Israel Occupation Forces Conduct Overnight Raids on Shu'afat, Invade Al-Aroub Camp, Detains Youth,  Closes Beit Fajjar

Israel occupation army closes Beit Fajjar, conducts search

Published yesterday (updated) 09/02/2010 10:23

Bethlehem – Ma'an –

Several Israeli occupation army vehicles closed off entrances to Beit Fajjar on Monday, shutting down roads to the area from Bethlehem and Hebron, witnesses reported.

An Israeli occupation army spokesperson announced that the checkpoints were the result of a pipe bomb tossed by a youth at troops operating in the area earlier, prompting the closure and a search for the alleged attacker. No injuries were reported.

Onlookers said a number of army vehicles and soldiers closed the Beit Fajjar junction near the Gush Etzion settlement, as well as roads leading to the Hebron-area Al-Aroub refugee camp and the nearby Beit Ummar village. Travelers reported heavy traffic, and some city-to-city buses were altering their routes.

Earlier, the Hebrew-language daily Yedioth Ahronoth reported that Palestinians threw stones at an Israeli vehicle traveling near the West Bank settlement of Tuku, also near Bethlehem. No injuries were reported, but the vehicle was damaged, according to the newspaper.

Israel occupation forces invade Al-Aroub camp, detains two youth

Published today (updated) 09/02/2010 13:00

Hebron – Ma'an –

Israeli occupation forces detained invaded the Al-Aroub Refugee Camp north of Hebron Tuesday morning, taking six young men from their homes.

Of the six targeted by the Israeli occupation army, four were later released. Two others, identified as Naseem Rebhi Al-Jawabreh, 19, and Bayan Khaled Zaqqout, 20, were taken to an unknown location.

Clashes Continue At Jerusalem Refugee Camp Following Monday's Attacks

Tuesday February 09, 2010 16:44 by Circare Parrhesia - IMEMC News & Agencies

Tensions continued, on Tuesday, at the Shu’fat refugee camp, East Jerusalem, following yesterday’s clashes and arrests, Ma’an News Agency reported.

Hostilities flared between a group of children and the border guards at the military check point near the entrance to the camp leading to the detention of 15 year old, Ahmad Jamil Abu Hamda.

Ma’an reports that the child was on his way to school as the clashes began, that a soldier was injured during the proceedings, and that the Israeli military used tear gas to disperse the crowd.

This event follows similar incidents during Sunday night and Monday day, following the detention of approximately 60 residents of the camp, local sources estimate. Later Monday, local youths clashed with the Israeli military, throwing stones at them, leading to at least a dozen injured.

Furthermore, doctors and medics in the camp, were prevented from attending to those hurt, when the military attacked their clinics.

Unrest continues in Shu'afat; overnight raids, youth detained

Published today (updated) 09/02/2010 12:57

Jerusalem – Ma'an –

Confrontations erupted between school children and Israeli occupation government border guards at the Shu'afat military checkpoint on Tuesday, leading to the detention of a 15-year-old and the injury of a soldier, witnesses said.

The clash followed a series of overnight raids where border guards handed out dozens of notices for residents to turn themselves in for questioning at Israeli occupation government intelligence compounds in Jerusalem. The raids came directly on the heels of an arrest campaign targeting dozens of Palestinian residents of the camp.

The teen detained in the most recent clashes was identified as Ahmed Jamil Abu Hamda, who was on his way to school when the clashes erupted.

Locals said the Israeli occupation soldiers used tear gas to disburse the crowds.

The secretary of Fatah in the camp, Khader Al-Dibs, said that raids continued until 5am, and that more than a hundred soldiers guarded the entrances of the camp.

Ad-Dibs noted that some of the men and women detained Monday had already been transferred to the military court where their sentences were extended, and others who were released said they had been severely beaten.

Fayyad: Israeli raids, illegal settlement construction must end

Published today (updated) 09/02/2010 11:28

Ramallah – Ma'an –

Greeting the Assistant Secretary-General of the United Nations Office of Political Affairs Oscar Fernandes on Monday, Ramallah-based Palestinian Prime Minister, Salam Fayyad, stressed the importance of the UN’s role in compelling Israel to abide by its roadmap obligations.

According to the UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs, there were on average 103 raids into West Bank areas each week in 2009. Peace Now numbers indicate a 20% increase in the number of West Bank settlers since 2003, when the roadmap plan was initiated. Phase I of that plan had an Israeli pullout from the West Bank and a halt to settlement construction.

At the government headquarters in Ramallah, Fayyad told Fernandes that the UN, as a global institution and a member of the Middle East Quartet, has the power demand and implement a halt to settlement construction and Israeli raids of the West Bank.

Fayyad said he considered the statements of the UN Secretary-General condemning in November calling for a return to negotiations and an end to the illegal Israeli settlement construction, alongside the statement of the EU foreign Ministers meeting supporting the UN call, as a basis for building an international position on the issue and forcing Israel's hand. Particularly within the framework of the Quartet, Fayyad said, these statements an have a serious impact.

The Prime Minister expressed his great appreciation for the United Nations’ role in the alleviation of suffering for the Palestinian people, especially in the Gaza Strip. "What we need above all," he said "is an end to the siege of Gaza, the opening of the crossingss and the freedom to begin the reconstruction process."

Fernandes assured Fayyad of the UN support for the plan of the 13th government to build state institutions in anticipation of the declaration of a state in 2011, as a mechanism to ensure the Palestinian people gain their freedom and independence.