23 oct 2015
One hundred senior rabbis have signed a declaration re-imposing a ban on the entry of Jews to the Aqsa Mosque.
According to the Hebrew media, the chief rabbinate reiterated its previous opposition of Jewish visits to the Aqsa Mosque, which the Jews call the temple mount.
The Hebrew media stated that the main reason behind this renewed religious opinion was the angry Palestinian reaction to the repeated break-ins at the Aqsa Mosque by Jewish settlers, which led to widespread deadly attacks against them.
According to the Hebrew media, the chief rabbinate reiterated its previous opposition of Jewish visits to the Aqsa Mosque, which the Jews call the temple mount.
The Hebrew media stated that the main reason behind this renewed religious opinion was the angry Palestinian reaction to the repeated break-ins at the Aqsa Mosque by Jewish settlers, which led to widespread deadly attacks against them.
Israeli schools, affiliated with the formal religious education funded by the Ministry of Education, distributed a diary brochure to pupils, which shows under the title of 'My social testimonials', several topics including: ‘Love of the country and the temple’.
One of the requirements the students have to do is praying from the depths of their heart for the construction of Solomon’s temple, and that they have the opportunity to do the obligation of offering Qurban.
Pictures and videos watched by pupils, within this course, depict the temple replacing al-Aqsa Mosque.
A report published in Haaretz newspaper on Thursday stressed that: "This is not a personal initiative." The social chapter components are based on an official curriculum program for religious education, it added.
The program is also covered by the support of the Israeli Ministry of Education provided for the 'Temple Institute' for many years. In 2014 for example the Ministry of Education transferred the sum of 330 thousand shekels to the institute which delivers lectures and organizes workshops not only for the religious students but also for the ordinary schoolchildren
Haaretz newspaper quoted an official at the Israeli Ministry of Education as saying that the idea of this curriculum began seven years ago.
The program is considered in the current academic year as one of the mandatory subjects within the central theme allocated for "Faith". This program is taught to the primary grades, from first grade to the sixth.
The newspaper quoted from a chapter titled "biblical guidance" the following: "We cannot talk about the land of Israel without talking about the temple. The land of Israel and the temple are conjoined to each other. The temple is the inner layer, and a summary of all previous layers. The temple is the epitome of the wishes of the people of Israel and all humanity".
According to this chapter, too, "It seems to us that the temple is far from us just because we are far from it, but when we approach it by our minds, yearning, and acts, God will give us the honor of constructing it."
The website of this course includes the following paragraph entitled: the Hebrew "Dream of the ninth of August" the day in which the Jews used to fast to mark the memory of the destruction of the temple, and which is wrote by rabbi Nehemiah Kuperschmidt of the “Fire of the Torah" organization:
'I have a dream, that is I accompany Ahmadi Nejad, Hassan Nasrallah, Mahmoud Abbas and Ban Ki-moon in a tour in the new temple, the third temple that is just built on Temple Mount (i.e. the Holy Shrine) in Jerusalem so that they see from there the inauguration ceremony of the new king of Israel and then the Vatican brings back the golden lamp and the high priest inaugurates him anew '.
This official Israeli curriculum proves the deceptiveness of the Israeli premier Benjamin Netanyahu who recently repeated that he does not seek to change the status quo at al-Aqsa Mosque.
In addition, a report by the Israeli human rights organization "Ir Amim" made a year and a half ago revealed the Israeli occupation government’s support for the so-called temple movements.
The organization called for a halt to the financial support for these movements, but the Israeli government ignored these calls so far.
One of the requirements the students have to do is praying from the depths of their heart for the construction of Solomon’s temple, and that they have the opportunity to do the obligation of offering Qurban.
Pictures and videos watched by pupils, within this course, depict the temple replacing al-Aqsa Mosque.
A report published in Haaretz newspaper on Thursday stressed that: "This is not a personal initiative." The social chapter components are based on an official curriculum program for religious education, it added.
The program is also covered by the support of the Israeli Ministry of Education provided for the 'Temple Institute' for many years. In 2014 for example the Ministry of Education transferred the sum of 330 thousand shekels to the institute which delivers lectures and organizes workshops not only for the religious students but also for the ordinary schoolchildren
Haaretz newspaper quoted an official at the Israeli Ministry of Education as saying that the idea of this curriculum began seven years ago.
The program is considered in the current academic year as one of the mandatory subjects within the central theme allocated for "Faith". This program is taught to the primary grades, from first grade to the sixth.
The newspaper quoted from a chapter titled "biblical guidance" the following: "We cannot talk about the land of Israel without talking about the temple. The land of Israel and the temple are conjoined to each other. The temple is the inner layer, and a summary of all previous layers. The temple is the epitome of the wishes of the people of Israel and all humanity".
According to this chapter, too, "It seems to us that the temple is far from us just because we are far from it, but when we approach it by our minds, yearning, and acts, God will give us the honor of constructing it."
The website of this course includes the following paragraph entitled: the Hebrew "Dream of the ninth of August" the day in which the Jews used to fast to mark the memory of the destruction of the temple, and which is wrote by rabbi Nehemiah Kuperschmidt of the “Fire of the Torah" organization:
'I have a dream, that is I accompany Ahmadi Nejad, Hassan Nasrallah, Mahmoud Abbas and Ban Ki-moon in a tour in the new temple, the third temple that is just built on Temple Mount (i.e. the Holy Shrine) in Jerusalem so that they see from there the inauguration ceremony of the new king of Israel and then the Vatican brings back the golden lamp and the high priest inaugurates him anew '.
This official Israeli curriculum proves the deceptiveness of the Israeli premier Benjamin Netanyahu who recently repeated that he does not seek to change the status quo at al-Aqsa Mosque.
In addition, a report by the Israeli human rights organization "Ir Amim" made a year and a half ago revealed the Israeli occupation government’s support for the so-called temple movements.
The organization called for a halt to the financial support for these movements, but the Israeli government ignored these calls so far.
22 oct 2015
Israeli police Thursday morning tightened security measures and restrictions on the Palestinians’ access to the Aqsa Mosque amid intensive deployment of Israeli policemen at the gates and vicinity of the holy site.
Meanwhile, fanatic Jewish settlers stormed the plazas of the Aqsa Mosque from the Magharebah gate under the protection of Israeli Special Forces.
The media activist Azmi al-Draini told Safa news agency that Israeli forces imposed restrictions on the entry of Muslim worshipers into the Aqsa Mosque and Jerusalem, confiscated the IDs of and questioned all worshipers at the various gates of the Muslims’ holy site.
23 Jewish settlers broke into and roamed the plazas of the Aqsa Mosque and stopped by al-Rahma gate in the eastern side of the Mosque.
Israeli police also barred dozens of the blacklisted women and men from entering the Aqsa. They staged a sit-in outside the Mosque.
The Muslims’ holy Aqsa Mosque has been witnessing daily Israeli violations and settlers’ incursions in an attempt to impose a temporal and spatial division at the Mosque.
Meanwhile, fanatic Jewish settlers stormed the plazas of the Aqsa Mosque from the Magharebah gate under the protection of Israeli Special Forces.
The media activist Azmi al-Draini told Safa news agency that Israeli forces imposed restrictions on the entry of Muslim worshipers into the Aqsa Mosque and Jerusalem, confiscated the IDs of and questioned all worshipers at the various gates of the Muslims’ holy site.
23 Jewish settlers broke into and roamed the plazas of the Aqsa Mosque and stopped by al-Rahma gate in the eastern side of the Mosque.
Israeli police also barred dozens of the blacklisted women and men from entering the Aqsa. They staged a sit-in outside the Mosque.
The Muslims’ holy Aqsa Mosque has been witnessing daily Israeli violations and settlers’ incursions in an attempt to impose a temporal and spatial division at the Mosque.
21 oct 2015
Israeli forces continued, on Wednesday morning, heavy deployment in the city, tightening the siege imposed on occupied East Jerusalem's Al-Aqsa Mosque.
Forces erected a number of military checkpoints in several neighborhoods causing severe traffic crisis, Al Ray Palestinian Media Agency reports.
At the same time, a group of extremist Israeli settlers broke into Al-Aqsa Mosque from the Moroccan Gate, guarded by the Israeli police.
A state of cautious calmness prevails over the Al-Aqsa Mosque yards, amid heavy deployment of police and special forces around the gates, with tightened restrictions imposed on worshippers' enterance to the mosque.
Around 20 Israeli settlers reportedly stormed the mosque in the early morning hours, touring its courtyards, locals reported.
The invasion was confronted by Palestinian worshippers who had been in the mosque since early morning, despite the restrictive siege imposed on Al-Aqsa.
Israeli forces stationed on Al-Aqsa's gates had seized the IDs of worshippers entering into the mosque, where authorities continue to prevent dozens of women from entering the mosque.
In a related context, clashes erupted Wednesday between schools students and Israeli soldiers in Ras Al-Amood neighborhood, in Silwan, south of Al-Aqsa Mosque.
Eyewitnesses reported that soldiers fired stun grenades and tear gas bombs on the students. No injuries were reported.
Israeli authorities continue imposing a tight siege on the Jerusalem neighborhoods and villages, shut the entrances with concrete cubes, and erect checkpoints to searched the Palestinian passersby, as a part of the collective punishment policy imposed on them.
Forces erected a number of military checkpoints in several neighborhoods causing severe traffic crisis, Al Ray Palestinian Media Agency reports.
At the same time, a group of extremist Israeli settlers broke into Al-Aqsa Mosque from the Moroccan Gate, guarded by the Israeli police.
A state of cautious calmness prevails over the Al-Aqsa Mosque yards, amid heavy deployment of police and special forces around the gates, with tightened restrictions imposed on worshippers' enterance to the mosque.
Around 20 Israeli settlers reportedly stormed the mosque in the early morning hours, touring its courtyards, locals reported.
The invasion was confronted by Palestinian worshippers who had been in the mosque since early morning, despite the restrictive siege imposed on Al-Aqsa.
Israeli forces stationed on Al-Aqsa's gates had seized the IDs of worshippers entering into the mosque, where authorities continue to prevent dozens of women from entering the mosque.
In a related context, clashes erupted Wednesday between schools students and Israeli soldiers in Ras Al-Amood neighborhood, in Silwan, south of Al-Aqsa Mosque.
Eyewitnesses reported that soldiers fired stun grenades and tear gas bombs on the students. No injuries were reported.
Israeli authorities continue imposing a tight siege on the Jerusalem neighborhoods and villages, shut the entrances with concrete cubes, and erect checkpoints to searched the Palestinian passersby, as a part of the collective punishment policy imposed on them.
The Israeli Occupation Authorities (IOA) imposed Tuesday evening Arnona tax (property tax) on a Jerusalemite family despite the fact that their home was closed by an Israeli order a year ago.
Local sources told the PIC reporter that Israeli police forces stormed the home of the Jerusalemite martyr Uday Abu Jamal and imposed Arnona tax on his family.
Israeli authorities have closed the family home by force last November after Uday Abu Jamal, 22, carried out, along with Ghassen Abu Jamal, 27, an attack on Israeli soldiers.
The two young men were gunned down by Israeli security forces during the attack that killed five soldiers.
Local sources told the PIC reporter that Israeli police forces stormed the home of the Jerusalemite martyr Uday Abu Jamal and imposed Arnona tax on his family.
Israeli authorities have closed the family home by force last November after Uday Abu Jamal, 22, carried out, along with Ghassen Abu Jamal, 27, an attack on Israeli soldiers.
The two young men were gunned down by Israeli security forces during the attack that killed five soldiers.
20 oct 2015
Palestinians from Occupied Jerusalem and 1948 Occupied Palestine visited al-Aqsa Mosque on Monday morning in spite of Israeli tightened security measures.
Muslim worshipers confronted over 60 Jewish settlers who attempted to storm al-Aqsa Mosque and managed to enter the Muslims’ holy site despite Israeli restrictions over the Old City of Occupied Jerusalem which have been imposed for weeks.
QPress website revealed that Israeli forces tightened the noose on worshipers at their way into al-Aqsa Mosque and searched them thoroughly, confiscated their IDs and barred many women from entering the Mosque.
Sheikh Husam Abu Lail, second deputy of the chairman of Islamic Movement in 1948 Occupied Palestine, said Israeli threats and measures increases the steadfastness and determination of Palestinians.
Israel has turned into a state of gangs practicing tyranny and murder against the Palestinian people, he underlined.
The Islamic Movement leader Sheikh Sami al-Masri pointed out that Palestinians will not stop defending al-Aqsa Mosque and will not tolerate settlers’ incursions into the Muslims’ holy site.
Muslim worshipers confronted over 60 Jewish settlers who attempted to storm al-Aqsa Mosque and managed to enter the Muslims’ holy site despite Israeli restrictions over the Old City of Occupied Jerusalem which have been imposed for weeks.
QPress website revealed that Israeli forces tightened the noose on worshipers at their way into al-Aqsa Mosque and searched them thoroughly, confiscated their IDs and barred many women from entering the Mosque.
Sheikh Husam Abu Lail, second deputy of the chairman of Islamic Movement in 1948 Occupied Palestine, said Israeli threats and measures increases the steadfastness and determination of Palestinians.
Israel has turned into a state of gangs practicing tyranny and murder against the Palestinian people, he underlined.
The Islamic Movement leader Sheikh Sami al-Masri pointed out that Palestinians will not stop defending al-Aqsa Mosque and will not tolerate settlers’ incursions into the Muslims’ holy site.
19 oct 2015
The Aqsa Foundation for Endowments and Heritage has warned of the repercussions of the recent Israeli court decision to authorize the Zionist settler society Elad to operate the Umayyad Palaces area at the southern wall of the Aqsa Mosque.
In a press release on Sunday, the foundation said that this Israeli decision would increase the risks threatening the Aqsa Mosque and the Islamic sites around it.
It noted that Elad society has been embarking for years on carrying out excavations and diggings beneath the Aqsa Mosque and the neighborhoods around it.
The areas adjacent to the southern and western walls of the Aqsa Mosque have been vulnerable, since the Old City was occupied in 1967, to dozens of Israeli violations and diggings.
Many Arab and Islamic antiquities and ancient structures have also been destroyed since then, including the Umayyad Palaces, which was turned into Jewish sites.
In a press release on Sunday, the foundation said that this Israeli decision would increase the risks threatening the Aqsa Mosque and the Islamic sites around it.
It noted that Elad society has been embarking for years on carrying out excavations and diggings beneath the Aqsa Mosque and the neighborhoods around it.
The areas adjacent to the southern and western walls of the Aqsa Mosque have been vulnerable, since the Old City was occupied in 1967, to dozens of Israeli violations and diggings.
Many Arab and Islamic antiquities and ancient structures have also been destroyed since then, including the Umayyad Palaces, which was turned into Jewish sites.
For the second time in less than a week, Palestinian young men at dawn Monday set fire to the mausoleum of Joseph's tomb, east of Nablus city.
Eyewitnesses told the Palestinian Information Center (PIC) that young men threw Molotov cocktails at the rooms of the mausoleum, causing them to burn completely.
They said that the arson attack happened immediately after a large number of Israeli troops, who stormed the city earlier, withdrew from the shrine and its vicinity.
In another incident, the Israeli occupation forces raided several homes in Nablus and kidnapped two citizens.
The IOF also stormed some homes in Beit Furik and Beit Dajan towns, east of Nablus, and handed three citizens summonses for interrogation form the Shin Bet in Hawara military base.
Eyewitnesses told the Palestinian Information Center (PIC) that young men threw Molotov cocktails at the rooms of the mausoleum, causing them to burn completely.
They said that the arson attack happened immediately after a large number of Israeli troops, who stormed the city earlier, withdrew from the shrine and its vicinity.
In another incident, the Israeli occupation forces raided several homes in Nablus and kidnapped two citizens.
The IOF also stormed some homes in Beit Furik and Beit Dajan towns, east of Nablus, and handed three citizens summonses for interrogation form the Shin Bet in Hawara military base.
The Islamic Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (ISESCO) has called for dispatching international forces to Occupied Jerusalem in an effort to provide protection for the Palestinians against Israeli violations.
In a press release on Sunday, ISESCO said that Israel's persistence in killing and wounding dozens of children, young people and elders in Jerusalem and attacking and desecrating the Aqsa Mosque must be confronted with a firm position by the international community.
It underlined that "Israel does not give any consideration to the international law, so there is need to impose sanctions on it to force it to abide by this law."
In a related context, the Israeli government rebuffed a recent French initiative proposing the deployment of international observers at the Aqsa Mosque in order to protect the status quo there.
According to Maariv newspaper, the Israeli government and Washington are working together to thwart the French overture at the UN Security Council.
In a press release on Sunday, ISESCO said that Israel's persistence in killing and wounding dozens of children, young people and elders in Jerusalem and attacking and desecrating the Aqsa Mosque must be confronted with a firm position by the international community.
It underlined that "Israel does not give any consideration to the international law, so there is need to impose sanctions on it to force it to abide by this law."
In a related context, the Israeli government rebuffed a recent French initiative proposing the deployment of international observers at the Aqsa Mosque in order to protect the status quo there.
According to Maariv newspaper, the Israeli government and Washington are working together to thwart the French overture at the UN Security Council.
Israeli forces, on Sunday, began installing a large concrete wall in occupied East Jerusalem to separate the Palestinian neighborhood of Jabal al-Mukabbir from the illegal Israeli settlement of Armon Hanatziv.
Witnesses told Ma'an that Israeli forces helped unload huge concrete blocks in the neighborhood, including the notorious T-shaped blocks used in Israel's illegal separation wall that surrounds and cuts through the occupied West Bank.
Most of the concrete blocks are two meters high, witnesses, and were set up in streets near the illegal Israeli settlement of Armon Hanatziv, also known as East Talpiot.
Residents of Jabal al-Mukabbir said that four days earlier, on Wednesday, Israeli forces closed all routes to the neighborhood with cement blocks and set up a checkpoint at the main entrance.
Nearly all Palestinian neighborhoods across occupied East Jerusalem have seen severe movement restrictions imposed by Israel's security cabinet following a series of attacks on Israelis.
Late on Tuesday, Israel’s security cabinet announced that Israeli police would be entitled to "impose a closure on, or to surround, centers of friction and incitement in Jerusalem, in accordance with security considerations."
The cabinet also gave approval for the revocation of residency status for Palestinians who carry out attacks as well as the police closure of occupied East Jerusalem.
Israeli rights group B'Tselem has called the Israeli government’s response to recent escalation in the area as "the very inverse of what ought to be done" toward ending the violence.
"The events of recent weeks cannot be viewed in a vacuum, isolated from the reality of the ongoing, daily oppression of 4 million people, with no hope of change in sight," the group said in a statement on Tuesday.
At least seven Israelis and 42 Palestinians have been killed in violence that has escalated since the beginning of October.
Israeli settlers renewed their attacks on the eastern Hebron area on Sunday evening, hours after they carried out a similar attack, according to local sources.
More than 200 Israeli settlers attacked the Palestinian villages of Wad al-Haseen and Wad al-Nasara near the illegal Israeli settlement of Kiryat Arba, overnight, in the eastern Hebron district of the occupied southern West Bank, locals and medics said.
During the attack, Israeli settlers threw stones and firebombs at Palestinian homes and injured at least three people, two of which were minors, while Israeli forces later shot and injured one Palestinian with live fire.
An Israeli army spokesperson said she did not have reports of any injuries with live fire.
The spokesperson said clashes between Palestinians and Israelis broke out in the area, after which Israeli forces "arrived at the scene anddispersedthe clashes using riot dispersal means."
Kayed Daana, one of the residents whose home was attacked told Ma’an that dozens of Israeli settlers attacked her neighborhood and injured at least three of her neighbors who have been identified as 40-year-old Imad and two minors, Abdullah, 13, and Muhammad, 17.
Muhammad's injuries were the most serious of the three, as he was hit in the chest with one of the fire bombs, medics said.
Daana told Ma'an News Agency that she would like to urge the International Red Cross and others in the international community intervene against Israeli violations and attacks on Palestinians.
Bassam al-Jabri, one of the residents, said he saw the attacking Israeli settlers cutting the blockade fence that separates the illegal Israeli settlement of Kiryat Arab from nearby Palestinian homes, while under the protection of the Israeli troops before they attacked his neighborhood with fire bombs.
Al-Jabri said his house was one of those set ablaze, but that he and his neighbors were able to put the fire out before the fire was able to damage his whole home.
During the attacks, Palestinian villagers fled to their local mosques and used the mosque amplifier to call for help from neighboring Palestinian villages and communities, who responded to their calls. Israeli forces then got involved, shooting tear gas at Palestinians who showed up to help.
Community member Farid al-Razim, told Ma’an that villagers in his area were attacked by Israeli settlers with firebombs, while Israeli forces were shooting tear gas, and that one of the Palestinians from a neighboring village who had come to help was shot and injured with live fire.
While relations between Palestinian residents and Israeli settlers in the occupied West Bank are normally tense, thesituation has been significantly deteriorating since settlers’ caught fire a home belonging to the Duwabsha family in Nablus on July 31.
An 18-month-old toddler was burned alive during the attack, while his mother and father succumbed to their burn wounds while being treated at separate hospitals. The family's four-year-old son is the only remaining survivor of the attack.
On Oct. 1, suspected Palestinians shot and killed Eitam and Naama Henkin, two settlers who were driving between the illegal settlements of Itamar and Elon More in an area near Huwwara in Nablus. Their four children, aged between four months and nine years, were found unharmed in the back of the car.
It is speculated that the shootings were a revenge attack on Israeli settlers, following months of increased restrictions at the Al-Aqsa Mosque compound and calls from right-wing Jewish groups, urging their supporters to visit the compound, which is venerated by Jews as the Temple Mount. Following the shooting, hundreds of Israeli settlers rioted across the occupied West Bank, with multiple attacks reported on Palestinian homes and vehicles.
Palestinian towns and villages in the Nablus area are surrounded by Israeli settlements and outposts, many of which are protected by the Israeli military and have gained notoriety for being comprised of the most extremist settlers.
The Palestinian government has no jurisdiction over Israelis in the West Bank, and violent acts carried out by Israeli settlers often occur in the presence of Israeli military forces who rarely act to protect Palestinian residents.
Palestinians are therefore left to fend for themselves as few options for their personal security remain.
While Israeli forces will detain a Palestinian in the occupied West Bank for possessing a knife or gun, Israelis living in the same area are legally able to carry such weapons.
Rights groups have criticized Israel for implementing different legal systems for Palestinians and Israeli settlers living in the same area.
Such practices, they say, protect the expansion of settlements while systematically removing the ability for Palestinians to move freely throughout the occupied territory.
Settlers recently stepped up their attacks against Palestinians in the West Bank, including Jerusalem, amid growing tension and renewing clashes between Palestinians and the Israeli army and police.
Clashes have been witnessed across the West Bank, including Jerusalem, and Gaza, as well as in Arab communities inside the occupied 1948 land, against the backdrop of Israel’s repeated assaults against al-Aqsa mosque compound in Jerusalem.
Israel has been enforcing a temporal division on the compound, the third holiest place in Islam, which ignited strong feelings of anger among Palestinians.
Settlements are illegal under international law as they violate Article 49 of the Fourth Geneva Convention, which prohibits the transfer of the occupying power’s civilian population into occupied territory.
Witnesses told Ma'an that Israeli forces helped unload huge concrete blocks in the neighborhood, including the notorious T-shaped blocks used in Israel's illegal separation wall that surrounds and cuts through the occupied West Bank.
Most of the concrete blocks are two meters high, witnesses, and were set up in streets near the illegal Israeli settlement of Armon Hanatziv, also known as East Talpiot.
Residents of Jabal al-Mukabbir said that four days earlier, on Wednesday, Israeli forces closed all routes to the neighborhood with cement blocks and set up a checkpoint at the main entrance.
Nearly all Palestinian neighborhoods across occupied East Jerusalem have seen severe movement restrictions imposed by Israel's security cabinet following a series of attacks on Israelis.
Late on Tuesday, Israel’s security cabinet announced that Israeli police would be entitled to "impose a closure on, or to surround, centers of friction and incitement in Jerusalem, in accordance with security considerations."
The cabinet also gave approval for the revocation of residency status for Palestinians who carry out attacks as well as the police closure of occupied East Jerusalem.
Israeli rights group B'Tselem has called the Israeli government’s response to recent escalation in the area as "the very inverse of what ought to be done" toward ending the violence.
"The events of recent weeks cannot be viewed in a vacuum, isolated from the reality of the ongoing, daily oppression of 4 million people, with no hope of change in sight," the group said in a statement on Tuesday.
At least seven Israelis and 42 Palestinians have been killed in violence that has escalated since the beginning of October.
Israeli settlers renewed their attacks on the eastern Hebron area on Sunday evening, hours after they carried out a similar attack, according to local sources.
More than 200 Israeli settlers attacked the Palestinian villages of Wad al-Haseen and Wad al-Nasara near the illegal Israeli settlement of Kiryat Arba, overnight, in the eastern Hebron district of the occupied southern West Bank, locals and medics said.
During the attack, Israeli settlers threw stones and firebombs at Palestinian homes and injured at least three people, two of which were minors, while Israeli forces later shot and injured one Palestinian with live fire.
An Israeli army spokesperson said she did not have reports of any injuries with live fire.
The spokesperson said clashes between Palestinians and Israelis broke out in the area, after which Israeli forces "arrived at the scene anddispersedthe clashes using riot dispersal means."
Kayed Daana, one of the residents whose home was attacked told Ma’an that dozens of Israeli settlers attacked her neighborhood and injured at least three of her neighbors who have been identified as 40-year-old Imad and two minors, Abdullah, 13, and Muhammad, 17.
Muhammad's injuries were the most serious of the three, as he was hit in the chest with one of the fire bombs, medics said.
Daana told Ma'an News Agency that she would like to urge the International Red Cross and others in the international community intervene against Israeli violations and attacks on Palestinians.
Bassam al-Jabri, one of the residents, said he saw the attacking Israeli settlers cutting the blockade fence that separates the illegal Israeli settlement of Kiryat Arab from nearby Palestinian homes, while under the protection of the Israeli troops before they attacked his neighborhood with fire bombs.
Al-Jabri said his house was one of those set ablaze, but that he and his neighbors were able to put the fire out before the fire was able to damage his whole home.
During the attacks, Palestinian villagers fled to their local mosques and used the mosque amplifier to call for help from neighboring Palestinian villages and communities, who responded to their calls. Israeli forces then got involved, shooting tear gas at Palestinians who showed up to help.
Community member Farid al-Razim, told Ma’an that villagers in his area were attacked by Israeli settlers with firebombs, while Israeli forces were shooting tear gas, and that one of the Palestinians from a neighboring village who had come to help was shot and injured with live fire.
While relations between Palestinian residents and Israeli settlers in the occupied West Bank are normally tense, thesituation has been significantly deteriorating since settlers’ caught fire a home belonging to the Duwabsha family in Nablus on July 31.
An 18-month-old toddler was burned alive during the attack, while his mother and father succumbed to their burn wounds while being treated at separate hospitals. The family's four-year-old son is the only remaining survivor of the attack.
On Oct. 1, suspected Palestinians shot and killed Eitam and Naama Henkin, two settlers who were driving between the illegal settlements of Itamar and Elon More in an area near Huwwara in Nablus. Their four children, aged between four months and nine years, were found unharmed in the back of the car.
It is speculated that the shootings were a revenge attack on Israeli settlers, following months of increased restrictions at the Al-Aqsa Mosque compound and calls from right-wing Jewish groups, urging their supporters to visit the compound, which is venerated by Jews as the Temple Mount. Following the shooting, hundreds of Israeli settlers rioted across the occupied West Bank, with multiple attacks reported on Palestinian homes and vehicles.
Palestinian towns and villages in the Nablus area are surrounded by Israeli settlements and outposts, many of which are protected by the Israeli military and have gained notoriety for being comprised of the most extremist settlers.
The Palestinian government has no jurisdiction over Israelis in the West Bank, and violent acts carried out by Israeli settlers often occur in the presence of Israeli military forces who rarely act to protect Palestinian residents.
Palestinians are therefore left to fend for themselves as few options for their personal security remain.
While Israeli forces will detain a Palestinian in the occupied West Bank for possessing a knife or gun, Israelis living in the same area are legally able to carry such weapons.
Rights groups have criticized Israel for implementing different legal systems for Palestinians and Israeli settlers living in the same area.
Such practices, they say, protect the expansion of settlements while systematically removing the ability for Palestinians to move freely throughout the occupied territory.
Settlers recently stepped up their attacks against Palestinians in the West Bank, including Jerusalem, amid growing tension and renewing clashes between Palestinians and the Israeli army and police.
Clashes have been witnessed across the West Bank, including Jerusalem, and Gaza, as well as in Arab communities inside the occupied 1948 land, against the backdrop of Israel’s repeated assaults against al-Aqsa mosque compound in Jerusalem.
Israel has been enforcing a temporal division on the compound, the third holiest place in Islam, which ignited strong feelings of anger among Palestinians.
Settlements are illegal under international law as they violate Article 49 of the Fourth Geneva Convention, which prohibits the transfer of the occupying power’s civilian population into occupied territory.
18 oct 2015
Groups of extremist settlers stormed on Sunday al-Aqsa Mosque under tight security measures by Israeli police.
Israeli forces have been imposing tightened security measures at the various gates of the holy site for over a month as well as barring Palestinian youths under the age of 35 from accessing the Mosque.
On the other hand, a Jewish group called “Students for the Temple of Solomon” called on settlers to carry out a large-scale incursion into al-Aqsa Mosque on Monday without specifying time.
Israeli forces have been imposing tightened security measures at the various gates of the holy site for over a month as well as barring Palestinian youths under the age of 35 from accessing the Mosque.
On the other hand, a Jewish group called “Students for the Temple of Solomon” called on settlers to carry out a large-scale incursion into al-Aqsa Mosque on Monday without specifying time.
Despite their exposure to several arbitrary measures by the Israeli police, Zaina Amro and Henadi al-Halawani, two Palestinian pro-Aqsa female activists, are still determined to defend the Muslims' right to the Aqsa Mosque in Occupied Jerusalem.
Their steadfastness in the face of the Israeli violations and their defiance of the measures and restrictions imposed on their entry to the Aqsa Mosque have made them two outstanding role models for other Palestinian women.
Through the Palestinian Information Center (PIC), the two young women have sent messages reflecting that the Palestinian woman will always remain a strong defender of the Mosque in Jerusalem and protect it against the occupation's plots.
Amro and Halawani also expressed their appreciation to the PIC for the efforts its employees make to convey a purposeful message in defense of Jerusalem and the Aqsa Mosque.
The following is the link to their video-recorded messages.
Their steadfastness in the face of the Israeli violations and their defiance of the measures and restrictions imposed on their entry to the Aqsa Mosque have made them two outstanding role models for other Palestinian women.
Through the Palestinian Information Center (PIC), the two young women have sent messages reflecting that the Palestinian woman will always remain a strong defender of the Mosque in Jerusalem and protect it against the occupation's plots.
Amro and Halawani also expressed their appreciation to the PIC for the efforts its employees make to convey a purposeful message in defense of Jerusalem and the Aqsa Mosque.
The following is the link to their video-recorded messages.
Jerusalem streets these days are devoid of Palestinian passersby and cars except for a few; however, the streets are teeming with soldiers and vehicles of the Israeli occupation which exploits resistance operations as a justification to exercise racial cleansing against Palestinians. This situation turned the city of Jerusalem into a "ghost town".
The Israeli occupation authority (IOA) does not only pursue systematic killing all across the occupied Palestinian territories especially in Jerusalem, but also its forces are imposing a complete military siege around the holy city.
Anxiety and tension
Unlike every year on the eve of the "Hijra new year", a state of caution, fear and anticipation has prevailed in Jerusalem streets and the Old City. Jerusalem markets appear unusually empty while in previous years the Jerusalemites and Palestinians come from all over the occupied Palestinian territories to commemorate this occasion.
The scene of scouts roaming the streets of the city is also missing, as well as is the case for "Jerusalem clown" and the sweets he distributed to passers-by in the area of "Damascus Gate" … all those celebratory scenes are replaced with anxiety and tension.
Friday 16th Oct. was not a usual Friday at al-Aqsa Mosque, as it was devoid of massive worshipers as well as the streets leading to it where its visitors used to shop on their way to it and before leaving the city.
According to the director of al-Aqsa Mosque, the number of worshipers who were able to perform Friday prayers on October 16 did not exceed five thousand worshipers.
Military barracks
Traders of the Jerusalem city were affected financially by this situation. Jihad Noor, a store owner in the Old City of Jerusalem, said that, "we feel like we are in a military garrison, although there is no human being present in the place. No customers show up all the day, the city now is more like a ghost city".
He stressed that the economic situation in the Old City is very bad and that business is experiencing a difficult condition due to the unprecedented Israeli military escalation in the occupied city, explaining that, "there is no income to enable us pay our rents".
He pointed out that "the least store rent is five thousand shekels per month (US$ 1300), and merchants could not pay this amount of money when there are no customers (even) entering their stores”.
Harassment on the mere suspicion
He pointed out that the occupation police, officers and border guards deploy in the Old City on a daily basis, morning and evening, and stop anyone they suspect, and harass young men and young women on their way to work in the morning; they even once suspected in members of their own intelligence agents, who were wearing plain clothes, thinking that they are Palestinians, “this is happening because Israel is experiencing a state of paranoia”.
Revenge by financial fines
Ahmed Muhtaseb, one of the merchants of al-Wad Street said that, "the last few days were the toughest on the merchants of Jerusalem in the past two years, which forced some of them to close their shops to avoid financial fines by the Israeli municipality crews who roam daily in the markets."
He added, "The Israeli municipality crews have already imposed a financial fine worth 475 shekels (about US$ 125) on him and a similar one to his neighbor".
The Old City merchants described what the Israeli municipality staff do as "retaliatory action" against Jerusalemites; to force them to leave the place for Jewish settlers, to be turned into a place solely for settlers, especially after the martyr Muhannad Halabi had carried out a stabbing operation in which two settlers were killed and two others were wounded in al-Wad street, which then was renamed after the martyr.
Merchants urged Palestinian citizens to revive the Old City of Jerusalem and to be always present in its streets and alleys and lanes, in rejection of the blockade imposed by the Israeli occupation.
The Israeli occupation authority (IOA) does not only pursue systematic killing all across the occupied Palestinian territories especially in Jerusalem, but also its forces are imposing a complete military siege around the holy city.
Anxiety and tension
Unlike every year on the eve of the "Hijra new year", a state of caution, fear and anticipation has prevailed in Jerusalem streets and the Old City. Jerusalem markets appear unusually empty while in previous years the Jerusalemites and Palestinians come from all over the occupied Palestinian territories to commemorate this occasion.
The scene of scouts roaming the streets of the city is also missing, as well as is the case for "Jerusalem clown" and the sweets he distributed to passers-by in the area of "Damascus Gate" … all those celebratory scenes are replaced with anxiety and tension.
Friday 16th Oct. was not a usual Friday at al-Aqsa Mosque, as it was devoid of massive worshipers as well as the streets leading to it where its visitors used to shop on their way to it and before leaving the city.
According to the director of al-Aqsa Mosque, the number of worshipers who were able to perform Friday prayers on October 16 did not exceed five thousand worshipers.
Military barracks
Traders of the Jerusalem city were affected financially by this situation. Jihad Noor, a store owner in the Old City of Jerusalem, said that, "we feel like we are in a military garrison, although there is no human being present in the place. No customers show up all the day, the city now is more like a ghost city".
He stressed that the economic situation in the Old City is very bad and that business is experiencing a difficult condition due to the unprecedented Israeli military escalation in the occupied city, explaining that, "there is no income to enable us pay our rents".
He pointed out that "the least store rent is five thousand shekels per month (US$ 1300), and merchants could not pay this amount of money when there are no customers (even) entering their stores”.
Harassment on the mere suspicion
He pointed out that the occupation police, officers and border guards deploy in the Old City on a daily basis, morning and evening, and stop anyone they suspect, and harass young men and young women on their way to work in the morning; they even once suspected in members of their own intelligence agents, who were wearing plain clothes, thinking that they are Palestinians, “this is happening because Israel is experiencing a state of paranoia”.
Revenge by financial fines
Ahmed Muhtaseb, one of the merchants of al-Wad Street said that, "the last few days were the toughest on the merchants of Jerusalem in the past two years, which forced some of them to close their shops to avoid financial fines by the Israeli municipality crews who roam daily in the markets."
He added, "The Israeli municipality crews have already imposed a financial fine worth 475 shekels (about US$ 125) on him and a similar one to his neighbor".
The Old City merchants described what the Israeli municipality staff do as "retaliatory action" against Jerusalemites; to force them to leave the place for Jewish settlers, to be turned into a place solely for settlers, especially after the martyr Muhannad Halabi had carried out a stabbing operation in which two settlers were killed and two others were wounded in al-Wad street, which then was renamed after the martyr.
Merchants urged Palestinian citizens to revive the Old City of Jerusalem and to be always present in its streets and alleys and lanes, in rejection of the blockade imposed by the Israeli occupation.
