14 apr 2015
Islamic
Resistance Movement, Hamas, on Tuesday described as provocative the
repeated incursions by the Israeli settlers along with Israeli
policemen into the Aqsa Mosque in Occupied Jerusalem.
Hamas said the repeated incursions are provocative to Muslims’ feelings, saying that “The Aqsa Mosque is the heart of the Palestinian Question. It will spark again the comprehensive confrontations with the Israeli occupation”.
In press statements on Tuesday, Hamas spokesman abroad Husam Badran called on all Muslims to act for the defense of the Aqsa Mosque in order to protect the holy site by all possible methods.
Badran, who resides in Doha, hailed the steadfastness of the Jerusalemite people, stressing that all Palestinians are willing to sacrifice for the sake of protecting the Aqsa Mosque.
Earlier on Tuesday, 15 Jewish settlers broke into the Aqsa Mosque plazas from the Magharebah gate on Tuesday morning.
One of the Mosque’s guards told Quds Press that 15 Jewish settlers stormed the courtyards of the holy site under heavy police protection and performed Talmudic rituals.
A group of Muslim worshipers including women confronted them with chants of Allahu Akabar, he underlined.
Besides, 17 Israeli policemen broke into the Aqsa Mosque within an exploratory tour in the early morning hours.
Hamas said the repeated incursions are provocative to Muslims’ feelings, saying that “The Aqsa Mosque is the heart of the Palestinian Question. It will spark again the comprehensive confrontations with the Israeli occupation”.
In press statements on Tuesday, Hamas spokesman abroad Husam Badran called on all Muslims to act for the defense of the Aqsa Mosque in order to protect the holy site by all possible methods.
Badran, who resides in Doha, hailed the steadfastness of the Jerusalemite people, stressing that all Palestinians are willing to sacrifice for the sake of protecting the Aqsa Mosque.
Earlier on Tuesday, 15 Jewish settlers broke into the Aqsa Mosque plazas from the Magharebah gate on Tuesday morning.
One of the Mosque’s guards told Quds Press that 15 Jewish settlers stormed the courtyards of the holy site under heavy police protection and performed Talmudic rituals.
A group of Muslim worshipers including women confronted them with chants of Allahu Akabar, he underlined.
Besides, 17 Israeli policemen broke into the Aqsa Mosque within an exploratory tour in the early morning hours.
The Israeli Housing Minister Uri Ariel has sent ”an urgent letter” to Israeli Premier Benjamin Netanyahu demanding a stop to the Palestinian restoration works in al-Aqsa Mosque, Israeli Hayom newspaper said Tuesday.
Ariel’s letter came shortly after the Islamic Waqf Department declared intention to carry out excavations to replace the carpets of the Dome of Rock, the newspaper said.
He said that the work is being done without permission and was illegally organized, and therefore the Israeli police should stop the work as soon as possible.
“The work includes lifting flooring and excavation,” Ariel wrote. “All of this is being done by mechanical equipment.”
According to the letter, the scope of work being undertaken is unprecedented and requires review and approval of the ministerial committee for an archaeological dig in holy places.
Ariel’s letter came shortly after the Islamic Waqf Department declared intention to carry out excavations to replace the carpets of the Dome of Rock, the newspaper said.
He said that the work is being done without permission and was illegally organized, and therefore the Israeli police should stop the work as soon as possible.
“The work includes lifting flooring and excavation,” Ariel wrote. “All of this is being done by mechanical equipment.”
According to the letter, the scope of work being undertaken is unprecedented and requires review and approval of the ministerial committee for an archaeological dig in holy places.
A Jewish settlement foundation used a secret tunnel under Al Buraq Wall at Al Aqsa mosque in Jerusalem, an Israeli daily paper revealed, Tuesday.
The newspaper reported, according to Al Ray, that Ilaad settlement foundation used the tunnel under al-Buraq wall despite legal opposition.
They use the tunnel contrary to the both the law and the state's position, according to a petition submitted to the Supreme Court.
The report added that Emek Shafeh organization -- including scientists who protest the political use of their job -- had submitted a petition to use the tunnel which was dug in the past eight years by antiquities authorities and funded by Elad settlement foundation.
Israel frequently permits excavations and archaeological digs in occupied East Jerusalem, specifically around Al Aqsa Mosque, which threaten the structural integrity of Palestinian homes and holy sites in the area.
In 1967, Israel demolished the 800-year-old Moroccan Quarter of Jerusalem, displacing 650 Palestinians and destroying numerous mosques, homes and holy sites, in order to build a plaza in front of the Western Wall.
Israel also evicted around 6,000 Palestinians from nearby areas in order to massively expand the city's historic Jewish Quarter.
The newspaper reported, according to Al Ray, that Ilaad settlement foundation used the tunnel under al-Buraq wall despite legal opposition.
They use the tunnel contrary to the both the law and the state's position, according to a petition submitted to the Supreme Court.
The report added that Emek Shafeh organization -- including scientists who protest the political use of their job -- had submitted a petition to use the tunnel which was dug in the past eight years by antiquities authorities and funded by Elad settlement foundation.
Israel frequently permits excavations and archaeological digs in occupied East Jerusalem, specifically around Al Aqsa Mosque, which threaten the structural integrity of Palestinian homes and holy sites in the area.
In 1967, Israel demolished the 800-year-old Moroccan Quarter of Jerusalem, displacing 650 Palestinians and destroying numerous mosques, homes and holy sites, in order to build a plaza in front of the Western Wall.
Israel also evicted around 6,000 Palestinians from nearby areas in order to massively expand the city's historic Jewish Quarter.
Site where Israeli teens set fire to Palestinian cafe
Despite declarations by Justice Ministry and prosecutors that they are determined to combat hate crime, recent plea bargain in case of 4 teens who set fire Palestinian cafe shows otherwise.
The Justice Ministry and state prosecutors have consistently declared that they are determined to combat the hate crime phenomenon known as "price tag" attacks, but a recent plea bargain accepted in the case of four teenage boys who were given a light sentence for setting fire to a Palestinian café indicates otherwise.
The Jerusalem District Court approved a plea bargain on Monday in the case of four teenage boys from Arad and the West Bank who admitted to setting fire to a Palestinian café near Hebron.
As part of the indictment, the prosecution had requested the teenagers receive a six-month sentence; however, the court sentenced them to three months of community service. The teens were arrested in September 2014 and investigators presented video footage which depicted the four teens running away with their faces covered after they set fire to a Palestinian café in the village of Dura, south of Hebron, and spray painted the word "revenge" on the front door of the establishment.
After their arrest, the four teens were charged with incitement and destruction of land with racist motives. According to the indictment, the teens had planned to damage the café ahead of time. It was also noted that they arrived at the scene with their faces covered, set fire to couches and armchairs and caused heavy damages to the electrical system and perimeter fence of the café. During the trial, the teens' attorneys argued that the act was done because the accused had suspected that residents of Dura had set fire to a entertainment complex in Beit El – a settlement in the central West Bank.
The parties then reached an agreement on a plea bargain in which the prosecution waived the initial charges of racism and destruction of land. Instead, it was agreed that the teens be charged with one count of arson and that they would only be sentenced to community service. The prosecution argued that the teens should be sentenced to six months of community service as they had sought revenge and because the act endangered life.
On the other hand, the teens' attorneys argued that the boys did not break the law but rather "were simply teens that had their hangout spot burned and decided to get revenge by burning a similar hang out spot in the village from which the accused thought the original arsons came from." The teens' attorneys also claimed that they did not pose a threat to anyone's life.
The judge, Shirly Renner, said that it was a serious offense that could cause high risk to human life and expressed her surprise as to why the boys chose that specific café while they did not know if the owner was involved in the arson at Beit El. On the other hand, the judge noted the teenagers' clean past and their admission.
In view of the plea bargain, the judge sentenced the boys to three months of community service, a year of probation and a fine of 500 shekels to be paid to the owners of the café they torched.
Despite declarations by Justice Ministry and prosecutors that they are determined to combat hate crime, recent plea bargain in case of 4 teens who set fire Palestinian cafe shows otherwise.
The Justice Ministry and state prosecutors have consistently declared that they are determined to combat the hate crime phenomenon known as "price tag" attacks, but a recent plea bargain accepted in the case of four teenage boys who were given a light sentence for setting fire to a Palestinian café indicates otherwise.
The Jerusalem District Court approved a plea bargain on Monday in the case of four teenage boys from Arad and the West Bank who admitted to setting fire to a Palestinian café near Hebron.
As part of the indictment, the prosecution had requested the teenagers receive a six-month sentence; however, the court sentenced them to three months of community service. The teens were arrested in September 2014 and investigators presented video footage which depicted the four teens running away with their faces covered after they set fire to a Palestinian café in the village of Dura, south of Hebron, and spray painted the word "revenge" on the front door of the establishment.
After their arrest, the four teens were charged with incitement and destruction of land with racist motives. According to the indictment, the teens had planned to damage the café ahead of time. It was also noted that they arrived at the scene with their faces covered, set fire to couches and armchairs and caused heavy damages to the electrical system and perimeter fence of the café. During the trial, the teens' attorneys argued that the act was done because the accused had suspected that residents of Dura had set fire to a entertainment complex in Beit El – a settlement in the central West Bank.
The parties then reached an agreement on a plea bargain in which the prosecution waived the initial charges of racism and destruction of land. Instead, it was agreed that the teens be charged with one count of arson and that they would only be sentenced to community service. The prosecution argued that the teens should be sentenced to six months of community service as they had sought revenge and because the act endangered life.
On the other hand, the teens' attorneys argued that the boys did not break the law but rather "were simply teens that had their hangout spot burned and decided to get revenge by burning a similar hang out spot in the village from which the accused thought the original arsons came from." The teens' attorneys also claimed that they did not pose a threat to anyone's life.
The judge, Shirly Renner, said that it was a serious offense that could cause high risk to human life and expressed her surprise as to why the boys chose that specific café while they did not know if the owner was involved in the arson at Beit El. On the other hand, the judge noted the teenagers' clean past and their admission.
In view of the plea bargain, the judge sentenced the boys to three months of community service, a year of probation and a fine of 500 shekels to be paid to the owners of the café they torched.
13 apr 2015
Israeli settlers, with elements of the intelligence community invaded, on Monday, the courtyards of Al Aqsa Mosque from Mughrabi Gate, amid tight police security.
Media coordinator of the Foundation for Islamic Waqf in Jerusalem, Firas al-Debes, told Al Ray Palestinian Media Agency that 15 settlers spread over two groups, including 6 elements of intelligence, stormed Al Aqsa courtyards during Monday's morning hours.
Al-Debes pointed out that the Palestinian worshipers confronted the settler incursions, and prevented them from performing Talmudic rites within the compound.
He explained that the Israeli police seized the personal cards of a number of worshipers within Al Aqsa, in an attempt to inhibit their resistance.
Al Aqsa Mosque is witnessing near daily occurrences of incursions and violations by Israeli settlers and Jewish extremist groups amid tightening restrictions on Palestinian worshipers, especially women.
Media coordinator of the Foundation for Islamic Waqf in Jerusalem, Firas al-Debes, told Al Ray Palestinian Media Agency that 15 settlers spread over two groups, including 6 elements of intelligence, stormed Al Aqsa courtyards during Monday's morning hours.
Al-Debes pointed out that the Palestinian worshipers confronted the settler incursions, and prevented them from performing Talmudic rites within the compound.
He explained that the Israeli police seized the personal cards of a number of worshipers within Al Aqsa, in an attempt to inhibit their resistance.
Al Aqsa Mosque is witnessing near daily occurrences of incursions and violations by Israeli settlers and Jewish extremist groups amid tightening restrictions on Palestinian worshipers, especially women.
Palestinian workers cut onions at a field belonging to Israeli settlers near the West Bank, Jordan Valley.
Israeli settlement farms in the occupied West Bank are using Palestinian child labor to grow, harvest and pack agricultural produce, much of it for export, Human Rights Watch said in a report released Monday.
The farms pay the children low wages and subject them to dangerous working conditions in violation of international standards.
The 74-page report, "Ripe for Abuse: Palestinian Child Labor in Israeli Agricultural Settlements in the West Bank," documents that children as young as 11 are working on settlement farms.
The children carry heavy loads, are exposed to high temperatures and hazardous pesticides, and in some cases have to pay themselves for medical treatment for work-related injuries or illness.
"Israel's settlements are profiting from rights abuses against Palestinian children," said Sarah Leah Whitson, Middle East and North Africa director for Human Rights Watch.
"Children from communities impoverished by Israel’s discrimination and settlement policies are dropping out of school and taking on dangerous work because they feel they have no alternatives, while Israel turns a blind eye."
The head of Israel's settler community in the Jordan Valley dismissed the report.
"They've made up lies. The entire goal of this organisation (HRW) is to sully Israel's image," David Elhayani, himself a former farmer, told AFP
"If they'd show me a farmer employing a child, I'd report it to police immediately."
Human Rights Watch interviewed 38 children and 12 adults who work on seven settlement farms in the Jordan Valley area, which covers about 30 percent of the West Bank and where most large agricultural settlements are located.
The report said that Israel has allocated 86 percent of the land in the Jordan Valley to settlements, and Palestinian poverty rates in the Jordan Valley are among the highest in the West Bank at 33.5 percent.
The report called on Israel to dismantle the settlements and, in the meantime, prohibit settlers from employing children in accordance with Israel's obligations under international treaties on children's rights and labor rights.
'No alternative' to support families
Israeli and Palestinian development and labor rights groups estimate that hundreds of children work in Israeli agricultural settlements year-round, and that their numbers increase during peak harvesting times, the report said.
Virtually all the Palestinian children interviewed by Human Rights Watch said they felt they had no alternative but to find work on settlement farms to help support their families.
They said they had suffered nausea and dizziness. Some said they had passed out while working in summer temperatures that frequently exceed 40 degrees Celsius outdoors, and are even higher inside the greenhouses in which many children work.
Other children said they had experienced vomiting, breathing difficulties, sore eyes, and skin rashes after spraying or being exposed to pesticides, including inside enclosed spaces. Some complained of back pain after carrying heavy boxes filled with produce or "backpack" containers of pesticide.
Israeli labor laws prohibit youth from carrying heavy loads, working in high temperatures, and working with hazardous pesticides, but Israel has not applied these laws to protect Palestinian children working in its settlements, the report said.
It added that Israeli authorities rarely inspect working conditions for Palestinians on Israeli settlement farms, and no authority has a clear mandate to enforce regulations.
Children dropping out of school
Of the children interviewed for the report, 33 had dropped out of school and were working full-time on Israeli settlements, and of these, 21 had dropped out before completing the 10 years of basic education that are compulsory under Palestinian as well as Israeli laws.
"So what if you get an education, you'll wind up working for the settlements," one child said.
Teachers and principals at Palestinian schools in the Jordan Valley said that children who worked part-time on settlements during weekends and after school were often exhausted in class.
Israeli military authorities state that they do not issue work permits for Palestinians under 18 to work in settlements. However, Palestinians do not need Israeli work permits to reach the settlement farms, which are outside the gated areas of settlements that Palestinians need permits to enter, the report said.
All of the children and adults working for the settlement farms whom Human Rights Watch interviewed said they were hired by Palestinian middlemen working for Israeli settlers, were paid in cash, and did not receive pay-slips or have work contracts.
Settlement produce exported abroad
The report said that Israeli settlements export a substantial amount of their produce abroad, including to Europe and the United States.
Although the US Department of Labor maintains and publishes a list of more than 350 products from foreign countries that are produced with the use of forced labor or child labor in other countries, it has not included Israeli settlement products on the list, the report said.
It added that the US continues to grant preferential treatment to Israeli settlement products under the US-Israel Free Trade Agreement, and called on the US to revise the agreement to exclude settlement products.
"The settlements are the source of daily abuses, including against children," Whitson said. "Other countries and businesses should not benefit from or support them."
Israeli settlement farms in the occupied West Bank are using Palestinian child labor to grow, harvest and pack agricultural produce, much of it for export, Human Rights Watch said in a report released Monday.
The farms pay the children low wages and subject them to dangerous working conditions in violation of international standards.
The 74-page report, "Ripe for Abuse: Palestinian Child Labor in Israeli Agricultural Settlements in the West Bank," documents that children as young as 11 are working on settlement farms.
The children carry heavy loads, are exposed to high temperatures and hazardous pesticides, and in some cases have to pay themselves for medical treatment for work-related injuries or illness.
"Israel's settlements are profiting from rights abuses against Palestinian children," said Sarah Leah Whitson, Middle East and North Africa director for Human Rights Watch.
"Children from communities impoverished by Israel’s discrimination and settlement policies are dropping out of school and taking on dangerous work because they feel they have no alternatives, while Israel turns a blind eye."
The head of Israel's settler community in the Jordan Valley dismissed the report.
"They've made up lies. The entire goal of this organisation (HRW) is to sully Israel's image," David Elhayani, himself a former farmer, told AFP
"If they'd show me a farmer employing a child, I'd report it to police immediately."
Human Rights Watch interviewed 38 children and 12 adults who work on seven settlement farms in the Jordan Valley area, which covers about 30 percent of the West Bank and where most large agricultural settlements are located.
The report said that Israel has allocated 86 percent of the land in the Jordan Valley to settlements, and Palestinian poverty rates in the Jordan Valley are among the highest in the West Bank at 33.5 percent.
The report called on Israel to dismantle the settlements and, in the meantime, prohibit settlers from employing children in accordance with Israel's obligations under international treaties on children's rights and labor rights.
'No alternative' to support families
Israeli and Palestinian development and labor rights groups estimate that hundreds of children work in Israeli agricultural settlements year-round, and that their numbers increase during peak harvesting times, the report said.
Virtually all the Palestinian children interviewed by Human Rights Watch said they felt they had no alternative but to find work on settlement farms to help support their families.
They said they had suffered nausea and dizziness. Some said they had passed out while working in summer temperatures that frequently exceed 40 degrees Celsius outdoors, and are even higher inside the greenhouses in which many children work.
Other children said they had experienced vomiting, breathing difficulties, sore eyes, and skin rashes after spraying or being exposed to pesticides, including inside enclosed spaces. Some complained of back pain after carrying heavy boxes filled with produce or "backpack" containers of pesticide.
Israeli labor laws prohibit youth from carrying heavy loads, working in high temperatures, and working with hazardous pesticides, but Israel has not applied these laws to protect Palestinian children working in its settlements, the report said.
It added that Israeli authorities rarely inspect working conditions for Palestinians on Israeli settlement farms, and no authority has a clear mandate to enforce regulations.
Children dropping out of school
Of the children interviewed for the report, 33 had dropped out of school and were working full-time on Israeli settlements, and of these, 21 had dropped out before completing the 10 years of basic education that are compulsory under Palestinian as well as Israeli laws.
"So what if you get an education, you'll wind up working for the settlements," one child said.
Teachers and principals at Palestinian schools in the Jordan Valley said that children who worked part-time on settlements during weekends and after school were often exhausted in class.
Israeli military authorities state that they do not issue work permits for Palestinians under 18 to work in settlements. However, Palestinians do not need Israeli work permits to reach the settlement farms, which are outside the gated areas of settlements that Palestinians need permits to enter, the report said.
All of the children and adults working for the settlement farms whom Human Rights Watch interviewed said they were hired by Palestinian middlemen working for Israeli settlers, were paid in cash, and did not receive pay-slips or have work contracts.
Settlement produce exported abroad
The report said that Israeli settlements export a substantial amount of their produce abroad, including to Europe and the United States.
Although the US Department of Labor maintains and publishes a list of more than 350 products from foreign countries that are produced with the use of forced labor or child labor in other countries, it has not included Israeli settlement products on the list, the report said.
It added that the US continues to grant preferential treatment to Israeli settlement products under the US-Israel Free Trade Agreement, and called on the US to revise the agreement to exclude settlement products.
"The settlements are the source of daily abuses, including against children," Whitson said. "Other countries and businesses should not benefit from or support them."
Eldad Sela allegedly used his position in intelligence to alert activists to upcoming arrests following attack on local mosque.
An IDF soldier from a West Bank settlement was indicted Monday for espionage, and is accused of passing information of future IDF actions to far-right settlers.
Corporal Elad Yaakov Sela, 25, from the settlement of Bat Ayin, was charged in Jaffa Military Court on two counts - espionage and revealing classified information.
According to the military prosecutor, Sela took advantage of his sensitive role as an intelligence NCO in the Etzion Brigade to leak classified information on planned arrests in Gush Etzion. During questioning, Sela said he served as intelligence officer "of the hills" – a reference to illicit settler activity in the West Bank.
The charges against Sela were so grave that they needed approval from Chief Military Prosecutor Major General Danny Efroni and Attorney General Yehuda Weinstein.
"The soldier repeatedly took advantage of his access to confidential information, which he passed to those who were the subject of that information," said prosecutor Major Thea Shalit. "He was assigned to a sensitive post, and the military trusted him to perform his duties with loyalty to the army and the state, and his actions abused that trust in the gravest possible way." In light of the gravity of the charges, the court president approved the prosecution's request to remand Sela until the end of legal proceedings against him.
Sela, who is married with two children, was arrested on March 11 by the nationalist crimes unit of the Judea and Samaria District. The arrest came after security forces recognized that right-wing activists in the Bat Ayin settlement appeared to be updated in a timely manner regarding planned arrests by the police and the Shin Bet security service at Bat Ayin, following a "price tag" attack on a local mosque.
Given that the area falls under the military jurisdiction and that the military activity was stored on the brigade computers, suspicions arose that someone in the brigade had leaked the sensitive information.
Sela was drafted into the IDF through the Haredi track. He was assigned as an intelligence noncom at the Etzion Brigade base close to his home, as he was married and had a baby at the time of enlistment. He suffers from medical problems, and the time of his arrest and interrogation by the Shin Bet had been hospitalized.
Following the indictment, the Shin Bet said that, "During questioning, Sela admitted that he had taken classified and sensitive IDF documents, and handed them to extreme right-wing elements in Bat Ayin. He did it for ideological reasons.
"The Shin Bet takes the transfer of information very seriously, as it is essentially a desire to thwart the activities of the security forces and has the potential to endanger the personal safety of troops." Adi Keidar, the attorney representing Sela on behalf of Honeinu legal aid service, said: "The conduct of the army and investigators towards the soldier is shameful.
When Anat Kam committed serious offenses and leaked of thousands of secret documents that hurt IDF operations against the enemy, the system treated her with kid gloves and immediately released her to house arrest, but when it comes to a religious soldier suspected of aiding Jewish settlers the attitude is reminiscent of totalitarian regimes."
The Bat Ayin settlement in Gush Etzion, close to the Green Line, has been seen as a hotbed of extremist activity, including attacks on Arabs, plotting to attack Israeli politicians, and planning to blow up mosques. It was also home to the Bat Ayin Underground, an extremist group comprising residents of the settlement and members of the Hebron Jewish community who planned to carry out terror attacks against Arabs.
An IDF soldier from a West Bank settlement was indicted Monday for espionage, and is accused of passing information of future IDF actions to far-right settlers.
Corporal Elad Yaakov Sela, 25, from the settlement of Bat Ayin, was charged in Jaffa Military Court on two counts - espionage and revealing classified information.
According to the military prosecutor, Sela took advantage of his sensitive role as an intelligence NCO in the Etzion Brigade to leak classified information on planned arrests in Gush Etzion. During questioning, Sela said he served as intelligence officer "of the hills" – a reference to illicit settler activity in the West Bank.
The charges against Sela were so grave that they needed approval from Chief Military Prosecutor Major General Danny Efroni and Attorney General Yehuda Weinstein.
"The soldier repeatedly took advantage of his access to confidential information, which he passed to those who were the subject of that information," said prosecutor Major Thea Shalit. "He was assigned to a sensitive post, and the military trusted him to perform his duties with loyalty to the army and the state, and his actions abused that trust in the gravest possible way." In light of the gravity of the charges, the court president approved the prosecution's request to remand Sela until the end of legal proceedings against him.
Sela, who is married with two children, was arrested on March 11 by the nationalist crimes unit of the Judea and Samaria District. The arrest came after security forces recognized that right-wing activists in the Bat Ayin settlement appeared to be updated in a timely manner regarding planned arrests by the police and the Shin Bet security service at Bat Ayin, following a "price tag" attack on a local mosque.
Given that the area falls under the military jurisdiction and that the military activity was stored on the brigade computers, suspicions arose that someone in the brigade had leaked the sensitive information.
Sela was drafted into the IDF through the Haredi track. He was assigned as an intelligence noncom at the Etzion Brigade base close to his home, as he was married and had a baby at the time of enlistment. He suffers from medical problems, and the time of his arrest and interrogation by the Shin Bet had been hospitalized.
Following the indictment, the Shin Bet said that, "During questioning, Sela admitted that he had taken classified and sensitive IDF documents, and handed them to extreme right-wing elements in Bat Ayin. He did it for ideological reasons.
"The Shin Bet takes the transfer of information very seriously, as it is essentially a desire to thwart the activities of the security forces and has the potential to endanger the personal safety of troops." Adi Keidar, the attorney representing Sela on behalf of Honeinu legal aid service, said: "The conduct of the army and investigators towards the soldier is shameful.
When Anat Kam committed serious offenses and leaked of thousands of secret documents that hurt IDF operations against the enemy, the system treated her with kid gloves and immediately released her to house arrest, but when it comes to a religious soldier suspected of aiding Jewish settlers the attitude is reminiscent of totalitarian regimes."
The Bat Ayin settlement in Gush Etzion, close to the Green Line, has been seen as a hotbed of extremist activity, including attacks on Arabs, plotting to attack Israeli politicians, and planning to blow up mosques. It was also home to the Bat Ayin Underground, an extremist group comprising residents of the settlement and members of the Hebron Jewish community who planned to carry out terror attacks against Arabs.
12 apr 2015
Israeli settlers who stormed Al-Aqsa Mosque yards under Israeli police protection, on Saturday, assaulted a number of Palestinian female worshippers, according to witnesses.
Witnesses said that Palestinian worshippers were attacked by settlers after attempting to fend off the former’s attempts to tour the yards of the mosque, WAFA Palestinian News & Info Agency has reported. Settlers assaulted a number of women carrying copies of the Quran and used foul language against them.
Israeli police impose restrictions on Palestinian worshipers’ entry, particularly women and youth. Police retains their identity cards prior to their entry in anticipation of any clashes and to be able to detain those who might be involved.
The city of Jerusalem has been a scene of ongoing violent and deadly incidents which skyrocketed following Israeli settlers' murder of 17-year-old Palestinian teenager Mohammad Abu Khdeir, who was found torched to death in a wood in Jerusalem, last July. Since then, violent incidents caused loss of life on both Palestinian and Israeli sides.
Also on Sunday, an Israeli settler ran over a Palestinian female near one of the gates of Al-Aqsa mosque, before fleeing the scene.
The settler ran over a female, who currently remains unidentified, while she was standing at the light railway stop located near the mosque’s Bab al-Amoud gate, also known as Damascus Gate, in East Jerusalem, before fleeing the scene.
She was transferred to a nearby hospital for treatment, where her medical condition remains unknown. Whereas Israel deals with Israeli cars crashing into Palestinian pedestrians as traffic accidents, it considers similar incidents by Palestinians as ‘terrorist attacks’, upon which shooting and killing orders are easily taken, depriving Palestinians of the right to a fair trial.
On October 23, 2014, Israeli police shot and killed a Palestinian after his car hit a group of Israelis standing at a train station in the Jerusalem neighborhood of Sheikh Jarrah; police fired the first bullet, which brought the driver, Abdul-Rahman Shaloudi, 20, to a halt, then fired another bullet after which he fell to the ground.
Another three bullets followed and were shot at Shaloudi even though he was lying on the street, unarmed, injured, and unable to move, leading to his imminent death minutes later.
The incident was declared by the Israeli side as “a terrorist act.”
In contrast, on October 19, an Israeli settler deliberately ran over two Palestinian kindergarten girls near Ramallah, killing one of them and seriously injuring the other, yet there were no reports of any police action against him. The Israeli side dealt with the incident ‘an unintentional’.
On October 29, the Palestinian foreign ministry issued a statement denouncing Israel’s discriminatory treatment of Palestinians and Israelis, stressing that Israel follows an obvious discrimination policy in handling incidents committed by Israelis.
Israel declares such incidents, when committed by Palestinians, as 'terror acts' without concluding proper investigations and most of the time shooting the person behind the incident at the spot, depriving him the right to defense in a court of law.
Zakaria Julani, 13-year-old boy from Silwan neighborhood of Jerusalem, was treated at Hadassah Ein Kerem hospital after he was injured with a rubber bullet in his eye on March 31, 2015, when he was heading home after he got off school.
According to the Wadi Hilweh Information Center – Silwan, the child’s father Yehya Julani explained that his son was injured with a rubber bullet in the eye after he left the UNRWA school and was heading home.
Witness reports said that Zakaria was surprised when the snipers stationed in “Shweiki” building established across from the military crossing in Shu’fat refugee camp randomly fired rubber bullets towards the students when there were no clashes in the area; Zakaria was injured in his left eye.
Yehya added: “My son was transferred to a clinic near the crossing and was then transferred in an ambulance to Hadassah Ein Kerem hospital where he underwent a surgery to stop the bleeding in his left eye.”
He added that the Israeli police arrived at the hospital to investigate the incident and confirmed that there were no clashes at the refugee camp on that date.
Zakaria’s father explained that he checked the surveillance camera in the area which also showed no clashes at the time of his son’s injury.
Wadi Hilweh Information Center identified two children that were injured with rubber bullets fired by Israeli snipers stationed in “Shweiki” building in the past two weeks. The first is Zakaria Julani, and the second child was an eight-year old who was injured in the head.
Meanwhile on Sunday, Israeli forces broke into the village of Beit Fajjar, to the south of Bethlehem and raided and searched resident’s homes, said security sources.
WAFA has been informed that a large military force broke into the village in the early morning and raided three houses belonging to three brothers, who were identified as Ahmad, Anwar and Muneer Thawabta. No arrests were reported.
See also: 10/25/14 10 O'clock In Jerusalem & All Is Not Well
23-year-old girl injured in hit-and-run by Israeli settler
Witnesses said that Palestinian worshippers were attacked by settlers after attempting to fend off the former’s attempts to tour the yards of the mosque, WAFA Palestinian News & Info Agency has reported. Settlers assaulted a number of women carrying copies of the Quran and used foul language against them.
Israeli police impose restrictions on Palestinian worshipers’ entry, particularly women and youth. Police retains their identity cards prior to their entry in anticipation of any clashes and to be able to detain those who might be involved.
The city of Jerusalem has been a scene of ongoing violent and deadly incidents which skyrocketed following Israeli settlers' murder of 17-year-old Palestinian teenager Mohammad Abu Khdeir, who was found torched to death in a wood in Jerusalem, last July. Since then, violent incidents caused loss of life on both Palestinian and Israeli sides.
Also on Sunday, an Israeli settler ran over a Palestinian female near one of the gates of Al-Aqsa mosque, before fleeing the scene.
The settler ran over a female, who currently remains unidentified, while she was standing at the light railway stop located near the mosque’s Bab al-Amoud gate, also known as Damascus Gate, in East Jerusalem, before fleeing the scene.
She was transferred to a nearby hospital for treatment, where her medical condition remains unknown. Whereas Israel deals with Israeli cars crashing into Palestinian pedestrians as traffic accidents, it considers similar incidents by Palestinians as ‘terrorist attacks’, upon which shooting and killing orders are easily taken, depriving Palestinians of the right to a fair trial.
On October 23, 2014, Israeli police shot and killed a Palestinian after his car hit a group of Israelis standing at a train station in the Jerusalem neighborhood of Sheikh Jarrah; police fired the first bullet, which brought the driver, Abdul-Rahman Shaloudi, 20, to a halt, then fired another bullet after which he fell to the ground.
Another three bullets followed and were shot at Shaloudi even though he was lying on the street, unarmed, injured, and unable to move, leading to his imminent death minutes later.
The incident was declared by the Israeli side as “a terrorist act.”
In contrast, on October 19, an Israeli settler deliberately ran over two Palestinian kindergarten girls near Ramallah, killing one of them and seriously injuring the other, yet there were no reports of any police action against him. The Israeli side dealt with the incident ‘an unintentional’.
On October 29, the Palestinian foreign ministry issued a statement denouncing Israel’s discriminatory treatment of Palestinians and Israelis, stressing that Israel follows an obvious discrimination policy in handling incidents committed by Israelis.
Israel declares such incidents, when committed by Palestinians, as 'terror acts' without concluding proper investigations and most of the time shooting the person behind the incident at the spot, depriving him the right to defense in a court of law.
Zakaria Julani, 13-year-old boy from Silwan neighborhood of Jerusalem, was treated at Hadassah Ein Kerem hospital after he was injured with a rubber bullet in his eye on March 31, 2015, when he was heading home after he got off school.
According to the Wadi Hilweh Information Center – Silwan, the child’s father Yehya Julani explained that his son was injured with a rubber bullet in the eye after he left the UNRWA school and was heading home.
Witness reports said that Zakaria was surprised when the snipers stationed in “Shweiki” building established across from the military crossing in Shu’fat refugee camp randomly fired rubber bullets towards the students when there were no clashes in the area; Zakaria was injured in his left eye.
Yehya added: “My son was transferred to a clinic near the crossing and was then transferred in an ambulance to Hadassah Ein Kerem hospital where he underwent a surgery to stop the bleeding in his left eye.”
He added that the Israeli police arrived at the hospital to investigate the incident and confirmed that there were no clashes at the refugee camp on that date.
Zakaria’s father explained that he checked the surveillance camera in the area which also showed no clashes at the time of his son’s injury.
Wadi Hilweh Information Center identified two children that were injured with rubber bullets fired by Israeli snipers stationed in “Shweiki” building in the past two weeks. The first is Zakaria Julani, and the second child was an eight-year old who was injured in the head.
Meanwhile on Sunday, Israeli forces broke into the village of Beit Fajjar, to the south of Bethlehem and raided and searched resident’s homes, said security sources.
WAFA has been informed that a large military force broke into the village in the early morning and raided three houses belonging to three brothers, who were identified as Ahmad, Anwar and Muneer Thawabta. No arrests were reported.
See also: 10/25/14 10 O'clock In Jerusalem & All Is Not Well
23-year-old girl injured in hit-and-run by Israeli settler
An Israeli settler ran over a 23-year-old Palestinian young lady afternoon Sunday in Occupied Jerusalem city, leaving her in a serious condition.
According to the Israeli 0404 website, the young lady was hit by a vehicle driven by a Jewish settler near the light rail in Occupied Jerusalem.
The casualty was rushed to the Hadassah hospital to be treated for the serious wounds she sustained in the hit-and-run incident.
According to the Israeli 0404 website, the young lady was hit by a vehicle driven by a Jewish settler near the light rail in Occupied Jerusalem.
The casualty was rushed to the Hadassah hospital to be treated for the serious wounds she sustained in the hit-and-run incident.
Dozens of Israeli settlers gathered in the vicinity of al-Haram al-Ibrahimi Mosque in al-Khalil in the southern West Bank on Sunday.
Local sources said the Israeli Occupation Forces (IOF) intensified its presence in the area in order to protect the settlers who provoked Muslim worshipers. The incident led to traffic congestion in the area.
A number of armed settlers toured the Old City under the protection of IOF soldiers who stopped, searched, and blocked the traffic of the Palestinian citizens regardless of the cold weather and heavy rain, the sources underlined.
Local sources said the Israeli Occupation Forces (IOF) intensified its presence in the area in order to protect the settlers who provoked Muslim worshipers. The incident led to traffic congestion in the area.
A number of armed settlers toured the Old City under the protection of IOF soldiers who stopped, searched, and blocked the traffic of the Palestinian citizens regardless of the cold weather and heavy rain, the sources underlined.
Settlers from Leshem settlement to the west of Salfit took over an archeological site located on the lands of two Palestinian towns in the governorate.
Eyewitnesses said Israeli bulldozers have been working 24/7 on paving ways and building huge walls around the hamlet where the site is located.
The Palestinian researcher Khaled Maali revealed that the archeological site in Deir Sama’an is threatened by Leshem outpost which was established in 2013. As surrounded by settlers, the area cannot be accessed by Palestinians except for one way in the south side that was paved by the Jewish settlers.
The settlers are planning to steal the most beautiful historical site in the district, Maali warned.
He highlighted that the International Criminal Court considers stealing or changing the landmarks of historical sites as a war crime.
Eyewitnesses said Israeli bulldozers have been working 24/7 on paving ways and building huge walls around the hamlet where the site is located.
The Palestinian researcher Khaled Maali revealed that the archeological site in Deir Sama’an is threatened by Leshem outpost which was established in 2013. As surrounded by settlers, the area cannot be accessed by Palestinians except for one way in the south side that was paved by the Jewish settlers.
The settlers are planning to steal the most beautiful historical site in the district, Maali warned.
He highlighted that the International Criminal Court considers stealing or changing the landmarks of historical sites as a war crime.
Israeli minister of housing Uri Ariel has vowed to enable Jewish
settlers to permanently visit an alleged archeological religious site on
Mount Ebal in Nablus city.
According to Israel's channel 7, the site is claimed to belong to the altar of Yusha Ibn Nun and was discovered some 35 years ago.
Ariel made his remarks during a recent visit to the site along with the director of the Israeli antiquities authority, some Knesset members and Gershon Mesika, head of the West Bank settlements regional council.
Channel 7 said that access to the site was difficult for Jewish worshipers without using a four-wheel drive vehicle, but there were efforts to facilitate their travel to the place after obtaining special permits.
Mount Ebal is one of the two mountains in the immediate vicinity of Nablus city and forms the northern side of the valley in which Nablus is situated. It is one of the highest peaks in the West Bank.
According to Israel's channel 7, the site is claimed to belong to the altar of Yusha Ibn Nun and was discovered some 35 years ago.
Ariel made his remarks during a recent visit to the site along with the director of the Israeli antiquities authority, some Knesset members and Gershon Mesika, head of the West Bank settlements regional council.
Channel 7 said that access to the site was difficult for Jewish worshipers without using a four-wheel drive vehicle, but there were efforts to facilitate their travel to the place after obtaining special permits.
Mount Ebal is one of the two mountains in the immediate vicinity of Nablus city and forms the northern side of the valley in which Nablus is situated. It is one of the highest peaks in the West Bank.