1 dec 2017
After resorting to shooting one of the Palestinians assailing him and a group of children he was escorting on a West Bank trip, a settler is questioned by police and released before being told he is under investigation for causing death by negligence.
The settler who shot 47-year-old Palestinian Mahmoud Za’al Odeh in Thursday's incident near the village of Qusra has been questioned by police, and is suspected of causing death by negligence.
"Dozens of Palestinians threw stones and rocks at us, we were in a life-threatening situation, and we were trying to protect the children," said the man, whose son was among the group.
"I had to shoot in self-defense. I hope common sense prevails, and people understand what happened here," the father added.
Two of the adults in the group were lightly wounded in the clashes and the children were spirited away from the danger zone under IDF supervision.
According to one of the two fathers who accompanied the children on the trip, the group of children from different communities in the Samaria region was on a bar mitzvah trip.
"We were hiking in an open area, near the road. Some 200 meters from Highway 5 and the Alon road, we were attacked by dozens of Arabs with stones, rocks and clubs. We were busy protecting the children, and I got hit in the head with a stone. The second father was also wounded. Thank God, the children are safe and sound, that's what's important."
The second father who accompanied the trip said he took the children into a nearby cave to protect them from the barrage of stones.
The children, he said, "were determined and brave, but some of them were frightened."
"I was busy protecting them, when at some point the Palestinians came really close, outflanked us and really boxed us in. The second father left his gun with me. I tried to keep them away by shooting into the air, and it didn't help, they kept coming closer."
He noted there were two Palestinians who tried to protect him and the children, but "30 others just tried to lynch (us)."
One of the parents accompanying the children had his gun stolen by one of the Palestinian rioters, but was later recovered by the IDF.
One of the children who came under attack told Ynet the Palestinians "started threatening us with a gun, throwing stones at us, told us 'give us your bags, give us your phones.' They swore at us, slapped us, punched us. I got a stone to my knee, my rabbi got a stone to his head, my friends got slapped and punched. They (the Palestinians) also tried to use tear gas."
"There were also Arabs who chased away the Arabs who wanted to throw stones at us, protected us for a little until the army came and found us," the child added.
Keren Perlman, the mother of one of the children, said her son told her the Palestinians "sprayed pepper spray into the cave" the children were hiding in. "They took their bags, equipment and candy," she added.
"He also told me many children made vows, about the feeling of imminent death, about (children) saying the 'Shema Yisrael' prayer, and about heart-rending crying," Perlman added.
She criticized the IDF for taking too long to arrive to the children's aid. "It took the army an hour and a half. An hour and a half in which the children hid in a crumbling cave with hundreds of Arabs above them. An hour and a half of the heroic parents standing at the entrance, enduring beatings and stones to protect the children, and the army just didn't bother showing up," she lamented.
The settler who shot 47-year-old Palestinian Mahmoud Za’al Odeh in Thursday's incident near the village of Qusra has been questioned by police, and is suspected of causing death by negligence.
"Dozens of Palestinians threw stones and rocks at us, we were in a life-threatening situation, and we were trying to protect the children," said the man, whose son was among the group.
"I had to shoot in self-defense. I hope common sense prevails, and people understand what happened here," the father added.
Two of the adults in the group were lightly wounded in the clashes and the children were spirited away from the danger zone under IDF supervision.
According to one of the two fathers who accompanied the children on the trip, the group of children from different communities in the Samaria region was on a bar mitzvah trip.
"We were hiking in an open area, near the road. Some 200 meters from Highway 5 and the Alon road, we were attacked by dozens of Arabs with stones, rocks and clubs. We were busy protecting the children, and I got hit in the head with a stone. The second father was also wounded. Thank God, the children are safe and sound, that's what's important."
The second father who accompanied the trip said he took the children into a nearby cave to protect them from the barrage of stones.
The children, he said, "were determined and brave, but some of them were frightened."
"I was busy protecting them, when at some point the Palestinians came really close, outflanked us and really boxed us in. The second father left his gun with me. I tried to keep them away by shooting into the air, and it didn't help, they kept coming closer."
He noted there were two Palestinians who tried to protect him and the children, but "30 others just tried to lynch (us)."
One of the parents accompanying the children had his gun stolen by one of the Palestinian rioters, but was later recovered by the IDF.
One of the children who came under attack told Ynet the Palestinians "started threatening us with a gun, throwing stones at us, told us 'give us your bags, give us your phones.' They swore at us, slapped us, punched us. I got a stone to my knee, my rabbi got a stone to his head, my friends got slapped and punched. They (the Palestinians) also tried to use tear gas."
"There were also Arabs who chased away the Arabs who wanted to throw stones at us, protected us for a little until the army came and found us," the child added.
Keren Perlman, the mother of one of the children, said her son told her the Palestinians "sprayed pepper spray into the cave" the children were hiding in. "They took their bags, equipment and candy," she added.
"He also told me many children made vows, about the feeling of imminent death, about (children) saying the 'Shema Yisrael' prayer, and about heart-rending crying," Perlman added.
She criticized the IDF for taking too long to arrive to the children's aid. "It took the army an hour and a half. An hour and a half in which the children hid in a crumbling cave with hundreds of Arabs above them. An hour and a half of the heroic parents standing at the entrance, enduring beatings and stones to protect the children, and the army just didn't bother showing up," she lamented.
Member of Hamas’s political bureau Husam Badran has warned that the murder of a Palestinian farmer on his land in Nablus by an armed settler on Thursday will not go without response from the Palestinian resistance in the West Bank.
In a press release, Badran said that the Palestinian resistance would not remain silent on the settlers’ arrogance and aggression against the Palestinians in the West Bank and would retaliate to their crimes.
“The persecution of the West Bank resistance cannot be accepted today in view of the official impotence to defend our people against the occupation’s violations. The Palestinian Authority is demanded to protect and support the resistance rather than suppressing it,” the Hamas official underscored.
He pointed out that the Israeli occupation would persist in its crimes against the Palestinians as long as there was no retaliation.
He stressed that the Palestinian people’s armed resistance is a legitimate right and a necessity to protect themselves from the occupation and its crimes.
A 48-year-old Palestinian farmer called Mahmoud Odeh was shot dead on Thursday afternoon by a Jewish settler as he was tending to his land near the village of Qusra, to the south of Nablus.
The crime happened after a horde of settlers from the illegal Yash Kod settlement outpost raided Palestinian land near Qusra and brutalized Odeh as he was working his land.
According to locals, Odeh attempted to prevent the settlers from entering his land, at which point one of the settlers opened fire at him, shooting him in the chest. He succumbed to his wounds a short time later.
In a press release, Badran said that the Palestinian resistance would not remain silent on the settlers’ arrogance and aggression against the Palestinians in the West Bank and would retaliate to their crimes.
“The persecution of the West Bank resistance cannot be accepted today in view of the official impotence to defend our people against the occupation’s violations. The Palestinian Authority is demanded to protect and support the resistance rather than suppressing it,” the Hamas official underscored.
He pointed out that the Israeli occupation would persist in its crimes against the Palestinians as long as there was no retaliation.
He stressed that the Palestinian people’s armed resistance is a legitimate right and a necessity to protect themselves from the occupation and its crimes.
A 48-year-old Palestinian farmer called Mahmoud Odeh was shot dead on Thursday afternoon by a Jewish settler as he was tending to his land near the village of Qusra, to the south of Nablus.
The crime happened after a horde of settlers from the illegal Yash Kod settlement outpost raided Palestinian land near Qusra and brutalized Odeh as he was working his land.
According to locals, Odeh attempted to prevent the settlers from entering his land, at which point one of the settlers opened fire at him, shooting him in the chest. He succumbed to his wounds a short time later.
Several Palestinian citizens suffered injuries in violent clashes with Israeli soldiers in Qusra town, southeast of Nablus, after a horde of Jewish settlers stormed the town, attacked local residents and hurled stones at cars and a Red Crescent ambulance.
According to a Red Crescent official, one young man suffered a bullet injury in the leg and another one in his pelvis when soldiers attacked Palestinians as they were trying to fend off Jewish assailants.
Another citizen suffering from a kidney failure suffered from inhaling tear gas and was evacuated to hospital, while many others received medical assistance on site.
Meanwhile, Mosque loudspeakers were used by imams to urge Qusra residents to help their compatriots in the eastern area of the town defend themselves against settlers’ attacks.
Later, local sources told the Palestinian Information Center (PIC) that dozens of settlers escorted by soldiers entered Qusra through its eastern entrance and embarked on hurling stones at homes and cars.
Consequently, clashes broke out between local young men and the settlers before soldiers intervened and fired live ammunition and tear gas at the young men.
Member of the town municipality Abdul-Adheem Wadi also told the PIC that scores of settlers arrived aboard buses at the main entrance to the town, closed it, and attacked Palestinian cars and a Red Crescent ambulance.
According to a Red Crescent official, one young man suffered a bullet injury in the leg and another one in his pelvis when soldiers attacked Palestinians as they were trying to fend off Jewish assailants.
Another citizen suffering from a kidney failure suffered from inhaling tear gas and was evacuated to hospital, while many others received medical assistance on site.
Meanwhile, Mosque loudspeakers were used by imams to urge Qusra residents to help their compatriots in the eastern area of the town defend themselves against settlers’ attacks.
Later, local sources told the Palestinian Information Center (PIC) that dozens of settlers escorted by soldiers entered Qusra through its eastern entrance and embarked on hurling stones at homes and cars.
Consequently, clashes broke out between local young men and the settlers before soldiers intervened and fired live ammunition and tear gas at the young men.
Member of the town municipality Abdul-Adheem Wadi also told the PIC that scores of settlers arrived aboard buses at the main entrance to the town, closed it, and attacked Palestinian cars and a Red Crescent ambulance.
30 nov 2017
Dozens of Israeli colonists and soldiers invaded, on Thursday at night, the village of Qusra, south of the northern West Bank city of Nablus, before the army shot and seriously wounded one Palestinian, and injured many others, while the colonists smashed the front shield and one of the windows of a Palestinian ambulance, wounding the driver in his eye.
Media sources in Nablus said the colonists infiltrated into the eastern neighborhood of Qusra, and attacked many Palestinians, leading to clashes.
They added that dozens of soldiers also invaded the village, and fired live rounds, rubber-coated steel bullets and gas bombs, before evacuating the colonists from the area.
Ahmad Jibril, the spokesperson of the Red Crescent Society in Nablus, said the colonists smashed the front shield and one of the windows of one of its ambulances, wounding the driver in his eye.
Jibril added that Red Crescent medics also moved one Palestinian, who was shot with a live round in his pelvis, to a hospital in Nablus, adding that the man is in a critical condition.
The soldiers also invaded ‘Aseera al-Qibliyya nearby town, and clashed with many Palestinians, before firing live rounds, gas bombs and rubber-coated steel bullets at them.
The Red Crescent identified the injuries among the Palestinians as:
The Israeli escalation started after illegal colonists shot and killed one Palestinian farmer, identified as Mahmoud Za’al Odeh, 46, from Qusra.
The attack was carried out by approximately 20 settlers who came from the illegal “Yesh Kod” outpost, which was built on private Palestinian lands, and assaulted the Palestinian and his family, before one of them shot him in the chest.
Media sources in Nablus said the colonists infiltrated into the eastern neighborhood of Qusra, and attacked many Palestinians, leading to clashes.
They added that dozens of soldiers also invaded the village, and fired live rounds, rubber-coated steel bullets and gas bombs, before evacuating the colonists from the area.
Ahmad Jibril, the spokesperson of the Red Crescent Society in Nablus, said the colonists smashed the front shield and one of the windows of one of its ambulances, wounding the driver in his eye.
Jibril added that Red Crescent medics also moved one Palestinian, who was shot with a live round in his pelvis, to a hospital in Nablus, adding that the man is in a critical condition.
The soldiers also invaded ‘Aseera al-Qibliyya nearby town, and clashed with many Palestinians, before firing live rounds, gas bombs and rubber-coated steel bullets at them.
The Red Crescent identified the injuries among the Palestinians as:
- Two were shot with live rounds in the pelvis, and the leg, and were moved to Rafidia hospital.
- Two were shot with rubber-coated steel bullets, and received treatment by the medics.
- Two were assaulted and beaten by soldiers and colonists.
- Ambulance driver wounded in his eye.
- Scores of Palestinians suffered the effects of teargas inhalation.
The Israeli escalation started after illegal colonists shot and killed one Palestinian farmer, identified as Mahmoud Za’al Odeh, 46, from Qusra.
The attack was carried out by approximately 20 settlers who came from the illegal “Yesh Kod” outpost, which was built on private Palestinian lands, and assaulted the Palestinian and his family, before one of them shot him in the chest.
A number of Palestinians were left injured at noontime Thursday after dozens of Israeli settlers stormed Asira al-Qibliya, south of Nablus province.
Speaking with the Palestinian Information Center, the head of Asira al-Qibliya’s Village Council, Hafedh Saleh, said dozens of Israeli extremists residing in the illegal Yitzhar settlement stoned Palestinian homes on the outskirts of Asira al-Qibliya.
Israeli soldiers escorted the settlers all the way through the assault.
Clashes burst out between the settlers and the Palestinian locals.
At the same time, Israeli army patrols showered Palestinian homes with heavy spates of teargas canisters.
Several Palestinian protesters and civilians choked on teargas while dozens more were injured as a result of stone-throwing by the Israeli settlers.
Speaking with the Palestinian Information Center, the head of Asira al-Qibliya’s Village Council, Hafedh Saleh, said dozens of Israeli extremists residing in the illegal Yitzhar settlement stoned Palestinian homes on the outskirts of Asira al-Qibliya.
Israeli soldiers escorted the settlers all the way through the assault.
Clashes burst out between the settlers and the Palestinian locals.
At the same time, Israeli army patrols showered Palestinian homes with heavy spates of teargas canisters.
Several Palestinian protesters and civilians choked on teargas while dozens more were injured as a result of stone-throwing by the Israeli settlers.
Mahmoud Oudeh 48
A Palestinian citizen was shot and killed by extremist Israeli settlers on Thursday in Nablus’s southern town of Qasra.
48-year-old Mahmoud Oudeh was fatally shot by Israelis at around noontime.
Qasra locals locked up some 15 Israeli settlers in a nearby cave at the same as heavily-armed Israeli patrols showed up in the area to protect the Israeli assailants.
The Palestinian Liaison released the settlers and handed them over to the occupation army.
Updated: “Israeli Colonists Kill A Palestinian Farmer Near Nablus”
A group of approximately 20 Israeli colonists, on Thursday afternoon, shot a Palestinian farmer in the upper part of his body, leaving him dead, and injured another Palestinian, near Nablus, in northern West Bank, eyewitnesses said.
Palestinian paramedics said the farmer was identified as Mahmoud Za’al Odeh, 46, from Qusra village, south of Nablus.
Emad Jamil, a member of Qusra Village Council, said the attack was carried out by approximately 20 settlers who came from the illegal “Yesh Kod” outpost, which was built on private Palestinian lands, and assaulted the Palestinian and his family, before one of them shot him in the chest.
Jamil added that the bullet exited through the Palestinian’s chest, before the villages tried to rescue him and move him to a hospital, but Israeli soldiers stopped them at Za’tara military roadblock for at least 30 minutes, until he bled to death.
Following his death, the soldiers allowed the Palestinians to pass, but again stopped them at Huwwara military roadblock, before taking his body from them, and moving it to their nearby military camp.
Jamil also said that, after killing the Palestinian, the colonists fled to a nearby cave, and barricaded themselves there, until dozens of soldiers invaded the area, and surrounded the town, before removing the settlers and taking them away.
“The colony where the Israeli assailants reside is nearly 15 kilometers away from the Odeh’s land,” Jamil said, “It is clear they infiltrated the area, close to many Palestinian homes, with one goal in mind, to commit murder – there have been many attacks by colonists in this area, including the burning, cutting and uprooting of trees.”
He also stated that, several years ago, Odeh built a small hut in his 7-Dunam land, and received many threats from the settlers, who also repeatedly assaulted which working on his land.
It is worth mentioning that another Palestinian identified as Fayez Fathi Hasan, 47, was injured in the leg by the settlers’ fire.
“After they had come close to the Palestinian farms, the colonists started to harass the Palestinian farmers in the village,” an eyewitness told Days of Palestine.
“When the farmers tried to push them out of their lands,” the eyewitness said, “an armed settler aimed his pistol towards a Palestinian farmer and opened fire.”
An Israeli army officer and the settlers’ council in the West Bank claimed that the Israeli settlers were little boys, and were on vacation.
It is worth mentioning that, in 2011, armed colonists shot and killed a young man, identified as Issam Badran, during a similar attack.
The village also witnesses ongoing attack, during which many trees have been cut, uprooted or burnt, and many Palestinians were injured.
The occupied West Bank witnesses, almost daily, similar aggression by extremist Israeli settlers, who are protected by the Israeli government.
Israeli rights groups have often reported that the Israeli police does not deal with Palestinian complaints regarding the harassment and settler attacks
A Palestinian citizen was shot and killed by extremist Israeli settlers on Thursday in Nablus’s southern town of Qasra.
48-year-old Mahmoud Oudeh was fatally shot by Israelis at around noontime.
Qasra locals locked up some 15 Israeli settlers in a nearby cave at the same as heavily-armed Israeli patrols showed up in the area to protect the Israeli assailants.
The Palestinian Liaison released the settlers and handed them over to the occupation army.
Updated: “Israeli Colonists Kill A Palestinian Farmer Near Nablus”
A group of approximately 20 Israeli colonists, on Thursday afternoon, shot a Palestinian farmer in the upper part of his body, leaving him dead, and injured another Palestinian, near Nablus, in northern West Bank, eyewitnesses said.
Palestinian paramedics said the farmer was identified as Mahmoud Za’al Odeh, 46, from Qusra village, south of Nablus.
Emad Jamil, a member of Qusra Village Council, said the attack was carried out by approximately 20 settlers who came from the illegal “Yesh Kod” outpost, which was built on private Palestinian lands, and assaulted the Palestinian and his family, before one of them shot him in the chest.
Jamil added that the bullet exited through the Palestinian’s chest, before the villages tried to rescue him and move him to a hospital, but Israeli soldiers stopped them at Za’tara military roadblock for at least 30 minutes, until he bled to death.
Following his death, the soldiers allowed the Palestinians to pass, but again stopped them at Huwwara military roadblock, before taking his body from them, and moving it to their nearby military camp.
Jamil also said that, after killing the Palestinian, the colonists fled to a nearby cave, and barricaded themselves there, until dozens of soldiers invaded the area, and surrounded the town, before removing the settlers and taking them away.
“The colony where the Israeli assailants reside is nearly 15 kilometers away from the Odeh’s land,” Jamil said, “It is clear they infiltrated the area, close to many Palestinian homes, with one goal in mind, to commit murder – there have been many attacks by colonists in this area, including the burning, cutting and uprooting of trees.”
He also stated that, several years ago, Odeh built a small hut in his 7-Dunam land, and received many threats from the settlers, who also repeatedly assaulted which working on his land.
It is worth mentioning that another Palestinian identified as Fayez Fathi Hasan, 47, was injured in the leg by the settlers’ fire.
“After they had come close to the Palestinian farms, the colonists started to harass the Palestinian farmers in the village,” an eyewitness told Days of Palestine.
“When the farmers tried to push them out of their lands,” the eyewitness said, “an armed settler aimed his pistol towards a Palestinian farmer and opened fire.”
An Israeli army officer and the settlers’ council in the West Bank claimed that the Israeli settlers were little boys, and were on vacation.
It is worth mentioning that, in 2011, armed colonists shot and killed a young man, identified as Issam Badran, during a similar attack.
The village also witnesses ongoing attack, during which many trees have been cut, uprooted or burnt, and many Palestinians were injured.
The occupied West Bank witnesses, almost daily, similar aggression by extremist Israeli settlers, who are protected by the Israeli government.
Israeli rights groups have often reported that the Israeli police does not deal with Palestinian complaints regarding the harassment and settler attacks
28 nov 2017
51 Jewish settlers on Tuesday morning stormed the plazas of al-Aqsa Mosque in Occupied Jerusalem from the Magharebah gate under protection by Israeli police.
Jerusalem Endowment Department Media official told Quds Press that Israeli police protected groups of settlers who broke into the courtyards of the Muslims’ holy shrine in the morning hours.
Islamic Endowment Department in Occupied Jerusalem called on all Muslims around the world to visit al-Aqsa Mosque next Thursday, November 30 which marks the birthday of Prophet Mohammad (peace be upon him).
The Department announced, in a statement, that a ceremony event is slated to be held on Thursday from 10 a.m. till the afternoon.
Al-Magharebah is going to be closed the whole day and settlers will not be allowed to enter the Mosque, the statement highlighted.
Jerusalem Endowment Department Media official told Quds Press that Israeli police protected groups of settlers who broke into the courtyards of the Muslims’ holy shrine in the morning hours.
Islamic Endowment Department in Occupied Jerusalem called on all Muslims around the world to visit al-Aqsa Mosque next Thursday, November 30 which marks the birthday of Prophet Mohammad (peace be upon him).
The Department announced, in a statement, that a ceremony event is slated to be held on Thursday from 10 a.m. till the afternoon.
Al-Magharebah is going to be closed the whole day and settlers will not be allowed to enter the Mosque, the statement highlighted.
Israeli soldiers abducted, on Tuesday evening, four Palestinians; one of them is a mother of five, including two toddlers, after a group of illegal Israeli colonists invaded Palestinian lands, east of Yatta town, south of the southern West Bank city of Hebron, and assaulted many Palestinians.
Rateb Jabour, the media coordinator of the Popular Committee against the Annexation Wall and Colonies in southern Hebron, said the colonists came from the illegal Beit Yair and Mitzpe Yair outposts, which were illegally installed on private Palestinian lands.
Jabour added that the assailants then attacked, with clubs and batons, many Palestinians in Khirbit Um Hmeita area, while the residents were harvesting their lands, causing many to suffer various cuts and bruises, while the soldiers also attacked them with rifle buts and batons.
Instead of removing the colonists from the Palestinian lands, the soldiers abducted Hanan Mousa Hreizat, 37 years of age and a mother of five children, including two infants, in addition to Karam Ali Hreizat, 20, Saleh Ahmad Hreizat, 18, and Ali Mahmoud Hreizat, 20.
The soldiers also detained another woman, identified as Aziza Salem Hreizat, 45, in addition to Emad Rashid, a guardian of a local school, for several hours, for filming the colonists who assaulted the Palestinians.
Jabour said that the colonists have escalated their assaults in the area to illegally confiscate approximately 1000 Dunams of Palestinian lands, owned by several families, including the families of Hreizat, Abu Samra, Rashid, Nawaj’a, Abu Qbeita, and Abu Ali.
He added that the soldiers are complicit with these assaults and violations, as they protect the Israeli assailants, attack and abduct the Palestinians who try to defend themselves and protect their homes and lands.
Rateb Jabour, the media coordinator of the Popular Committee against the Annexation Wall and Colonies in southern Hebron, said the colonists came from the illegal Beit Yair and Mitzpe Yair outposts, which were illegally installed on private Palestinian lands.
Jabour added that the assailants then attacked, with clubs and batons, many Palestinians in Khirbit Um Hmeita area, while the residents were harvesting their lands, causing many to suffer various cuts and bruises, while the soldiers also attacked them with rifle buts and batons.
Instead of removing the colonists from the Palestinian lands, the soldiers abducted Hanan Mousa Hreizat, 37 years of age and a mother of five children, including two infants, in addition to Karam Ali Hreizat, 20, Saleh Ahmad Hreizat, 18, and Ali Mahmoud Hreizat, 20.
The soldiers also detained another woman, identified as Aziza Salem Hreizat, 45, in addition to Emad Rashid, a guardian of a local school, for several hours, for filming the colonists who assaulted the Palestinians.
Jabour said that the colonists have escalated their assaults in the area to illegally confiscate approximately 1000 Dunams of Palestinian lands, owned by several families, including the families of Hreizat, Abu Samra, Rashid, Nawaj’a, Abu Qbeita, and Abu Ali.
He added that the soldiers are complicit with these assaults and violations, as they protect the Israeli assailants, attack and abduct the Palestinians who try to defend themselves and protect their homes and lands.
27 nov 2017
Dozens of Israeli settlers have stormed the al-Aqsa Mosque compound on Monday during the morning shift of incursions under the heavy escort of Israeli police.
Islamic Endowments Department told the PIC reporter that 97 settlers including 40 Jewish students broke into the Muslim's holy shrine from the Al-Magharbeh Gate under heavy protection of Israeli police.
Settlers' incursions into al-Aqsa Mosque are carried out almost on a daily basis and they are done in two rounds: The first begins from 7 to 11 a.m. and the second starts after the Muslim noon prayer and lasts for an hour.
Islamic Endowments Department told the PIC reporter that 97 settlers including 40 Jewish students broke into the Muslim's holy shrine from the Al-Magharbeh Gate under heavy protection of Israeli police.
Settlers' incursions into al-Aqsa Mosque are carried out almost on a daily basis and they are done in two rounds: The first begins from 7 to 11 a.m. and the second starts after the Muslim noon prayer and lasts for an hour.
26 nov 2017
Groups of Jewish settlers broke into and desecrated the holy Islamic Aqsa Mosque in occupied Jerusalem on Sunday morning escorted by Israeli police forces.
Sources in the Islamic Waqf in the holy city said that 65 settlers entered the Aqsa Mosque compound under heavy police protection and roamed its courtyards.
They added that three Israeli intelligence officers also entered the Islamic site in the morning break-in shift.
Quds Press documented the entry of 471 settlers into the Aqsa Mosque plazas over a period of one week, 17 to 23 November, including 118 students and two intelligence officers.
Sources in the Islamic Waqf in the holy city said that 65 settlers entered the Aqsa Mosque compound under heavy police protection and roamed its courtyards.
They added that three Israeli intelligence officers also entered the Islamic site in the morning break-in shift.
Quds Press documented the entry of 471 settlers into the Aqsa Mosque plazas over a period of one week, 17 to 23 November, including 118 students and two intelligence officers.
The Palestinian Authority (PA) forces on Saturday handed over five Israeli settlers who crept into the occupied West Bank to the Israeli military forces.
According to the Hebrew-speaking Yedioth Ahronot daily, an Israeli settler was arrested in Bethlehem after he attacked a guard at a Palestinian archaeological site.
Four other settlers were arrested at a shopping mall in Nablus. The five arrestees were however returned to the occupation army shortly afterwards and without interrogation.
Observers said the move makes part of ongoing security cooperation between the PA and the Israeli army. Several settlers have gone unpunished by the PA forces despite their involvement in attacks against Palestinian civilians and anti-occupation activists.
According to the Hebrew-speaking Yedioth Ahronot daily, an Israeli settler was arrested in Bethlehem after he attacked a guard at a Palestinian archaeological site.
Four other settlers were arrested at a shopping mall in Nablus. The five arrestees were however returned to the occupation army shortly afterwards and without interrogation.
Observers said the move makes part of ongoing security cooperation between the PA and the Israeli army. Several settlers have gone unpunished by the PA forces despite their involvement in attacks against Palestinian civilians and anti-occupation activists.
Israeli settlers residing in Leshem outpost leveled on Saturday Palestinian lands in Kafr al-Deek town, in an attempt to grab hold of cultivated tracts in favor of illegal settlement expansion.
According to eyewitnesses, Israeli settlers bulldozed Palestinian lands in Salfit’s western town of Kafr al-Deek, paving the way for the construction of more settlement units in Leshem outpost.
Researcher Khaled Maali said hundreds of dunums of Palestinian land in the area were bulldozed to expand Leshem settlement.
He added that sometime earlier settlement units were built on a drill site formerly used by the Jordanian army in the area.
Maali also said Leshem outpost was established in 1985. Construction works resumed in 2010 to expand the settlement and have not stopped ever since.
According to eyewitnesses, Israeli settlers bulldozed Palestinian lands in Salfit’s western town of Kafr al-Deek, paving the way for the construction of more settlement units in Leshem outpost.
Researcher Khaled Maali said hundreds of dunums of Palestinian land in the area were bulldozed to expand Leshem settlement.
He added that sometime earlier settlement units were built on a drill site formerly used by the Jordanian army in the area.
Maali also said Leshem outpost was established in 1985. Construction works resumed in 2010 to expand the settlement and have not stopped ever since.
25 nov 2017
A Palestinian citizen on Saturday won a court decision to remove four mobile houses set up by Israeli settlers on his land in al-Khader town to the south of Bethlehem, Palestinian sources reported.
Representative of the Wall and Settlement Resistance Committee, Hasan Breijia, told Quds Press that a group of Jewish settlers a few months ago placed the caravans by force on a land owned by the Palestinian citizen Ibrahim Sbeih in preparation for the establishment of a new settlement outpost in the area.
Breijia said that Sbeih, who had filed a complaint at an Israeli court refusing to give up his land, won a court order to remove the caravans and their infrastructure.
The Palestinian activist affirmed that the court decision does not reflect any decline in Israel's policy of land confiscation, but it seems that the settlers did not coordinate this time with the Israeli authorities in their plan to seize the land.
He noted that the Israeli settlers have recently stepped up their attack on Palestinian lands in al-Khader village, urging the Palestinian citizens to take all necessary legal arrangements to protect their lands.
Representative of the Wall and Settlement Resistance Committee, Hasan Breijia, told Quds Press that a group of Jewish settlers a few months ago placed the caravans by force on a land owned by the Palestinian citizen Ibrahim Sbeih in preparation for the establishment of a new settlement outpost in the area.
Breijia said that Sbeih, who had filed a complaint at an Israeli court refusing to give up his land, won a court order to remove the caravans and their infrastructure.
The Palestinian activist affirmed that the court decision does not reflect any decline in Israel's policy of land confiscation, but it seems that the settlers did not coordinate this time with the Israeli authorities in their plan to seize the land.
He noted that the Israeli settlers have recently stepped up their attack on Palestinian lands in al-Khader village, urging the Palestinian citizens to take all necessary legal arrangements to protect their lands.
24 nov 2017
Israeli minister Naftali Bennett has reiterated his call for the occupied West Bank to be formally annexed, speaking on Monday evening at an event organised by pro-settler news site Arutz Sheva.
Education Minister and Diaspora Affairs Minister, Bennett declared that Israel has “a very rare opportunity now”, referring to US President Donald Trump.
“[There is] a President who thinks different, who thinks open,” Bennett told the audience, according to Days of Palestine.
“It’s not enough to move the embassy to Jerusalem. It’s now 50 years since we liberated Judea and Samaria [the West Bank]. It’s time to recognize them as Israel. It’s time for sovereignty,” he added, using the term often used by the Israeli right to refer to annexation.
Describing himself, in his capacity as diaspora affairs minister, as “effectively the Minister of the Jews”, Bennett said: “We need to understand that the Jewish State is not only the state of the Israeli citizen, it’s a state where every Jew in the world has a stake here.”
Describing himself, in his capacity as diaspora affairs minister, as “effectively the Minister of the Jews”, Bennett said: “We need to understand that the Jewish State is not only the state of the Israeli citizen, it’s a state where every Jew in the world has a stake here.”
“Today, throughout the world”, Bennett continued, “there’s millions of Jews that need us to go and to reach out to them. And we’re doing more than we’ve ever done.”
Archive IMEMC post: 05/17/15 Bennett Wants to See Palestinians Become ‘Water Carriers and Wood Hewers’ for Jews
Education Minister and Diaspora Affairs Minister, Bennett declared that Israel has “a very rare opportunity now”, referring to US President Donald Trump.
“[There is] a President who thinks different, who thinks open,” Bennett told the audience, according to Days of Palestine.
“It’s not enough to move the embassy to Jerusalem. It’s now 50 years since we liberated Judea and Samaria [the West Bank]. It’s time to recognize them as Israel. It’s time for sovereignty,” he added, using the term often used by the Israeli right to refer to annexation.
Describing himself, in his capacity as diaspora affairs minister, as “effectively the Minister of the Jews”, Bennett said: “We need to understand that the Jewish State is not only the state of the Israeli citizen, it’s a state where every Jew in the world has a stake here.”
Describing himself, in his capacity as diaspora affairs minister, as “effectively the Minister of the Jews”, Bennett said: “We need to understand that the Jewish State is not only the state of the Israeli citizen, it’s a state where every Jew in the world has a stake here.”
“Today, throughout the world”, Bennett continued, “there’s millions of Jews that need us to go and to reach out to them. And we’re doing more than we’ve ever done.”
Archive IMEMC post: 05/17/15 Bennett Wants to See Palestinians Become ‘Water Carriers and Wood Hewers’ for Jews