19 mar 2018
The 2019 Israeli state budget passed its final reading in the Knesset, last week, despite early proceedings being stricken by strife within the right-wing coalition.
The 2019 budget will be billed at NIS 480 billion ($137 Billion USD), a 2.6% increase from the previous year.
The new budget will include increases to the security budget which receives a NIS 6 Billion increase from the previous year, coming in at NIS 76 Billion.
Settlement development is included in the security budget, although, as noted by the National Bureau for Defending Land Rights and Resisting Settlement, in their response to the budget, the budgets of other sectors often contribute also.
Namely, the budget for the Ministry of Internal Security contributes to settlement development, principally because security expenditures for settlements are regarded as an extension of the police force.
The budget for the Ministry for Internal Security amounted to NIS 17 Billion.
The passing of the budget was a tumultuous period for the governing right-wing coalition, according to the PNN.
A crisis emerging from Ultra-Orthodox members of the Knesset threatened to topple the government and bring about an early election.
Ultra-Orthodox MKs held the budget to ransom over the passing of a bill that would exempt yeshiva (orthodox religious) students from the same requirements for military service as the rest of the population.
In response, Finance Minister Moshe Kahlon threatened to quit, should the budget not pass, and in-turn topple the coalition.
After the budget was approved, Kahlon said, ‘It’s true that the past two weeks were very, very difficult and very tedious, we had to solve difficult and complicated crises, but the battle and the efforts were all worth it’.
The 2019 budget will be billed at NIS 480 billion ($137 Billion USD), a 2.6% increase from the previous year.
The new budget will include increases to the security budget which receives a NIS 6 Billion increase from the previous year, coming in at NIS 76 Billion.
Settlement development is included in the security budget, although, as noted by the National Bureau for Defending Land Rights and Resisting Settlement, in their response to the budget, the budgets of other sectors often contribute also.
Namely, the budget for the Ministry of Internal Security contributes to settlement development, principally because security expenditures for settlements are regarded as an extension of the police force.
The budget for the Ministry for Internal Security amounted to NIS 17 Billion.
The passing of the budget was a tumultuous period for the governing right-wing coalition, according to the PNN.
A crisis emerging from Ultra-Orthodox members of the Knesset threatened to topple the government and bring about an early election.
Ultra-Orthodox MKs held the budget to ransom over the passing of a bill that would exempt yeshiva (orthodox religious) students from the same requirements for military service as the rest of the population.
In response, Finance Minister Moshe Kahlon threatened to quit, should the budget not pass, and in-turn topple the coalition.
After the budget was approved, Kahlon said, ‘It’s true that the past two weeks were very, very difficult and very tedious, we had to solve difficult and complicated crises, but the battle and the efforts were all worth it’.
13 mar 2018
The Israeli occupation army revealed that it made its first use of drones last week to disperse Palestinian protesters near the border with the 1948 occupied Palestine.
Hebrew media sources reported that last Friday, as some 200 Gaza residents gathered for a protest near the border fence, a drone was used to drop tear gas and disperse the crowd.
The Israeli army said that the use of drones allows its forces to control protests from a safer distance, Haaretz newspaper reported.
According to military sources, this crowd-control method is still experimental and has not yet been made operational.
Dozens of Palestinians have been killed or injured by Israeli gunfire in protests launched along Gaza's eastern border fence on a weekly basis against the US recognition of Jerusalem as Israel's capital.
Hebrew media sources reported that last Friday, as some 200 Gaza residents gathered for a protest near the border fence, a drone was used to drop tear gas and disperse the crowd.
The Israeli army said that the use of drones allows its forces to control protests from a safer distance, Haaretz newspaper reported.
According to military sources, this crowd-control method is still experimental and has not yet been made operational.
Dozens of Palestinians have been killed or injured by Israeli gunfire in protests launched along Gaza's eastern border fence on a weekly basis against the US recognition of Jerusalem as Israel's capital.
12 mar 2018
Israel’s war ministry announced approval for a major upgrade to the occupation army’s ground forces on Sunday, including a new fleet of hundreds of armored troop carriers and the development of a new cannon.
The Ministerial Committee on Security Affairs approved the plan to purchase hundreds of Eitan armored fighting vehicles, developed by IAI, IMI and Rafael, and anew cannon, the ministry said in a statement.
According to Hebrew-speaking sources, the upgrade is part of the five-year Gideon Plan, designed to make the army operationally more efficient and more cost effective.
Starting in 2020, the eight-wheeled Eitan vehicle will begin replacing the army’s current M113 fully tracked APCs. It combines technology from the Merkava tank and the Namer APC, but at a cheaper price.
The upgrade is allegedly in response to lessons learned from the 2014 offensive on the blockaded Gaza Strip, and is intended to give troops greater speed and mobility in similar aggressions.
The Ministerial Committee on Security Affairs approved the plan to purchase hundreds of Eitan armored fighting vehicles, developed by IAI, IMI and Rafael, and anew cannon, the ministry said in a statement.
According to Hebrew-speaking sources, the upgrade is part of the five-year Gideon Plan, designed to make the army operationally more efficient and more cost effective.
Starting in 2020, the eight-wheeled Eitan vehicle will begin replacing the army’s current M113 fully tracked APCs. It combines technology from the Merkava tank and the Namer APC, but at a cheaper price.
The upgrade is allegedly in response to lessons learned from the 2014 offensive on the blockaded Gaza Strip, and is intended to give troops greater speed and mobility in similar aggressions.
3 feb 2018
Yedioth Ahronoth newspaper revealed that the Israeli army has decided to establish a new force of ground-to-ground missiles after a long debate over the need for a rocket force with a range of 150-300 kilometers.
According to the plan, the army will be first equipped with a missile system with a range of 150 kilometers that is capable of firing 400 rockets within one hour. At a later stage, missiles with a range of 300 kilometers that can reach targets in Syria and Lebanon will be added.
The project is expected to cost up to $2 billion spread out over a decade depending on the number of missiles the Israeli army will acquire.
This new project comes in view of the escalating tone of Israeli threats against Hezbollah in Lebanon. Israel's Minister of Intelligence Yisrael Katz in December threatened that Israel would "send Lebanon back to the Stone Age" in any war that might erupt.
These threats stem from Israeli security concerns over the growing military influence of Iran, Hezbollah's main supporter, in the region.
According to the plan, the army will be first equipped with a missile system with a range of 150 kilometers that is capable of firing 400 rockets within one hour. At a later stage, missiles with a range of 300 kilometers that can reach targets in Syria and Lebanon will be added.
The project is expected to cost up to $2 billion spread out over a decade depending on the number of missiles the Israeli army will acquire.
This new project comes in view of the escalating tone of Israeli threats against Hezbollah in Lebanon. Israel's Minister of Intelligence Yisrael Katz in December threatened that Israel would "send Lebanon back to the Stone Age" in any war that might erupt.
These threats stem from Israeli security concerns over the growing military influence of Iran, Hezbollah's main supporter, in the region.
15 jan 2018
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu on Monday said that he was "disappointed" by India's refusal to back the US recognition of Jerusalem as Israel's capital but affirmed that he would not let it spoil his visit to the Asian country.
Netanyahu told India Today media group, in an interview released on Monday, that he has a "special relationship" with his Indian counterpart Narendra Modi.
However, this relationship was clouded by India's vote, along with more than 100 countries, against the US Jerusalem move at the UN General Assembly in December 2017.
"I am certainly disappointed," Netanyahu said, "But I think this visit shows that our relationship is moving forward on so many fronts."
Ahead of the visit, India canceled a $500 million deal to buy Israeli Spike anti-tank missiles.
Israel exports an average of $1 billion of military equipment each year to India, but Modi wants to end India's status as the world's top defense importer.
In an effort to strengthen business ties with India, Netanyahu arrived in the country at the head of a 130-member business delegation.
Netanyahu told India Today media group, in an interview released on Monday, that he has a "special relationship" with his Indian counterpart Narendra Modi.
However, this relationship was clouded by India's vote, along with more than 100 countries, against the US Jerusalem move at the UN General Assembly in December 2017.
"I am certainly disappointed," Netanyahu said, "But I think this visit shows that our relationship is moving forward on so many fronts."
Ahead of the visit, India canceled a $500 million deal to buy Israeli Spike anti-tank missiles.
Israel exports an average of $1 billion of military equipment each year to India, but Modi wants to end India's status as the world's top defense importer.
In an effort to strengthen business ties with India, Netanyahu arrived in the country at the head of a 130-member business delegation.
5 jan 2018
The report surveyed 236 residents of Aida, all of whom said they were exposed to tear gas in the last year. Video
Of that, 84 percent of people said they were exposed while in their homes.
As its name implies, tear gas is intended to cause a person’s eyes to water and skin to burn.
Residents also told the report’s authors that the Israeli army’s use of tear gas was “primarily unprovoked”.
The Israeli army did not respond to Al Jazeera’s request for comment on the study’s findings.
Densely populated camp
Refugee camps are among the most vulnerable to tear-gas exposure in the occupied Palestinian territories, the report states.
Home to about 6,400 Palestinian refugees, Aida covers just 0.017 square kilometres, making it one of the most densely populated places in the world.
Clashes between Israeli security forces and Aida camp residents are frequent, with the UN agency for Palestinian refugees (UNRWA) estimating that at least 376 confrontations took place between January 2014 and December 15 of this year, the report stated.
“Our life here in the camp is filled with tear gas, filled with stun grenades, filled with skunk water,” said 30-year-old resident Sabreen, the mother of a Palestinian prisoner, referring to a foul-smelling liquid frequently sprayed by the Israeli army on Palestinian protesters and homes across the West Bank.
“It is the life of a refugee. What can we do?” added Sabreen, who did not give Al Jazeera her last name.
Two years ago, an Israeli soldier was filmed warning the camp’s residents: “People of Aida refugee camp, we are the occupation forces. You throw stones, and we will hit you with gas until you all die. The children, the youth, the old people – you will all die.”
Firing tear gas near homes violates the UN Code of Conduct and the UN Basic Principles on the Use of Force and Firearms by Law Enforcement Officials, the report stated.
It also explained that homes and schools are not designed to shield against tear gas, leaving residents with few options to avoid it or reduce its effects.
Last Friday, Al Jazeera saw the Israeli army fired hundreds of tear-gas canisters into a small crowd of protesters in an area bordering Aida camp. Limited clashes also spread into the camp, where Israeli soldiers responded with more tear gas.
“I came back home from a wedding, and I found 25 gas canisters near my home,” said Sana, a resident of the camp, who also did not give Al Jazeera her last name.
Many residents of the camp have taken to wearing gas masks to protect themselves, though they are difficult to obtain and costly.
Devastating effects
According to Dr Haar, regular exposure to tear gas can affect “all [the] body[‘s] systems”.
In the report, residents described various physical effects from such frequent exposure to tear gas, including losses of consciousness, miscarriages, trouble breathing, asthma, coughing, dizziness, rashes, severe pain, allergic dermatitis, headaches, neurological irritability and even blunt trauma from being hit by tear gas canisters.
“Everybody’s system is affected by this,” Dr Haar said.
The Israeli army’s frequent use of tear gas has also had left residents with psychological scars.
Because of the random nature of the Israeli raids, Aida camp residents find them themselves “perpetually on edge, fearing the next attack”, according to the report.
Amal Manasra, 27, a resident of Aida, told Al Jazeera her infant daughter was recently exposed to tear gas after a canister fired by the Israeli army landed near a door to her home.
“The oxygen level was zero … She was suffocating … We carried her to the hospital … She spent seven days there,” Amal said.
“We are in an area we are exposed to shootings daily, to smelling tear gas. I have kids. The gas leaks into the house through windows and from under the door,” she said.
Dr Haar told Al Jazeera that “no one else experiences this level of tear gas”.
‘It is poison’
The protests against US President Donald Trump’s recent recognition of Jerusalem as Israel’s capital have increased Palestinians’ exposure to tear gas, the study found.
Meanwhile, Palestinians have also alleged that the gas has become more potent.
“This is not tear gas; it is poison,” Thaer, another Aida camp resident, told Al Jazeera.
While tear gas is usually composed of a mixture of synthetic or naturally occurring gases, including pepper spray, “the specific chemical utilised by the [Israeli security forces] in recent years is unknown”, the report stated.
According to Dr Haar, “the Israeli government is obligated to disclose the composition of the tear gas” it uses so medical professionals can treat the symptoms the chemicals cause.
Meanwhile, Chris Gunness, UNRWA spokesperson, said the “report raises serious concerns about the use of tear gas in heavily built-up areas such as the refugee camps in Bethlehem”.
“The widespread, indiscriminate and frequent use of tear gas exposes refugees including our own staff to health risks, but at this stage, it is impossible for health professionals to fully assess these risks and the long-term impact of prolonged and regular exposure,” Gunness told Al Jazeera.
“It is clear that the psychological impact on young people surveyed is significant and that the development and educational prospects of children are being affected.”
Of that, 84 percent of people said they were exposed while in their homes.
As its name implies, tear gas is intended to cause a person’s eyes to water and skin to burn.
Residents also told the report’s authors that the Israeli army’s use of tear gas was “primarily unprovoked”.
The Israeli army did not respond to Al Jazeera’s request for comment on the study’s findings.
Densely populated camp
Refugee camps are among the most vulnerable to tear-gas exposure in the occupied Palestinian territories, the report states.
Home to about 6,400 Palestinian refugees, Aida covers just 0.017 square kilometres, making it one of the most densely populated places in the world.
Clashes between Israeli security forces and Aida camp residents are frequent, with the UN agency for Palestinian refugees (UNRWA) estimating that at least 376 confrontations took place between January 2014 and December 15 of this year, the report stated.
“Our life here in the camp is filled with tear gas, filled with stun grenades, filled with skunk water,” said 30-year-old resident Sabreen, the mother of a Palestinian prisoner, referring to a foul-smelling liquid frequently sprayed by the Israeli army on Palestinian protesters and homes across the West Bank.
“It is the life of a refugee. What can we do?” added Sabreen, who did not give Al Jazeera her last name.
Two years ago, an Israeli soldier was filmed warning the camp’s residents: “People of Aida refugee camp, we are the occupation forces. You throw stones, and we will hit you with gas until you all die. The children, the youth, the old people – you will all die.”
Firing tear gas near homes violates the UN Code of Conduct and the UN Basic Principles on the Use of Force and Firearms by Law Enforcement Officials, the report stated.
It also explained that homes and schools are not designed to shield against tear gas, leaving residents with few options to avoid it or reduce its effects.
Last Friday, Al Jazeera saw the Israeli army fired hundreds of tear-gas canisters into a small crowd of protesters in an area bordering Aida camp. Limited clashes also spread into the camp, where Israeli soldiers responded with more tear gas.
“I came back home from a wedding, and I found 25 gas canisters near my home,” said Sana, a resident of the camp, who also did not give Al Jazeera her last name.
Many residents of the camp have taken to wearing gas masks to protect themselves, though they are difficult to obtain and costly.
Devastating effects
According to Dr Haar, regular exposure to tear gas can affect “all [the] body[‘s] systems”.
In the report, residents described various physical effects from such frequent exposure to tear gas, including losses of consciousness, miscarriages, trouble breathing, asthma, coughing, dizziness, rashes, severe pain, allergic dermatitis, headaches, neurological irritability and even blunt trauma from being hit by tear gas canisters.
“Everybody’s system is affected by this,” Dr Haar said.
The Israeli army’s frequent use of tear gas has also had left residents with psychological scars.
Because of the random nature of the Israeli raids, Aida camp residents find them themselves “perpetually on edge, fearing the next attack”, according to the report.
Amal Manasra, 27, a resident of Aida, told Al Jazeera her infant daughter was recently exposed to tear gas after a canister fired by the Israeli army landed near a door to her home.
“The oxygen level was zero … She was suffocating … We carried her to the hospital … She spent seven days there,” Amal said.
“We are in an area we are exposed to shootings daily, to smelling tear gas. I have kids. The gas leaks into the house through windows and from under the door,” she said.
Dr Haar told Al Jazeera that “no one else experiences this level of tear gas”.
‘It is poison’
The protests against US President Donald Trump’s recent recognition of Jerusalem as Israel’s capital have increased Palestinians’ exposure to tear gas, the study found.
Meanwhile, Palestinians have also alleged that the gas has become more potent.
“This is not tear gas; it is poison,” Thaer, another Aida camp resident, told Al Jazeera.
While tear gas is usually composed of a mixture of synthetic or naturally occurring gases, including pepper spray, “the specific chemical utilised by the [Israeli security forces] in recent years is unknown”, the report stated.
According to Dr Haar, “the Israeli government is obligated to disclose the composition of the tear gas” it uses so medical professionals can treat the symptoms the chemicals cause.
Meanwhile, Chris Gunness, UNRWA spokesperson, said the “report raises serious concerns about the use of tear gas in heavily built-up areas such as the refugee camps in Bethlehem”.
“The widespread, indiscriminate and frequent use of tear gas exposes refugees including our own staff to health risks, but at this stage, it is impossible for health professionals to fully assess these risks and the long-term impact of prolonged and regular exposure,” Gunness told Al Jazeera.
“It is clear that the psychological impact on young people surveyed is significant and that the development and educational prospects of children are being affected.”
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