24 apr 2016
Palestinian non-governmental organizations (NOGs) strongly condemned on Sunday the Israeli continued ban of construction materials’ access into Gaza Strip, warning against its serious implications on the deteriorating humanitarian situation.
The NGOs pointed out in a statement issued Sunday that Israeli authorities have tightened restrictions on Gaza’s commercial imports and exports, further exacerbating the economic, social, and humanitarian situation in the besieged enclave.
Gaza Strip has reached an unprecedented level of food-insecurity, unemployment, and poverty rates, the statement added.
The statement warned of the serious implications of the slow reconstruction process, adding that thousands of homes and health and educational facilities, which were destroyed during Israel’s 2014 aggression, are still in need for rehabilitation and reconstruction.
The NGOs said that the international mechanism for Gaza reconstruction has deepened the suffering of Gaza people and imposed more restrictions on the reconstruction process. The organizations also expressed concern over the donor countries’ failure to fulfill their financial pledges.
The statement called on the international community to act urgently to end the Israeli siege on Gaza and to accelerate its reconstruction.
The NGOs pointed out in a statement issued Sunday that Israeli authorities have tightened restrictions on Gaza’s commercial imports and exports, further exacerbating the economic, social, and humanitarian situation in the besieged enclave.
Gaza Strip has reached an unprecedented level of food-insecurity, unemployment, and poverty rates, the statement added.
The statement warned of the serious implications of the slow reconstruction process, adding that thousands of homes and health and educational facilities, which were destroyed during Israel’s 2014 aggression, are still in need for rehabilitation and reconstruction.
The NGOs said that the international mechanism for Gaza reconstruction has deepened the suffering of Gaza people and imposed more restrictions on the reconstruction process. The organizations also expressed concern over the donor countries’ failure to fulfill their financial pledges.
The statement called on the international community to act urgently to end the Israeli siege on Gaza and to accelerate its reconstruction.
22 apr 2016
The National Anti-Siege and Reconstruction Movement Commission has warned that the Israeli premier's recent decision to prevent the entry of cement shipments to the besieged Gaza Strip would increase the population's humanitarian suffering.
In a press release on Thursday, the commission also affirmed that Netanyahu's decision to ban cement entry to Gaza and his refusal to allow the construction of its seaport would lead to very dire consequences and add fuel to the fire.
The Palestinian organization stressed that Israel's blockade on Gaza violates the international law and threatens the current truce. It appealed to the international community to assume its responsibility towards the besieged enclave and move to end Israel's mass punishment policy against its population.
In a press release on Thursday, the commission also affirmed that Netanyahu's decision to ban cement entry to Gaza and his refusal to allow the construction of its seaport would lead to very dire consequences and add fuel to the fire.
The Palestinian organization stressed that Israel's blockade on Gaza violates the international law and threatens the current truce. It appealed to the international community to assume its responsibility towards the besieged enclave and move to end Israel's mass punishment policy against its population.
13 apr 2016
Dozens of citizens, whose homes were destroyed during the last aggression on Gaza, staged a sit-in at the Unknown Soldier Square in central Gaza City, expressing their refusal to the delayed reconstruction grants.
Young and old, men and women, even children, participated in the vigil under the rain showers, on Tuesday morning, expressing their discontent and anger over the delay of the reconstruction grants, and ask: "Where are the donors' funds?"
Their suffering
The elderly Itedal Hadidi (Um Samir) who lives to the east of Bureij refugee camp asserts that she, her children, and grandchildren, 24 persons, live in one house composed of only three rooms, adding: "we suffer the winter cold and the fear, death is easier than our suffering. We live in poverty and humiliation."
Message to the Conference of Ramallah
Hasan Al-Wali, general coordinator of IDPs Association, confirmed that they have organized this vigil to display their suffering before the conferees at the Gaza reconstruction conference, which is to be held on Wednesday in Ramallah.
Wali told the PIC reporter: "Our message is the message of suffering, the truth and the reality of reconstruction, which has not reached the level of destruction witnessed in the Gaza Strip." Wali noted that the number of houses totally destroyed was 11,500, while 6,000 houses are uninhabitable, explaining that only 1,000 houses were reconstructed in the Qatari grant. He Indicated that all grants are still just promises, "Even the Kuwaiti grant that was supposed to be received eight months ago has not been sent yet", he said.
Expelled from the House
With a sigh the citizen Mufid Ubaid spoke about his devastated humble home, which has not been built since the end of the last aggression on the Gaza Strip, in the summer of 2014. He confirmed that his house is registered in the Kuwaiti grant, but he did not get anything until the moment. He told the reporter of the PIC: "until this moment I did not get even a housing rent to pay since the end of last year, so the homeowner who rented me expelled me from his house because I do not have money to pay the rent, now I live in a tent on the ruins of my home."
He said that his family of six children is exposed in the tent to extreme cold in winter and extreme heat in the summer. He hoped that their demands would be heard and their housing crisis would be solved the soonest.
Young and old, men and women, even children, participated in the vigil under the rain showers, on Tuesday morning, expressing their discontent and anger over the delay of the reconstruction grants, and ask: "Where are the donors' funds?"
Their suffering
The elderly Itedal Hadidi (Um Samir) who lives to the east of Bureij refugee camp asserts that she, her children, and grandchildren, 24 persons, live in one house composed of only three rooms, adding: "we suffer the winter cold and the fear, death is easier than our suffering. We live in poverty and humiliation."
Message to the Conference of Ramallah
Hasan Al-Wali, general coordinator of IDPs Association, confirmed that they have organized this vigil to display their suffering before the conferees at the Gaza reconstruction conference, which is to be held on Wednesday in Ramallah.
Wali told the PIC reporter: "Our message is the message of suffering, the truth and the reality of reconstruction, which has not reached the level of destruction witnessed in the Gaza Strip." Wali noted that the number of houses totally destroyed was 11,500, while 6,000 houses are uninhabitable, explaining that only 1,000 houses were reconstructed in the Qatari grant. He Indicated that all grants are still just promises, "Even the Kuwaiti grant that was supposed to be received eight months ago has not been sent yet", he said.
Expelled from the House
With a sigh the citizen Mufid Ubaid spoke about his devastated humble home, which has not been built since the end of the last aggression on the Gaza Strip, in the summer of 2014. He confirmed that his house is registered in the Kuwaiti grant, but he did not get anything until the moment. He told the reporter of the PIC: "until this moment I did not get even a housing rent to pay since the end of last year, so the homeowner who rented me expelled me from his house because I do not have money to pay the rent, now I live in a tent on the ruins of my home."
He said that his family of six children is exposed in the tent to extreme cold in winter and extreme heat in the summer. He hoped that their demands would be heard and their housing crisis would be solved the soonest.
12 apr 2016
Israeli restrictions on the entry of building materials into the blockaded Gaza Strip has blocked reconstruction projects worth 200 million U.S. dollars, Chairman of the Popular anti-Siege Committee, MP Jamal al-Khudari, said Monday.
Khudari said in a statement that hundreds of reconstruction projects have been suspended due to the Israeli bans on the entry of cement and other building materials into the Gaza Strip.
According to Khudari, such bans result in huge losses and lead to high rates of unemployment and poverty. He warned of the serious socio-economic repercussions of the ban, which has been into effect for the second week.
The MP further spoke out against Israeli attempts to institutionalize the blockade as part of a pre-planned policy of collective punishment against two million Palestinians.
Khudari called for the need to lift the Israeli siege on Gaza, open the border-crossings, and smooth the entry of reconstruction materials so as to alleviate Gazans’ tragic state of affairs.
Khudari said in a statement that hundreds of reconstruction projects have been suspended due to the Israeli bans on the entry of cement and other building materials into the Gaza Strip.
According to Khudari, such bans result in huge losses and lead to high rates of unemployment and poverty. He warned of the serious socio-economic repercussions of the ban, which has been into effect for the second week.
The MP further spoke out against Israeli attempts to institutionalize the blockade as part of a pre-planned policy of collective punishment against two million Palestinians.
Khudari called for the need to lift the Israeli siege on Gaza, open the border-crossings, and smooth the entry of reconstruction materials so as to alleviate Gazans’ tragic state of affairs.
11 apr 2016
The Israeli public prosecutor has admitted that the Israeli government is behind the failure to sanction housing projects for the Palestinians in Occupied Jerusalem.
The Israeli prosecution made this admission during a recent hearing held in the district court in Jerusalem, in response to a petition filed by lawyer Muhannad Jabara on behalf of the Popular Center in Beit Safafa town and Ali Brothers' Company.
The petitioners complain that the Israeli authorities unjustifiably refused to approve the housing project for Beit Safafa residents, which is known as Givat Hamatos B, although a similar project, Givat Hamatos A, was approved for settlers in the area.
The prosecution affirmed in its response before the court that that the Israeli government and its institutions obstructed the approval of the project for the Palestinians in Beit Safafa.
Lawyer Jabara explained that he filed a petition against the Israeli ministry of interior and the Israeli municipality after they gave final approval for the project, Givat A, which is adjacent to the land intended for the establishment of Givat B.
He stressed that "blatant racist considerations" were behind the Israeli refusal to approve the housing project for the Palestinian in Beit Safafa, affirming that he would ask the judges to immediately accept the petition.
The Israeli prosecution made this admission during a recent hearing held in the district court in Jerusalem, in response to a petition filed by lawyer Muhannad Jabara on behalf of the Popular Center in Beit Safafa town and Ali Brothers' Company.
The petitioners complain that the Israeli authorities unjustifiably refused to approve the housing project for Beit Safafa residents, which is known as Givat Hamatos B, although a similar project, Givat Hamatos A, was approved for settlers in the area.
The prosecution affirmed in its response before the court that that the Israeli government and its institutions obstructed the approval of the project for the Palestinians in Beit Safafa.
Lawyer Jabara explained that he filed a petition against the Israeli ministry of interior and the Israeli municipality after they gave final approval for the project, Givat A, which is adjacent to the land intended for the establishment of Givat B.
He stressed that "blatant racist considerations" were behind the Israeli refusal to approve the housing project for the Palestinian in Beit Safafa, affirming that he would ask the judges to immediately accept the petition.
8 apr 2016
Palestinian Minister of Housing and Public Works, Mufeed al-Hasayna, on Thursday called on Israel to lift the ban on the entry of reconstruction materials into the blockaded Gaza Strip to prevent another tragedy in the enclave.
Addressing a press conference in Gaza attended by the PIC reporter, al-Hasayna said blockaded Gaza Strip is in need of 210,000 tons of cement for the reconstruction of civilian homes funded by donors.
According to al-Hassayna, 143,000 Gazans, 4,300 among whom had their homes completely ruined, benefited from a deal that was put into effect since September 2014 to smooth the entry of reconstruction materials.
The minister denied Israeli claims that large cement quantities are stocked in distributors’ storerooms, saying they do not rather exceed 900 tons. “The rest of the quantity stocked in the storerooms is allotted to concrete factories along with the UNRWA and Qatari Grant projects,” al-Hassayna added.
He attributed the rise in cement prices to Israel’s reduction of reconstruction materials imported to the enclave by half.
Addressing a press conference in Gaza attended by the PIC reporter, al-Hasayna said blockaded Gaza Strip is in need of 210,000 tons of cement for the reconstruction of civilian homes funded by donors.
According to al-Hassayna, 143,000 Gazans, 4,300 among whom had their homes completely ruined, benefited from a deal that was put into effect since September 2014 to smooth the entry of reconstruction materials.
The minister denied Israeli claims that large cement quantities are stocked in distributors’ storerooms, saying they do not rather exceed 900 tons. “The rest of the quantity stocked in the storerooms is allotted to concrete factories along with the UNRWA and Qatari Grant projects,” al-Hassayna added.
He attributed the rise in cement prices to Israel’s reduction of reconstruction materials imported to the enclave by half.
4 apr 2016
The construction of over 50 schools in Gaza has been blocked due to the tough Israeli siege, Assistant Undersecretary of the Palestinian Ministry of Education, Anwar al-Bar’awi said Sunday.
Al-Bar’awi raised alarm bells over the need to construct more schools in the blockaded Gaza Strip due to overcrowding. He said serious efforts have been underway to maximize pupils’ academic output, improve assessment strategies, and develop pedagogical policies.
The official also said the ministry initiated several projects to improve the learners’ reading and writing skills from the first to the sixth grade.
He further announced the launch of the “Active School” project based on team work and aimed at boosting the spirit of cooperation and partnership among the learners.
A so-called “the School Is the Nucleus of Community” is also expected to be launched sometime soon with clubs and workshops aimed at entrenching communal values.
Al-Bar’awi raised alarm bells over the need to construct more schools in the blockaded Gaza Strip due to overcrowding. He said serious efforts have been underway to maximize pupils’ academic output, improve assessment strategies, and develop pedagogical policies.
The official also said the ministry initiated several projects to improve the learners’ reading and writing skills from the first to the sixth grade.
He further announced the launch of the “Active School” project based on team work and aimed at boosting the spirit of cooperation and partnership among the learners.
A so-called “the School Is the Nucleus of Community” is also expected to be launched sometime soon with clubs and workshops aimed at entrenching communal values.
3 apr 2016
Raed Fattouh, chairman of the coordination committee for the entry of goods into the Gaza Strip, said on Friday that the Israeli Occupation Authority (IOA) suddenly stopped the entry of cement into the besieged Gaza enclave starting from Sunday.
Fattouh told Anadolu agency that the Israeli decision does not include the cement used in the reconstruction projects implemented by Qatar and UNRWA.
The undersecretary of the Palestinian Ministry of Economy in Gaza Hatem Uwaida said that the ministry monitors the qualities and quantities of commodities that enter the Gaza Strip including cement in order to maintain reasonable prices.
For his part, Mohammad Abu Jabbah, one of the big importers of cement into the Gaza Strip, said that the IOA limited the quantities of cement entered daily into the Strip from 5400 to 1800 tons, according to Quds Press.
MP Jamal al-Khudari, chairman of the popular committee against the siege, said that the Israeli decision is very dangerous because it means that hundreds of construction projects will be stopped and the reconstruction process would be hindered.
Israel waged an aggression on the Gaza Strip on July 07, 2014 that led to the martyrdom of 2320 Palestinians and entire demolition of 12,000 homes. The number of partially demolished houses reached 160,000 including 6600 uninhabitable units.
Fattouh told Anadolu agency that the Israeli decision does not include the cement used in the reconstruction projects implemented by Qatar and UNRWA.
The undersecretary of the Palestinian Ministry of Economy in Gaza Hatem Uwaida said that the ministry monitors the qualities and quantities of commodities that enter the Gaza Strip including cement in order to maintain reasonable prices.
For his part, Mohammad Abu Jabbah, one of the big importers of cement into the Gaza Strip, said that the IOA limited the quantities of cement entered daily into the Strip from 5400 to 1800 tons, according to Quds Press.
MP Jamal al-Khudari, chairman of the popular committee against the siege, said that the Israeli decision is very dangerous because it means that hundreds of construction projects will be stopped and the reconstruction process would be hindered.
Israel waged an aggression on the Gaza Strip on July 07, 2014 that led to the martyrdom of 2320 Palestinians and entire demolition of 12,000 homes. The number of partially demolished houses reached 160,000 including 6600 uninhabitable units.
28 mar 2016
Israeli forces issued a notification on Monday calling for a Palestinian company to stop building a structure in the village of Idhna near Hebron in the southern occupied West Bank.
The structure belongs to Khalid Muhammad al-Batran, who began building the structure a year ago and said he has not received any demolition notices until now.
Al-Batran told Ma’an that he was surprised on Monday when he received the demolition notice.
The Coordinator of Government Activities in the Territories (COGAT), the Israeli authority in the Palestinian Territory, did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
The majority home demolitions in the occupied West Bank occur in Area C, which is under full Israeli military control. In order for Palestinians to build in Area C, land owners must obtain building permits from the Israeli authorities. Such permits are nearly impossible to obtain for Palestinian, forcing communities to build illegally.
The UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) found that between 2010 and 2014, only 1.5 percent of 2,020 Palestinian building permit requests submitted were approved.
As of mid-February, the number of Palestinians displaced due to Israeli demolitions in 2016 was already equivalent to over half of the total number displaced in all of 2015, a senior UN official said last month.
The structure belongs to Khalid Muhammad al-Batran, who began building the structure a year ago and said he has not received any demolition notices until now.
Al-Batran told Ma’an that he was surprised on Monday when he received the demolition notice.
The Coordinator of Government Activities in the Territories (COGAT), the Israeli authority in the Palestinian Territory, did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
The majority home demolitions in the occupied West Bank occur in Area C, which is under full Israeli military control. In order for Palestinians to build in Area C, land owners must obtain building permits from the Israeli authorities. Such permits are nearly impossible to obtain for Palestinian, forcing communities to build illegally.
The UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) found that between 2010 and 2014, only 1.5 percent of 2,020 Palestinian building permit requests submitted were approved.
As of mid-February, the number of Palestinians displaced due to Israeli demolitions in 2016 was already equivalent to over half of the total number displaced in all of 2015, a senior UN official said last month.
24 mar 2016
Ministry of Works and Housing in Gaza celebrated on Wednesday starting the construction works of housing projects for the affected families of the Israeli aggression on Gaza in summer 2014 in Juhr al-Dik district.
The event also included signing contracts of the projects which are funded by TIKA Turkish institution. Minister of Housing Mufid al-Hasayna stressed the importance of the project which offers 320 housing units to the owners of damaged homes due to Israeli aggression in 2014.
He also thanked Turkey and TIKA institution for their great support.
The coordinator of Palestine’s program at TIKA, Pulent Korkmaz, revealed that TIKA funded 400 projects by hundreds of million dollars over the past ten years. Suhail al-Saqqa, contractor of the project, said that the 320 units are located within 20 buildings over an estimated area of 24,000 square meters.
The event also included signing contracts of the projects which are funded by TIKA Turkish institution. Minister of Housing Mufid al-Hasayna stressed the importance of the project which offers 320 housing units to the owners of damaged homes due to Israeli aggression in 2014.
He also thanked Turkey and TIKA institution for their great support.
The coordinator of Palestine’s program at TIKA, Pulent Korkmaz, revealed that TIKA funded 400 projects by hundreds of million dollars over the past ten years. Suhail al-Saqqa, contractor of the project, said that the 320 units are located within 20 buildings over an estimated area of 24,000 square meters.
11 mar 2016
Israeli occupation forces on Thursday delivered stop-work and demolition orders to 28 Palestinian homes and structures in the occupied West Bank city of Qalqilya and 1948 Occupied Palestine.
Activist Hassan Shubaita, a local who documents Israeli violations in the Qalqilya area, said that Israeli military forces rolled into Azzun town, in eastern Qalqilya, and delivered stop-work and demolition orders targeting 12 civilian homes, homes under construction, and tin shacks under the pretext of unlicensed construction.
The owners of the structures, along with the village authorities plan to appeal the demolitions, he added. Shubaita said the structures and houses in question are located in Area C, which is under full Israeli military control.
Over recent days, Israeli mass-abduction campaigns and abrupt home break-ins rocked Azzun town under the pretext of searching for arms.
In a related context, Palestinian sources said members of the Israeli Interior Ministry handed 13 stop-construction and demolition orders to Palestinian families in al-Tira city, in 1948 Occupied Palestine, on account of unlicensed building.
Expert Hanna Sweid said at least 50,000 Palestinian homes are threatened with demolition. The same number is estimated in the Negev. The number of Palestinians displaced due to Israeli demolitions has seen striking surge. Such demolitions have often been carried out as part of a larger scheme of ethnic cleansing.
Activist Hassan Shubaita, a local who documents Israeli violations in the Qalqilya area, said that Israeli military forces rolled into Azzun town, in eastern Qalqilya, and delivered stop-work and demolition orders targeting 12 civilian homes, homes under construction, and tin shacks under the pretext of unlicensed construction.
The owners of the structures, along with the village authorities plan to appeal the demolitions, he added. Shubaita said the structures and houses in question are located in Area C, which is under full Israeli military control.
Over recent days, Israeli mass-abduction campaigns and abrupt home break-ins rocked Azzun town under the pretext of searching for arms.
In a related context, Palestinian sources said members of the Israeli Interior Ministry handed 13 stop-construction and demolition orders to Palestinian families in al-Tira city, in 1948 Occupied Palestine, on account of unlicensed building.
Expert Hanna Sweid said at least 50,000 Palestinian homes are threatened with demolition. The same number is estimated in the Negev. The number of Palestinians displaced due to Israeli demolitions has seen striking surge. Such demolitions have often been carried out as part of a larger scheme of ethnic cleansing.
10 mar 2016
The Palestinians in occupied Jerusalem are in need of 40 thousand housing units to alleviate residential crisis affecting the majority of them, according to the Jerusalemite expert Khalil Tafakji.
Khalil Tafaaji, head of maps department at the Arab Studies Society, said in a seminar on "housing in Jerusalem," Tuesday, that about one fifth of the Jerusalemites are living in illegal buildings threatened with demolition.
“These living conditions are reflecting on their social and health lives”. He pointed out that if Jerusalemites live outside the municipal boundaries of Jerusalem Center, they lose their Jerusalem identification card; therefore, they are forced to live in inadequate housing for human habitation or in buildings built without a permit in order to maintain the Jerusalem identification card.
Tafakji stressed that the demographic balance policy was a major reason of residential crisis of the Palestinians in Jerusalem, as the Israeli occupation authorities (IOA) implemented a scheme of freezing residential construction so as to ban any future expansion and stop the development of existing buildings.
He explained that policies of confiscations, green areas, unorganized streets and areas, are the basis of this scheme. He added that it is almost impossible to obtain construction permits for Palestinians because there are no structural drawings for the Palestinian neighborhoods and because of procrastination in the preparation of these structural drawings or preparing structural drawings which do not meet the needs of the population to organized lands, in addition to allocating low construction rates which do not meet the needs of the Palestinian neighborhoods, ranging from (25% -75%) compared to the rates allocated for settlements (120% - 300%).
Tafakji emphasized that this geographical restrictions and lack of other alternatives to the Palestinian population resulted in the density of population in these neighborhoods; the density reaches up to 13,500 people/km2 compared to western Jerusalem’s 8,300 person/km2 and 900 people/km2 in the East Jerusalem settlements.
He stressed that as a result of Palestinian population increase, the Palestinians are in urgent need of 40 thousand housing units to alleviate their housing crisis in addition to 10 thousand housing units per year.
In his turn, Refat Nasir al-Din, Secretary of the Society, pointed out that the IOA sought after taking control of Jerusalem, to take over the administrative and real estate control of the city.
He also pointed to the Absentee Property Law of 1950 as an additional instrument the IOA uses to control the land that belonged to Palestinians and the seizure of Palestinian land and property by “legally” considering them as absentees depending on the Absentee Property Law.
He further mentioned the third generation law, which is one of the laws used by the Israeli occupation forces to expel the Palestinian population of the Old City of Jerusalem. He explained that it legitimizes the confiscation of property for the benefit of the Jews.
Khalil Tafaaji, head of maps department at the Arab Studies Society, said in a seminar on "housing in Jerusalem," Tuesday, that about one fifth of the Jerusalemites are living in illegal buildings threatened with demolition.
“These living conditions are reflecting on their social and health lives”. He pointed out that if Jerusalemites live outside the municipal boundaries of Jerusalem Center, they lose their Jerusalem identification card; therefore, they are forced to live in inadequate housing for human habitation or in buildings built without a permit in order to maintain the Jerusalem identification card.
Tafakji stressed that the demographic balance policy was a major reason of residential crisis of the Palestinians in Jerusalem, as the Israeli occupation authorities (IOA) implemented a scheme of freezing residential construction so as to ban any future expansion and stop the development of existing buildings.
He explained that policies of confiscations, green areas, unorganized streets and areas, are the basis of this scheme. He added that it is almost impossible to obtain construction permits for Palestinians because there are no structural drawings for the Palestinian neighborhoods and because of procrastination in the preparation of these structural drawings or preparing structural drawings which do not meet the needs of the population to organized lands, in addition to allocating low construction rates which do not meet the needs of the Palestinian neighborhoods, ranging from (25% -75%) compared to the rates allocated for settlements (120% - 300%).
Tafakji emphasized that this geographical restrictions and lack of other alternatives to the Palestinian population resulted in the density of population in these neighborhoods; the density reaches up to 13,500 people/km2 compared to western Jerusalem’s 8,300 person/km2 and 900 people/km2 in the East Jerusalem settlements.
He stressed that as a result of Palestinian population increase, the Palestinians are in urgent need of 40 thousand housing units to alleviate their housing crisis in addition to 10 thousand housing units per year.
In his turn, Refat Nasir al-Din, Secretary of the Society, pointed out that the IOA sought after taking control of Jerusalem, to take over the administrative and real estate control of the city.
He also pointed to the Absentee Property Law of 1950 as an additional instrument the IOA uses to control the land that belonged to Palestinians and the seizure of Palestinian land and property by “legally” considering them as absentees depending on the Absentee Property Law.
He further mentioned the third generation law, which is one of the laws used by the Israeli occupation forces to expel the Palestinian population of the Old City of Jerusalem. He explained that it legitimizes the confiscation of property for the benefit of the Jews.