23 dec 2018
Israeli settlers bulldozed on Sunday a privately-owned Palestinian land in the town of Awarta, east of the city of Nablus to the north of West Bank.
Local activist Ghassan Daghlas affirmed that Israeli settlers bulldozed a land located near the Israeli settlement of Itmar.
The settlers aim at expanding the nearby Israeli settlement of Itmar, built illegally on Awarta town land.
Local activist Ghassan Daghlas affirmed that Israeli settlers bulldozed a land located near the Israeli settlement of Itmar.
The settlers aim at expanding the nearby Israeli settlement of Itmar, built illegally on Awarta town land.
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Dozens of Israeli settlers stormed on Sunday morning Jerusalem’s al-Aqsa Mosque—the third holiest site in Islam—via the Maghareba Gate.
Over 100 Israeli settlers, escorted by policemen, broke into al-Aqsa Mosque as part of the morning break-in shift and carried out a round of sacrilegious tours. Heavily-armed Israeli policemen and special forces provided a security shield to the settlers as they provocatively toured the holy site. At the same time, the Wadi Hilweh Information Center said Palestinian citizen Nidam Abu Rumuz was arrested at the Aqsa Mosque by Israeli cops and dragged to a detention center in Jerusalem’s Old City. video |
Meanwhile, the peaceful Muslim worshipers have been subjected to tough crackdowns and restrictions by the Israeli police near the main entrances to the site.
Several worshipers have been searched and dozens more have had their IDs seized while attempting to enter al-Aqsa to perform their daily prayers.
In video - Israeli MK performs prayers at Al-Aqsa
n ultra-Orthodox Israeli Knesset member, Yehuda Glick, and over a hundred Israeli settlers entered the Al-Aqsa Mosque compound in occupied East Jerusalem, on Sunday.
MK Glick posted on his Facebook profile that he toured the Al-Aqsa Mosque compound to perform prayers on the anniversary of his wife's death.
Sheikh Omar al-Kiswani, the Imam and director of the Al-Aqsa Mosque, told Ma'an that about 112 Israeli settlers, including Glick, entered the compound through the Moroccans Gate in large consecutive groups.
Al-Kisawni added that heavily armed Israeli forces were deployed across the compound and provided protection to the Israeli settlers as thez toured the compound.
Glick had previously stormed the compound in early December.
The number of Israeli MK’s, who storm the Al-Aqsa Mosque compound, has increased the past few months after Israeli Prime Minister, Benjamin Netanyahu, decided to lift a ban that would previously not allow Israeli Knesset members to visit the compound every three months, after incursions were banned since October 2015.
Netanyahu allowed members of the Knesset, mostly right-wing extremists, who support the demolition of the Islamic site in order to build a Jewish temple instead, to visit the Al-Aqsa compound once every three months.
After Netanyahu lifted the ban, Palestinian Authority (PA) spokesman, Youssef al-Mahmoud, spoke out about the decision to lift the ban calling it a "serious provocation" and "encouraging harm to one of Islam’s holiest sites."
However, in the past two months, MKs such as Shuli Mualem, Yehuda Glick, and Uri Ariel have repeatedly entered the compound, violating the “every three months entry.”
Meanwhile, Israeli forces detained a Jerusalemite, identified as Nidam Abu Ramouz, from the compound.
The reason for Abu Ramouz's detention remained unknown.
The Al-Aqsa Mosque compound, which sits just above the Western Wall plaza, houses both the Dome of the Rock and Al-Aqsa mosque. The third holiest site in Islam, it is also venerated as Judaism's most holy place, as it sits where Jews believe the First and Second Temples once stood.
While Jewish visitation is permitted to the compound, non-Muslim worship at Al-Aqsa is prohibited according to an agreement signed between Israel and the Jordanian government after Israel’s illegal occupation of East Jerusalem in 1967.
Despite the agreement with Jordan -- which is the custodian of Al-Aqsa -- Israeli authorities regularly allow Jewish visitors to enter the site, often under armed guard. Such visits are typically made by right-wingers attempting to unsettle the status quo at the site, and coincide with restrictions on Palestinian access, including bans on entrance and detentions.
In the video, MK Glick is seen performing Jewish prayers in the compound.
Several worshipers have been searched and dozens more have had their IDs seized while attempting to enter al-Aqsa to perform their daily prayers.
In video - Israeli MK performs prayers at Al-Aqsa
n ultra-Orthodox Israeli Knesset member, Yehuda Glick, and over a hundred Israeli settlers entered the Al-Aqsa Mosque compound in occupied East Jerusalem, on Sunday.
MK Glick posted on his Facebook profile that he toured the Al-Aqsa Mosque compound to perform prayers on the anniversary of his wife's death.
Sheikh Omar al-Kiswani, the Imam and director of the Al-Aqsa Mosque, told Ma'an that about 112 Israeli settlers, including Glick, entered the compound through the Moroccans Gate in large consecutive groups.
Al-Kisawni added that heavily armed Israeli forces were deployed across the compound and provided protection to the Israeli settlers as thez toured the compound.
Glick had previously stormed the compound in early December.
The number of Israeli MK’s, who storm the Al-Aqsa Mosque compound, has increased the past few months after Israeli Prime Minister, Benjamin Netanyahu, decided to lift a ban that would previously not allow Israeli Knesset members to visit the compound every three months, after incursions were banned since October 2015.
Netanyahu allowed members of the Knesset, mostly right-wing extremists, who support the demolition of the Islamic site in order to build a Jewish temple instead, to visit the Al-Aqsa compound once every three months.
After Netanyahu lifted the ban, Palestinian Authority (PA) spokesman, Youssef al-Mahmoud, spoke out about the decision to lift the ban calling it a "serious provocation" and "encouraging harm to one of Islam’s holiest sites."
However, in the past two months, MKs such as Shuli Mualem, Yehuda Glick, and Uri Ariel have repeatedly entered the compound, violating the “every three months entry.”
Meanwhile, Israeli forces detained a Jerusalemite, identified as Nidam Abu Ramouz, from the compound.
The reason for Abu Ramouz's detention remained unknown.
The Al-Aqsa Mosque compound, which sits just above the Western Wall plaza, houses both the Dome of the Rock and Al-Aqsa mosque. The third holiest site in Islam, it is also venerated as Judaism's most holy place, as it sits where Jews believe the First and Second Temples once stood.
While Jewish visitation is permitted to the compound, non-Muslim worship at Al-Aqsa is prohibited according to an agreement signed between Israel and the Jordanian government after Israel’s illegal occupation of East Jerusalem in 1967.
Despite the agreement with Jordan -- which is the custodian of Al-Aqsa -- Israeli authorities regularly allow Jewish visitors to enter the site, often under armed guard. Such visits are typically made by right-wingers attempting to unsettle the status quo at the site, and coincide with restrictions on Palestinian access, including bans on entrance and detentions.
In the video, MK Glick is seen performing Jewish prayers in the compound.
Palestinian citizens from Burin town in Nablus have warned against Jewish settlers’ intent to appropriate a house in their area, which was built in 1962 and belongs to heirs of a deceased local resident called Ghaleb Eid.
Local residents reported seeing a group of settlers checking the house recently, expressing fears that they plan to seize it.
In this regard, activists from Burin called on citizens and officials in the town to attend an urgent meeting to discuss ways to confront any Israeli intent to take over the house.
In a separate incident, Palestinian citizens in Huwara town, south of Nablus, fended off a horde of settlers after they tried at dawn Sunday to break into a house, which is located on the outskirts of the town.
Local residents reported seeing a group of settlers checking the house recently, expressing fears that they plan to seize it.
In this regard, activists from Burin called on citizens and officials in the town to attend an urgent meeting to discuss ways to confront any Israeli intent to take over the house.
In a separate incident, Palestinian citizens in Huwara town, south of Nablus, fended off a horde of settlers after they tried at dawn Sunday to break into a house, which is located on the outskirts of the town.
Members of the popular Local Guards Committee, an unarmed group of residents in Huwwara town, south of the northern West Bank city of Nablus, managed to foil an infiltration attack, carried out by extremist illegal Israeli colonialist settlers into their town.
Ghassan Daghlas, a Palestinian Authority official who monitors Israel’s illegal colonialist activities in northern West Bank, said locals from the Guards Committee in Huwwara managed to intercept the illegal settlers infiltrating into their town.
He added that the Israeli assailants were seen trying to attack a Palestinian home at the edge of the town, before they were chased away.
The official said that the illegal colonists were apparently trying to burn a Palestinian home, but their attack was foiled before they managed to do any harm.
On July 31st, 2015, extremist settlers infiltrated the village of Douma, south of Nablus, under cover of darkness, and firebombed a home belonging to Dawabsha family.
The father Saad, 32, mother Reham, 27, and 18-month-old Ali were burned to death, while 4-year old Ahmad suffered from 3rd degree burns over most of his body.
Ghassan Daghlas, a Palestinian Authority official who monitors Israel’s illegal colonialist activities in northern West Bank, said locals from the Guards Committee in Huwwara managed to intercept the illegal settlers infiltrating into their town.
He added that the Israeli assailants were seen trying to attack a Palestinian home at the edge of the town, before they were chased away.
The official said that the illegal colonists were apparently trying to burn a Palestinian home, but their attack was foiled before they managed to do any harm.
On July 31st, 2015, extremist settlers infiltrated the village of Douma, south of Nablus, under cover of darkness, and firebombed a home belonging to Dawabsha family.
The father Saad, 32, mother Reham, 27, and 18-month-old Ali were burned to death, while 4-year old Ahmad suffered from 3rd degree burns over most of his body.
22 dec 2018
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The Israeli municipality of Jerusalem ordered, on Saturday, a Palestinian family in the Silwan town of occupied East Jerusalem to evict their home after a part of a wall surrounding the house collapsed.
The Wadi Hilweh Information Center in Silwan said that the Abu Rmeileh family woke up to the collapse of the outside wall, on Friday, which could form a serious risk to the family. Abdullah Abu Rmeileh said that Israeli settlers, who had seized a piece of land next to the family's house, had started excavations and digging weeks ago. He added that Israeli settlers left dirt and rocks mounds by the 4-meter wall surrounding his brother Mufid Abu Rmeileh's house. Abu Rmeileh added that the Israeli municipality sent an engineer to inspect and assess the damages done. The engineer acknowledged the possibility of other collapses due to the seriousness of the collapse and subsequently issued a decision to evacuate and immediately seal the house that sheltered his brother's 7-member family. Jawad Siyam from the center said that the Israeli authorities had begun excavation works under the neighborhood in 2007. Israel frequently allows excavations and archaeological digs that threaten the structural integrity of Palestinian homes and holy sites in the area. In August, Palestinian lands collapsed due to Israeli excavations and digging in the area. |
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Veteran Israeli journalist Gideon Levy says all colonists and all Israelis share responsibility for the occupation and apartheid system in Palestine. There is sympathy for individuals, but there is no symmetry: the power is on the Israeli side.
TRNN Video & Transcript SHIR HEVER: Welcome to The Real News Network. I’m Shir Hever in Heidelberg, Germany. Gideon Levy is one of Israel’s most renowned journalists, and also one of the most controversial. In 2014, after publishing a Haaretz newspaper criticizing Israeli pilots for bombarding civilian neighborhoods in the Gaza |
Strip, he was assigned bodyguards because of numerous death threats which he received.
And this week, Gideon Levy has once again caused an uproar in Israel when he published in Haaretz a piece with the title I Feel No Sympathy For the Settlers. Levy argued that Israeli colonists in the West Bank are instrumentalizing Palestinian resistance, and used every murdered colonist as an excuse to expand land appropriation from Palestinians. Indeed, on Sunday, the Israeli Minister of Education Naftali Bennett did just that.
NAFTALI BENNETT: We are raising today a bill to regulate the colonization, which we call the law of fabric of life, because the residents of Judea and Samaria are not second-rate citizens. As in the dawn of Zionism, whenever there is terror, we have to build. We will achieve peace with the neighbors. How? When they will despair of the hope to get out of this country. And how? When we build more settlements, more schools, more kindergartens.
SHIR HEVER: [Serious] responses to Levy’s article were [not late] to follow, including calls on the Haaretz newspaper to fire him. We are joined by Gideon Levy now, so we can discuss this article. Gideon Levy is a prominent Israeli journalist, and author of the weekly column The Twilight Zone in the Israeli paper Haaretz. He’s also an editorial board member of Haaretz. Thank you very much, Gideon, for joining us.
GIDEON LEVY: Thank you, Shir. It’s my pleasure.
SHIR HEVER: Honestly, when I read your article, I also felt uneasy. There are extreme right and violent organizations which promote the colonization of Palestine, but not everyone born in an Israeli illegal colony should have their lives forfeit because of the crime of the state of Israel. Did you not write this article in order to cause a provocation?
GIDEON LEVY: No, not at all. And I wouldn’t write it if the settlers themselves and their leadership wouldn’t behave in such a cynical way. You know, hours after the attack on this pregnant woman, hours after it, immediately they took some caravans, and with their leadership–not just, you know, young people from the margins, but with their leadership, the official leadership, and brought it to what’s called an illegal outpost, which was already evacuated, declaring that this is their answer for the terroristic attack. If they are using pain and tragedy, human tragedy, and bloodshed in such a cynical way for their real estate ambitions and interests, I have the right to tell them if this is your behavior, I have no sympathy to you.
SHIR HEVER: I think my problem is when you say ‘they,’ as if all of the colonists in the West Bank are one unit. The attack on this pregnant woman that you were talking about, she has actually survived, but her baby did not. And the baby never had a political opinion, and never made a choice. And certainly the baby is not at fault of building these caravans. In a way, aren’t you actually helping the colonies with this kind of argument, as if all of the colonists are just one unit, and murdering a colonist is a political act which can justify in their own eyes the land appropriation and dispossessing of Palestinians?
GIDEON LEVY: Well, first of all, if you take it to this resolution, then, needless to say, no baby in the world deserves to be killed. I mean, that’s not a question at all. If they have political views, even if they’re responsible or not, nobody should be a victim of murders, of killings. And for sure no innocent babies, helpless babies. This goes without saying.
But yes, we can generalize the settlers–like, by the way, I think we can generalize the Israelis. Because as we, all of us, I think, all of us Israelis carry responsibility for the occupation project, whole apartheid system, because we all are part of this machinery even if we individually oppose it. But finally, we are part of it. I always say, I’m a settler. I’m part of this project, even though I dedicated my life to fight against it. But I’m still part of it. I cannot break away from the responsibility.
Because the settlers, it’s much more than this. It’s not only about political views. It’s not only about talking. It’s about their existence there. Once you go and live in an occupied territory, which contradicts international law, once you do it, once you continue to do it, you define yourself politically, morally, and legally. And you take a very terrible road by sitting there. So yes, all of them violate international law. All of them. And all of them should be [viewed] to criticism.
SHIR HEVER: Well, let’s take this idea of generalization perhaps even further. The Israeli government made several statements in the last few days that they believe that confiscating more land every time there is a Palestinian attack will deter Palestinians from resisting the occupation. But what would happen if this logic would be universally accepted as a kind of medieval justice system? But then, also, whenever a Palestinian is killed by Israeli forces, Palestinians would receive some of their land back. What would you say to this kind of double sympathy logic, as opposed to the no sympathy in your article?
GIDEON LEVY: You portray a theoretical picture of equality, and there is no equality between Israel and Palestine, as you know. So this cannot happen, not only because it’s far fetched on both sides, because nothing is equal and there is no symmetry. Wherever you touch it. There Is no symmetry about anything, by the way.
Now, getting back to what you say, the fact that Israel and the settlers are claiming that this is the Zionistic response to terrorism, mainly the [revanche] for terrorism will be new settlements. This has some political aspects, because the first time the settlers admit that their project is a punishment, and not–has nothing to do with the security of Israel. Has nothing to do with your political or religious belief.
Finally, it’s a way to punish the Palestinians and take revanche over them. OK, that’s quite a progressive step, because once we realize that it’s all about paining more the Palestinians, taking revanche more, antagonizing more, so it’s much easier to oppose this project.
SHIR HEVER: Well, that’s a very good point to end our conversation. Thank you very much, Gideon, for joining us.
GIDEON LEVY: Thank you, Shir.
SHIR HEVER: And thank you for joining us on The Real News Network.
Shir Hever is an economist working at The Real News Network. His economic research focuses on Israeli occupation of the Palestinian territory; international aid to the Palestinians and to Israel; the effects of the Israeli occupation of the Palestinian territories on the Israeli economy; and the boycott, divestment and sanctions campaigns against Israel. His first book: Political Economy of Israel’s Occupation: Repression Beyond Exploitation, was published by Pluto Press.
Gideon Levy is a prominent Israeli journalist and author of the weekly column Twilight Zone in the Israeli paper Ha’aretz. He is also an editorial board member of Ha’aretz. Between 1978 and 1982 Levy served in the Shimon Peres office when Peres was the leader of the Labor Party.
And this week, Gideon Levy has once again caused an uproar in Israel when he published in Haaretz a piece with the title I Feel No Sympathy For the Settlers. Levy argued that Israeli colonists in the West Bank are instrumentalizing Palestinian resistance, and used every murdered colonist as an excuse to expand land appropriation from Palestinians. Indeed, on Sunday, the Israeli Minister of Education Naftali Bennett did just that.
NAFTALI BENNETT: We are raising today a bill to regulate the colonization, which we call the law of fabric of life, because the residents of Judea and Samaria are not second-rate citizens. As in the dawn of Zionism, whenever there is terror, we have to build. We will achieve peace with the neighbors. How? When they will despair of the hope to get out of this country. And how? When we build more settlements, more schools, more kindergartens.
SHIR HEVER: [Serious] responses to Levy’s article were [not late] to follow, including calls on the Haaretz newspaper to fire him. We are joined by Gideon Levy now, so we can discuss this article. Gideon Levy is a prominent Israeli journalist, and author of the weekly column The Twilight Zone in the Israeli paper Haaretz. He’s also an editorial board member of Haaretz. Thank you very much, Gideon, for joining us.
GIDEON LEVY: Thank you, Shir. It’s my pleasure.
SHIR HEVER: Honestly, when I read your article, I also felt uneasy. There are extreme right and violent organizations which promote the colonization of Palestine, but not everyone born in an Israeli illegal colony should have their lives forfeit because of the crime of the state of Israel. Did you not write this article in order to cause a provocation?
GIDEON LEVY: No, not at all. And I wouldn’t write it if the settlers themselves and their leadership wouldn’t behave in such a cynical way. You know, hours after the attack on this pregnant woman, hours after it, immediately they took some caravans, and with their leadership–not just, you know, young people from the margins, but with their leadership, the official leadership, and brought it to what’s called an illegal outpost, which was already evacuated, declaring that this is their answer for the terroristic attack. If they are using pain and tragedy, human tragedy, and bloodshed in such a cynical way for their real estate ambitions and interests, I have the right to tell them if this is your behavior, I have no sympathy to you.
SHIR HEVER: I think my problem is when you say ‘they,’ as if all of the colonists in the West Bank are one unit. The attack on this pregnant woman that you were talking about, she has actually survived, but her baby did not. And the baby never had a political opinion, and never made a choice. And certainly the baby is not at fault of building these caravans. In a way, aren’t you actually helping the colonies with this kind of argument, as if all of the colonists are just one unit, and murdering a colonist is a political act which can justify in their own eyes the land appropriation and dispossessing of Palestinians?
GIDEON LEVY: Well, first of all, if you take it to this resolution, then, needless to say, no baby in the world deserves to be killed. I mean, that’s not a question at all. If they have political views, even if they’re responsible or not, nobody should be a victim of murders, of killings. And for sure no innocent babies, helpless babies. This goes without saying.
But yes, we can generalize the settlers–like, by the way, I think we can generalize the Israelis. Because as we, all of us, I think, all of us Israelis carry responsibility for the occupation project, whole apartheid system, because we all are part of this machinery even if we individually oppose it. But finally, we are part of it. I always say, I’m a settler. I’m part of this project, even though I dedicated my life to fight against it. But I’m still part of it. I cannot break away from the responsibility.
Because the settlers, it’s much more than this. It’s not only about political views. It’s not only about talking. It’s about their existence there. Once you go and live in an occupied territory, which contradicts international law, once you do it, once you continue to do it, you define yourself politically, morally, and legally. And you take a very terrible road by sitting there. So yes, all of them violate international law. All of them. And all of them should be [viewed] to criticism.
SHIR HEVER: Well, let’s take this idea of generalization perhaps even further. The Israeli government made several statements in the last few days that they believe that confiscating more land every time there is a Palestinian attack will deter Palestinians from resisting the occupation. But what would happen if this logic would be universally accepted as a kind of medieval justice system? But then, also, whenever a Palestinian is killed by Israeli forces, Palestinians would receive some of their land back. What would you say to this kind of double sympathy logic, as opposed to the no sympathy in your article?
GIDEON LEVY: You portray a theoretical picture of equality, and there is no equality between Israel and Palestine, as you know. So this cannot happen, not only because it’s far fetched on both sides, because nothing is equal and there is no symmetry. Wherever you touch it. There Is no symmetry about anything, by the way.
Now, getting back to what you say, the fact that Israel and the settlers are claiming that this is the Zionistic response to terrorism, mainly the [revanche] for terrorism will be new settlements. This has some political aspects, because the first time the settlers admit that their project is a punishment, and not–has nothing to do with the security of Israel. Has nothing to do with your political or religious belief.
Finally, it’s a way to punish the Palestinians and take revanche over them. OK, that’s quite a progressive step, because once we realize that it’s all about paining more the Palestinians, taking revanche more, antagonizing more, so it’s much easier to oppose this project.
SHIR HEVER: Well, that’s a very good point to end our conversation. Thank you very much, Gideon, for joining us.
GIDEON LEVY: Thank you, Shir.
SHIR HEVER: And thank you for joining us on The Real News Network.
Shir Hever is an economist working at The Real News Network. His economic research focuses on Israeli occupation of the Palestinian territory; international aid to the Palestinians and to Israel; the effects of the Israeli occupation of the Palestinian territories on the Israeli economy; and the boycott, divestment and sanctions campaigns against Israel. His first book: Political Economy of Israel’s Occupation: Repression Beyond Exploitation, was published by Pluto Press.
Gideon Levy is a prominent Israeli journalist and author of the weekly column Twilight Zone in the Israeli paper Ha’aretz. He is also an editorial board member of Ha’aretz. Between 1978 and 1982 Levy served in the Shimon Peres office when Peres was the leader of the Labor Party.
