9 dec 2018
Evangelical Christian groups have invested up to $65 million in projects in the “Biblical Heartland” over the past decade, however, that doesn’t include services they provide free of charge, such as volunteer laborers, according to a Haaretz investigation.
Haaretz news outlet reported that about 1,700 volunteers were sent by Christian Evangelical groups to the illegal Israeli settlement of Har Brakha, south of the northern occupied West Bank district of Nablus.
Sources pointed out that the Israeli Ministry of Strategic Affairs allocated $16,000 annually to one of the evangelical associations for the production of media campaigns for Israel and settlements abroad.
Haaretz news outlet reported that about 1,700 volunteers were sent by Christian Evangelical groups to the illegal Israeli settlement of Har Brakha, south of the northern occupied West Bank district of Nablus.
Sources pointed out that the Israeli Ministry of Strategic Affairs allocated $16,000 annually to one of the evangelical associations for the production of media campaigns for Israel and settlements abroad.
A large part of the church land behind al-Ein Mosque in Silwan district sustained considerable collapse after heavy rain, pouring for the second day, unveiled a network of Israeli tunnels beneath Palestinian homes and buildings in the area. video
Spokesman for the Silwan land defense committee Fakhri Abu Diyab told a reporter for the Palestinian Information Center (PIC) that “one of the benefits of rainfall is that it exposes the network of tunnels, which were dug by settler groups under Silwan real estate, homes and streets.”
According to Abu Diyab, most of the houses in the area has become suspended in the air and threatened with collapse after soil and rocks were withdrawn from under their foundations.
He pointed to the presence of widespread fractures in the walls of many houses as a result of Israeli underground diggings and tunnels.
The official urged the concerned international organizations to intervene to protect the lives of the local residents, affirming that the Israeli municipal authority refuses to make repairs to the homes suffering from cracks and also prevents the owners from renovating their homes.
Spokesman for the Silwan land defense committee Fakhri Abu Diyab told a reporter for the Palestinian Information Center (PIC) that “one of the benefits of rainfall is that it exposes the network of tunnels, which were dug by settler groups under Silwan real estate, homes and streets.”
According to Abu Diyab, most of the houses in the area has become suspended in the air and threatened with collapse after soil and rocks were withdrawn from under their foundations.
He pointed to the presence of widespread fractures in the walls of many houses as a result of Israeli underground diggings and tunnels.
The official urged the concerned international organizations to intervene to protect the lives of the local residents, affirming that the Israeli municipal authority refuses to make repairs to the homes suffering from cracks and also prevents the owners from renovating their homes.
29 nov 2018
The Latin Patriarchate of Jerusalem objected, on Wednesday, the Israeli appropriation of church land in the northern Jordan Valley.
It said, in a statement, that it had received a copy of the appropriation of several dunams of land belonging to the Patriarchate in the northern Jordan Valley.
“The Patriarchate is looking into the aspects of this decision in order to address it in the appropriate manner, have it contested and to stop further damage,” it said, according to WAFA correspondence.
The Islamic Christian Council said, in a statement, that Israeli military authorities seized 267 dunams (one dunam = 1,000 square meters) of church land in the villages of Bardala and Tayasir, in the Tubas governorate of the northern Jordan Valley.
The Council also said that Israel claimed the seizure was for military purposes, in order to turn it into an army camp, which the Council contends to be a “blatant violation of humanitarian law.”
It said, in a statement, that it had received a copy of the appropriation of several dunams of land belonging to the Patriarchate in the northern Jordan Valley.
“The Patriarchate is looking into the aspects of this decision in order to address it in the appropriate manner, have it contested and to stop further damage,” it said, according to WAFA correspondence.
The Islamic Christian Council said, in a statement, that Israeli military authorities seized 267 dunams (one dunam = 1,000 square meters) of church land in the villages of Bardala and Tayasir, in the Tubas governorate of the northern Jordan Valley.
The Council also said that Israel claimed the seizure was for military purposes, in order to turn it into an army camp, which the Council contends to be a “blatant violation of humanitarian law.”
27 nov 2018
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Israeli authorities decided to seize hundreds of dunams of Palestinian land, which belongs to the Catholic Church, in an area in the northern Jordan Valley, on Tuesday.
Mutaz Bisharat, a Palestinian official in charge of Jordan Valley's Israeli settlements file at the Palestinian Authority (PA), told Ma’an that Israeli authorities have issued a decision to seize 267 dunams (66 acres) of land belonging to the Catholic Church. Bisharat mentioned that the land in question is located across of an Israeli military camp. Bisharat added that the decision to seize the land represents a real threat against a number of Palestinian families that live in the surrounding areas, particularly if Israeli authorities force the families to be evacuated from their lands under the pretext of "security reasons." |
Bisharat noted that this strategy seeks to control the land and expand illegal Israeli settlements across the Jordan Valley.
Forming a third of the occupied West Bank and with 88 percent of its land classified as Area C, the Jordan Valley has long been a strategic area of land unlikely to return to Palestinians following Israel's occupation in 1967.
The unpredictability of the training drills leaves rural Palestinian communities in the Jordan Valley anxious about when they will be displaced, and whether the next time will be permanent.
Palestinians in the Jordan Valley are one of the most vulnerable groups to displacement, with over 60 percent of the 6,000 Palestinians forcibly displaced since 2008 belonged to herding or Bedouin communities, according to the Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA).
Forming a third of the occupied West Bank and with 88 percent of its land classified as Area C, the Jordan Valley has long been a strategic area of land unlikely to return to Palestinians following Israel's occupation in 1967.
The unpredictability of the training drills leaves rural Palestinian communities in the Jordan Valley anxious about when they will be displaced, and whether the next time will be permanent.
Palestinians in the Jordan Valley are one of the most vulnerable groups to displacement, with over 60 percent of the 6,000 Palestinians forcibly displaced since 2008 belonged to herding or Bedouin communities, according to the Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA).
25 nov 2018
Yinon Reuveni, who is serving 5.5-year prison sentence for setting fire to the Church of Loaves and Fishes in 2015, expresses remorse for his actions in an effort to ease his conditions; 'I understand the many mistakes I made along the way,' he writes.
Yinon Reuveni, who is serving a 5.5-year sentence in prison for setting fire to the Church of Loaves and Fishes in 2015, has made an unusual confession and expressed remorse for his crime in an effort to ease his conditions.
The Jewish settler was initially sentenced to four years in prison. He appealed the ruling to the High Court of Justice, which decided to increase his sentence to five-and-a-half years.
Reuveni wrote a letter two months ago, which has only just come to light, expressing remorse. "The years that have passed gave me a lot of time to think, and today I'm in a different place," Reuveni wrote.
"I understand the many mistakes I made along the way, I understand I was with the wrong company, I understand I was pushing the boundaries of the gray area, including by breaking administrative orders," he continued. "Today I see things differently than when I was a teenager, I know reality is more complex and life is not black and white. I caused suffering to my parents, my family, and those around me, and mostly I did a disservice to myself."
A year ago, Reuveni got married in prison at a small wedding that included only first-degree relatives. Since then, he has been asking the Israel Prison Service (IPS) to ease his strict imprisonment conditions so he could have a relationship with his wife.
"There are a lot of examples of Hilltop Youth who were in one place and, after having started a family, are now in a different place," Reuveni wrote, referring to extremist right-wing settler youth who live in illegal outposts. "They became productive members of society, and that is exactly what I want to be. I love the state and the people. I got here because I didn't think enough. Today I still love this country and want to be loyal to the homeland and follow the laws of the State of Israel."
Reuveni was also questioned in connection with the Duma arson affair and the murder of the Dawabsheh family, and on suspicions of additional Jewish terror offenses. He was one of the top targets of the Shin Bet's Jewish Division.
Reuveni was, until recently, both a prisoner and a detainee. His legal status changed after the district court ordered to release him from detainment as part of a price tag case against him, and now he remains only a prisoner. Reuveni and his family hope the change in legal status would mean a change in his conditions.
"Now his legal status is similar to that of many other Jewish security prisoners who are imprisoned in religious wings and are allowed phone calls and visits from their families," one of Reuveni's relatives explained. "There's no reason Yinon can't have the same conditions. We hope the cruelty towards him ends. He got married, he wants to start a new life, to be rehabilitated and start a family. There's no reason why he shouldn't be allowed that."
The Church of Loaves and Fishes, which is run by the Order of Saint Benedict, is considered one of the most important churches in Israel. Christians believe the church is built on the site where Jesus performed the Miracle of the Multiplication of the Loaves and the Fishes. It is a traditional site of pilgrimage in the Holy Land.
In June 2015, Reuveni and several others torched the church, causing extensive damage to two rooms and the structure's exterior. Reuveni also defaced the limestone wall with red paint denouncing the worship of idols.
Yinon Reuveni, who is serving a 5.5-year sentence in prison for setting fire to the Church of Loaves and Fishes in 2015, has made an unusual confession and expressed remorse for his crime in an effort to ease his conditions.
The Jewish settler was initially sentenced to four years in prison. He appealed the ruling to the High Court of Justice, which decided to increase his sentence to five-and-a-half years.
Reuveni wrote a letter two months ago, which has only just come to light, expressing remorse. "The years that have passed gave me a lot of time to think, and today I'm in a different place," Reuveni wrote.
"I understand the many mistakes I made along the way, I understand I was with the wrong company, I understand I was pushing the boundaries of the gray area, including by breaking administrative orders," he continued. "Today I see things differently than when I was a teenager, I know reality is more complex and life is not black and white. I caused suffering to my parents, my family, and those around me, and mostly I did a disservice to myself."
A year ago, Reuveni got married in prison at a small wedding that included only first-degree relatives. Since then, he has been asking the Israel Prison Service (IPS) to ease his strict imprisonment conditions so he could have a relationship with his wife.
"There are a lot of examples of Hilltop Youth who were in one place and, after having started a family, are now in a different place," Reuveni wrote, referring to extremist right-wing settler youth who live in illegal outposts. "They became productive members of society, and that is exactly what I want to be. I love the state and the people. I got here because I didn't think enough. Today I still love this country and want to be loyal to the homeland and follow the laws of the State of Israel."
Reuveni was also questioned in connection with the Duma arson affair and the murder of the Dawabsheh family, and on suspicions of additional Jewish terror offenses. He was one of the top targets of the Shin Bet's Jewish Division.
Reuveni was, until recently, both a prisoner and a detainee. His legal status changed after the district court ordered to release him from detainment as part of a price tag case against him, and now he remains only a prisoner. Reuveni and his family hope the change in legal status would mean a change in his conditions.
"Now his legal status is similar to that of many other Jewish security prisoners who are imprisoned in religious wings and are allowed phone calls and visits from their families," one of Reuveni's relatives explained. "There's no reason Yinon can't have the same conditions. We hope the cruelty towards him ends. He got married, he wants to start a new life, to be rehabilitated and start a family. There's no reason why he shouldn't be allowed that."
The Church of Loaves and Fishes, which is run by the Order of Saint Benedict, is considered one of the most important churches in Israel. Christians believe the church is built on the site where Jesus performed the Miracle of the Multiplication of the Loaves and the Fishes. It is a traditional site of pilgrimage in the Holy Land.
In June 2015, Reuveni and several others torched the church, causing extensive damage to two rooms and the structure's exterior. Reuveni also defaced the limestone wall with red paint denouncing the worship of idols.
Preparing the Christmas tree in Bethlehem’s Manger Square, outside the Church of Nativity, where Jesus Christ is believed to have been born.
Preparations are underway, by the City of Bethlehem, to celebrate Christmas 2018, according to Palestinian officials.
Fadi Ghattas, head of the municipality’s media department, said the city has started to erect and decorate the 17.5 meters high Christmas tree, as well as Manger Square and the streets and neighborhoods nearby.
He told WAFA that preparations started a few days ago to get the city of Bethlehem ready, particularly Manger Square and the area around the Church of Nativity, by placing the Christmas tree in Manger Square and decorating the streets.
He pointed out that official celebrations will begin in conjunction with the holding of the traditional annual press conference on Thursday ,at the Peace Center in Manger Square, followed by the lighting of the Christmas tree on December 1, in the presence of Prime Minister Rami Hamdallah and at least 12,000 citizens, guests and visitors, including 400 European figures representing cities that have twinned with the City of Bethlehem.
On Sunday, December 2nd, the annual Christmas market, with 40 kiosks selling all kinds of holiday items, will be inaugurated at Nativity Square
A Santa village will also be set up in the Nativity Square for one week, for the children and the families.
Preparations are underway, by the City of Bethlehem, to celebrate Christmas 2018, according to Palestinian officials.
Fadi Ghattas, head of the municipality’s media department, said the city has started to erect and decorate the 17.5 meters high Christmas tree, as well as Manger Square and the streets and neighborhoods nearby.
He told WAFA that preparations started a few days ago to get the city of Bethlehem ready, particularly Manger Square and the area around the Church of Nativity, by placing the Christmas tree in Manger Square and decorating the streets.
He pointed out that official celebrations will begin in conjunction with the holding of the traditional annual press conference on Thursday ,at the Peace Center in Manger Square, followed by the lighting of the Christmas tree on December 1, in the presence of Prime Minister Rami Hamdallah and at least 12,000 citizens, guests and visitors, including 400 European figures representing cities that have twinned with the City of Bethlehem.
On Sunday, December 2nd, the annual Christmas market, with 40 kiosks selling all kinds of holiday items, will be inaugurated at Nativity Square
A Santa village will also be set up in the Nativity Square for one week, for the children and the families.
25 oct 2018
Churches in Jerusalem denounced, on Wednesday, Israeli police conduct with Coptic monks, demanding to hold accountable police officers involved in using force against the monks, according to a press release.
Contacts were held since the morning with many local, regional and international entities on the incident involving misconduct by Israeli policemen towards Christian Coptic monks who were holding a protest near the Church of the Holy Sepulcher at the Old City of Jerusalem, said the press release, according to WAFA.
“Photos and video clips published since the morning speak for themselves about the force used by some police officers against a number of monks, which we strongly condemn and denounce, especially as the monks demonstrated peacefully and did not assault anyone. We particularly deplore the manner in which the monk Makarios of Jerusalem was arrested.”
It said that, in the last few hours, several consultations were held with a number of church leaders on how to deal with this grave incident.
The Orthodox Coptic Patriarchate filed an official complaint with the police investigation department in the Israeli Ministry of Justice and plans to hold another protest in the next few days in protest against police conduct.
“While we condemn the actions of the police officers towards Coptic monks, we demand that Israeli authorities to hold accountable the mentioned police officers, and respect the basic rights of the people for freedom of expression and demonstration,” concluded the press release.
Contacts were held since the morning with many local, regional and international entities on the incident involving misconduct by Israeli policemen towards Christian Coptic monks who were holding a protest near the Church of the Holy Sepulcher at the Old City of Jerusalem, said the press release, according to WAFA.
“Photos and video clips published since the morning speak for themselves about the force used by some police officers against a number of monks, which we strongly condemn and denounce, especially as the monks demonstrated peacefully and did not assault anyone. We particularly deplore the manner in which the monk Makarios of Jerusalem was arrested.”
It said that, in the last few hours, several consultations were held with a number of church leaders on how to deal with this grave incident.
The Orthodox Coptic Patriarchate filed an official complaint with the police investigation department in the Israeli Ministry of Justice and plans to hold another protest in the next few days in protest against police conduct.
“While we condemn the actions of the police officers towards Coptic monks, we demand that Israeli authorities to hold accountable the mentioned police officers, and respect the basic rights of the people for freedom of expression and demonstration,” concluded the press release.
24 oct 2018
Eyewitnesses said the Israeli soldiers and police officers surrounded the protesting priests, before assaulting and pushing them with excessive use of force, causing several injuries.
They added that the police forcibly removed the priests, and abducted one of them, before allowing the City Council workers into the holy site.
They added that the police forcibly removed the priests, and abducted one of them, before allowing the City Council workers into the holy site.
18 oct 2018
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Ha’aretz Israeli newspaper, on Thursday, reported that about 30 graves were vandalized two weeks ago, in the cemetery of Beit Jmal monastery, near Jerusalem.
The monastery monks discovered the destruction of the tombs yesterday, saying the concrete crosses on the graves were taken down. The old cemetery is located about half a kilometer from the monastery building, so people do not visit it often. After the monks discovered the vandalism, monastery officials filed a complaint with Israeli police. In an interview with Haaretz, Father Antonio Scududo estimated that this work took time, effort and even the use of tools, because all the crosses were cast concrete. “I do not know who did it, as it seems,” he said. For its part, the Christian Islamic Commission for the support of Jerusalem and holy sites today condemned the attack on the cemetery of the |
monastery, desecration of the sanctity of graves and religious symbols inside the cemetery, and breaking the tombstones and the number of 27 crucifix concrete.
Secretary-General of the Commission, Dr. Hanna Issa, the occupation authorities responsible for providing protection for religious places and places of worship, calling for the need to stop the aggression on sanctities and places of worship and respect for all religions.
PNN notes that the monastery was subjected to previous years of numerous attacks by settlers and attempts to burn and a line of racist slogans in Hebrew on the walls.
Where the monastery was subjected to a similar attack on September 27, 1981, and the monastery was desecrated in March 2014 when anti-Christian slogans were written on its walls and another attack on 9/1/2016, breaking dozens of crosses in the cemetery.
Secretary-General of the Commission, Dr. Hanna Issa, the occupation authorities responsible for providing protection for religious places and places of worship, calling for the need to stop the aggression on sanctities and places of worship and respect for all religions.
PNN notes that the monastery was subjected to previous years of numerous attacks by settlers and attempts to burn and a line of racist slogans in Hebrew on the walls.
Where the monastery was subjected to a similar attack on September 27, 1981, and the monastery was desecrated in March 2014 when anti-Christian slogans were written on its walls and another attack on 9/1/2016, breaking dozens of crosses in the cemetery.