18 jan 2016
Israeli soldiers invaded, late on Sunday at night, the Kharbtha al-Misbah village, west of the central West Bank city of Ramallah, and demolished a small room and a garage.
Local sources said several military vehicles, and army bulldozers, invaded the village before destroying a garage for trucks, owned by resident Jamal Ahmad Darraj.
The soldiers also demolished a room, of a home belonging to Hamdi Mousa Abu Ekhlayyel.
In addition, the army destroyed property in a brick factory owned by Ahmad al-Habeeba.
The Israeli military claims the demolished properties were built without construction permits from the Israeli Authorities.
Local sources said several military vehicles, and army bulldozers, invaded the village before destroying a garage for trucks, owned by resident Jamal Ahmad Darraj.
The soldiers also demolished a room, of a home belonging to Hamdi Mousa Abu Ekhlayyel.
In addition, the army destroyed property in a brick factory owned by Ahmad al-Habeeba.
The Israeli military claims the demolished properties were built without construction permits from the Israeli Authorities.
The Israeli Occupation Forces (IOF) stormed Monday morning al-Fundaq town, east of Qalqilia, and demolished a number of Palestinian facilities.
Local sources told the PIC reporter that Israeli forces escorted a military bulldozer and closed the main road leading to Qalqilia city before demolishing a number of local facilities and shops.
Israeli occupation authorities have earlier barred Palestinian construction in al-Fundaq town, near Emmanuel illegal settlement, under the pretext of being located in Israeli-controlled Area C.
Local sources told the PIC reporter that Israeli forces escorted a military bulldozer and closed the main road leading to Qalqilia city before demolishing a number of local facilities and shops.
Israeli occupation authorities have earlier barred Palestinian construction in al-Fundaq town, near Emmanuel illegal settlement, under the pretext of being located in Israeli-controlled Area C.
15 jan 2016
The Israeli occupation authority (IOA) has decided to put more restrictions on the travel of Gaza-bound cargo trucks on the roads used by Jewish settlers during rush hour.
According to Yedioth Ahronoth newspaper on Thursday, Israeli minister of transportation Yisrael Katz has issued a verdict preventing all trucks carrying shipments for Gaza from using all roads to Karam Abu Salem crossing.
The Israeli minister claimed the measure was aimed at protecting the safety of Israelis who use the roads heavily during certain times.
Consequently, hundreds of trucks loaded with building materials as well as food and fuel shipments would find a hard time to reach Gaza.
According to the Israeli decision, only Gaza-bound trucks will not be able to travel to Karam Abu Salem from seven to nine o'clock in the morning and from three to five in the afternoon.
However, the decision excluded all cargo trucks which carry goods for areas other than Gaza as well as the Israeli heavy military vehicles traveling on the same roads.
According to Yedioth Ahronoth newspaper on Thursday, Israeli minister of transportation Yisrael Katz has issued a verdict preventing all trucks carrying shipments for Gaza from using all roads to Karam Abu Salem crossing.
The Israeli minister claimed the measure was aimed at protecting the safety of Israelis who use the roads heavily during certain times.
Consequently, hundreds of trucks loaded with building materials as well as food and fuel shipments would find a hard time to reach Gaza.
According to the Israeli decision, only Gaza-bound trucks will not be able to travel to Karam Abu Salem from seven to nine o'clock in the morning and from three to five in the afternoon.
However, the decision excluded all cargo trucks which carry goods for areas other than Gaza as well as the Israeli heavy military vehicles traveling on the same roads.
The European Union is considering demanding compensation from Israel for its demolition of civilian buildings donated by the EU to Palestinians in the West Bank as part of its humanitarian aid, Haaretz reported Thursday.
“We know that the EU is considering demanding compensation from Israel for the destruction of projects with European funding, and everything related to accusing Israel of violating humanitarian law on the matter,” the head of the Foreign Ministry’s European Organizations department, Avivit Bar Ilan, told the Knesset Foreign Affairs and Defense Committee.
According to Haaretz, Bar Ilan refused to elaborate on the dialogue between the EU and the Foreign Ministry on the matter during the session because the committee meeting was not in-camera.
MK Moti Yogev, who chaired the meeting, noted that the committee had been told in a previous session that EU nations were spending 110 million Euros on such projects. The committee was shown a film shot from the air of mobile homes and portable toilets outside of Ma’aleh Adumim, in the E-1 corridor linking the illegal settlement and Occupied Jerusalem, reportedly built with EU funds.
Bar Ilan presented the official Israeli position on the matter. “Illegal construction must be demolished," he claimed. "Israel does not accept the EU’s interpretation concerning humanitarian aid.”
The deputy head of Israel’s Civil Administration, Uri Mendes, told the committee that 974 structures were built in the E-1 area during 2014, of which 408 were demolished.
“Everywhere, when the possibility exists, demolitions are carried out,” said Mendes.
The EU and international aid organizations have dedicated a large amount of their activities to humanitarian and diplomatic efforts in Area C in recent years. They say that Israeli restrictions on connecting Palestinian communities to water, electricity, and transportation infrastructures are contradictory to Israel’s responsibility as an occupying power.
The Israeli plan to force the Palestinian native residents out of the area and settle them in other communities, as well as to destroy various communities in the southern occupied West Bank and in firing ranges, is described by the EU as a “transfer of population and forced expulsion,” which are banned under international law.
“We know that the EU is considering demanding compensation from Israel for the destruction of projects with European funding, and everything related to accusing Israel of violating humanitarian law on the matter,” the head of the Foreign Ministry’s European Organizations department, Avivit Bar Ilan, told the Knesset Foreign Affairs and Defense Committee.
According to Haaretz, Bar Ilan refused to elaborate on the dialogue between the EU and the Foreign Ministry on the matter during the session because the committee meeting was not in-camera.
MK Moti Yogev, who chaired the meeting, noted that the committee had been told in a previous session that EU nations were spending 110 million Euros on such projects. The committee was shown a film shot from the air of mobile homes and portable toilets outside of Ma’aleh Adumim, in the E-1 corridor linking the illegal settlement and Occupied Jerusalem, reportedly built with EU funds.
Bar Ilan presented the official Israeli position on the matter. “Illegal construction must be demolished," he claimed. "Israel does not accept the EU’s interpretation concerning humanitarian aid.”
The deputy head of Israel’s Civil Administration, Uri Mendes, told the committee that 974 structures were built in the E-1 area during 2014, of which 408 were demolished.
“Everywhere, when the possibility exists, demolitions are carried out,” said Mendes.
The EU and international aid organizations have dedicated a large amount of their activities to humanitarian and diplomatic efforts in Area C in recent years. They say that Israeli restrictions on connecting Palestinian communities to water, electricity, and transportation infrastructures are contradictory to Israel’s responsibility as an occupying power.
The Israeli plan to force the Palestinian native residents out of the area and settle them in other communities, as well as to destroy various communities in the southern occupied West Bank and in firing ranges, is described by the EU as a “transfer of population and forced expulsion,” which are banned under international law.
14 jan 2016
The Israeli occupation forces (IOF) razed on Thursday morning, a number of agricultural facilites in the town of Irza in the northern Jordan Valley, funded by European institutions.
Local sources told the PIC reporter that the IOF demolished four agricultural greenhouses in the Ainoun area of Irza under the pretext of being built without permit.
The IOF also demolished water well donated by the Italian Church for the delivery of water to the citizens that has been built with the approval of the Israeli occupation authorities (IOA).
Activist Mohammed Abu Mohsen, a citizen in the region, told the PIC reporter that the IOA does not recognize Khirbet Irza and describes it as an unrecognized gathering that must be removed. The IOA turned the hamlet into a closed military area planted with landmines which led to the death of a big number of Bedouins living in the area.
He pointed out that the IOF had previously carried out many demolition operations in the area, including the demolition of a large number of houses and barns which resulted in the displacement of a large number of the population, even the sole mosque in the hamlet was repeatedly destroyed.
Khirbet Irza is located 10 km east of Tubas in the plains of Bokayaa, and is inhabited by nearly 12 families (100 individuals), those who remained of its original inhabitants who were previously counted in hundreds and who used to work on farming their agricultural lands estimated at 25 thousand dunums.
Local sources told the PIC reporter that the IOF demolished four agricultural greenhouses in the Ainoun area of Irza under the pretext of being built without permit.
The IOF also demolished water well donated by the Italian Church for the delivery of water to the citizens that has been built with the approval of the Israeli occupation authorities (IOA).
Activist Mohammed Abu Mohsen, a citizen in the region, told the PIC reporter that the IOA does not recognize Khirbet Irza and describes it as an unrecognized gathering that must be removed. The IOA turned the hamlet into a closed military area planted with landmines which led to the death of a big number of Bedouins living in the area.
He pointed out that the IOF had previously carried out many demolition operations in the area, including the demolition of a large number of houses and barns which resulted in the displacement of a large number of the population, even the sole mosque in the hamlet was repeatedly destroyed.
Khirbet Irza is located 10 km east of Tubas in the plains of Bokayaa, and is inhabited by nearly 12 families (100 individuals), those who remained of its original inhabitants who were previously counted in hundreds and who used to work on farming their agricultural lands estimated at 25 thousand dunums.
13 jan 2016
Israeli Occupation Forces (IOF) Wednesday morning razed a plant nursery in al-Sawiya village to the south of Nablus city in the northern West Bank.
Local sources told the PIC reporter that Israeli bulldozers razed the nursery that belongs to the Palestinian Fahd Odeh Saleh. The facility included two old small rooms and its area was estimated at 1.5 dunums. It was destructed for no reason and without a prior notice.
The same farm was attacked over the past years by gangs of settlers who destroyed its equipment and stole some.
Local sources told the PIC reporter that Israeli bulldozers razed the nursery that belongs to the Palestinian Fahd Odeh Saleh. The facility included two old small rooms and its area was estimated at 1.5 dunums. It was destructed for no reason and without a prior notice.
The same farm was attacked over the past years by gangs of settlers who destroyed its equipment and stole some.
The Energy Authority in Gaza warned on Tuesday that the enclave's sole power plant will be forced to shut down after the Palestinian Petroleum Authority in Ramallah reduced the station's fuel share.
In a statement, the Energy Authority slammed the General Petroleum Corporation's decision to reduce Gaza's fuel share and its reluctance to provide the necessary amount to operate the station.
The Authority said such reductions are unjustified and contravene the directives of the Council of Ministers.
The restrictions come at a time when a number of Israeli and Egyptian power lines have been broken down, thus making matters worse for the besieged enclave with the advent of a freezing winter.
The Energy Authority called on all concerned parties to provide the fuel reserves needed to operate Gaza’s power plant and prevent a further exacerbation of the crisis, warning that it would refrain from sending cash to the Petroleum Authority if the fuel quantities paid in advance were not dispatched soon.
In a statement, the Energy Authority slammed the General Petroleum Corporation's decision to reduce Gaza's fuel share and its reluctance to provide the necessary amount to operate the station.
The Authority said such reductions are unjustified and contravene the directives of the Council of Ministers.
The restrictions come at a time when a number of Israeli and Egyptian power lines have been broken down, thus making matters worse for the besieged enclave with the advent of a freezing winter.
The Energy Authority called on all concerned parties to provide the fuel reserves needed to operate Gaza’s power plant and prevent a further exacerbation of the crisis, warning that it would refrain from sending cash to the Petroleum Authority if the fuel quantities paid in advance were not dispatched soon.
12 jan 2016
The Israeli occupation authorities (IOA) ordered Palestinian citizens to stop the construction of four agricultural structures in al-Khalil’s northern town of Beit Ummar on account of unlicensed construction.
The Land Research Center at the Arab Studies Society quoted the targeted farmers as stating that Israeli civil administration crews stormed Wadi al-Arab area, to the northeast of Beit Ummar, and attached the notifications to the targeted ponds.
The IOA ordered the farmers to immediately cease construction works, claiming a hearing will be held on January 21, 2016 to decide on the projected demolition of the structures.
According to the Land Research Center, the notified ponds have been built by the Union of Agricultural Work Committees and the Palestinian Hydrology Group as part of intents to support Palestinian farmers in Beit Ummar’s eastern corners.
The targeted structures, intended to irrigate at least 40 dunums of cultivated land lots, are reportedly owned by the four Palestinian citizens Waheed Abu Maria, Ghassen Ibregheith, Jameel Abu Maria, and Khaled Ibregheith.
The Land Research Center at the Arab Studies Society quoted the targeted farmers as stating that Israeli civil administration crews stormed Wadi al-Arab area, to the northeast of Beit Ummar, and attached the notifications to the targeted ponds.
The IOA ordered the farmers to immediately cease construction works, claiming a hearing will be held on January 21, 2016 to decide on the projected demolition of the structures.
According to the Land Research Center, the notified ponds have been built by the Union of Agricultural Work Committees and the Palestinian Hydrology Group as part of intents to support Palestinian farmers in Beit Ummar’s eastern corners.
The targeted structures, intended to irrigate at least 40 dunums of cultivated land lots, are reportedly owned by the four Palestinian citizens Waheed Abu Maria, Ghassen Ibregheith, Jameel Abu Maria, and Khaled Ibregheith.
6 jan 2016
The Israeli occupation authority (IOA) on Thursday morning demolished three Palestinian homes in Silwan district, south of the Aqsa Mosque, and one restaurant in Beit Safafa town at the pretext of unlicensed construction
Local sources said that Israeli bulldozers escorted by policemen entered the neighborhoods of Ein Loza and Karam al-Sheikh in Silwan and razed a house belonging to the family of Abu Diyab as well as the foundations of two houses under construction.
Israeli bulldozers also knocked down parts of a restaurant in Beit Safafa town, southeast of Occupied Jerusalem.
The Wadi Hilweh Information Center said that the IOA in Jerusalem demolished 80 buildings and structures in 2015, including 22 houses and eight apartment buildings, and displaced 122 Palestinians, including 58 children.
Local sources said that Israeli bulldozers escorted by policemen entered the neighborhoods of Ein Loza and Karam al-Sheikh in Silwan and razed a house belonging to the family of Abu Diyab as well as the foundations of two houses under construction.
Israeli bulldozers also knocked down parts of a restaurant in Beit Safafa town, southeast of Occupied Jerusalem.
The Wadi Hilweh Information Center said that the IOA in Jerusalem demolished 80 buildings and structures in 2015, including 22 houses and eight apartment buildings, and displaced 122 Palestinians, including 58 children.
The energy authority in Gaza has warned that the Palestinian government's decision to reimpose the blue tax on fuel shipments used for electricity generation may force the power plant to shut down on Wednesday.
The authority condemned the government's decision as "grave," affirming that it would worsen the power crisis in Gaza and the population's suffering, especially during the winter.
The energy authority called for swift action to address the situation to avoid more power cuts.
The authority condemned the government's decision as "grave," affirming that it would worsen the power crisis in Gaza and the population's suffering, especially during the winter.
The energy authority called for swift action to address the situation to avoid more power cuts.
5 jan 2016
Israeli drones, Tuesday evening, sprayed toxic pesticides on the Palestinian agricultural lands to east of Khan Younis, in the southern Gaza Strip.
Media sources reported that Israeli drones sprayed hundreds of agricultural lands with pesticides, causing injury to the crops in that region.
Al Ray Palestinian Media Agency notes that this material eliminated hundreds dunams planted with peas, spinach, al-Saleq and zucchini, inflicting farmers with considerable material loss.
It is not the first time that farmers reported such incidents.
Media sources reported that Israeli drones sprayed hundreds of agricultural lands with pesticides, causing injury to the crops in that region.
Al Ray Palestinian Media Agency notes that this material eliminated hundreds dunams planted with peas, spinach, al-Saleq and zucchini, inflicting farmers with considerable material loss.
It is not the first time that farmers reported such incidents.
3 jan 2016
Israel’s military has confirmed reports that it destroyed Gazan agricultural crops near the security fence with Israel.
The Israeli military told Anadolu Agency in a written statement, Thursday, according to Al Ray, that it sprayed a herbicide that “will cause the surrounding vegetation to wilt and prevent its growth.”
They Israeli military also claimed that the reason for spraying the crops was “to prevent the concealment of IED's [Improvised Explosive Devices], and to disrupt and prevent the use of the area for destructive purposes.”
The confirmation came after Palestinian farmers near the border complained last week that for several days Israeli jets had flown over and sprayed a substance that was destroying their crops.
The Palestinian Ministry of Agriculture in Gaza said, last week, that around 3,000 square meters of crops were destroyed.
Gaza, which has been ruled by Palestinian resistance movement Hamas since 2007, lacks basic infrastructure and is subject to an Egyptian-Israeli blockade.
Since the 2013 coup against Mohamed Morsi, Egypt’s first freely elected president, Egyptian authorities have kept the Rafah border crossing -- Gaza's only gate to the outside world that is not under Israeli control -- tightly sealed.
The ongoing closure of the crossing has served to deprive the Gaza Strip’s roughly 1.9 million inhabitants of vital commodities, including food, fuel and medicine.
See: Israeli Planes Spray Crop-killing Pesticides on Gaza Farmland
The Israeli military told Anadolu Agency in a written statement, Thursday, according to Al Ray, that it sprayed a herbicide that “will cause the surrounding vegetation to wilt and prevent its growth.”
They Israeli military also claimed that the reason for spraying the crops was “to prevent the concealment of IED's [Improvised Explosive Devices], and to disrupt and prevent the use of the area for destructive purposes.”
The confirmation came after Palestinian farmers near the border complained last week that for several days Israeli jets had flown over and sprayed a substance that was destroying their crops.
The Palestinian Ministry of Agriculture in Gaza said, last week, that around 3,000 square meters of crops were destroyed.
Gaza, which has been ruled by Palestinian resistance movement Hamas since 2007, lacks basic infrastructure and is subject to an Egyptian-Israeli blockade.
Since the 2013 coup against Mohamed Morsi, Egypt’s first freely elected president, Egyptian authorities have kept the Rafah border crossing -- Gaza's only gate to the outside world that is not under Israeli control -- tightly sealed.
The ongoing closure of the crossing has served to deprive the Gaza Strip’s roughly 1.9 million inhabitants of vital commodities, including food, fuel and medicine.
See: Israeli Planes Spray Crop-killing Pesticides on Gaza Farmland
The agriculture sector of the blockaded Gaza Strip sustained a staggering $300,000 of losses as a result of an Israeli air strike on agricultural structures at dawn Saturday, a Palestinian official reported.
Director of the Mechanical Testing Stations at the Ministry of Agriculture, Shaher al-Rifi, said the station has been bereaved of 70% of its operational power and sustained $300,000 of losses due to the Israeli strikes.
Al-Rifi added that it is extremely difficult, if not impossible, to replace the destroyed kit due to the tough siege imposed by the Israeli occupation army and the closure of border-crossings with Gaza.
He said the targeted station, which provides services for testing stations and agricultural nurseries, suffered the loss of a set of tractors and mechanisms used for agricultural and maintenance work. An electric generator was also damaged in the attack.
The official also denounced the Israeli bans on the entry of agricultural equipment into blockaded Gaza, saying such restrictions rather impinge the ministry’s work.
He called on the concerned authorities to rally round Gazans and help them get through the crises rocking the besieged enclave due to Israeli aggression, voicing hope that serious steps would be taken to help Gazans restore the damaged kit and rehabilitate the agricultural sector.
The strike is the latest in a series of Israeli violations of the Cairo-brokered truce deal struck in the wake of the 2014 offensive on the besieged coastal enclave.
Director of the Mechanical Testing Stations at the Ministry of Agriculture, Shaher al-Rifi, said the station has been bereaved of 70% of its operational power and sustained $300,000 of losses due to the Israeli strikes.
Al-Rifi added that it is extremely difficult, if not impossible, to replace the destroyed kit due to the tough siege imposed by the Israeli occupation army and the closure of border-crossings with Gaza.
He said the targeted station, which provides services for testing stations and agricultural nurseries, suffered the loss of a set of tractors and mechanisms used for agricultural and maintenance work. An electric generator was also damaged in the attack.
The official also denounced the Israeli bans on the entry of agricultural equipment into blockaded Gaza, saying such restrictions rather impinge the ministry’s work.
He called on the concerned authorities to rally round Gazans and help them get through the crises rocking the besieged enclave due to Israeli aggression, voicing hope that serious steps would be taken to help Gazans restore the damaged kit and rehabilitate the agricultural sector.
The strike is the latest in a series of Israeli violations of the Cairo-brokered truce deal struck in the wake of the 2014 offensive on the besieged coastal enclave.
2 jan 2016
Israeli Occupation Forces (IOF) on Saturday closed, with an iron gate, the Israeli military Doutan checkpoint which separates Yabad town to the south of Jenin city from Tulkarem city in the northern West Bank and blocked the traffic.
Palestinian farmers from Yabad town told the PIC reporter that they could not get to their lands on Saturday because Israeli forces closed the barrier once again.
They pointed out that Israeli soldiers open and close the barrier according to their mood.
Israeli army tightens noose around Palestinians’ neck in Yabad
The Israeli occupation forces (IOF) have tightened military grip around Jenin’s town of Yabad, in the northern occupied West Bank, denying Palestinians free access out of and into the area.
The Israeli occupation troops and extremist settlers, residing in the illegal Mabu Dotan settlement have reportedly cracked down on the Palestinian natives of Yabad on a quasi-daily basis.
A series of military checkpoints has also been randomly pitched across the access roads to the town, blocking Palestinians free movement.
Yabad mayor, Youssef Atatra, spoke out against such Israeli policies of intimidation, saying the Israeli occupation army has been repeatedly closing the Dutan checkpoint in an attempt to prevent Palestinian farmers from reaching their cultivated land lots.
The mayor further warned of the serious repercussions of such Israeli restrictions on Yabad’s agricultural and commercial traffic.
Palestinian farmers from Yabad town told the PIC reporter that they could not get to their lands on Saturday because Israeli forces closed the barrier once again.
They pointed out that Israeli soldiers open and close the barrier according to their mood.
Israeli army tightens noose around Palestinians’ neck in Yabad
The Israeli occupation forces (IOF) have tightened military grip around Jenin’s town of Yabad, in the northern occupied West Bank, denying Palestinians free access out of and into the area.
The Israeli occupation troops and extremist settlers, residing in the illegal Mabu Dotan settlement have reportedly cracked down on the Palestinian natives of Yabad on a quasi-daily basis.
A series of military checkpoints has also been randomly pitched across the access roads to the town, blocking Palestinians free movement.
Yabad mayor, Youssef Atatra, spoke out against such Israeli policies of intimidation, saying the Israeli occupation army has been repeatedly closing the Dutan checkpoint in an attempt to prevent Palestinian farmers from reaching their cultivated land lots.
The mayor further warned of the serious repercussions of such Israeli restrictions on Yabad’s agricultural and commercial traffic.
1 jan 2016
The National Movement Commission for Breaking the Siege and Reconstruction said that the population in the Gaza Strip has faced during 2015 the harshest days of their lives under the blockade.
In a report issued on Thursday, the commission stated that the average per capita income in Gaza during the year had declined to less than 700 US dollars, which is the lowest in the Middle East.
The unemployment rate also rose to world-record levels after it became 45 percent among the entire residents and 60 percent among the young people, while 40 percent of the population now live under the poverty line and 80 percent depends on humanitarian aid, the commission added.
It also affirmed that the Egyptian authorities had closed the Rafah border crossing for most of the year and only opened it exceptionally for a few days to allow the travel of certain passengers, including patients and pilgrims, and the entry of some dead bodies to Gaza.
In a report issued on Thursday, the commission stated that the average per capita income in Gaza during the year had declined to less than 700 US dollars, which is the lowest in the Middle East.
The unemployment rate also rose to world-record levels after it became 45 percent among the entire residents and 60 percent among the young people, while 40 percent of the population now live under the poverty line and 80 percent depends on humanitarian aid, the commission added.
It also affirmed that the Egyptian authorities had closed the Rafah border crossing for most of the year and only opened it exceptionally for a few days to allow the travel of certain passengers, including patients and pilgrims, and the entry of some dead bodies to Gaza.
Page: 2 - 1