31 oct 2016
The Israeli occupation forces (IOF) on Monday morning attacked Palestinian schoolchildren in eastern Occupied Jerusalem with randomly-shot spates of rubber bullets.
According to the Silwan-based Wadi Hilweh Information Center, the occupation army stormed Ras Al-Amoud, in Silwan, and broke into a Palestinian school, triggering a state of panic among students and teaching staff.
The IOF soldiers showered the school with random barrages of rubber bullets and sound bombs.
No injuries were reported in the assault.
According to the Silwan-based Wadi Hilweh Information Center, the occupation army stormed Ras Al-Amoud, in Silwan, and broke into a Palestinian school, triggering a state of panic among students and teaching staff.
The IOF soldiers showered the school with random barrages of rubber bullets and sound bombs.
No injuries were reported in the assault.
27 oct 2016
A Bedouin camp near the illegal settlement of Maale Adumim in the occupied West Bank.
The state of Israel has postponed this week its decision regarding the fate of a primary school in the Bedouin village of Khan al-Ahmar in the occupied West Bank, which has been threatened with demolition by the Israeli government for years.
A source, who spoke to Ma’an on condition of anonymity, said on Thursday that a ruling was postponed by four months, leaving the school “off the hook until the decision is made.”
The school in Khan al-Ahmar, which was partially funded by an Italian organization and the Italian government, has long been slated for demolition by the Israeli government.
The announcement came days after a European Union delegation visited Khan al-Ahmar, which, like the nearby Abu Nuwwar community, is under threat of relocation by Israel.
Both are located in the contentious “E1 corridor,” set up by the Israeli government to link annexed East Jerusalem with the mega settlement of Maale Adumim.
In August, after reports emerged that the Israeli prime minister's office ordered the school in Khan al-Ahmar to be closed down, the Israeli Supreme Court ordered the state of Israel provide a formal opinion on the school the following week.
More than two months later, the Israeli NGO Rabbis For Human Rights speculated last week that they believed Israel was avoiding making a decision as a result of the immense international pressure not to demolish the school, built of mud and tires, which has become one of the most high-profile targets of Israel's massive demolition campaign against Palestinian homes and livelihood structures.
In response to the order against the school, Jamal Dajani, director of strategic communications at the Palestinian prime minister’s office said that Israeli authorities used “every excuse in the book to prevent the advancement of Palestinian communities in Area C," adding that Israel “should not be allowed to deprive our children of educational opportunities.”
“Is Palestinian education a threat to Israel?” Dajani asked in the statement.
At least 780 Palestinian-owned structures in Area C have been destroyed by Israel since the beginning of the year as of mid-October, compared to a total of 453 structures over the entirety of 2015, according to the United Nations.
Earlier this month, Israeli authorities demolished eight homes in Khan al-Ahmar, leaving 28 Palestinians, 18 of them minors, homeless.
Rights groups and Bedouin community members themselves have sharply criticized Israel's relocation plans for the Bedouin residing near the illegal Israeli settlement of Maale Adumim, claiming that the removal would displace indigenous Palestinians for the sake of expanding Israeli settlements across the occupied West Bank in violation of international law.
Khan al-Ahmar is one of several Bedouin villages facing forced relocation due to plans by Israeli authorities to build thousands of homes for Jewish-only settlements in the E1 corridor.
Settlement construction in E1 would effectively divide the West Bank and make the creation of a contiguous Palestinian state -- as envisaged by the internationally backed two-state solution to the Palestinian-Israeli conflict -- almost impossible.
Israeli activity in E1 has attracted widespread international condemnation, and Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas has in the past said that "E1 is a red line that cannot be crossed."
Israel rarely grants Palestinians permits to build in the West Bank, including East Jerusalem, although the estimated 550,000 Jewish Israeli settlers are more easily given building permits and allowed to expand their homes and properties.
Nearly all Palestinian applications for building permits in Area C -- the 60 percent of the West Bank under full Israeli military control -- are denied by the Israeli authorities, forcing communities to build illegally.
The state of Israel has postponed this week its decision regarding the fate of a primary school in the Bedouin village of Khan al-Ahmar in the occupied West Bank, which has been threatened with demolition by the Israeli government for years.
A source, who spoke to Ma’an on condition of anonymity, said on Thursday that a ruling was postponed by four months, leaving the school “off the hook until the decision is made.”
The school in Khan al-Ahmar, which was partially funded by an Italian organization and the Italian government, has long been slated for demolition by the Israeli government.
The announcement came days after a European Union delegation visited Khan al-Ahmar, which, like the nearby Abu Nuwwar community, is under threat of relocation by Israel.
Both are located in the contentious “E1 corridor,” set up by the Israeli government to link annexed East Jerusalem with the mega settlement of Maale Adumim.
In August, after reports emerged that the Israeli prime minister's office ordered the school in Khan al-Ahmar to be closed down, the Israeli Supreme Court ordered the state of Israel provide a formal opinion on the school the following week.
More than two months later, the Israeli NGO Rabbis For Human Rights speculated last week that they believed Israel was avoiding making a decision as a result of the immense international pressure not to demolish the school, built of mud and tires, which has become one of the most high-profile targets of Israel's massive demolition campaign against Palestinian homes and livelihood structures.
In response to the order against the school, Jamal Dajani, director of strategic communications at the Palestinian prime minister’s office said that Israeli authorities used “every excuse in the book to prevent the advancement of Palestinian communities in Area C," adding that Israel “should not be allowed to deprive our children of educational opportunities.”
“Is Palestinian education a threat to Israel?” Dajani asked in the statement.
At least 780 Palestinian-owned structures in Area C have been destroyed by Israel since the beginning of the year as of mid-October, compared to a total of 453 structures over the entirety of 2015, according to the United Nations.
Earlier this month, Israeli authorities demolished eight homes in Khan al-Ahmar, leaving 28 Palestinians, 18 of them minors, homeless.
Rights groups and Bedouin community members themselves have sharply criticized Israel's relocation plans for the Bedouin residing near the illegal Israeli settlement of Maale Adumim, claiming that the removal would displace indigenous Palestinians for the sake of expanding Israeli settlements across the occupied West Bank in violation of international law.
Khan al-Ahmar is one of several Bedouin villages facing forced relocation due to plans by Israeli authorities to build thousands of homes for Jewish-only settlements in the E1 corridor.
Settlement construction in E1 would effectively divide the West Bank and make the creation of a contiguous Palestinian state -- as envisaged by the internationally backed two-state solution to the Palestinian-Israeli conflict -- almost impossible.
Israeli activity in E1 has attracted widespread international condemnation, and Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas has in the past said that "E1 is a red line that cannot be crossed."
Israel rarely grants Palestinians permits to build in the West Bank, including East Jerusalem, although the estimated 550,000 Jewish Israeli settlers are more easily given building permits and allowed to expand their homes and properties.
Nearly all Palestinian applications for building permits in Area C -- the 60 percent of the West Bank under full Israeli military control -- are denied by the Israeli authorities, forcing communities to build illegally.
25 oct 2016
The Shin Bet, Israel’s internal intelligence agency, has banned a Palestinian female student studying at Hebron University from entering al-Khalil city, with no known reason.
The student, Sojoud al-Daraweesh, said she was handed an order by the Shin Bet prohibiting her entry to al-Khalil city, adding that she would not be able to complete her academic studies at Hebron University.
Daraweesh, who was detained for one day a month ago and recently interrogated by the Shin Bet in Etzion military camp, pointed to her exposure to unjustified persecution by the Israeli army.
She said that an Israeli intelligence officer had threatened to arrest her if she refused to comply with the order.
As a result, the student has asked the university management to enable her to complete her studies remotely through a specific mechanism.
In this regard, the student affairs department of the university denounced the Israeli measure against Daraweesh as a serious violation of a student’s right to education, noting that the decision would affect her educational life.
The department said it would intervene to find a solution to the issue of the student in accordance with the academic regulations.
The student, Sojoud al-Daraweesh, said she was handed an order by the Shin Bet prohibiting her entry to al-Khalil city, adding that she would not be able to complete her academic studies at Hebron University.
Daraweesh, who was detained for one day a month ago and recently interrogated by the Shin Bet in Etzion military camp, pointed to her exposure to unjustified persecution by the Israeli army.
She said that an Israeli intelligence officer had threatened to arrest her if she refused to comply with the order.
As a result, the student has asked the university management to enable her to complete her studies remotely through a specific mechanism.
In this regard, the student affairs department of the university denounced the Israeli measure against Daraweesh as a serious violation of a student’s right to education, noting that the decision would affect her educational life.
The department said it would intervene to find a solution to the issue of the student in accordance with the academic regulations.
24 oct 2016
Palestinian high school Talai al-Amal ("Vanguards of Hope" in Arabic), located in the city of Nablus in the northern occupied West Bank, was awarded $1 million in Dubai on Monday for having the best reading initiatives in the Arab world.
The announcement was made at the closing ceremony of the Arab Reading Challenge, launched in 2015 by United Arab Emirates Prime Minister and ruler of Dubai Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid al-Maktoum. The ceremony took place at the Dubai Opera House, where al-Maktoum presented the awards.
Palestinian Minister of Education Sabri Saidam attended the ceremony along with a delegation representing Talai al-Amal.
"The ongoing successes of Palestine will not cease, and the Ministry of Education, together with all Palestinians, are proud of this accomplishment," Saidam said.
The announcement was made at the closing ceremony of the Arab Reading Challenge, launched in 2015 by United Arab Emirates Prime Minister and ruler of Dubai Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid al-Maktoum. The ceremony took place at the Dubai Opera House, where al-Maktoum presented the awards.
Palestinian Minister of Education Sabri Saidam attended the ceremony along with a delegation representing Talai al-Amal.
"The ongoing successes of Palestine will not cease, and the Ministry of Education, together with all Palestinians, are proud of this accomplishment," Saidam said.
19 oct 2016
The Israeli police forces arrested Wednesday a Palestinian minor after breaking into the Palestinian Dar al-Aytam Al-Islamiya School (Islamic Industrial Orphanage School) in occupied Jerusalem.
Local sources told Quds Press that Israeli policemen violently stormed the school and arrested a 17-year-old student for allegedly being involved in a stone-throwing attack.
The school has been forced to close its doors before end of classes for safety concerns and to prevent any expected clashes, the sources added.
Dar al-Aytam Al-Islamiya School has been stormed more than once over the past week under the pretext that its students are involved in alleged stone-throwing attacks.
The school’s director and ten students were detained during the raids.
Local sources told Quds Press that Israeli policemen violently stormed the school and arrested a 17-year-old student for allegedly being involved in a stone-throwing attack.
The school has been forced to close its doors before end of classes for safety concerns and to prevent any expected clashes, the sources added.
Dar al-Aytam Al-Islamiya School has been stormed more than once over the past week under the pretext that its students are involved in alleged stone-throwing attacks.
The school’s director and ten students were detained during the raids.
Eight Palestinians were injured Wednesday afternoon as clashes broke out in al-Quds University in Abu Dis town east of occupied Jerusalem.
The clashes broke out when Israeli police forces stormed the University amid heavy firing of teargas bombs, Quds Press quoted eyewitnesses as saying. At least eight students suffered breathing problems.
Earlier Tuesday, 27 students suffered different injuries during similar confrontations in al-Quds University.
Al-Quds University was repeatedly stormed by Israeli police forces over the past few years under flimsy pretexts.
The clashes broke out when Israeli police forces stormed the University amid heavy firing of teargas bombs, Quds Press quoted eyewitnesses as saying. At least eight students suffered breathing problems.
Earlier Tuesday, 27 students suffered different injuries during similar confrontations in al-Quds University.
Al-Quds University was repeatedly stormed by Israeli police forces over the past few years under flimsy pretexts.
18 oct 2016
The Israeli Occupation Forces (IOF) detained Tuesday afternoon 50 Palestinian students and their eight teachers at the entrance to Umm al-Raihan town, isolated behind the apartheid wall south of Jenin.
Local sources affirmed that the students were used to cross via an Israeli Iron Gate erected at the entrance to the town to reach their school.
However, the students and teachers were surprised today that Israeli forces closed the Iron Gate and left them behind the gate for more than two hours.
Palestinians in Umm al-Raihan and Dahar Maleh towns south of Jenin are completely isolated behind the apartheid wall.
Local sources affirmed that the students were used to cross via an Israeli Iron Gate erected at the entrance to the town to reach their school.
However, the students and teachers were surprised today that Israeli forces closed the Iron Gate and left them behind the gate for more than two hours.
Palestinians in Umm al-Raihan and Dahar Maleh towns south of Jenin are completely isolated behind the apartheid wall.
