council said, the new construction would triple the number of settlers in Gush Etzion, adding that the construction of settlement units has been planned for a year and a half, with the construction of 1,100 settlement units in the settlement of Tzurim, 600 in the “Magdal Oz” settlement, 1107 units in the settlement of “Ga’ot” and 1,200 units between “Beit Ayin and Magdal Oz “was spent, to have a geographical connection, NIS 18.9 million was paid for the planning only.
In a related matter, in the city of Hebron in particular, an internal report for the International Monitoring Force found that the city was collapsing under the burden of occupation and settlers, and that Israel violates the international law as it attacks the Palestinians regularly, violated their freedom of movement and their right to access worship places. The report criticizes the Israel’s actions in the city. “Hebron is more divided today than ever before because of the actions of the Israeli government and the settlers,” said the report. The report also stated that Israel is constantly violating Article 49 of the Fourth Geneva Convention, which prohibits the deportation of persons under occupation, and “normal life” is not available anywhere in the city, especially in the Old Town area – located in Area H2. The report indicated violations of road construction on Palestinian-owned land, particularly at the Qiryat Arba settlement in central Hebron, and the destruction of homes of the Palestinians that were built since the Ottoman period.
The European Union expressed its deep concern over the demolition of a school in the area of Al-Simeya, north of Hebron, in Area C, on Dec. 5th. The European Union, in a statement issued by its representative said, “this is the 5th time that the Israeli authorities demolish or confiscate school buildings or kindergartens in the West Bank in 2018.” The total number of schools in Area C and East Jerusalem, which have been ordered to demolish or stop works in them were 50, which led to the creation of a compelling environment affecting more than 5,000 school children. ” He called on the EU to stop the demolition and confiscation of Palestinian homes and property.
A list of Israeli Occupation and Settlers’ Assaults over the Last Week, Documented by the National Bureau:
Jerusalem:
-Demolishing a house belonging to the Jerusalemite, Amin Aqil in the town of Jabal al-Mukaber in occupied Jerusalem, under the pretext of non-authorization, and forcing Mohammed Qara’een to demolish a room under construction in al-Farouk neighborhood in the village of Jabal al-Mukaber, too.
– Writing anti-Arab slogans, damaging vehicle tires in the town of Beit Hanina, north of occupied Jerusalem, and burning pictures of the Palestinian president, with an invitation to assassinate him.
Ramallah:
-Bulldozing 500 of the agricultural land in the village of Umm al-Safa in Ramallah Governorate, to seize it in order to expand the settlements there.
-Attacking homes of citizens at the entrance to the Al-Bireh.
-Uprooting 160 olive trees and cutting them for Palestinian farmers from al-Mughair, northeast of Ramallah and Tormassiya north of the city.
-Throwing stones against the Palestinian vehicles near the Sarda Junction, on Al-Bireh Al-Jalazoun St.
Hebron:
-Photographing Kholat al-Dabaa Elementary Mixed School, Al-Samoud and Al-Tahadi 11, and the newly established home of Salah Ali Jaber Al-Debabsa in the area.
-Throwing stones and empty bottles at the bypass road 60, chanting “Death to the Arabs”, and damaging a number of vehicle.
Nablus:
-Large-scale bulldozing of the village of ‘Asira al-Qibliya.
-Attacking houses and properties in the village of Lubn al-Sharqiya south of Nablus.
-Storming the Burin Secondary School, firing bullets and gas bombs, attacking Palestinian vehicles at the Nablus-Ramallah road near the eastern town of Lubban.
-Attacking Palestinian vehicles near the town of Deir Sharaf to the north of Nablus, and carried out barbaric acts.
Qalqilia:
-A group of settlers gathered on the settlement road along the 55 bypass road between Qalqiliya and Nablus near the entrance to the village of Kafr Laqf.
Salfeet:
-Putting marks to expand the Hares Junction used by settlers, including marks on Roman olive trees that will be uprooted.
-Storming the town of Yasuf in Salfit and writing racist slogans on the walls of the Abu Bakr al-Siddiq mosque calling for the killing of the Arabs and the Palestinians, damaged cars.
-Invading he town of Kifl Haris north of Salfit, under the pretext of performing the Talmudic rites in the Islamic denominations “Prophet Kifl, Prophet Nun, and the shrine of the servant of Salah al-Din, claiming their Jewishness.
Jordan Valley:
-Notification to removing a water line in the Farseiah area, with a length of 200 meters.
-Uprooting of 200 cactus seedlings in the village of Bardala.
Photographing the tents of the citizens and their facilities in the Ras area southeast of Tubas.
-Invading the area of Al-Hamma near Ain al-Bayda in the northern Jordan Valley, searched scores of houses and their owners.
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The Palestine Liberation Organization (PLO)