ominous Posted August 28, 2009 Report Share Posted August 28, 2009 Settlers Attack Palestinian Shepherds With Impunity Palestine Monitor 22 August 2009 The investigation into a brutal and frenzied attack by illegal Jewish settlers on Palestinian shepherds has been closed by the Israeli police because it was “not possible to identify the attackers” due to their masked identities. The attack was caught on camera last year and shows four men coming from an illegal Jewish settlement to attack three local Palestinian shepherds with baseball bats. The attack was filmed by a relative, who had been given a camera by the Israeli human rights group B’Tselem as part of its Shooting Back project. B’Tselem had handed video cameras to Palestinians in troubled areas so that they could document abuses against them. (see video at link for source of story) Four men were arrested but the Israeli police could “not find evidence that they were responsible for the crime”, and so the case was closed. Thaman al-Nawaja, a 58 year old Palestinian woman, along with her 70 year old husband, and one of her nephews were herding their flocks on their land when the four intruders entered and started to beat them with baseball bats. The incident took place in the south of the West Bank close to the illegal Jewish settlement of Susia. Tamam a-Nawaj’ah, from Susiya, who was assaulted by settlers on 8 June 2008. Mrs Nawaja told the Israeli newspaper Haaretz that she couldn’t understand how the police did not catch the men who beat her. However, according to the Israeli human rights group Yesh Din, over 90% of investigations into settler violence are closed without an indictment being filed. A special focus report by United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (UNOCHA) observed that "By contrast, when Israeli civilians are the target of Palestinian violence, the IDF actively pursues Palestinian suspects; thousands of Palestinians are arrested and prosecuted through Israel’s military court system each year." In the same report, an Israeli settler described the "exact a price" strategy which has seen an increase in settler violence and attacks against Palestinians and their land: "For every act of destruction in the southern Hebron hills we will set fire to Samaria, and for a container destroyed near Har Bracha we will exact a price in the southern Hebron hills.” According to UNOCHA this ’price tag’ strategy "indicates that Israeli settler attacks against Palestinians are not isolated incidents, but are in fact highly organized and tactically used to achieve political ends." Palestinians are particularly vulnerable to this organized violence as Israeli settlers in the West Bank are routinely armed with M16 rifles. In contrast Palestinians living in the H2 area of Hebron - a site of frequent violent settler attacks - are forbidden even from keeping kitchen knives in their houses. See the full UNOCHA report on Settler Violence here http://www.palestinemonitor.org/spip...hp?article1048 ------------------------------------ Settler violence on the rise as reported in human rights study 21.08.09 - 10:29 Nablus / Amin Abu Wardeh for PNN – Statistics on settler crimes are disturbing as the latest study shows a remarkable increase. Israeli settlers are dotted throughout the West Bank in settlements. All of them are illegal under international law, but they exist none the less. Jewish extremists are acting in such a way that it is considered by many in the West Bank to be “foreshadowing a systematic and escalating war. The Israeli military is continuing in the work of settlement building, and the confiscation and razing of agricultural land, the demolition of houses and other Palestinian civilian objects, and the exercise of policy restrictions on the Palestinian civilian population in the areas of ©, according to the classification of the Oslo agreement. The sudden interest in Olso and area C comes from an interest, says the Palestinian Centre for Human Rights, to expand settlement projects in the West Bank. http://english.pnn.ps/index.php?opti...k=view&id=6618 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ominous Posted August 28, 2009 Author Report Share Posted August 28, 2009 Several Palestinians wounded by settlers in East Jerusalem Saturday August 08, 2009 14:22 by Saed Bannoura - IMEMC News Palestinian medical sources reported Saturday that several Palestinians were wounded in Sheikh Jarrah neighborhood, in East Jerusalem, after being attacked by dozens of extremist Israeli settlers. Settlers take over home in Sheikh Jarrah - Image sheikhjarrah.com The settlers attacked homes and a summer-camp for children, and hurled stones and empty bottles at them. The settlers also attacked several women, and dumped trash in the yards of a number of homes. The Maan News Agency reported that clashes took place between the settlers and the residents and that the Israeli police provided protection to the settlers and fired gas bombs at the residents. Encouraged by the Israeli policy of demolishing Palestinian homes in Jerusalem and by a decision of the Israeli High Court to evacuate Palestinian families and replace them with settlers, extremist settlers have stepped-up their attacked against the Palestinians in East Jerusalem and several areas in the West Bank. http://www.imemc.org/article/61337 -------------------------------------- avrahamibnezra http://www.uruknet.info/?p=m56605&hd=&size=1&l=e August 2, 2009 Palestinian children from the villages surrounding Tuwani in the south West Bank are often attacked on the way to school by settlers from the illegal outpost of Havat Maon. On the 1st of August, members of Ta'ayush were attacked by settler childern while protecting childern on their way to school. For more information http://www.josephdana.com ----------------------------------------- Settlers attempt to kill a Palestinian in Hebron Saturday August 01, 2009 22:07 by Saed Bannoura - IMEMC & Agencies Palestinian sources reported Saturday that a group of extremist settlers of the Dabbouya illegal outpost, in the southern West Bank city of Hebron, attempted to kill a Palestinian man in Al Shuhada Street in the center of the city. Reprinted from hebron2007.maktoobblog.com Resident Nidal Al Azazma, 32, stated that as he was returning home in Abu Sneina neighborhood in Hebron, he was attacked by ten settlers who punched him and attacked him with sharp objects causing several injuries. Al Azamza was hospitalized at the Hebron Governmental Hospital in the city. He later on filed a complaint to the Israeli police. In related news, settlers of the Avaraham Avignon illegal outpost in Hebron, attacked the home of Nidal Al Oweiwi, and jumped onto its rooftop flipping his water-tanks. The home is attached to the illegal outpost, and is subjected to frequent attacks by the settlers who want to occupy it, the same way they occupied the property that became their outpost. Also on Hebron, a group of settlers attacked a car that belongs to a member of Al Natsha family, shattered its windows and doors, inflicting excessive damage. http://www.imemc.org/article/61264 --------------------------------------- Settlers attack Palestinian vehicles near Nablus Friday July 31, 2009 23:27 by Saed Bannoura - IMEMC & Agencies Dozens of extremist Israeli settlers of the Shavot Ami illegal outpost, installed on Palestinian lands west of the southern West Bank of Nablus attacked dozens of Palestinian vehicles and hurled stones at them. Local sources reported that several vehicles were damaged, but no injuries were reported. Israeli soldiers and policemen were present in the area but did not attempt to stop the settlers. Ghassan Douglas, in charge of the settlements file at the Palestinian Authority in the West Bank, warned of the severity of these attacks, and added that Friday attack came parallel with a statement issued by settler leaders in the West Bank calling for more violence against the Palestinians and their properties. Last week, the settlers carried repeated attacks against the residents and their homes especially in areas south west of Nablus. Douglas called on human rights and legal groups to intervene and stop the attacks. In July, the settlers carried dozens of attacks against the residents, and burnt olive orchards and vines http://www.imemc.org/article/61257 ------------------------------------------ PA: Yizhar settlers fired tear gas on Palestinian village Published today (updated) 24/07/2009 15:21 Nablus – Ma’an – Dozens of Israeli settlers attacked Palestinian homes in the village of Asira Al-Qibliya south of Nablus Thursday night, according to a Palestinian Authority official. Eyewitnesses said the settlers came from the nearby settlement of Yizhar and fired dozens of rounds of shots at the eastern side of the area. PA settlement monitor Ghassan Daghlas said settlers attacked the homes of Ibrahim Makhluf and Abed Al-Baset Abd Ar-Rahman, firing tear-gas canisters on the families inside. Several Palestinian civilians reported suffering tear-gas inhalation. It was not clear where the settlers would have acquired tear gas, although many settlements do operate their own security services and militias. Earlier this week settlers from the same colony in the West Bank set fire to olive groves in the villages of Tell and Madma, north of Asira Al-Qibliya, following the evacuation of one of the group’s illegal outposts. In April a Yizhar settler shot and critically injured a Palestinian from Asira Al-Qibliya, and last summer the settlers rioted through the community following a knife attack allegedly by a Palestinian on one of the settlement residents. Daghlas urged the international community to force Israel to put an end to such attacks, saying they only serve to inflame the situation as Israel turns a blind eye to settler violence. http://www.maannews.net/eng/ViewDetails.aspx?ID=214212 ----------------------------------------------------------- Settlers attack homes in a Nablus village Thursday July 23, 2009 23:57 by Saed Bannoura - IMEMC & Agencies Eyewitnesses reported that dozens of armed Israeli settlers attacked, on Thursday afternoon, homes in Aseera Al Qibliyya village, south of the northern West Bank city of Nablus, and fired rounds of lie ammunition into the air; damage was reported, no injuries. Ghassan Douglas, in charge of settlements file at Palestinian Authority in the northern part of the West Bank, reported that the settlers attacked the homes of Ibrahim Makhlouf and Abdul-Baset Abdul-Rahman. Douglas added that the settlers fired rounds of live ammunition while attacking the village, while the Israeli army fired gas bombs at the residents who attempted to stop the settlers’ attack. Several residents suffocated after inhaling gas fired by the army, and received the needed medical treatment. The official demanded the international community to oblige the Israeli government to act and stop the ongoing attacks carried out by the settlers against the residents, their homes and lands. He stated that if Israel wants peace, it should act against the extremist settlers, especially amidst the ongoing escalation of attacks against the residents. http://www.imemc.org/article/61188 ______________------------------------------ Israeli settlers set fire to Palestinian fields AP 20 July 2009, 07:28pm IST RAMALLAH, West Bank: A Palestinian official says more than 30 Israeli settlers, some of them on horseback, set fire to fields and olive trees and stoned Palestinian cars during a rampage in the West Bank. Two Palestinians were lightly injured. The settlers were protesting the army's removal of an unauthorized settlement outpost in the area. Ghassan Daglas, a municipal official in the northern city of Nablus, says smoke from dozens of fires covered the eastern and southern parts of the city. Daglas says Israeli forces tried to stop the rampaging settlers. Israel's paramilitary border police force says it arrested one settler. http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/N...ow/4799672.cms ----------------------------------- Israeli settlers ransack a Palestinian home in northern West Bank Wednesday July 15, 2009 15:34 by Ghassan Bannoura - IMEMC News & Agencies A group of armed Israeli settlers ransacked on Wednesday a Palestinian home located in Bil'a village near the northern West Bank city of Tulkarem. The owner of the house, Qassim Ibraheem, told reporters that armed settlers stormed his newly built home around five am this morning. He added that the settlers ransacked and damaged the house then left. The villagers said that the settlers were aided by the soldiers and after they attack the house they walked around the village and tired to provoke the farmers. http://www.imemc.org/article/61122 --------------------------------------- Israeli settlers injures a boy in Hebron Tuesday July 14, 2009 16:26 by Ghassan Bannoura - IMEMC News & Agencies A group of armed Israeli settlers attacked and injured a Palestinian child on Monday night in the southern West Bank city of Hebron. Medical sources announced on Tuesday that Hanni Abu Hikal, aged 14, sustained light wounds after he was beaten up by the settlers on Monday night. Witnesses said that the settlers attacked the boy near his home in Tal Rumada area in Hebron city. Doctors said the boy was released from hospital on Tuesday morning. http://www.imemc.org/article/61112 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ominous Posted August 28, 2009 Author Report Share Posted August 28, 2009 Settlers torch Palestinian farmland in Safa Date: 13 / 07 / 2009 Time: 16:42 [Ma'anImages] Hebron – Ma’an – Israeli settlers from the colony of Bat Ayin set fire to Palestinian farmland in the West Bank village of Safa, north of Hebron, on Monday morning, the second such attack in two days. Israeli soldiers also barred firefighters from reaching the blaze for several hours, causing widespread destruction. On Sunday, Israeli residents of the illegal settlement of Bat Ayin set fire to olive, almond, and grape fields in the nearby town of Beit Ummar. Ma’an’s correspondent said that settlers burned 150 dunums (150,000 square meters) of farmland. The media spokesperson of the Tadamon Project in Beit Ummar, Muhammad Awad, said that settlers began burning the fields at 9am local time. Also on Sunday, the Palestinian Ministry of Agriculture reported that a series of recent arson attacks by Israeli settlers has resulted in the destruction of 1,200 dunums of Palestinian land, primarily in villages near Nablus and Hebron. http://www.maannews.net/en/index.php...tails&ID=39215 ---------------------------- PA: Settlers burned 1,200 dunums of West Bank land Date: 12 / 07 / 2009 Time: 21:59 [Ma'anImages] Ramallah – Ma’an – Israeli settlers residing illegally in the West Bank have set fire to more than 1,200 dunums (1.2 million square meters) of Palestinian land in a series of recent attacks, the Palestinian Ministry of Agriculture said on Sunday. Settlers have gone on the offensive since the spring, attacking Palestinian farmers particularly in villages surrounding the cities of Nablus and Hebron. The statement was issues as settlers set fire to more farmland near the West Bank town of Beit Ummar on Sunday. The mayor of the town said that large areas of large areas of olive, almond, and grape fields were burned. The ministry also expressed concern about recently-announced Israeli plans to confiscate 139,000 dunums of land stretching from the eastern edge of Bethlehem to the Dead Sea (including land in the villages of Al-Ubeidiya, Ar-Rashayida and At-Ta’amara), and the area of Nabi Musa, which is to be annexed by the Israeli settlement of Ma’ale Adumim. The ministry also noted that, in spite of international pressure, Israeli Defense Minister Ehud Barak approved the construction of 50 new housing units in the settlement of Adam, in addition to 300 houses in the settlement of Benyamin. http://www.maannews.net/en/index.php...tails&ID=39197 __________________---------------------------- Bat Ayin settlers set fire to Palestinian farmland Date: 12 / 07 / 2009 Time: 17:00 Hebron – Ma’an – Israelis from the illegal West Bank settlement of Bat Ayin, which is built on the land of the Palestinian town of Beit Ummar, set fire to large areas of olive, almond, and grape fields on Sunday. The mayor of Beit Ummar, Nasri Al-Masri, along with Mousa Sleibi, advisor to the Palestinian governor of the Hebron district, and the director of Ministry of Agriculture’s office in Hebron, Iyad Za’aqiq visited the burned areas. Last month, Israeli settlers uprooted more than 200 trees in the same area. Bat Ayin's settlers have also frequently assaulted Palestinian farmers in the area. http://www.maannews.net/en/index.php...tails&ID=39186 __________________---------------------------------- Israeli settlers bulldoze Palestinian-owned land near Nablus Tuesday July 07, 2009 16:15 by Ghassan Bannoura - IMEMC News & Agencies Israeli settlers bulldozed on Tuesday afternoon Palestinian owned land near the northern West Bank city of Nablus. The lands are owned by farmers from Bureen village, the settlers took over the land, around 7.5 acres, earlier this month to expand their illegal settlement of Burka. The villagers added that the settlers damaged olive trees and vines. On Monday night the settlers attacked houses belonging to the villagers and set fire to animal huts and small farms near the farmers' homes, witnesses told local media. Also on Monday morning the settlers of Burka set fire to summer crops and fruit trees that belong to people from the same village. http://www.imemc.org/article/61064 ------------------------- Settlers set fire to lands south of Nablus Date: 06 / 07 / 2009 Time: 19:27 [ma'anImages] Nablus – Ma’an – A number of Israeli settlers burnt more than 10 donums of land south of the northern West Bank city of Nablus on Monday, an official said. Palestinian Authority settlers affairs director Ghassan Doughlas told Ma’an that the destroyed lands included olive crops in the Al-Wama'a area of the Iraq Bourin village. The official added that the land belongs to Ibrahim Hamid Hussam Ahid. Doughlas alleged that settlers are planning to take control of the land in the area, which is near the illegal Israeli settlement of Barakah. The PA director called on the United States and European Union to put pressure on the Israeli government to freeze its settlements and stop land confiscation. http://www.maannews.net/en/index.php...tails&ID=39058 ------------------------- Israeli settlement activities: 25 June- 01 July 2009 Israeli forces have continued settlement activities in the West Bank and Israeli settlers have continued to attack Palestinian civilians and property. At approximately 08:00 on Friday, 26 June 2009, at least 50 Israeli settlers from settlements located neart Kufor al-Labad village, east of Tulkarm, attacked a tract of agricultural land belonging to Ibrahim Mahmoud Kayed. They raised the Israeli flag and set up a tent on the land. They also attacked Kayed's two sons and expelled them from the land: Samer, 30; and Jamal, 20. On Saturday afternoon, 27 June 2009, dozens of Israeli settlers attacked several houses in al-Salima and al-Sahla neighborhoods in the south of Hebron, using stones and empty bottles. Palestinian civilians, especially children, were extremely terrified, and the windows of a house belonging to Mohammed 'Abdul Hai al-Muhtasseb were broken. At approximately 21:00 on the same day, 4 Israeli settlers who live in houses they had already taken up in previous years in Silwan village, southeast of Jerusalem, attacked Tamara Yousef 'Assila, 28, her baby and a number of other civilians in Baidoun Street. The settlers attempted to prevent the woman from parking her car near her family's house. When her brother, 30-year-old Rami, intervened to protect her, the settlers and their guards attacked him and other civilians in the area using sticks and gun butts. They also opened fire into the air. As a result, at least 10 civilians were injured, 4 of them were evacuated to hospitals, including a baby 1 month old. http://www.imemc.org/article/61023 --------------------------------------- Israeli settlers attack Palestinians in northern West Bank Tuesday June 30, 2009 10:58 by Katherine Orwell - 1 of International Middle East Media Center Editorial Group Crowds of Israeli settlers attacked two Palestinian villages Asira Al-Qibliya and Far'ata, southwest of the city of Nablus, on Monday evening. During the attacks at least two Palestinians got injured. According to Israeli media one Palestinian got shot by settler gunfire. Israeli settlers attacking a Palestinian woman with the Israeli army standing by During the settler raids of the villages, several homes were attacked, property was damaged and agricultural fields were destroyed. The settlers from the nearby Yitzhar settlement also closed the main road between the village of Far'ata, Nablus and Qalqilia. Local media sources report that Israeli soldiers that arrived to the scene started shooting tear gas canisters towards Palestinian civilians. According to a member of the village council of Asira Al-Qibliya the Israeli army tried only to stop the settlers after they finished their attacks as planned http://www.imemc.org/article/60986 __________________--------------------- Settlers attack Palestinians near the northern W.B city of Nablus Monday June 29, 2009 09:23 by Ghassan Bannoura - IMEMc News & agencies A group of Israeli setters, under the protection of the Israeli military, attacked Palestinian cars at Balata town near the northern West Bank city of Nablus on Monday morning. Settlers in the West Bank - file 2009 Witnesses said that Israeli settlers arrived at a holy site known as Yousif Tomb, after conducting prayers the settlers attacked Palestinian cars and vandalized property, witnesses added. No injuries among residents were reported. The reporter of the Palestinian News and Information Agency WAFA in Nablus siad that the settlers invaded the area while the military provided them with protection and closed the area by erecting a number of checkpoints. Residents said that some cars sustained damage; they added that settlers also chanted racist songs while attacking. http://www.imemc.org/article/60965 --------------------------------- Israeli extremists storm Silwan, injure three Date: 28 / 06 / 2009 Time: 09:08 [Ma'anImages] Jerusalem – Ma’an – Israeli settlers attacked Palestinian homes in the Silwan neighborhood of East Jerusalem on Saturday night, injuring three people with gunshots. According to our reporter in Jerusalem, extremist Jewish settlers stormed Silwan and as local residents tried to stop them, the settlers opened fire, injuring 35-year-old Jawad Siyam, a member of the local committee for defending Silwan neighborhood, 31-year-old Fadi Qara’in, and a third citizen who remained unidentified. Israeli police hurried to the scene, preventing ambulances from accessing the injured people to evacuate them to hospitals, witnesses told Ma'an. http://www.maannews.net/en/index.php...tails&ID=38854 __________________ ------------------------------------- Settlers destroy 120 olive trees north of Ramallah Date: 24 / 06 / 2009 Time: 16:30 [Ma'anImages] Ramallah - Ma’an - Israeli settlers from the illegal Hallamish settlement set fire to olive trees near Deir Nidham west of Ramallah Wednesday afternoon. According to citizens from the village the fire burnt 120 olive trees on fifteen dunums of local land owned by Samir Dieb Tamimi, Jamil Abdel Qader Tamimi, Karm Mohamed Tamimi and Yousif Nemar Tamimi. http://www.maannews.net/en/index.php...tails&ID=38783 Settlers raid Nablus construction site Date: 24 / 06 / 2009 Time: 16:12 Nablus – Ma’an – Israelis from the settlement of Yizhar, south of the West Bank city of Nablus, raided a Palestinian construction staging area for the third time on Wednesday. Palestinian Authority official Ghassan Dughlus, who is charged with monitoring settler activity in the northern West Bank said that the settlers destroyed water wells and smashed wood and other materials at the site, located in the Sahal area. The site is owned by Ibrahim Eid, 32, and Abdel Kareem Eid ,40, the official said. http://www.maannews.net/en/index.php...tails&ID=38782 -------------------------------------------------------- Extremist settlers attack a Palestinian man in Jerusalem Friday June 19, 2009 11:11 by Saed Bannoura - IMEMC & Agencies Palestinian medical sources in Jerusalem reported on Thursday evening that a Palestinian man was wounded after being attacked by a group of extremist settlers near Road #1 which separates between East and West Jerusalem. The Palestinian man, Mohammad Al Hallaq, 30, is a resident of East Jerusalem. He was on his way back home from his meat store in West Jerusalem. He is a father of three children. The settlers punched and kicked Al Hallaq and also struck him with clubs and sharp tools. He suffered a broken arm in addition to several cuts and bruises. Recent periods witnessed a sharp increase in settler attacks against the Palestinians and their property in Jerusalem and several parts of the West Bank, especially in the Hebron area. http://www.imemc.org/article/60874 ---------------------------------------- Settlers attack a resident near Hebron Thursday June 18, 2009 09:58 by Saed Bannoura - IMEMC & Agencies Israeli settlers attacked on Wednesday evening a Palestinian resident of Doura village, near the southern West Bank city of Hebron. Local sources reported on Wednesday at night that resident Mofeed Amayra, 36, was attacked by extremist settlers near the Keryat Arba’ settlement in Hebron. Amayra was attacked in a road used by the settlers of Keryat Arba’. He was moved to a medical center in Doura. The sources stated that a vehicle carrying three settlers intercepted the vehicle of Amayra before the settlers stepped out of their car, repeatedly punched and struck him, and then fled into the settlement http://www.imemc.org/article/60861 --------------------------------------- Jewish settlers assault Palestinian farmers, IOF troops kidnap foreign activist [ 14/06/2009 - 10:18 AM ] AL-KHALIL, (PIC)-- Jewish settlers on Saturday assaulted Palestinian farmers and foreign sympathizers in Beit Ummar village, north of Al-Khalil, severely beating them, local sources reported. They added that the farmers were trying to reach their fields adjacent to Beit Ayan settlement when the settlers attacked them under the very eyes of the Israeli occupation forces, who provided protection for the settlers. The IOF soldiers kidnapped Fahad Salibi, 55, after the settlers beat him up along with an American woman who came to assist the farmers. In other areas in the West Bank, IOF troops on Sunday arrested a young man from Ni'lin village, northwest of Ramallah. The Israeli radio said that the youth was inciting the village inhabitants against the IOF soldiers during the peaceful marches against the racist, separation wall. IOF soldiers last night stormed two Jenin district villages and ransacked a house looking for a youth wanted for interrogation but did not find him and told his father that his son should turn himself in. http://www.palestine-info.co.uk/en/d...vLXtvatkKEw%3d ----------------------------------------------- Israeli settlers destroy Palestinian-owned farm lands in different parts of the West Bank Thursday June 11, 2009 15:30 by Ghassan Bannoura - IMEMC News & Agencies Israeli settlers attacked and destroyed Palestinian-owned farm lands on a number of locations in the West Bank on Thursday. Armed Israeli setters near Hebron – photo by Michael Ramallah Local sources reported that the attacks took place near the southern city of Hebron and the northern city of Nablus. Scores of olive trees were damaged when Israeli settlers set them on fire near Hebron city. The owners told media that the settlers came from the nearby Kharsina settlement. Witnesses said that Palestinian firefighters managed to stop the fire but at least two dozen trees were destroyed. Meanwhile another group of Israeli settlers set fire to farm lands that belong to Palestinians from the villages of Aqraba and Yanoon near Nablus city. The farmers said that settlers set fire to their crops while being protected by the Israeli military. The fire destroyed two acres of farm lands before the farmers were able to stop the fire http://www.imemc.org/article/60781 Settlers, Palestinians clash in East Jerusalem Thursday June 11, 2009 23:24 by Saed Bannoura - IMEMC & Agecnies Clashes were reported on Thursday night between a group of settlers and Palestinians in Al Tour Neighborhood, in East Jerusalem; several injuries were reported. Local sources reported that clashes started when a settler harassed a Palestinian young woman in the neighborhood. A number of Palestinian youths chased the settler and beat him up. Later on, the Israeli police arrived at the scene and clashes with the Palestinian youths inflicting several injuries http://www.imemc.org/article/60785 ----------------------------------------- Israeli prosecutor drops charges against settler who was filmed firing at a Palestinian family Tuesday June 09, 2009 02:21 by Saed Bannoura - IMEMC & Agecnies The Israeli Prosecution stated Monday that it is dropping all charges against an extremist Israeli settler, who shot two Palestinians at close range during an evacuation of an illegal settlement outpost in December of 2008. The shooting was captured on tape. The extremist settler, Ze'ev Braude, 51, is from the Keryat Arba’ illegal settlement in Hebron. Israeli online daily, Haaretz, reported that the settler turned himself in to the Israeli police last week after he knew that he was caught on film by an activist of the Israeli Information Center for Human Rights in the Occupied Territories, B’Tselem. He was caught on film opening fire at Palestinians at short range, wounding two. He attacked the Palestinian family while the Israeli army was evacuating an illegal settlement outpost in Hebron; he shouted at the family to get in their homes and opened fire at them. Haaretz stated that according to the indictment, Braude struck Hosni Matriya, 44, and aimed his gun at him. He then pushed the father of Hosni, Abdul-Hai, 67, and when other family members tried to push the settler away from their property, he opened fire at them and wounded Hosni in the chest. One of the rounds fired by the settler passed close to a Palestinian man’s head, and another round hit Abdul-Hai in the arm. The residents managed to stop Braude from firing more rounds and held him until other settlers of the Keryat Arba’ settlement took him away. The prosecution admitted that Braude initiated the attack and attacked the house of Abul-Hai, and that he was acting violently, yet all charged against him were dropped for “security reasons”. One of the relatives of the injured Palestinian man told Haaretz correspondent that the Israeli decision shows the extent of racism in Israel and its justice system. He demanded an independent investigation into the incident. The charges were dropped when Braude asked the court to grant him access to “secret files” so he could use them fto defend himself in court. The prosecution claimed that granting access to such materials to be presented during the court could harm “the states’ security”. The judge, Elyakim Rubenstein, decided that the settler has the right to see those files, but because they are classified, the court decided to drop all charges against him http://www.imemc.org/article/60721 -------------------------------------- Settlers destroy lands owned by a Palestinian and the army kidnaps the owner Monday June 08, 2009 17:21 by Ghassan Bannoura - IMEMC News & Agencies The Israeli military kidnapped on a Palestinian farmer from the village of Awarta in the northern West Bank on monday after noon after settlers destroyed his land. Local sources said that Suleiman Qawarik, 37, arrived at his lands near his village after settlers set fire to his crops the night before. Shortly after he arrived at his lands Israeli soldiers came kidnapped him and took him to an unknown location, local sources added. Settlers and the military have stepped up their attacks in the northern West Bank since the start of last week http://www.imemc.org/article/60714 ---------------------------------------- Settlers destroy lands owned by a Palestinian and the army kidnaps the owner Monday June 08, 2009 17:21 by Ghassan Bannoura - IMEMC News & Agencies The Israeli military kidnapped on a Palestinian farmer from the village of Awarta in the northern West Bank on monday after noon after settlers destroyed his land. Local sources said that Suleiman Qawarik, 37, arrived at his lands near his village after settlers set fire to his crops the night before. Shortly after he arrived at his lands Israeli soldiers came kidnapped him and took him to an unknown location, local sources added. Settlers and the military have stepped up their attacks in the northern West Bank since the start of last week http://www.imemc.org/article/60714 ----------------------------------------- Settlers attack, wound a Palestinian young man in Jerusalem Saturday June 06, 2009 01:42 by Saed Bannoura - IMEMC & Agecnies A 20-year old Palestinian man from Jerusalem was wounded on Thursday at night after he was attacked by a group of extremist settlers. Resident Husam Al Za’tary, from Jerusalem, works at a bakery in West Jerusalem. He was attacked while waiting at a bus stop as he was heading back home. He was approached by a group of young settlers who first insulted him for “being an Arab”, and then violently attacked him, and were even joined later on by another group of settlers, students of a Talmud School in the area. An armed school guard also took part in the attack, and pointed his gun at the head of the Palestinian man threatening to kill him. The man was later on hospitalized at an Arab hospital in the city http://www.imemc.org/article/60703 ------------------------------------- Settlers attack driver near Nablus and the army closes checkpoints Wednesday June 03, 2009 16:13 by Ghassan Bannoura - IMEMC News A group of Israeli settlers attacked on Wednesday afternoon a Palestinian driver near the northern West Bank city of Nablus. Israeli troops in the west Bank- Photo by Ghassan Bannoura 2008 Witnesses said that settles from the nearby Yitshar settlement stopped the truck driver then beat him up. They added that the driver escaped with cuts and bruises. Extremist Israeli settlers carried out a series of violent attacks by against Palestinians residents and orchards near Nablus this week. On Monday at dawn, six Palestinian were wounded by settlers's fire, one of the wounded suffered serious injuries. The settlers also burnt acres of farmlands planted with wheat, barley and olive trees. The settlers carried out their attacks after the Israeli army evacuated an illegal outpost that was installed near a large settlement in the Nablus district. On Wednesday also near Nablus the Israeli military announced that all military checkpoints around the city will be closed military zones and only humanitarian cases will be allowed to cross. On Tuesday one soldier was moderately wounded after he was stabbed by a Palestinian youth at the Huwwara roadblock, near the city of Nablus http://www.imemc.org/article/60665 -------------------------------------- Israeli settlers attack Palestinians in West Bank 1 Jun 2009, 1619 hrs IST, AP NABLUS, West Bank: Mobs of Jewish settlers went on a rampage in the West Bank Monday, attacking Palestinian laborers and setting fire to agricultural land to protest against an Israeli government crackdown on unauthorized outposts in the territory. Six Palestinian laborers riding on a minivan were injured when stone-throwing settlers attacked them, the workers said. The violence comes as the Obama administration is pressuring Israel to honor long-standing pledges to tear down wildcat settlement outposts in the West Bank and to freeze expansion in existing, government-sanctioned settlements. Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has balked at the U.S. demand to halt construction in existing settlements and faces stiff resistance within his hard-line government against taking down about two dozen of the outposts. The disagreement has caused a rift between the allies. It has also put Jewish settlers and their backers in the Israeli government on the defensive. Monday's violence was all deep inside the West Bank, where most of the hard-line settlements are located. It started overnight near the radical settlement of Yizhar, police spokesman Micky Rosenfeld said. About 100 settlers blocked a road to protest against Israel's recent removal of a handful of tiny, uninhabited outposts. Six settlers were later arrested there. Before dawn near another radical settlement, Kedumim, stone-throwing settlers ambushed a minivan carrying Palestinian laborers to Israel, the workers said. Six of the 15 Palestinians on board were hurt, including Yahye Sadah, who was hit in the head. "I was hit in the head by a rock from a distance of 3 meters (10 feet). I ran away. I thought I'd die," said Sadah, 44, who spoke from a nearby hospital after getting six stitches. Police said settlers threw rocks and burned tires in the area but that only one man was slightly wounded. The attackers fled and no arrests were made, they said. A few hours later, settlers torched a wooded hilltop near Nablus and set trees and Palestinian agricultural land on fire near the village of Hawara, local council chief Ali Eid said. Romel Sweiti, a Hawara resident, said the fires torched nearly 1 acre (0.40 hectares) of land. He said about 50 teenage Israeli settler girls gathered on a main road and blocked traffic as Israeli paramilitary police stood in the background. Settler activist Daniella Weiss, who lives in the area, said she was unaware of the violence. But she vowed that Jewish residents would resist any attempts to move them, "no matter how harsh the policy of the Israeli government will be against us." "The policy of dismantling outposts is an opening phase for withdrawal," she said. "This will not ensure the future security of the state of Israel." Nearly 300,000 Israelis live in the settlements among 2.4 million Palestinians in the West Bank. Another 180,000 live in Jewish neighborhoods of east Jerusalem. The Palestinians claim both areas, captured by Israel in the 1967 Mideast war, as parts of a future independent state. The U.S. considers the settlements an obstacle to peace, but traditionally has done little on the issue, a policy that appears to be changing under President Barack Obama. The rampage underscored the difficulties Netanyahu faces. On one hand, he is wary of picking a fight with the US, his most important ally. But settlers have a vocal leadership with many allies inside Netanyahu's government, constraining his ability to take action. "Anyone with a basic understanding of this issue could have predicted that as talks of evacuations of illegal constructions begin, Jewish terror cells will rear their heads and set the West Bank on fire," warned Yesh Din, an anti-settlement watchdog group in Israel. Netanyahu has dispatched his defense minister, Ehud Barak, to Washington this week in hopes of winning approval to allow at least limited construction to continue in the settlements. But the Obama administration has so far signaled it is not willing to budge. http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/W...ow/4604044.cms Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ominous Posted August 28, 2009 Author Report Share Posted August 28, 2009 Israeli army and settlers violently obstruct Palestinians from harvesting their lands in Safa Saturday May 30, 2009 12:28 by Katherine Orwell - IMEMC News report Villagers from the Southern West Bank village of Safa, north of Hebron, have tried to harvest their lands that are located closely to the settlement of Beit Ayn, on Saturday morning. The Israeli army violently pushed the villagers of their lands, as settlers were gathering on near by hilltops. Later in the morning settlers came down and attacked a group of women and children, a local witness reported to IMEMC. A group of internationals and Israelis went along with the villagers to help harvest the land. In the past few weeks there have continuously been problems with the army and settlers from the settlement of Beit Ayn, preventing the people of Safa to access and harvest their land. During this time of year the people in Safa harvest the grape leaves, an important source of income for the village. After the harvest started, the army arrived and ordered everyone to leave the lands, as they claimed the land, belonging to the Soleiby family, to be a closed military zone. The army gave the harvesters a ten minutes notice, then proceeded to push the group out by kicking and beating them. Two Israelis, that had joined the harvest, were arrested and taken away by the army. The army told the people that the settlers were gathering and they were afraid that there might be problems. People in the group responded that the army had to take its responsibility and remove the ones creating the problems, not the ones suffering from it. Instead soldiers turned up with batons, literally pushing the people off the land with their sticks. During all that time settlers were watching on top of the hill, screaming racist slogans, such as: "Death to all the Arabs". After some time the settlers came down the hill into the fields that belong to the village and started throwing stones. A group of 16 settlers attacked three old women and one child that were harvesting the grape leaves. Other settlers took the camera of an Israeli. A car of a member of Ta'ayush, a joint Arab-Jewish organization, was damaged when settlers flipped over the car. The car was eventually flipped back by a local farmer, with his tractor. The army was standing idly by as settlers were moving around Safa. When the settlers got out of sight, the army came down and arrested another three Israelis plus two Palestinian children of the age of 14. The three Israelis were beaten up with batons. The soldiers repeated that everyone had to leave. Today's events in Safa were not mere incidents, but are part of a series of violent attacks by settlers and the army, that has been going on in the village for years http://www.imemc.org/article/60597 ----------------------------------------- A Palestinian woman beat up by setters in northern West Bank Tuesday May 26, 2009 16:04 by Ghassan Bannoura - IMEMC News A Palestinian woman sustained moderate wounds on Tuesday afternoon after she was attacked by an Israeli settler in northern West Bank. Israeli settlers in the West Bank - file 2007 Hiba abed Al Hak, 21, was going from her city Salfit to Ramallah through Nablus city. She was stopped at Za'tara military checkpoint near Nablus, while waiting at the checkpoint she was attacked and beaten up by the settler, local sources reported. Medical sources reported that Al Hak was moved to hospital for treatment, medics said that she was attacked while soldiers at the checkpoint were watching. Resident they have been attacked by settlers at that military checkpoint for the past two days http://www.imemc.org/article/60542 ---------------------------------------- Israeli extremists attack vehicles, stores in East Jerusalem Date: 22 / 05 / 2009 Time: 15:27 [Ma'anImages] Jerusalem – Ma’an – Israeli extremists smashed dozens of storefront windows and lights on several streets in East Jerusalem on Thursday night, apparently while police looked on and did nothing. Damages were reported on Al-Wad Street, As-Selsela, Khan Az-Ziet, Al-Haser and Jaffa Gate during rallies that were organized under the protection of police on the anniversary of Israel's "Jerusalem Day," a holiday that marks the conquest of the eastern half of the Palestinian capital in 1967. On Jaffa Street in West Jerusalem, a group of extremists attacked a Palestinian vehicle, destroying it, before its owner managed to flee the scene. Another two cars, including a taxi, were damaged by stones thrown by mobs. Meanwhile on Thursday, Israeli police assaulted Naser Qous, the head of the Prisoner’s Society in East Jerusalem, and Ala’ Hadad, member of the Prisoners' Families Committee. Muhyi Abu A’sab was assaulted after police broke into his store in the souk of Khan Az-Zeit in the Old City of East Jerusalem. The incident reportedly occurred when Nasser was trying to stop policemen from attacking his son Jihad, who was on his way to accompany his aunt to their family home after Israeli forces prevented residents from moving in the area due to the rallies. http://www.maannews.net/en/index.php...tails&ID=38005 ---------------------------- Israeli soldier, Palestinian injured in settler attack near Hebron Date: 22 / 05 / 2009 Time: 20:48 [Ma'anImages] Hebron – Ma’an – A Palestinian and an Israeli soldier were injured on Friday after a group of Israeli settlers assaulted Palestinian youths in the southern West Bank. The Palestinians had tried to remove a tent that was set up in the area of Al-Buweirah, east of the West Bank city of Hebron. According to Ma'an's correspondent, a group of Youth Against Settlements activists had removed a tent that was set up by settlers east of Hebron when a group of the illegal West Bank residents attacked the Palestinians, as well as a unit of Israeli soldiers in the area that attempted to stop the settlers. The injured Palestinian was identified as Hashem Al-Aza, who was injured in the head alongside an Israeli soldier attempting to prevent the settler riot. Issa Amer, a field researcher for the Israeli human rights organization B'tselem, said that "this attack was carried out by the settlers and the soldiers," and warned that settlers were attempting to take control of the area. Amer added that the Israeli forces designated the area a so-called closed military zone, and prevented the Palestinians from staying, but did not similarly force the settlers out. http://www.maannews.net/en/index.php...tails&ID=38013 Settlers burn barley harvest belonging to Nablus-area farmer Date: 22 / 05 / 2009 Time: 11:53 Farmland near Nablus [Ma'anImages] Nablus – Ma’an – Israeli settlers from the illegal Yitzhar settlement south of Nablus set fire to bales of harvested barley in a large field owned by a Nablus farmer Friday morning. The owner, 37-year-old Muhammad Rida, had harvested half the crop on Thursday and stacked the grains to dry in the field near Khallat As-Siwar south of Nablus. When he arrived to the field Friday morning to finish harvesting the crop he saw dozens of settlers setting fire to the bales. “This is not the first time they have done this,” Rida commented. The entire crop was burned. http://www.maannews.net/en/index.php...tails&ID=38002 ----------------------- Protected by Israeli army, settlers uproot olive trees near Salfit Date: 21 / 05 / 2009 Time: 16:47 Nablus – Ma’an – A Palestinian agricultural area was declared a closed military zone as settlers infiltrated the area and uprooted olive trees as Israeli soldiers guarded the area Thursday afternoon. The Wadi Qana area of Dir Istiya, north of Salfit, is agricultural land owned by locals Haitahm Mansour, and Ali Sa’id Zaidan. A Ministry of Agriculture employee, Labib U’beid, said a large group of residents, farmers and officials headed to the area to protest the military order, but were forcibly turned away. Seventy-five-year-old farmer Mohammad Shheda who owns land in the valley said , “I’ve been farming this land for 60 years, and they just came in and ordered me off it.” Local municipal council member Nathmi Salman explained the Wadi Qana area is already surrounded by five illegal Israeli settlements, and said the most recent military order was another attempt to “control the Wadi Qana area and confiscate the lands for the nearby settlements. http://www.maannews.net/en/index.php...tails&ID=37985 -------------------- Israeli settlers attack Palestinian homes near Hebron Thursday May 14, 2009 15:41 by Ghassan Bannoura - IMEMC News & Agencies A group of Israeli settlers attacked on Thursday Palestinian homes located at the village of Khirbit Um-alkher near the southern West Bank city of Hebron. Armed Israeli setters near Hebron – photo by Michael Ramallah He villagers said that the settlers came from the nearby Karm’el Settlement. They added that at least 15 armed settlers ransacked and damaged three homes and killed two sheep dogs. The villagers rushed to stop the settlers; the Israeli military and police arrived and escorted the setters out of the village. The village is the home of 170 farmers, the setters attack them frequently in an attempt to force them out of their homes and land to expand the settlement, the villagers told media. http://www.imemc.org/article/60403 ------------------------------------- Rogue settler bulldozes 150 dunums of land under cover of dark Date: 02 / 05 / 2009 Time: 15:02 Al-Khader fields [Ma'anImages] Bethlehem - Ma’an - An Israeli settler destroyed at least 10 dunums of Palestinian land and damaged at least 140 more when he drove a bulldozer over agricultural land near the town of Al-Khader on Friday. The settler, who appeared to be acting alone, left the illegal West Bank settlement of Efrata with a bulldozer in the early hours of Friday morning and dug a road down the center of a large swath of a land growing almond trees and grapevines, crushing hundreds of plants under the wheels of the vehicle. The land, in the Abu Bkir area just outside the center of town, is privately owned by several Al-Khader families. Locals said the settler appears to be attempting to confiscate the land and impose “de facto” realities preventing Palestinians from using it. The Al-Khader municipal council is preparing a suit against the man that will be filed in the Israeli courts in the coming days. The town and a neighboring village just south of Bethlehem, were handed an order authorizing the confiscation of 2,500 dunums (1 dumum is 1,000 square meters) in February. According to Al-Khader Mayor Ramzi Salah, 90% of the village landed is slated for confiscation, between the expanding settlements and outposts, the nearly complete Israeli separation wall. http://www.maannews.net/en/index.php...tails&ID=37519 Wasnt there any IDF soldiers , as they always guard the settlers and the settlements ? May 2, 2009 21:18 | Updated May 2, 2009 21:52 Two injured as Bat Ayin settlers open fire on Palestinian village A group of approximately ten residents of the West Bank settlement of Bay Ayin opened fire on the nearby Palestinian village of Khirbet Tzafah late Saturday afternoon, reportedly injuring two Palestinian medical sources in Hebron said that one person was shot in the chest, and another in the thigh and that both were in light to moderate conditions. They were both evacuated to a Hebron hospital for medical treatment. The settlers apparently refused an order from IDF troops to leave a closed military zone next to Khirbet Tzafah. Large forces of IDF and Border Police troops were called to the area, and four settlers were arrested on suspicion of involvement in the incident. Two of the detainees were IDF soldiers. According to the IDF, the shooting was unprovoked. Police and security forces opened an investigation into the incident, and the area was quiet by the evening. http://www.jpost.com/servlet/Satelli...cle%2FShowFull -------------------------- Israeli settlers attack young man from Qalqiliya village Date: 01 / 05 / 2009 Time: 16:10 [Ma'anImages] Qalqilia – Ma’an – Israli settlers from the illegal settlement of Gilad, east of the West Bank city of Qalqiliya, attacked 20-year-old Mohammad Ahmad Abu Baker on Friday. Ahmad was working on his land in the village of Jet, east of Qalqiliya, when he sustained bruises and burns in the face after being sprayed by an unknown gas substance. He was transferred to the local Darwish Hospital in Nazzal. Ma'an's Qalqiliya correspondent explained that "while he was working on his land south of Jet he was attacked by a group of settlers who were escorted by soldiers in the area and sprayed by this strange substance in this face, which was after they hit him with a stone all over his body and totally destroyed his tractor." The settlers of Gild outpost, built on the lands of Palestinians from Jet and Fer’ata villages east of Qalqiliya, have repeatedly attacked residents of the two villages under protection from members of the Israeli military. http://www.maannews.net/en/index.php...tails&ID=37490 ---------------------------- Two Elderly Palestinian Farmers Brutally Attacked by Israeli Settlers in the Southern West Bank Posted on April 27th, 2009. On April 26th, 2009 at 1:15pm, Israeli settlers beat two elderly Palestinian farmers with stones and sticks while they were working their lands close to Bet Ayn settlement, located in the southern West Bank. The attack occurred shortly after Israeli soldiers, having observed the two farmers, left the area. They did not reappear even after the attack. Both farmers are from the village of Beit Ommar, with lands in Saffa, close to the illegal Israeli settlement. Abdullah Soleiby, aged 80, sustained two hair-line fractures and received ten stitches to the top of his head after three settlers held him down and repeatedly smashed his head with stones. His brother, Hamad Soleiby, aged 72, was also beaten though he managed to put his brother on the back of a donkey and take him to the village, where he was briefly treated before being transferred to the hospital in Hebron. This is not the first time this family has been the victim of vicious attacks by settlers from Beit Ayn. In 2006, Hamad’s head was also fractured by masked settlers while farming in the same area. The day before on April 25th, Beit Ommar farmers accompanied by international solidarity activists, were able to work lands close to the settlement in the same area. The army and settlers left the farmers alone, though two carloads of Israeli activists were prevented from entering the village earlier that day to take part in the action. http://palestinesolidarityproject.or...ern-west-bank/ ---------------------------------------------- Settlers take over land, destroy crops near Hebron Tuesday April 28, 2009 15:47 by Ghassan Bannoura - IMEMC & Agencies Israeli settlers destroyed Palestinian farmers’ crops and took over land that belongs to farmers near the southern West Bank city of Hebron, while soldiers searched homes in the old city part on Tuesday. Armed Israeli setters near Hebron – photo by Michael Ramallah Famers from the village of At-Tuwani, near Hebron, said Israeli settlers attacked and destroyed an acre of their land which had contained winter crops. The settlers, it is thought, came from Ma’on, an illegal Israeli settlement nearby. Later in the day another group of Israeli settlers took over Palestinian-owned land and forced the famers away. The settlers intend to use the area to mark the Israeli Independence Day this week, local sources reported. Meanwhile, Israeli soldiers attacked and ransacked a number of homes in the old part of Hebron city on Tuesday. Witnesses told local media that soldiers searched homes and ransacked belongings before leaving. No kidnappings were reported. http://www.imemc.org/article/60137 ------------------------------------- Settler injures West Bank youth A Palestinian teenager has been shot and seriously injured by a Jewish settler in the northern West Bank. Palestinian officials said the boy had been working on his family's land near Madama when he was shot by settlers. There are no reports of any arrests. The incident took place near the Yitzhar settlement. The boy was later taken to hospital in Nablus. Late in 2008, Israeli security officials raised concerns about an increase in violence by settlers. These attacks targeted both Palestinians and Israeli security forces in the West Bank. There are frequent reports of settlers harassing Palestinians and human rights groups have captured some of these attacks on video, bringing the issue to greater prominence. All settlements in the West Bank, including East Jerusalem, are considered illegal under international law, though Israel disputes this http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/middle_east/8021405.stm ---------------------------------- Testimony: Settlers assault pregnant woman with sticks and stones, April '09 Roqaya al-Hazalin, 23 I am eight months’ pregnant. On Friday, 10 April, I took my sheep to graze in an area southwest of our village, not far from the cattle farm of the Ma’on settlement. I was with other women from the village, among them Amneh Sallem ‘Eid al-Hazalin and Khadrah Suliman al-Hazalin, and a group of children under the age of 15, among them Tareq Sallem ‘Eid al-Hazalin, 13, Musa Suliman al-Hazalin, 12, and ‘Omar Suliman al-Hazalin, 10. Around 8:00 A.M., we arrived to land owned by farmers from Yatta. We grazed the sheep and gathered plants we use for food. We were more than five hundred meters from the Ma'on settlement. We didn’t go close to the settlement. Around 9:00 A.M., we saw four settlers coming toward us from the settlement. Two of them went down into the wadi [valley] and headed to another group of shepherds, and two of them, who were masked, approached us. The two who came toward us appeared to be young. They were holding sticks and had pistols on their hips. Amneh was standing close to me, and Khadrah was relatively far from us. When the settlers got to about thirty meters from us, they shouted at us in Hebrew. Their appearance frightened us, and we began to run away. The settlers chased us, and continued to shout at us as we ran. Being pregnant, I couldn’t run fast. After about one hundred meters, the settlers caught me. One of them hit me in my right arm and left leg with his stick. The other settler threw a stone at me, which hit me in the left leg. Then one of them pushed me, and I fell onto some thorns. My arm and leg hurt a lot. When I fell, the two settlers left me and ran toward the farmers and other shepherds. I remained there, crying. I was in terrible pain. After a few minutes, Amneh and Khadrah ran over to me and helped me get up. They lifted me up with the help of the children and laid me on the donkey that we had brought with us, and returned me to the village. I was in such great pain that I thought my arm has been broken. I was still crying when we reached the village. An Israeli ambulance came and the medical team gave me first-aid. Then the Israeli police and two army jeeps of the Civil Administration arrived. I told them what happened. Around 11:00 A.M., a Palestinian Red Crescent ambulance came and took me to ‘Aliyah Government Hospital, in Hebron. At the hospital, they examined me and X-rayed me. They found that my arm was not broken. I was very lucky, and the fetus was not harmed. I remained in the hospital for two or three hours, and then went home. My arm swelled up and I am still in pain, a week after the incident. A Palestinian policeman at the hospital took my complaint. I did not go to the Israeli police because I don’t feel well enough, and because I need somebody to accompany me to Kiryat Arba to do that. Testimony of Roqaya 'Ali Hamdan al-Hazalin, 22, married with one child, is a homemaker and a resident of Umm al-Kheir in Hebron District. Her testimony was given to Musa Abu Hashhash at the witness's house on 18 April 2009. http://www.btselem.org/English/Testi...al_Hazalin.asp --------------------------------- Masked settlers open fire on Palestinians at Nablus area school, six injured Date: 24 / 04 / 2009 Time: 20:13 [Ma'anImages] Nablus - Ma’an - Masked Israeli settlers shot at and injured at least six Palestinians standing near a school in the village of Urif south of Nablus Friday afternoon. Following the incident Israeli forces imposed a curfew on the village, and according to Head of the Village Council Fawzi Shehada began firing at Palestinians alongside the settlers. Palestinian official responsible of the settlement file in the northern West Bank Ghassan Daghlas said the settlers, from Yitzhar, opened fire at the locals from 20 meters away. He called the incident a “clear and dangerous violation of the rights of the Palestinian residents on their lands.” Shehada said the shooting was intentional and meant to cause injury. He explained that the intensity of the fire prevented him from leaving a home near the school where he was visiting family. “I couldn’t go and see how many wounded there were,” he said. Palestinian medical sources said five if the six were moved to Rafediya governmental hospital and described their condition as moderate. The injured were identified as: Sadam Abed Al-Karim Maher Ghassan Nour Mustafa Safadi Mahmoud Abed Ar-Raheem Safadi I’sam Najeh Safadi Ibrahim Radi Sabah Israeli media published reports that settlers from Yitzhar were injured Friday afternoon by shrapnel fired on a car passing near a Palestinian village in the area. http://www.maannews.net/en/index.php...tails&ID=37351 ----------------------------- Qalqiliya-area village faces 'constant settler harassment' Date: 23 / 04 / 2009 Time: 18:53 Qalqilia – Ma’an – A band of armed Israeli settlers and soldiers damaged houses and other property in the village of Jit, east of the West Bank city of Qalqiliya on Wednesday, in what local sources say is part of a pattern of attacks. Local human rights Coordinator Zakarieyah As-Seda said, “The residents and their property are continually attacked by the settlers who prevent people from accessing to their lands, stealing the crops, cutting the trees, burning land and attacking homes.” As-Seda also said that Israelis from a settlement outpost called “Havat Gilad” are notorious for attacking Palestinians in the area. He said the attacks included “throwing stones at Palestinian vehicles” on the road to the nearby village of Huwwara. He said the residents have filed multiple complaints with the Israeli police, who did not stop the attacks, which he alleged took place according to an “organized schedule.” http://www.maannews.net/en/index.php...tails&ID=37323 ------------------------------------- Israeli settler runs over and kills Palestinian man in Jerusalem Tuesday April 21, 2009 15:46 by Ghassan Bannoura - IMEMC & Agencies An Israeli settler ran over and killed a Palestinian man in east Jerusalem on Tuesday morning. Local sources said Mohamed Ali, 27, from Shu’fat refugee camp in Jerusalem, was crossing a street near the illegal settlement of Pisghat Za’ev and the French Hill when the settler ran him over causing fatal injuries. They added that Israeli police arrested the driver. Ali is married and has a one-year old son. His brother was killed by the Israeli police ten years ago. http://www.imemc.org/article/60042 -------------------------------------- Settlers seize Palestinian shepherd near Hebron Date: 19 / 04 / 2009 Time: 21:51 [Ma'anImages] Hebron – Ma’an – Israeli settlers abducted a Palestinian shepherd south of the West Bank city of Hebron on Sunday evening, Palestinian and Israeli sources reported. The shepherd was identified as 24-year-old, Mohammad Abdallah Suleiman, a resident of the village of Sumu. The settlers seized Suleiman after he allegedly infiltrated the nearby Israeli settlement of Otni’el Officials at the Palestinian Coordination Office, Suleiman was handed over to the Israeli army, and is still under arrest. http://www.maannews.net/en/index.php...tails&ID=37231 -------------------------------- Armed settler punctures tractor tires of Palestinian villager near Nablus Date: 18 / 04 / 2009 Time: 15:59 [Ma'anImages] Nablus – Ma’an – An Israeli settler from the Eli settlement south of Nablus punctured the tires of a tractor owned by a Palestinian farmer while the farmer was plowing his land on Saturday. The man, from Qaryut village, said the masked settler armed with a knife appeared suddenly behind him and punctured the tires of the tractor before fleeing toward the settlement. Secretary of Qaryut local council ’Mufeed Jabir said 49-year-old Muhammad Azim had hired the tractor from its owner, 35-year-old Muhammad Ibrahim, so he could plow his fields. http://www.maannews.net/en/index.php...tails&ID=37202 --------------------------- Scores of Israeli settlers storm the Aqsa Mosque and police arrest one Palestinian worshiper Monday April 13, 2009 13:46 by Ghassan Bannoura - IMEMC News & Agencies Scores of Israeli settlers stormed the courtyard of the Aqsa Mosque in Jerusalem's old city on Monday midday while Israeli police arrested a Palestinian worshiper who was there. Witnesses said the setters lead by radical leaders stormed the place while protected by the Israeli police, when Palestinian worshipers tried to stop them police officers attacked them and arrested one Palestinian man. Palestinians say police also harassed other worshipers who were conducting their midday prayers at the Mosque. This is not the first such attack. Last Thursday groups of right-wing Israeli extremists attempted to enter the courtyard of the Al Aqsa Mosque in Jerusalem's old city. Palestinian sources said Israeli police did little to stop them, adding that the groups made three attempts to get in, first of all in the morning, then again at midday followed by another try in the afternoon. Witnesses said the extremists were disguised as Palestinians. Since last week the Palestinian committee for Jerusalem said that local activists and youths will now have a full-time presence at the gates of the mosque to prevent such intrusions which tend to happen during Jewish holiday periods such as this weekend's Passover festival. http://www.imemc.org/article/59904 --------------------------------------- Settlers Destroy Palestinian Water Tanks as Soldiers Look On Palestine Solidarity Project Posted on April 16th, 2009. 14 April, 2009 Hebron. A little after 4pm, four or five masked settlers youth climbed onto the roof of the Awaywi family home and punctured six large metal water tanks in open sight of a manned Israeli military tower. Basma Awaywi, the mother of the family, was on the outside passage way of the house when she saw the masked settlers on the roof, she was frightened and went into the house. About than 15 meters from the roof of the house is an Israeli military tower staffed with soldiers that have a clear view of the roof. Several other Israeli military watchtowers also have full view of the Awaywi family roof top. Two international tourists were in a shop below when the attack happened. "We heard this crash and went out of the shop, said one of the internationals. "Plastic chairs were lying in the walk way. Above there was noise and another crash. We asked what was happening. One of the shop keepers said that the settlers were trying to knock over the water tanks." "I went up the stairs to the roof, water was just beginning to pour down the stairs. Flower pots lay broken on the steps along with glass shards. Dirt from the flower pots was turning to mud. When I got on the roof, I saw soldiers on the ground and yelled 'why did this happen’ at them. I looked over and there were three soldiers in a nearby tower doing nothing. At settler youth was among them." "Two soldiers came onto the Awanyi’s roof and directed Mr. Awayni to come to them. They took his ID. They talked with him for awhile and then left." "These tanks must be expensive, who is going to pay for them? I want my government, which supports Israel, to know about this crime," said one of the internationals. Shop keepers called the International Solidarity Movement (ISM) and the Temporary International Presence in Hebron. Between 4:45 – 5pm, representatives from the ISM arrived. Mrs. Awaywi said that two months ago the settlers had destroyed the water tanks and kicked over the family’s bird cages on the roof, breaking the eggs. On December 7 of last year, the family home was set fire by rampaging illegal Jewish-Israeli settlers in Hebron. The Awaywi family has lived in the home for generations. Their rooftop is connected to the adjacent building that is illegally occupied by Jewish Israel settlers. "The settlers are always attacking us," said Awayni, who said she lives in constant fear for her children. "One time they appeared and threatened to kill my husband and then the children. We hid in the house with the door closed until they went away." http://www.uruknet.info/?p=m53475&hd=&size=1&l=e ---------------------------- Israeli settlers attack a Palestine Ambulance in Hebron old city Saturday April 11, 2009 17:14 by Ghassan Bannoura - IMEMC News & Agencies A group of Israeli settlers attacked on Saturday afternoon a Palestine Ambulance in Hebron old city in the southern part of the West Bank. Armed Israeli setters near Hebron – photo by Michael Ramallah The ambulance belongs to the Red Crescent Society, the largest ambulance service in the Palestinian territories, witnesses and medics operating the ambulance said that the car sustained damage. The Red Crescent Society announced that the ambulance was transporting a Palestinian patient from her house in the old city of Hebron that is located near an illegal Israeli settlement, the society added that the Israeli army was notified and gave the ok for the ambulance to be in the area. Witnesses said that as soon as the ambulance arrived, the settlers attacked it with stones, they added that Israeli troops who were in the area did not stop the settlers and even protected them. The Red Crescent Society added that the patient was moved to alocal hospital but still waiting an army permission to go back home. In the old city of Hebron Israeli settlers have taken over Palestinian homes and made them as settlements outpost, the Israeli government considers them illegal outposts, but still, the army provides protection and enforces restrictions on the Palestinians movement there. http://www.imemc.org/article/59890 ---------------------- Israeli settlers take over house in Jerusalem's Old City Date: 02 / 04 / 2009 Time: 10:06 Jerusalem – Ma’an – Dozens of Israeli settlers backed by police took over a Palestinian house in the Old City of Jerusalem on Thursday morning. Ma’an’s correspondent observed settlers raiding the house of Naser Jaber, in the As-Sa’diyeh neighborhood of the Old City. A scuffle took place between the owner and the settlers before police intervened, allowing the settlers to take control of the house and sending the owner away. Israeli police then imposed a neighborhood lockdown, prohibiting residents from entering or leaving their homes. Several youth were seized during ensuing clashes in the tense half hour between the arrival of the settlers and the total closure of the area. Jaber went immediately to the court to put forward his case, saying he was going to demand the removal of the settlers from his residence, which is home to eight. Jaber noted that the small area of the Old City is home to seven other families and said there had been a repeated settler presence in the area over the past months. Also on Thursday the the Israeli-controlled Jerusalem Municipality demolished a shop near the Shmidt School, on Nablus road, just outside of the Old City. The municipality claimed that the shop was built without permits. Separately, personnel from the Jerusalem Municipality went to the Jerusalem-area village of Al-Issawiya, and handed out several demolition warnings. The men surveyed the area in preparation for the demolitions. ***Updated 15:08 Bethlehem time http://www.maannews.net/en/index.php...tails&ID=36822 --------------------------- Extremist settlers attack Palestinian homes in Hebron Tuesday March 31, 2009 13:45 by Saed Bannoura - IMEMC & Agencies A group of extremist settlers attacked on Tuesday a number of Palestinian homes in the southern West Bank city of Hebron causing excessive damage and terrifying the residents, especially the children. Settlers in Hebron - Image Palissue Local sources reported that several settlers baring arms and others carrying batons attacked homes adjacent to the Keryat Arba’ illegal settlement, north east of the city, and hurled stones and empty bottles at the windows while chanting slogans calling for killing all Arabs. Resident Khalawi Jadallah Al Ja’bary, an owner of one of the attacked homes, said that the settlers attacked dozens of homes across the road between Keryat Arba’ settlement and the illegal outpost which was evacuated recently by Israel. The illegal outpost was evacuated after the Israeli High Court ordered the army to remove the settlers from a home that belong to a resident of Al Rajabi family in the city. Al Ja’bary also said that the attack lasted for a couple of hours while the army did not attempt to intervene. The settlers escalated their attacks after former Defense Minister in Israeli, Ehud Barak, decided to decrease the restrictions on the movement of the Palestinian residents heading to the Ibrahimi mosque on a road that was only used by the settlers and their vehicles for seven years. The road is in the heart of the Arab city, yet the Palestinians were not allowed to use it while the settlers had free access. http://www.imemc.org/article/59695 ------------------------- Tuesday March 17, 2009 03:29 by IMEMC & Agencies Palestinian medical sources in Hebron, in the southern West Bank, reported on Monday night that a young Palestinian woman was injured after extremist Israeli settlers attacked her in Wad al-Haseen area, east of the city. Hebron soldiers and settlers - Image by umass.edu The sources said that Ayaat al-Akhras, age 23, was hit in the head by stones hurled by a group of extreme settlers in the area. She was moved to Alia governmental hospital in the city. The attack is one of numerous attacks carried out by settlers in Hebron, especially in Tal Romeida, where the residents of al-Hassen, al-Ras and several other Palestinian neighborhoods adjacent to illegal Israel settlement outposts are victimized by settlers on a regular basis. http://www.imemc.org/article/59380 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ominous Posted September 2, 2009 Author Report Share Posted September 2, 2009 Settlers set Palestinian land on fire in southern West Bank Wednesday September 02, 2009 17:13 by Ghassan Bannoura - IMEMC News & Agencies A group of Israeli settlers set on fire on Wednesday to Palestinian owned lands located near the southern west bank city of Hebron. Local sources said that the lands are owned by farmers from Safa village near Hebron. They added that the fire came too close to the nearby Beit Ein settlement, Israeli troops stopped the fire from the settlements side but kept it going from the Palestinian side, witnesses reported. Villagers said that the soldiers refused to allow them to reach their lands to stop the fire but after international peace activist came the soldiers left allowing the village to stop the fire. The villagers added that the fire destroyed at least one Acer of land. http://www.imemc.org/article/61555 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ominous Posted September 5, 2009 Author Report Share Posted September 5, 2009 Clashes with settlers reported north of Ramallah Published today (updated) 04/09/2009 20:13 [Maan Archive]Ramallah – Ma’an – Israeli settlers uprooted olive trees from Palestinian land in the village of Maghayir, north of Ramallah on Friday provoking a confrontation. For their part, settlers reported that Palestinians armed with axes and hoes stormed a settler outpost in the same area called Nofe Yarden. Settlers said Palestinians set fire to the temporary “caravan” homes used by settlers. There were also reports of stone throwing, but the reports could not be immediately verified. Israeli forces reportedly deployed to the area, dispersing the clashes. No injuries or arrests were immediately reported. http://www.maannews.net/eng/ViewDetails.aspx?ID=223566 ------------------------- Settlers attack Palestinian farmer near Qalqilia Friday September 04, 2009 07:51 by Saed Bannoura - IMEMC & Agencies Extremist Israeli settlers of the Gilad Farm illegal settlement outpost, near the northern West Bank city of Qalqilia, brutally attacked a 65-year old Palestinian man on Thursday. The family of the man said that the settlers also humiliated and stripped the man who was moved to a local hospital in Qalqilia. The Israeli army claimed it is investigating the incident, while the settlers of the illegal outpost claimed they had nothing to do with the attack. The resident, Ibrahim Taweel, was heading back to his village when the settlers attacked him. He said that he was attacked by seven masked settlers. Taweel added that the settlers struck him with a rod and a belt, in addition to kicking and punching him. Israeli Ynet news reported that Bashar, one of the sons of Ibrahim, stated that the settlers stripped his father, and that he had to walk back to the village only wearing his underwear. “Humiliating an older man is worse than beating him”, the son added. http://www.imemc.org/article/61573 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ominous Posted September 5, 2009 Author Report Share Posted September 5, 2009 http://english.aljazeera.net/news/middleeast/2009/09/200994121346155494.html SEE VIDEO of how Israel uses grouse violence to suppress non-violent Palestinian protest, including spraying them with a green chemicals that stick to the skin for days! News Middle East Palestinians protest land seizure Palestinian villagers protest land seizure Hundreds of Palestinian villagers have made a short but symbolic march to the separation wall that Israel has built on their land, a non-violent protests that they regularly undertake. In video Israeli soldiers fire on Al Jazeera correspondent Equally, the protesters, marching from the village of Bilin, are regularly met with a violent response from the Israeli army. "The village of Bilin is literally on the frontline of Israel's confiscation of Palestinian land and the construction of its separation barrier," Jacky Rowland, Al Jazeera's correspondent reporting from the village, said. "Later today the villagers of Bilin will protest the fact that not only they, but also five neighbouring villages, have lost their land which has been seized to build an Israeli settlement. "This huge settlement will result in 40,000 Jewish settlers living on occupied land here in the West Bank and as Prime Minister [binyamin] Netanyahu is planning to give the go ahead for even more of these settlement homes to be built," she said. Netanyahu is set to approve plans to build hundreds of new homes on Palestinian land in the occupied West Bank, before considering US demands for a construction freeze. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ominous Posted September 5, 2009 Author Report Share Posted September 5, 2009 *Settlers attack Palestinian homes in Hebron* Saturday September 05, 2009 11:32 by Saed Bannoura - IMEMC & Agencies A group of fundamental Israeli settlers attacked on Friday evening a number of Palestinian homes in Tal Romedia neighborhood, in the southern West bank city of Hebron. FIle - Palestinian wounded by settlers - still from Btselem video Local sources reported that the settlers hurled stones and iron bars at a number of homes causing damage. The settlers are from the Ramat Yeshai illegal outpost. Israeli soldiers did not attempt to stop the settlers. The attacked homes belong to residents Hashim, Hisham, and Hani Al Azza, and the homes of Wael Al Sharabati and Bassam Al Sa’id, in addition to several other residents. Furthermore, Israeli soldiers searched dozens of residents at the electronic gate installed at the entrance of the neighborhood under the pretext of protecting the settlers. Jewish settlers are always armed, and most of them carry M-16 automatic rifles. http://www.imemc.org/article/61587 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Human Posted September 6, 2009 Report Share Posted September 6, 2009 You do understand ominous that not only are we separated by water but also culturally. This is still an Anglo Christian society. Just so you understand!! There are some things that take a little bit more time to grasp. Mind ya!!! Barack Obama is NOT a wiz kid when it comes to International Relations. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/worldnews/middleeast/israel/6147028/Hopes-for-US-settlement-deal-with-Israel-recede.html Hopes for US settlement deal with Israel recede Hopes for a US-backed deal over West Bank settlements receded yesterday after Israeli cabinet ministers backed a new round of building and Hamas warned Arab states against normalising relations. By Richard Spencer in Dubai Published: 6:19PM BST 06 Sep 2009 Ministers showed no sign of backing down over the building of at least 400 new housing units despite criticism of the plan by the White House. With President Mahmoud Abbas of the Palestinian Authority under pressure to stand by pledges not to hold talks with Israel until a freeze is announced on settlement building, the ball for future negotiations is now in President Barack Obama's court. His administration had been hoping Mr Abbas would meet the Israeli prime minister, Benjamin Netanyahu, this month and that Mr Obama would be able to announce a new "road map" for peace in the Middle East. But the leader of Hamas, Khaled Meshaal, said the Israelis were trying to avoid US demands for a freeze. "We warn against any Arab rush toward normalisation," he said. He was given crucial backing for his stance by the Arab League, whose secretary general, Amr Moussa, appeared with Mr Meshaal at a rare press conference in the Egyptian capital Cairo. Under Mr Obama's plan, Israel would announce a freeze on settlements, with talks following between Mr Abbas and Mr Netanyahu leading to new comprehensive peace proposals. In the meantime, other Arab states would announce confidence-building measures up to and including recognising Israel, with which most have no diplomatic relations. Mr Abbas has said "talks about talks" could still take place even without a total freeze but the Israeli insistence on going ahead with new building on the West Bank, as well as continuing existing projects, makes it harder for him to make concessions. Israeli officials are suggesting the latest building approval is a sop to the Israeli right in advance of an announcement of a partial freeze. The transport minister, Yisrael Katz, told Israeli radio that Mr Netanyahu would announce not a "freeze" but an "easing" of building. Hamas, which has control over Gaza after driving out Mr Abbas's Fatah movement two years ago, has rejected calls to recognise Israel's right to exist but has hinted it is prepared to back a two-state solution for Israel and the Palestinians. But Mr Meshaal said offering recognition of Israel in return for what Mr Netanyahu was now offering was a "dangerous equation". Mr Abbas's aides have already said a partial freeze would not be enough to allow a resumption of talks. Mr Moussa said the Arab League would have a "tough reaction" against any member state that took Israel up on the offer. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ominous Posted September 15, 2009 Author Report Share Posted September 15, 2009 *Ten Palestinian wounded by settlers near Hebron* Thursday September 10, 2009 11:53 by Saed Bannoura - IMEMC & Agencies Palestinian medical sources reported Thursday morning that at least ten Palestinians were wounded after a group of fundamental settlers attacked a several Palestinians shortly after the Israeli army evacuated dozens of settlers from a tent outpost. The settlers targeted homes close to Susia illegal settlement, south of Yatta town, near Hebron. They attacked Palestinians living in tents on their own lands, while the army provided protection to the settlers instead of stopping them. The ten residents suffered concussions and bruises after being violently struck and beaten by the settlers. Resident Mohammad Hamadan Bilal stated that the settlers attacked his family and destroyed furniture and a small solar cell. His wife was injured in the attack. Other attacked residents were identified that Issa Mohammad Bilal, Fadel Al Hreini, Nasser Al Nawaj’a, Yahia Khaled Al Nawaj’a, and several other residents. The residents are from Khirbit Susia, a small village close to the illegal Susia outpost. The residents faced repeated attacked by the settlers who are trying to force them out in order to expand the illegal settlement outpost. http://www.imemc.org/article/61626 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Human Posted September 16, 2009 Report Share Posted September 16, 2009 Okay ominous try this links instead; http://palestinechronicle.com/ or http://www.ynetnews.com/home/0,7340,L-3082,00.html Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest The International Crisis G Posted September 16, 2009 Report Share Posted September 16, 2009 Israel’s Religious Right and the Question of Settlements,* the latest report from the International Crisis Group, warns against underestimating the importance of a growing political and social phenomenon that, if ignored, could undermine a sustainable Israeli-Palestinian peace. Israel is facing arguably unprecedented pressure to halt all settlement activity, led by a new and surprisingly determined U.S. administration. But the settlement issue has been transformed in recent years by shifting domestic dynamics, as national-religious and ultra-orthodox Israelis have gained influence and leverage. Entrenched in many West Bank settlements, they benefit from demographic trends: Israel’s army is increasingly dependent on their manpower and politicians on their votes. “The religious right has assumed an ever more prominent role in opposing territorial compromise”, says Nicolas Pelham, a Crisis Group senior consultant based in Jerusalem. “It is banking on its support within state institutions to discourage the government from taking action and on its own rank-and-file to ensure that every attempt to evict an outpost or destroy a structure, however insignificant, comes at a heavy price”. The ultra-orthodox and national-religious camps account for the lion’s share of the 37 per cent increase in the settler population in the past six years. Although not a united bloc, their politicians hold over a fifth of Knesset seats, some 40 per cent of the ruling coalition. In Israel proper, their numbers are growing steadily, and they carry weight far in excess of their numbers. They occupy key positions in the military, government and legal and education sectors, as well as the bureaucracy, and are seeking to strengthen their ability to resist future territorial withdrawals by building up their influence within and without state institutions. Their role and concerns need to be understood if the obstacle settlements pose to a two-state solution is to be removed. An agreed Israeli-Palestinian border would make clear which settlers could remain in place and which could not. Several long-overdue steps should be taken in the interim, however. Legislative enactment of an early evacuation compensation package could help persuade some settlers to leave voluntarily. For those who value their attachment to the land over their attachment to the state, efforts could be made to examine how and under what conditions they might live under Palestinian rule and the extent to which Palestinians might accept them. Foreign actors, the U.S. included, should examine ways of making religious parties feel part of the diplomatic process. A clear offer by the Palestinian leadership to guarantee and protect Jewish access to Jewish holy sites under its control could send religious sectors a positive signal of its vision for post-conflict relations. At the same time, the government should apply its laws more consistently, whether on settlement and outpost construction in the West Bank or acts of violence and incitement against Palestinians. “The 2005 disengagement from Gaza went remarkably smoothly, but it would be wrong to assume that what happened in Gaza automatically will be replicated in the West Bank”, explains Robert Malley, Crisis Group’s Middle East Program Director. “The differences in numbers, background and militancy of the respective settler populations should serve as a warning of the need to give more attention to this issue as talks with Palestinians proceed”. Kimberly Abbott 1629 K Street NW, Suite 450 Washington DC 20006 United States Tel: +1-202-785-1601 Fax: +1-202-785-1630 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest stan Posted September 29, 2009 Report Share Posted September 29, 2009 This thread is located at: http://www.irandefence.net/showthread.php?t=35741&goto=newpost Here is the message that has just been posted: *************** *Settlers chop down Nablus olive grove on eve of harvest*Published yesterday (updated) 29/09/2009 09:53 Nablus – Ma’an – Dozens of chainsaw-wielding Israeli settlers cut down more than 150 olive trees in to the northern West Bank village of Burin, south of Nablus on Monday. The assault came a few days before Palestinian farmers throughout the country begin harvesting their olives. According to Ghassan Daghlas, the Palestinian official in charge of monitoring settlement activity in the northern West Bank, dozens of Israelis from the settlement Yitzhar raided fields in the area of Khallat Siwar between the villages of Huwwara and Burin and cut down more than 150 olive trees using chainsaws. Daghlas labeled the settlers’ attack as “criminal act” calling on human right groups to take action to stop Israeli settlers’ assaults against the Palestinians and their property. http://www.maannews.net/eng/ViewDetails.aspx?ID=228238 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest stan Posted October 11, 2009 Report Share Posted October 11, 2009 Nablus / Amin Abu Wardeh for PNN – With the onset of olive harvest coinciding with the rise in attacks by settlers, rural Palestinian families have an even more difficult time. They are preparing their work supplies, equipment and storage for the impending season. Israeli settlers are not known to discriminate in the attacks that are particularly brutal in Hebron, Qalqilia and southern Nablus, including the stealing of crops, burning of fields and houses, shootings and beatings. The settler movement issued a statement this month threatening Palestinians involved in the olive harvest, a season so important that students are often let out of universities, and staff from work, in order to participate. Qais Abu Omar, from the Qalqilia town of Sanniriya, has quit his job, at least temporarily, in order to help his family with the olive harvest, namely by attempting to protect them from settlers. He told PNN that the town's families have taken precautions for the olive harvest and have therefore decided to work collectively. In this area no one will move on until all have completed. The occupying Israeli administration is imposing additional repressive measures, and it is particularly difficult for Palestinians living on the western edge of the West Bank; the villages along the Green Line are in hard times as much of their land has been confiscated for settlements and the Wall. The Qalqilia area towns of Habla, Beit Amin and Sanniriya are surrounded by settlements, and are feeling the squeeze. With the launch of the olive harvest for this year, rural families in the villages that settlements have been built adjacent to are involved in guesswork. Gathering the supplies for harvest continues, but they do not know what the season will bring. Israeli authorities have announced large swaths of the western West Bank along the boundary area as closed military zones. Without prior permission, granted ostensibly to the local farming community only, no other farmers can work. Women are facing double the work and risks at home and in the fields. According to villagers, Palestinian women in the towns bear extra burdens. Zuhair Abdul-Fattah Azzun described a packed day, typical of olive harvest season. She said that she prepares food early for her family, and cares for the children before they go school, and then picks olives, hauls them home, greets her children coming home from school, cooks an evening meal and then returns against to the fields for harvesting. The situation is different now, says Qais Abu Omar, who notes that the settlers are more extremist and the military checkpoints more harsh. Still in the southern Nablus village of Huwara families are denied access to their territory, rendering them unable to reap the harvest. Town resident Fadia told PNN that the majority of farmers, including her family, have become afraid to walk to their fields because of the settler outposts scattered around Yitzhar Settlement, home to some of the most extremist of the settlers. Khadija Awad of Nablus’ Beit Fureik said that due to the practices of settlers from Itamar Settlement, olive harvest has become a nightmare for tens of families who own land close to the street that was built leading to the settlement. Suhail Shehadeh from the town of Asira in southern Nablus said that the picturesque atmosphere of olive harvest in past years is gone. The celebrations with families and friends that once began and ended the season are no more. Instead, stress and loss mar the harvest. The General Committee to Defend the Land reports that 170 Palestinian villages are located in areas that settlements have been built. According to the report, these villages are subjected to continuing attacks by settlers which have prevented them from accessing their land. The economic situation is being hard hit, as well as this part of Palestinian heritage. http://english.pnn.ps/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=7283 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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