4 oct 2016
The Italian government has approved a one million euro contribution to the UNRWA to support some of its services and activities in the beleaguered Gaza Strip as part of its financial pledges to the agency.
According to a recent press release, Italy’s foreign ministry said the financial aid would ensure continuity of basic services provided by the UNRWA for the Palestinian refugees in Gaza.
The initiative is part of a 10 million Euros yearly contribution pledged for 2016 by the Italian government during a previous donor conference held on war-torn Gaza.
The funds will go to a temporary shelter program launched after the 2014 war to provide housing for refugees whose homes have been destroyed or badly damaged.
Thanks to the Italian contribution, the UNRWA will be able to help hundreds of families. Part of the money will also cover the needs of a girl school in the refugee camp of al-Maghazi for six months.
According to a recent press release, Italy’s foreign ministry said the financial aid would ensure continuity of basic services provided by the UNRWA for the Palestinian refugees in Gaza.
The initiative is part of a 10 million Euros yearly contribution pledged for 2016 by the Italian government during a previous donor conference held on war-torn Gaza.
The funds will go to a temporary shelter program launched after the 2014 war to provide housing for refugees whose homes have been destroyed or badly damaged.
Thanks to the Italian contribution, the UNRWA will be able to help hundreds of families. Part of the money will also cover the needs of a girl school in the refugee camp of al-Maghazi for six months.
3 oct 2016
Gaza Energy Authority said Monday that the disconnection of power lines in Gaza Strip was due to the Israeli continued closure of Karam Abu Salem crossing and the disconnection of the Egyptian and Israeli power transmission lines.
The authority revealed in a brief statement that the continued closure of Karem Abu Salem crossing over the coming days prevents fuel entry into the Strip.
The statement pointed out that the Egyptian and Israeli power transmission lines have been disconnected at the same time. Efforts are still ongoing to repair the disconnected power lines as soon as possible, it added.
The Karam Abu Salem is the only commercial crossing operating in Gaza for the entry of goods, aid and fuel. It is regularly closed each Friday and Saturday and during the Jewish holidays.
The authority revealed in a brief statement that the continued closure of Karem Abu Salem crossing over the coming days prevents fuel entry into the Strip.
The statement pointed out that the Egyptian and Israeli power transmission lines have been disconnected at the same time. Efforts are still ongoing to repair the disconnected power lines as soon as possible, it added.
The Karam Abu Salem is the only commercial crossing operating in Gaza for the entry of goods, aid and fuel. It is regularly closed each Friday and Saturday and during the Jewish holidays.
The Israeli Occupation Forces (IOF) closed Monday morning Jalber military checkpoint in al-Khalil and declared Tel Rumeida area a closed military zone.
According to the PIC reporter, Israeli forces closed this morning Jalber checkpoint leading to Tel Rumeida neighborhood and prevented students’ passage under the pretext of Jewish holidays.
Local families from Tel Rumeida were prevented from leaving the neighborhood due to the Israeli settlers’ marches which coincide with the Jewish holidays during October.
The Israeli authorities have earlier imposed a complete closure on occupied Palestinian territories (oPt) for three days starting yesterday Sunday.
According to the PIC reporter, Israeli forces closed this morning Jalber checkpoint leading to Tel Rumeida neighborhood and prevented students’ passage under the pretext of Jewish holidays.
Local families from Tel Rumeida were prevented from leaving the neighborhood due to the Israeli settlers’ marches which coincide with the Jewish holidays during October.
The Israeli authorities have earlier imposed a complete closure on occupied Palestinian territories (oPt) for three days starting yesterday Sunday.
2 oct 2016
Israeli authorities locked down the West Bank and Gaza, home to over 5 million Palestinians, in preparation for the national celebration of the Jewish New Year, Rosh Hashanah, which begins at sundown on Sunday. In addition, the Israeli government approved plans for nearly one hundred more settlement units to be constructed in violation of international law in the Israeli-occupied West Bank, on illegally-seized Palestinian land.
The lockdown began at 12:01 am Sunday morning, and will continue until 11:59 pm on Tuesday night. Israeli authorities cited ‘security concerns’ as the reason for the closure.
Rosh Hashanah is the Jewish celebration of the New Year, according to the Hebrew calendar, and is a two-day celebration in which celebrants pray for a new year of peace and prosperity. The celebration involves blowing a ram’s horn and lighting candles.
During the lockdown, Palestinians are prevented by the Israeli military from traveling. They are also prevented from working or attending school, if their work or school is on the other side of an Israeli checkpoint.
Only ’emergency’ cases will be allowed to cross the border – but those ’emergencies’ will have to have been cleared and approved by Israeli authorities in advance of the lockdown, according to the Coordinator of Government Activities in the Territories.
Meanwhile, the Israeli group Peace Now has uncovered government documents revealing that the Israeli government has approved the construction of 98 settlement units in the ‘Shiloh’ settlement.
Shiloh is locate in the northern West Bank, north of the Palestinian city of Nablus. According to a report in the Telegraph newspaper, “Shiloh was founded in the early 1970s when the settlers wanted to spread northwards. Several attempts to settle around the Palestinian city of Nablus had been foiled by the army and a more sophisticated approach was required. It came in the form of Ira Rappaport, an extremist even by the standards of the early settlers. After gaining permission from the government to set up an archaeological dig in Shiloh, he quietly started building a settlement.
“Rappaport was a key member of a terrorist group called the Jewish Underground. In 1985, he was found guilty of planting a car bomb in Nablus that blew the legs off two Palestinian officials, Bassam Shakaa and Karim Khalaf. In a ruling that outraged many in Israel, the judge found him not guilty of attempted murder and convicted him on the charge of causing grievous bodily harm. He was sentenced to less than a year in prison and on his release was appointed leader of the Shiloh community.”
The new settlement units will be used to house Israeli colonizers who constructed an illegal colonial outpost called ‘Amona’, which was ruled illegal under Israeli law.
All Israeli settlements are considered to be a violation of international law, the Fourth Geneva Convention on the role of occupying nations, and agreements signed between the Israeli government and the Palestinian Authority.
Since 1993, when the Oslo peace agreement was signed, Israel has transferred over 600,000 Israeli citizens into colonial settlements, constructed on Palestinian land that was seized by the Israeli military and then transferred to paramilitary settlement groups with the express purpose of expanding the Israeli state further onto Palestinian territory.
The lockdown began at 12:01 am Sunday morning, and will continue until 11:59 pm on Tuesday night. Israeli authorities cited ‘security concerns’ as the reason for the closure.
Rosh Hashanah is the Jewish celebration of the New Year, according to the Hebrew calendar, and is a two-day celebration in which celebrants pray for a new year of peace and prosperity. The celebration involves blowing a ram’s horn and lighting candles.
During the lockdown, Palestinians are prevented by the Israeli military from traveling. They are also prevented from working or attending school, if their work or school is on the other side of an Israeli checkpoint.
Only ’emergency’ cases will be allowed to cross the border – but those ’emergencies’ will have to have been cleared and approved by Israeli authorities in advance of the lockdown, according to the Coordinator of Government Activities in the Territories.
Meanwhile, the Israeli group Peace Now has uncovered government documents revealing that the Israeli government has approved the construction of 98 settlement units in the ‘Shiloh’ settlement.
Shiloh is locate in the northern West Bank, north of the Palestinian city of Nablus. According to a report in the Telegraph newspaper, “Shiloh was founded in the early 1970s when the settlers wanted to spread northwards. Several attempts to settle around the Palestinian city of Nablus had been foiled by the army and a more sophisticated approach was required. It came in the form of Ira Rappaport, an extremist even by the standards of the early settlers. After gaining permission from the government to set up an archaeological dig in Shiloh, he quietly started building a settlement.
“Rappaport was a key member of a terrorist group called the Jewish Underground. In 1985, he was found guilty of planting a car bomb in Nablus that blew the legs off two Palestinian officials, Bassam Shakaa and Karim Khalaf. In a ruling that outraged many in Israel, the judge found him not guilty of attempted murder and convicted him on the charge of causing grievous bodily harm. He was sentenced to less than a year in prison and on his release was appointed leader of the Shiloh community.”
The new settlement units will be used to house Israeli colonizers who constructed an illegal colonial outpost called ‘Amona’, which was ruled illegal under Israeli law.
All Israeli settlements are considered to be a violation of international law, the Fourth Geneva Convention on the role of occupying nations, and agreements signed between the Israeli government and the Palestinian Authority.
Since 1993, when the Oslo peace agreement was signed, Israel has transferred over 600,000 Israeli citizens into colonial settlements, constructed on Palestinian land that was seized by the Israeli military and then transferred to paramilitary settlement groups with the express purpose of expanding the Israeli state further onto Palestinian territory.
1 oct 2016
The Israeli Occupation Forces (IOF) imposed Saturday evening a complete closure on occupied Palestinian territories (oPt). The military restrictions will last for three days starting from Sunday, spokesman for Israeli army said.
Similar restrictions will be also imposed for two days next week, he added.
The Israeli military restrictions came in coincidence with the Jewish holidays in October.
Israel slaps security cordon on West Bank, Gaza
The Israeli occupation authorities (IOA) announced a decision to tighten military grip on the occupied West Bank and the blockaded Gaza Strip starting Sunday on claims of the advent of Jewish holidays.
The Israeli occupation police claimed in a statement a security cordon is to be imposed on the West Bank and the crossings into the Gaza Strip on the occasion of the Jewish New Year.
A three-day ban is also to be slapped on the access of Palestinian permit holders into 1948 Occupied Palestine as of Sunday until Tuesday evening.
According to the statement, the entry/exit of Palestinians into/out of the occupied West Bank is to be banned during the three coming days.
Access is to be allowed for humanitarian cases only after the approval of the Israeli government coordinator in the West Bank. Tens of thousands of Palestinian workers will not be able to reach their workplaces as a result of the ban.
Similar restrictions will be also imposed for two days next week, he added.
The Israeli military restrictions came in coincidence with the Jewish holidays in October.
Israel slaps security cordon on West Bank, Gaza
The Israeli occupation authorities (IOA) announced a decision to tighten military grip on the occupied West Bank and the blockaded Gaza Strip starting Sunday on claims of the advent of Jewish holidays.
The Israeli occupation police claimed in a statement a security cordon is to be imposed on the West Bank and the crossings into the Gaza Strip on the occasion of the Jewish New Year.
A three-day ban is also to be slapped on the access of Palestinian permit holders into 1948 Occupied Palestine as of Sunday until Tuesday evening.
According to the statement, the entry/exit of Palestinians into/out of the occupied West Bank is to be banned during the three coming days.
Access is to be allowed for humanitarian cases only after the approval of the Israeli government coordinator in the West Bank. Tens of thousands of Palestinian workers will not be able to reach their workplaces as a result of the ban.
The Palestine Investment Fund (PIF), the investment arm of the Palestinian Authority, launched phase one of the new cement factory on Saturday, the first in the Palestinian areas.
Ceremonies were held on this occasion, at Jaser Palace, in Bethlehem, under the patronage of President Mahmoud Abbas and in the presence of PIF chairman of the board Mohammad Mustafa. The ceremony was also attended by Louai Kawas; chief executive officer of Sanad Construction Industries Company, a PIF-owned company in charge of the cement factory.
“Sanad Construction Industries Company was established in 1994 for the purpose of meeting the needs of the Palestinian construction market such as the provision of building materials,” said PIF on its website, according to the PNN.
It will lead the efforts of investment in industrial and production sectors related to construction industries, particularly provide cement to the Palestinian market, it explained.
Investment in the factory is expected to reach $310 million.
Officials believe that once the factory starts production, in about two years, it will be able to provide 90 percent of the Palestinian construction market needs. Currently, cement is being bought from Jordan and Israel.
Ceremonies were held on this occasion, at Jaser Palace, in Bethlehem, under the patronage of President Mahmoud Abbas and in the presence of PIF chairman of the board Mohammad Mustafa. The ceremony was also attended by Louai Kawas; chief executive officer of Sanad Construction Industries Company, a PIF-owned company in charge of the cement factory.
“Sanad Construction Industries Company was established in 1994 for the purpose of meeting the needs of the Palestinian construction market such as the provision of building materials,” said PIF on its website, according to the PNN.
It will lead the efforts of investment in industrial and production sectors related to construction industries, particularly provide cement to the Palestinian market, it explained.
Investment in the factory is expected to reach $310 million.
Officials believe that once the factory starts production, in about two years, it will be able to provide 90 percent of the Palestinian construction market needs. Currently, cement is being bought from Jordan and Israel.
Israeli settlers from Bdo'ial illegal settlement pumped Saturday morning wastewater into olive fields north of Salfit, eyewitnesses reported.
The sources told the PIC reporter that severe damage was caused due to the settlers’ practice.
The local activist Khaled Maali pointed out that 24 nearby settlements’ wastewater has been polluting Salfit over the past years and the situation is getting worse.
The waste problem is now creating a major health problem to Salfit’s residents, he said, adding that the practice is a flagrant violation of international conventions.
“The industrial refuse from Israeli factories and the wastewater from the neighboring settlements have increased. Our crops are unsafe to eat and our livestock are threatened.
Children are suffering from skin and stomach illnesses. The smell is foul and we have a problem with insects. Most of the dumping of waste is deliberate,” locals complained.
They also appealed for the protection of their natural springs and archaeological sites from settlers’ almost-daily attacks.
As occupying power, Israel has the duty according to Article 56 of the Fourth Geneva Convention of ‘ensuring and maintaining, with the cooperation of national and local authorities, public health and hygiene in the occupied territory in order to prevent the spread of diseases and epidemics.’
The sources told the PIC reporter that severe damage was caused due to the settlers’ practice.
The local activist Khaled Maali pointed out that 24 nearby settlements’ wastewater has been polluting Salfit over the past years and the situation is getting worse.
The waste problem is now creating a major health problem to Salfit’s residents, he said, adding that the practice is a flagrant violation of international conventions.
“The industrial refuse from Israeli factories and the wastewater from the neighboring settlements have increased. Our crops are unsafe to eat and our livestock are threatened.
Children are suffering from skin and stomach illnesses. The smell is foul and we have a problem with insects. Most of the dumping of waste is deliberate,” locals complained.
They also appealed for the protection of their natural springs and archaeological sites from settlers’ almost-daily attacks.
As occupying power, Israel has the duty according to Article 56 of the Fourth Geneva Convention of ‘ensuring and maintaining, with the cooperation of national and local authorities, public health and hygiene in the occupied territory in order to prevent the spread of diseases and epidemics.’
