18 june 2015
The Israeli arson attack on Taghba church on Thursday is a new proof of Israeli racism, Hamas spokesman Husam Badran said.
Badran described burning Tabgha church as a criminal act that aims at obliterating and changing the historic landmarks in Palestine.
Jewish extremists at dawn Thursday set fire to one of the most famous Catholic churches in 1948 Occupied Palestine, damaging the roof and burning prayer books.
Two persons were injured and the Jewish fanatics wrote racist Torah slogans on the church’s entrance.
Hamas leader Badran said this crime is a result of continuous incitement policy adopted by Israeli figures and institutions of high political, religious and media levels. He underlined that the extremist Jewish groups enjoy legal coverage to their crimes that guarantees their escape of prosecution.
Badran asked competent authorities concerned with the Palestinian cause and heritage to expose Israel's crimes and to condemn its practices which run contrary to international norms and regulations.
Badran described burning Tabgha church as a criminal act that aims at obliterating and changing the historic landmarks in Palestine.
Jewish extremists at dawn Thursday set fire to one of the most famous Catholic churches in 1948 Occupied Palestine, damaging the roof and burning prayer books.
Two persons were injured and the Jewish fanatics wrote racist Torah slogans on the church’s entrance.
Hamas leader Badran said this crime is a result of continuous incitement policy adopted by Israeli figures and institutions of high political, religious and media levels. He underlined that the extremist Jewish groups enjoy legal coverage to their crimes that guarantees their escape of prosecution.
Badran asked competent authorities concerned with the Palestinian cause and heritage to expose Israel's crimes and to condemn its practices which run contrary to international norms and regulations.
A group of Jewish settlers on the first day of the holy month of Ramadan desecrated the Aqsa Mosque's courtyards under police protection.
Quds Press said that 12 settlers escorted by policemen toured on Thursday morning the Aqsa Mosque's courtyards.
It added that dozens of Muslim worshipers, who were there, protested the presence of Jews inside the Mosque by chanting religious slogans.
The Israeli police in occupied Jerusalem had declared in June last year it would allow Jewish groups to enter the Mosque in the morning during the whole month of Ramadan.
The police decision was deplored then by the Palestinian ministry of religious affairs.
Quds Press said that 12 settlers escorted by policemen toured on Thursday morning the Aqsa Mosque's courtyards.
It added that dozens of Muslim worshipers, who were there, protested the presence of Jews inside the Mosque by chanting religious slogans.
The Israeli police in occupied Jerusalem had declared in June last year it would allow Jewish groups to enter the Mosque in the morning during the whole month of Ramadan.
The police decision was deplored then by the Palestinian ministry of religious affairs.
Israeli occupation forces Thursday morning have shot and wounded two Palestinian youngsters during raid on Nablus city, northern West Bank.
Security sources said that Israeli soldiers broke into the eastern part of the city, accompanied with a number of settlers and a bulldozer, causing immediate clashes.
Sources added that IOF opened fire on the protesters, wounding two Palestinians aged 23 and 24, from Balata refugee camp with rubber-coated metal bullet in the chest, and a bullet in the thigh.
Both were moved to Rafidia hospital and medics say they are in stable condition.
Security sources said that Israeli soldiers broke into the eastern part of the city, accompanied with a number of settlers and a bulldozer, causing immediate clashes.
Sources added that IOF opened fire on the protesters, wounding two Palestinians aged 23 and 24, from Balata refugee camp with rubber-coated metal bullet in the chest, and a bullet in the thigh.
Both were moved to Rafidia hospital and medics say they are in stable condition.
Violent clashes broke out at dawn Thursday, the first day of Ramadan, between Israeli soldiers and Palestinian young men in Nablus city.
The events started when scores of Jewish settlers stormed under military protection the mausoleum of Joseph's Tomb for rituals.
Local sources told the Palestinian Information Center (PIC) that hundreds of settlers escorted by military vehicles entered the city aboard buses after midnight and performed rituals at the mausoleum.
They added the unwelcome presence of settlers and soldiers in the city angered the local young men and prompted them to clash with the invading troops, especially in the vicinity of Joseph's Tomb.
The events started when scores of Jewish settlers stormed under military protection the mausoleum of Joseph's Tomb for rituals.
Local sources told the Palestinian Information Center (PIC) that hundreds of settlers escorted by military vehicles entered the city aboard buses after midnight and performed rituals at the mausoleum.
They added the unwelcome presence of settlers and soldiers in the city angered the local young men and prompted them to clash with the invading troops, especially in the vicinity of Joseph's Tomb.
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Police suspect arson at Galilee church where Jesus performed miracle of multiplication of the loaves and the fishes.
Fire gutted part of the Church of Loaves and Fishes on the shores of the Sea of Galilee in northern Israel on Thursday and investigators suspected arson as a possible cause, a police spokesman said. The church, which Christians believe is where Jesus performed the Miracle of the Multiplication of the Loaves and the Fishes, lies on the shores of the Sea of Galilee and is a traditional site of pilgrimage in the Holy Land. Two people were lightly hurt from smoke inhalation. |
A spokesman for the
fire brigade said a preliminary investigation showed the blaze broke out
in several places inside the church, evidence that it was started
deliberately.
The nationalist crimes unit of the Israeli police's West Bank settlement division is investigating the incident. Police said they initially arrested 16 youths, all religious Jewish seminary students from West Bank settlements, but released them shortly after. Their lawyer, Itamar Ben Gvir, told Army Radio the police had no evidence against the youths and that they were under suspicion simply for looking like young settlers.
Father Matthias Karl, a German monk from the church, said a souvenir shop, an office for pilgrims and a meeting room were badly damaged, and bibles and prayer books were destroyed in the fire.
"It's totally destroyed. The fire was very active," he said.
A monk and a church volunteer were hospitalized from smoke inhalation, but the prayer area of the church was unaffected by the fire, he said.
Police spokesman Micky Rosenfeld said investigators were at the site and Hebrew graffiti had been found, which led police and fire service investigators to suspect that the fire had been set deliberately.
"Firefighters arrived at the scene at around 3:30 am (12:30 am GMT) and it was put out, but extensive damage was caused to the church both inside and out and Hebrew graffiti was found, which has led to suspicions that the fire might have been caused deliberately," Rosenfeld said.
The graffiti, on a limestone wall in clear red spray paint denounced the worship of idols.
The door to the monks' living quarters has been set ablaze, and the fire then spread to another area down the hall from there. Perpetrators also attempted to start the fire where the graffiti was found.
Firefighters were able to start the blaze before it reached the main prayer hall, where the ceiling is made of wood.
Passersby said unknown perpetrators have been covering the crosses on signs directing to the church for a long period of time before the blaze.
"We still don't know what happened, we're in shock," said one of the other monks. "I woke up at around 4 am because of the noise and saw the flames. I rushed to the church because I knew two of our friends were inside."
"I still don't understand what happened here," he went on to say. "We've never had such incidents. We're a place of peace, love and openness. Everything here is always open to whoever wants to come - maybe that is the problem."
The Rabbis for Human Rights group said there have been 43 hate crime attacks against churches, mosques and monasteries in Israel, the West Bank and East Jerusalem since 2009.
Dozens of arrests have been made in such cases, but there have been few indictments and convictions, with police and prosecutors acknowledging that the young age of many of the suspected perpetrators has led courts to show leniency.
Deputy Foreign Minister Tzipi Hotovely condemned Thursday's church burning and said Israel respects freedom of worship for all religions.
Public Security Minister Gilad Erdan also decried the suspected arson, saying "This is a cowardly and despicable act, which I fiercely condemn."
"We will not allow for someone to break the coexistence of the different religions and cultures in Israel. Any act against religious tolerance is hurting the most important value in the State of Israel, and we have zero patience for acts of this type," the minister said.
Last year, a group of mostly Jewish youth attacked the Church of the Multiplication's outdoor prayer area along the Sea of Galilee, Father Matthias said, pelting worshippers with stones, destroying a cross and throwing benches into the lake.
The Roman Catholic church is a modern church was constructed in the 1980s on the remains of a fifth-century Byzantine church in Tabgha on the shore of the Kinneret in northern Israel. It is overseen by the Benedictine Order.
Its Byzantine mosaic floor draws thousands of visitors of all faiths each year, Father Matthias said.
Church located on Christian holy site set on fire in Galilee
Unknown arsonists set on fire the Church of the Multiplication, where Christians believe that Jesus multiplied loaves and fishes, and wrote graffiti in Hebrew on the walls that read, "False idols will be smashed" and "Pagans".
The fire was set at about 3 am in the early hours of Thursday morning, severely damaging church offices and storage rooms. The entire church was saturated with smoke damage.
The Church of the Multiplication is believed by Christians to be the site of Jesus’s miracle of multiplying two fish and five loaves to feed 5,000 people.
Several church volunteers suffered from smoke inhalation while trying to extinguish the fire before the firefighters arrived on the scene. The fire was put out several hours after it began.
The church, which is run by the Catholic Benedictine Order, is best known for its fifth-century mosaics, including one depicting two fish flanking a basket of loaves.
Christian churches have been targeted by right-wing Israeli Jewish attacks hundreds of times in recent years.
In May 2014, the Romanian Orthodox Church on Hahoma Hashlishit Street in Jerusalem was defaced in a suspected hate attack. That incident saw the words "price tag", "Jesus is garbage" and "King David for the Jews" spray-painted on the site’s walls.
Two weeks earlier, ahead of a visit to the country by Pope Francis, suspected Jewish extremists daubed hate graffiti on Vatican-owned offices in Jerusalem.
The Hebrew-language graffiti, reading “Death to Arabs and Christians and those who hate Israel,” was sprayed on the walls of the offices of the Assembly of Bishops at the Notre Dame center, a complex just outside the Old City, the Roman Catholic Church said.
Dmitry Diliani, a member of the Fateh revolutionary council, as well as the Secretary-General of the national Christian Assembly in Palestine, issued a statement that the attack on the church represents a practical application of the stances taken by the Israeli government, which funds fanatic groups.
He noted that some of the leaders of those fanatic groups hold political positions in spite of their incitement. By refusing to list those groups as terrorist organizations, Diliani argued, the Israeli Knesset is effectively providing them with legal protection, and is not taking seriously the ongoing, multiple attacks by right-wing Israelis against Christian and Muslim holy sites.
Knesset Member Dr. Basil Khattas was quoted as saying, "Those terrorist groups attack both Christian and Muslim holy sites with impunity. The Israeli government must open a serious investigation into this and other incidents of violence against holy sites."
Israeli authorities say they are investigating to see if the fire was an accident or was intentional. But Christians who live in the area say that the Israeli police are not taking the investigation seriously - adding that this was obviously an anti-Christian hate crime, given the graffiti that was written on the site of the fire.
No arrests have been made in connection with the arson.
The nationalist crimes unit of the Israeli police's West Bank settlement division is investigating the incident. Police said they initially arrested 16 youths, all religious Jewish seminary students from West Bank settlements, but released them shortly after. Their lawyer, Itamar Ben Gvir, told Army Radio the police had no evidence against the youths and that they were under suspicion simply for looking like young settlers.
Father Matthias Karl, a German monk from the church, said a souvenir shop, an office for pilgrims and a meeting room were badly damaged, and bibles and prayer books were destroyed in the fire.
"It's totally destroyed. The fire was very active," he said.
A monk and a church volunteer were hospitalized from smoke inhalation, but the prayer area of the church was unaffected by the fire, he said.
Police spokesman Micky Rosenfeld said investigators were at the site and Hebrew graffiti had been found, which led police and fire service investigators to suspect that the fire had been set deliberately.
"Firefighters arrived at the scene at around 3:30 am (12:30 am GMT) and it was put out, but extensive damage was caused to the church both inside and out and Hebrew graffiti was found, which has led to suspicions that the fire might have been caused deliberately," Rosenfeld said.
The graffiti, on a limestone wall in clear red spray paint denounced the worship of idols.
The door to the monks' living quarters has been set ablaze, and the fire then spread to another area down the hall from there. Perpetrators also attempted to start the fire where the graffiti was found.
Firefighters were able to start the blaze before it reached the main prayer hall, where the ceiling is made of wood.
Passersby said unknown perpetrators have been covering the crosses on signs directing to the church for a long period of time before the blaze.
"We still don't know what happened, we're in shock," said one of the other monks. "I woke up at around 4 am because of the noise and saw the flames. I rushed to the church because I knew two of our friends were inside."
"I still don't understand what happened here," he went on to say. "We've never had such incidents. We're a place of peace, love and openness. Everything here is always open to whoever wants to come - maybe that is the problem."
The Rabbis for Human Rights group said there have been 43 hate crime attacks against churches, mosques and monasteries in Israel, the West Bank and East Jerusalem since 2009.
Dozens of arrests have been made in such cases, but there have been few indictments and convictions, with police and prosecutors acknowledging that the young age of many of the suspected perpetrators has led courts to show leniency.
Deputy Foreign Minister Tzipi Hotovely condemned Thursday's church burning and said Israel respects freedom of worship for all religions.
Public Security Minister Gilad Erdan also decried the suspected arson, saying "This is a cowardly and despicable act, which I fiercely condemn."
"We will not allow for someone to break the coexistence of the different religions and cultures in Israel. Any act against religious tolerance is hurting the most important value in the State of Israel, and we have zero patience for acts of this type," the minister said.
Last year, a group of mostly Jewish youth attacked the Church of the Multiplication's outdoor prayer area along the Sea of Galilee, Father Matthias said, pelting worshippers with stones, destroying a cross and throwing benches into the lake.
The Roman Catholic church is a modern church was constructed in the 1980s on the remains of a fifth-century Byzantine church in Tabgha on the shore of the Kinneret in northern Israel. It is overseen by the Benedictine Order.
Its Byzantine mosaic floor draws thousands of visitors of all faiths each year, Father Matthias said.
Church located on Christian holy site set on fire in Galilee
Unknown arsonists set on fire the Church of the Multiplication, where Christians believe that Jesus multiplied loaves and fishes, and wrote graffiti in Hebrew on the walls that read, "False idols will be smashed" and "Pagans".
The fire was set at about 3 am in the early hours of Thursday morning, severely damaging church offices and storage rooms. The entire church was saturated with smoke damage.
The Church of the Multiplication is believed by Christians to be the site of Jesus’s miracle of multiplying two fish and five loaves to feed 5,000 people.
Several church volunteers suffered from smoke inhalation while trying to extinguish the fire before the firefighters arrived on the scene. The fire was put out several hours after it began.
The church, which is run by the Catholic Benedictine Order, is best known for its fifth-century mosaics, including one depicting two fish flanking a basket of loaves.
Christian churches have been targeted by right-wing Israeli Jewish attacks hundreds of times in recent years.
In May 2014, the Romanian Orthodox Church on Hahoma Hashlishit Street in Jerusalem was defaced in a suspected hate attack. That incident saw the words "price tag", "Jesus is garbage" and "King David for the Jews" spray-painted on the site’s walls.
Two weeks earlier, ahead of a visit to the country by Pope Francis, suspected Jewish extremists daubed hate graffiti on Vatican-owned offices in Jerusalem.
The Hebrew-language graffiti, reading “Death to Arabs and Christians and those who hate Israel,” was sprayed on the walls of the offices of the Assembly of Bishops at the Notre Dame center, a complex just outside the Old City, the Roman Catholic Church said.
Dmitry Diliani, a member of the Fateh revolutionary council, as well as the Secretary-General of the national Christian Assembly in Palestine, issued a statement that the attack on the church represents a practical application of the stances taken by the Israeli government, which funds fanatic groups.
He noted that some of the leaders of those fanatic groups hold political positions in spite of their incitement. By refusing to list those groups as terrorist organizations, Diliani argued, the Israeli Knesset is effectively providing them with legal protection, and is not taking seriously the ongoing, multiple attacks by right-wing Israelis against Christian and Muslim holy sites.
Knesset Member Dr. Basil Khattas was quoted as saying, "Those terrorist groups attack both Christian and Muslim holy sites with impunity. The Israeli government must open a serious investigation into this and other incidents of violence against holy sites."
Israeli authorities say they are investigating to see if the fire was an accident or was intentional. But Christians who live in the area say that the Israeli police are not taking the investigation seriously - adding that this was obviously an anti-Christian hate crime, given the graffiti that was written on the site of the fire.
No arrests have been made in connection with the arson.
17 june 2015
Defense for Children International - Palestine documented Tuesday nine Israeli settlers’ attacks against Palestinian children in occupied Jerusalem since the beginning of 2015.
On June 9, Mohamed Abu Wahdan, 13, and his sister Wafa, 11, were subjected to brutal attack at the hands of Israeli settlers while on their way to al-Aqsa Mosque.
Speaking to DCI- Palestine, Mohamed said that a group of settlers suddenly attacked him and his sister when they approached the Israeli-controlled Magaribeh Gate of al-Aqsa Mosque.
He pointed out that his family members are routinely subjected to similar attacks especially that their home is located in Silwan town near Magaribeh Gate.
His 16-year-old sister Israa was also subjected to pepper spray attack on May 14, while passing through the Old City.
On May 11, the 13-year-old Mutaz Abu Diab was severely beaten all over his body while on his way to school in Silwan town at the hands of an Israeli settler under the pretext of approaching a nearby Israeli settlement.
"The settler suddenly attacked me in the presence of three Israeli soldiers who then took me handcuffed to a nearby police station where I was subjected to a similar assault by Israeli police forces", Abu Diab added.
He was subjected to tough interrogation in order to force him to admit the Israeli charges submitted against him. He was severely beaten after he refused to admit charges of stoning Israeli settlers’ cars.
Abu Diab was then released and sent to house arrest for five days.
DCI- Palestine also documented a similar attack in the Old City of occupied Jerusalem on April 22. The victims were the 14-year-old boys Radi Dado and Mohamed Assalia.
Radi was riding his bicycle and his friend Mohammed sitting behind him when an Israeli settler pushed them down and fled the scene.
Following the attack, the two children were transferred to hospital as they suffered injuries and bruises all over their bodies.
Along the same line, UN OCHA reported that Israeli settlers carried out 139 attacks against Palestinians in occupied Jerusalem and the West Bank since 2014.
On June 9, Mohamed Abu Wahdan, 13, and his sister Wafa, 11, were subjected to brutal attack at the hands of Israeli settlers while on their way to al-Aqsa Mosque.
Speaking to DCI- Palestine, Mohamed said that a group of settlers suddenly attacked him and his sister when they approached the Israeli-controlled Magaribeh Gate of al-Aqsa Mosque.
He pointed out that his family members are routinely subjected to similar attacks especially that their home is located in Silwan town near Magaribeh Gate.
His 16-year-old sister Israa was also subjected to pepper spray attack on May 14, while passing through the Old City.
On May 11, the 13-year-old Mutaz Abu Diab was severely beaten all over his body while on his way to school in Silwan town at the hands of an Israeli settler under the pretext of approaching a nearby Israeli settlement.
"The settler suddenly attacked me in the presence of three Israeli soldiers who then took me handcuffed to a nearby police station where I was subjected to a similar assault by Israeli police forces", Abu Diab added.
He was subjected to tough interrogation in order to force him to admit the Israeli charges submitted against him. He was severely beaten after he refused to admit charges of stoning Israeli settlers’ cars.
Abu Diab was then released and sent to house arrest for five days.
DCI- Palestine also documented a similar attack in the Old City of occupied Jerusalem on April 22. The victims were the 14-year-old boys Radi Dado and Mohamed Assalia.
Radi was riding his bicycle and his friend Mohammed sitting behind him when an Israeli settler pushed them down and fled the scene.
Following the attack, the two children were transferred to hospital as they suffered injuries and bruises all over their bodies.
Along the same line, UN OCHA reported that Israeli settlers carried out 139 attacks against Palestinians in occupied Jerusalem and the West Bank since 2014.
16 june 2015
A horde of Israeli extremist settlers, escorted by police officers, on Tuesday morning stormed Muslims’ holy al-Aqsa Mosque via the Maghareba Gate.
Eye-witnesses said settlers broke into al-Aqsa Mosque at the early morning hours and received sermons about the alleged temple mount.
The break-inners desecrated the plazas of the holy site while the peaceful Muslim sit-inners kept chanting “Allah the Greatest” in protest at the sacrilegious break-in.
The Israeli cops deployed at the gates of the mosque, meanwhile, have come down heavily on the Muslim worshipers, seizing their IDs in the process.
Eye-witnesses said settlers broke into al-Aqsa Mosque at the early morning hours and received sermons about the alleged temple mount.
The break-inners desecrated the plazas of the holy site while the peaceful Muslim sit-inners kept chanting “Allah the Greatest” in protest at the sacrilegious break-in.
The Israeli cops deployed at the gates of the mosque, meanwhile, have come down heavily on the Muslim worshipers, seizing their IDs in the process.
The Israeli occupation forces (IOF) on Monday morning prevented Palestinian farmers in Jalud town, southeast of Nablus city, from harvesting their wheat fields.
Local sources told the Palestinian Information Center (PIC) that Israeli military and police forces stormed wheat fields in the town's eastern plains and barred farmers from continuing their work.
They added that the soldiers confiscated a farm tractor and a baling machine the farmers were using and fined one of them 1,000 shekels at the pretext of not having a license for the tractor.
They asserted that the Israeli measures against the farmers was in response to the request of an extremist Jewish settler, who came along with the soldiers.
Upon their arrival at the lands, the Palestinian farmers were surprised to see that more than 30 dunums of their wheat had been ruined by Jewish settlers.
Local sources told the Palestinian Information Center (PIC) that Israeli military and police forces stormed wheat fields in the town's eastern plains and barred farmers from continuing their work.
They added that the soldiers confiscated a farm tractor and a baling machine the farmers were using and fined one of them 1,000 shekels at the pretext of not having a license for the tractor.
They asserted that the Israeli measures against the farmers was in response to the request of an extremist Jewish settler, who came along with the soldiers.
Upon their arrival at the lands, the Palestinian farmers were surprised to see that more than 30 dunums of their wheat had been ruined by Jewish settlers.
Israeli police officers kidnapped, Tuesday, two Palestinian women while leaving the Al-Aqsa Mosque, in occupied Jerusalem, and assaulted two elderly men.
A worker of the Islamic Endowment Department said the police kidnapped the two women while leaving the Al-Aqsa Mosque, through the al-Magharba Gate, and took them to a nearby police station.
He added that the police also assaulted two elderly men, identified as Abu Bakr ash-Sheemy and Abu Ali Shawahna, after they objected to the abduction of the two women.
The events transpired after a number of Israeli fanatics stormed the courtyards of the Al-Aqsa Mosque, and conducted provocative tours.
The WAFA News Agency said Israeli fanatics stormed the mosque area, in numerous smaller groups, under heavy police deployment.
Several women started chanting against the invading fanatics, and calling for protecting the Al-Aqsa Mosque, and holy sites, against the ongoing violations.
A worker of the Islamic Endowment Department said the police kidnapped the two women while leaving the Al-Aqsa Mosque, through the al-Magharba Gate, and took them to a nearby police station.
He added that the police also assaulted two elderly men, identified as Abu Bakr ash-Sheemy and Abu Ali Shawahna, after they objected to the abduction of the two women.
The events transpired after a number of Israeli fanatics stormed the courtyards of the Al-Aqsa Mosque, and conducted provocative tours.
The WAFA News Agency said Israeli fanatics stormed the mosque area, in numerous smaller groups, under heavy police deployment.
Several women started chanting against the invading fanatics, and calling for protecting the Al-Aqsa Mosque, and holy sites, against the ongoing violations.
A group of Israeli settlers, last night, deliberately burned the wheat crops of Rafiq Jbara, in Kafr Al-Lebed village, near Tulkarem, stretching over vast areas of Palestinian land.
The Mayor of Kafr Al- Lebed, Ziad Jab’iti, said that the wheat was deliberately and completely burnt down by the settlers.
The people, then, had to call military coordination and civil defense to put out the fire.
Villagers witnessing the attack voiced the need for defense against such incidents. They added that it was not the first time where settlers burned agricultural lands, which are the the only source of income for the villagers.
In addition, they demanded compensation for the losses out of this violation.
The Mayor of Kafr Al- Lebed, Ziad Jab’iti, said that the wheat was deliberately and completely burnt down by the settlers.
The people, then, had to call military coordination and civil defense to put out the fire.
Villagers witnessing the attack voiced the need for defense against such incidents. They added that it was not the first time where settlers burned agricultural lands, which are the the only source of income for the villagers.
In addition, they demanded compensation for the losses out of this violation.
15 june 2015
Israeli police along with border guards waged Monday a large-scale raids in Haifa, Hadera and Tel Aviv cities, in 1948 Occupied Palestine, searching for Palestinian workers from the West Bank.
Some of the workers told the PIC reporter that the Israeli Special Units broke into dozens of buildings under construction, abused and rounded up scores of them mostly from Jenin governorate in the northern West Bank.
Five workers from Jenin were arrested in Haifa. Many of Palestinian workers get abused and assaulted by Israeli forces amid a state of negligence of their suffering, local sources pointed out.
Some of the workers told the PIC reporter that the Israeli Special Units broke into dozens of buildings under construction, abused and rounded up scores of them mostly from Jenin governorate in the northern West Bank.
Five workers from Jenin were arrested in Haifa. Many of Palestinian workers get abused and assaulted by Israeli forces amid a state of negligence of their suffering, local sources pointed out.
A horde of fanatic Israeli settlers, escorted by police officers, on Monday morning stormed the plazas of Muslims’ Holy al-Aqsa Mosque via the Maghareba Gate.
According to the Quds Press at least 18 extremist settlers broke into Holy al-Aqsa Mosque and defiled its plazas under police protection.
The peaceful Muslim sit-inners who have been maintaining vigil at the holy site kept chanting “Allah the Greatest” so as to voice protest over the sacrilegious break-in.
The Israeli cops, meanwhile, took close snapshots of the female Muslim sit-inners in an attempt to pave the way for their abduction from al-Aqsa gates.
Earlier, on Sunday some 109 Israelis, including 50 occupation soldiers and 59 settlers, forced their entry into al-Aqsa.
According to the Quds Press at least 18 extremist settlers broke into Holy al-Aqsa Mosque and defiled its plazas under police protection.
The peaceful Muslim sit-inners who have been maintaining vigil at the holy site kept chanting “Allah the Greatest” so as to voice protest over the sacrilegious break-in.
The Israeli cops, meanwhile, took close snapshots of the female Muslim sit-inners in an attempt to pave the way for their abduction from al-Aqsa gates.
Earlier, on Sunday some 109 Israelis, including 50 occupation soldiers and 59 settlers, forced their entry into al-Aqsa.
14 june 2015
Israeli Occupation Forces (IOF) along with Jewish settlers stormed al-Aqsa Mosque on Sunday. 109 soldiers and settlers raided the holy site in the morning and afternoon hours.
Q-Press media center revealed that 50 members of Israeli soldiers broke into the Islamic site from the Maghareba gate under tight security measures in the afternoon. They roamed the vicinity of the Mosque including the Dome of the Rock.
The Israeli military incursion into the Aqsa Mosque was confronted by Palestinian children who were participating in summer activities. The children followed the Israeli forces chanting Allahu Akbar as an expression of refusing the ceaseless Israeli violations.
59 Jewish settlers as well stormed the holy Islamic site in the morning and afternoon. They toured the plazas of the mosque amid Talmudic explanations on the history and landmarks of the alleged Temple of Solomon by Rabbis.
In a similar context, the Israeli forces arrested at noon on Sunday two Palestinian girls from Galilee while going out of the Aqsa Mosque.
Hundreds of Palestinian children were present in the Mosque on Sunday morning participating in al-Aqsa educational and entertainment summer activities.
Q-Press media center revealed that 50 members of Israeli soldiers broke into the Islamic site from the Maghareba gate under tight security measures in the afternoon. They roamed the vicinity of the Mosque including the Dome of the Rock.
The Israeli military incursion into the Aqsa Mosque was confronted by Palestinian children who were participating in summer activities. The children followed the Israeli forces chanting Allahu Akbar as an expression of refusing the ceaseless Israeli violations.
59 Jewish settlers as well stormed the holy Islamic site in the morning and afternoon. They toured the plazas of the mosque amid Talmudic explanations on the history and landmarks of the alleged Temple of Solomon by Rabbis.
In a similar context, the Israeli forces arrested at noon on Sunday two Palestinian girls from Galilee while going out of the Aqsa Mosque.
Hundreds of Palestinian children were present in the Mosque on Sunday morning participating in al-Aqsa educational and entertainment summer activities.
13 june 2015
A net installed in the Old City to prevent garbage dropped by Israeli settlers into a Palestinian area.
Israeli settlers, last week, attempted (but failed) to attack a mosque during dawn prayers in the city of Hebron, local sources recently revealed.
WAFA sources said that two masked settlers attempted to carry out an attack against the mosque during the dawn prayers, but that the attempt failed, while settlers fled the scene and were seen running toward the illegal settlement of Ramat Yishai.
The attack attempt was caught on surveillance cameras placed in the area.
Moreover, one of the residents living near the mosque reported his daughter as witnessing the two armed settlers from her window at dawn, stating that the presence of a taxi cab which stopped in front of the mosque to drop off one of the worshipers to attend the dawn prayers, prevented them from resuming with their attack plan and forced them to flee the scene.
Residents chased after them, but did not manage to catch them.
In an analysis conducted by the Applied Research Institute – Jerusalem (ARIJ) on Israeli settlers' attacks in the occupied Palestinian territory during the year 2014, ARIJ recorded 763 Israeli settler groups’ attacks against civilians, lands, properties, livestock, and agriculture. These attacks inflicted huge losses and suffering among Palestinians.
ARIJ also recorded a total of 226 attacks that were committed by settlers against mosques, includingAl-Aqsa Mosque, and churches and monasteries through spray-paiting racist slogans against Palestinians (Christians and Muslims alike), setting mosques ablaze, attacking worshipers, which showed the feelings of hatred and extremism these settlers hold for Palestinians, reported POICA.
It said that most of the violations that have been recorded during the year 2014 were in the vicinity of Israeli settlements and outposts.
According to the Israeli human rights group B’Tselem, Israeli security forces do not always deploy in advance to protect Palestinians from settler violence, even when such violence could be anticipated. “In some cases, rather than restricting violent settlers, Israeli security forces impose restrictions on the Palestinians.”
“As the occupying power in the West Bank, Israel is obligated to maintain public order and ensure the safety of the Palestinians in the West Bank, who are classified a protected population in international law,” says B’Tselem.
“The establishment of settlements on the West Bank violates international humanitarian law, which establishes the principles applying during war and occupation. Moreover, the settlements lead to the infringement of international human rights law,” stated B'Tselem, the Israeli Information Center for Human Rights in the Occupied Territories.
The center added that, “International humanitarian law prohibits the occupying power to transfer citizens from its own territory to the occupied territory (Fourth Geneva Convention, article 49).”
“The Hague Regulations prohibit the occupying power to undertake permanent changes in the occupied area, unless these are due to military needs in the narrow sense of the term, or unless they are undertaken for the benefit of the local population,” added the center.
Israeli settlers, last week, attempted (but failed) to attack a mosque during dawn prayers in the city of Hebron, local sources recently revealed.
WAFA sources said that two masked settlers attempted to carry out an attack against the mosque during the dawn prayers, but that the attempt failed, while settlers fled the scene and were seen running toward the illegal settlement of Ramat Yishai.
The attack attempt was caught on surveillance cameras placed in the area.
Moreover, one of the residents living near the mosque reported his daughter as witnessing the two armed settlers from her window at dawn, stating that the presence of a taxi cab which stopped in front of the mosque to drop off one of the worshipers to attend the dawn prayers, prevented them from resuming with their attack plan and forced them to flee the scene.
Residents chased after them, but did not manage to catch them.
In an analysis conducted by the Applied Research Institute – Jerusalem (ARIJ) on Israeli settlers' attacks in the occupied Palestinian territory during the year 2014, ARIJ recorded 763 Israeli settler groups’ attacks against civilians, lands, properties, livestock, and agriculture. These attacks inflicted huge losses and suffering among Palestinians.
ARIJ also recorded a total of 226 attacks that were committed by settlers against mosques, includingAl-Aqsa Mosque, and churches and monasteries through spray-paiting racist slogans against Palestinians (Christians and Muslims alike), setting mosques ablaze, attacking worshipers, which showed the feelings of hatred and extremism these settlers hold for Palestinians, reported POICA.
It said that most of the violations that have been recorded during the year 2014 were in the vicinity of Israeli settlements and outposts.
According to the Israeli human rights group B’Tselem, Israeli security forces do not always deploy in advance to protect Palestinians from settler violence, even when such violence could be anticipated. “In some cases, rather than restricting violent settlers, Israeli security forces impose restrictions on the Palestinians.”
“As the occupying power in the West Bank, Israel is obligated to maintain public order and ensure the safety of the Palestinians in the West Bank, who are classified a protected population in international law,” says B’Tselem.
“The establishment of settlements on the West Bank violates international humanitarian law, which establishes the principles applying during war and occupation. Moreover, the settlements lead to the infringement of international human rights law,” stated B'Tselem, the Israeli Information Center for Human Rights in the Occupied Territories.
The center added that, “International humanitarian law prohibits the occupying power to transfer citizens from its own territory to the occupied territory (Fourth Geneva Convention, article 49).”
“The Hague Regulations prohibit the occupying power to undertake permanent changes in the occupied area, unless these are due to military needs in the narrow sense of the term, or unless they are undertaken for the benefit of the local population,” added the center.
12 june 2015
Scores of extremist Jewish settlers under military protection stormed after midnight the village of Kifl Haris, west of Salfit, and performed rituals.
Local sources said that dozens of settlers escorted by soldiers entered at dawn Friday Kifl Haris and embarked on performing rituals at what they believe to be the tomb of Prophet Dhul-Kifl until the early morning hours.
Israeli troops had patrolled on Thursday night different parts of the village to secure the entry of the settlers.
Local sources said that dozens of settlers escorted by soldiers entered at dawn Friday Kifl Haris and embarked on performing rituals at what they believe to be the tomb of Prophet Dhul-Kifl until the early morning hours.
Israeli troops had patrolled on Thursday night different parts of the village to secure the entry of the settlers.
The Israeli Police released, late Thursday night, three Palestinian children from Silwan neighborhood, in occupied East Jerusalem, after detaining and interrogating them for several hours, allegedly for throwing stones at a settler’s car.
The Wadi Hilweh Information Center in Silwan (Silwanic) said a settlement guard detained three children in the al-‘Ein area in Silwan, before he contacted the police who later arrived and took them to a police station.
The three children have been identified as Ahmad ‘Ezz Shweiki, 10, Tamer Mazen Shweiki, 12, and ‘Odai Nidal ar-Rajabi, 13 years of age; they were moved to the Police Station in Salaheddin Street.
Friends of the detained children informed their families, and when the parents went to the police station, they were not allowed to see their sons, or attend the interrogation.
The families were forced out of the station and were ordered to leave the entire area, or face imprisonment.
Silwanic said the police interrogated the children without any legal representation. Their parents were finally allowed to see them four hours later, after the interrogation was concluded.
During interrogation, the children were not even allowed to drink water, or use the toilets, and the interrogators were shouting at them. Hours into interrogation, the youngest child was allowed to drink some water.
After their release, the children said a settler stopped them while walking in the al-‘Ein Street, and claimed that he had seen them throwing stones earlier, and that he had a video of them throwing stones.
The Israeli extremist threatened the children, telling them they would be taken by social services, and would never be able to see their families again, Silwanic said.
The children told Silwanic they demanded the police to show them the alleged video recording, but the police never presented any recording. The children were forced to sign confessions that were written in Hebrew, a language they did not understand.
It is worth mentioning that Israeli soldiers have kidnapped twenty children, including two between 12 and 14 years of age, in occupied Jerusalem since the beginning of this month.
Preventing parents from being present at the interrogation of their children violates both international.
A lawyer with Silwanic said the army is even acting in violation of Israeli law by holding and interrogating children without any legal representation, and without the presence of social workers.
He said the law bars the interrogation of children without legal representation and without informing social services.
In addition, under Israeli law, interrogators are not allowed to question children without the presence of a specialized detective, and all interrogations are supposed to be recorded.
The lawyer added that Israeli law also instructs the police to inform the parent directly after arresting their children, and to hand them a legal copy of the arrest warrant in addition to informing them of the location where the child is being held.
“Israeli Law, Section 9, states that if a child, below the age of 14 is arrested, the interrogation should be conducted between 7 a.m. and 8 p.m., children between 14 and 18 can be interrogated between 7 a.m. and 10 p.m.” he said, “Children below the age of 12, cannot he held liable, and cannot be arrested.”
He also said the interrogators cannot question children without the presence of at least one parent, but the Israeli police and army continue to violate this and other laws.
“It seems Israel makes its own exceptions to the law when it comes to Palestinian children in occupied Jerusalem,” the lawyer stated, “Children are treated as adults, and are interrogated and intimidated for hours, without any legal representation.”
The Wadi Hilweh Information Center in Silwan (Silwanic) said a settlement guard detained three children in the al-‘Ein area in Silwan, before he contacted the police who later arrived and took them to a police station.
The three children have been identified as Ahmad ‘Ezz Shweiki, 10, Tamer Mazen Shweiki, 12, and ‘Odai Nidal ar-Rajabi, 13 years of age; they were moved to the Police Station in Salaheddin Street.
Friends of the detained children informed their families, and when the parents went to the police station, they were not allowed to see their sons, or attend the interrogation.
The families were forced out of the station and were ordered to leave the entire area, or face imprisonment.
Silwanic said the police interrogated the children without any legal representation. Their parents were finally allowed to see them four hours later, after the interrogation was concluded.
During interrogation, the children were not even allowed to drink water, or use the toilets, and the interrogators were shouting at them. Hours into interrogation, the youngest child was allowed to drink some water.
After their release, the children said a settler stopped them while walking in the al-‘Ein Street, and claimed that he had seen them throwing stones earlier, and that he had a video of them throwing stones.
The Israeli extremist threatened the children, telling them they would be taken by social services, and would never be able to see their families again, Silwanic said.
The children told Silwanic they demanded the police to show them the alleged video recording, but the police never presented any recording. The children were forced to sign confessions that were written in Hebrew, a language they did not understand.
It is worth mentioning that Israeli soldiers have kidnapped twenty children, including two between 12 and 14 years of age, in occupied Jerusalem since the beginning of this month.
Preventing parents from being present at the interrogation of their children violates both international.
A lawyer with Silwanic said the army is even acting in violation of Israeli law by holding and interrogating children without any legal representation, and without the presence of social workers.
He said the law bars the interrogation of children without legal representation and without informing social services.
In addition, under Israeli law, interrogators are not allowed to question children without the presence of a specialized detective, and all interrogations are supposed to be recorded.
The lawyer added that Israeli law also instructs the police to inform the parent directly after arresting their children, and to hand them a legal copy of the arrest warrant in addition to informing them of the location where the child is being held.
“Israeli Law, Section 9, states that if a child, below the age of 14 is arrested, the interrogation should be conducted between 7 a.m. and 8 p.m., children between 14 and 18 can be interrogated between 7 a.m. and 10 p.m.” he said, “Children below the age of 12, cannot he held liable, and cannot be arrested.”
He also said the interrogators cannot question children without the presence of at least one parent, but the Israeli police and army continue to violate this and other laws.
“It seems Israel makes its own exceptions to the law when it comes to Palestinian children in occupied Jerusalem,” the lawyer stated, “Children are treated as adults, and are interrogated and intimidated for hours, without any legal representation.”
The Israeli Magistrate’s Court in Tel Aviv on Thursday extended the remand of a Palestinian citizen on allegations of his involvement in the stabbing of an Israeli settler earlier this week.
The Israeli occupation police said in a statement the the Tel Aviv Magistrate's Court extended the detention of the Palestinian citizen Yasser al-Jaroushi, in his 40’s of age, for nine days pending further investigation in an alleged stabbing attack against an Israeli settler.
The police alleged that the suspect claimed responsibility for the stabbing attack, which he purportedly carried out on accounts of “family circumstances.”
Earlier, on Sunday, al-Jaroushi sustained wounds after he was shot by the Israeli police under the pretext that he stabbed an Israeli settler in the back using a screwdriver.
The Israeli occupation police said in a statement the the Tel Aviv Magistrate's Court extended the detention of the Palestinian citizen Yasser al-Jaroushi, in his 40’s of age, for nine days pending further investigation in an alleged stabbing attack against an Israeli settler.
The police alleged that the suspect claimed responsibility for the stabbing attack, which he purportedly carried out on accounts of “family circumstances.”
Earlier, on Sunday, al-Jaroushi sustained wounds after he was shot by the Israeli police under the pretext that he stabbed an Israeli settler in the back using a screwdriver.
11 june 2015
Dozens of Palestinian worshipers have confronted Thursday morning Israeli settlers and police officials’ attempt to break into al-Aqsa mosque.
The settlers were forced to leave al-Aqsa plazas via al-Silsila Gate, eyewitnesses said.
Earlier Thursday, nearly 22 Israeli settlers and three tour guides broke into the holy shrine through the Israeli-controlled al-Magaribeh Gate under heavy police protection.
Palestinian worshipers started shouting Takbeer and prevented the settlers from roaming in al-Aqsa yards.
On Wednesday, 52 Israeli police officials have broke into the holy shrine along with 42 students in total provocation to the Palestinian worshipers who protested against the continued and escalated Israeli break-ins.
The settlers were forced to leave al-Aqsa plazas via al-Silsila Gate, eyewitnesses said.
Earlier Thursday, nearly 22 Israeli settlers and three tour guides broke into the holy shrine through the Israeli-controlled al-Magaribeh Gate under heavy police protection.
Palestinian worshipers started shouting Takbeer and prevented the settlers from roaming in al-Aqsa yards.
On Wednesday, 52 Israeli police officials have broke into the holy shrine along with 42 students in total provocation to the Palestinian worshipers who protested against the continued and escalated Israeli break-ins.
Israeli soldiers kidnapped, on Thursday, three Palestinians in Beit Ummar, north of the southern West Bank city of Hebron, and five teenagers, in the al-‘Eesawiyya town, in occupied East Jerusalem.
Media spokesperson of the Popular Committee against the Wall and Settlements, Mohammad Ayyad Awad, said the soldiers stormed and violently searched several homes, and kidnapped two Palestinians.
The two have been identified as Salah Ibrahim Za’aqeeq, 38, and Mohammad Saleh Ahmad Za’aqeeq, 20.
Soldiers also kidnapped the head of Beit Ummar Youth Sports Center, Lawyer Eyad Hussein Ekhlayyel, 35, after stopping him on the Container Roadblock, north of Bethlehem.
Awad added that the soldiers took pictures of the interior and exterior of a number of homes after invading them, and detained the families while searching their properties.
Owners of two of the invaded homes have been identified as Jamal Khalil al-‘Allami, and Abdul-‘Aziz Mahmoud Abu ‘Ayyash.
In addition, soldiers invaded and searched several homes in the al-‘Eesawiyya town, in occupied East Jerusalem, and kidnapped five teenagers.
The Ad-Dameer Prisoners Support and Human Rights Association said the soldiers kidnapped Saleh Abu ‘Asab, 16, Tareq al-Kharouf, 16, Husam ‘Oleyyan, 16, Laith Darwish, 17, and Younis ‘Oleyyan, 19 years of age.
In related news, a number of Israeli fanatics attacked, and violently beat, a young Palestinian man, identified as Shadi Abed-Rabbo, as he was working in West Jerusalem.
The man was moved to the Shaare Zedek Medical Center, suffering moderate injuries.
Media spokesperson of the Popular Committee against the Wall and Settlements, Mohammad Ayyad Awad, said the soldiers stormed and violently searched several homes, and kidnapped two Palestinians.
The two have been identified as Salah Ibrahim Za’aqeeq, 38, and Mohammad Saleh Ahmad Za’aqeeq, 20.
Soldiers also kidnapped the head of Beit Ummar Youth Sports Center, Lawyer Eyad Hussein Ekhlayyel, 35, after stopping him on the Container Roadblock, north of Bethlehem.
Awad added that the soldiers took pictures of the interior and exterior of a number of homes after invading them, and detained the families while searching their properties.
Owners of two of the invaded homes have been identified as Jamal Khalil al-‘Allami, and Abdul-‘Aziz Mahmoud Abu ‘Ayyash.
In addition, soldiers invaded and searched several homes in the al-‘Eesawiyya town, in occupied East Jerusalem, and kidnapped five teenagers.
The Ad-Dameer Prisoners Support and Human Rights Association said the soldiers kidnapped Saleh Abu ‘Asab, 16, Tareq al-Kharouf, 16, Husam ‘Oleyyan, 16, Laith Darwish, 17, and Younis ‘Oleyyan, 19 years of age.
In related news, a number of Israeli fanatics attacked, and violently beat, a young Palestinian man, identified as Shadi Abed-Rabbo, as he was working in West Jerusalem.
The man was moved to the Shaare Zedek Medical Center, suffering moderate injuries.
Israeli fanatics attacked, Tuesday, a 13-year-old child, and his 10-year-old sister, as they were walking towards the Al-Aqsa Mosque, to participate in a summer camp.
The Wadi Hilweh Information Center in Silwan (Silwanic), said Mohammad Ayyoub Abu Hadwan, 13, and his sister Isra’, 10, were approached by two extremist Israeli settlers, who chased them and violently assaulted them, causing various cuts and bruises.
Resident Ayyoub Abu Hadwan told Silwanic that the fanatics struck and beat his two children, and that the Police arrived at the scene and attempted to kidnap his son, instead of apprehending the assailants.
He added that local residents intervened, and told the Police the children were assaulted without any provocation on their part.
The police told the children’s father they intend to contact him for questioning.
Abu Hadwan said his family has been subject to frequent assaults in the Sharaf neighborhood, as it is the closest road from Wadi Hilweh in Silwan to the Old City.
In addition, Abu Hadwan said that, nearly a month ago, Israeli extremists chased his wife and daughters before beating them up, and attempted to cut them with sharp objects.
The Wadi Hilweh Information Center in Silwan (Silwanic), said Mohammad Ayyoub Abu Hadwan, 13, and his sister Isra’, 10, were approached by two extremist Israeli settlers, who chased them and violently assaulted them, causing various cuts and bruises.
Resident Ayyoub Abu Hadwan told Silwanic that the fanatics struck and beat his two children, and that the Police arrived at the scene and attempted to kidnap his son, instead of apprehending the assailants.
He added that local residents intervened, and told the Police the children were assaulted without any provocation on their part.
The police told the children’s father they intend to contact him for questioning.
Abu Hadwan said his family has been subject to frequent assaults in the Sharaf neighborhood, as it is the closest road from Wadi Hilweh in Silwan to the Old City.
In addition, Abu Hadwan said that, nearly a month ago, Israeli extremists chased his wife and daughters before beating them up, and attempted to cut them with sharp objects.