Editorial Note: The following news reports are summaries from original sources. They may also include corrections of Arabic names and political terminology. Comments are in parentheses.

 
Illegal Israeli Settlers Grab More Palestinian Lands, Occupation Soldiers Attack Protesters, Kidnap Civilians, Demolish Building

 

Illegal Israeli Settler Activity Continues

Monday July 23, 2012 16:13 by Kelly Joiner - IMEMC & Agencies

Illegal Israeli settlers seized Palestinian land in several areas around the West Bank on Sunday and Monday according to WAFA news.

On Sunday, near the village of Yatta south of Hebron, Israeli settlers from the illegal settlement of Susiya seized Palestinian land and placed a power generator there in advance of plans to expand the settlement in the area.

This was followed by additional land confiscation in the Jordan Valley and the area south of Bethlehem on Monday.

The head of the village council, Aref Daraghmeh, in al-Maleh near Tubas in the Jordan Valley told WAFA news that Israeli settlers confiscated over 12 acres of Palestinian land and began to farm it on Monday.

And in al-Khader, south of Bethlehem, Ahmad Salah, coordinator of the popular committee against settlements said that Israeli settlers dug a nearly 100-foot long escarpment, destroyed about 50 grape trees and opened an unpaved road to another illegally seized plot of land. Salah explained that all of this is in preparation for settlement expansion and that infrastructure construction has already begun.

Israeli settlements are all illegal under international law, but the Israeli government continues to support them.

IOF soldiers arrest 59 Palestinians last week

[ 22/07/2012 - 12:09 PM ]

RAMALLAH, (PIC)--

The Palestinian Center for Defending Detainees (PCDD) affirmed that the Israeli occupation forces (IOF) had arrested 59 Palestinians in West Bank cities and villages last week.

PCDD, which released a statement on Saturday, affirmed that most of the 59 Palestinians arrested were from the southern West Bank city of Al-Khalil.

It added that among the arrested was Wafa Shamasnah, a prisoner's wife from Qalqilia, and the MP for the city of Ramallah Ahmed Mubarak.

The human rights center stated that the occupation forces have released during the same week about 18 prisoners, including the chairman of Palestinian Legislative Council, Dr. Aziz Dweik.

Illegal Israeli Jewish settlers establish outpost of five houses near Bethlehem

[ 22/07/2012 - 01:56 PM ]

BETHLEHEM, (PIC)--

A number of illegal Israeli Jewish settlers set up on Saturday evening five prefabricated houses in Umm Hamdeen Hill near Khader town in Bethlehem province.

Head of the land defense committee in Khader town Ahmed Salah said about 20 Jewish settlers inhabited the houses in an attempt to establish a new settlement outpost on this Hill, which is located a few meters away from the Palestinian homes in Al-Rukba neighborhood.

Salah added that the settlers provided the houses with utilities under intensive military guard.

He noted the Hill land that was seized by those settlers is owned by Palestinian citizens from the families of Mousa and Salah in Artas village and it is cultivated with vine, olive and almond trees.

The owners of this land declared their determination to defend their property and not to allow the settlers to annex it to Efrat settlement, which extends from the far southern part of Bethlehem to its far east.

Israeli Occupaiton Army Attacks Demonstrators In Bil’in

Friday July 20, 2012 17:59 by Jack Muir - IMEMC

About 60 demonstrators gathered in the small village of Bil’in in the northern part of the West Bank. The gathering was part of the weekly demonstrations which take place all over the West Bank on Fridays to protest the illegal Israeli Land-Grab, Apartheid Wall and the illegal Israeli occupation. Today also marked the first day of Ramadan, the Muslim holy month.

Palestinians were joined by internationals from more than ten countries and Israeli citizens who included trade unionists and members of Anarchists Against the Wall.

The group marched from Bil’in up to the wall which has rows of barbed wire in front of it. The olive groves have mainly been burnt down from previous Israeli army attacks on the demonstrators.

As the demonstrators proclaimed their peaceful nature and sang songs denouncing the illegal occupation, the Israeli army responded by repeatedly spraying the people, mainly youth with ‘skunk water’ a noxious liquid. They also fired dozens of rounds of military grade tear gas into the crowd. Such actions are illegal under international law. As the army continued to attack the demonstrators, gangs of settlers watched from the other side.

The wall was erected to cut Palestinians off from their land and to enable illegal settlers to move in, who are then protected by the Israeli army of occupation.

Several people suffered from tear gas inhalation and the effects of the skunk water, but nobody was seriously hurt.

Israel Issues Demolition Order on Two Water Cisterns

Wednesday July 18, 2012 17:27 by Jack Muir - IMEMC & agencies

On Tuesday, the Israeli occupation army raided Al-Qanoub area in Sa'ir, eastern Hebron and issued a demolition order on two cisterns used to irrigate land for the benefit of twenty people, of whom more than half are children.

One cistern owned by Basem and Omar al-Shalaldais is used to irrigate farmland of more than 10 dunums containing 210 seedlings. The other cistern owned by the family of Shaher al Shalalda's is used to water 5 dunums of land planted with 185 fruit tree seedlings. The two cisterns were built with the aid of the Improving Livelihood in the Occupied Palestinian Territories Program funded by the Netherlands Representative Office. Palestinians are rarely issued with planning permission to build on their own land in the occupied territories, while illegal Israeli settlements are free to expand without restriction.

100 Year Old Silwan Building Destroyed by Israel

Wednesday July 18, 2012 16:12 by Kelly Joiner - 1 of International Middle East Media Center Editorial Group & Agencies

The Israeli Municipality of Jerusalem demolished a Palestinian building in the East Jerusalem neighborhood of Silwan on Wednesday, according to WAFA news.

Jawad Siyam, director of Wadi Hilweh information center in Silwan said that the pretext for the demolition was building without a permit. However, the 16-square-meter facility is 100 years old and has been used to house livestock. After demolishing the building, the Israelis then seized the cattle and birds being warehoused there and fined the owner.