23 apr 2018
There has been a sharp increase in the number of attacks by Jewish extremists against Palestinians in the West Bank this year, Haaretz Hebrew newspaper reported.
According to data from the Israeli Shin Bet intelligence service, number of Israeli settlers’ hate crimes in 2018 has already exceeded the total number in 2017, with attacks centered around the Nablus area.
The report referred to a surge in "price tag" incidents, characterized by acts of vandalism such as graffiti or vehicle defamation.
There have been 13 attacks of this kind since January 2018 compared to 8 the year before. Attacks defined as "at least as serious as arson" are also said to be overtaking those of last year.
In 2018, two attacks of this nature have occurred, whilst in 2017 the total reached five, according to the Shin Bet.
Only a few weeks ago, a mosque in the West Bank village of Aqraba close to Nablus was vandalized by Israeli settlers. The words "revenge" and "price tag" were sprayed onto the mosque walls in Hebrew. There were also reports of attackers throwing flammable materials and shouting racist slogans.
According to data from the Israeli Shin Bet intelligence service, number of Israeli settlers’ hate crimes in 2018 has already exceeded the total number in 2017, with attacks centered around the Nablus area.
The report referred to a surge in "price tag" incidents, characterized by acts of vandalism such as graffiti or vehicle defamation.
There have been 13 attacks of this kind since January 2018 compared to 8 the year before. Attacks defined as "at least as serious as arson" are also said to be overtaking those of last year.
In 2018, two attacks of this nature have occurred, whilst in 2017 the total reached five, according to the Shin Bet.
Only a few weeks ago, a mosque in the West Bank village of Aqraba close to Nablus was vandalized by Israeli settlers. The words "revenge" and "price tag" were sprayed onto the mosque walls in Hebrew. There were also reports of attackers throwing flammable materials and shouting racist slogans.
Members of the Israeli terror organization Price Tag Monday vandalized dozens of Palestinian-owned vehicles and spray painted anti-Arab slogans in the village of Beit Iksa, to the northwest of Occupied Jerusalem.
The Israeli vandals wrote threats to Palestinians calling on them to leave their homes and threatening to kill them.
The Israeli settlers damaged dozens of vehicles and painted slogans reading “death to Arabs”, among other racist anti-Arab slogans, according to the locals.
Khalid Ghaith, a local resident, said such crimes are a serious threat to the lives of Palestinian families and children in the area.
He urged the concerned authorities to take serious action so as to save the residents of Beit Iksa and speak up for their daily suffering.
Two months earlier, Israel’s price tag gangs spray-painted racist graffiti in al-Burj neighborhood and assaulted Palestinian vehicles and property.
A couple of years ago, price tag gangs attempted to torch Beit Iksa’s mosque.
Located northwest of Occupied Jerusalem and populated by 1,800 people, Beit Iksa is totally isolated from its Palestinian surroundings by the Israeli-built apartheid wall in an attempt to force its residents to leave their homes as has been the case in Deir Yasseen, Lefta, and Qalouniya villages.
Price tag members repeatedly spray paint racist anti-Arab and anti-Palestinian slogans in Arabic and Hebrew languages on cars and walls of Palestinian homes in Occupied Jerusalem and the occupied West Bank. Israeli terrorists also frequently vandalize Islamic and Christian holy sites. However, they rarely get prosecuted by the Israeli authorities.
The Israeli vandals wrote threats to Palestinians calling on them to leave their homes and threatening to kill them.
The Israeli settlers damaged dozens of vehicles and painted slogans reading “death to Arabs”, among other racist anti-Arab slogans, according to the locals.
Khalid Ghaith, a local resident, said such crimes are a serious threat to the lives of Palestinian families and children in the area.
He urged the concerned authorities to take serious action so as to save the residents of Beit Iksa and speak up for their daily suffering.
Two months earlier, Israel’s price tag gangs spray-painted racist graffiti in al-Burj neighborhood and assaulted Palestinian vehicles and property.
A couple of years ago, price tag gangs attempted to torch Beit Iksa’s mosque.
Located northwest of Occupied Jerusalem and populated by 1,800 people, Beit Iksa is totally isolated from its Palestinian surroundings by the Israeli-built apartheid wall in an attempt to force its residents to leave their homes as has been the case in Deir Yasseen, Lefta, and Qalouniya villages.
Price tag members repeatedly spray paint racist anti-Arab and anti-Palestinian slogans in Arabic and Hebrew languages on cars and walls of Palestinian homes in Occupied Jerusalem and the occupied West Bank. Israeli terrorists also frequently vandalize Islamic and Christian holy sites. However, they rarely get prosecuted by the Israeli authorities.
22 apr 2018
Zvika Fogel
An Israeli general has confirmed that when snipers stationed along Israel’s boundary with Gaza shoot at children, they are doing so deliberately, under clear and specific orders.
In a radio interview, Brigadier-General (Reserve) Zvika Fogel describes how a sniper identifies the “small body” of a child and is given authorization to shoot.
Fogel’s statements could be used as evidence of intent if Israeli leaders are ever tried for war crimes at the International Criminal Court.
On Friday, an Israeli sniper shot dead 14-year-old Muhammad Ibrahim Ayyoub.
The boy, shot in the head east of Jabaliya, was the fourth child among the more than 30 Palestinians killed during the Great March of Return rallies that began in Gaza on 30 March.
More than 1,600 other Palestinians have been shot with live ammunition that has caused what doctors are calling “horrific injuries” likely to leave many of them with permanent disabilities.
As eyewitnesses and video confirmed, the child Muhammad Ayyoub posed no conceivable danger to heavily armed Israeli occupation forces stationed dozens of meters away behind fences and earthen fortifications on the other side of the Gaza boundary when he was killed.
Even the usually timid United Nations peace process envoy Nickolay Mladenov publicly declared that the slaying was “outrageous.”
Targeting children
On Saturday, Brigadier-General Fogel was interviewed by Ron Nesiel on the Israeli public radio network Kan.
Fogel is the former chief of staff of the Israeli army’s “southern command,” which includes the occupied Gaza Strip.
Ahmad Tibi, a Palestinian lawmaker in Israel’s parliament, drew attention to the interview in a tweet.
A recording of the interview is online (it begins at 6:52). The interview was translated for The Electronic Intifada by Dena Shunra and a full transcript follows this article.
The host Ron Nesiel asks Fogel if the Israeli army should “rethink its use of snipers,” and suggests that someone giving orders “lowered the bar for using live fire.”
Fogel adamantly defends the policy, stating: “At the tactical level, any person who gets close to the fence, anyone who could be a future threat to the border of the State of Israel and its residents, should bear a price for that violation.”
He adds: “If this child or anyone else gets close to the fence in order to hide an explosive device or check if there are any dead zones there or to cut the fence so someone could infiltrate the territory of the State of Israel to kill us …”
“Then his punishment is death?” Nesiel interjects.
“His punishment is death,” the general responds. “As far as I’m concerned then yes, if you can only shoot him to stop him, in the leg or arm – great. But if it’s more than that then, yes, you want to check with me whose blood is thicker, ours or theirs.”
Fogel then describes the careful process by which targets – including children – are identified and shot:
“I know how these orders are given. I know how a sniper does the shooting. I know how many authorizations he needs before he receives an authorization to open fire. It is not the whim of one or the other sniper who identifies the small body of a child now and decides he’ll shoot. Someone marks the target for him very well and tells him exactly why one has to shoot and what the threat is from that individual. And to my great sorrow, sometimes when you shoot at a small body and you intended to hit his arm or shoulder, it goes even higher.”
For “it goes even higher,” Fogel uses a Hebrew idiom also meaning “it costs even more.”
In this chilling statement, in which a general talks about snipers targeting the “small body of a child,” Fogel makes crystal clear that this policy is premeditated and deliberate.
While presenting unarmed Palestinian children as dangerous terrorists worthy of death, Fogel describes the snipers killing them in cold blood as the innocent, vulnerable parties who deserve protection.
“We have soldiers there, our children, who were sent out and receive very accurate instructions about whom to shoot to protect us. Let’s back them up,” he says.
Lethal policy
Fogel’s statements are no aberration but represent Israeli policy.
“Israeli officials made it clear that the open-fire regulations would permit lethal fire at anyone attempting to damage the fence, and even at any person coming within 300 meters of it,” the Israeli human rights group B’Tselem stated [PDF] in a recent analysis of Israel’s illegal targeting of unarmed civilians who pose no threat.
“Nevertheless, all state and military officials have steadfastly refused to cancel the unlawful orders and continue to issue – and justify – them,” B’Tselem added.
B’Tselem has called on individual soldiers to defy such illegal orders.
Following its investigation of the “calculated” killings of unarmed demonstrators on 30 March, the first day of the Great March of Return rallies in Gaza, Human Rights Watch concluded that the lethal crackdown was “planned at [the] highest levels of the Israeli government.”
Two weeks ago, the chief prosecutor of the International Criminal Court issued an unprecedented warning that Israeli leaders may face trial for the killings of unarmed Palestinian protesters in the Gaza Strip.
Potential defendants would be giving any prosecutor a gift with such open admissions that killing unarmed people in an occupied territory who pose no objective threat is their policy and intent.
The question remains whether anything will finally pierce the shield of impunity that Israel has enjoyed for 70 years.
Full Transcript
Brigadier-General (Res.) Zvika Fogel interviewed on the Yoman Hashevua program of Israel’s Kan radio, 21 April 2018.
Ron Nesiel: Greetings Brigadier General (Res.) Zvika Fogel. Should the IDF [Israeli army] rethink its use of snipers? There’s the impression that maybe someone lowered the bar for using live fire, and this may be the result?
Zvika Fogel: Ron, let’s maybe look at this matter on three levels. At the tactical level that we all love dealing with, the local one, also at the level of values, and with your permission, we will also rise up to the strategic level. At the tactical level, any person who gets close to the fence, anyone who could be a future threat to the border of the State of Israel and its residents, should bear a price for that violation. If this child or anyone else gets close to the fence in order to hide an explosive device or check if there are any dead zones there or to cut the fence so someone could infiltrate the territory of the State of Israel to kill us …
Nesiel: Then, then his punishment is death?
Fogel: His punishment is death. As far as I’m concerned then yes, if you can only shoot him to stop him, in the leg or arm – great. But if it’s more than that then, yes, you want to check with me whose blood is thicker, ours or theirs. It is clear to you that if one such person will manage to cross the fence or hide an explosive device there …
Nesiel: But we were taught that live fire is only used when the soldiers face immediate danger.
Fogel: Come, let’s move over to the level of values. Assuming that we understood the tactical level, as we cannot tolerate a crossing of our border or a violation of our border, let’s proceed to the level of values. I am not Ahmad Tibi, I am Zvika Fogel. I know how these orders are given. I know how a sniper does the shooting. I know how many authorizations he needs before he receives an authorization to open fire. It is not the whim of one or the other sniper who identifies the small body of a child now and decides he’ll shoot. Someone marks the target for him very well and tells him exactly why one has to shoot and what the threat is from that individual. And to my great sorrow, sometimes when you shoot at a small body and you intended to hit his arm or shoulder it goes even higher. The picture is not a pretty picture. But if that’s the price that we have to pay to preserve the safety and quality of life of the residents of the State of Israel, then that’s the price. But now, with your permission, let us go up one level and look at the overview. It is clear to you that Hamas is fighting for consciousness at the moment. It is clear to you and to me …
Nesiel: Is it hard for them to do? Aren’t we providing them with sufficient ammunition in this battle?
Fogel: We’re providing them but …
Nesiel: Because it does not do all that well for us, those pictures that are distributed around the world.
Fogel: Look, Ron, we’re even terrible at it. There’s nothing to be done, David always looks better against Goliath. And in this case, we are the Goliath. Not the David. That is entirely clear to me. But let’s look at it at the strategic level: you and I and a large part of the listeners are clear that this will not end up in demonstrations. It is clear to us that Hamas can’t continue to tolerate the fact that its rockets are not managing to hurt us, its tunnels are eroding …
Nesiel: Yes.
Fogel: And it doesn’t have too many suicide bombers who continue to believe the fairytale about the virgins waiting up there. It will drag us into a war. I do not want to be on the side that gets dragged. I want to be on the side that initiates things. I do not want to wait for the moment where it finds a weak spot and attacks me there. If tomorrow morning it gets into a military base or a kibbutz and kills people there and takes prisoners of war or hostages, call it as you like, we’re in a whole new script. I want the leaders of Hamas to wake up tomorrow morning and for the last time in their life see the smiling faces of the IDF. That’s what I want to have happen. But we are dragged along. So we’re putting snipers up because we want to preserve the values we were educated by. We can’t always take a single picture and put it before the whole world. We have soldiers there, our children, who were sent out and receive very accurate instructions about whom to shoot to protect us. Let’s back them up.
Nesiel: Brigadier-General (Res.) Zvika Fogel, formerly Head of the Southern Command Staff, thank you for your words.
Fogel: May you only hear good news. Thank you.
An Israeli general has confirmed that when snipers stationed along Israel’s boundary with Gaza shoot at children, they are doing so deliberately, under clear and specific orders.
In a radio interview, Brigadier-General (Reserve) Zvika Fogel describes how a sniper identifies the “small body” of a child and is given authorization to shoot.
Fogel’s statements could be used as evidence of intent if Israeli leaders are ever tried for war crimes at the International Criminal Court.
On Friday, an Israeli sniper shot dead 14-year-old Muhammad Ibrahim Ayyoub.
The boy, shot in the head east of Jabaliya, was the fourth child among the more than 30 Palestinians killed during the Great March of Return rallies that began in Gaza on 30 March.
More than 1,600 other Palestinians have been shot with live ammunition that has caused what doctors are calling “horrific injuries” likely to leave many of them with permanent disabilities.
As eyewitnesses and video confirmed, the child Muhammad Ayyoub posed no conceivable danger to heavily armed Israeli occupation forces stationed dozens of meters away behind fences and earthen fortifications on the other side of the Gaza boundary when he was killed.
Even the usually timid United Nations peace process envoy Nickolay Mladenov publicly declared that the slaying was “outrageous.”
Targeting children
On Saturday, Brigadier-General Fogel was interviewed by Ron Nesiel on the Israeli public radio network Kan.
Fogel is the former chief of staff of the Israeli army’s “southern command,” which includes the occupied Gaza Strip.
Ahmad Tibi, a Palestinian lawmaker in Israel’s parliament, drew attention to the interview in a tweet.
A recording of the interview is online (it begins at 6:52). The interview was translated for The Electronic Intifada by Dena Shunra and a full transcript follows this article.
The host Ron Nesiel asks Fogel if the Israeli army should “rethink its use of snipers,” and suggests that someone giving orders “lowered the bar for using live fire.”
Fogel adamantly defends the policy, stating: “At the tactical level, any person who gets close to the fence, anyone who could be a future threat to the border of the State of Israel and its residents, should bear a price for that violation.”
He adds: “If this child or anyone else gets close to the fence in order to hide an explosive device or check if there are any dead zones there or to cut the fence so someone could infiltrate the territory of the State of Israel to kill us …”
“Then his punishment is death?” Nesiel interjects.
“His punishment is death,” the general responds. “As far as I’m concerned then yes, if you can only shoot him to stop him, in the leg or arm – great. But if it’s more than that then, yes, you want to check with me whose blood is thicker, ours or theirs.”
Fogel then describes the careful process by which targets – including children – are identified and shot:
“I know how these orders are given. I know how a sniper does the shooting. I know how many authorizations he needs before he receives an authorization to open fire. It is not the whim of one or the other sniper who identifies the small body of a child now and decides he’ll shoot. Someone marks the target for him very well and tells him exactly why one has to shoot and what the threat is from that individual. And to my great sorrow, sometimes when you shoot at a small body and you intended to hit his arm or shoulder, it goes even higher.”
For “it goes even higher,” Fogel uses a Hebrew idiom also meaning “it costs even more.”
In this chilling statement, in which a general talks about snipers targeting the “small body of a child,” Fogel makes crystal clear that this policy is premeditated and deliberate.
While presenting unarmed Palestinian children as dangerous terrorists worthy of death, Fogel describes the snipers killing them in cold blood as the innocent, vulnerable parties who deserve protection.
“We have soldiers there, our children, who were sent out and receive very accurate instructions about whom to shoot to protect us. Let’s back them up,” he says.
Lethal policy
Fogel’s statements are no aberration but represent Israeli policy.
“Israeli officials made it clear that the open-fire regulations would permit lethal fire at anyone attempting to damage the fence, and even at any person coming within 300 meters of it,” the Israeli human rights group B’Tselem stated [PDF] in a recent analysis of Israel’s illegal targeting of unarmed civilians who pose no threat.
“Nevertheless, all state and military officials have steadfastly refused to cancel the unlawful orders and continue to issue – and justify – them,” B’Tselem added.
B’Tselem has called on individual soldiers to defy such illegal orders.
Following its investigation of the “calculated” killings of unarmed demonstrators on 30 March, the first day of the Great March of Return rallies in Gaza, Human Rights Watch concluded that the lethal crackdown was “planned at [the] highest levels of the Israeli government.”
Two weeks ago, the chief prosecutor of the International Criminal Court issued an unprecedented warning that Israeli leaders may face trial for the killings of unarmed Palestinian protesters in the Gaza Strip.
Potential defendants would be giving any prosecutor a gift with such open admissions that killing unarmed people in an occupied territory who pose no objective threat is their policy and intent.
The question remains whether anything will finally pierce the shield of impunity that Israel has enjoyed for 70 years.
Full Transcript
Brigadier-General (Res.) Zvika Fogel interviewed on the Yoman Hashevua program of Israel’s Kan radio, 21 April 2018.
Ron Nesiel: Greetings Brigadier General (Res.) Zvika Fogel. Should the IDF [Israeli army] rethink its use of snipers? There’s the impression that maybe someone lowered the bar for using live fire, and this may be the result?
Zvika Fogel: Ron, let’s maybe look at this matter on three levels. At the tactical level that we all love dealing with, the local one, also at the level of values, and with your permission, we will also rise up to the strategic level. At the tactical level, any person who gets close to the fence, anyone who could be a future threat to the border of the State of Israel and its residents, should bear a price for that violation. If this child or anyone else gets close to the fence in order to hide an explosive device or check if there are any dead zones there or to cut the fence so someone could infiltrate the territory of the State of Israel to kill us …
Nesiel: Then, then his punishment is death?
Fogel: His punishment is death. As far as I’m concerned then yes, if you can only shoot him to stop him, in the leg or arm – great. But if it’s more than that then, yes, you want to check with me whose blood is thicker, ours or theirs. It is clear to you that if one such person will manage to cross the fence or hide an explosive device there …
Nesiel: But we were taught that live fire is only used when the soldiers face immediate danger.
Fogel: Come, let’s move over to the level of values. Assuming that we understood the tactical level, as we cannot tolerate a crossing of our border or a violation of our border, let’s proceed to the level of values. I am not Ahmad Tibi, I am Zvika Fogel. I know how these orders are given. I know how a sniper does the shooting. I know how many authorizations he needs before he receives an authorization to open fire. It is not the whim of one or the other sniper who identifies the small body of a child now and decides he’ll shoot. Someone marks the target for him very well and tells him exactly why one has to shoot and what the threat is from that individual. And to my great sorrow, sometimes when you shoot at a small body and you intended to hit his arm or shoulder it goes even higher. The picture is not a pretty picture. But if that’s the price that we have to pay to preserve the safety and quality of life of the residents of the State of Israel, then that’s the price. But now, with your permission, let us go up one level and look at the overview. It is clear to you that Hamas is fighting for consciousness at the moment. It is clear to you and to me …
Nesiel: Is it hard for them to do? Aren’t we providing them with sufficient ammunition in this battle?
Fogel: We’re providing them but …
Nesiel: Because it does not do all that well for us, those pictures that are distributed around the world.
Fogel: Look, Ron, we’re even terrible at it. There’s nothing to be done, David always looks better against Goliath. And in this case, we are the Goliath. Not the David. That is entirely clear to me. But let’s look at it at the strategic level: you and I and a large part of the listeners are clear that this will not end up in demonstrations. It is clear to us that Hamas can’t continue to tolerate the fact that its rockets are not managing to hurt us, its tunnels are eroding …
Nesiel: Yes.
Fogel: And it doesn’t have too many suicide bombers who continue to believe the fairytale about the virgins waiting up there. It will drag us into a war. I do not want to be on the side that gets dragged. I want to be on the side that initiates things. I do not want to wait for the moment where it finds a weak spot and attacks me there. If tomorrow morning it gets into a military base or a kibbutz and kills people there and takes prisoners of war or hostages, call it as you like, we’re in a whole new script. I want the leaders of Hamas to wake up tomorrow morning and for the last time in their life see the smiling faces of the IDF. That’s what I want to have happen. But we are dragged along. So we’re putting snipers up because we want to preserve the values we were educated by. We can’t always take a single picture and put it before the whole world. We have soldiers there, our children, who were sent out and receive very accurate instructions about whom to shoot to protect us. Let’s back them up.
Nesiel: Brigadier-General (Res.) Zvika Fogel, formerly Head of the Southern Command Staff, thank you for your words.
Fogel: May you only hear good news. Thank you.
Ahed Tamimi, 17, is serving an eight-month prison sentence after she was filmed slapping an Israeli soldier
Ahed Tamimi, the Palestinian teenager famed for slapping an Israeli soldier on camera, should have been shot, at least in the knee, Deputy Knesset Speaker Bezalel Smotrich (Habayit Hayehudi) wrote on Twitter Saturday.
“In my opinion, she should have gotten a bullet, at least in the kneecap,” he wrote. “That would have put her under house arrest for the rest of her life.”
Ahed Tamimi, the Palestinian teenager famed for slapping an Israeli soldier on camera, should have been shot, at least in the knee, Deputy Knesset Speaker Bezalel Smotrich (Habayit Hayehudi) wrote on Twitter Saturday.
“In my opinion, she should have gotten a bullet, at least in the kneecap,” he wrote. “That would have put her under house arrest for the rest of her life.”
Bezalel Smotrich
He was responding to journalist Yinon Magal, who had reposted the footage of Tamimi slapping the soldier along with the text, “I’m watching this clip again and am so glad that Tamimi is still in jail. Sometimes, it’s good that the mills of justice grind slowly.”
Tamimi, 17, was arrested and charged soon after the incident took place last December. In March, she was convicted in a plea bargain of assaulting a soldier, incitement and interfering with a soldier in the line of duty. She was sentenced to eight months in prison plus a fine of 5,000 shekels ($1,400).
MK Michal Rozin (Meretz) responded angrily to Smotrich’s tweet. “You should be ashamed of yourself! Should the hilltop youth from Samaria who threw stones at IDF soldiers last week also have been shot?” she wrote on Twitter, referring to violent settlers in the northern West Bank. “Oh, I forgot – the law is different for enemies ...”
“I don’t accept your excuses and explanations,” she added. “You’re a thug and an inciter.”
Tamimi’s mother Nariman and cousin Nur were also convicted in slapping incident. Nariman Tamimi, who shot the video, was sentenced to eight months in prison and a 6,000-shekel fine for incitement, abetting an assault and interfering with a soldier in the line of duty. Nur, who also slapped the soldier, was given a five-month suspended sentence and fined 2,000 shekels.
In the original indictment, Ahed Tamimi was also charged with several other offenses, including throwing stones on various occasions.
He was responding to journalist Yinon Magal, who had reposted the footage of Tamimi slapping the soldier along with the text, “I’m watching this clip again and am so glad that Tamimi is still in jail. Sometimes, it’s good that the mills of justice grind slowly.”
Tamimi, 17, was arrested and charged soon after the incident took place last December. In March, she was convicted in a plea bargain of assaulting a soldier, incitement and interfering with a soldier in the line of duty. She was sentenced to eight months in prison plus a fine of 5,000 shekels ($1,400).
MK Michal Rozin (Meretz) responded angrily to Smotrich’s tweet. “You should be ashamed of yourself! Should the hilltop youth from Samaria who threw stones at IDF soldiers last week also have been shot?” she wrote on Twitter, referring to violent settlers in the northern West Bank. “Oh, I forgot – the law is different for enemies ...”
“I don’t accept your excuses and explanations,” she added. “You’re a thug and an inciter.”
Tamimi’s mother Nariman and cousin Nur were also convicted in slapping incident. Nariman Tamimi, who shot the video, was sentenced to eight months in prison and a 6,000-shekel fine for incitement, abetting an assault and interfering with a soldier in the line of duty. Nur, who also slapped the soldier, was given a five-month suspended sentence and fined 2,000 shekels.
In the original indictment, Ahed Tamimi was also charged with several other offenses, including throwing stones on various occasions.
Dozens of Israeli settlers broke into al-Aqsa Mosque on Sunday morning under heavy police presence.
Local sources reported that 65 settlers entered the Mosque in consecutive groups via al-Maghareba Gate, roamed its courtyards and performed Talmudic rituals.
The sources added that the morning incursions lasted for four hours while other groups are expected to break into the Mosque following noon prayer.
In another context, the Israeli police handed three Aqsa guards interrogation summonses on Sunday morning.
Local sources said that the guards Khalil al-Tarhouni, Luai Abu al-Sa'd and Fadi Iliyyan were handed summonses, while they were present at al-Qashla detention center for interrogation, to appear again before the police next Tuesday along with two other guards who were recently banned from entering al-Aqsa Mosque for a week.
There are about 250 guards, mostly young Palestinians, who guard al-Aqsa Mosque around the clock to make sure no harm is caused to the holy site and protect it against settlers' violations despite the harassment they are constantly exposed to by the Israeli police.
Local sources reported that 65 settlers entered the Mosque in consecutive groups via al-Maghareba Gate, roamed its courtyards and performed Talmudic rituals.
The sources added that the morning incursions lasted for four hours while other groups are expected to break into the Mosque following noon prayer.
In another context, the Israeli police handed three Aqsa guards interrogation summonses on Sunday morning.
Local sources said that the guards Khalil al-Tarhouni, Luai Abu al-Sa'd and Fadi Iliyyan were handed summonses, while they were present at al-Qashla detention center for interrogation, to appear again before the police next Tuesday along with two other guards who were recently banned from entering al-Aqsa Mosque for a week.
There are about 250 guards, mostly young Palestinians, who guard al-Aqsa Mosque around the clock to make sure no harm is caused to the holy site and protect it against settlers' violations despite the harassment they are constantly exposed to by the Israeli police.
The Israeli occupation police held a few days ago a special event to give Israeli children information on military equipment and weapons and how to use them.
The event was held as part of Israeli activities to mark the day when the Zionists occupied Palestine (the Palestinian Nakba anniversary).
According to Haaretz newspaper, the Israeli police in Jerusalem staged an open day in the [illegal] settlement of Beit Shemesh in response to Jewish settlers’ request to hold educational activities intended for training their children to use guns and military equipment.
Scores of settlers, who look for excitement and shooting, came from other settlements in the West Bank and Jerusalem to participate in the police open day.
Every once in a while, the Israeli police and army organize training or educational days in order to familiarize settlers’ kids with the use of weapons and other combat means, and sometimes allow them to attend real artillery attacks on Gaza and write death messages on projectiles to Palestinian children.
The event was held as part of Israeli activities to mark the day when the Zionists occupied Palestine (the Palestinian Nakba anniversary).
According to Haaretz newspaper, the Israeli police in Jerusalem staged an open day in the [illegal] settlement of Beit Shemesh in response to Jewish settlers’ request to hold educational activities intended for training their children to use guns and military equipment.
Scores of settlers, who look for excitement and shooting, came from other settlements in the West Bank and Jerusalem to participate in the police open day.
Every once in a while, the Israeli police and army organize training or educational days in order to familiarize settlers’ kids with the use of weapons and other combat means, and sometimes allow them to attend real artillery attacks on Gaza and write death messages on projectiles to Palestinian children.
20 apr 2018
A group of extremist Israeli colonists uprooted, Friday, at least 100 olive trees from an Orchard in Burin village, south of the northern West Bank city of Nablus.
The assailants, who came from a nearby illegal colony, invaded an orchard owned by Mohammad Raja, and cut 100 trees; many of them were planted more than 60 years ago, in addition to cutting several almond trees.
The attacked land is the only source of livelihood to Mohammad and his family.
Yahia Qadous, the head of Burin Village Council, said the colonizers also wrote racist graffiti, including “Death To Arabs”, on big rocks in the orchard.
He added that the attack is part of numerous similar violations targeting many orchards, homes and property in the village.
The assailants, who came from a nearby illegal colony, invaded an orchard owned by Mohammad Raja, and cut 100 trees; many of them were planted more than 60 years ago, in addition to cutting several almond trees.
The attacked land is the only source of livelihood to Mohammad and his family.
Yahia Qadous, the head of Burin Village Council, said the colonizers also wrote racist graffiti, including “Death To Arabs”, on big rocks in the orchard.
He added that the attack is part of numerous similar violations targeting many orchards, homes and property in the village.
Several extremist Israeli colonists, living in an illegal colony which was built on private Palestinian lands, invaded at dawn Friday the village of Burqa, east of the central West Bank city of Ramallah, wrote racist graffiti and punctured tires of many cars.
Locals said the assailants came from the illegal Migron outpost, which was installed on private lands owned by the villagers.
They added that the colonists wrote racist graffiti on several walls and cars, and punctures the tires of many parked cars.
The attack is part of numerous and ongoing violations carried out against the Palestinians, their property and even the holy sites and graveyards.
Locals said the assailants came from the illegal Migron outpost, which was installed on private lands owned by the villagers.
They added that the colonists wrote racist graffiti on several walls and cars, and punctures the tires of many parked cars.
The attack is part of numerous and ongoing violations carried out against the Palestinians, their property and even the holy sites and graveyards.
The Israeli occupation authorities on Thursday morning closed the Iliya Institute, a community center operating in Occupied Jerusalem, under the recommendations of Israel’s War Minister.
Israeli intelligence officers pasted the closure order on the gates of the institution.
The measure come shortly after Israel’s War Minister Avigdor Lieberman labeled the Iliya Institute a terror establishment following data amassed by the Shin Bet security agency.
According to a statement from Lieberman’s office, the war minister signed a special order under section 3 (a) of the Anti-Terrorism Law after it was found that the Institute, which operates as a youth center, was acting on behalf of the Democratic Front for the Liberation of Palestine (DFLP).
The recommendation was allegedly made after months of surveillance by the Shin Bet which found that the Institute carried out activities aimed at promoting the activities of DFLP in Occupied Jerusalem such as recruiting and training activists to spread the group’s ideology through incitement videos.
Israeli intelligence officers pasted the closure order on the gates of the institution.
The measure come shortly after Israel’s War Minister Avigdor Lieberman labeled the Iliya Institute a terror establishment following data amassed by the Shin Bet security agency.
According to a statement from Lieberman’s office, the war minister signed a special order under section 3 (a) of the Anti-Terrorism Law after it was found that the Institute, which operates as a youth center, was acting on behalf of the Democratic Front for the Liberation of Palestine (DFLP).
The recommendation was allegedly made after months of surveillance by the Shin Bet which found that the Institute carried out activities aimed at promoting the activities of DFLP in Occupied Jerusalem such as recruiting and training activists to spread the group’s ideology through incitement videos.
19 apr 2018
Dozens of Israeli settlers on Thursday and under heavy protection of Israeli forces broke into Solomon's Pools south of the West Bank city of Bethlehem, a Palestinian source said.
Local activist Ahmed Salah revealed that at least 100 settlers stormed the site under tight protection by Israeli occupation forces. The settlers were allowed to carry out Talmudic rituals at the site.
Solomon's Pools have been subjected to frequent incursions by settlers in an attempt to take over control of the touristic site, which they claim to be of religious importance to them.
The pools are three ancient reservoirs, dated back to the period of the Ottoman Sultan Suleiman, and located in the south-central West Bank in the Palestinian-controlled Area A.
Local activist Ahmed Salah revealed that at least 100 settlers stormed the site under tight protection by Israeli occupation forces. The settlers were allowed to carry out Talmudic rituals at the site.
Solomon's Pools have been subjected to frequent incursions by settlers in an attempt to take over control of the touristic site, which they claim to be of religious importance to them.
The pools are three ancient reservoirs, dated back to the period of the Ottoman Sultan Suleiman, and located in the south-central West Bank in the Palestinian-controlled Area A.
More than 250 extremist settlers early Thursday stormed compounds of the Al-Aqsa Mosque under heavy police protection, a Palestinian source confirmed.
The Islamic Awqaf and Al-Aqsa Affairs said that 203 settlers forced their way into the Mosque today morning through al-Magharebah Gate and under heavy protection of Israeli Special Forces.
43 other settlers had later stormed the holy shrine in the afternoon.
The extremist settlers provocatively toured the Al-Aqsa yards, listened to explanations on the alleged "Temple Mount" and tried to perform Talmudic rites publicly at the Mosque.
Members of "the alleged ‘Temple Mount’ organizations have earlier called to widely participate in today's incursions to celebrate the occasion of the so-called "Israel Independence ".
On Wednesday, Israeli police arrested two guards of al-Aqsa and summoned four others for investigation to pave the way for to today’s incursions.
The Islamic Awqaf and Al-Aqsa Affairs said that 203 settlers forced their way into the Mosque today morning through al-Magharebah Gate and under heavy protection of Israeli Special Forces.
43 other settlers had later stormed the holy shrine in the afternoon.
The extremist settlers provocatively toured the Al-Aqsa yards, listened to explanations on the alleged "Temple Mount" and tried to perform Talmudic rites publicly at the Mosque.
Members of "the alleged ‘Temple Mount’ organizations have earlier called to widely participate in today's incursions to celebrate the occasion of the so-called "Israel Independence ".
On Wednesday, Israeli police arrested two guards of al-Aqsa and summoned four others for investigation to pave the way for to today’s incursions.
Israeli military troops have sealed off an iron gate leading to Palestinian villages north of al-Khalil province, in the southern occupied West Bank, allegedly after a settler was stoned and injured.
Israeli soldiers closed off the access road between Beit Einun and al-Nasaba, north of Halhul province, in northern al-Khalil, claiming a settler was injured in a stone-throwing attack as she passed through the area overnight.
Sometime earlier, Israeli settlers attacked a bus carrying Palestinian schoolchildren on their way back home to Yatta, east of al-Khalil, from an excursion.
A state of panic flared up among the schoolchildren after Israeli settlers hurled rocks toward the bus, in the second such assault in al-Khalil in less than 10 hours.
Israeli soldiers closed off the access road between Beit Einun and al-Nasaba, north of Halhul province, in northern al-Khalil, claiming a settler was injured in a stone-throwing attack as she passed through the area overnight.
Sometime earlier, Israeli settlers attacked a bus carrying Palestinian schoolchildren on their way back home to Yatta, east of al-Khalil, from an excursion.
A state of panic flared up among the schoolchildren after Israeli settlers hurled rocks toward the bus, in the second such assault in al-Khalil in less than 10 hours.
