11 jan 2017
The Israeli army on Tuesday ordered a Palestinian farmer to stop constructing a rainwater harvesting well and an agricultural structure on his land in al-Khader town, south of Bethlehem in the West Bank.
The well and the agricultural structure belong to Abdullah Issa and are located in Wadi Libyar area, according to a local activist.
Issa was also handed a notification ordering him to demolish the well and the structure at the pretext of unlicensed construction.
Recently, the Israeli army issued dozens of arbitrary demolition orders against agricultural structures and wells in al-Khader town.
The well and the agricultural structure belong to Abdullah Issa and are located in Wadi Libyar area, according to a local activist.
Issa was also handed a notification ordering him to demolish the well and the structure at the pretext of unlicensed construction.
Recently, the Israeli army issued dozens of arbitrary demolition orders against agricultural structures and wells in al-Khader town.
10 jan 2017
The Israeli occupation forces on Tuesday morning destroyed a pipeline supplying water to Palestinian Bedouin communities to the east of Tubas, in the northern Jordan Valley.
Speaking with a PIC news correspondent, Palestinian resident of Tubas Hassan Bani Awda said the occupation bulldozers destroyed an 11-kilometer pipeline supplying the villages of al-Ras al-Ahmar, al-Hadidiya, Makhul, and Humsa al-Fouka with much-needed water.
The pipeline has reportedly been funded by an international European NGO.
Head of al-Malih Village Council and the Bedouin Communities in the Jordan Valley, Aref Daraghma, said water pipelines, agricultural structures, and residential makeshift tents have been subjected to destruction by the Israeli occupation forces on a quasi-daily basis.
He added that such moves make part of an ethnic cleansing scheme aiming to force Palestinians out of the area in favor of illegal settlement expansion.
The Jordan Valley has long been a strategic area of land grab by the occupation authorities following Israel's occupation of the territory in 1967.
Demolitions of Palestinian infrastructure and residential tents occur frequently in the area, with Bedouin and herding communities being particularly vulnerable to such policies.
Speaking with a PIC news correspondent, Palestinian resident of Tubas Hassan Bani Awda said the occupation bulldozers destroyed an 11-kilometer pipeline supplying the villages of al-Ras al-Ahmar, al-Hadidiya, Makhul, and Humsa al-Fouka with much-needed water.
The pipeline has reportedly been funded by an international European NGO.
Head of al-Malih Village Council and the Bedouin Communities in the Jordan Valley, Aref Daraghma, said water pipelines, agricultural structures, and residential makeshift tents have been subjected to destruction by the Israeli occupation forces on a quasi-daily basis.
He added that such moves make part of an ethnic cleansing scheme aiming to force Palestinians out of the area in favor of illegal settlement expansion.
The Jordan Valley has long been a strategic area of land grab by the occupation authorities following Israel's occupation of the territory in 1967.
Demolitions of Palestinian infrastructure and residential tents occur frequently in the area, with Bedouin and herding communities being particularly vulnerable to such policies.
8 jan 2017
The Israeli occupation forces (IOF) cut down dozens of olive trees on Sunday to the east of Qalqilya city as a prelude to building a road serving settlements established on Palestinian citizens' agricultural lands.
Mousa Tabib, activist in the field of settlement, said that an Israeli army force stormed the citizens' lands in Azzun and Izbat al-Tabib villages in Qalqilya in the early morning and started cutting dozens of olive trees.
Tabib told Quds Press news agency that more than 250 olive trees were cut down including tens of perennial trees in preparation for building the road linking between the Israeli settlements Karnei Shomron and Alfei Menashe, which are built on Palestinian lands.
He pointed out that the three kilometers long road will be constructed in the targeted area as a prelude to another 10-km-long road running through the citizens' lands in Azzun, Izbat al-Tabib and the surrounding areas.
He added that the Israeli Supreme Court has rejected a petition by the Palestinian families affected by this Israeli move and asked them to submit papers proving their ownership of the targeted lands.
The Palestinian activist said that the Israeli authorities claim that the construction of this road aims to secure protection for the Israeli settlers from Palestinian attacks.
Tabib said that the people of the targeted lands will start protests against the confiscation of thousands of dunums of their agricultural lands and the construction of the road. He noted that this Israeli step challenges the international community after the UN Security Council passed the anti-settlement resolution.
Mousa Tabib, activist in the field of settlement, said that an Israeli army force stormed the citizens' lands in Azzun and Izbat al-Tabib villages in Qalqilya in the early morning and started cutting dozens of olive trees.
Tabib told Quds Press news agency that more than 250 olive trees were cut down including tens of perennial trees in preparation for building the road linking between the Israeli settlements Karnei Shomron and Alfei Menashe, which are built on Palestinian lands.
He pointed out that the three kilometers long road will be constructed in the targeted area as a prelude to another 10-km-long road running through the citizens' lands in Azzun, Izbat al-Tabib and the surrounding areas.
He added that the Israeli Supreme Court has rejected a petition by the Palestinian families affected by this Israeli move and asked them to submit papers proving their ownership of the targeted lands.
The Palestinian activist said that the Israeli authorities claim that the construction of this road aims to secure protection for the Israeli settlers from Palestinian attacks.
Tabib said that the people of the targeted lands will start protests against the confiscation of thousands of dunums of their agricultural lands and the construction of the road. He noted that this Israeli step challenges the international community after the UN Security Council passed the anti-settlement resolution.
6 jan 2017
The Palestinian energy and natural resources authority condemned the exceptional closure of Karm Abu Salem crossing on Friday in front of the entry of extra fuel quantities in full disregard to its ceaseless efforts and demands.
The energy authority announced, in a press statement, that “due to the closure of the crossing on Friday, one of Gaza power plant’s generators was unfortunately shut down temporarily. Only one generator is left working which is due to the lack of enough fuel”.
This was coincided with the breakdown of the Egyptian lines for a few days which affected the current power distribution schedules.
The authority renewed its appeals to the concerned authorities for opening the crossing and entering extra quantities of fuel as well as allowing postpaid prices in order not to aggravate the crisis.
The authority also asked the public to cooperate with the teams of the power distribution company in order to overcome the dilemma and undertook to operate the generator once the crossing is opened and extra fuel is entered.
Earlier in a statement on Thursday, the authority explained the reason of its inability to run the power plant completely by saying that the taxes (Value Added Tax, Blue Tax and other taxes) increase the fuel price leading to shortage at the power plant.
The statement showed some details on the power plant’s fuel costs and taxes over the year 2016. 78 million liters were imported with a total cost estimated at 259 million shekels. 135 million shekels of which were spent on different taxes on fuel prices after the partial exemption of the Blue tax.
This means that the taxes reached 52% out of the total fuel cost with the partial exemption of the Blue tax. The authority pointed out that if all taxes are cancelled, the power plant will be fully operated.
For 10 years, the Gaza Strip has been suffering from a massive electricity crisis especially in the past days leaving Gazans forced to live according to a daily distribution table including 4 hours of electricity connection and 12 hours of electricity cut.
The energy authority announced, in a press statement, that “due to the closure of the crossing on Friday, one of Gaza power plant’s generators was unfortunately shut down temporarily. Only one generator is left working which is due to the lack of enough fuel”.
This was coincided with the breakdown of the Egyptian lines for a few days which affected the current power distribution schedules.
The authority renewed its appeals to the concerned authorities for opening the crossing and entering extra quantities of fuel as well as allowing postpaid prices in order not to aggravate the crisis.
The authority also asked the public to cooperate with the teams of the power distribution company in order to overcome the dilemma and undertook to operate the generator once the crossing is opened and extra fuel is entered.
Earlier in a statement on Thursday, the authority explained the reason of its inability to run the power plant completely by saying that the taxes (Value Added Tax, Blue Tax and other taxes) increase the fuel price leading to shortage at the power plant.
The statement showed some details on the power plant’s fuel costs and taxes over the year 2016. 78 million liters were imported with a total cost estimated at 259 million shekels. 135 million shekels of which were spent on different taxes on fuel prices after the partial exemption of the Blue tax.
This means that the taxes reached 52% out of the total fuel cost with the partial exemption of the Blue tax. The authority pointed out that if all taxes are cancelled, the power plant will be fully operated.
For 10 years, the Gaza Strip has been suffering from a massive electricity crisis especially in the past days leaving Gazans forced to live according to a daily distribution table including 4 hours of electricity connection and 12 hours of electricity cut.
The Israeli occupation forces (IOF) on Thursday hindered the construction of an agricultural road for Palestinian farmers in al-Khalil’s southern village of al-Burj.
Head of al-Burj village council, Sarhan Amayra, said the occupation army stopped the construction of an agricultural road started by Palestinian farmers to smooth access into their land lots.
The stop-construction order was slapped on Palestinian farmers under the pretext of its proximity to the apartheid wall.
Amayra added that recently the IOF set up concrete pillars of up to a seven-meter height each along the apartheid wall in an attempt to dismember the village from its Palestinian environs.
Amayra underlined that hundreds of dunums of Palestinian lands have been seized by the occupation authorities in favor of the separation wall.
He further spoke out against the daily crackdowns, abrupt land confiscations, and movement restrictions slapped by the IOF against Palestinian farmers.
An Israeli 770-kilometer-long apartheid wall, 50% of which is still under construction, has severed the ties between Palestinian towns and villages across the occupied West Bank.
Head of al-Burj village council, Sarhan Amayra, said the occupation army stopped the construction of an agricultural road started by Palestinian farmers to smooth access into their land lots.
The stop-construction order was slapped on Palestinian farmers under the pretext of its proximity to the apartheid wall.
Amayra added that recently the IOF set up concrete pillars of up to a seven-meter height each along the apartheid wall in an attempt to dismember the village from its Palestinian environs.
Amayra underlined that hundreds of dunums of Palestinian lands have been seized by the occupation authorities in favor of the separation wall.
He further spoke out against the daily crackdowns, abrupt land confiscations, and movement restrictions slapped by the IOF against Palestinian farmers.
An Israeli 770-kilometer-long apartheid wall, 50% of which is still under construction, has severed the ties between Palestinian towns and villages across the occupied West Bank.
5 jan 2017
The Palestinian ministry of agriculture in Gaza said that the Israeli occupation authorities have started to spray pesticides by planes along the Gaza border.
Adham Bassiouni, an official at the Ministry of Agriculture, considered this measure as "a kind of extra siege" practiced by the IOA against the Palestinian farmers.
"This Israeli repeated procedure in recent years aims to destroy the agricultural land and to cut off the livelihood of their owners," he added.
He noted that the Israeli pesticides have a negative effect on Palestinian crops. This sometimes causes huge losses for Palestinian farmers in the besieged territory. Last year, he explained, most of the crops in over 4000 dunums near the border were damaged.
Bassiouni highlighted that the ministry asked the office of the International Committee of the Red Cross in the Gaza Strip to coordinate with the IOA in order to know the dates of spraying pesticides but the latter replied that it was going to be sprayed between December 25 and January 15 which was not enough to take preventive measures by the ministry.
Adham Bassiouni, an official at the Ministry of Agriculture, considered this measure as "a kind of extra siege" practiced by the IOA against the Palestinian farmers.
"This Israeli repeated procedure in recent years aims to destroy the agricultural land and to cut off the livelihood of their owners," he added.
He noted that the Israeli pesticides have a negative effect on Palestinian crops. This sometimes causes huge losses for Palestinian farmers in the besieged territory. Last year, he explained, most of the crops in over 4000 dunums near the border were damaged.
Bassiouni highlighted that the ministry asked the office of the International Committee of the Red Cross in the Gaza Strip to coordinate with the IOA in order to know the dates of spraying pesticides but the latter replied that it was going to be sprayed between December 25 and January 15 which was not enough to take preventive measures by the ministry.
4 jan 2017
The Israeli occupation authorities (IOA) on Wednesday morning knocked down water wells in Bethlehem’s eastern town of Tekoua’.
Tekoua’ Mayor, Tayseer Abu Mufreh, said Israeli occupation vehicles demolished ten water walls used by Palestinian farmers under the pretext of unlicensed construction.
At the same time, the occupation forces prevented the land owners from reaching the demolition site.
Tekoua’ Mayor dubbed the demolition illegal and groundless as no court rule has been issued regarding the affair.
Tekoua’ Mayor, Tayseer Abu Mufreh, said Israeli occupation vehicles demolished ten water walls used by Palestinian farmers under the pretext of unlicensed construction.
At the same time, the occupation forces prevented the land owners from reaching the demolition site.
Tekoua’ Mayor dubbed the demolition illegal and groundless as no court rule has been issued regarding the affair.
1 jan 2017
Local residents from Deir Ballut town in Salfit has complained that the Israeli occupation authorities (IOA) destroyed one of their power lines east of the town during the ongoing bulldozing activities in the area.
The local residents told a news reporter from the Palestinian Information Center (PIC) that the power line became a constant threat to their lives, especially the lives of their children, and they stressed the need to fix it quickly.
The Israeli authorities, however, do not seem to care about repairing the power line after it collapsed, the residents voiced fears.
All the Israelis care about is to expand the illegal settlement of Leshem at the expense of the Palestinian towns, they said.
The residents expressed hope that the international community and its organizations could move to pressure the IOA to stop its settlement activities in their area.
Leshem is an illegal Israeli settlement located west of Salfit Governorate and five kilometers away from the Green Line. It is located near the illegal settlements of Eli Zahav and Peduel in the south.
The construction of the Leshem settlement started in 2013 on a vast tract of Palestinian land annexed from the nearby Kafr ad-Dik and Deir Ballut towns. Today about 100 Jewish families are living in Leshem settlement with many other thousands expected to settle in the settlement once its housing and infrastructure building is completed.
The local residents told a news reporter from the Palestinian Information Center (PIC) that the power line became a constant threat to their lives, especially the lives of their children, and they stressed the need to fix it quickly.
The Israeli authorities, however, do not seem to care about repairing the power line after it collapsed, the residents voiced fears.
All the Israelis care about is to expand the illegal settlement of Leshem at the expense of the Palestinian towns, they said.
The residents expressed hope that the international community and its organizations could move to pressure the IOA to stop its settlement activities in their area.
Leshem is an illegal Israeli settlement located west of Salfit Governorate and five kilometers away from the Green Line. It is located near the illegal settlements of Eli Zahav and Peduel in the south.
The construction of the Leshem settlement started in 2013 on a vast tract of Palestinian land annexed from the nearby Kafr ad-Dik and Deir Ballut towns. Today about 100 Jewish families are living in Leshem settlement with many other thousands expected to settle in the settlement once its housing and infrastructure building is completed.
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