7 aug 2019
Israeli police on Wednesday assaulted Al-Aqsa mosque guard Muhannad Idris with severe beatings while they were arresting him from the Bab al-Rahma area of the mosque.
Following the attack, 154 Israeli settlers stormed the mosque under heavy Israeli protection. video
In another context, crews belonging to the municipality of occupation in Jerusalem, on Wednesday, uprooted a number of trees from a yard in the vicinity of Al-Aqsa Mosque.
Local sources reported that the crews started to cut and uproot olive trees in the Imam Ghazali square near Bab Asbat, the perimeter of the Al-Aqsa Mosque.
Israeli police savagely assault, arrest Aqsa guard
Israeli police forces on Thursday morning brutally assaulted one of the Aqsa Mosque guards outside the Bab al-Rahma prayer area in Occupied
According to eyewitnesses, police officers arrested Aqsa guard Muhannad Idrees after beating him and took him in handcuffs to a nearby police station outside the Aqsa Mosque. video
Earlier, the Israeli police kidnaped pro-Aqsa activist Nidham Abu Rumouz from the Bab al-Rahma prayer area and took him in for interrogation.
Following the attack, 154 Israeli settlers stormed the mosque under heavy Israeli protection. video
In another context, crews belonging to the municipality of occupation in Jerusalem, on Wednesday, uprooted a number of trees from a yard in the vicinity of Al-Aqsa Mosque.
Local sources reported that the crews started to cut and uproot olive trees in the Imam Ghazali square near Bab Asbat, the perimeter of the Al-Aqsa Mosque.
Israeli police savagely assault, arrest Aqsa guard
Israeli police forces on Thursday morning brutally assaulted one of the Aqsa Mosque guards outside the Bab al-Rahma prayer area in Occupied
According to eyewitnesses, police officers arrested Aqsa guard Muhannad Idrees after beating him and took him in handcuffs to a nearby police station outside the Aqsa Mosque. video
Earlier, the Israeli police kidnaped pro-Aqsa activist Nidham Abu Rumouz from the Bab al-Rahma prayer area and took him in for interrogation.
The new monthly Israeli Official Incitement report for July 2019, prepared by the PLO Negotiations Affairs Department, highlights recent inciting statements made by senior Israeli officials; including members of Israeli political parties, newly elected members of the Israeli Parliament (Knesset), as well as leaders of extremist and illegal settlers’ organizations.
The report includes examples of official Israeli incitement against Palestinian prisoners, martyrs and their families, the Palestinian population in Gaza, the indigenous Palestinian citizens of Israel, Human Rights defenders, as well as against the President of the State of Palestine and the Palestinian leadership.
I. Palestinian Prisoners, Martyrs, and their Families
Uzi Dayan, MK Likud (Twitter, 22 July)
“To destroy the houses of terrorists – even if they did not kill anyone!…terror does not take a break, postponing the response reduces the power deterrence.”
Oded Forer, MK Yisrael Beitenu (Twitter, 17 July)
“Congratulations to the Prime Minister who prevented enacting the death penalty law for terrorists despite his commitment and promises. The privileges enjoyed by terrorists in the jail are the result of the failure of the Prime Minister and the Interior Security Minister who are not stopping the summer camp [good conditions]that the terrorists receive, and allow them to have developed TVs, visits and mobiles.”
Benjamin Netanyahu, Prime Minister MK Likud (Israel’s army radio Glz , 7 July)
“….we should never release any single prisoner.”
II. The Ongoing Israeli Assault on Gaza
Benjamin Netanyahu, Prime Minister MK Likud (Twitter, 3 July)
“….our policy is clear, we want to restore calm but in return we are preparing for a broad military operation if necessary, these are my instructions to the army.”
Benny Gantz, Former Chief of Staff of the Israeli occupying army and the Head of Blue White party, in an interview with Kan Radio on 11 July
“We should not accept any violation to our sovereignty, any violation to our sovereignty must be confronted with force, the violation is not an issue which happens once, and therefore we should have reacted by force and waged a strong attack including assassinations.”
III. Human Rights Defenders
Yair Lapid, MK Blue White party against Omar Shaker, the Israel and Palestine Director of Human Rights Watch (Twitter, 26 July)
“Omar Shaker must be deported, he is not a ‘Human Rights activist’, he is an anti-Semite BDS activist, and it is the right of the state of Israel to deport whoever is working against it.”
IV. The Indigenous Palestinian Citizens of Israel
Likud party published a video on 30 July blaming Benny Gantz, Head of Blue White party, for speaking in the video about his intent to cooperate with Palestinian MKs
“ Gantz, what kind of coalition you wish to establish with the National democratic assembly? To establish a Palestinian State..to withdraw from all lands? What kind of cooperation you want to do with Ahmad Tibi who perceives Arafat as the teacher who glorified martyrs? Or with Ayman Odeh who supports the terrorist Marwan Barghouthi?”
Miri Regev, Minister of Culture and Sports, MK Likud, on the decision of the Israeli ‘Supreme Court’ to halt funding to al-Midan Theatre in Haifa (Facebook, 22 July)
“Justice has come to light. After four years of fighting against al-Midan Theatre, the high court of justice acknowledged that we won. This theatre, which dared to allow a play for the terrorist (prisoner Walid Daqa, a Palestinian citizen of Israel) who murdered the soldier Moshe Tama was not at all a theatre in the recent years but a platform for inciters against soldiers and against the State of Israel, It’s not art, it is incitement….”
V. President Mahmoud Abbas and the Palestinian Leadership
Gilad Erdan, Minister of Internal Security, Minister of Strategic Affairs and Minister of Information, MK Likud (Twitter, 16 July)
“This week I revealed to the government that the “terrorist in the suit” Abu Mazen not only incites for terror, finances and supports terrorists, but now together with the Palestinian Authority they have strengthened their support to BDS…”
Nitsana Darshan-Leitner, Chairwoman of Israeli Law Center Shurat Hadin, on the ruling of the district court to hold the Palestinian Authority responsible for attacks carried out during the second Intifada (Channel 20, 8 July)
“It is a historic victory. These were the first unprecedented cases filed against the Palestinian Authority. We claimed at the beginning that the Palestinian Authority is a terror organization which supports terror and terror operations, and the court found out that it is actually responsibility for terror attacks carried out by terror organizations such as the PLO, Hamas and Islamic Jihad. This proves that Intifada was not a popular revolt but an organized war against the Israeli civilians. Arafat tried to achieve what he could not accomplish through Oslo accords that is terror and suicide attacks and gun fire. The Palestinians aim was to kill Jews in Israel, therefore it will pay a dear price.”
Miri Regev, Minister of Culture and Sports, MK Likud (Facebook, 8 July)
“Terrorists remain terrorists. The Jerusalem district court ruled today an unprecedented decision that the Palestinian Authority bears responsibility for the attacks carried out during the second Intifada by terrorist organizations that were sponsored by the Palestinian Authority, and therefore it will be forced to pay compensations regarding 17 cases of damage filed on behalf of the affected people by ‘Shurat Hadin’. I welcome this judicial decision and the achievement of ‘Shurat Hadin’.…: the Palestinian Authority was and remains a supporter to terror as well as its president – in the past and today.”
Mordhay (Moti) Yogev, MK United Right (Twitter, 8 July)
“The mask has been removed – again. (The) District Court judge Moshe Drori revealed in his ruling the real face of the ‘Partner’ : ‘The Palestinian Authority, Abu Mazen, Arafat … all strived for one purpose: killing Jews and Israelis and harming the State of Israel.’ Do you want to make peace with those despicable killers? Do you want to hand over parts of the land of Israel to those murderers?”
VI. Additional Examples
Benjamin Netanyahu, Prime Minister MK Likud in a speech on 10 July on the 40th anniversary of the establishment of the illegal Settlement Council in the West Bank
“ ….we will never evacuate any town in Israel in any political settlement…we don’t displace people, this is absurd, you all know what happened when we made the evacuation, did we get peace in return? We got terror and rockets…”
Bezalel Smotrich, MK United Right (Twitter, 29 July)
“A powerful hand against anyone who attacks our soldiers and police. But I do care if the attackers are Arabs or Jewish. There is no comparison between the brother and the enemy. On the one hand if they are Jewish it hurts me much more. On the other hand I treat my brothers differently even if they violate the law…”
Ayalet Shaked, Former Minister of Justice and Head of United Right party (Twitter, 22 July)
“In a tour with Regavim movement, the Palestinian Authority controls Area C through unlicensed construction and agriculture. The upcoming Security Minister and Prime Minister must allocate necessary resources to enforce the law against the illegal construction and stop the takeover.”
Itamar Ben Gvir, Member of Oztma Yehudit party (part of the United Right party) on the arrest of Mahmoud Qatusa, a Palestinian man that was unjustly accused of kidnapping and raping a Jewish child (Twitter, 10 July)
“Nationalist terror is terror by all means! I reiterate that: whoever rapes a Jewish female based on nationalist motives as part of his war against the people of Israel- he must die in an electric chair…”
Benjamin Netanyahu, Prime Minister and MK Likud tweeted (Twitter, 10 July):
“As I requested and in coordination with the Mayor of Jerusalem, Moshe Lion, and the security apparatuses, the memorial in Issawiya was removed in memory of a terrorist. We will not allow it!”
Benjamin Netanyahu, Prime Minister MK Likud tweeted (Jpost, 7 July)
“A new study of DNA recovered from an ancient Philistine site in the Israeli city of Ashkelon confirms what we know from the Bible – that the origin of the Philistines is in southern Europe. The Bible mentions a place called Caphtor, which is probably modern-day Crete. There’s no connection between the ancient Philistines & the modern Palestinians, whose ancestors came from the Arabian Peninsula to the Land of Israel thousands of years later.”
Bezalel Smotrich, MK United Right, in support of Regavim, an illegal Settler Organization, which organized a campaign for raising Palestinian flags in Area C claiming that it is threatened by Palestinian control (Twitter, 7 July)
“The time has come for us to wake up and stop the Arab takeover of our homeland. These flags are not dangerous, but the thousands of houses and roads and trees that the Arabs are building and paving and planting against our will – yes! Responsibility lies on the shoulders of one person- Netanyahu.”
Michael Ben Ari, leader of the extremist Otzma Yehudit party, kicked off his party’s electoral campaign by calling for the expulsion of Palestinians (Jpost, 5 July)
“We want to resettle our enemies in their countries. They said they disqualified me for this. We’ll give them a bottle of mineral water and even a sandwich. We’ll find them countries of origin they can go to. They told us this is racist.”
Mordhay (Moti) Yogev, MK United Right (Twitter, 4 July)
“The Palestinian takeover of Area C is a ticking political bomb. Also, in the opinion of those who support the partition of the country, this dangerous process means eliminating the need for negotiations. I urge the Prime Minister, the Minister of Defense and the Likud members to confront this challenge. We are losing control over the fate of our country.”
In a Video titled “The State of Terror Behind the Doors” produced by Regavim, an illegal Settler Organization, the leaders of illegal Settlement Councils described the Palestinian State as a ‘Terror State’ and warned against the Palestinian Authority’s control over “Judea and Samaria” (Facebook, July 2)
The report includes examples of official Israeli incitement against Palestinian prisoners, martyrs and their families, the Palestinian population in Gaza, the indigenous Palestinian citizens of Israel, Human Rights defenders, as well as against the President of the State of Palestine and the Palestinian leadership.
I. Palestinian Prisoners, Martyrs, and their Families
Uzi Dayan, MK Likud (Twitter, 22 July)
“To destroy the houses of terrorists – even if they did not kill anyone!…terror does not take a break, postponing the response reduces the power deterrence.”
Oded Forer, MK Yisrael Beitenu (Twitter, 17 July)
“Congratulations to the Prime Minister who prevented enacting the death penalty law for terrorists despite his commitment and promises. The privileges enjoyed by terrorists in the jail are the result of the failure of the Prime Minister and the Interior Security Minister who are not stopping the summer camp [good conditions]that the terrorists receive, and allow them to have developed TVs, visits and mobiles.”
Benjamin Netanyahu, Prime Minister MK Likud (Israel’s army radio Glz , 7 July)
“….we should never release any single prisoner.”
II. The Ongoing Israeli Assault on Gaza
Benjamin Netanyahu, Prime Minister MK Likud (Twitter, 3 July)
“….our policy is clear, we want to restore calm but in return we are preparing for a broad military operation if necessary, these are my instructions to the army.”
Benny Gantz, Former Chief of Staff of the Israeli occupying army and the Head of Blue White party, in an interview with Kan Radio on 11 July
“We should not accept any violation to our sovereignty, any violation to our sovereignty must be confronted with force, the violation is not an issue which happens once, and therefore we should have reacted by force and waged a strong attack including assassinations.”
III. Human Rights Defenders
Yair Lapid, MK Blue White party against Omar Shaker, the Israel and Palestine Director of Human Rights Watch (Twitter, 26 July)
“Omar Shaker must be deported, he is not a ‘Human Rights activist’, he is an anti-Semite BDS activist, and it is the right of the state of Israel to deport whoever is working against it.”
IV. The Indigenous Palestinian Citizens of Israel
Likud party published a video on 30 July blaming Benny Gantz, Head of Blue White party, for speaking in the video about his intent to cooperate with Palestinian MKs
“ Gantz, what kind of coalition you wish to establish with the National democratic assembly? To establish a Palestinian State..to withdraw from all lands? What kind of cooperation you want to do with Ahmad Tibi who perceives Arafat as the teacher who glorified martyrs? Or with Ayman Odeh who supports the terrorist Marwan Barghouthi?”
Miri Regev, Minister of Culture and Sports, MK Likud, on the decision of the Israeli ‘Supreme Court’ to halt funding to al-Midan Theatre in Haifa (Facebook, 22 July)
“Justice has come to light. After four years of fighting against al-Midan Theatre, the high court of justice acknowledged that we won. This theatre, which dared to allow a play for the terrorist (prisoner Walid Daqa, a Palestinian citizen of Israel) who murdered the soldier Moshe Tama was not at all a theatre in the recent years but a platform for inciters against soldiers and against the State of Israel, It’s not art, it is incitement….”
V. President Mahmoud Abbas and the Palestinian Leadership
Gilad Erdan, Minister of Internal Security, Minister of Strategic Affairs and Minister of Information, MK Likud (Twitter, 16 July)
“This week I revealed to the government that the “terrorist in the suit” Abu Mazen not only incites for terror, finances and supports terrorists, but now together with the Palestinian Authority they have strengthened their support to BDS…”
Nitsana Darshan-Leitner, Chairwoman of Israeli Law Center Shurat Hadin, on the ruling of the district court to hold the Palestinian Authority responsible for attacks carried out during the second Intifada (Channel 20, 8 July)
“It is a historic victory. These were the first unprecedented cases filed against the Palestinian Authority. We claimed at the beginning that the Palestinian Authority is a terror organization which supports terror and terror operations, and the court found out that it is actually responsibility for terror attacks carried out by terror organizations such as the PLO, Hamas and Islamic Jihad. This proves that Intifada was not a popular revolt but an organized war against the Israeli civilians. Arafat tried to achieve what he could not accomplish through Oslo accords that is terror and suicide attacks and gun fire. The Palestinians aim was to kill Jews in Israel, therefore it will pay a dear price.”
Miri Regev, Minister of Culture and Sports, MK Likud (Facebook, 8 July)
“Terrorists remain terrorists. The Jerusalem district court ruled today an unprecedented decision that the Palestinian Authority bears responsibility for the attacks carried out during the second Intifada by terrorist organizations that were sponsored by the Palestinian Authority, and therefore it will be forced to pay compensations regarding 17 cases of damage filed on behalf of the affected people by ‘Shurat Hadin’. I welcome this judicial decision and the achievement of ‘Shurat Hadin’.…: the Palestinian Authority was and remains a supporter to terror as well as its president – in the past and today.”
Mordhay (Moti) Yogev, MK United Right (Twitter, 8 July)
“The mask has been removed – again. (The) District Court judge Moshe Drori revealed in his ruling the real face of the ‘Partner’ : ‘The Palestinian Authority, Abu Mazen, Arafat … all strived for one purpose: killing Jews and Israelis and harming the State of Israel.’ Do you want to make peace with those despicable killers? Do you want to hand over parts of the land of Israel to those murderers?”
VI. Additional Examples
Benjamin Netanyahu, Prime Minister MK Likud in a speech on 10 July on the 40th anniversary of the establishment of the illegal Settlement Council in the West Bank
“ ….we will never evacuate any town in Israel in any political settlement…we don’t displace people, this is absurd, you all know what happened when we made the evacuation, did we get peace in return? We got terror and rockets…”
Bezalel Smotrich, MK United Right (Twitter, 29 July)
“A powerful hand against anyone who attacks our soldiers and police. But I do care if the attackers are Arabs or Jewish. There is no comparison between the brother and the enemy. On the one hand if they are Jewish it hurts me much more. On the other hand I treat my brothers differently even if they violate the law…”
Ayalet Shaked, Former Minister of Justice and Head of United Right party (Twitter, 22 July)
“In a tour with Regavim movement, the Palestinian Authority controls Area C through unlicensed construction and agriculture. The upcoming Security Minister and Prime Minister must allocate necessary resources to enforce the law against the illegal construction and stop the takeover.”
Itamar Ben Gvir, Member of Oztma Yehudit party (part of the United Right party) on the arrest of Mahmoud Qatusa, a Palestinian man that was unjustly accused of kidnapping and raping a Jewish child (Twitter, 10 July)
“Nationalist terror is terror by all means! I reiterate that: whoever rapes a Jewish female based on nationalist motives as part of his war against the people of Israel- he must die in an electric chair…”
Benjamin Netanyahu, Prime Minister and MK Likud tweeted (Twitter, 10 July):
“As I requested and in coordination with the Mayor of Jerusalem, Moshe Lion, and the security apparatuses, the memorial in Issawiya was removed in memory of a terrorist. We will not allow it!”
Benjamin Netanyahu, Prime Minister MK Likud tweeted (Jpost, 7 July)
“A new study of DNA recovered from an ancient Philistine site in the Israeli city of Ashkelon confirms what we know from the Bible – that the origin of the Philistines is in southern Europe. The Bible mentions a place called Caphtor, which is probably modern-day Crete. There’s no connection between the ancient Philistines & the modern Palestinians, whose ancestors came from the Arabian Peninsula to the Land of Israel thousands of years later.”
Bezalel Smotrich, MK United Right, in support of Regavim, an illegal Settler Organization, which organized a campaign for raising Palestinian flags in Area C claiming that it is threatened by Palestinian control (Twitter, 7 July)
“The time has come for us to wake up and stop the Arab takeover of our homeland. These flags are not dangerous, but the thousands of houses and roads and trees that the Arabs are building and paving and planting against our will – yes! Responsibility lies on the shoulders of one person- Netanyahu.”
Michael Ben Ari, leader of the extremist Otzma Yehudit party, kicked off his party’s electoral campaign by calling for the expulsion of Palestinians (Jpost, 5 July)
“We want to resettle our enemies in their countries. They said they disqualified me for this. We’ll give them a bottle of mineral water and even a sandwich. We’ll find them countries of origin they can go to. They told us this is racist.”
Mordhay (Moti) Yogev, MK United Right (Twitter, 4 July)
“The Palestinian takeover of Area C is a ticking political bomb. Also, in the opinion of those who support the partition of the country, this dangerous process means eliminating the need for negotiations. I urge the Prime Minister, the Minister of Defense and the Likud members to confront this challenge. We are losing control over the fate of our country.”
In a Video titled “The State of Terror Behind the Doors” produced by Regavim, an illegal Settler Organization, the leaders of illegal Settlement Councils described the Palestinian State as a ‘Terror State’ and warned against the Palestinian Authority’s control over “Judea and Samaria” (Facebook, July 2)
The Israeli occupation authority (IOA) advanced plans for 2,304 settler homes and regularized three settler outposts in the West Bank during a two-day meeting of its higher planning council that ended Tuesday, Peace Now reported.
Plans for 1,466 of these settler homes were deposited, which means they are in the initial stages of discussion, and 838 were validated, which means they were given final approvals, according to Peace Now, a left-wing NGO.
70 percent of the units are for isolated settlements, which are located outside the route of the separation barrier.
At one time Israel and the US had made a distinction between isolated settlements and settlement blocs. Isolated settlements were believed to be vulnerable to withdrawal in any future final-status agreement with the Palestinians. Israel in the past held that settlements blocs would be part of its final sovereign borders.
Under the current US administration of Donald Trump and the current Israeli government, no distinction is made between settlements on either side of the barrier. Earlier this week, premier Benjamin Netanyahu visited the Efrat settlement and reiterated his remarks that “no settler or settlement will be uprooted on his watch.”
Among the more significant projects are almost 300 units for the small, isolated ultra-Orthodox settlement of Asfar, which is located in the Gush Etzion region. About 200 of the units that were deposited are for property within the settlement itself. In addition, the council legalized the adjacent Ibei Hanahal outpost as a new neighborhood of the settlement, approving in the process 96 new homes.
Peace Now has condemned the moves, saying “the approval of settlement plans is part of a disastrous government policy designed to prevent the possibility of peace and a two-state solution, and to annex part or all of the West Bank.”
It noted in particular that the council also approved the Haroeh Haivri outpost as an educational institution with plans for 24 homes. Built in 2015, it is located near the Bedouin herding village of Khan al-Ahmar, which the government has sought to evacuate.
The council also authorized the Givat Salit outpost with plans for 94 homes, but held off on approving the Brosh outpost. It also delayed the approval of 207 homes in the Har Bracha settlement.
Plans for 1,466 of these settler homes were deposited, which means they are in the initial stages of discussion, and 838 were validated, which means they were given final approvals, according to Peace Now, a left-wing NGO.
70 percent of the units are for isolated settlements, which are located outside the route of the separation barrier.
At one time Israel and the US had made a distinction between isolated settlements and settlement blocs. Isolated settlements were believed to be vulnerable to withdrawal in any future final-status agreement with the Palestinians. Israel in the past held that settlements blocs would be part of its final sovereign borders.
Under the current US administration of Donald Trump and the current Israeli government, no distinction is made between settlements on either side of the barrier. Earlier this week, premier Benjamin Netanyahu visited the Efrat settlement and reiterated his remarks that “no settler or settlement will be uprooted on his watch.”
Among the more significant projects are almost 300 units for the small, isolated ultra-Orthodox settlement of Asfar, which is located in the Gush Etzion region. About 200 of the units that were deposited are for property within the settlement itself. In addition, the council legalized the adjacent Ibei Hanahal outpost as a new neighborhood of the settlement, approving in the process 96 new homes.
Peace Now has condemned the moves, saying “the approval of settlement plans is part of a disastrous government policy designed to prevent the possibility of peace and a two-state solution, and to annex part or all of the West Bank.”
It noted in particular that the council also approved the Haroeh Haivri outpost as an educational institution with plans for 24 homes. Built in 2015, it is located near the Bedouin herding village of Khan al-Ahmar, which the government has sought to evacuate.
The council also authorized the Givat Salit outpost with plans for 94 homes, but held off on approving the Brosh outpost. It also delayed the approval of 207 homes in the Har Bracha settlement.
5 aug 2019
The Petra hotel, one of the three properties at the center of the dispute
Supreme Court ruled in favor of Ateret Cohanim, which seeks to increase the Jewish presence in Arab areas of capital, in 2004 purchase of three Old City properties; but patriarchate says deal involved bribery, claims to have 'clear proof' of corruption
The Greek Orthodox Church on Monday filed a new lawsuit in Jerusalem District Court against the Ateret Cohanim settler organization in a bid to overturn a Supreme Court decision upholding the sale of three properties in predominantly Arab parts of the Old City of Jerusalem.
The Supreme Court ruled in June in favor of Ateret Cohanim, which seeks to increase the Jewish presence in Arab areas of the holy city. The sale included two Palestinian-run hotels — Imperial and Petra — located near the Jaffa Gate, and another building near Herod's Gate.
The ruling paved the way for the three properties to be leased for 99 years to Ateret Cohanim, which intends to evacuate the residents of the properties.
The Greek Orthodox Patriarchate initially denied the sale ever took place and said it involved acts of bribery and was illegitimate; however, both the Jerusalem District Court and recently the Supreme Court denied their claims and approved the legality of the sale.
But the Patriarchate claimed in a statement Monday that it had "clear proof" of corruption in the long-disputed 2004 sale. The church claims that the sales had been approved by a former official who had no authority to do so.
"The Patriarchate stresses that its properties located within the walls of Old City Jerusalem are for the service of pilgrims and visitors of the Holy City especially those on the pilgrim route to the Church of the Holy Sepulchre," the Greek Orthodox Patriarchate of Jerusalem said in a statement Monday.
"The Patriarchate will continue to exercise its right and duty of defending itself, the holy sites and the Church heritage."
According to the church, Ateret Cohanim both falsified documents and bribed the official who agreed to the sales.
"The new evidence that the Patriarchate has obtained, confirm that Ateret Cohanim and its companies forged documents and initiated court proceedings based on these forged documents, despite Ateret Cohanim’s knowledge that they were forged," the Patriarchate said Monday.
"The evidence shows that the suspicious deals of 2004 involved bribes by Ateret Cohanim, and all indications point to the bribes being paid to the then Patriarchate employee, Nicholas Papadimas."
Ynet's sister publication, Yedioth Ahronoth, also revealed that former manager of the Petra Hotel, Ted Bloomfield, had received funds for years from Ateret Cohanim in order to push for the sale to take place.
Supreme Court ruled in favor of Ateret Cohanim, which seeks to increase the Jewish presence in Arab areas of capital, in 2004 purchase of three Old City properties; but patriarchate says deal involved bribery, claims to have 'clear proof' of corruption
The Greek Orthodox Church on Monday filed a new lawsuit in Jerusalem District Court against the Ateret Cohanim settler organization in a bid to overturn a Supreme Court decision upholding the sale of three properties in predominantly Arab parts of the Old City of Jerusalem.
The Supreme Court ruled in June in favor of Ateret Cohanim, which seeks to increase the Jewish presence in Arab areas of the holy city. The sale included two Palestinian-run hotels — Imperial and Petra — located near the Jaffa Gate, and another building near Herod's Gate.
The ruling paved the way for the three properties to be leased for 99 years to Ateret Cohanim, which intends to evacuate the residents of the properties.
The Greek Orthodox Patriarchate initially denied the sale ever took place and said it involved acts of bribery and was illegitimate; however, both the Jerusalem District Court and recently the Supreme Court denied their claims and approved the legality of the sale.
But the Patriarchate claimed in a statement Monday that it had "clear proof" of corruption in the long-disputed 2004 sale. The church claims that the sales had been approved by a former official who had no authority to do so.
"The Patriarchate stresses that its properties located within the walls of Old City Jerusalem are for the service of pilgrims and visitors of the Holy City especially those on the pilgrim route to the Church of the Holy Sepulchre," the Greek Orthodox Patriarchate of Jerusalem said in a statement Monday.
"The Patriarchate will continue to exercise its right and duty of defending itself, the holy sites and the Church heritage."
According to the church, Ateret Cohanim both falsified documents and bribed the official who agreed to the sales.
"The new evidence that the Patriarchate has obtained, confirm that Ateret Cohanim and its companies forged documents and initiated court proceedings based on these forged documents, despite Ateret Cohanim’s knowledge that they were forged," the Patriarchate said Monday.
"The evidence shows that the suspicious deals of 2004 involved bribes by Ateret Cohanim, and all indications point to the bribes being paid to the then Patriarchate employee, Nicholas Papadimas."
Ynet's sister publication, Yedioth Ahronoth, also revealed that former manager of the Petra Hotel, Ted Bloomfield, had received funds for years from Ateret Cohanim in order to push for the sale to take place.
The Israeli government intends to honor an extremist rabbi who has applauded the killing of non-Jews, especially the Muslims and Palestinians.
According to Haaretz newspaper, education minister Rabbi Rafi Peretz and transportation minister Bezalel Smotrich will honor rabbi Yitzchak Ginsburgh, who praised the 1994 massacre in al-Khalil city and was previously charged with inciting racism.
The ministers will speak at a Thursday event during which a prize will be awarded to Ginsburgh.
The US-born rabbi is known for publishing a pamphlet praising the actions of terrorist Baruch Goldstein, who in 1994 carried out the massacre at the Ibrahimi Mosque, in which he killed 29 Muslims and injured dozens as they were praying.
Ginsburgh is also among the rabbis who endorsed the book “The King’s Torah,” which discusses circumstances in which Jews may kill non-Jews according to Jewish law.
The prize will be awarded under the auspices of an institution called the “Cathedra for Torah and Wisdom,” which receive financial support from the education ministry’s department for Jewish culture.
According to Haaretz newspaper, education minister Rabbi Rafi Peretz and transportation minister Bezalel Smotrich will honor rabbi Yitzchak Ginsburgh, who praised the 1994 massacre in al-Khalil city and was previously charged with inciting racism.
The ministers will speak at a Thursday event during which a prize will be awarded to Ginsburgh.
The US-born rabbi is known for publishing a pamphlet praising the actions of terrorist Baruch Goldstein, who in 1994 carried out the massacre at the Ibrahimi Mosque, in which he killed 29 Muslims and injured dozens as they were praying.
Ginsburgh is also among the rabbis who endorsed the book “The King’s Torah,” which discusses circumstances in which Jews may kill non-Jews according to Jewish law.
The prize will be awarded under the auspices of an institution called the “Cathedra for Torah and Wisdom,” which receive financial support from the education ministry’s department for Jewish culture.
The Israeli occupation police on Monday morning allowed scores of Jewish settlers to desecrate the Aqsa Mosque’s courtyards.
More than 75 settlers, including religious students, entered the Mosque through al-Maghariba Gate and toured its courtyards under police protection, according to local sources.
In July, about 2,500 settlers entered the Mosque in violation of its Islamic sanctity, according to a report released by al-Quds Center for Studies.
The Aqsa Mosque is exposed to daily desecration by Jewish settlers in the morning and the afternoon except on Fridays and Saturdays.
The Israeli police close al-Maghariba Gate, which is used by Jews to enter the Mosque, at 10:30 am after the settlers complete their morning tours at the holy site. Later in the afternoon, the same gate is reopened for evening tours by settlers.
During the presence of settlers inside the Mosque compound, entry restrictions are imposed on Muslim worshipers at the entrances leading to the Mosque and their IDs are seized until they leave the holy place.
More than 75 settlers, including religious students, entered the Mosque through al-Maghariba Gate and toured its courtyards under police protection, according to local sources.
In July, about 2,500 settlers entered the Mosque in violation of its Islamic sanctity, according to a report released by al-Quds Center for Studies.
The Aqsa Mosque is exposed to daily desecration by Jewish settlers in the morning and the afternoon except on Fridays and Saturdays.
The Israeli police close al-Maghariba Gate, which is used by Jews to enter the Mosque, at 10:30 am after the settlers complete their morning tours at the holy site. Later in the afternoon, the same gate is reopened for evening tours by settlers.
During the presence of settlers inside the Mosque compound, entry restrictions are imposed on Muslim worshipers at the entrances leading to the Mosque and their IDs are seized until they leave the holy place.
4 aug 2019
Three Palestinian citizens were injured on Sunday after being attacked by Israeli settlers near Nabi Saleh village, north of Ramallah City.
Activist Belal al-Tamimi said that Israeli settlers from Halamish settlement, which is built on privately-owned Palestinian lands, attacked a number of Palestinian citizens and hurled rocks at them injuring three.
Al-Tamimi said that an Israeli army force stormed the area to protect the settlers after the attack.
He added that the land on which the attack took place is located near a settler road, and the Israeli authorities have been attempting to seize it lately.
Israeli settlers attacking civilians in West Bank focus of dailies
Attacks by Israeli settlers against Palestinian civilians in the occupied West Bank as well as intrusions by Israeli fanatics into Al-Aqsa Mosque and demolition of homes were highlighted on the front page of the three Palestinian Arabic dailies today.
They said three Palestinians were injured near Nabi Saleh village in the Ramallah area after settlers threw rocks at them.
They said dozens of fanatic settlers held provocative tours of Al-Aqsa Mosque, Islam’s third holiest site, in Jerusalem’s Old City, which the fanatics want to destroy in order to build a Jewish temple in its location.
Al-Quds said the fanatics are pressing their government to end the control of the Muslim Waqf department over Al-Aqsa Mosque and extend the hours for visitation and to enter from all gates of the walled holy compound. Visitation is allowed only through one gate, the Mugharbi Gate.
Israeli forces also demolished a house that was still under construction in a village near Bethlehem in the south of the West Bank.
In other news, the papers reported on the tension at Ofer Israeli military camp and detention center located near Ramallah. They said Israeli prison guards raided two sections of the prison, one of them where minors are held.
Al-Quds said 40 prisoners have joined the hunger strikers in the Israeli prisons in a show of support for their demand to be released from administrative detention.
Al-Ayyam quoted Prime Minister Mohammad Shtayyeh saying his government will consider all areas in the occupied West Bank as Area A, which means under full Palestinian control, after Israel has dismissed the classification of this area into A, B and C as stated in the Oslo accords.
It quoted Bassam Salhi, member of the Palestine Liberation Organization (PLO), saying the leadership’s strategy in ending work on the agreements with Israel is going in three tracks.
Al-Hayat al-Jadida quoted another PLO official, Saeb Erekat, saying their strategy aims at ending the occupation and building the state of Palestine on the June 4, 1967.
Activist Belal al-Tamimi said that Israeli settlers from Halamish settlement, which is built on privately-owned Palestinian lands, attacked a number of Palestinian citizens and hurled rocks at them injuring three.
Al-Tamimi said that an Israeli army force stormed the area to protect the settlers after the attack.
He added that the land on which the attack took place is located near a settler road, and the Israeli authorities have been attempting to seize it lately.
Israeli settlers attacking civilians in West Bank focus of dailies
Attacks by Israeli settlers against Palestinian civilians in the occupied West Bank as well as intrusions by Israeli fanatics into Al-Aqsa Mosque and demolition of homes were highlighted on the front page of the three Palestinian Arabic dailies today.
They said three Palestinians were injured near Nabi Saleh village in the Ramallah area after settlers threw rocks at them.
They said dozens of fanatic settlers held provocative tours of Al-Aqsa Mosque, Islam’s third holiest site, in Jerusalem’s Old City, which the fanatics want to destroy in order to build a Jewish temple in its location.
Al-Quds said the fanatics are pressing their government to end the control of the Muslim Waqf department over Al-Aqsa Mosque and extend the hours for visitation and to enter from all gates of the walled holy compound. Visitation is allowed only through one gate, the Mugharbi Gate.
Israeli forces also demolished a house that was still under construction in a village near Bethlehem in the south of the West Bank.
In other news, the papers reported on the tension at Ofer Israeli military camp and detention center located near Ramallah. They said Israeli prison guards raided two sections of the prison, one of them where minors are held.
Al-Quds said 40 prisoners have joined the hunger strikers in the Israeli prisons in a show of support for their demand to be released from administrative detention.
Al-Ayyam quoted Prime Minister Mohammad Shtayyeh saying his government will consider all areas in the occupied West Bank as Area A, which means under full Palestinian control, after Israel has dismissed the classification of this area into A, B and C as stated in the Oslo accords.
It quoted Bassam Salhi, member of the Palestine Liberation Organization (PLO), saying the leadership’s strategy in ending work on the agreements with Israel is going in three tracks.
Al-Hayat al-Jadida quoted another PLO official, Saeb Erekat, saying their strategy aims at ending the occupation and building the state of Palestine on the June 4, 1967.
Hordes of Israeli settlers on Sunday morning broke into al-Aqsa Mosque in Occupied Jerusalem under heavy police guard.
Jerusalem's Islamic Awqaf Department said that 84 Jewish settlers defiled al-Aqsa Mosque while accompanied by a large police force.
It added that the settlers roamed the holy mosque while being given presentations on the alleged "Temple Mount" and tried to perform provocative rituals near the Muslim prayer area of Bab al-Rahma.
Jerusalem's Islamic Awqaf Department said that 84 Jewish settlers defiled al-Aqsa Mosque while accompanied by a large police force.
It added that the settlers roamed the holy mosque while being given presentations on the alleged "Temple Mount" and tried to perform provocative rituals near the Muslim prayer area of Bab al-Rahma.
3 aug 2019
The Israeli occupation army’s civil administration is set to advance plans next week for at least 2,430 new settler homes and to authorize four outposts as neighborhoods of existing settlements, Peace Now said on Friday.
Peace Now noted that some of those outposts were already evacuated, without giving further details.
Recently, Israel’s security cabinet gave initial approval for the construction of 6,000 homes for Jewish settlers in Area C of the occupied West Bank, which is under Israel’s military control.
However, no details of the plans were publicized, and it is presumed that they will now go through the civil administration’s regular planning process. It is unclear if the homes set to be advanced next week were part of the security cabinet’s decision.
Last Wednesday, Israeli premier Benjamin Netanyahu visited the Efrat settlement and swore that as long as he was in office, no settler or settlement would be uprooted.
The number of housing units that will likely be advances is as follows: 354 in Nili, 346 in Beit El, 215 in Asfar, 207 in Bracha, 194 in Ganei Mod’in, 168 in Talmon, 132 in Kfar Adumim, 98 in Ma’aleh Amos, 96 in Kiryat Netafim, 94 in Beit Hagai, 94 in Mechola, 80 in Yakir, 70 in Shim’a, 66 in Efrat, 61 in Alon Shvuet, 51 in Shiloh, 29 in Otniel, 27 in Maskiot, 19 in Pedu’el, 18 in Ma’aleh Adumim and 11 in Enav.
The four outposts to be approved as neighborhoods of existing settlements are: Ibei Hanahal, Givat Sal’it, Haroe Haivri and Brosh.
Peace Now noted that some of those outposts were already evacuated, without giving further details.
Recently, Israel’s security cabinet gave initial approval for the construction of 6,000 homes for Jewish settlers in Area C of the occupied West Bank, which is under Israel’s military control.
However, no details of the plans were publicized, and it is presumed that they will now go through the civil administration’s regular planning process. It is unclear if the homes set to be advanced next week were part of the security cabinet’s decision.
Last Wednesday, Israeli premier Benjamin Netanyahu visited the Efrat settlement and swore that as long as he was in office, no settler or settlement would be uprooted.
The number of housing units that will likely be advances is as follows: 354 in Nili, 346 in Beit El, 215 in Asfar, 207 in Bracha, 194 in Ganei Mod’in, 168 in Talmon, 132 in Kfar Adumim, 98 in Ma’aleh Amos, 96 in Kiryat Netafim, 94 in Beit Hagai, 94 in Mechola, 80 in Yakir, 70 in Shim’a, 66 in Efrat, 61 in Alon Shvuet, 51 in Shiloh, 29 in Otniel, 27 in Maskiot, 19 in Pedu’el, 18 in Ma’aleh Adumim and 11 in Enav.
The four outposts to be approved as neighborhoods of existing settlements are: Ibei Hanahal, Givat Sal’it, Haroe Haivri and Brosh.
