3 feb 2017
On Sunday, 15 January 2017, the Israeli occupation forces began uprooting olive trees and leveling land near the Palestinian villages of ‘Azzun and a-Nabi Elyas in Qalqilya, B’Tselem watchdog reported Wednesday.
According to B’Tselem, the work is being carried out as part of the decision made by the military and the Civil Administration to build a bypass road to replace the section of Route 55 that runs through a-Nabi Elyas.
Route 55 originally served as the main link between Nablus and Qalqilya and was one of the major traffic arteries in the West Bank. Over time, as settlements expanded, it also became essential to settlers, as it connects several large settlements with Israel’s coastal plains and central region, the same source added.
The decision to build the bypass road was first made in 1989, with the goal of sparing settlers the need to drive through the village of a-Nabi Elyas. However, it was not pursued until September 2013, when the Civil Administration planning institutions began the planning process.
In October 2015, the project was expedited due to pressure by the settler leadership: According to Israeli media reports , Prime Minister Netanyahu promised the heads of the settlement local councils that the road would be built.”
On 21 December 2015, the head of the Civil Administration issued an expropriation order for 10.4 hectares of land earmarked for the bypass road. The order noted that the new road will “serve the public good” and improve mobility between Nablus and Qalqilya.
In March 2016, the Palestinian village councils and landowners petitioned Israel’s High Court of Justice (HCJ) against the expropriation, on the grounds that the road will not serve all residents of the area but only settlers. On 16 November 2016, the HCJ denied the petition after accepting the state’s claim that the road is intended to serve the entire population of the area.
B’Tselem said the seizure of the land and uprooting of olive trees have severely harmed the Palestinian landowners, who have lost a source of income and a major financial asset, as well as an open space that served all local residents for leisure and recreational activities.
“While Israel professes to act for the benefit of the occupied population, its policies routinely ignore this population’s needs,” the report read. “These facts, when taken together with false statements about seizing Palestinian land “for the public good” and pressure from the settler lobby, attest yet again to Israel’s policy and aims.”
According to B’Tselem, the work is being carried out as part of the decision made by the military and the Civil Administration to build a bypass road to replace the section of Route 55 that runs through a-Nabi Elyas.
Route 55 originally served as the main link between Nablus and Qalqilya and was one of the major traffic arteries in the West Bank. Over time, as settlements expanded, it also became essential to settlers, as it connects several large settlements with Israel’s coastal plains and central region, the same source added.
The decision to build the bypass road was first made in 1989, with the goal of sparing settlers the need to drive through the village of a-Nabi Elyas. However, it was not pursued until September 2013, when the Civil Administration planning institutions began the planning process.
In October 2015, the project was expedited due to pressure by the settler leadership: According to Israeli media reports , Prime Minister Netanyahu promised the heads of the settlement local councils that the road would be built.”
On 21 December 2015, the head of the Civil Administration issued an expropriation order for 10.4 hectares of land earmarked for the bypass road. The order noted that the new road will “serve the public good” and improve mobility between Nablus and Qalqilya.
In March 2016, the Palestinian village councils and landowners petitioned Israel’s High Court of Justice (HCJ) against the expropriation, on the grounds that the road will not serve all residents of the area but only settlers. On 16 November 2016, the HCJ denied the petition after accepting the state’s claim that the road is intended to serve the entire population of the area.
B’Tselem said the seizure of the land and uprooting of olive trees have severely harmed the Palestinian landowners, who have lost a source of income and a major financial asset, as well as an open space that served all local residents for leisure and recreational activities.
“While Israel professes to act for the benefit of the occupied population, its policies routinely ignore this population’s needs,” the report read. “These facts, when taken together with false statements about seizing Palestinian land “for the public good” and pressure from the settler lobby, attest yet again to Israel’s policy and aims.”
2 feb 2017
The Israeli forces opened Thursday morning water dams near Sheja'eya neighborhood, flooding Palestinian border agricultural lands.
The PIC reporter quoted eyewitnesses as saying that Israeli forces opened the border water dams which led to drowning the neighbouring crops.
Gaza border areas have long been a near-daily target to Israeli forces, as unarmed Palestinian farmers and agricultural lands have been regularly attacked by Israeli gunfire.
Such attacks in effect destroyed much of the agricultural sector of the blockaded coastal enclave, leaving dozens of residents homeless.
The PIC reporter quoted eyewitnesses as saying that Israeli forces opened the border water dams which led to drowning the neighbouring crops.
Gaza border areas have long been a near-daily target to Israeli forces, as unarmed Palestinian farmers and agricultural lands have been regularly attacked by Israeli gunfire.
Such attacks in effect destroyed much of the agricultural sector of the blockaded coastal enclave, leaving dozens of residents homeless.
Jewish settlers on Wednesday seized and bulldozed 10 dunums of agricultural land in Jab’a village, west of Bethlehem in the West Bank.
Local sources said that the settlers flattened the land and destroyed its trees, which belongs to a Palestinian citizen called Khaled Masha’ila.
They expressed their belief that the settlers would use the land as a road to connect the settlements of Gush Etzion with the military roadblock, which separates the village from the 1948 occupied territories.
They warned that the settlers might appropriate more Palestinian lands in the village for their own use.
Local sources said that the settlers flattened the land and destroyed its trees, which belongs to a Palestinian citizen called Khaled Masha’ila.
They expressed their belief that the settlers would use the land as a road to connect the settlements of Gush Etzion with the military roadblock, which separates the village from the 1948 occupied territories.
They warned that the settlers might appropriate more Palestinian lands in the village for their own use.
1 feb 2017
Israeli soldiers abducted, on Wednesday at dawn, two Palestinians in the West Bank districts of Tubas and Tulkarem, during violent invasions and searches of homes. The soldiers also invaded the al-Khader town, south of Bethlehem, and shut down a carwash facility.
The Palestinian Prisoners’ Society (PPS) in Tubas, in central West Bank, said the soldiers invaded and searched several homes in ‘Aqaba town, north of the city, and abducted two Palestinians.
The PPP identified the two Palestinians as Amro Ahmad al-Masri, 24, who is also a student of the Al-Quds Open University, and Salah Yassin Ghannam, 23.
In Tulkarem district in northern West Bank, the soldiers invaded Safareen village, north of the city, searched homes and abducted Abdul-Fattah Mohammad Zeidan, 20.
In related news, several army vehicles invaded the al-Khader town, south of Bethlehem, before breaking into a carwash facility in the Nashash area, at the southern entrance of the town, and shut down a carwash facility.
Ahmad Salah, the coordinator of the Popular Committee against the Wall and Colonies in al-Khader, said the soldiers weld the facility shut, and added that it is owned by two Palestinian detainees, who were taken prisoner last month.
Salah added that the detainees have been identified as Abdul-Mon’em Mohammad Salah, and his brother Dirar.
The army posted a notice on the main door of the facility, stating that “it was shut down because its owners endangered the lives of Israelis,” Salah stated.
The Palestinian Prisoners’ Society (PPS) in Tubas, in central West Bank, said the soldiers invaded and searched several homes in ‘Aqaba town, north of the city, and abducted two Palestinians.
The PPP identified the two Palestinians as Amro Ahmad al-Masri, 24, who is also a student of the Al-Quds Open University, and Salah Yassin Ghannam, 23.
In Tulkarem district in northern West Bank, the soldiers invaded Safareen village, north of the city, searched homes and abducted Abdul-Fattah Mohammad Zeidan, 20.
In related news, several army vehicles invaded the al-Khader town, south of Bethlehem, before breaking into a carwash facility in the Nashash area, at the southern entrance of the town, and shut down a carwash facility.
Ahmad Salah, the coordinator of the Popular Committee against the Wall and Colonies in al-Khader, said the soldiers weld the facility shut, and added that it is owned by two Palestinian detainees, who were taken prisoner last month.
Salah added that the detainees have been identified as Abdul-Mon’em Mohammad Salah, and his brother Dirar.
The army posted a notice on the main door of the facility, stating that “it was shut down because its owners endangered the lives of Israelis,” Salah stated.
30 jan 2017
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Officials at the Ministry of Agriculture visited the farming lands near the borders between Gaza and 1948 occupied Palestine to inspect the damage caused by Israeli pesticides sprayed by planes.
Mohammad Jadallah, Ministry of Agriculture undersecretary, who led the visiting officials, stressed that the Ministry is paying special attention to the border area due to its richness and diversity. Furthermore, it is considered the food basket of the Gaza Strip, he added. Israeli planes sprayed pesticides last week on agricultural lands belonging to Palestinian citizens in the eastern areas of the southern and central provinces. |
Farmers in those areas have been suffering big losses due to the Israeli measure of spraying pesticides on crops along the borders, Jadallah pointed out.
He urged the international concerned organizations to take the necessary procedures to stop the harmful Israeli practices against the agricultural and environmental sectors in Gaza.
He urged the international concerned organizations to take the necessary procedures to stop the harmful Israeli practices against the agricultural and environmental sectors in Gaza.
29 jan 2017
Beita town, south of Nablus city, incurs heavy losses on a daily basis due to the closure of its main entrance since last Thursday.
Beita residents considered this move part of the campaign waged against them by the Israeli occupation authorities to prevent any act of resistance.
Sources in Beita Municipality estimate that daily losses reach hundreds of thousands of shekels especially for merchants working in the town's vegetable market, not to mention depriving people of moving freely outside the town.
Beita Municipality director Awad Abu Amer told the PIC reporter that merchants of the vegetable market, most of whom have prepaid deals and orders, are the most affected for they bring their products by large trucks coming from the 1948 occupied Palestinian territories. The trucks cannot pass through the subsidiary roads so they turn back, which inflicts massive losses.
Beita residents were surprised by concrete cubes installed at the town's entrance by Israeli occupation forces accompanied by an announcement written in Arabic justifying that the move came to enforce security.
Abdulrahman Duwaikat, resident of the town, said that he is forced to go to Huwara to ride the bus that he used to wait for at the entrance of Beita town to travel to Ramallah city, which doubled his daily fare.
Aisha Abu Hamdan, a college student, said that moving through subsidiary streets and farm roads is very risky due to heavy rain and accumulated floodwater which also impose threat on the movement of small cars.
This is the fourth time Beita entrance gets closed since January 2016. The entrance was previously blocked by sand barriers under the pretext that Israeli settlers' vehicles were exposed to attacks by Molotov cocktails.
Beita residents considered this move part of the campaign waged against them by the Israeli occupation authorities to prevent any act of resistance.
Sources in Beita Municipality estimate that daily losses reach hundreds of thousands of shekels especially for merchants working in the town's vegetable market, not to mention depriving people of moving freely outside the town.
Beita Municipality director Awad Abu Amer told the PIC reporter that merchants of the vegetable market, most of whom have prepaid deals and orders, are the most affected for they bring their products by large trucks coming from the 1948 occupied Palestinian territories. The trucks cannot pass through the subsidiary roads so they turn back, which inflicts massive losses.
Beita residents were surprised by concrete cubes installed at the town's entrance by Israeli occupation forces accompanied by an announcement written in Arabic justifying that the move came to enforce security.
Abdulrahman Duwaikat, resident of the town, said that he is forced to go to Huwara to ride the bus that he used to wait for at the entrance of Beita town to travel to Ramallah city, which doubled his daily fare.
Aisha Abu Hamdan, a college student, said that moving through subsidiary streets and farm roads is very risky due to heavy rain and accumulated floodwater which also impose threat on the movement of small cars.
This is the fourth time Beita entrance gets closed since January 2016. The entrance was previously blocked by sand barriers under the pretext that Israeli settlers' vehicles were exposed to attacks by Molotov cocktails.
28 jan 2017
The Securities Depository Center of Jordan unveiled on Saturday an increase in the Palestinian investments (registered at the Palestinian Authority) in Amman Stock Exchange (ASE) which reached 285,225 million dinars (1 Jordanian Dinar = 1.4$) compared to the 281 million dinars recorded in October 2016.
The 24,365 Palestinians investing in the ASE occupy the tenth rank of the total foreign investments and own 130 million banknotes.
By the end of 2016, the Israeli investments witnessed an increase by 3,920 million dinars compared to the previously recorded 3,858 million dinars.
The data of the Securities Depository Center showed on Saturday that the Israeli investments in the ASE maintained their 37th rank of the total foreign investments.
According to the records, the Israeli investors own 953,813 banknotes with investments that amounted to 3,920 million dinars.
The 24,365 Palestinians investing in the ASE occupy the tenth rank of the total foreign investments and own 130 million banknotes.
By the end of 2016, the Israeli investments witnessed an increase by 3,920 million dinars compared to the previously recorded 3,858 million dinars.
The data of the Securities Depository Center showed on Saturday that the Israeli investments in the ASE maintained their 37th rank of the total foreign investments.
According to the records, the Israeli investors own 953,813 banknotes with investments that amounted to 3,920 million dinars.
27 jan 2017
Several extremist Israeli colonists invaded, Friday, Palestinian orchards belonging to residents of the Al-Khader town, south of Bethlehem, before uprooting and steeling hundreds of olive saplings and grapevine seedlings.
Ahmad Salah, the coordinator of the Popular Committee against the Israeli Annexation Wall and Colonies in al-Khader, said the colonists came from Boaz illegal colonialist outpost, and invaded orchards and farmland in Ein al-Qassis area, west of al-Khader.
Salah added that the colonists uprooted 300 grapevine seedlings and 100 olive saplings, and stole them before fleeing the area. The lands are owned by the sons of late Mohammad Abdul-Salam Salah.
He stated that the colonists also stole rolls of barbwires and iron bars that the Palestinians brought to fence their lands to stop the ongoing Israeli vandalism of their orchards.
The colonists also invaded an orchard belonging to Husam Mustafa Salah, and uprooting fifty olive saplings before fleeing the area with them.
Salah said the Palestinians living in Ein al-Qassis area, are subject to ongoing violations and assaults by soldiers and colonialist settlers.
Ahmad Salah, the coordinator of the Popular Committee against the Israeli Annexation Wall and Colonies in al-Khader, said the colonists came from Boaz illegal colonialist outpost, and invaded orchards and farmland in Ein al-Qassis area, west of al-Khader.
Salah added that the colonists uprooted 300 grapevine seedlings and 100 olive saplings, and stole them before fleeing the area. The lands are owned by the sons of late Mohammad Abdul-Salam Salah.
He stated that the colonists also stole rolls of barbwires and iron bars that the Palestinians brought to fence their lands to stop the ongoing Israeli vandalism of their orchards.
The colonists also invaded an orchard belonging to Husam Mustafa Salah, and uprooting fifty olive saplings before fleeing the area with them.
Salah said the Palestinians living in Ein al-Qassis area, are subject to ongoing violations and assaults by soldiers and colonialist settlers.
