Killings—West Bank, Jerusalem (see also Gaza) 2 Palestinians, 2 Israelis killed in Jerusalem Old City attack JERUSALEM (Ma‘an) 23 Dec -- Two Palestinians from Qalandiya were shot and killed
Wednesday after carrying out a stabbing attack at the
Jaffa Gate
of East Jerusalem’s Old City, Israeli police said. The attack left one
Israeli [Mordechai Birmacher] killed and another injured, while Israeli
media reported that a third Israeli [Ofer Ben-Ari, 46] was accidentally
shot at the scene and later succumbed to his wounds. Israeli police
spokesperson Luba al-Samri said that the Israeli that was shot at the
scene was likely hit by live fire when border guards opened fire on the
attackers. Israeli police spokesperson Micky Rosenfeld told Ma‘an that
Israeli forces present in the area at the time opened fire on the
Palestinians during the attack. Following the attack, one Israeli
reportedly died from stab wounds, while another is in moderate
condition. The injured were taken to nearby hospitals Shaare Zedek and
Hadassah, the spokesperson added. Israeli border guards deployed in the
area at the time of the attack said they “noticed people running in
panic and saw two ‘terrorists’ carrying knives and stabbing a man,”
al-Samri said. One Palestinian was killed on scene, and the Ein Kerem
branch of Hadassah hospital confirmed that the second died shortly after
arriving at the hospital. The Palestinians were identified as
Issa Assaf [21] and
Anan Abu Habsa [20] from
Qalandiya
in the occupied West Bank. The area has recently been the site of
heightened tensions, with two Palestinians killed in the Qalandiya
refugee camp last week after attempting to run over Israeli soldiers
present in the camp during a predawn arrest raid. The Jaffa Gate area --
the site of Wednesday's attack and the most commonly used entrance into
the Old City by Jewish Israelis and tourists -- was closed by Israeli
Border Police following the attack, witnesses in the area said. The
Damascus Gate located nearby was also closed.
http://www.maannews.com/Content.aspx?id=769484 3 Palestinians killed after West Bank attacks wound 3 Israelis SALFIT (Ma‘an) -- Three Palestinians were killed
Thursday
after separate reported attacks were carried out in the occupied West
Bank that left two Israeli security guards and a soldier injured, locals
and the Israeli army said. Nearby the Palestinian town of Al-Ram
northwest of Jerusalem, a Palestinian rammed his vehicle into soldiers
posted near the illegal
Geva Benyamin settlement, an Israeli army spokesperson told Ma‘an. The forces then opened fire on and killed the driver, identified as
Wisam Abu Ghwaila, 22, from
Qalandiya. One Israeli soldier was "very lightly wounded" in the attack, the spokesperson said.
An hour earlier, a Palestinian armed with a screwdriver approached the
Ari military checkpoint near Hebron and attempted to stab security
forces, who “responded to the immediate threat” and opened fire, the
spokesperson said.The Palestinian -- identified by locals as
Eyad Jamal Issa Ideis, 25, from the Hebron-district city of
Yatta -- was shot dead on scene. No Israelis were injured in the incident, the spokesperson added.
Shortly before, a Palestinian reportedly stabbed two Israeli security guards in the industrial district of the illegal
Ariel
settlement north of Salfit, the Israeli army said. The army
spokesperson told Ma‘an that "a Palestinian armed with a knife stabbed
security personnel in Ariel wounding two" before the forces "responded
to the the immediate threat and shot the attacker," killing him, the
spokesperson said. The two wounded -- a man and a woman in their
mid-20's -- were evacuated to Bielinson hospital in Petah Tikva for
medical treatment. Israeli police said that the man sustained a serious
injury in the upper part of his body, while the woman sustained a
moderate injury. Locals identified the Palestinian killed on scene as
Muhammad Zahran Abdul-Halim Zahran, 22, from the Salfit-district village of
Kafr Ad Dik.
http://www.maannews.com/Content.aspx?id=769491
Palestinian killed by Israeli forces in Qalandia refugee camp - 4th Palestinian killed on Thursday IMEMC 24 Dec -- Israeli troops invaded the
Qalandia refugee camp on
Thursday
and opened fire on youth in the street, killing one. This is the fourth
Palestinian to be killed by Israeli forces on Thursday. The Palestinian
killed was identified as 23-year-old
Bilal Zayed,
a resident of the camp. Three Palestinians were shot dead earlier
Thursday . . . An Israeli army spokesperson told Ma‘an News Agency that
Israeli forces invaded the camp with the intent of looking for a
'wanted' Palestinian. The military opened fire on youth in the camp
during the invasion, killing Bilal and wounding others. The military
claimed that the youth were 'throwing stones' at the military forces,
who were, at the time, invading the camp with armored vehicles and
massive military force.
http://www.imemc.org/article/74352 Army kills a Palestinian woman in Silwad IMEMC 25 Dec -- Israeli soldiers killed, on
Friday
evening, a Palestinian woman while driving her car near the main
entrance of Silwad town, northeast of the central West Bank city of
Ramallah. The slain Palestinian woman has been identified as
Mahdiyya Mohammad Ibrahim Hammad,
38. She was a married mother of four children. Although the Israeli
army claimed “she attempted to ram soldiers with her car,” eyewitness
confirmed she was at least 30 meters away from the military roadblock,
when the soldiers opened fire on her. They added that the woman was not
even speeding when the soldiers opened fire on her car, and that the
army fired many live rounds at her. Following the shooting, the soldiers
left the woman to bleed to death, and held her body for more than two
hours before handing her to the Palestinian side, near the Beit El
military roadblock. The family said the funeral ceremony and procession
will be held on Saturday, after the noon prayers in Silwad. The
Palestinian Health Ministry said Hammad was shot with two live rounds in
her face, five rounds in the chest and two in the pelvis.
http://www.imemc.org/article/74358 Army kills a young Palestinian man in Jerusalem IMEMC/Agencies 26 Dec -- Israeli soldiers killed,
Saturday,
a young Palestinian man in Bab al-Jadid area, in occupied Jerusalem,
after claiming he “carried a knife, and attempted to stab an officer."
Eyewitnesses refuted the military allegations. Israeli sources said the
soldiers, and police officers, stopped the man and started searching
him, and that he then allegedly "pulled a knife and attempted to stab
them, before they shot him dead." The Palestinian Health Ministry
confirmed the death of the young Palestinian man, who was later
identified as
Mos‘ab Mahmoud al-Ghazali, 26, from Wad Qaddoum neighborhood in
Silwan
town, in occupied Jerusalem. An eyewitness said the Palestinian was
sitting near the Bab al-Jadid when mounted officers ordered him to stand
up, and after he did so, and raised his arms in the air, they fired
several rounds at his legs, and shot him in the chest after he fell onto
the ground, the Ma‘an News Agency said. After his death, undercover
soldiers of the Israeli military stormed his family's home, violently
searched it and interrogated several members of his family.
http://www.imemc.org/article/74364 List of Palestinians killed from October 1st - December 26th
IMEMC 26 Dec -- The following is a list of names of all Palestinians
shot and killed by Israeli fire in the occupied West Bank, including
Jerusalem, and the Gaza Strip, including one in the Negev, in the period
between Thursday October 1st and the December 26th, as confirmed by the
Palestinian Health Ministry. The list below includes the names of 136
Palestinians and 18 Israelis whose deaths have been confirmed by the
Palestinian Ministry of Health. The Ministry has said that the total
number of Palestinians killed since October 1st is
138.
http://www.imemc.org/article/74363 Thousands attend funerals of 2 Nablus 16-year-olds killed last month [with photos] NABLUS (Ma‘an) 25 Dec -- Thousands of Palestinians on
Thursday
attended the funerals of two 16-year-olds in the Nablus area who were
both killed by Israeli forces after reported attempts to stab soldiers
at a military checkpoint in the occupied West Bank.
Alaa Hashash and
Abdullah Nasasra
were shot dead on Nov. 23 and Nov. 30 respectively after the Israeli
army said they attempted to attack Israeli forces stationed at the
Huwwara checkpoint. No Israelis were injured in either incident. Their
bodies were withheld by Israeli authorities in line with a decision made
by the Israeli security cabinet in October that the bodies of
Palestinians killed while carrying out attacks on Israelis would not be
returned to their families. The release of bodies has since been made on
a case-by-case basis, and dozens of bodies are still being held.
Autopsies were conducted on both of the teens’ bodies at the Rafidiya
hospital after they were handed over by Israeli authorities, before
being taken to their family homes. Mourners brought Hashash’s body to
his home the
Balata refugee camp, where relatives bid a
final goodbye before laying him to rest. The body of Nasasra was
transferred to his home in the village of
Beit Furik
east of Nablus, where he was later buried. Munadil Hanini, member of the
Central Committee of the Palestinian Popular Struggle Front told Ma‘an
that participants in the funeral processions chanted slogans condemning
the Israeli violations against Palestinians. Palestinian political
factions attending the funerals gave speeches confirming the
continuation of Palestinian resistance until the Israeli military
occupation ends.
http://www.maannews.com/Content.aspx?id=769508
Qalandiya refugee camp residents bury Palestinian killed during clashes QALANDIYA (Ma‘an) 24 Dec -- Thousand of Palestinians on
Thursday
marched in a funeral procession for a Palestinian shot dead hours
earlier during clashes with Israeli military forces in the Qalandiya
refugee camp near Ramallah. Twenty three-year-old
Bilal Zayed was one of four Palestinians to be killed Thursday. Three others were shot
after carrying out separate attacks
on Israeli military in the occupied West Bank that left three injured.
Locals told Ma‘an that Zayed's body was taken from the Palestine Medical
Complex to the entrance of the refugee camp, where the body was carried
by mourners to the Zayed family home. Qalandiya residents performed
funeral prayers before burying his body in the refugee camp cemetery.
The 23-year-old was shot with a live bullet in the chest when residents
clashed with Israeli military forces attempting to raid the camp.
http://www.maannews.com/Content.aspx?id=769501 Funeral held for Palestinian mother killed after alleged attack
RAMALLAH (Ma‘an) 26 Dec -- Thousands marched
Saturday in the funeral of a Palestinian mother killed the day before by Israeli forces in the occupied West Bank town of
Silwad. Israeli border guards opened fire on the vehicle of
Mahdia Hammad,
38, after guards reportedly saw her quickly driving towards their group
while clashes were taking place nearby. Locals in the area at the time
of Hammad's death told Ma‘an that the woman was driving at a normal pace
some 30 meters away from the Israeli military post when forces opened
heavy fire towards her. Medical sources said that Hammad was hit with
more than 10 bullets in the head, eye, face, chest and pelvis. Her body
was held by Israeli forces for more than two hours before being returned
to the family. Hammad was a mother of four, the youngest of whom is
five months old. Saturday’s funeral set off from the Palestine Medical
Complex in Ramallah towards Silwad before heading to the town’s cemetery
for burial, locals told Ma‘an. The town of Silwad -- located around 12
kilometers outside of the West Bank hub of Ramallah -- has been site to
recurring confrontation between Palestinian residents and Israeli
military forces since October.
http://www.maannews.com/Content.aspx?id=769521 Forces raid Silwan home, detain family of Palestinian killed by police JERUSALEM (Ma‘an) 26 Dec -- Israeli forces on Saturday raided the family home of of
Mus‘ab al-Ghazali
in the occupied East Jerusalem area of Silwan, hours after he was
killed by Israeli police. The 26-year-old was shot dead after Israeli
police said he attempted to stab a police officer who had stopped the
man and asked for identification. No Israeli injuries were reported.
Mus‘ab’s uncle, Abu Wajdi al-Ghazali, told Ma‘an that the family home
was stormed in Wad Qaddum, a part of the Silwan neighborhood that abuts
the southern side of the occupied area’s Old City. Israeli forces who
raided the home summoned Mus‘ab’s parents and brothers for
investigation, Abu Wajdi said. According to the uncle, Mus‘ab had mental
disabilities, and he denied statements made by police that his nephew
attempted to attack an Israeli officer earlier in the day. He said
Mus‘ab had left the home that morning to collect empty bottles that the
young man deposits for money, as he has not been able to find
employment.
http://www.maannews.com/Content.aspx?id=769520 5-year-old victim of Duma attack regains ability to walk
[with photos] Times of Israel 22 Dec -- The lone survivor of a
firebombing of a Palestinian home in the West Bank village of Duma,
five-year-old Ahmad Dawabsha, has begun to walk again after months of
treatment for severe burns. The child, who lost his parents and
18-month-old brother in the July 31 attack by suspected Jewish
terrorists, still requires assistance in taking steps, but has made
progress and is expected to regain his ability to walk alone within
days, Channel 2 television reported on Tuesday. Ahmed, who is being
treated in the Tel Hashomer hospital near Tel Aviv, is reportedly still
unaware of his family’s fate.
http://www.timesofisrael.com/5-year-old-victim-of-duma-attack-regains-ability-to-walk/ Israeli medic: 'We don't provide treatment to wounded Palestinians'
IMEMC 24 Dec by Saed Bannoura -- An Israeli medic said on his Twitter
page Thursday that field medical crews do not provide treatment to what
he called “terrorists”, and stated that, in Hebron, he provided
treatment to wounded Israelis “but I did not provide any treatment to
the terrorist although he suffered more serious wounds.” The medic said
he wanted to be clear in his message when he said, “To all who ask, when
I got to the scene today in Jaffa Gate, I helped the wounded
[Israelis], but not the hateful terrorist, although he suffered more
critical wounds.” In another Tweet, the Israeli medics said, “When you
go to the site of a stabbing attack, and you realize that the victim
suffered a serious injury, and the terrorist was shot and also suffered a
serious injury, who do you help? Now you answer me.” There have been
many reports, some captured on video, showing Israeli medics ignoring
wounded Palestinians, and leaving them to bleed to death, in direct
violation of International Law. Many Israeli medics also carry automatic
machine guns despite the fact that whenever they operate in the
occupied territories many fully armed soldiers always accompany them.
Palestinian medics said in response to the news that such a statement by
a medic, a person who vows to help any person who needs help,
regardless of his faith, race, tone of skin or any other aspect,
validates various reports regarding wounded Palestinians who bled to
death while Israeli medics refrained from providing them with the
urgently needed medical treatment. Nearly a month ago, Israeli Prime
Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, and his office, accused the Palestinian Red
Crescent of refusing to provide medical aid to wounded Israelis and
soldiers, but after his claimed were refuted, he rescinded his
accusations. Nearly two weeks ago, Palestinian news agencies published a
video of Red Crescent medics rescuing a wounded Israeli soldier. In
October, when questioned about what appeared to be a practice of
treating wounded Israelis first while ignoring Palestinians, the head of
Magen David Adom said that the medics are not given instructions from
above to do that. But he said they would continue to use
different-colored body bags for Israeli and Palestinians who are killed,
saying, "We need to distinguish between terrorists and Jews, and so we
decided to put terrorists in black bags to distinguish."
http://www.imemc.org/article/74344
If slain Palestinian teen had been a camel, Israelis would be outraged over her death / Gideon Levy Haaretz 26 Dec --
The
body of the camel that soldiers killed for a laugh in November was
examined by an Israeli veterinarian; no one took witness statements from
Samah Abdallah's family, and no one ordered an autopsy on her body -- If
Samah Abdallah
had only been a camel, you would have heard of her by now. Had she been
a camel, the soldiers who killed her would be in custody for the
duration of the proceedings. Had she been an animal, and not an
18-year-old Palestinian, her killing would have shocked many Israelis.
But Samah was not a camel. She was a cosmetology student from
Amuriya,
a tiny, remote West Bank village, who dreamed of becoming a teacher and
was studying to be a beautician in the meantime. Her father, Abed, also
had a dream: for his daughter to return home safely. And so, because of
the tension on the roads that day, November 23, he decided to pick her
up in his car after class. It is very dangerous there for the
Palestinians, too, and among them are worried fathers like Abed
Abdallah. I reported on Friday about Samah’s death: A 16-year-old
Palestinian who tried to stab Israelis near the Hawara checkpoint
brought the soldiers to kill not only him, as usual, but also to fire
with no warning as her family car happened to drive by. For no reason, a
soldier in a fortified concrete watchtower fired a bullet into Samah’s
head as she sat in the backseat, between her brother and her sister. The
soldiers initially claimed, preposterously, that the car’s passengers
had a knife, but they soon admitted to her horrified father that they
had fired “by mistake.” Three weeks later, Samah died in an Israeli
hospital
. . . The Israel Defense Force’s Spokesman’s Office,
which rushed to express shock over the camel’s killing, calling it “a
serious incident that is not in keeping with what is expected from IDF
soldiers,” took a completely different, and rather contemptible, tack,
in its response to Haaretz regarding Samah Abdallah’s death: “During the
incident in which a terrorist brandishing a knife ran, an IDF force
opened fire ... As a result of the shooting, it seems that the
passengers of a vehicle that drove behind the terrorist were injured.
... The incident was investigated and the findings are being examined by
the military prosecution.” . . . .
http://www.haaretz.com/opinion/.premium-1.693969 Other Violence / Detentions Child injured in Kafr Qaddoum IMEMC 26 Dec by Saed Bannoura -- Israeli soldiers attacked, Friday, the weekly protest against the Wall and Settlements, in
Kafr Qaddoum,
east of the northern West Bank city of Qalqilia, wounding one child,
while many others suffered the effects of tear gas inhalation. The
Popular Committee in Kafr Qaddoum said dozens of soldiers surrounded the
town before invading it, and attacked the Palestinian, Israeli and
international protesters. The invasion led to clashes between the
soldiers and many local youths; the army fired live rounds,
rubber-coated metal bullets and gas bombs. One child, identified as
Yazan Abdullah Eshteiwy,
15, was shot with a live round in his thigh, while many protesters
suffered the effects of tear gas inhalation. The child was moved to
Rafidia Hospital in Nablus, in the northern part of the West Bank.
Coordinator of the Popular Committee against the Wall and Settlements in
Kafr Qaddoum, Morad Eshteiwy, said the soldiers invaded the town even
before the procession started, while sharpshooters and soldiers also
invaded homes, and occupied rooftops.
http://www.imemc.org/article/74362 13 shot by Israeli forces; Hebron school tear-gassed
RAMALLAH (Ma‘an) 23 Dec -- Thirteen Palestinians were shot by Israeli
forces on Wednesday in areas around Ramallah while a Hebron-area girls
school was tear gassed, locals and medics said. Nine Palestinians were
shot when Israeli forces raided the village of
al-Mughayyir
east of Ramallah. Clashes broke out between youths and the forces, who
fired rubber-coated steel bullets and tear gas. The injured were
transferred to a hospital in the nearby Turmus Ayya village for medical
treatment. Locals told Ma‘an that the forces stormed the home of Ahmad
Jaber Abu Alia and also smashed windows of a car belonging to Abdullah
Asad abu Alia during the raid.
Meanwhile in
Hizma,
west of Ramallah, four teenage students were shot and injured with live
fire and rubber-coated steel bullets. The mayor of Hizma, Mowafak
al-Khatib, told Ma‘an that Israeli soldiers opened fire on students in
the village at 9:30 a.m., injuring the four in their lower extremities,
and detaining one. Al-Khatib added that Israeli forces have been
stationed at all three village entrances for at least five consecutive
weeks, often preventing residents from entering or exiting.
Separately, in the village of
Beit Ummar
north of Hebron, Israeli forces fired tear gas bombs onto the premises
of the Zahrat al-Madaim School, causing schoolgirls to suffer from tear
gas inhalation, locals said. Local activist Muhammad Ayyad Awad told
Ma‘an that Israeli soldiers attacked the school after detaining two
residents from the village. Hassan Abu Hashem, 42, and Thaer Abd
al-Qader Khader Abu Hashem, 26, were detained after forces assaulted and
pepper-sprayed them. A Palestinian Red Crescent ambulance rushed to the
school giving first aid to students, Awad said, adding that the school
day was suspended following the incident. Youths threw rocks at Israeli
soldiers deployed at the northern entrance of Beit Ummar during the
incursion, Awad said.
http://www.maannews.com/Content.aspx?id=769486 Israeli forces detain Palestinian woman for reportedly carrying knife
HEBRON (Ma‘an) 23 Dec -- Israeli forces on Wednesday detained a
Palestinian from the Abu al-Rish military checkpoint near the Ibrahimi
mosque in Hebron's Old city for reportedly carrying a knife. Locals told
Ma'‘an that Israeli forces detained Dalal Muhammad Nafeth al-Qeimari,
23, while she was attempting to cross the checkpoint, before being taken
to a nearby police station. An Israeli army spokesperson had no
immediate information on the incident. A Palestinian woman in her 20's
was detained the day before in the same area, also for carrying a knife.
http://www.maannews.com/Content.aspx?id=769481 Israel disperses Jerusalem protest for return of withheld bodies
[with photo] JERUSALEM (Ma‘an) 26 Dec -- Israeli forces on Saturday
dispersed a protest staged in the Old City of occupied East Jerusalem
calling for the return of the bodies of Palestinian attackers held by
Israel. Locals told Ma‘an that demonstrators formed a human chain
surrounding the walls of the Old City from the al-Sahra Gate to the
Damascus Gate. Protesters held photos of Palestinians whose bodies have
been held in line with a decision made by Israel’s security cabinet in
October to withhold the bodies of Palestinians killed while carrying out
attacks on Israelis. The move was proposed by Public Security Minister
Gilad Erdan, who reportedly said during the cabinet meeting that
Palestinian families incite "terrorist attacks" at funerals, raising
tensions. Two demonstrators were injured with rubber-coated steel
bullets in the head and others were hit with stun grenade shrapnel
during Saturday's demonstration, witnesses said. Another Palestinian was
severely beaten and arrested in the nearby Salah al-Din street.
Palestinians in occupied East Jerusalem and the West Bank have upped
protests demanding Israel to hand over withheld bodies, which are being
returned on a case-by-case basis. While a number were returned over the
past week, dozens are still being held.
http://www.maannews.com/Content.aspx?id=769524 VIDEO: O little invasion of Bethlehem
Mondoweiss 24 Dec by Tom Suarez -- Editor’s note: Tom Suarez’s video
shows the occupation of Bethlehem as you may not have seen it before. We
particularly recommend that you watch the scenes of skunk gas, a foul
liquid, being sprayed unprovoked over Manger Street. The protest was
then on Hebron Road. And, at 9:30, a deeply distressing scene of two
young men asking permission of soldiers to walk unharmed down a street.
http://mondoweiss.net/2015/12/little-invasion-bethlehem
Friday clashes erupt across occupied West Bank
BETHLEHEM (Ma‘an) 25 Dec -- Weekly Friday demonstrations took place
across the occupied West Bank on Friday, locals said. Locals told Ma‘an
that clashes broke out between Palestinians and Israeli soldiers in the
village of
al-Khader south of Bethlehem, where dozens
-- including elderly residents -- suffered from tear gas inhalation.
Clashes also took place adjacent to the
‘Aida refugee camp in Bethlehem, as well as the
Huwwara military checkpoint near Nablus. In the Hebron district, clashes erupted in
Halhul, Ras al-Jora, and
Beit Ummar,
where four Palestinians were injured with rubber-coated steel bullets,
local activist Muhammad Ayyad Awad told Ma‘an. In the Gaza Strip, a
Palestinian was
shot in the head and killed and ten others injured by Israeli forces in clashes.
http://www.maannews.com/Content.aspx?id=769515 West Bank - 'Breaking the Silence' bus hit in rock throwing near Hebron; 3 students hurt
WEST BANK (Vos Iz Neias) 25 Dec -- Three people were lightly injured
Friday after assailants hurled rocks near Hebron at a bus carrying
students from Jerusalem’s Hebrew University on a tour in the West Bank
hosted by the left-wing NGO Breaking the Silence. The bus sustained a
broken window and continued on to nearby Kiryat Arba, where it then
stopped after the assault. Breaking the Silence collects testimony from
former IDF soldiers, many of whom claim that Israel committed war
crimes. The group has long been controversial for its questionable
methodology, frequently unsubstantiated and unverifiable allegations,
and its practice of airing its claims abroad instead of bringing them to
the Israeli legal system.
http://www.vosizneias.com/224978/2015/12/25/west-bank-three-students-hurt-in-rock-throwing-attack-on-breaking-the-silence-bus-near-hebron/
Israeli forces detain 17 in search and arrest raids
BETHLEHEM (Ma‘an) 23 Dec -- Israeli forces Wednesday detained 17
Palestinians across the occupied West Bank during predawn detention
raids as Israeli prisons face overcrowding, security sources and locals
told Ma‘an. Palestinian security sources told Ma‘an that Israeli forces
raided the town of
Beit Fajjar in southern Bethlehem
and detained Shaker Muhammad Taqatqa, 21, Muhammad Shaher Deiriyeh, 23,
and Muhammad Faisal Thawabteh, 28.Israeli forces also detained Ayyad
Jamil al-Hreimi, 23, Shadi Muhammad al-Hreimi, 24, and his brother,
Tareq, 20, from their homes in the city of
Bethlehem. Also in the Bethlehem area, Israeli forces detained Muhannad Asakreh after raiding and searching his home in
Janata, as well as Daniel Rashid Abu Sur, 16, from the
‘Aida refugee camp.
Fifteen of those detained in the occupied West Bank were accused of
taking part in demonstrations against Israeli military forces and two
“Hamas operatives” were detained from the Hebron, according to the
Israeli army. Thousands of Palestinians have been detained since the
beginning of October in one of several moves taken by Israeli
authorities to quell an increase of violence that has continued into
December. Prisoners' rights group in the occupied area have reported
significant overcrowding in Israeli prisons since the increase in
detentions, as well as higher rates of the transfer of prisoners between
jails. A legal assistant at prisoners' rights group Addameer told Ma‘an
earlier this month that a significant number of Palestinian prisoners
detained in the recent campaign had experienced torture and mistreatment
during their detention.
http://www.maannews.com/Content.aspx?id=769478 Israeli forces detain 17 across West Bank
HEBRON (Ma‘an) 24 Dec -- Seventeen Palestinians were detained early
Thursday as Israeli forces carried out search and arrest raids across
the occupied West Bank, locals and Israel’s army said. In the Hebron
district, locals told Ma‘an that Israeli soldiers raided
al-Fawwar refugee camp,
ransacking several houses before detaining two brothers, Muhmoud and
Ibrahim Majed al-Titi, 27 and 23; Zakaria Fahmi Abed-Rabbo Ghatarsha;
and Yacoub Mahmoud Abu Hashhash, 30. Israeli forces also raided
Yatta
south of Hebron and detained a Palestinian judge, Musleh Muhammad Abu
Arram, 52, Raed Ahmad Aqilan, confiscating livestock, locals said.
Ashraf Muhammad Nabeel al-Rajabi and Hamed Hassan Qawasmi were detained
from the city of
Hebron. In
Tubas,
Israeli soldiers raided the home of former Palestinian prisoner Mustafa
al-Maslamani and detained his son Jihad Maslamani, 26, after assaulting
him. Mustafa had been serving a life sentence before he was freed and
deported to the Gaza Strip as part of a prisoner swap deal between
Israel and Hamas in 2011. Another of his sons was detained the week
before. In the village of
Beita south of Nablus, local
sources said that Israeli soldiers detained Qassam Inad Jaghoub, 23, and
Ahmad Abdul-Rahman al-Faqi, 22 after storming their homes. Aysar Nidal
Fahmi Jaghoub, 23, and Mutaz Hilal al-Tayeh, 22, were also detained from
the village. All detainees were transferred to a nearby Israeli base in
Huwwara.
http://www.maannews.com/Content.aspx?id=769492 PA detains 16 in fear of terrorist attacks during Christmas season
BETHLEHEM (Ma‘an) -- The Palestinian Authority detained over a dozen
Salafists in the Bethlehem area over the past few days, reportedly in an
effort to thwart potential terrorist attacks in the holy city during
the Christmas season, Israeli media reported. Sixteen in total were
detained by security forces after the PA suspected that the Islamic
State planned to target Christian tourists visiting Bethlehem, according
to reports by Ynet, the English publication of Israeli news site
Yedioth Ahronot. No information was given regarding the actual
involvement of those detained in terrorist activity. PA officials met in
Bethlehem earlier this week to map out how to respond to the potential
threat, where attendees decided to deploy large numbers of security
forces into the city as well as to make arrests, Ynet reported. Four
detainees were put into administrative detention and four IS supporters
were also detained from other areas of the West Bank, according to the
report . . . Despite the concern, support for the Islamic State group
remains minuscule among Palestinians, according to recent polls by the
Palestinian Center for Policy and Survey Research. A poll conducted
earlier this month reported that an overwhelming majority of 88 percent
of Palestinians believe that IS is a radical group that does not
represent true Islam. Seven percent, meanwhile, said the group did
represent Islam. PLO Central Council member Muhammad Shtayyeh said
earlier this month that while extremist groups have yet to take hold in
the popular Palestinian public, such a reality could not be guaranteed
if both the Israeli occupation and Palestinian political woes were not
addressed.
http://www.maannews.com/Content.aspx?id=769510 2 Palestinians arrested in Christmas tree arson in West Bank
RAMALLAH 25 Dec by Mohammed Daraghmeh -- Palestinian security forces
say they arrested two suspected Islamic radicals in the burning of a
Christmas tree in the northern
West Bank. A Palestinian security officer said Friday the suspects set fire Wednesday to the tree in
Zababdeh,
a Christian majority village near Jenin. The officer spoke on condition
of anonymity because he isn't authorized to speak to reporters. He says
both suspects are under investigation for possible ties to extremist
Islamist groups. He also says Palestinian security forces arrested
Wednesday about a dozen suspected radical Islamists in Bethlehem.
Christians make up about 2 percent of the West Bank population.
http://abcnews.go.com/International/wireStory/palestinians-arrested-christmas-tree-arson-west-bank-35949116 Punitive demolitions Homes of 3 Palestinian attackers in Qalandiya camp to be demolished
RAMALLAH (Ma‘an) 25 Dec -- Israeli forces early Friday prepared for the
demolition of three homes in the Qalandiya refugee camp belonging to
Palestinian residents killed while carrying out attacks over the last
two days. Locals told Ma‘an that the military forces surrounded the camp
before raiding the three homes. Violent clashes broke out between
residents and the forces, leaving three Palestinians injured by live
fire. Israeli forces forced Palestinian ambulances to leave the refugee
camp entrance by gunpoint, preventing medics from providing medical
treatment for the injured, locals said . . . Measurements were
reportedly taken of the family home of
Wisam Abu Ghwaila, in preparation for its demolition. The 22-year-old was shot dead by Israeli forces Thursday after
running his vehicle into soldiers
posted near the illegal Geva Benyamin settlement. The Israeli army said
that one soldier was “very lightly injured” in the attack. The day
before, Qalandiya refugee camp residents
Issa Assaf and
Anan Abu Habsa killed one Israeli and injured another
in a stab attack
at the Jaffa Gate of Jerusalem’s Old City. A third Israeli was killed
when Israeli border guards opened fire on the attackers. Assaf and Hasba
were both shot dead on scene. Locals told Ma‘an that Israeli forces
took measurements of their family homes during Friday’s raid, in
preparation for demolition.
http://www.maannews.com/Content.aspx?id=769505 Al-Aqsa IOA impedes implementation of 21 projects at al-Aqsa mosque
OCCUPIED JERUSALEM (PIC) 22 Dec -- The Israeli occupation authority
(IOA) has impeded the implementation of over 21 projects to reconstruct
the holy al-Aqsa Mosque, Jerusalem Endowment Department reported. A
member of the Islamic Endowment personnel in Occupied Jerusalem said the
IOA has been blocking the entry of reconstruction materials and
impeding underway projects to renovate the al-Aqsa Mosque. The Endowment
department filed official complaints over such illegitimate
intervention in the affairs of al-Aqsa, saying every single inch of the
144 dunums covered by such a sacred place of worship is for Muslims
only. The official said the IOA has turned blind eyes and deaf ears to
such protests and, instead, propped up settler break-ins at the al-Aqsa
in an attempt to hold sway over it and divide it, both spatially and
temporally.
http://english.palinfo.com/site/pages/details.aspx?itemid=75726 Despite Israeli restrictions, over 50,000 Muslims pray at al-Aqsa
OCCUPIED JERUSALEM (PIC) 26 Dec -- Over 50,000 Muslim worshipers
flooded to the al-Aqsa Mosque on Friday to perform noon prayers in
congregation, despite the tight restrictions imposed by the Israeli
occupation forces. The occupation police reportedly cracked down on the
peaceful Muslim worshipers, denying youths and women access into the
holy place of worship to perform their prayers. The occupation forces
further seized the IDs of a number of youths and women at the entrances
to al-Aqsa, at the same time as Israeli choppers were hovering over the
territory. 200 Gazan worshipers aged 50 or above also prayed at al-Aqsa
after they left the blockaded Gaza Strip via the Beit Hanun (Erez)
border-crossing. Preacher of al-Aqsa Sheikh Ismail Nawahda called,
during the Friday Khutba (sermon), for protecting the Mosque and
Occupied Jerusalem from Israeli sacrilegious schemes. “Despite the hazy
fog standing in the horizon, the Muslim nation will survive and the
al-Aqsa shall remain forever ours,” Sheikh Nawahda added.
http://english.palinfo.com/site/pages/details.aspx?itemid=75787 Israel racism and extremism Police open investigation after Israeli wedding incited murder
BETHLEHEM (Ma’an) 24 Dec-- Israeli police have opened an investigation
into the wedding of two right-wing Israelis after video footage from the
event showed violent incitement by the attendees for the murder of
Palestinians. Israeli police spokesperson Luba al-Samri said in a
statement that the investigation was opened due to "numerous and serious
offenses seen in the video” from the Jerusalem wedding held two weeks
ago. The video [long version here, 2:44] shows Israelis present at the
wedding dancing and singing songs about revenge while waving knives and
guns in the air. At one point during the ceremony, a masked Israeli
youth waves a firebomb while another stabs a photo of
Ali Dawabsha,
an 18-month-old Palestinian burned alive in an arson attack carried out
by Jewish extremists over the summer. The infant’s parents later died
from severe burns, leaving their four-year-old child Ahmad as the sole
survivor of the attack. After Israeli news Channel 10 aired clips from
the wedding video, it was transferred to the attorney general who
decided Wednesday that an investigation would be opened, al-Samri said.
Channel 10 reported that guns issued by the Israeli army as well as
licensed pistols were passed around at the reception from hand to hand,
including children, according to Israeli media. Israeli daily Haaretz
reported that the wedding was for a couple “very well known in the
radical right," and was condemned by Israeli politicians across the
board. Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said the video showed
"the real face of a group that poses danger to Israeli society and
security,” the daily said. Controversy over the video erupted as the
suspects in the Dawabsha murder case have yet to be convicted, and
Israel’s domestic security agency Shin Bet has received push-back from
right-wing groups over its conduct in the investigation. The Shin Bet
last week warned that the case revealed the growing threat of Jewish
terror organizations against the Israeli state as well as regional
security.
http://www.maannews.com/Content.aspx?id=769496 Religious Jewish wedding songs are anthems of hatred and incitement / Michael Melchior Haaretz 24 Dec --
In
the background of the horrific video where the Dawabsheh murders were
celebrated are songs glorifying murder that are commonplace at Orthodox
weddings, and not just at the extreme and negligible margins of Israeli
society.-- In addition to the horrific acts that took place at the
radical settler wedding which is dominating the news, for which we all
feel disgust, I would like to draw attention to the music we can hear in
the background of the video. The song the band is playing is not only
sung at weddings of Jewish extremists or at the bar mitzvah celebration
of one rotten apple. The same song is played incessantly at almost every
public wedding and bar mitzvah of the religious Zionist, Haredi or
Chabad community that I have attended. I hear these words and am filled
with dread: "Remember me, remember me, and strengthen me, only this
once, Oh G-d, that I may take revenge on the Philistines for my two
eyes". These are the words that Samson said right before he felled the
two middle pillars of the Temple of Dagon, killing himself together with
the multitude of Philistines there with him. One need not be a great
Torah commentator to understand that the words, originally said in
despair, express a readiness to be killed, if, by our deaths, many
Palestinians will die with us.Every time I hear that song played I leave
the circle of dancing and I protest. For years now I have been crying
out against the playing of this song, just as I cried out about how
religious Zionists would place special emphasis on the words, "Baruch
Hagever" (literal translation: "blessed is the man"), in another
well-known song, in order to honor the memory of Baruch Goldstein, who
committed the 1994 massacre at the Cave of the Patriarchs. Of all the
beautiful words written in the Torah and in the Bible, these are the
words deserving an honored place at our public events? I am waiting for
the talented artists of the religious community to compose a tune using
the Biblical phrase, "...when you see the naked, you will cover him...",
or to renew the popular song from my youth, "Love thy neighbor as
thyself".
http://www.haaretz.com/opinion/1.693709 Gaza Israeli forces kill Palestinian in Gaza demo for 3rd Friday in a row
GAZA CITY (Ma‘an) 25 Dec -- Israeli forces shot dead a Palestinian and
injured several others during demonstrations in the Gaza Strip for the
third Friday in a row, the Ministry of Health said.
Hani Rafiq Wahdan,
22, was shot in the head near the al-Shujayyia neighborhood east of
Gaza City, a spokesperson for Gaza’s Ministry of Health, Ashraf
al-Qidra, told Ma‘an. Nine others were hit by live fire. Clashes broke
out between Palestinian demonstrators and Israeli forces across the Gaza
Strip, with four injured east al-Bureij refugee camp, including one
shot with live fire in the chest, al-Qidra said. Six others were shot in
the al-Faraheen area east of Khan Younis, and one Palestinian was shot
near the Erez crossing, al-Qidra added.
http://www.maannews.com/Content.aspx?id=769513
Hamas condemns Egyptian killing of mentally ill Palestinian at Gaza sea border
GAZA (Reuters) 26 Dec -- The Palestinian interior ministry in Gaza
accused Egyptian forces on Saturday of killing a mentally ill
Palestinian [Ishak Khalil Hassan, 28 from Zeitun in Gaza City] who had
waded through the sea into Egypt's territory. The incident happened on
Friday, Gaza's interior ministry said.
Video broadcast by Al-Jazeera network
showed the man walking in the Mediterranean sea, naked, and then
crossing through a wire fence into Egyptian territory before he is fired
at several times while still in the water. Another person on the beach
appears to signal to security forces at a watchtower to stop shooting
and the man's body is seen floating in the water and then washed up on
shore.
The Egyptian Interior Ministry had no immediate comment. Gaza
is ruled by the Islamist Hamas group. The Interior Ministry there said
the man was mentally ill and demanded Egypt launch a probe into the
incident. "It is clearly a cold-blooded execution, committed in broad
day light," spokesman Eyad al-Bozom said.
http://www.jpost.com/Middle-East/Hamas-condemns-Egyptian-killing-of-mentally-ill-Palestinian-438480 Gaza remembers PFLP activist slain by Israel during protest
EI 26 Dec by Isra Saleh el-Namey -- Shawki Madi still cannot believe
the embrace from his father that Friday would be their last. The
16-year-old boy was playing football with friends on 11 December when a
relative came to tell him that his father had been killed and that he
should go home. “I did not believe it, but I ran home and found everyone
in tears,” Shawki told The Electronic Intifada. Shawki’s father,
Sami Madi, 41, had led a demonstration that day to mark the 48th anniversary of the
Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine
(PFLP). Demonstrators headed for the boundary with Israel by al-Bureij
refugee camp in central Gaza. There, Israeli soldiers opened fire. It
was not the first such demonstration since the “intifada of the knives”
erupted in Jerusalem in October.
At least 20
Palestinians have been killed by Israeli forces in Gaza since then,
most of them during demonstrations. On this Friday, 17 unarmed people
were wounded, including two children and a journalist. Only Sami was
killed. The PFLP had called for a “day of rage” -- a common phrase
denoting a day of popular demonstration and anger -- to commemorate the
anniversary, and urged its supporters to prove that Gaza can still play
a role even when the focus is elsewhere. Demonstrating at the boundary
was meant to show solidarity with those in the West Bank who are engaged
in daily confrontations with the Israeli occupation. That Gaza had
played little role in these events disturbed Sami, said his father
Shawki, for whom Sami’s son was named. “Demonstrating at the border gave
him some relief; it proved that Gaza should not be out of the game,” he
said.
https://electronicintifada.net/content/gaza-remembers-pflp-activist-slain-israel-during-protest/15096
Israel sprays crop-killing pesticides on Gaza farmland
GAZA CITY (Ma‘an) 23 Dec -- Israeli planes reportedly sprayed
agricultural crops along the Gaza border on Wednesday with pesticides
that have been killing off crops for the third day in a row, the general
manager of the plant protection department at the Gaza-based Ministry
of Agriculture told Ma‘an. Wael Thabet said that “several farmers
informed the ministry that Israeli planes sprayed their lands with
pesticides around the al-Qarrara area in eastern Khan Younis and the
Wadi al-Salqa area in east central Gaza which damaged a large number of
crops.” Saleh al-Najjar, a farmer from al-Qarrara, said he lost some 30
dunums (7.4 acres) of spinach and pea crops due to the spraying, which
has taken place from 6 a.m. to 9 a.m. during the past three days.
Another farmer, Wael al-Shami, said he lost crops of parsley and beans
which were planted near al-Qarrara in eastern Khan Younis. Thabet
alleged that Israeli forces deliberately spray pesticides periodically
on agricultural lands near the Gaza-Israeli border to destroy crops.
Thabet added that the Red Cross made a trip to observe the damaged lands
and reportedly estimated that 1500 dunams (371 acres) of land in
central Gaza and 200 dunams (50 acres) of land in eastern Khan Younis
were damaged according to initial reports. Thabet demanded that the Red
Cross contact Israel and call for it to stop its violations against
farmers in Gaza.
http://www.maannews.com/Content.aspx?id=769483 Israeli bulldozers level land, open fire in central Gaza Strip
GAZA CITY (Ma‘an) 23 Dec -- Several Israeli bulldozers on Wednesday
morning entered Palestinian land east of the al-Bureij refugee camp in
the central Gaza Strip, opening fire. Witnesses told Ma‘an that four
Israeli bulldozers entered 100 meters onto Palestinian territory and
leveled land in the area. Israeli military accompanying the bulldozers
opened fire during the operation, witnesses said, adding that no
injuries were reported.
http://www.maannews.com/Content.aspx?id=769479
Gazan arrested after attempt to cross Israeli border fence
GAZA (PIC) 25 Dec -- The Israeli occupation forces (IOF) on Thursday
night arrested a Palestinian young man from the Gaza Strip after he
tried to infiltrate into the 1948 occupied lands. Local sources said
that the IOF arrested the young man near the security fence to the east
of al-Maghazi refugee camp in central Gaza. Meanwhile, Israeli troops
fired flares as they were combing the eastern areas of central Gaza.
Local sources said that Israeli soldiers stationed at the Kissufim
military post, south of Gaza, fired flares over the eastern parts of
Deir al-Balah district and the refugee camps of al-Bureij and
al-Maghazi, amid intensive drone overflights.
http://english.palinfo.com/site/pages/details.aspx?itemid=75784 IOF opens fire at bird hunters east of Gaza City
GAZA (PIC) 26 Dec -- The Israeli occupation forces (IOF) on Saturday
morning opened fire at Palestinian bird hunters east of Gaza City, with
no reported casualties. Local sources that Israeli soldiers at a
military watchtower near the border fence east of Gaza City opened
machinegun fire at Palestinians working on hunting birds. The Israeli
occupation forces stationed behind the perimeter fence open fire at
every Palestinian approaching or working in border areas, especially the
farmers who own nearby plots of land.
http://english.palinfo.com/site/pages/details.aspx?itemid=75800 Gaza's children forced to work for a pittance amid war-torn ruins
BEIT HANOUN, Gaza (The Guardian) 23 Dec by Kate Shuttleworth -- On a
dirt road, concertinaed slabs of concrete and wire drape from flattened
buildings, next to the only remaining housing that was not blown apart
in the 2014 war between Israel and Hamas. A tall, neglected social
housing block stands decrepit here in the northernmost point of the
Gaza
Strip. Two small boys shuffle between the ruined buildings with a
plastic bucket, their tiny fingers working through the rubble. Aziz
Rantasi, six, collects jagged pieces of cement shaped vaguely like
stones. The fingernails on his tiny calloused hands are black. A
pre-teen boy pulls up on an old bright red BMX bicycle. Aziz cranes his
neck to look in awe. “I have never ridden a bike, I’d really like one,”
he says. “The man buying stones will close soon so there’s no time for
playing on a bike. But there are two things I wish for in life – a black
bike and collecting stones.” Palestinians Aziz and his brother Abdul
Fatah, eight, are paid five shekels, or 50 pence, for every 50kg they
labour to gather. If they can find five cement bricks that are intact
they earn 15 pence. Between them they make barely £5 a week, working on
four or five afternoons after finishing school at 11am . . . after
three wars in just six years,
the economy is now on its knees. More children have been forced into
work as a result of the last war as many lost one or both parents; or
their parents became unemployed, injured, disabled or sick and were
unable to work. Aziz and Abdul Fatah have a sick father. Diab Rantasi,
42, has untreated diabetes, so he is prone to seizures and losing
consciousness, which makes it difficult for him to work. Their
10-year-old brother, Hamzah, has cerebral palsy. He lies buried in
dirty, fluffy blankets inside the family’s three-room house and barely
leaves it. Another brother, 18-month-old Fares, has had one of his eyes
removed because of cancer – he is now in remission . . . .
http://www.theguardian.com/global-development/2015/dec/23/gaza-children-forced-to-labour-pittance-poverty-amid-rubble-ruins AP Photos: Painters bring new life to hard-hit areas in Gaza
GAZA CITY 23 Dec -- The Shati refugee camp in Gaza City has always been
a symbol of poverty, a grey concrete jungle with 87,000 people packed
into half a square kilometer, or about one fifth of a square mile. But
now, overlooking the sewage-contaminated Mediterranean beachfront, the
camp's houses are covered in vibrant colors. About two dozen artists
have painted the walls, doorsteps and facades of all the houses along a
1.5 kilometer-long (mile-long) edge, including in the area where
Hamas
chief Ismail Haniya lives . . . The painting campaign was funded by
Palestinian investment company Padico. It is the latest and largest of
four similar initiatives to color Gaza's neighborhoods ravaged by last
year's war. Artists said the effort was inspired by similar projects in
Mexico and
Venezuela.
"It's a voluntary work to bring joy and happiness for our families and
children in the Shati camp," said Mohammed Dahman, a painter who worked
for a month on the project. The artists drew flowers on the pastel
yellow, pink and purple walls, used recycled wood to create slanted
window frames, and converted old tires into flower pots. On one wall,
they drew an elephant with its back as high as the wall. When children
sit atop the wall, they appear as if they are riding the elephant."They
cleaned the camp. I came here and they were coloring, and I was like,
'What's this?' I did not recognize the area," said Karam Abdel-Bari, an
unemployed camp resident. Here is a
gallery of images by AP Photographer Hatem Moussa of Shati refugee camp.
http://abcnews.go.com/International/wireStory/ap-photos-painters-bring-life-hard-hit-areas-35919452 Prisoners / Court actions Israeli court to discuss the psych evaluation of Abu Khdeir's murderer
JERUSALEM (Ma‘an) 24 Dec -- An Israeli court on Thursday ruled to
accept a psychiatric evaluation of an Israeli settler as evidence in a
case regarding his role in the death of Palestinian
Muhammad Abu Khdeir,
16, who was burned alive in July of 2014. The family’s lawyer, Muhannad
Jbara, told Ma‘an that the court agreed to use the evaluation of the
suspect, Yosef Ben-David, which will be discussed in court on Jan. 20,
2016. Jbara said the evaluation reportedly reveals that Ben-David has
psychological and mental disorders that make him ineligible stand in
court. “Approving the Israeli court to see the report does not mean they
agree on what is in the report; it is only approval to discuss it,”
Jbara told Ma‘an. The court approval to use the evaluation came despite a
statement made by a doctor of the public prosecution who said that
Ben-David was psychologically sound to stand in court, Jbara added. Abu
Khdeir’s father, Hussein, condemned continued delays by the court in
convicting Ben-David. “We were not surprised that they approved to
discuss the report,” he told Ma‘an. “They have been delaying the case
for a year-and-a-half...in each session and delay they burn Muhammad and
us again and again,” the father said. Two Israelis were convicted in
the murder of Abu Khdeir last month, however Ben-David -- the ringleader
of the deadly attack -- escaped conviction after the court allowed him a
last minute psychiatric evaluation. The two Israeli youths who were
found guilty will be sentenced on Jan. 13, according to the AFP news
agency. All three suspects confessed to the murder during questioning by
Israeli police, admitting to beating the Palestinian teenager
unconscious before pouring flammable liquid on him and burning him
alive.
http://www.maannews.com/Content.aspx?id=769494 Ex-detainee minors held in Israeli prison sent letter to Pope
BETHLEHEM (Ma‘an) 25 Dec -- The Latin Patriarch of Jerusalem on Friday
received a letter to pass on to Pope Francis on behalf of Palestinian
minors being held in Israeli jails, a Palestinian official said. Akram
Alayasa, Coordinator of International Relations in the PA Committee for
Prisoners' Affairs, told Ma‘an that a group of Palestinian children who
were former prisoners of Israel, accompanied by officials, met with the
Patriarch, Fuad Twal. Palestinian minors Issa Ahmed Al Muette, Julyana
Zeyad Banourra, Tarek Reyad Ateya, Sofia Nasser Alayas, and Jameel Al
Baabeesh greeted the Latin Patriarch on Christmas, alongside Issa
Qaraqe, the head of the PA Committee for Prisoners' Affairs. The letter
handed off to the Patriarch calls on Pope Francis to “pray for the
children of Palestine” who are “arrested and detained illegally and
inhumanely.” The number of Palestinian child detainees held in Israeli
prisons doubled in October, and the majority reported physical violence,
strip searches, and poor conditions during their detention, according
to Defense for Children International - Palestine.
http://www.maannews.com/Content.aspx?id=769512 More and more Israelis are being held without trial +972 blog 24 Dec by Noam Rotem --
Out
of 402 people Israel was holding in administrative detention at the
start of November, at least 31 were citizens or residents of Israel.
Over the past decade, Israel has held 3,761 people without trial -- Israel
held at least 31 of its own residents and citizens in administrative
detention during the month of November, according to a Knesset Research
and Information Center report obtained by +972’s Hebrew-language sister
site Local Call. That is a very large number when compared to the number
of Israelis who have been held in administrative detention in recent
years. According to the report, which was composed at the request of MK
Basel Ghattas (Balad/Joint List), four of the administrative detainees
are Jews, six are Palestinian citizens of Israel, and 21 are Palestinian
permanent residents of Jerusalem. When you include Palestinians from
the West Bank, Israel was holding a total of 402 administrative
detainees as of the start of November. Other reports indicate that the
number of administrative detainees has increased even more in December.
Administrative detention is an extreme measure for revoking someone’s
freedom without putting them on trial or even presenting any evidence or
accusations he or she can contest. It is supposed to be used only in
extraordinary circumstances. The legal authority for putting Israeli
citizens administrative detention is drawn from the 1979 “Emergency
Regulations” law, which is valid as long as the country remains in a
“state of emergency.” Israel has been in a declared “state of emergency”
since May 15, 1948, the same day it declared independence . . . .
http://972mag.com/more-and-more-israelis-are-being-held-without-trial/115093/ Israel transfers hunger-striking Jordanian prisoner to hospital
JERUSALEM (Ma‘an) 23 Dec -- The Israeli Prison Service transferred a
Jordanian prisoner who has been on hunger strike for 45 days to a
civilian hospital for treatment, the Palestinian Prisoners' Society said
in a statement. The PPS said a representative from the al-Ramla prison
clinic in Israel told the society that Abdullah Abu Jaber had been
transferred from the prison's clinic to a civilian hospital after his
health severely deteriorated. Abu Jaber, who is currently serving a 20
year sentence, has been on hunger strike in protest against his
internment since July 18. The Jordanian national is demanding that he be
deported or transferred to a Jordanian prison to serve out the
remainder of his sentence. Issa Qaraqe, the head of the PA Committee for
Prisoner's Affairs, said Israeli authorities have threaten to force
feed Abu Jaber if he does not willingly end his strike. On July 30, the
Israeli parliament approved a law allowing prisoners on hunger strike to
be force fed, sparking criticism from rights groups and medical
experts.
http://www.maannews.com/Content.aspx?id=769473 Land, property, resources theft & destruction / Ethnic cleansing Jerusalem expulsions target actvists and community leaders EI 26 Dec by Budour Youssef Hassan -- Whenever Palestinians stand up for their rights in
Jerusalem, it is a safe bet that Samer Abu Eisheh will be there. It is hard to imagine a protest near the
Damascus Gate
— an entrance to the Old City — without his bellowing voice. It is the
28-year-old’s relentless activism that could sunder him from his home,
however. After nearly three months under house arrest, the TV producer
and community leader was handed a five-month expulsion order from
Jerusalem this week. It was issued by an Israeli district commander. Abu
Eisheh and another Palestinian are currently sitting in at the Red
Cross offices in Jerusalem to protest and defy the orders. The order
follows the recent
sharpening of an Israeli policy to revoke Palestinian residency rights in Jerusalem. In September,
Silvan Shalom,
the Israeli interior minister, vowed to revoke residency rights of
those judged to “breach allegiance to the State of Israel.” Since then,
five expulsion orders have been issued. Israel has occupied East
Jerusalem since June 1967 and formally annexed it in 1980. As a result,
Palestinians living there have been categorized as “permanent
residents,” a status that is vulnerable to
revocation.
Israel meanwhile prevents Palestinians with West Bank identity cards
from freely accessing the city. Under international law, Israel’s
annexation of East Jerusalem is
null and void. Between 1967 and 2013, more than 14,300 Palestinians have had their residency status
revoked,
with the Israeli authorities mostly citing administrative reasons. Only
a small number of Palestinians have been threatened with revocation for
alleged acts of “terror.” . . . “After the inevitable rejection from
the district court, I will appeal to the supreme court,” Abu Eisheh
said. Israel’s
high court
is also known as its supreme court. “Afterwards, I will use every
possible international channel so I can remain with my wife in
Jerusalem,” he said. But this is not just about him. “I want to use my
case to highlight the issue of deportation facing Jerusalemites. We need
to send the occupation a message that we will not meekly succumb as
they try to kick us out of our own city.” Abu Eisheh believes that the
expulsion policy is part of a broader project in Jerusalem to rid the
city of its indigenous population.
https://electronicintifada.net/content/jerusalem-expulsions-target-activists-and-community-leaders/15097 Bedouin couples seeking to build a home in their village face Kafkaesque nightmare, courtesy of Israel Haaretz 27 Dec by Amira Hass --
The
state argues the couples should apply for a building permit -
technically unfeasible - or relocate to the Palestinian Authority -- Twenty-seven
Bedouins living east of Jerusalem petitioned the High Court of Justice
to let them live close to their parents, but not in the same tent. The
state argued they should relocate to the Palestinian Authority. “If the
petitioners need housing, let them go to the Palestinian Authority,
whose subjects they are,” Yitzhak Bart from the State Prosecutor’s
Office told the court when it heard the petition earlier this month. The
attorney for the Bedouins, Shlomo Lecker, hoped the court would show
young couples similar understanding as it did when suspending demolition
orders for their parents’ huts and tents in previous years. But he
realized the court was not going to act in their favor and withdrew the
petition. Bart told the court that the petitioners, from nine different
Bedouin encampments east of Jerusalem, could leave their tribe and move
to Areas A and B, which are controlled by the Palestinian Authority.
Khawla and Hassan, from the Khan Al Ahmar encampment, say that even if
they were willing to abandon their families, culture, way of life and
livelihood and live on their own, they don’t have the money to rent or
buy an apartment in the Palestinian towns. Nor do most Bedouins their
age. For them, the natural solution is to live beside their parents’ and
siblings’ hut or tent, as their tribe has done for decades. The state
refuses to consider this option. “If they want to build in Area C (under
Israeli control), they must file an application for a building permit
or go to the official in charge of the Bedouin in the Civil
Administration in a bid to find a solution (with no assurance that such a
solution will be found),” Bart says. However, this is not a realistic
option, because, as Bart knows, Israel has never developed master plans
for the Bedouin communities in their current locations, and issues
building permits only to owners of the land. The Bedouin live on land
they lease from Palestinian villages, or public land. . . .
http://www.haaretz.com/israel-news/.premium-1.693845 Controversial bill on settlement funding signed into law Times of Israel 24 Dec by Sue Surkes --
Jewish Home party lauds regulation of WZO settlement division activities; opposition says law aims to fund illegal outposts -- A
contentious bill sponsored by right-wing Jewish Home party legislator
Bezalel Smotrich was signed into law on Thursday, over the objection of
opposition lawmakers, who claimed it aimed to deceive the US and channel
funds to illegal settlement outposts in the West Bank. The legislation,
approved by 53 to 48 votes with one abstention, anchors in law the
status of the World Zionist Organization’s Settlement Division as a
recognized arm of the government with the power — subject to government
oversight — to fund and develop rural Jewish communities both within and
over the Green Line. For nearly half a century, the Settlement Division
has played a key role in managing land and infrastructure. The group’s
stated aim is to create and support rural communities in the West Bank,
Golan Heights and Israel. The new law allows the government to delegate
authority to the Division to transfer funds to communities and
settlements in an orderly fashion, to publish tenders and to budget,
oversee and provide support for development projects. Yair Lapid, head
of the opposition Yesh Atid party, linked the bill to the
video released Wednesday in
which far-right wedding revelers could be seen repeatedly stabbing a
picture of the Palestinian baby Ali Dawabsha, who was burned to death
along with his parents in an arson attack in the West Bank on July 31.
“It’s time that we came out against the extremism of this blood wedding
which was born in the same outposts that this bill is trying to fund,”
Lapid said during a Knesset plenum deliberation ahead of the vote.
“Earlier on, we saw the dance of blood. These people are not Jews and we
have to fight them just like we fight Hamas and Hezbollah,” he
continued
http://www.timesofisrael.com/controversial-bill-on-settlement-funding-signed-into-law/ Israeli settlers flood Palestinians' land with wastewater near Hebron RAMALLAH (WAFA) 23 Dec – Israeli settlers from the illegal
Metarim industrial zone
located to the east of Dahriya, south of Hebron, flooded land which
belongs to Palestinians. Bahjat Jabarin, Project and Proposal Manager of
Environmental Quality Authority in Hebron, said the illegal settlement
of Metarim includes four factories for soap, stone cutting, mineral oils
and aluminum.
In the last two days, settlers intentionally
discharged a huge amount of wastewater produced in these factories onto
farmers’ lands, which Palestinians use for agricultural purposes, said
Jabarin. He added that the settlement directorate took over dozens of
acres of the land and planted solar cells in the area.
Khirbet Zanuta,
which was flooded with wastewater, is rich with archaeological sites
and is inhabited by 30 families living in caves and tents. The families
make their living through raising animals and agriculture. The
inhabitants of this area suffer from the constant risk of displacement
and prosecution by the Israeli army and settlers, in addition to
restricting their access through shutting down the main road leading to
the Khirba. It is located five kilometers east of Dahriya, adjacent to
al-Samu‘ town on the bypass road linking to
Kiryat Arba, Ariel, Shima, and
Tene settlements and the Beersheba crossing.
http://english.wafa.ps/index.php?action=detail&id=30247 Closures / Restrictions on movement Israel reopens Ramallah-area street after months of closure
BETHLEHEM (Ma‘an) 23 Dec -- Israeli forces on Wednesday re-opened
al-Jalazun Street leading to Ramallah after having closed it for months.
Israeli forces reportedly announced that the street was re-opened and
hoped that “calmness would continue in the area.”
http://www.maannews.com/Content.aspx?id=769476 Palestinian refugees - Syria Group: 3 Palestinian refugees killed in Syria fighting
BETHLEHEM (Ma‘an) 26 Dec -- Three Palestinian refugees were killed in
the outskirts of the Syrian capital of Damascus on Friday, said a
Syria-based Palestinian monitoring group. The Workforce for Palestinians
in Syria said in a statement that two Palestinians were killed by
artillery shelling in Khan al-Sheikh refugee camp. The group did not
identify the group responsible for the shelling. The day before, three
others had been killed from the camp after fighter jets from the Syrian
regime dropped four barrel bombs in the area. Syrian military
checkpoints continued closed the main road between Khan al-Sheikh
refugee camp and Damascus, preventing residents access to basic
necessities, the Workplace for Palestinians in Syria group added. The
group said that a third Palestinian, identified as Muhammad Hamid
al-Kafri, was shot dead Friday during clashes taking place outside of
the Yarmouk refugee camp and the Syrian town of Yalda between Syrian
rebels and Islamic State militants. Al-Kafri, a father of two, was
originally from the Palestinian village of Lubia but fled to Syria,
among around 750,000 Palestinians to be displaced in 1948 following the
establishment of Israel, the monitoring group said . . . The group said
that 3084 Palestinian refugees have been killed since the Syrian
conflict began in 2011, including 415 women, and 1022 Palestinians have
been imprisoned including 75 women . . .
Around 100,000 Palestinians
have been among the over four million people to flee Syria. Many of
those who fled have attempted to cross to Europe by both land and sea,
as well as to neighboring countries, despite the denial of rights
granted to other refugees that
decrease chances for Palestinian refugees
to gain access into other countries. The 450,000 Palestinians who have
remained in Syria, meanwhile, have come under repeated attacks and
sieges making it nearly impossible for UNWRA to deliver the population
basic necessities.
http://www.maannews.com/Content.aspx?id=769516 Other news Abbas in Bethlehem for Christmas celebrations despite day of violence
BETHLEHEM (Ma‘an) 25 Dec -- Palestinian president Mahmoud Abbas on
Thursday arrived in Bethlehem as thousands flocked to the holy city for
Christmas celebrations, despite
a day of violence
in the occupied West Bank. The president, as well as Prime Minister
Rami Hamdallah, participated in holiday festivities in Bethlehem’s Old
City before attending a midnight mass at the Church of the Nativity.
Prior to his visit, Abbas in a statement prided [praised] the integral
role of Palestinian Christians in creating a “rich and diverse society”
for hundreds of years, and praised steps taken among the Christian
community internationally in the fight to end Israeli military
occupation. “This year, we witnessed more churches around the world
supporting the call for recognition of the State of Palestine, and an
increasing number of Christian groups campaigning to divest from
companies that profit from the Israeli occupation of our land,” the
president said. Despite sending a message of hope for the "city of
peace," Abbas lamented the violence and ongoing violations by the
Israeli military that tarnished this year’s Christmas season . . . The
president said that in Bethlehem especially -- surrounding by eighteen
illegal settlements and cut off by the separation wall -- Israeli
policies continue to “destroy” the possibility for a two-state solution.
While Bethlehem -- believed to be the birthplace of Jesus Christ -- is
usually massed by tourists during the holiday season, recent violence
across the occupied Palestinian territory
warded off visitors this year,
devastating the livelihoods of local Palestinians who depend on the
influx of religious pilgrims. Celebrations by the Palestinian Christian
community itself were also tamped down, in light of the violence that
has left over 130 Palestinians dead since the beginning of October.
http://www.maannews.com/Content.aspx?id=769507 Photos: Palestinian Christians have got as much Christmas spirit as anyone -- see for yourself World.Mic 24 Dec by Natasha Noman -- Every year, the Palestinian Christian population
celebrates Christmas with gusto,
despite limited resources and mobility restrictions. The birthplace of
Jesus Christ, Palestinian and Israeli territories hold special
significance to adherents of the religion. "For us the King of Peace was
born on this land and in this land there is no peace," one Palestinian
Christian in Bethlehem told a photographer for the
Institute for Middle East Understanding.
"We celebrate the holiday of Christ and we consider him the King of
Peace. We seek him but we are unable to live in peace. How do we
celebrate?" The institute sent photographers to Bethlehem, Nazareth and
the Gaza Strip to see how this oft overlooked Christian population gets
into the spirit. Like visiting the Sa'ed family who live in Bethlehem on
the West Bank, where it's restricted for them from being able to visit
relatives in Palestinian territories like the West Bank or the Gaza.
http://mic.com/articles/131206/palestinian-christians-have-got-as-much-christmas-spirit-as-anyone-see-for-yourself#.FdI3c79AM US State Department rejects lawmakers' calls to close PLO office
WASHINGTON (Reuters) 22 Dec -- The US State Department on Tuesday
rejected calls by 32 congressional lawmakers, including Republican
presidential candidate Ted Cruz, to close the Washington office of the
Palestinian Liberation Organization." In a letter dated December 18, the
lawmakers called on Secretary of State John Kerry to revoke a waiver
that allows the PLO office in Washington to remain open. They argued
that Palestinian leaders encouraged violence against Israelis, including
a wave of knife-wielding attacks in recent months. "The United States
government has an obligation to publicly denounce the PLO's actions and
should immediately revoke its waiver," according to a copy of the letter
posted on Cruz's website. "Allowing the PLO to maintain an office in
Washington, DC provides no benefit to the United States or the peace
process. State Department spokeswoman Elizabeth Trudeau confirmed that
the department had received the letter and said Kerry would respond to
it. "We believe that closing the PLO office would be detrimental to our
ongoing efforts to calm tensions between Israelis and Palestinians,
advance a two-state solution and strengthen the US-Palestinian
partnership," Trudeau told reporters. She said every US administration
since 1994 had used the waiver to keep the PLO office open. "We believe
the PLO has a valid place ... and we'd oppose those efforts" to close
the office, Trudeau said, adding that Kerry had condemned the attacks.
http://www.ynetnews.com/articles/0,7340,L-4743094,00.html UN adopts resolution on Palestinian sovereignty over natural resources
JERUSALEM (Ma‘an) -- The United Nations General Assembly on Tuesday
adopted a resolution demanding Palestinian sovereignty over natural
resources under Israeli occupation. The draft solution, “Permanent
sovereignty of the Palestinian people in the Occupied Palestinian
Territory, including East Jerusalem, and of the Arab population in the
occupied Syrian Golan over their natural resources,” was adopted with
164 votes in favor and five against. Member states that voted against
the measure included Canada, Federated States of Micronesia, Israel,
Marshall Islands, and the United States. Ten other states abstained from
the vote. The resolution is the latest to be adopted through ongoing
efforts by Palestinian leadership to take measures against Israel in the
international arena following decades of failed peace talks. The
adopted resolution demands that Israel cease the exploitation, damage,
cause of loss or depletion and endangerment of Palestinian natural
resources, and recognize the right of Palestinians under military
occupation to claim restitution. . . .
http://www.maannews.com/Content.aspx?id=769475 Video: Dr. Tibi's response to racist anti-Christian statement by Gopstein
IMEMC 23 Dec -- This video is from a speech made by Arab Member of
Knesset, Dr. Ahmad Tibi, head of the Arab Movement for Change, who
denounced recent racist statements of the leader of the right-wing
group, Lehava, who called for the expulsion of non-Jews from Israel, and
described the Christians as “bloodsucking vampires”.
Translated to English from Arabic by Saed Bannoura: “Members
of Knesset, approximately two hours ago, my comrades Ayman Odeh, Osama
Sa‘adi and myself visited the village of Beitello, northeast of
Ramallah, where at night, a terrorist of the Price Tag Israeli group
broke a window of a Palestinian home, about one after midnight, and
hurled gas bombs into the building, where Hussein Najjar, his wife and
child were sleeping. The question is how come gangs of Price Tag groups
feel free to attack, to write racist graffiti such as ‘greetings from
the detainees of Zion’. Why do they feel they can freely move around,
invade Palestinian towns, and carry out ugly crimes, to kill and to burn
entire Palestinian families? I link all of this to what am reading and
seeing today regarding Benzi Gopstein, the horrible things he said
against the Christians, against the Muslims", Tibi said. “He said the
Christians are bloodsucking vampires that must be expelled. “Expelled
from where? From their Homeland? From their land? From their homes?”
Tibi went on to say, “Isn’t it enough you expelled the Christians from
Eqreth and Birim village, as well as so many other towns? And, then, you
attack Muslims too. What we are talking about, here, is the highlight
of the Israeli racism. . . .
http://www.imemc.org/article/74329 Bethlehem suffers as the world stays away from the birthplace of Christmas
BETHLEHEM 24 Dec by Peter Beaumont -- Outside the Jacir Palace –
Bethlehem’s most luxurious hotel – the pavement stinks of skunk water,
the foul-smelling substance used by Israel’s security forces to quell
disturbances. Elsewhere, spent teargas canisters and foam-tipped bullets
are swept into a sooty drift in the gutter. Close to the looming
Israeli separation wall and a watchtower, the street outside the Jacir
sees regular clashes between Palestinians and Israeli troops. They are
so regular that when the teargas billows, guests must enter through a
side door. Inside the Jacir, the lobby is empty. The hotel should be
full at this time of year but even in the middle of Bethlehem’s high
season it has barely 50% occupancy. Johnny Kattan, one of the managers,
leads the way down to the ballroom, usually at the centre of the Jacir’s
festivities. In a normal year this room, complete with Christmas tree,
would host a gala dinner for 350 people. But this year isn’t normal. The
dinner has been cancelled and the hotel’s famous bar has been closed.
Kattan blames a perfect storm of circumstances for the town’s woes.
“After the Paris attacks, Europe stood up as one and decided it wasn’t
coming [to the Middle East],” he says. “We also used to get a lot of
people from eastern Europe who come via Turkey and visit here, but not
after the Russian plane [downed over the Sinai desert in Egypt in
October]. Then there is the situation here …” Kattan is referring to
what Palestinians are calling now a
haba shaabiya – or popular
uprising – which in the past three months has seen 126 Palestinians and
19 Israelis killed. Five of the Palestinians were from the Bethlehem
area.
http://www.theguardian.com/world/2015/dec/24/bethlehem-suffers-christmas-tourism-clashes-palestine-israel Is religion an obstacle to Israeli-Palestinian peace? +(72 Mag 25 Dec by Noam Sheizaf --
Pew publishes surprising new data on religion in Israel, Palestine and the region --
We often hear that Israelis and Palestinians are more religious than
other national groups, or at the very least are becoming more religious.
This, they claim, makes any solution to the conflict more difficult to
reach. A new
Pew Research Center report
reveals some rather surprising results vis-a-vis religion in Israel and
Palestine. Thirty-four percent of Israelis said that religion is “very
important” in their lives, placing them at the top of the bottom
one-third of countries listed, and -- unsurprisingly -- the lowest in
the Middle East. Meanwhile, 74 percent of Palestinians said that
religion is very important in their lives. On the face of it, this is a
very high statistic, but the poll also finds that there is an inverse
correlation between wealth and religiosity [with notable exceptions like
the US and China]. Put simply, people in poorer nations tend to place
more importance on religion than those in wealthier nations, and
Palestinians are significantly poorer than Israelis. [See charts]
http://972mag.com/is-religion-an-obstacle-to-israeli-palestinian-peace/115148/ Siraj Center: Tourism for true rapprochement between peoples Siraj Center 24 Dec -- The Siraj Center makes up the Alternative Travel Department of
The Palestinian Centre for Rapprochement between People
(PCR). The Siraj Center is a nonprofit tour operator, and is licensed
by the Palestinian Ministry of Tourism and Antiquities. The goal is to
bridge the gaps between Palestinians and people from all around the
world, having them experience the authenticity of Palestinian heritage,
culture and hospitality. Being part of a non-profit organization, Siraj
Center strives to serve the rural community through its alternative
programs, such as walking, hiking, biking, homestay, interfaith,
twinning of cities, youth programs and non-formal educational programs
for educational institutions such as Harvard University, Boston College,
Illinois University, Leeds University, Swarthmore College, Westtown
High School, etc. In addition, trainings and workshops have been held
for rural families to gain better skills and knowledge about hosting
visitors in their homes. Siraj is one of the main partners of the
Abraham Path in Palestine (
www.masaribrahim.ps)
– a long distance walking trail retracing the footsteps of Abraham.
Siraj has been successfully empowering local communities socially and
economically through the cultural walking route that traverses unspoiled
rural Palestine, and that highlights the history, heritage,
biodiversity, and landscape of this area . . . Siraj welcomes visitors
from all around the world to come to Palestine. For more information,
please visit
www.sirajcenter.org or contact
info@sirajcenter.org.
http://www.imemc.org/article/74347 Two Israeli Arabs suspected of attempting to join ISIS, planning attack on soldiers
Haaretz 25 Dec by Noa Shpigel & Gili Cohen -- Two cousins from
northern Israel were indicted Thursday for seeking to join the Islamic
State group in Syria and then planning an attack on IDF soldiers in
Israel. The Shin Bet security service says both have confessed. Ahmed
Talal Sa’ida, 20, of Umm al-Ghanam and Mohammed Omar Bader Hassan, 23,
of Reineh followed the Islamic State on Facebook for about a year,
according to the indictment filed in the Nazareth District Court. They
watched videos produced by the group that demonstrated how to use
weapons and how to behead someone with a sword. They also viewed clips
on the Islamic State group’s battles in Syria. They then decided to go
to Syria to join the group. To this end, they sought help from two
people – a former resident of Nazareth who had already gone to Syria to
fight for ISIS and a Syrian. In May, the cousins went to Turkey to
attempt to cross the border. After landing, they met with an Islamic
State smuggler who was supposed to get them over the border into Syria.
But due to insistent pleading by their families, they eventually changed
their minds and returned to Israel in June. But even after returning,
Hassan remained in contact with an Islamic State operative in Iraq. In
early November, the cousins met at Sa’ida’s workplace in Daburiyya and
discussed an attack they planned against Israeli soldiers at Golani
Junction. Sa’ida then contacted Saher Sa’ida of Umm al-Ghanam and asked
for help in buying a gun, “saying he wanted to prepare for Judgment Day,
when the Islamic State would arrive in Israel,” the indictment stated.
http://www.haaretz.com/israel-news/.premium-1.693628 ISIS leader warns Israel: We're coming
Ynet 26 Dec by Roi Kais -- ISIS leader Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi threatened
Israel in an audio recording released on Saturday. "The Jews thought we
forgot Palestine and that they had distracted us from it," says
al-Baghdadi in the recording. "Not at all, Jews. We did not forget
Palestine for a moment. With the help of Allah, we will not forget it…
The pioneers of the jihadist fighters will surround you on a day that
you think is distant and we know is close. We are getting closer every
day."
http://www.ynetnews.com/articles/0,7340,L-4744423,00.html Religious ultranationalist Zionists have taken over Israel / Gideon Levy Haaretz 23 Dec --
First they built the settlements, then they killed off the two-state
solution, now they are free to turn to their next target -- We can
already announce the winner. Religious ultranationalism, which hides
behind the worn-out name “religious Zionism,” has won, big time. With
the appointment of the new police commissioner, head of the Mossad and
the expected appointment of the attorney general, each belonging to
their camp, they have captured additional outposts of decisive power.
Now the entire top leadership of the legal system (the state prosecutor
and Tel Aviv district prosecutor are theirs too) and part of the defense
establishment is in their hands. The inroads into the media have
already been made. A religious IDF chief of staff, president of the
Supreme Court and prime minister are only a matter of time. Everything
seems coincidental, as the pieces of the puzzle are being filled in. It
is packed with yeshiva graduates, wearing a kippa or not, and with a
deep, resilient common denominator, despite their differences. With
victory comes the taste for more: Arrogance and the intoxication of
power grow stronger. Yoaz Hendel, one of theirs, even without a kippa,
laid out the new boundaries of this sector: “The secular Tel Avivian has
become irrelevant,” he said, as reported in Yedioth Ahronoth on Friday.
“The entire struggle between liberals and conservatives in Israeli
society is being conducted today within religious Zionism. This is the
new elite, and it is no longer interested in compromises.” Hendel is
right. His shocking, outrageous words are rooted in the ground of
reality. We must recognize it
. . . With negligible
contributions to society, the economy, culture, science, literature and
art; with a common denominator based mostly on messianic, religious,
racist beliefs and a hatred of the other, especially the Arab; with a
fictitious love of the land, isolation from the world and a folkloric
religion, all wrapped in gooey kitsch; without practical vision; with a
hollow spiritual leadership that bases its power on incitement to hatred
and approval of bloodshed; at the focal points of violence and breeding
grounds of corruption, and with insufferable arrogance this movement
has exploited the vacuum, the horrible apathy that has spread in secular
society, and climbed its way up to the high reaches of power
. . . . http://www.haaretz.com/opinion/.premium-1.693496
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